frightfiction Chapter 652: Found the Powder
Chapter 652: Found the Powder
Soon, the people from the Ministry of Punishment followed various clues and found Zi'er.
Su Quanye stepped forward and said, "…Your Majesty, I followed the traces left by the wild cat and found that it ran out from the room of a palace maid named Zi'er in Yikun Palace."
In an instant, all the palace servants in Yikun Palace set their eyes on Zi'er.
The look in Concubine Dun's eyes when she looked at her suddenly turned cold: "Tell me?! Who ordered you to murder the Third Prince?!"
Zi'er was so frightened that her legs went limp and she knelt on the ground: "My lady, I didn't, I really didn't!"
"I started preparing for the Third Prince's first birthday ceremony early this morning. I don't know where that wild cat came from!"
"Maybe... maybe it ran over from somewhere else and got into my room. Who knows..."
"I am loyal to you, how could I want to murder the Third Prince? Please understand, Your Majesty! Please understand, Your Majesty!"
Su Quanye sneered: "There are no signs of the wild cat's activities in other places of Yikun Palace. This proves that you hid it in the room at least last night!"
Zi'er shook her head repeatedly: "Eunuch Su, even if you give me a hundred courages, I would not dare to do such a thing..."
"The wild cat is unruly. If I really had hidden it in the room, why didn't anyone hear its cry last night?"
"I am truly wronged..."
Many people had a hint of doubt in their eyes.
Yes.
If it was really as Eunuch Su said, it would be impossible that among so many palace servants, none of them had heard the cry of a wild cat.
However, the imperial physician's next words shattered Zi'er's last hope: "Your Majesty, I found that the hair around the lips of this wild cat not only contained powder that could drive it crazy, but also a little bit of knockout drug."
Concubine Dun understood instantly and glared at Zi'er: "Bitch! After you brought the wild cat back, you fed it a knockout drug, so it didn't make any sound."
"After waking up today, you found another opportunity and fed it with a powder that could make it go crazy. You also put the same powder in the swaddling clothes of the third prince."
"Yes or No?!"
"Tell me! Who sent you to murder the Third Prince?!"
As soon as Concubine Dun finished speaking, many people's minds became active.
Someone looked at Shen Zhinian calmly.
After all, as His Royal Highness Prince Jin said just now, His Majesty only has two princes. If something happens to the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince will be the only one left...
No matter how you look at it, Concubine Xian is the one with the most motives...
Of course, Concubine Sun is not ruled out.
It is not impossible that she, pregnant with the royal heir, wanted to remove obstacles for her unborn child in advance.
Although there were few people who suspected Concubine Liang, there were some.
Having lived together in the harem for such a long time, no matter how good Concubine Liang's disguise was, women knew women best. There were still some people who understood that she was not as good as she appeared.
If something happened to the Third Prince and Concubine Xian became a suspect, wouldn't Concubine Liang be the biggest beneficiary?
Moreover, she had a very good relationship with Concubine Hao, who was pregnant with the heir to the throne. It was even more likely that she would take this opportunity to get rid of the Third Prince...
Zi'er just knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly: "I didn't! I really didn't!"
"Empress Dunpin, you must trust me! I am loyal to you..."
Nangong Xuanyu lost his patience and said to Su Quanye coldly: "Drag this slave to the Ministry of Punishment and make sure to interrogate her to find out who is behind her!"
Su Quanye immediately said: "Yes!"
Who in the palace didn't understand the cruel punishments of the Ministry of Punishment? If you didn't die, you would be skinned alive...
Zi'er seemed to be frightened. She looked at Doukou beside Dunpin with tears on her face, crawled towards her and stretched out a hand for help.
"Sister Doukou, save me!"
"You said that as long as I didn't admit it, nothing would happen!"
"I don't want to go to the Ministry of Punishment. Please save me! Wuuwuwu..."
Everyone was shocked seeing this scene!
They suspected everyone except Concubine Dun.
But now, Zi'er actually asked for help from the head maid of Yikun Palace!
Everyone knows that Doukou is Concubine Dun's most trusted confidant.
Could it be that this time, Concubine Dun really planned this drama herself in order to gain the attention and pity of His Majesty?
Now, seeing that Concubine Dun was injured while protecting the Third Prince, His Majesty's attitude towards her has become much better.
Her goal has been achieved.
Doukou was stunned at first, then pointed at Zi'er and said through gritted teeth: "When did I ever tell you these words? Stop spitting bloody words here!"
She knelt down in fear: "Your Majesty, Madam, Zi'er must have seen that what she did was exposed, so she bit people randomly!"
Zi'er did not accuse Doukou anymore. Her face was full of fear and she kept shaking her head: "No! I don't want to go to the Ministry of Punishment! I am not the mastermind behind these things!"
Her frightened look makes her more credible than her well-founded accusation against Doukou.
Even Nangong Xuanyu's look at Concubine Dun was filled with suspicion and scrutiny.
He could allow the concubines in the harem to use various means to compete for favor, but he could not allow them to set their sights on the heir to the throne.
What's more, Concubine Dun is from the faction of Duke Dingguo!
Seeing that the gentleness on the emperor's face had completely disappeared and was replaced by a cold look, Concubine Dun didn't care about the wound on the back of her hand and suddenly knelt down.
"Your Majesty, Doukou has served me for many years. I know exactly what kind of person she is."
"Doukou would never murder the Third Prince. It must be that the slave Zi'er was bribed by someone else, so she is talking nonsense here."
"I hope your majesty will understand!"
Everyone understood that Concubine Dun was not protecting Doukou, but herself.
Because what’s the difference between what Doukou did and what she did?
Su Quanye was extremely efficient. When Zi'er bit out Doukou, he took people to search Doukou's room.
Sure enough, two packets of medicinal powder were found and immediately handed over to the imperial physician for examination.
Everyone looked at Doukou and Dunpin with even more suspicion.
Doukou's face turned pale, and she seemed to not understand what was going on.
Soon, the imperial physician came to the conclusion: "...Your Majesty, this packet is a knockout drug."
"This packet contains the powder that can drive animals crazy. The ingredients are the same as those in the hair around the wild cat's mouth and on the third prince's clothes..."
Perhaps knowing that the situation was hopeless, Zi'er collapsed to the ground and confessed everything: "Sister Doukou, you told me to do all these things..."
"You said that because your mother's family has a close relationship with the Duke Dingguo's Mansion, she has not been favored since she adopted the Third Prince."
"If you don't think of a solution, once Noble Lady Sun and Noble Lady Hao's children are born, His Majesty will forget about you even less..."