Chapter 51

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE: LINGXIN Seeing that the Third Prince had fainted, the Empress Dowager, furious, directed her anger at Ling Jiayue. “Ling Jiayue, what are you plotting? How did the Third Prince faint after drinking the wine poured by your maid? Someone, quickly summon an imperial physician to examine the Third Prince!” When Madam Liu and the siblings Ling Jiayue and Ling Jiaxuan saw the Empress Dowager’s fury, they no longer dared remain seated. They all knelt and said, “Please calm your anger, Empress Dowager,” hoping that she would suppress her rage and not implicate the Ling Residence. By this time, Lingxin, who had poured the wine for the Third Prince, had also been seized by the guards. No longer caring whether Ling Ziqi would see her, Lingxin raised her head and shot Ling Ziqi a provocative look. Ling Ziqi had just learned from Ling Zixue that Lingxin was dead. Now, seeing Lingxin as though she had come back to life, she immediately felt as if her soul had flown from her body. But then she thought about it again. Lingxin could not possibly have died only to appear here now. A sudden sense of foreboding rose in Ling Ziqi’s heart. “The imperial physician has arrived,” Eunuch Chen announced. “Quickly, imperial physician, examine the Third Prince!” the Empress Dowager ordered. The imperial physician did not dare delay and immediately began examining Mu Yuyang. Afterward, his expression seemed troubled. The Empress Dowager said, “What is the Third Prince’s condition? Speak freely!” Only then did the imperial physician dare to speak. “In reply to Your Majesty, the Third Prince has been poisoned.” When Ling Jiayue heard that the imperial physician had diagnosed Mu Yuyang with poisoning, the corners of her lips lifted even higher. Madam Liu, however, along with Madam Wan and Madam Chen, felt their backs grow damp with cold sweat. “Someone! Lock Ling Jiayue up. Give her a beating with staves—one hundred blows first. We will decide what to do with her after the Third Prince wakes up!” Upon hearing that Mu Yuyang had been poisoned, the Empress Dowager flew into a rage and gave the order. “Please calm your anger, Imperial Grandmother!” Mu Yuheng and Ling Jiaxuan spoke at the same time. “Calm my anger? How am I supposed to calm my anger? Ling Jiayue dared to plot against a prince. That is an enormous crime. Even beating her to death would not be excessive!” the Empress Dowager said. “Empress Dowager, the maid who poured the wine for the Third Prince cannot be spared either. She gave the Third Prince poisoned wine; she deserves to die ten thousand deaths!” Seeing that the Empress Dowager intended to punish Ling Jiayue, Ling Ziqi hurriedly demanded that Lingxin be put to death as well. When Lingxin heard how eager Ling Ziqi was to push her to her death, she finally came to her senses. The sisters Ling Ziqi and Ling Zixue had merely been using her. Even though she had once been Ling Ziqi’s personal maid, once Ling Ziqi hardened her heart, she would still push Lingxin to her death without the slightest hesitation. “Please calm your anger, Imperial Grandmother. Even if you intend to punish Ling Jiayue, you should at least allow her to explain herself. She originally acted out of goodwill, hoping to reconcile with the Third Prince. If she had truly intended to poison him, why would she have done it at such a conspicuous banquet? Clearly, Ling Jiayue has been framed,” Mu Yuheng said in Ling Jiayue’s defense. After hearing Mu Yuheng’s words, the Empress Dowager finally eased her intention to punish Ling Jiayue. “Ling Jiayue, I want to hear your explanation. What was your purpose? Did you instruct this maid to administer the poison?” Seeing that the Empress Dowager’s anger had somewhat subsided, Ling Jiayue was grateful to Mu Yuheng for speaking up for her. But she also knew that the time had come. She said, “Empress Dowager, my pouring wine for the Third Prince to apologize was originally done out of goodwill. As for why things turned out this way, I truly cannot understand it either. I’m afraid you will have to ask this maid.” Ling Jiayue knew that if she explained what came next herself, her words would not be credible. It would be better to have Lingxin speak for herself. Thus, Ling Jiayue simply