Chapter 364

Chapter 364 Xie Run suddenly looked up at Xiaoshu: "Who do you think is the mastermind behind this?" Xiaoshu was taken aback and unconsciously swallowed. "Does Your Highness truly wish to hear what I have to say?" Xie Run nodded slightly. "There are only the three of us here. You need not be overly cautious." Xiaoshu lowered her voice. "I believe it was Lady-in-waiting Gong in the Cold Palace." Hearing that title again, Xie Run felt somewhat dazed. It took her a moment to realize that Xiaoshu was referring to Fang Yuan'er. Even after being demoted from Chongyi to Lady-in-waiting and confined to the Cold Palace for life, she still could not shed that title of Gong. Xie Run sighed for a moment before saying, "Tell me why you think so." Xiaoshu's voice was crisp and clear. "The matter of Wu Baolin being drugged is actually hard to guess. At the time, there were many people in the Six Palaces, and since she had clashed with Lady Ye, everyone suspected Lady Ye. But in truth, there were plenty of people who could have done it to her." "But what happened to Consort Sun in the prince's residence is actually quite easy to figure out." "At that time, the Empress was unwell, so she had Your Highness and Consort Sun manage the affairs of the residence." "Your Highness was wholly focused on the Empress's health and the Fifth Prince, with no time to spare for anything else. Consort Sun, however, enjoyed a period of glory and drew much envy." "Consort Sun entered the residence as a Side Consort, came from a good family, and was favored by the Emperor. Naturally, she posed a threat to certain people..." "Among the Concubine Consorts, after Consort Jiang's miscarriage, she was already ruined. Consort Li never involved herself in the affairs of the inner court, and with everything in such chaos then, she was too busy protecting the Third Princess to have time to harm anyone. As for Consort Hua, there's no need to even mention her. The only suspicious one could only have been Side Consort Fang at the time." "Calculating by the timeline, Concubine Wan was already 'dead' by then and couldn't reach into the residence's inner court. Only Side Consort Fang, who had left the residence with the Emperor, was overlooked." Though Fang Yuan'er was not physically present in the residence, that did not mean her reach could not extend there. The connections and informants she had cultivated in the residence over the years could do plenty of things on her behalf. "Although Lady-in-waiting Gong was not in the residence at the time, she could still direct her personal maid to secretly carry the Third Prince out of the residence. Clearly, she had made many arrangements in the residence long before." Dantao chimed in as well. "Side Consort Fang was the most ambitious person. I recall that before she left the residence, she had been placed under house arrest by the Emperor and behaved herself for quite a long time." The quieter someone like Fang Yuan'er became, the more suspicious it was. It was just that the residence was hit by wave after wave of chaos at the time, so everyone overlooked Fang Yuan'er's abnormality. Xiaoshu continued, "Consort Sun may well have suspected Lady-in-waiting Gong, but at the time, Lady-in-waiting Gong had lost the Third Prince, which diverted everyone's attention." "But think carefully—in the residence back then, besides Lady-in-waiting Gong, who else had such means to harm Consort Sun without a trace?" "And after harming Consort Sun, she was not implicated in the slightest, and even stood to benefit—one less rival for favor. Does Your Highness not find such scheming familiar?" Xiaoshu was also aware of many things Fang Yuan'er had done, and so she increasingly believed that the ruin of Consort Sun's appearance was Fang Yuan'er's doing. Xie Run raised a hand and gently patted her shoulder. "Perhaps your guess is correct." The reason Xie Run showed no worry today was that she had long harbored suspicions and could guess what would happen next. "The Emperor and Empress should have evidence in hand. Now that Wu Baolin has stirred things up, that evidence will likely be brought to light as well." If it hadn't been produced before, perhaps there were certain considerations. Now that Fang Yuan'er had been cast into the Cold Palace, she was of no further use, and no one would cover for her anymore. "Lady-in-waiting Gong in the Cold Palace is likely in for another round of suffering." Xiaoshu and Dantao exchanged a glance but felt no pity for Fang Yuan'er. "The sins Lady-in-waiting Gong committed back then by relying on her status and position—now it's simply a matter of reaping what she sowed." "The bitter fruit she planted has ultimately been eaten by herself." Xie Run thought to herself that it probably wasn't that simple. Fang Yuan'er had already fallen to such a state, so why would anyone still want to drag this matter into the open? What was the purpose? The deeper Xie Run analyzed it, the more she felt this matter was not directed at her. In Fengyi Palace, the Empress endured her discomfort to receive Consort Wen. Consort Wen said, "I heard people talking on the way here about Wu Baolin claiming that Consort Zhaode wanted to harm her. Is this true or false?" The Empress looked at her with calm eyes. "What do you think?" Consort Wen was startled, then immediately realized the Empress was testing her. Consort Wen considered for a moment before speaking softly, "I believe it's impossible." "Consort Zhaode's character is known