Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 171 Revealed
The Grand Princess's gaze fell on Li Zhao. "Crown Prince, you speak with such certainty, but do you have any evidence?"

“Of course.” Li Zhao smiled faintly, his deep eyes sweeping over the yellowed booklet, his every move revealing the sharpness of a superior.

"With medical records here, we can follow the clues and the truth will surely come to light."

The Grand Princess nodded. "The Crown Prince's certainty must be the result of careful consideration. But such devotion makes one curious: what is it that makes you so fixated on the past?"

Older gingers are more spicy.

What seemed like an unintentional question was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake.

This has led many to speculate about the Crown Prince's motives.

Is there some ulterior motive, or is it a conspiracy from the Crown Prince's palace?

Li Zhao slightly raised his chin, took two steps forward, and stood tall like an ancient pine tree.

"Consort Xue was meticulously plotted against by villains, resulting in the deaths of herself and her unborn child. My mother, the Empress Dowager, was embroiled in controversy because she had visited the ailing Consort Xue. Over the years, rumors have circulated both inside and outside the palace that the Empress murdered Consort Xue and her unborn son. My mother's grievances are like a thorn in her side. As her son, how can I stand idly by?"

The Grand Princess asked coldly, "Then, Your Highness, who do you think is the mastermind behind this?"

Li Zhao: "In the power struggles within the harem, who benefits, and who is the mastermind behind it all..."

All eyes turned to Consort Xiao.

Empress Xie's originally pale face suddenly turned rosy, her breathing became rapid, and the handkerchief in her hand was twisted out of shape.

The stigma and slander she had endured for years left her speechless and forced to swallow her anger. She never imagined that after so many years, her name would be cleared...

She looked at her tall and handsome son.

Out of the corner of his eye, he inadvertently glanced at Xue Sui's calm face.

Her intuition told her that this matter was inextricably linked to Madam Ping An.

Empress Xie had very mixed feelings.

The atmosphere inside the hall suddenly changed, becoming so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

Consort Xiao felt the growing suspicion and scrutiny, as if she were sitting on pins and needles, and her hands and feet went cold.

"Your Highness!" she demanded sharply, "You deliberately chose to bring up old matters at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet. Was it to disrupt the celebration and displease the Empress Dowager? Or do you harbor ambitions and want to use this opportunity to incite conflict in the court?"

"Why is Your Highness in such a hurry?" Empress Xie smiled gracefully, the jade bracelet on her wrist gleaming with a cold, eerie light. "It's just that the Crown Prince happened to witness such methods and happened to unearth old files from the Imperial Hospital to seek justice for Consort Xue."

After saying that, she turned to look at Empress Dowager Chengqing and made a move in the game of chess that was both steady and fast.

"The Empress Dowager has always cherished Consort Xue. If we can clear her name, wouldn't that be a rare birthday gift?"

When Empress Dowager Chengqing saw the "birthday gift" presented by Li Zhao, she was speechless when asked by Empress Xie. She was dissatisfied but could not show it, so she could only force a smile and sigh.

"Are you all deliberately trying to ruin my birthday celebration..."

She let out a dissatisfied snort, but her gaze slowly turned to Xue Sui.

"Since Lady Ping'an understands medical principles and considers herself superior to Physician Fu, then let's examine her. Ping Le!"

The controversy surrounding Consort Xue's death has once again fallen on Princess Ping Le.

"Grandmother?!" Ping Le was shocked upon hearing the voice and instinctively turned to the side, but was intimidated by Li Zhao's cold glare.

"If my elder sister wasn't guilty, why would she be afraid of the doctor examining her pulse?"

"She's not a doctor, who knows what she's up to?"

Li Zhao smiled and said, "I know that Madam Ping'an is a skilled physician. She not only saved the life of the second young lady of the Xue family, but also Consort Wan and Princess Wenjia. How can she not be a doctor?"

“I can testify.” Old Madam Cui stood up and solemnly bowed to the Empress Dowager and the other dignitaries at the table, speaking on behalf of Xue Sui, “I have suffered from rheumatism for many years and often felt unbearably dizzy. Fortunately, my granddaughter treated me carefully and I gradually recovered. My granddaughter is a kind and virtuous person and would not lie.”

Clearly, the old lady was determined to get an explanation for Consort Xue's death.

With Old Madam Cui's forceful appeal and the ladies of the court pointing and whispering, Empress Dowager Chengqing hesitated for a moment before slowly uttering a single word.

"Verify!"

Xue Sui stepped forward slowly and grabbed Ping Le's wrist in a way that left no room for refusal.

Ping Le raised her chin in shock and anger, staring at her and trying to shake off her by swinging her arms.

Xue Sui met her gaze, their expressions locked for a moment, then smiled gently.

"As I suspected, it was indeed caused by the medicine. Princess Ping Le was not pregnant, nor did she miscarry."

