"I hinted at you crying thief to catch a thief, and you accused me of wanting to kill you. But when you insinuated to the Emperor that I poisoned the Third Prince to benefit the Fourth and Sixth Princes' futures, did you not consider that your words were condemning both me and my children to death?"
"You harmed Xuan'er. How can you expect me to show you any kindness?"
Jiang Xinyue walked up to Aunt Ning and slapped her to the ground. "You wretched servant! You dare to hit the Third Prince in front of me. Who knows how you torment him in private? Speak! Why did you falsely accuse me?"
Aunt Ning was about to say it was indeed Jiang Xinyue who harmed the Third Prince, when Jiang Xinyue spoke in a low voice: "Think carefully before you speak. If you utter even half a lie, I'll have the Investigative Bureau flay you alive from head to toe and turn your skin into a drum for the Office of Music and Dance, where musicians will beat it daily."
Her fierce gaze, powerful aura, and the murderous intent radiating from her as she spoke made Aunt Ning's facial muscles twitch uncontrollably.
The words to accuse Jiang Xinyue were stuck in her throat, unable to come out.
"Your Majesty, there's something wrong with Aunt Ning!"
Jiang Xinyue didn't care whether Consort De was truly framing her or crying thief to catch a thief about the Third Prince's poisoning. She was determined to strip a layer of skin off Consort De first.
"Why don't we send Aunt Ning to the Investigative Bureau?"
She fixed her gaze on the Xuanwu Emperor, as if to say: If the truth comes out this time, you won't cover it up again, will you?
The Xuanwu Emperor reached for her hand. "Guards, take her to the Investigative Bureau. If they can't get anything out of her..."
"Your Majesty!"
Consort De was visibly panicked. She pulled Aunt Ning down to kneel with her. "Feixiu is the personal maid I brought from the Mansion of the Duke of Cheng. She is utterly loyal to me and would never harm the Third Prince. The Investigative Bureau is full of cruel torture methods. I beg Your Majesty, for the sake of the still-unconscious Third Prince, please don't take her away. I... I still need her to care for Xuan'er!"
"We don't have to send her," Jiang Xinyue suddenly composed her expression and enunciated clearly. "Then let me ask you one last time. Did the Third Prince vomit blood after eating candy given by the Fourth Prince?"
Ning Feixiu closed her eyes briefly, then knocked her head on the floor. "This slave deserves death. It was I... I who resented Noble Consort Jiang for scolding me, and falsely accused her. My mistress was also deceived by me. This slave deserves to die. Please, Your Majesty, spare my life."
Consort De's face was full of shock. She raised her hand and slapped Ning Feixiu's face, crying, "I trusted you so much, how could you..."
She seemed furious, her chest heaving violently. She then apologized to Jiang Xinyue, "Noble Consort Jiang, it's all my fault. I was overly concerned and confused. Feixiu is one of the people I trust most, which is why I..."
"Keeping such a servant who distorts right and wrong by your side is dangerous, Consort De. Be careful not to go astray."
Her words were loaded with meaning, which Consort De understood.
The Xuanwu Emperor's fingers stroked the back of Jiang Xinyue's hand twice, not wanting her to be angry over unworthy people. "This dog of a servant dares to distort the truth and sow discord between Noble Consort Jiang and Consort De. Wang Dequan... take her away and slap her mouth fifty times as a warning to others."
Considering that the Third Prince still needed someone to care for him, the Emperor didn't sentence her to death. But fifty slaps with a bamboo paddle would ruin her face, and it was uncertain if her teeth would survive.
Moreover, servants with facial injuries were not allowed to appear before their masters to serve. By leaving scars on Aunt Ning's face, the Emperor was effectively eliminating any possibility of her serving the Third Prince in the future.
Seeing Consort De's plan backfire so spectacularly, Jiang Xinyue gave her a brief glance before turning her attention away. Instead, she walked with the Emperor to the Third Prince's bedside and asked, "Imperial Physician, what exactly is the poison that the Third Prince ingested?"
The physicians made way and stammered, "In response to Noble Consort Jiang, we are incompetent and have not yet identified it."
It's more likely that they have identified it but dare not say, right?
The Third Prince on the bed was as pale as paper, his breath feeble. His round, large eyes were tightly shut, his brows furrowed, and his forehead was constantly beading with sweat.
Occasionally, faint groans of pain escaped from his lips.
Jiang Xinyue was no miracle doctor. Apart from feeling heartache, she had no way to help.
She truly hoped that this poisoning of the Third Prince wasn't a plot by Consort De to bring her down. That would be too cruel to the Third Prince.
Jiang Xinyue left Yanqing Palace unscathed, which disappointed the consorts from other palaces who had been watching the drama unfold.
If even the Third Prince's poisoning couldn't shake Noble Consort Jiang's position, how much trust must she have in the Emperor's heart?
Those who had originally wanted to mock Jiang Xinyue for no longer monopolizing the Emperor's favor now felt bitter disappointment.
Even though the Emperor had begun to favor other consorts in the harem, Noble Consort Jiang was still the first in his heart, irreplaceable by anyone else.
A fine drizzle suddenly began to fall, catching the Emperor and Jiang Xinyue unprepared as they walked hand in hand back to Hexi Palace. Their hair and clothes were quickly dampened by the rain.
Everyone around them hurriedly used whatever they had at hand to shield the two from the rain.
But as the rain grew heavier, Wang Dequan's habitual reserve of oiled paper umbrellas could only cover either the Emperor or Jiang Xinyue, not both at once.
The Xuanwu Emperor simply took the umbrella from his hand and held it directly over Jiang Xinyue's head. The tilted umbrella, his wet shoulder, and the way he circled her with one arm to shield her from splashing raindrops all told Jiang Xinyue that this man had developed feelings for her.
She dared not describe an emperor's emotions as deeply passionate, for she was unsure of the depth of these feelings or how long they would last.
But at this moment, the clamorous world seemed to fall silent. All Jiang Xinyue could see were the Xuanwu Emperor's gentle eyes and handsome features.
He was protecting her well.
Whether in the rain or against others' schemes.
He had always been protecting her well, giving her his complete trust.
Was she moved?
Had she fallen in love with him?
No!
Rather than believing the Xuanwu Emperor trusted her because he loved her, she felt it was more likely due to his imperial wisdom.
The consorts in the palace, including Consort De, all thought they were the clever ones who could run circles around others.
But they forgot that the emperor's cunning and strategies were far above theirs. Those "others" they thought they could fool didn't include the emperor.
Why did Jiang Xinyue always win?
Because she never arrogantly considered herself the clever one, nor did she take the emperor for a fool.
On the contrary, before doing anything questionable, she always prepared countermeasures in case the emperor discovered her actions.
So even if the emperor knew she was often acting, he was willing to play along with her performance.
Moreover, everything she did was not initiated by her, at least in the emperor's view. Jiang Xinyue always appeared to be acting out of self-preservation, with no other choice.
"This rain came suddenly and will likely pass quickly. Your Majesty and Noble Consort, please take shelter here for a moment. This slave will go fetch fresh clothes for you both."
They were under the corridor of Chuxiu Palace. Wang Dequan ordered people to bring clothes from Chengqian Palace and Hexi Palace, which would be faster than waiting for the rain to stop before changing.