throughout the harem. With her temperament, she could never do something so harmful." The Empress's gaze at Consort Wen suddenly turned complicated. Her lips parted as if to speak, but in the end, she said nothing. Seeing her sister's hesitant expression, Consort Wen knew her answer had not satisfied the Empress and that she had been found lacking again. She said obediently, "I don't understand. Please enlighten me, sister." The Empress took a deep breath, suppressing her emotions. "I am unwell and afraid I cannot manage this matter." "Consort Zhaode is also unsuitable to handle this matter... Do you understand?" Consort Wen was momentarily bewildered before she snapped back to reality, flustered. "Elder Sister means for me to handle this matter?" Before the Empress could even speak, Consort Wen had already rejected the idea herself. "No, this concubine cannot!" "Such a major matter, how could this concubine possibly intervene..." The Empress's tone was cold. "Ben Gong says you can handle it, so you must be able to handle it!" Meeting the Empress's gaze, Consort Wen dared not say another word. Only then did the Empress's tone soften somewhat. "There's no need to be afraid. If you don't know how, Ben Gong will teach you step by step. This isn't a major matter after all—it's a good opportunity for you to practice." She knew her own younger sister best. When it came to managing palace affairs, Consort Wen was no worse than Consort Zhaode. It was just that Consort Wen's temperament was somewhat soft and timid, lacking decisiveness in handling matters—in this regard, Consort Zhaode was far superior to her. Consort Wen's heart settled only after hearing the Empress's words. But since Bai Yu had been sent to the Department of Punishments for interrogation, there would be no news for some time, and all Fengyi Palace could do was wait. Thinking that idling was a waste of time, Consort Wen decided to first visit Wu Baolin to soothe her emotions. Wu Baolin had filed her accusation in a moment of rashness, but after being comforted, she had sobered up, leaving only lingering fear. When she saw Consort Wen, she assumed the latter had come on the Empress's orders to reprimand her, and her face went pale on the spot. Consort Wen quickly reassured her. "Don't be afraid. Ben Gong has come on the Empress's orders specifically to check on you." Wu Baolin breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "This concubine pays respects to Consort Wen." "You're heavy with child, no need to stand on such ceremony." Consort Wen asked softly, "Are you feeling better now? I heard you were quite agitated in the main hall today. The Empress was worried it might affect you and the Imperial Heir in your womb, so she had someone bring you to the side hall to rest." Wu Baolin replied, "This concubine is much better now. But how will this matter be handled?" Though Wu Baolin regretted her rashness in blowing things out of proportion, she knew there was no turning back now. She had been afraid at the time. She could go into labor at any moment. If Consort Zhaode truly wanted to harm her, the timing would be perfect now—how could she escape? Moreover, throughout her pregnancy, people had been sending her gifts, all eyeing the child in her belly. Who knew what schemes these people were harboring? She feared being harmed during childbirth, with her child falling into someone else's hands, leaving her with nowhere to cry. That was why she had lost her composure and made a scene at Fengyi Palace. Now she only hoped the truth would be uncovered quickly so things could settle down, and even more so that Xie Run wouldn't hate her enough to secretly harm her. Consort Wen said, "You needn't worry too much. With the Empress here, who would dare let you suffer any grievance?" Wu Baolin thought to herself that just now in the main hall, the Empress's words had been entirely biased in favor of Consort Zhaode, with no intention whatsoever of seeking justice for her. She genuinely suspected the Empress was shielding Consort Zhaode. Consort Wen continued, "There's no evidence in this matter for now, so we can only interrogate Bai Yu first. Who knows what information might be extracted from her." Only now did Wu Baolin realize belatedly, "Does Consort Wen mean... Bai Yu might be lying?" "That... that's impossible!" "She's just a palace maid—how would she have the audacity to slander Consort Zhaode? It was only because I happened to catch her in the act today that she confessed this matter to beg for mercy..." The more Wu Baolin spoke, the more muddled her thoughts became. Consort Wen said gently, "That's precisely what's suspicious. She's a palace maid, yet she dared to openly accuse Consort Zhaode of harming people—isn't that audacious enough?" "If she had truly encountered such a matter, she would rather die than reveal even a hint of it, not go around shouting about it at the slightest provocation." "Moreover, you said she confessed this matter to beg for mercy. But originally, it was only a minor matter of illicit relations—not a capital offense. At most, she'd be punished by being sent to Yeting for hard labor." "But now that Consort Zhaode has been dragged into it, she has no choice but to go through the Department of Punishments. How is that begging for mercy? It's clearly signing her own death warrant." "Who knows what information she'll end up revealing." Consort Wen was afraid of frightening Wu Baolin, so she didn't say it outright. Once Bai Yu entered the