Huang Yanyu was crying uncontrollably: "Consort Ru, how can you turn your back on me now? Everyone saw me interacting with Hui Yuan. How can you discard me after using me? Didn’t you say we should sow discord between the Empress and Consort Liang, then spread the news so that the court officials would impeach the Empress, forcing the Emperor to depose her?"
Her words sounded quite logical: "I’m just a lowly palace maid. What benefit would I gain from overthrowing the Empress? But you’re different. You’re a princess of Goguryeo and a consort. If the Empress falls, you’re the most likely to take her place. Isn’t that what you said?"
What an idiot!
Even if Consort Ru truly thought that way, she would never reveal it to an outsider like Huang Yanyu. The more Huang Yanyu spoke, the deeper she dug her own grave.
"So that’s how it is," Jiang Xinyue said coldly. "The poison was also given to you by Consort Ru, wasn’t it?"
Huang Yanyu eagerly latched onto the lifeline Jiang Xinyue offered: "Yes, yes… I’m just a maid. Before entering the palace, I was thoroughly searched by the matrons. I couldn’t possibly have any poison."
The implication was clear: Consort Ru was different. As a foreign princess, even though she was also searched before entering the palace, she had her ways to smuggle poison in. Whether as a foreign princess or a consort, she had far more resources than a mere maid.
Consort Ru was left speechless, her mouth agape and eyes wide with disbelief. She had never encountered someone so shameless. In her frustration, she nearly abandoned her royal decorum, an expletive like "Aish" stuck in her throat, but she refrained from uttering it, fearing it would be beneath her dignity.
Is this how things worked in the Great Yan palace? People could just lie through their teeth without consequence?
She was truly getting an education.
"It wasn’t me!" Consort Ru stomped her feet in anger. "I swear it wasn’t me! Empress, I came here as a peace envoy between our nations, not to stir up trouble. My brother is the king of Goguryeo, and Goguryeo has always looked up to Great Yan as its celestial empire. My brother reveres the Emperor of Great Yan as a god. How could I, raised in such a tradition, cause chaos in the Emperor’s harem? This wretched maid is just trying to shift the blame onto me to lessen her own punishment. I beg the Empress to see through her lies and clear my name."
What a flattering speech…
If Jiang Xinyue hadn’t witnessed leaders in her past life flip-flop, betray allies, and switch sides at the drop of a hat, she might have believed Consort Ru’s words.
She knew Huang Yanyu was spouting nonsense, but…
Since Consort Liang had already suffered, she couldn’t let her ordeal be in vain.
She had to maximize the benefits.
"Whether to clear your name or find evidence of your involvement in harming Consort Liang, I will discuss it with the Emperor. For now, since Huang Yanyu has accused you of inciting her to poison Consort Liang, and you deny it, both of you will be sent to the Investigative Bureau for further questioning."
Why was it still the Investigative Bureau?
Huang Yanyu wanted to argue further, but Jiang Xinyue thought she was too foolish. If she said anything more, she might inadvertently exonerate Consort Ru. With a subtle glance, Shuangjiang and Xique grabbed Huang Yanyu, gagged her, and dragged her away.
"It wasn’t me! It really wasn’t me!"
Consort Ru struggled. "Empress, you’re using your authority for personal vengeance. You’re afraid the Emperor will favor me, so you’re trying to eliminate me. How vicious! My brother will never let you get away with this! Mmmph—"
Her words were cut off as the matrons stuffed a dirty cloth into her mouth.
Tong Xiuyuan and Shi Xiuyi watched in horror as Consort Ru was dragged away, too frightened to speak, even their breathing subdued.
Jiang Xinyue’s casual glance in their direction made them avert their eyes, their hands and feet fidgeting nervously.
Tong Xiuyuan stammered, "I… I’ll go check on Consort Liang."
Shi Xiuyi stuttered, "I… I just remembered I have porridge cooking in my palace. I’ll go back and have some…"
Tong Xiuyuan grabbed her arm and pulled her along. "You don’t even have a kitchen. What porridge are you talking about? Don’t make it so obvious!"
Consort Liang was still unconscious. Imperial Doctor Hu said she wasn’t out of danger yet. The poison was common, the kind found everywhere in the common folk. The Imperial Hospital had the antidote, but Consort Liang had ingested a large dose, which was why her condition was so severe.
This kind of poison didn’t seem like something Consort Ru would use, but it fit Huang Yanyu’s status perfectly.
No matter how wealthy Huang Yanyu’s family was, they were still merchants. It would be easy for her to buy such a common poison from a pharmacy.
If she hadn’t been helping Consort Liang organize her storeroom that day, who would the poison have been used on?
Jiang Xinyue thought it would probably have been used to frame her.
You couldn’t apply normal logic to the thought process of a fool.
Why did Huang Yanyu think that if Jiang Xinyue died, she could rise to power?
Did she think the other consorts in the palace were just going to stand by and let that happen?
The eldest princess sat by the bed, weeping, while Consort Shu and Noble Consort Ye took turns comforting her. Tong Xiuyuan and Shi Xiuyi remained huddled in a corner, too scared to approach.
Jiang Xinyue felt a headache coming on. "Tong Xiuyuan and Shi Xiuyi, you may leave. I’ll stay here with Consort Liang."
"Yes, we’ll take our leave."
"Yes, we’ll take our leave."
The two of them exhaled in relief, grabbed each other’s hands, and bolted out the door.
The eldest princess was both amused and furious. "Who asked them to come? They rushed over here, didn’t even get close to my mother, and then ran off in fear. I don’t think they came to visit her; they came to see if she was dead!"
Consort Shu sighed. "Some things are better left unsaid."
Noble Consort Ye nodded. "Recently, there’s been a lot of opposition to the Empress in the court, and some have been pushing for those two to rise in rank. It seems they’ve started entertaining ideas they shouldn’t."
Tong Xiuyuan’s father was only the Minister of Works, and even the Grand Tutor had said in court that they shouldn’t force the issue.
Shi Xiuyi, however, likely harbored greater ambitions.
Her father had achieved numerous military victories, and as his legitimate daughter, she felt she deserved to be rewarded.
"The Empress is too domineering. She gets to enjoy romantic moments with the Emperor, while the rest of us can’t even catch his eye."
Tong Xiuyuan vented her frustration by tearing at the leaves on the roadside. "When the incident with Consort De happened, I thought she was a good person, someone who would encourage us to bear children for the Emperor, like the late Empress did. But instead, she’s the only one having children, and the rest of us are just decorations."
"Exactly," Shi Xiuyi said, fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist. "She even dared to throw the princess of Goguryeo into the Investigative Bureau. What are we in her eyes? She can scold or hit us whenever she pleases."
Tong Xiuyuan suddenly stopped. "Isn’t there anyone who can put her in her place? If this continues, all of us who don’t kiss up to her will be suppressed and never have a chance to rise."
As the daughter of a minister herself, Tong Xiuyuan never felt she was inferior to Jiang Xinyue.
She couldn’t bring herself to idolize Jiang Xinyue the way Consort Shu and Consort Liang did.
