Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 216 One Person Logged Offline

"What snakeberry juice! I've never heard of it..."

Lu Xi clutched the hem of her skirt, her voice trembling like a mosquito's buzz, filled with panic, "I haven't even stepped into the Imperial Kitchen!"

"Second Miss Lu! This poison didn't come from the Imperial Kitchen."

Xue Sui approached her, the flames dancing in her eyes. The cold wind stirred by his wide sleeves startled Lu Xi, causing her to stagger backward. The agarwood bracelet on her wrist struck the dragon pillar with a crisp sound.

Dozens of gazes from inside the hall pierced through like steel needles.

In a panic, Lu Xi rushed to his wife, tears streaming down his face.

"Mother, Mother, please help your daughter..."

Madam Lu's face turned ashen. She quickly shielded her daughter behind her, her voice stern and imposing.

"Your Majesty is wise. The Lu family has been loyal and virtuous for generations. My daughter has been educated in the classics since childhood. How could she have committed such a heinous act? Consort Xue is clearly spouting nonsense. I wonder what her true intentions are!"

Xue Suifu bowed to Emperor Chongzhao, his voice calm.

"Your Majesty, I dare to report that when I examined the poison for the Imperial Concubine just now, I discovered that the poison she was ingested was indeed from snakeberry. And today, only Miss Lu was present to serve the Imperial Concubine tea..."

“Nonsense! You’re talking nonsense!” Lu Xi screamed, interrupting her.

"Countless palace maids come and go in this hall, why single me out?"

Xue Sui smiled slightly, then suddenly stepped forward, pushed aside Madam Lu's arm, and swiftly snatched a plain handkerchief from Lu Xi's arms, displaying it to everyone.

"The imperial physician is right here; why not examine him immediately?"

Emperor Chongzhao narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a deep voice, "Examine!"

The imperial physician stepped forward with trepidation, holding the white handkerchief and examining it for a long time, his forehead beaded with sweat.

"Your Majesty, this poison is far too treacherous. This old minister... this old minister truly does not know where to begin testing it..."

Xue Sui sneered: "This substance becomes colorless and odorless after being soaked in snakeberry juice and tea, only becoming visible when it comes into contact with musk... Has the imperial physician truly never heard of it, or is he unwilling to share His Majesty's burdens?"

"Nonsense!" Madam Lu trembled with anger, pointing at Xue Sui's face, her hair ornaments swaying wildly in her hair.

"My son is kind and gentle by nature. He wouldn't even step on an ant. How could he poison someone? Consort Xue, don't make false accusations!"

Xue Sui gave a cold smile.

Lu Er Guniang, who wouldn't even step on an ant, conspired with Princess Ping Le to push her into the snow, cesspools, and mud, repeatedly putting her in mortal danger without any pity. Not only did they show no mercy, but they would also occasionally add fuel to the fire by making sarcastic remarks and letting out grating laughter...

She said, "Madam Lu is probably being blinded..."

Empress Xie slowly rose, the pheasant pattern on her phoenix robe shimmering in the candlelight. "Does Consort Xue have any evidence? On this Mid-Autumn Festival, let's not needlessly ruin the harmony of the palace."

"This is indeed the poison of the wild strawberry..."

A clear female voice suddenly rang out.

Suddenly, Princess Tuya stood up. Her moon-colored silk dress shimmered in the candlelight, making her look like a fairy from the moon.

Everyone turned to look and whispered among themselves.

Why is Princess Tuya getting involved in this?
Tuya seemed oblivious to the stares of the crowd, her silver veil fluttering with each breath, her voice like pearls falling onto a jade plate.

"Your subject swears in the name of Mount Ulan that this is indeed the poison of the snakeberry."

The whole hall was in an uproar.

Wenjia suddenly loosened her grip on the handkerchief.

Last night, following Xue Sui's instructions, she took Niu Niu to the palace to visit this aunt.

Tuya's expression was cold, her eyes filled with distance and wariness. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she sent her away.

Unexpectedly, he said something surprising today.

