An Lingrong's Rebirth: Red

Chapter 461 Pine Nut Crisp

"Princess Huai Ke was poisoned?" Ling Rong was shocked to hear the news. She had already taken off her hairpins and rings, so she had to ask Zhao Shui to redecorate them for her. "The imperial physician should have arrived at Jingyang Palace."

"In reply to your Majesty, the imperial physician has gone to Jingyang Palace to wait. Your Majesty was afraid, so she sent someone to ask you to help take charge of the situation."

Lingrong nodded, and she signaled Zhaoshui not to over-decorate, "Just go ahead in plain clothes. Concubine Xian looks strong on the outside, but is weak on the inside. I'm afraid she's so scared that she doesn't know what to do now."

Fortunately, Jingyang Palace and Chengqian Palace were not far from each other, so Lingrong and Zhaoshui arrived quickly. When Xia Dongchun heard that she was coming, she immediately went out to greet her. The makeup on her face was all smudged by her tears, and she was obviously frightened.

"Okay, cry for a while if you want to. How is Huai Ke now?"

Xia Dongchun wiped her tears and did not care about Lingrong's bad tone, so she led her to see Huai Ke, "Huai Ke's condition is now stable. The imperial physician said that she was poisoned by arsenic. Fortunately, she did not take much and was treated in time, so her life was finally saved."

After hearing what Xia Dongchun said, Ling Rong finally felt relieved. She walked into the store. The spilled cakes and teacups were still there, and there was even a faint bitter smell in the room.

"Your Majesty, these are the poisonous cakes." Wei Lin presented the remaining cakes to Ling Rong. After a closer look, Ling Rong found that they were a kind of cake called Pine Nut Lily Cake.

Wei Lin broke off a piece of lily cake and showed it to Ling Rong. There was nothing unusual inside, which made Ling Rong a little confused.

“Look, madam, this pastry has nothing unusual from the outside or inside, so it is difficult for people who eat it to notice.

After checking, I found that the arsenic should have been added before production and mixed with the flour, so there is no abnormality. "

"Is it only the pine nut and lily pastry that was poisoned with arsenic? Are there any abnormalities in the other snacks?"

"Only this pine nut and lily pastry. I heard that this pastry is the princess' favorite, so no one except the princess has ever eaten it."

Ling Rong nodded and signaled Wei Lin to put the cakes away. "Xian Fei, you should know who sent these cakes, right?"

"This cake..." Xia Dongchun frowned. She turned to look at Mingyu, "This cake should be sent by Concubine Qi."

"Yes, Madam, Concubine Qi sent her maid to deliver it after the medicinal meal.

Because Princess Huai Ke liked this pine nut and lily pastry the most, I helped her eat a piece. When she was poisoned, I really didn’t think…”

"This palace and Concubine Xian have no intention of blaming you," Lingrong comforted Mingyu, "If this is the case, you should go to Changchun Palace and invite Concubine Qi over. Remember to ask her to bring the maid who delivered the cakes with her.

Zhaoshui, go to the Yangxin Palace and ask the emperor for help. After all, it was the princess who was poisoned, and the emperor must be informed."

The two men took orders and went to deal with the matters Ling Rong had asked them to do. The bitter smell in the room lingered for a long time, so Ling Rong had to ask someone to open the window first.

Princess Huai Ke never woke up, which made Xia Dongchun really worried. Fortunately, Wei Lin said that the princess was weak, and the antidote she took and the vomiting she induced put too much pressure on her body, which is why she fell into a coma.

"The princess' pulse is fine, the two ladies don't need to worry too much."

Ling Rong saw that Xia Dongchun was relieved, and then she asked about the cakes sent by Concubine Qi.

Xia Dongchun did not hide anything, and told everything from the first time Concubine Qi sent cakes to the poisoned cakes sent today. "I didn't expect she was such a vicious person. When she comes to Jingyang Palace, I must slap her a few times to vent my hatred."

Xia Dongchun gritted his teeth, obviously thinking that Concubine Qi was the one who poisoned her.

"Although you are so angry, I have noticed something unusual, so you should not be impulsive when you see Lady Qi."

"Did you find anything unusual?" Xia Dongchun came closer. The makeup on her face had not been washed off yet, and she looked particularly funny. Ling Nun suppressed his smile to avoid losing face in such a situation.

"You just said that Concubine Qi sent snacks to Huai Ke in order to raise him, so she had no reason to poison him.

