Chapter 346

Chapter 346 Xie Run was startled and instinctively dropped the bowl and spoon she was holding. She grabbed Taotao, about to try to dig the egg custard out of his mouth. But a moment later, meeting Taotao's wide, innocent eyes, Xie Run realized she had overreacted. She pulled Taotao into her arms and turned to follow everyone's gaze, her eyes landing on Consort Li below. It was the maid beside her who had just let out a startled cry. A wine vessel had toppled on Consort Li's table, wine spilling everywhere. Her hand covered her mouth, and a trace of blood could faintly be seen at the corner of her lips. Her expression was extremely unpleasant. The Emperor and Empress both wore faint expressions, but their bearing was especially intimidating. The Emperor: "Summon the imperial physician!" "To dare blatantly poison someone at a palace banquet—truly audacious beyond measure!" The Empress also instructed unhurriedly: "First, help Consort Li to the side hall of Fengyi Palace to rest, then investigate those responsible for the banquet's wine today." "Whoever handled the items must be dragged out and questioned one by one." "No one else is to move—check every wine cup and bowl one by one to see if there are other poisoned items." Consort Wen rose and bowed: "This concubine will see to it at once." The banquet's wine had been arranged by her, and now that something had happened, she had to bear the responsibility. After helping the Empress manage the affairs of the Six Palaces, Xie Run had gained no small number of eyes and ears in the palace. She had been quite involved in today's banquet arrangements. Before long, someone quietly passed her a message. "Your Ladyship, Consort Wen has discovered that the palace maid delivering wine collided with Qiu Wu, the maid serving Imperial Concubine Gong, on the way." Hearing this, Xie Run's brows furrowed, and she instinctively cast her gaze toward Fang Yuan'er below. In truth, the moment Consort Li had been poisoned, many people had already looked at her with suspicion. After all, she had clashed with Consort Li quite a bit recently—everyone knew of their feud. But Fang Yuan'er had come all the way from the prince's residence and weathered many matters great and small, so she remained remarkably composed. The moment Xie Run looked at her, her expression was calm, yet a flicker trembled in her eyes. Xie Run keenly caught it—Fang Yuan'er was afraid! Could it really be her? In that instant, a flood of emotions surged through Xie Run's heart. Confusion, doubt, unease... As Xie Run received word, Consort Wen quickly had the person in question brought up. The young palace maid knelt trembling on the ground, weeping: "Your Majesty, Your Imperial Highness, today this servant was carrying the wine. Other than running into Sister Qiu Wu of Chonghua Palace on the way, this servant encountered no one else." "My fellow sisters can bear witness—this servant has spoken not a single word of falsehood!" Consort Wen said softly: "Your Majesty, Empress, this concubine has already sent people to question the maids who served the wine alongside her. They have indeed confirmed that they stayed together the whole time, except for nearly dropping the wine cup when they ran into Qiu Wu of Chonghua Palace on the way." "If anyone poisoned the wine, it can only have been Qiu Wu." The Empress looked coldly at the stunned Fang Yuan'er. "Imperial Concubine Gong, where is your maid Qiu Wu?!" Fang Yuan'er had only panicked for a brief moment at first, but afterward displayed an unusual calm. She rose and answered: "In answer to the Empress, Qiu Wu was not on duty today, and she acts rashly, so this concubine did not bring her to the banquet." With a single look from the Empress, people immediately went to find Qiu Wu. The Empress then asked: "If Qiu Wu was not on duty, then why was she wandering about and running into the maid delivering wine at the banquet?" Fang Yuan'er opened her mouth, but not a single word came out. Finally, she could only say in a low voice: "This concubine does not know either." The Empress: "In that case, Qiu Wu becomes even more suspect. Even if she did not administer the poison, she cannot escape involvement." The Emperor, seated at the head, asked slowly: "Imperial Concubine Gong, Qiu Wu is your maid. Do you have anything to say?" "Once Qiu Wu confesses something, it may be too late to speak then." Fang Yuan'er slowly raised her head, her gaze complex and bewildered as she looked at the Emperor. "What does Your Majesty wish for this concubine to say? This concubine knows nothing." With the Emperor speaking first, Hua Zhaorong, who had been in the spotlight recently, could not resist adding a few words: "Imperial Concubine Gong, Qiu Wu is your person. If she poisoned Consort Li, you can hardly escape involvement." "Moreover, your conflict with Consort Li is known to all—it's hard not to suspect that you harbored resentment and deliberately ordered someone to poison her." Fang Yuan'er looked coldly at Hua Yu, speaking with biting sarcasm: "By Hua Zhaorong's logic, I had a conflict with you too back then. Since I'm poisoning people, why would I only harm Consort Li and not you?" "Unless you, with your empty head, are even harder to harm than Consort Li?" Hua Yu never expected that a few extra words would earn her such humiliation out of nowhere. She fumed: "Imperial Concubine Gong, you are insolent!" "How dare you—how dare you insult me!" Fang Yuan'er had a recklessness born of desperation: "When did I insult you? I was merely speaking the truth." Hua Yu looked at the Emperor with grievance: "Your Majesty, Imperial Concubine Gong is far too arrogant." "She actually insulted this concubine!" The Emperor: "..." Thanks to Hua Yu's interruption, the atmosphere on site was no longer so frozen. Only Xie Run's heart was racing, feeling that this matter could not possibly be brushed aside so easily. The Emperor remained silent for a long time. It was the Empress who spoke first: "Hua Zhaorong, you are with child now and should not be involved in these matters. Why don't you go with the others to rest, so as not to be disturbed or alarmed." Hua Yu looked at the Emperor with a wronged expression. The Emperor gave her a cold glance. "Listen to the Empress." Hua Yu dared not say anything more. With Hua Yu out of the way, Qiu Wu was quickly brought in. Nanny Li puffed out her chest: "Reporting to the Emperor and Empress, this is what this servant searched out from Qiu Wu's room!" Nanny Li handed the item up. The imperial physicians at the banquet had already been examining the dishes, cups, and goblets, and happened to step forward to inspect it. Testing it with a silver needle, their expressions changed: "Reporting to the Emperor, this bottle contains Blood-sealing Throat Cinnabar-top Red!" The Empress said coldly: "Qiu Wu, confess at once who gave you the poison, and whether someone instructed you to administer it!" Qiu Wu kept her head lowered and gritted her teeth: "No one instructed this servant!" No sooner had Qiu Wu finished speaking than Fang Yuan'er stepped forward two paces, grabbing her and demanding: "Who exactly instructed you to harm me?!" "It was Consort Li, wasn't it?!" "She staged this herself, trying to frame me?!" Fang Yuan'er had pulled Qiu Wu's hair bun completely loose, but Qiu Wu only kept her head down in silence. The Empress frowned: "Pull Imperial Concubine Gong away!" An eunuch beside her stepped forward, and just as he pulled Fang Yuan'er away, Qiu Wu rushed toward one of the guards. The guard instinctively drew his blade. Qiu Wu pressed her neck directly against the blade, and blood spilled all over the ground. The consorts and imperial relatives present were all greatly startled. At the Empress's birthday banquet, blood had stained the occasion. The Emperor's face turned cold, and before the crowd, he spoke in a chilling tone: "Imperial Concubine Gong poisoned the banquet, intending to harm a palace consort. She is to be thrown into the Imperial Prison!"