Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 310 Another Clash

Upon hearing this, Princess Ruihe swayed in fright, and her voice changed tone.

"Your Highness, please be careful what you say! This matter has nothing to do with me...what does it have to do with me? How could I possibly harm you?!"

"Isn't that your purse?" Xiao Qing'er screamed, completely losing her composure due to fear and anger.

"What kind of person you are, others may not know, but do you think I don't know? Whether there's poison in the purse or not, a single test will tell..."

Emperor Chongzhao gave him a wink.

Physician Zhang steeled himself and stepped forward, picked up the purse, carefully opened the lining, poured out some fine powder, and carefully smelled and identified it, his face growing even paler.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty... this... this powder has a pungent and acrid smell, it is undoubtedly red musk powder... and it seems to contain some thousand-gold vine..."

With each word she spoke, Princess Ruihe's face paled a little more.

Xiao Qing'er was completely drained of color, utterly bewildered as to how things had turned out this way...

Suddenly remembering something, he abruptly looked at Ruihe.

"Li Yuning! You were unwilling to marry into the impoverished Longyou back then. Now that you've returned to the capital as a widow, seeing that I am favored by the Emperor and pregnant with his child, are you filled with resentment, jealousy, and hatred, and want to destroy the imperial offspring in my womb?"

Ruihe felt as if he had been struck by a heavy blow.

He had been trying to hold on just a moment ago, but now he was trembling with anger and his words were incoherent.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger, Your Highness, please calm your anger... This purse was indeed part of my dowry, but I haven't used it for a long time, and I have no idea when such filth was hidden inside... It must be... it must be someone who framed me... Ruihe knew nothing about it..."

She paused.

His panicked gaze swept over everyone in the hall.

The image finally settled on Xue Sui, as if he had grasped a lifeline.

"Master Miaozhen's familiarity with medicines suggests that she already knew the inside story..."

"Does Your Highness mean that this humble nun has some connection with Princess Ping Le, who is far away in Shuozhou?"

Xue Sui's tone was calm and even carried a faint smile.

"Did this humble nun bribe Princess Ping Le to secretly slip this poison into the princess's dowry purse and then send it into the palace, all to frame Consort Li today? Such a clever scheme of using someone else to do one's dirty work is something an ordinary person could not have come up with."

These words, though seemingly gentle, were actually sharp and pointed directly at her ridiculous and absurd nature.

Ruihe's expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to retort, he heard Empress Xie sigh.

“Your Majesty, things have come to this point. The dignity of the royal family should be the priority. As a female member of the imperial family, Ruihe needs to be carefully investigated. And what about Consort Li…”

"Empress." Empress Dowager Chengqing interrupted Empress Xie and spoke in a deep voice.

“Ruihe is a child who grew up in my care, and I know her character best. She is a kind and innocent child, and there is no way she could do such a vicious thing. Besides, she and Consort Li have been together since childhood and are like sisters. How could she do such a thing? There must be a misunderstanding.”

Princess Ruihe nodded repeatedly, tears streaming down her face.

"That's exactly right. Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is wise! Your Majesty the Empress is wise! Consort Li and I have been close since childhood, and there is absolutely no way I could harm the imperial heir in her womb... Someone must be interfering, sowing discord and framing us..."

"Deep friendship? What a deep friendship!"

Xiao Qing'er let out a sarcastic, bitter laugh.

In this life-or-death lawsuit, either Ruihe will take the blame, or she will be the one to suffer.

Even if the purse was originally part of Ruihe's dowry, Xiao Qing'er would still insist that it was hers.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, Your Majesty the Emperor, Your Majesty the Empress, the day before yesterday, Princess Ruihe came to the palace to find me and handed me this purse, saying that it was a good gift that the Empress Dowager had recently bestowed upon her, and that I should wear it to receive good fortune..."

"Consort Li!" Ruihe shouted sharply, looking at her with disbelief.

"When did I ever give you this purse? Don't make false accusations..."

"Li Yuning! Do you dare swear to God that you didn't say that?"

"I did say that, but what I gave you was the agarwood newly bestowed by the Empress Dowager..."

She stopped halfway through her sentence, her face turning somewhat flustered.

Empress Dowager Chengqing frowned, feeling caught between a rock and a hard place, her face turning ashen.

A profound silence fell over the Baohua Hall.

Emperor Chongzhao rubbed his aching temples, his anger surging within him, yet he had to restrain himself.

"Guards, take Princess Ruihe into custody temporarily and keep her under close guard. Intensify the investigation. Consort Li... move her to Shuangheng Garden for now, and we will discuss the matter further once her 'miscarriage' has subsided."

Xiao Qing'er was moved to the Cold Palace, Shuangheng Garden, but the word "miscarriage" was deliberately used to definitively conclude that the pregnancy was a false pregnancy.

It is unclear whether the emperor truly wanted to protect Xiao Qing'er or was simply trying to appease the Xiao family.

"Your Majesty, this matter is your responsibility. You must handle it carefully."

Empress Xie frowned slightly and lowered her head in agreement.

"The minister and concubine follow the order."