If Huai Ke died, wouldn't everything she did before be in vain? "

"But it's also possible that she wants to use this opportunity to complain to the emperor, saying that I can't raise Huai Ke well, and take the child away to her side."

Ling Rong was very happy about Xia Dongchun's sharpness, but it was a pity that Xia Dongchun's guess was still wrong. "If she really wanted to do this, why would she use arsenic, a highly poisonous substance?

After all, Huai Ke was not taking the cakes with Concubine Qi, so she had no way of controlling the dosage accurately. If Huai Ke had been greedy today and taken two more cakes, he would probably have died tonight.

This is really uncontrollable for her. As long as she has a flexible mind, she will definitely not use poison like arsenic. "

"This..." Hearing Ling Rong's words, Xia Dongchun also hesitated. She nodded, agreeing with Ling Rong's point of view. "If it is really as you said, I am afraid that this noble lady Qi has become a scapegoat for others. But who else in this palace wants to harm Huai Ke?"

"You asked the wrong question. What you should be asking is who in this palace wants to harm Concubine Qi."

Ling Rong was almost amused by Xia Dongchun's sometimes clever and sometimes foolish mind. She sighed, "Noble Lady Qi has offended many people in the harem because of her eccentric behavior, but the one who is most likely to attack her is that person."

"That person is..." Xia Dongchun hesitated for a moment, then immediately thought of the most likely person, "Are you talking about Concubine Wan from Yongshou Palace?"

"You are smart. You are not stupid enough to ask me to explain everything to you."

"Just praise me for being smart, why do you have to be so sarcastic and call me stupid." Xia Dongchun snorted, she wiped the sweat from her forehead, "Then what should we do? Ask someone to bring Wan Gui here as well?"

“I do have the right to do so, but Concubine Wan has always been the emperor’s favorite. Without sufficient evidence, it is better not to touch her lightly.

Let’s wait for Concubine Qi to come and check her condition first.

Although you and I don't like her very much, we can't let her be slandered."

"Nonsense! How could I hate her?" Xia Dongchun looked at the color on her fingers and realized that her makeup was ruined. She retorted and went downstairs to wash herself again.

Not long after, Xia Dongchun, who had just finished washing up, happened to meet Concubine Qi who came to Jingyang Palace. She told her in advance what happened to Huai Ke. Concubine Qi was scared, and when she saw Lingrong, she shouted that she was wronged.

"My Lady Concubine Sheng, I did not poison the arsenic. Someone must have known that I often sent cakes to Princess Huai Ke, so they took this opportunity to frame me. Please understand, my Lady."

Ling Rong sat in the upper seat, looking down at the frightened Concubine Qi. She pointed at the plate of pine nut and lily cakes, "Concubine Qi, instead of begging for mercy, you should think carefully about who has touched this plate of pine nut and lily cakes.

As long as you can find the person with the most problems, your suspicion will be lifted."

"Yes, yes," Concubine Qi looked at Jingtai as if she had grasped a life-saving straw, "Tell me quickly, who on earth has touched this plate of cakes?"

"My lady, there are so many people who have touched this plate of pine nut and lily cake, but after it was taken out from the imperial kitchen, only I have touched it, and it was I who delivered the cake to Jingyang Palace.

But I don’t know who has had contact with her in Jingyang Palace.”

"According to Jingtai's opinion, the only two places that she cannot take care of are the Imperial Kitchen and Jingyang Palace," Lingrong interrupted Jingtai, "but there are many people in these two places, and if someone poisons someone, it is very likely to be discovered.

And you didn't meet any other suspicious people on the way from the imperial kitchen to Jingyang Palace, so you become the most suspicious one.

Because only you can avoid being seen by others and put the poison into the pine nut and lily cake. What I said is right, isn't it, Lady Qi?"

"This..." Concubine Qi hesitated, but in order to protect herself, she immediately pushed Jingtai out, "Since Jingtai is the most suspicious person, then I will hand Jingtai over to Your Majesty and ask Your Majesty to help me clear my name."

"Lady Qi, you have handed Jingtai over to me, and I can only act according to the palace rules. If you send her to the Ministry of Punishment, I cannot guarantee that you will be able to return her to me as a complete maid.

Since you are so sincere, I will leave Jingtai to you. You can interrogate him thoroughly in Jingyang Palace."

