Pin Shanhe

"Innocent? Then tell me, why was the Consort's maidservant in your bedchamber? Was she acting on your orders to poison the Seventeenth Prince and Pearl?"

Consort Mei knew that if she were convicted, she would die without a burial place, so how could she possibly confess?

"I have never done such a thing, nor have I ever seen amber. This must be a setup!"

Emperor Yong, unable to contain his anger any longer, roared, "Drunken Rouge Fragrance is a perfume you created, exclusively for the Chenghuan Palace. No one else knows about it. Tell me, who could have framed you?"

"Perhaps someone stole the spices..."

"Enough! Even now you still won't admit it? Do you really think I'm a fool? Or do I have to throw you into the Imperial Prison for severe interrogation before you'll tell the truth?"

Consort Mei panicked completely.

No matter how she tried to argue, she couldn't deny the irrefutable facts.

Just as the emperor ordered her to be taken away for punishment, her personal maid, Xianghe, rushed out and confessed everything.

"This matter has nothing to do with Consort Mei; it was done by this servant!"

"That bottle of poison... was prepared by the Empress for herself. Seeing how much the Emperor respected and loved the Consort, she couldn't help but feel disappointed. She said that since she couldn't win the Emperor's love, she might as well die."

"This servant could not bear to see her mistress suffer, and felt indignant on her behalf. So I stole the poison and instigated Amber to poison the Seventeenth Prince's pastries and Pearl's medicine jar, thus framing the Imperial Concubine."

"Her Majesty only has the Emperor in her heart, how could she know about such sordid matters? Please don't wrong Her Majesty!"

"This servant knows her sins are unforgivable, and she will atone with her death!"

After saying this, she stuffed the poison hidden under her fingernails into her mouth and soon died from the poison.

This is the third life lost tonight!

Before her death, Xianghe took all the blame upon herself, but how could the master escape responsibility when his servant committed a crime?

He may be spared the death penalty, but he cannot escape punishment.

The Emperor ultimately ordered that Consort Mei be banished to the Cold Palace.

No matter how much she cried and begged for justice, it was no use.

Shen Fu never expected that her plan, which she had meticulously laid out all night and almost failed, would be so easily foiled.

She had known all along that Consort Mei and Jun Qiyuan were in cahoots.

One of them wanted to become the most powerful woman in the harem, while the other wanted the position of crown prince.

So they secretly agreed to cooperate and use the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet as a pretext to plot this conspiracy.

If successful, it would kill two birds with one stone.

Although they failed to eliminate Jun Qiyuan, cutting off one of his arms in the palace was a severe blow.

They have a long future ahead of them!

……

By the time they returned to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, it was already very late at night.

Shen Fu didn't feel sleepy at all; on the contrary, she was very excited.

She looked out the window at the night sky, savoring the thrilling events of the night, her heart trembling with excitement.

Because... she has already taken the first step in her revenge!

Just as she was pondering how to proceed next, a soft chuckle suddenly came from behind her: "Heh, you're in quite a mood!"

Shen Fu was so frightened that she almost fell off the chair.

She stared wide-eyed at the man who had suddenly appeared in the room.

Is he a ghost?

You walk without making a sound?

"When did you arrive?"

"I've been here for a while, but seeing you were lost in thought, I didn't want to disturb you."

"..."

Then why bother them?

Doesn't he know that scaring someone can be deadly?

Forget it, I'll let it go since he helped her bring down Consort Mei tonight.

"Why aren't you back at the Prince's residence this late? What are you doing here?"

"I've done you such a great favor today, shouldn't you at least say thank you?"

Shen Fu immediately feigned ignorance: "I don't understand what you're saying?"

Seeing that she refused to be honest with him, the man became dissatisfied and exposed her pretense with a single sentence.

"You feigned illness to save the Seventeenth Prince and draw out the poisoning plot. You actually knew who the murderer was all along, didn't you?"

Even if I know, I certainly can't admit it.

If I tell him, I'll inevitably have to explain even more.

Although they had a cooperative relationship, it was limited to the matter of her mistaken marriage; she didn't want the other party to know too many of her secrets.

"Your Highness misunderstands. I was indeed feeling unwell at the time. I never imagined that it would lead to such a shocking conspiracy. I was terrified, and I'm still trembling a little now."

"Yeah?"

The man sneered and pulled her into his arms.

"What are you doing?"

Shen Fu immediately struggled, but he seized her hands and pinned them behind her back, while his other hand slowly moved down... to her heaving chest.

Her heart pounded with nervousness. Was this guy trying to take advantage of her?

He shouldn't have crossed the line in our agreed-upon cooperative relationship!

"I've heard that the hearts of heartless people turn black. Why don't we dig them out and take a look?"

"..."

Is he joking?

To appease the other party, she could only explain, "I am not a member of the royal family, and I don't usually have the opportunity to enter the palace. How could I possibly know that someone would poison me at the palace banquet? It was truly just a coincidence!"

Xiao Xuanjin stared intently at her, as if trying to bore a hole through her.

This is also what puzzled him.

Consort Mei plotted to frame Consort Gui, and Consort Gui not only learned of it in advance but also took precautions and guided everyone to find the real culprit.

How could a weak woman do this?

That's why he followed them after the palace banquet ended, wanting to find out the truth.

"Will you obediently tell me yourself, or will I investigate?"

"You've really misunderstood..."

Shen Fu tried to remain defiant, but the other person grabbed her chin.

"Or, I could arrest that Imperial Physician Zhao and see if he's colluding with anyone. What do you think would happen if the Emperor found out that someone was deceiving him right under his nose?"

"..."

Shen Fu's heart sank.

How meticulous and terrifying must a person be to solve a case by simply looking at the incense ash on a corpse's clothes?

If he really wanted to investigate, Zhao Xu's relationship with the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion would certainly not escape his notice.

Zhao Xuneng has already shown enough loyalty by taking the risk to help, so how could I face him if I were to be implicated in the process?

Shen Fu finally lost her temper: "What exactly do you want?"

"It's simple, just tell the truth."

Even a rabbit will bite when cornered.

Unfortunately, she wasn't a rabbit, so she had no choice but to confess.

"The truth...don't you already know it?"

Xiao Xuanjin's heart sank.

So, it really is just as he thought.

She knew about Consort Mei's plot all along, which is why she devised a plan to thwart it.

So the question is, how did she know all this?

Shen Fu couldn't help but smile bitterly to herself.

She knew that as soon as she made even the slightest opening, the other party would seize it and never let go.

Why should I always be the one in a passive position?

His previous guarded and aloof demeanor vanished, replaced by a smile tinged with a hint of mockery.

"Your Highness's concern for me so much, could it be that you've fallen in love with me instead of just pretending?"