Emperor Chongzhao turned around, his dragon-patterned black boots crushing the broken porcelain on the ground.

"How did you find out?"

“Just now, I observed that Her Highness was bleeding from all seven orifices, which matches the symptoms of ‘snakeberry poison’ recorded in the sacred mountain’s scriptures. This poison requires snakeberry juice as a catalyst, and it turns into nothingness when heated, but when mixed with musk, it will cause bluish spots to appear and emit a unique putrid odor…”

"Continue!" Emperor Chongzhao said coldly.

"Your Majesty, please have someone fetch musk—"

Emperor Chongzhao's eyes sharpened as he looked at the imperial physician.

Soon, a box of musk was presented.

Tuya covered the musk with the handkerchief she had taken from Lu Xi. In a moment, bluish spots appeared on the handkerchief, and a faint, unpleasant stench of decay filled the hall...

"Your Majesty, I witnessed this poison when I was young with the High Priest, and I am certain that I am not mistaken," Princess Tuya said solemnly.

Emperor Chongzhao waved his dragon sleeve and swept his gaze like a knife towards Lu Xi.

"Poisonous woman! You still dare to deny it?"

Everyone in the hall gasped in shock.

All skeptical eyes were cast upon Lu Xi.

Lu Xi trembled all over, clinging tightly to Madam Lu, his tongue tied in knots, his words incoherent.

"I didn't, I didn't..."

"Your Majesty!" Madam Lu suddenly knelt down and kowtowed heavily. "My daughter has no grudge against the Imperial Concubine. Why would she poison the Imperial Concubine? This is a trap!"

"No enmity whatsoever?" Li Zhao's python robe swayed slightly, the black jade at his waist gleaming with a cold, eerie light. "Princess Ping Le forcibly seized farmland to build a villa. Grand Tutor Lu once impeached Prime Minister Xiao in court for failing to properly educate his son. This land encroachment case led to Xiao Jing and Xiao Zhengyuan's imprisonment and tragic deaths—Consort Xiao, enraged and ashamed, publicly accused Grand Tutor Lu of being 'old and immoral,' smashed her phoenix hairpin, pointed to the sky, and swore an oath, cursing the entire Lu family..."

Lu Xi's pupils suddenly contracted.

Madam Lu's expression also changed abruptly.

The mocking laughter of Consort Xiao, who said, "Does a woman from the Lu family even deserve to serve the Crown Prince?" still echoed in my ears.

She instinctively looked at her daughter, her throat tightening.

"Xi'er, where did the poison on your handkerchief come from...?"

"Mother, that's not mine! I didn't have it!" Lu Xi suddenly screamed. "I have no idea what snakeberry juice is, and I have no idea how there could be such filth on the handkerchief..."

The hysterical denial shattered in the deathly silence of the hall.

Pale and powerless.

"Guards!" Emperor Chongzhao roared, "Throw Lady Lu into the Ministry of Justice's prison and thoroughly investigate her accomplices!"

The Imperial Guards, clad in armor, stormed in from outside the hall, grabbed Lu Xi's arms, and were about to take him away.

"Your Majesty! I have been wronged!"

Lu Xi, her hair disheveled, rushed towards Empress Xie, weeping bitterly.

"Your Majesty, save me! Your Majesty the Empress, save me... This humble woman did not poison you..."

Empress Xie looked reluctant, but when she saw Emperor Chongzhao's sinister eyes, she twisted her handkerchief tightly with her fingers and finally lowered her eyes and remained silent.

The guards stepped forward and roughly pulled away Lu Xi's hand, which was tightly gripping Madam Lu's.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please see the truth!" Lady Lu watched helplessly as her daughter struggled to be dragged away by the guards, collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face, and wailed pitifully.

"My daughter would never harm Her Highness the Imperial Concubine! Someone must have framed her on purpose; she's innocent!"

The candlelight inside the hall flickered, casting a dim and indistinct glow on the messy floor.

Before Consort Xiao's body could be recovered, the noble ladies and wives in the palace all remained silent, trembling with fear.

