Chapter 90

Chapter 90 "I should not have been greedy and jealous, attempting to use a false pregnancy to compete for the position of Concubine Consort." "But what happened today truly has nothing to do with me!" Concubine Han glared fiercely at Xie Run. "This is clearly because Concubine Xie knew beforehand about my false pregnancy and took the opportunity to pin other crimes on me as well!" "Feihua was a maid by Concubine Li's side—how could she possibly have any connection to me?!" "If she wanted to harm Concubine Xie, how did that become my fault?!" Concubine Li's face was pale, yet she remained clear-headed and composed. She suddenly asked about something. "Princess Consort, this servant dares to ask—who has Feihua served before?" The Princess Consort frowned and looked toward Mama Liu beside her. "You are in charge of the maids and matrons of each household. Do you still remember who Feihua has served?" Mama Liu's expression gradually darkened. "If Mistress Li had not brought this up, this old servant would never have thought of it." She gritted her teeth and said, "When Concubine Ning was still Side Consort, Feihua was a second-class maid by her side. Later, when Concubine Ning was demoted to Concubine Consort, several maids were dismissed—and Feihua was among them..." Concubine Li let out a light laugh. "So it was Concubine Ning!" Her tone suddenly turned cold. "Last time, the buckwheat in this servant's pillow was soaked with poison powder—and that poison was exactly what Concubine Ning had used to poison Concubine Xie and Consort Fang." Concubine Li's gaze was heavy as she looked at Concubine Han. "But Concubine Ning was already dead by then!" "Perhaps someone was using Concubine Ning's name to harm others everywhere..." The rest of the words went without saying. Concubine Han shot her a vicious glare. "Absurd?!" "Even if I used Concubine Ning's name to harm others, could I command Concubine Ning's people?" "I'm afraid they have another master behind them, who deliberately laid this net from all directions just to take my life!" Despite pretending to be calm, Concubine Han was inwardly panicking. These women, speaking one after another, had actually managed to piece together the entire truth bit by bit. Just then, Wan Linlang suddenly knelt down. "Prince, this servant also has something to say!" Prince Jing's face was grim. "Speak!" After all, there had already been so many troublesome matters today—one or two more would hardly be surprising. Wan Linlang's eyes suddenly reddened. "Does the Prince still remember that a few days ago, this servant mentioned having a grievance, but lacked evidence, and could only wait for the day when I could confess it to the Prince?" "Now I can confess." Wan Linlang suddenly gritted her teeth and looked at Concubine Han. "The matter is this—Concubine Han instructed my maid Sui Yin to poison Concubine Ning!" What?! Everyone's mouths fell open, unable to digest this shocking news for a moment. The Princess Consort sat high above, lifting her teacup for a light sip, thinking to herself that today's drama was truly well performed. One scene after another. She wondered what else might be dragged out. In the blink of an eye, Wan Linlang had already revealed quite a bit of information. "By chance, this servant discovered that my maid Sui Yin had been bribed to secretly add poison to Concubine Ning's medicine." "I was both puzzled and terrified. Just as I was about to inform the Princess Consort, Concubine Ning was beaten to death by Consort Fang, and both Consort Fang and Eldest Young Master were punished." "Although the matter had already ended by then, I still felt uneasy." Wan Linlang looked up with a wronged expression. "Later, when I returned and thought it over, something was wrong. If the Prince and Princess Consort investigated this matter deeply, wouldn't it lead back to me?" Wan Linlang continued: "Concubine Ning was already gravely ill and unlikely to survive. Why would I harm her life for no reason?" "I'm afraid the master behind Sui Yin had other schemes—to stir up conflict between Consort Fang and Eldest Young Master, and also frame me in the process!" "After all, I come from a physician's background—the perfect scapegoat for such a crime!" She suddenly turned to Concubine Han with hatred in her eyes. "That person is Concubine Han!" Wan Linlang's maid Sui Yin suddenly fell to her knees, staring at Wan Linlang in disbelief. "Mistress, I was clearly following your orders?!" "Are you discarding me now that I've served my purpose?!" Concubine Han was also stunned for a moment, then instinctively shouted, "Nonsense! It was clearly you who wanted to harm people! Who knows what scheme you were plotting back then?!" At these words, the entire hall fell into dead silence. Concubine Han was truly involved in Concubine Ning's death, deliberately provoking discord between Consort Fang and Eldest Young Master?! Wan Linlang sneered coldly. "Of course you won't admit it!" "I suspect you obtained Concubine Ning's connections, which is how you were able to stir up trouble everywhere so soon after entering the household." "Before Concubine Ning even died, you were already using her name to harm others. Now that Concubine Ning is dead, you still try to smear her reputation—but you can no longer hide the truth!" Wan Linlang lifted her chin, wearing an expression of pride at having deduced the entire truth. Concubine Han's face was frighteningly pale. Wan Linlang lowered her gaze to Sui Yin at her feet, a trace of ruthlessness flashing through her eyes. She softened her voice. "Sui Yin, the matter of you poisoning Concubine Ning can no longer be hidden. Just confess." "As long as you expose Concubine Han's various misdeeds, I will plead with the Prince and Princess Consort on your behalf, and your family will not be implicated." Sui Yin clung desperately to Wan Linlang's legs, her voice sounding as if it were weeping blood from her throat, "Mistress... Mistress, this servant did not do it!" Wan Linlang lowered her head, a tear sliding down her cheek, her voice also sounding helpless, "Sui Yin, you cannot hide this from me!" Sui Yin thought of how Wan Linlang had poisoned Sui Jin, wanting Sui Jin to die of illness, and a chill ran through her heart. Sui Jin had not even posed a threat to her mistress's interests, yet she had already sought her life. Now that her mistress was insisting that she had colluded with Concubine Han, if she did not comply and ruined her mistress's scheme, she would only die an even more miserable death in the future... and would also implicate her family. Sui Yin slowly released her grip, hanging her head in defeat, "Yes, this servant did everything according to Concubine Han's arrangements." Concubine Han stared wide-eyed at the mistress and servant pair, then suddenly laughed, "So you were following my orders to poison Concubine Ning?" "Good! Good! Good!" "Your mistress is truly venomous and ruthless! You risk your life for her, and she turns around and sells your life away!" Concubine Han had already been saddled with several crimes, and one or two more would not make much difference. Once Prince Jing took her maidservants for interrogation, everything that should be confessed and everything that should not be confessed would all come out. She simply could not be bothered to argue anymore. She was merely curious—with a venomous snake like Wan Linlang kept in the prince's household, how much more exciting would the days ahead be?