Jingtai raised his head cautiously to look at Concubine Qi. When she heard that the young lady wanted to hand her over again, the suffering she had endured made her breathless. She kowtowed hurriedly and said, "I definitely did not poison the cakes. Please understand, Concubine Sheng.

My lady, our young master has always wanted to raise a princess. How could I possibly poison the princess and kill her?"

"Yes, I have no reason to murder the princess," Concubine Qi hurriedly defended herself, taking advantage of Jingtai's words, "I heard from Concubine Xian that the poison was kneaded into the dough, so there is only one possibility that someone poisoned it in the imperial kitchen, and I am just a scapegoat.

I just don't know who wants to frame me, please help me find out the truth and clear my name."

“Instead of asking me to find out for you, you should think carefully about who in this palace has a grudge against you and wants to frame you.

If you point me in a direction, I can investigate faster."

Concubine Qi lowered her head and pondered for a moment, then said Concubine Wan's name, "There was a feud between the Guaerjia clan and the Zhen clan. Previously, in the Imperial Garden, I had a verbal conflict with Concubine Wan, and she even threatened to kill me. I didn't expect her to act so quickly.

What's even more abominable is that she actually attacked a little kid like Huai Ke. How could she be so cruel? "

The more Concubine Qi spoke, the more excited she became, as if Huai Ke was her own daughter. The tone of her pleading immediately changed. She accused Concubine Wan harshly and immediately asked Ling Rong to bring Concubine Wan here.

"Lady Qi, please be careful about your words and actions. Without any evidence, I cannot bring Lady Wan to Jingyang Palace."

Ling Rong lightly rebuked him, and she told Jingtai to help Concubine Qi up, "Follow Mu Jin, go to the imperial kitchen and find the person who will make the pine nut and lily pastry for you.

This snack is not included in the allowance for Lady Qi, so it must have been made privately with money.”

Concubine Qi nodded silently, and Jingtai followed Mujin. As soon as he went out, he met Zhaoshui who came back and brought back the news that the emperor would be here soon.

"Upon hearing that Princess Huai Ke was poisoned, the Emperor became anxious immediately, but because he had not yet finished reading the memorial, he sent the servant back to report to the Empress.

Just now, Eunuch Su and I left the Yangxin Palace together. I believe he has gone to the Imperial Hospital to ask for the Imperial Physician He."

"You've worked hard. Go down and take a rest. I'll also check on Huai Ke to see if she's awake."

Zhao Shui agreed, but did not go down immediately. Instead, he supported Ling Rong and went around the screen to see Huai Ke.

At this time, Huai Ke had woken up once, but he was too tired and fell asleep again while being held by the wet nurse.

"My queen, the princess just vomited some black water, and then her complexion returned to normal. I think there is no problem."

Ling Rong nodded, but she was still worried about Huai Ke's condition, so she saw Wei Lin come in again to check Huai Ke's pulse. After confirming that he was fine, she was relieved and said, "Take good care of the princess, the emperor will come later.

I will be waiting in the main hall with Consort Xian, and Imperial Physician Wei Lin will stay here. If the princess shows any abnormality, you will go outside to look for her. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Your Majesty, please rest assured."

After getting the response from the nanny, Ling Rong did not stay any longer. She took Xia Dongchun and Concubine Qi to the main hall to wait for the emperor. However, she did not expect that the emperor was still a little late. Jingtai and Shunxi, who was in charge of making snacks in the imperial kitchen, came back first.

"Your Majesty, Shunxi is one of the people in charge of making snacks in the imperial kitchen. He made this stack of pine nut and lily pastries just because he received the money sent by Jingtai."

Mu Jin briefly explained the matter and immediately stood aside. She had not asked Ling Rong about Shun Xi's background before her, so she could not say anything useful.

In this regard, Mu Jin was never as good as Zhao Shui, but Ling Rong had no intention of training a servant at the moment, so she nodded and let her leave.

"Shunxi, right? I heard that you make excellent dim sum. No wonder Jingtai came to you."

"No... Your Majesty, you are too kind. The one who makes the best desserts in the imperial kitchen is Baolu, not me.

I am not very noticeable in the imperial kitchen. It is only because Eunuch Baolu is too busy that this job falls on me.

Miss Jingtai can testify to all of this, Your Majesty, please bear witness to it."

Although Shunxi said that he was incompetent, he was actually trying to clear himself of suspicion and attributed everything to coincidence.

"Tell me, when you were making desserts, did you encounter any strange things? Did you ever see the desserts?"