frightfiction Chapter 1378 Who Instigated You?
Chapter 1378 Who Instigated You?
At this point, the imperial physician paused, as if weighing his words. "This substance is called 'Red Grass Juice'. It is extremely strong, colorless and odorless. Smelling it alone or briefly coming into contact with it is harmless, so it's difficult to detect."
"But if you apply this to your skin, it will slowly release heat from your body, and after about three or four hours, it will trigger the internal wind, dampness, and heat, leading to a severe rash."
The imperial physician pointed to the lingering redness and swelling on Concubine Kang's body and said, "The timing and severity of Concubine Kang's symptoms are consistent with the properties of this substance."
"Your humble opinion is that Concubine Kang must have used this ointment before falling asleep last night. The medicinal properties were hidden until this morning, just before the enthronement ceremony."
The truth came to light with the professional words of the imperial physician.
The problem really lies with the ointment that I use every day!
Upon hearing this, Concubine Kang's face turned pale. She stared at the seemingly harmless box of ointment in disbelief and trembled as she said, "This... this ointment is from the Imperial Household Department. I've been using it for nearly half a year and it's never had any problems."
"Just before the enthronement ceremony..."
"Someone must have taken advantage of my inattention and mixed the red grass juice in. They are deliberately trying to destroy me and prevent me from making a comeback!"
Concubine Kang became more and more excited as she spoke. She knelt in front of Nangong Xuanyu, her tears wetting the rash on her face, making her look even more miserable and pitiful. "Your Majesty, please make the decision for me!"
"This man is ruthless. This time he caused me to miss the enthronement ceremony, ruining my reputation and future. Next time... I wonder what tricks he will use next time..."
"My life is not worth worrying about, but the Fifth Prince is still young, and I am truly terrified..."
Nangong Xuanyu lowered his eyes and looked at Concubine Kang, who was crying almost to death at his feet, his expression remained indifferent.
The emperor was busy with all kinds of affairs every day. The military and political affairs of the previous dynasty had already consumed a lot of his energy. He did not have much patience to carefully understand the grievances and schemes among the unfavored concubines in the harem.
More people think that they don’t have enough means and are unable to protect themselves.
but……
Concubine Kang had indeed been quite diligent in raising the Fifth Prince. The child had been born prematurely and was weak, but he had grown up safely. Given her hard work, he couldn't just ignore her.
"That's enough. What a shame to keep crying."
Nangong Xuanyu's voice was not loud, interrupting Concubine Kang's crying: "Since you have found something problematic, Su Quanye."
Su Quanye immediately bowed: "Your servant is here!"
"Continue investigating."
Nangong Xuanyu spoke succinctly and in a cold tone: "I want to see who has such a long hand and dares to use such a dirty thing in the palace."
Su Quanye responded solemnly without the slightest hesitation, "Yes! I will do my best to find out the truth!"
Concubine Kang's heart finally settled down a little, and feelings of grievance and gratitude surged in her heart.
She knelt on the ground, choking with sobs, "Thank you, Your Majesty... Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!"
Concubine Kang knew in her heart that His Majesty was very busy with affairs of state, and that he had given her a great deal of face by speaking up on this matter and ordering Su Quanye to investigate it thoroughly, especially for the sake of the Fifth Prince.
If she had just followed the rules today and reported this matter to the Imperial Concubine...
Concubine Kang quietly raised her eyes and glanced at Shen Zhinian, whose expression was still unclear. The feeling of uncertainty in her heart became stronger.
Would the Imperial Noble Consort go to such great lengths for her and insist on getting to the bottom of the matter?
She wasn't sure...
Su Quanye didn't delay any longer and turned to the servants in Chuxiu Palace. He swept his eyes over everyone and spoke with invisible pressure, "Who was responsible for keeping Concubine Kang's daily necessities, including this ointment, yesterday?"
“Where is the ointment kept, and who has access to it?”
"Did anyone enter or leave the Empress's bedroom from yesterday evening until bedtime? Was there anything unusual?"
"besides……"
Su Quanye raised a series of questions with very clear logic.
Under his sharp gaze, the palace servants became increasingly nervous, trying hard to recall every detail of yesterday.
Soon, a clear thread emerged—
The two second-class palace maids were responsible for cleaning the dressing table daily, but they only cleaned it at a fixed time in the early morning and did not enter the inner hall yesterday evening.
And the one who personally helped Concubine Kang remove her makeup, wash her, and apply perfume to her last night was the palace maid Tao Ye.
This is her daily routine.
"That is to say..."
Su Quanye's gaze fell on Tao Ye's instantly pale face. "It was you who made the last contact with Concubine Kang yesterday evening and personally applied the ointment to her body?"
Tao Ye knelt down with a plop and said hurriedly, "It is my servant, but I am only serving the Majesty according to the usual practice. I have absolutely not tampered with the ointment!"
Su Quanye ignored Tao Ye's explanation and continued to ask, "After applying the ointment, should it be returned to its original place immediately?"
Tao Ye said, "Yes... yes. I remember it clearly and put it back into the mother-of-pearl box on the dressing table."
Su Quanye asked again, "After it was put back, until the Madam went to bed, did anyone else approach the dressing table?"
The maidservant nearby recalled, "Reporting to Eunuch Su, after the Empress applied the ointment, she leaned against the window and read for a while. The servants were all waiting outside, and no one entered to touch the dressing table."
Several other palace servants who were present at the time also nodded in confirmation.
In this way, the timeline was clearly locked to the period of yesterday evening when Tao Ye was helping Concubine Kang use the ointment.
She was the last and only person who came into contact with the ointment and used it on Concubine Kang with her own hands at the critical moment.
Su Quanye's gaze returned to Taoye again: "Taoye, when you were helping Concubine Kang apply the ointment, did you notice anything unusual about it?"
"Is the smell, color, and paste different from usual?"
Tao Ye shook her head and said, "No, it's exactly the same as usual."
"Eunuch Su, please be wise. If there is anything abnormal, how dare this servant give it to the Empress?"
Her rebuttal was reasonable.
If the ointment has obvious abnormalities, Tao Ye, as the person who handled it, cannot escape blame and indeed dares not use it rashly.
Concubine Kang looked at Tao Ye with eyes full of suspicion: "You are the one who harmed me?"
"It's not me! It's really not me! Your Majesty, please understand!"
Tao Ye's forehead soon bled, tears streaming down her face. She looked both miserable and pitiful. "I have always been loyal to the Majesty, how could I have done something so inhumane?"
"This servant is wronged! It's so wronged!"
Concubine Kang looked at this palace maid who was usually well-behaved, with deep disappointment and disbelief in her eyes.
She considered herself to be not particularly lenient towards the palace servants, but she had never been harsh either. Especially those who served her closely, on whom she relied most.
Concubine Kang's voice was filled with pain and questioning: "Who else could it be if not you?"
"Tao Ye, I've treated you well. You... who on earth ordered you to frame me like this?!"