Jiang Xinyue nodded, "Today the Fourth Prince received a nine-ring puzzle and was thinking of his Third Brother. He wanted to send it to him to play with, so I thought we could take the opportunity to admire the beautiful lotus flowers in Consort De's palace... Little did I know... the yellow-lipped fish in the lotus pond would bite people. Xi Que fell in trying to save a little palace maid who had slipped, and ended up like this."
Just from being bitten?
The Xuanwu Emperor was familiar with yellow-lipped fish. In fact, due to their high price, common people could rarely afford to eat them. Most were sent to the palace, becoming a prized delicacy at imperial banquets.
Though large in size, he had never heard of these fish biting people!
Moreover, the wound on Xi Que's leg was beyond a mere bite - it was as if the fish had tried to devour her whole.
Such a terrifying yellow-lipped fish had never been heard of, let alone seen.
No!
He had seen it!
Jiang Xinyue said it was in Consort De's palace.
He had not only seen it in Yanqing Palace, but had even fed it. At the time, he found it strange that the yellow-lipped fish wouldn't eat fish food. Consort De explained that because the palace servants often fed it small fish and shrimp, it no longer liked tasteless fish food.
Now, in a flash of realization, he understood - it didn't eat fish food because it preferred... human flesh?
Yan the Imperial Physician shook his head, "This is no yellow-lipped fish, it's a piranha. Xi Que will definitely be left with a scar on her leg."
And it would be a scar the size of a bowl. It might make it difficult for her to marry in the future, as her husband's family would likely find it objectionable.
Jiang Xinyue felt very guilty. She had noticed something off about that fish, but hadn't warned Xi Que to be careful.
Xi Que was the first person since Jiang Xinyue had arrived in this strange dynasty who wholeheartedly supported her, believing everything she said without question and following her instructions, even at the risk of her own life.
Though she wasn't as calm and steady as Shuang Jiang, nor as quick-witted as Jiang Chuan, nor as adaptable as Xiao Xuanzi, she was like a little sun, brightening and warming everyone around her with her lively and cheerful nature.
There were too many clever people in the palace; someone like Xi Que was rare and precious.
Now that Xi Que had been bitten so badly and lost her usual vitality, Jiang Xinyue felt a tightness in her chest and a lump in her throat. She felt heartbroken for Xi Que but didn't know how to comfort her.
"Your Highness... I... I'm fine," Xi Que forced herself to smile foolishly at Jiang Xinyue. "I'll follow Your Highness for my whole life. I won't marry... if I don't marry, a scar doesn't matter. You won't mind it, will you, Your Highness?"
Her voice trembled, clearly in great pain, but she pretended to be fine so as not to worry Jiang Xinyue.
"What nonsense are you talking?" Jiang Xinyue wiped away her tears and went to hold Xi Que's hand. "I was thinking of arranging a grand wedding to marry you out of the palace!"
Why waste your youth in the palace?
Life is short, just a few decades. It's better to enjoy yourself and experience what you deserve while you can.
"Alright, stop crying," the Xuanwu Emperor stepped forward and took Jiang Xinyue's hand. "No matter how big the issue, you should have your lunch now. Later, I will go to see Consort De, and you can come along."
If Consort De really did keep such a vicious fish, she would have to be severely punished.
Just thinking about the yellow-lipped fish eating human flesh made the Emperor want to vomit. He never wanted to eat that kind of fish again in his life.
After instructing Yan the Imperial Physician to treat Xi Que well and leaving Shuang Jiang to take care of her, Jiang Xinyue left the room with a heavy heart.
After walking a few steps, Jiang Xinyue suddenly stopped and asked Xiao Xuanzi, "Where's Xiao Ronghua?"
Xiao Xuanzi was taken aback, "Didn't she... leave with Jiang Chuan and the others?"
Jiang Xinyue thought back. The last time she saw Xiao Ronghua, she seemed to be walking among the group from the Imperial Household Department.
She wasn't sure when Xiao Ronghua had disappeared from the group.
Jiang Xinyue grabbed the Emperor's hand, "This morning when the concubines came to pay their respects to me, after they left, Xiao Ronghua returned and begged me to save her life. She said she had accidentally discovered that Consort De was imprisoning and abusing palace maids, and she feared Consort De would silence her. I thought it might be a misunderstanding, and since the Fourth Prince was thinking of his Third Brother, I decided to investigate. I didn't expect Xi Que to get hurt accidentally, so I didn't pay attention to Xiao Ronghua... Your Majesty, do you think she..."
Could she have already been silenced by Consort De?
She didn't need to finish her sentence; the Emperor immediately understood her meaning.
"Let's go!" The Emperor didn't even think about lunch anymore. A life was at stake; he couldn't ignore it. "To Yanqing Palace."
Rumors of Consort De's hypocrisy had been circulating in the harem for a long time. Since the Empress's death, it was as if she could no longer suppress the beast within her, frequently doing things that contradicted her public image.
The Emperor didn't dislike ambitious people.
But if someone pursued their ambitions by any means necessary, being vicious and without moral boundaries, that would be repeatedly stepping on the Emperor's most hated aspects of human nature.
Jiang Xinyue knew that the Emperor preferred women who were gentle, cute, delicate, and kind, who could rely on him and believe in him in everything.
But he didn't consider that among the three thousand concubines, those who could gain his favor, believe in him completely, rely on him, and let him handle everything, how could they possibly be incompetent?
Some things were deliberately overlooked simply because of love.
Just like with Jiang Xinyue - though he knew she was cunning and decisive, he still found suitable reasons for her actions time and time again.
Consort De was different from Jiang Xinyue. If she tried to rely on the Emperor for everything, grass would be growing five feet high on her grave by now.
She could only rely on herself.
In the beautiful and harmonious lotus garden, a scene of exquisite beauty, large yellow-lipped fish swam through the pond. Their black eyes, seemingly able to draw people in, emitted an eerie cold light.
Suddenly, the lotus leaves shook violently, and the entire pond turned bright red.
On the second floor of a pavilion by the pond, someone sprinkled a handful of white powder. The blood-red water instantly returned to its original state, as if the brutal scene had never happened.
The water was clear again, and the garden resumed its peaceful and tranquil appearance.
Abruptly...
A skeleton with its face gnawed away floated to the surface. Only half of the swollen, pale face remained, with one eyeball wide open, its extreme terror making it look particularly gruesome and horrifying.
Jiang Xinyue followed the Xuanwu Emperor to Yanqing Palace again. The atmosphere in the palace was much more somber and oppressive, likely overshadowed by the assassination of the Old Lady of Duke of Cheng's Mansion.
Just as they entered the main hall's flower room, they saw Luyin supporting a weak Consort De, who looked as if she had been crying, walking out from inside.
Upon seeing the Emperor, tears welled up in Consort De's eyes again. She rushed over, grabbed his sleeve, and shook her head, "Your Majesty, my... my grandmother... this isn't true, is it?"
"It's true. The Old Lady of Duke of Cheng's Mansion was struck by a hidden weapon that pierced her shoulder blade. The weapon was laced with a potent poison."
She had hoped to hear a denial from the Emperor's lips, but her wishes were in vain.