threw the question to Lingxin. As she spoke, she glanced at her once. Lingxin understood immediately: today, they absolutely had to bring down the sisters Ling Ziqi and Ling Zixue! “Oh? That maid is also from the Ling Residence. Do you think you will be free of blame by pushing the responsibility onto her? If she cannot give me a satisfactory answer, your entire Ling Residence will still be unable to escape responsibility!” “This subject would not dare. Please calm your anger, Empress Dowager,” Ling Jiayue said, glancing at Lingxin. Lingxin naturally knew that it was her turn to speak. She broke free of the guards’ hold and crawled forward on the ground. “Please forgive me, Empress Dowager. I had no choice but to do this.” Lingxin continued, “There is something the Empress Dowager may not know. The Madam Ru currently at the Third Prince’s side was originally a young lady of the Ling Residence. This servant was once her personal maid, and Madam Ru was sent to a nunnery to repent after attempting to harm the legitimate daughter, Ling Jiayue.” “Lingxin! You were supposed to explain why you poisoned the Third Prince! Why are you saying all this?” Ling Ziqi said in panic. After Ling Ziqi finished speaking, she heard people around the banquet whispering among themselves, as though they were all discussing her. Furious to the extreme, Ling Ziqi lunged forward and slapped Lingxin across the face. After taking the slap, Lingxin did not become angry. Instead, she laughed and said, “Madam Ru, are you planning to silence me by killing me?” “Restrain her! You, maid—continue speaking,” the Empress Dowager ordered. With the order given, Lingxin continued, “After Madam Ru escaped from the nunnery, she was made Madam Ru by the Third Prince. However, she did not realize that she had been the one in the wrong. During her return visit to her family home, she secretly contacted this servant and ordered me to kill someone!” “Shut up! Empress Dowager, do not listen to her nonsense! I didn’t!” Ling Ziqi shouted, desperately trying to stop Lingxin from continuing. Yet she did not know that her current appearance had already made Lingxin’s words seem true. “This servant, remembering our former master-and-servant relationship, was willing to betray the Ling Residence to poison and kill someone for her. The person Madam Ru wanted killed was none other than the master of my household, Ling Taian. Not long ago, I brought poison back from the Third Prince’s Residence and was caught by the Young Master Ling. Madam Ru actually wanted to kill me to silence me.” Lingxin spoke with grief and indignation. When Ling Ziqi heard her reveal everything about their dealings, she wished she could tear Lingxin’s mouth apart. If the guards had not been restraining her, she would have already lunged at Lingxin and fought her. “She is in the Third Prince’s Residence. How could she have tried to kill you to silence you?” “That was because Madam Ru’s biological younger sister is still in the Ling Residence. After I was caught that night, she hurried over. I thought she had come to rescue me. I never imagined that she had come to put me to death.” The Empress Dowager became increasingly confused. “If she intended to put you to death, how are you still alive? And why did you poison the Third Prince?” “At the time, the eldest young lady gave this servant a beating with staves. Unexpectedly, I was fortunate enough not to die. The eldest young lady was kindhearted, so she ordered Doctor Lin to treat me and even told me to mend my ways from then on. But I felt guilty in my heart. Therefore, I wanted to rid the Ling Residence of these two sisters, whose hearts are as venomous as snakes and scorpions,” Lingxin said. “Then why did you poison the Third Prince?” “Please forgive me, Empress Dowager. I could expose the sisters’ evil deeds to the public only by poisoning the Third Prince. The poison I gave the Third Prince was the same poison Madam Ru had ordered me to give the master.” Lingxin’s voice trembled as she spoke. “You wretched maid! You do have some nerve, daring to use a prince’s life in your scheme!” the Empress Dowager roared, pounding the table. “Empress Dowager, I didn’t!” Ling Ziqi continued struggling, while Ling Zixue, being young, was already so frightened that she could not speak.