"Your Majesty! I'm innocent... Empress Dowager, save me..." Princess Ruihe collapsed to the ground, her lips moving but unable to utter any powerful words of protest, only desperate sobs remaining. Looking at her pitiful, limp state, Xiao Qing'er also completely lost the strength to struggle or resist...

He looked at Xue Sui with resentment.

But she stood silently to the side, head bowed and eyes down, as if it were none of her business.
-
The eunuchs stepped forward and, half-helping and half-escorting, led the two away.

The hem of her palace dress trailed over the blood-stained gold bricks, leaving behind a scene of devastation.

Emperor Chongzhao was clearly furious.

He believed in ghosts and gods, and the mysterious fall and shattering of sacred objects was seen as an ominous sign.

Moreover, he already loathed the infighting within the harem and was even less willing to have such a scandal exposed in public, causing him to lose face.

So, once the two were taken away, the emperor immediately turned to Abbess Huiming and treated her with great courtesy.

“Master Huiming, you have been frightened. Today’s events have brought disgrace upon Shuiyue Nunnery; it was my oversight that caused this.”

Master Huiming bowed her head, put her palms together in a gesture of respect, and spoke in a weak voice.

"Your Majesty is benevolent. Today's disturbance of the Dharma assembly and damage to sacred objects are my fault for failing to protect them properly. I beg Your Majesty's punishment..."

Emperor Chongzhao waved his hand, interrupting her: "The shattering of the vase may be a sign from Heaven, not your fault. Abbess, there is no need to blame yourself too much."

Master Huiming felt as if she had been granted a pardon and bowed deeply.

“Amitabha… On behalf of all the staff of Shuiyue Nunnery, I kowtow to express my gratitude for Your Majesty’s wise and benevolent judgment.”

Emperor Chongzhao nodded slightly, then gave his orders with a stern face.

"Wang Chengxi, take Abbess Huiming and her disciples to Qing'an Pavilion for a rest. Prepare a vegetarian meal and treat them well to calm their nerves. We will send them out of the palace tomorrow when the wind and snow have subsided."

Wang Chengxi bowed and accepted the order.

"Disperse, everyone." Emperor Chongzhao's voice was utterly exhausted.

Having said that, he turned away without looking at anyone else.

The royal family members, noblewomen, concubines, and nuns, still reeling from the shock, finally snapped out of their daze, looked at each other, each lost in their own thoughts, and silently dispersed in the oppressive atmosphere.

As Li Zhao left, he gave Xue Sui a deep look.

My gaze fell on her injured wrist.

Xue Sui lowered her eyes to avoid the pain, which only seemed to become clear at this moment...

It hurts so much!
"Miaozhen." Abbess Huiming gestured for her disciple to help her up, and asked with concern, "Your injury... is it alright?"

"It's just a minor injury, nothing serious," Xue Sui cleared his throat, his voice steady.

Li Zhao paused for a moment in front of her, but ultimately did not turn around. His robe sleeves fluttered, leaving only a tall and straight back view.
-
The snow and wind outside the palace grew even more biting.

It howled through the palaces and buildings, each sound mournful and desolate.

Xue Sui and the nun Huiming, a group of six, silently followed the eunuch leading the way through the long and desolate palace road.

At the intersection leading to Qing'an Pavilion, they unexpectedly encountered Xue Yuechen, who was preparing to leave the palace.

Xue Yuechen was wrapped in a thick fox fur coat, with lingering fear in her eyes.

The two looked at each other from a few steps apart.

Xue Sui nodded slightly, and the nuns also clasped their hands in greeting.

"This humble nun greets Princess Duan."

Xue Yuechen's lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end it only turned into a soft sigh.

"Sixth sister, I misunderstood you today. I was just being foolish."

Xue Sui smiled faintly.

"Your Highness is too kind. Misunderstandings are common, there's no need to take them to heart."

"I cannot stay in the palace for long today, otherwise I would like to go to Qingfeng Pavilion to keep you company and talk to you..."

"It's cold and the roads are slippery, Your Highness, please return to your residence to rest early. This humble nun will take her leave now."
-
Qingfeng Pavilion is a secluded courtyard near the palace wall.

The place wasn't big, but it was clean and warm.

Wang Chengxi made thoughtful arrangements, with a charcoal brazier burning and hot tea prepared. He also politely inquired whether a physician was needed.

Xue Sui politely declined his offer, only asking the palace maid for clean cloth, water, and strong liquor. She then cleaned the wound herself, neatly wrapped it with the cloth to stop the bleeding.

Wang Chengxi apologized repeatedly, leaving two palace maids to serve tea before hurriedly leaving to report back.

Huiming kept Xue Sui behind and sent the other four disciples and palace maids to the outer room.

With the door closed, shutting out the wind, snow, and prying eyes, I felt much more relaxed.

She grasped Xue Sui's arm, looking at his injury with deep sorrow.

"Miaozhen, we are so grateful to you today. If it weren't for your foresight and early planning... the century-old reputation of Shuiyue Nunnery, along with this old nun's life, would probably have been lost right here in Baohua Hall..."