Only Lu Xi's shrill rebuttal echoed in the empty hall.

Lu Xi's voice gradually faded away outside the hall.

The people in the hall looked at each other, all finding the matter strange...

Many doubts remain.

It was common knowledge that Lu Xi and Ping Le were on good terms.

Even if Consort Xiao was dissatisfied with the Lu family, she had no motive to kill Consort Xiao...

Besides, how could a delicate young woman have the audacity to poison the Imperial Concubine Xue?

Li Huan suddenly stepped forward from the crowd, his gold-embroidered cloud-patterned sleeves brushing against Xue Sui's waist.

No one noticed how the azure unicorn pouch ended up in his hands; all they saw was him raising the pouch with bulging veins, his eyes still bloodshot, revealing the pent-up resentment he felt after his mother's death.

What was hidden in the concubine's purse?

Xue Sui looked back and said, "They're just some everyday spices and medicines."

Li Huan remained expressionless as he reached out and opened his purse.

Inside, there were a few silver needles, two small porcelain bottles, and half a piece of broken jade pendant.

Li Huan picked up the broken jade pendant and examined it closely, then suddenly let out a cold laugh.

"What a fine concubine! Is this the wolf guard totem of Siz?"

There was an uproar in the hall.

The totem of the Xiz Wolf Guard is the symbol of the Xiz assassins. Now that it has appeared in Xue Sui's purse, and with the fact that Consort Xiao testified before her death that she had a brand on her waist that only Xiz spies would have, how could people not be suspicious?
Xue Sui looked at Li Huan's bloodshot eyes and suddenly chuckled.

"Your Highness, this purse is a gift from you personally."

Li Huan's face was ashen and grim.

"Xue, you have disappointed me greatly."

He turned around abruptly, clenched the purse in his palm until his knuckles turned white.

"Father, my concubine colluded with foreign powers to murder my mother. It's all my fault for trusting the person beside me and being negligent in my precautions. I deserve to die a thousand deaths for this..."

"Your Highness has quite the skill." Xue Sui slowly straightened his tattered clothes, then suddenly leaned down and sniffed Li Huan lightly.

"I think the foul smell emanating from Your Highness is even more pungent than the poison of the wild strawberry."

Li Huan's expression turned slightly cold.

"Are you saying that I would poison my own mother?"

Xue Sui's eyes suddenly darkened.

She knew she couldn't leave any evidence against herself, and this half of the jade pendant couldn't have been placed there by someone close to her.

In the chaos just now, only Li Huan was able to get close.

Therefore, there can only be one possibility—

It was Li Huan who casually slipped it in as a smokescreen.

The Broken Jade Pendant is his.

He just wanted to get himself imprisoned.

Without evidence, he fabricated it.

Li Huan's "counterattack" was flawless...

There are no flaws.

Prince Duan would certainly not harm his own mother. This jade pendant was found in Xue Sui's purse. The culprit who colluded with Xizi and poisoned the Consort was naturally Xue Sui.

Moreover, it is a fact that she is at odds with Princess Ping Le and has a long-standing feud with Consort Xiao.

"Guards, seize Consort Xue as well!"

Li Zhao, who had been standing with his hands behind his back beside the dragon pillar, finally changed his expression.

Laifu, standing beside him, even heard a very faint "click" sound emanating from the prince's throat, like a wolf king grinding its teeth when it sees its prey being taken away...

“Royal brother.” He stepped forward, a cold smile curving his lips, his knuckles beneath his python robe turning white from the force.

"The Ministry of Justice has not yet conducted an investigation, yet you have already convicted the concubine?"

Li Huan: "With both witnesses and physical evidence, what further denials are you going to make?"

Li Zhao stared at the purse in his hand, a mocking smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"The jade pendant might have been placed there by my elder brother..."

Everyone in the hall was shocked upon hearing this.

She was Li Huan's concubine, a fact known to everyone in the court and the country. Prince Duan doted on her like a treasure, and in a short time, she went from being a concubine to Lady Ping'an. Then, in the Golden Palace, he personally knelt down to request an imperial decree to make her a concubine. What a passionate affection this was!