Ping Le's expression changed drastically. She said, "Do you think you can just spout nonsense and distort the truth with your mouth?" The Grand Princess also frowned and questioned, "Yes, Lady Ping An's words are baseless. How can anyone believe them?"

Physician Fu snorted, then excitedly clasped his hands and declared, "I come from a legitimate medical lineage and have recorded hundreds of medical cases. Upon careful examination of Princess Ping Le's pulse, it is slow and disordered, wiry and mixed, a sign of severe blood and qi deficiency after a miscarriage. Lady Ping An, relying solely on her own limited understanding, dares to spout nonsense in the palace, attempting to overturn the established conclusion? How laughable!"

Xue Sui calmly released his hand and smiled as he bowed to the Empress Dowager at the head of the table.

"Your Majesty, may someone bring a basin of soapberry water?"

Empress Dowager Chengqing's gaze swept back and forth among the group.

After a long while, she finally raised her hand wearily: "Go get it."
-
Before long, a palace servant brought over a copper basin.

It was filled with water infused with soapberries.

Xue Sui stirred the water a couple of times, watching the ripples gently sway, then suddenly raised his hand, taking Ping Le by surprise, lifted her sleeve, and pressed a section of her fair and slender hand into the water.

Ping Le shouted, "Xue Liu, what are you doing?"

No one answered her.

Everyone in the Cining Hall was drawn to the changes in the basin—

The soapberry water showed no abnormalities.

Ping Le's originally normal skin tone gradually turned into a strange bluish-gray in the water.

Xue Sui bowed respectfully and said, "Red musk powder turns blue when it comes into contact with alkali. Princess Ping Le had this substance hidden in her sleeve, and it became stained upon contact with her skin... However, why the princess brought red musk powder to the palace, and whether she was framed, I have no idea..."

Ping Le's expression changed drastically as he stared incredulously at his discolored hand.

"What happened? Why did this happen? Did you do it?"

Xue Sui didn't try to prove it to anyone, but said calmly, "Mixing Thousand Golden Vine with Red Musk Powder can induce miscarriage or create the illusion of a miscarriage. This has been circulating among the common people for a long time, but it's just a common trick, and most nobles in the palace don't know it. But for those who study medicine, it's not a huge secret, don't you think, Physician Fu..."

She glanced at Fu Qingsong's slightly flustered expression.

"If Physician Fu still has reservations, he can conduct further examinations."

Physician Fu's eyes darted around, his voice weak, "This old man, as a member of the Imperial Medical Academy, is well-versed in medicine and serves noble people. How could I possibly know about such despicable methods? I have never heard of them, I have never heard of them..."

Xue Sui curled her lips, knowing he wanted to shirk responsibility, so she didn't press the matter.

She slowly turned her gaze to the sandalwood box in front of the Empress Dowager's desk and smiled slightly.

"If Consort Xue's medical records are indeed accurate, then her premature birth and postpartum hemorrhage back then were likely due to a conspiracy, and there may be hidden secrets behind it..."

Inside the hall, the expressions of several elderly noblewomen suddenly changed.

The prayer beads in Grandma Cui's hand snapped with a "crack," and the sandalwood beads rolled all over the ground.

It was Lady Xiao who harmed her own daughter and the prince in her womb!

It turns out that her daughter was poisoned in the Rouyi Palace and died in childbirth.

It is hateful that the Xue family has been kept in the dark for so many years, always loyal to the Xiao family and serving them faithfully, yet they are completely unaware that they have become accomplices of their enemy.

My daughter died with resentment in her heart, her eyes wide open in death!

Old Mrs. Cui trembled slightly with anger. She first straightened her clothes, then suppressed her grief and indignation, walked steadily to the Empress Dowager, knelt down slowly and solemnly, placed her hands on the ground, and bowed deeply.

"Please, Your Majesty, do justice for Consort Xue, and for the daughters of the Xue family!"

Xue Yuechen looked at her grandmother, her eyes reddening, and they remained silent.

Upon seeing this, Wen Jia staggered to the Empress Dowager's feet, tears streaming down her face.

"Granddaughter is innocent! Please, Your Majesty, do justice for your granddaughter..."

Empress Dowager Chengqing's chest heaved violently. Looking at the whispering ladies in the hall, she felt a chill rise from her chest and a sense of powerlessness.

Li Zhao looked down at Ping Le, who had an incredulous expression.

"Does Your Majesty have anything else to say?"

“No…this is impossible…” Ping Le shook her head slightly, looking at her discolored wrist, then suddenly looked at Consort Xiao, “Mother! It wasn’t me…I didn’t…”

"Shut up!" Consort Xiao slapped Ping Le across the face, leaving a bloody scratch on her cheek from her fingernails.

"It's one thing for you to be obsessed with the prince consort and to be consumed by jealousy, but why do you have to frame your sisters?"

There will be another chapter at 7 PM. Have a great holiday everyone!