Department of Punishments, she would likely never come out alive. Whether true or false, having implicated Consort Zhaode and dragged this matter into the open, her fate was sealed. And the charge was convenient enough—illicit relations. No further thought needed. Wu Baolin had originally believed Bai Yu's words completely. Before her wound was drugged to prevent healing, the only people she had offended in the harem were Xie Run and Lady Ye. Lady Ye had already been executed, leaving Xie Run as the only suspect. But now, after Consort Wen's words, her conviction immediately wavered. Wu Baolin said doubtfully, "If it wasn't Consort Zhaode who did it..." Consort Wen sighed and finished the thought for her. "If it wasn't Consort Zhaode who did it, then your making such a scene counts as slander, and the consequences would likely be very severe." Wu Baolin drew in a sharp breath of cold air. She... she really hadn't considered that possibility. Her survival instinct took over, and Wu Baolin grabbed Consort Wen's hand. "This concubine was only afraid at the time and didn't think things through. Besides, Bai Yu spoke with such conviction—she even detailed when the red jade poison was placed in my food and how she was poisoned to death. How could this concubine not believe her?" "It's been so long—surely she couldn't just fabricate something like this on a whim?" Wu Baolin spoke with tearful eyes: "I was truly terrified, so I could only run to Fengyi Palace to seek the Empress." Consort Wen was weak-willed, but she was no fool. She knew that Wu Baolin's outburst wasn't merely out of fear—she likely didn't want to let Consort Zhaode off the hook and wanted to see her downfall. If it were only fear, she could have quietly sought the Empress's help. Why make such a scene from the very start? Wasn't it because she feared the Emperor and Empress would let Xie Run off lightly, leaving trouble for herself later? Still, Consort Wen was a woman of propriety and couldn't bring herself to expose someone to their face. She only said gently, "Don't be afraid. If anyone is to blame, it's Bai Yu's fault. You carry the Imperial Heir in your womb and are also a victim. Her Majesty the Empress will surely protect you." Consort Wen said softly, "But you must tell the truth about this matter, holding nothing back, so we can quickly find the real culprit." Wu Baolin nodded repeatedly: "Thank you for your comfort, Niangniang. I will speak of everything I know without reservation!" "I would never dare hide anything!" Consort Wen breathed a quiet sigh of relief. The Empress had entrusted this matter to her, and she was deeply anxious, afraid of botching it and offending both Consort Zhaode and Wu Baolin. Now that Wu Baolin was willing to cooperate, things would be much easier for her. Consort Wen asked, "Why did you suddenly go for a walk today? Have you had the habit of strolling out through the side gate before?" Wu Baolin opened her mouth but found herself at a loss for words. She could hardly say that she was irritated by Consort Sun's constant gift-giving every few days, disgusted by Consort Sun's coveting of the child in her womb, and that she had flown into a rage before being persuaded by those around her to go out for a walk? When Consort Wen saw her hesitate, she knew there was more to it. She glanced around, found an excuse to dismiss those nearby, and then quietly asked Wu Baolin: "There's no one around now. Sister Wu, you may speak freely. If there's anything that cannot be said outside, you can simply deny it once you leave this door." Wu Baolin's eyes widened, barely concealing her surprise, yet she was also swayed by Consort Wen's gentle and harmless appearance. Consort Wen said softly, "Sister Wu, your concerns now boil down to two things." "One is the worry that Ben Gong and the Empress will both side with Consort Zhaode." "The other is the Imperial Heir in your womb—you fear someone covets it and might take the chance to harm you." Consort Wen pretended not to see the panic and shock on Wu Baolin's face, her smile warm. "In truth, you needn't worry about these." "This matter has stirred up such a commotion. If the Emperor and Empress truly wished to protect Consort Zhaode, they would instead launch a thorough investigation, continuing until the real culprit is found and Consort Zhaode's name is cleared." "Furthermore, among those in the palace who can raise a child, only Ben Gong and Consort Sun remain. Ben Gong is from the Xia Dynasty, so the Emperor would not give her your child to raise. As for Consort Sun..." Consort Wen paused in thought, and Wu Baolin's heart rose along with the suspense. Consort Wen said slowly, "She has already been rebuked by the Emperor and stripped of her title. If she still refuses to repent, the Emperor would rather send the child to the Princes' Residence than let her raise it." That single statement struck Wu Baolin like a bolt of clarity, opening her mind! She suddenly realized: "I was walking into a dead end." She had no right to raise the child in her womb—but that didn't mean she had to give it to someone else! If the child was raised in the Princes' Residence, he would still call her Mother, would not call anyone else Mother, and she could visit whenever she pleased! In three to five years, once the child grew up, her life would naturally get better and better! As long as she was alive, this child wouldn't be bullied by servants like the Sixth Prince had been. Life wouldn't necessarily be worse off.