If Consort Xue hadn't poisoned Prince Duan's mother, how could a man who doted on her like a precious jewel have personally pushed her into prison?
No one would believe this illogical thing.

Emperor Chongzhao did not believe it either.

Seeing Li Zhao's interference and aggressive attitude, his face suddenly darkened, and he smashed the teacup at Li Zhao's feet.

"Shut up!"

A shard of porcelain flew out and cut the back of Li Zhao's hand.

"You think this is some kind of marketplace teahouse, where you fight and scheme in front of me?"

Li Huan's lips curled into a sullen smile, a cruel and sinister look appearing on his face.

"Father, I suspect there's something fishy about the concubine's identity. She left the Xue family and disappeared without a trace for ten years, her whereabouts a mystery. After returning to the capital, she married into the Prince Duan's household. Perhaps Xizi intentionally planted her there..."

As he spoke, he glanced at the exposed skin on Xue Sui's waist—the peony painting there was faintly visible.

"Father!" Wen Jia knelt in the hall with Niu Niu in his hands, his eyes full of pleading. "Your Majesty, Consort Xue was stabbed by assassins when she saved me and Consort Wan. The scars on her body are from that time. If she were really a spy, why would she risk her life to save others?"

"Your Majesty!" Empress Xie weakly propped herself up, her chest heaving. "Your Majesty, I just fell ill, and it was Consort Xue who came to my aid..."

Emperor Chongzhao glared at her with a sinister look.

"is it?"

Empress Xie immediately pursed her lips.

If she speaks up for Xue Sui now, wouldn't that confirm the Crown Prince's crime of colluding with the Xue family and using someone else to do the dirty work?

Her plea for mercy at this moment would be extremely detrimental to both herself and the Crown Prince.

But after a moment's thought, Empress Xie forced herself to speak.

"In my opinion, there are many suspicious points in today's events. It is not too late to determine the guilt after a thorough investigation..."

"Enough!" Emperor Chongzhao suddenly roared in fury: "Take him away and have the Ministry of Justice keep a close watch on him!"

The imperial guards rushed forward and gripped Xue Sui's shoulder blade with their iron fists.

Amidst the gasps, Li Zhao suddenly lunged forward and grabbed the Imperial Guard's wrist. His knuckles turned white from the force, and a near-obsessive ferocity surged in his bloodshot eyes, but he abruptly released his grip when he met Xue Sui's gaze.

"Father." Li Zhao turned and bowed deeply to the ground, his python robe and wide sleeves hanging down like dark clouds.

"Your subject requests to preside over the trial of this case."

"Is the Crown Prince going to protect her?" Li Huan sneered.

Li Zhao responded with an even colder laugh: "I will request a joint trial by the three judicial departments. If Your Majesty has any doubts, you can send a trusted confidant to keep an eye on things."

Li Huan lowered his eyes, concealing his sharpness, and said to Emperor Chongzhao, "Your son has been in charge of the Jingzhao Prefecture for many years and has handled countless criminal cases. This case is entrusted to your son for thorough investigation, and the truth will surely be revealed as soon as possible."

Li Zhao's gaze swept over Consort Xiao's body, which was covered with white silk, his eyes turning cold. "The Consort has just passed away. Your Majesty should prioritize filial piety, arrange the funeral for Consort Xiao, and appease her maternal clan to comfort her spirit in heaven..."

Emperor Chongzhao's sharp gaze shifted between his two sons.

He then glanced at Xue Sui's calm face and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"By imperial decree, the case of the poisoning and murder of the imperial concubine in Qinghui Palace shall be presided over by the Crown Prince and supervised by the Prince of Duan. Within ten days, it must be..."

Before he could finish speaking, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.

A member of the Imperial Guard stumbled in, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

"Your Majesty—"

"Miss Lu was on her way to the Ministry of Justice prison... bleeding from all seven orifices, she died from poisoning..."

Peace~~