Chapter 32: Song Zhao Poisoned

Chapter 32: Song Zhao Poisoned

During the days of her house arrest, Emperor Xiao Jingheng did not visit Song Zhao once.

She lost her appetite completely, growing noticeably thinner.

On the sixth night of her confinement, just before sleep, Song Zhao heard a knocking at her door.

"Who is it?"

"Mistress Song, it's your servant."

Hearing Jiang Deshun's voice, Song Zhao felt reassured. "Eunuch Jiang, what brings you here? Please, come in."

Jiang Deshun bowed as he entered, placing a food box on the table.

His face initially bore a smile, but upon seeing Song Zhao's weak and frail appearance, the smile froze,

"Why do you torment yourself so, young mistress? In just a few days, you've become so thin. If the Emperor sees you like this, he will surely be heartbroken!"

Song Zhao, with a worried expression, said, "I'm concerned about Consort Shu. The thought of her suffering troubles me greatly. How is she doing?"

Jiang Deshun replied, "After such a misfortune, it will take Consort Shu at least three to five months to fully recover. Though the Emperor has been by her side these past days, he is also deeply concerned about you. Hearing that you've been refusing to eat, he specifically sent me to bring you some food."

Opening the food box, Song Zhao saw that the dishes inside were exquisitely prepared, a complete contrast to the plain porridge and buns previously sent to her palace.

Jiang Deshun took out the dishes one by one, smiling, "These are all your favorite foods. The Emperor instructed the Imperial Kitchen to make them especially delicious and appealing to stimulate your appetite."

Seeing the table full of dishes, Song Zhao's eyes welled up with tears, her face the picture of pitiable beauty.

Jiang Deshun lowered his voice, continuing, "Regarding Consort Shu's miscarriage, the Emperor has never doubted you from the beginning. To restore your reputation quickly, the Emperor has ordered the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Punishments to jointly investigate the matter thoroughly. We've found leads indicating someone else was responsible. Your suspicion has been cleared, but to avoid alerting the real culprit, we need you to endure a bit longer."

Song Zhao silently nodded in response, yet inwardly, she found it all rather ironic:

Emperors are accustomed to speaking platitudes.

Xiao Jingheng’s thorough investigation of this case is clearly to avenge the unjustly deceased heir and to vindicate Consort Shu.

How could he have the audacity to send Jiang Deshun personally to tell me that all his actions were for the sake of my reputation?

Moreover, if Xiao Jingheng had truly never doubted me from the beginning, he should have ordered the Household Department and the Imperial Kitchen to take good care of me from the first day of my confinement. Why wait until the so-called 'truth comes to light' to make such a pretentious gesture?

However, Song Zhao did not take these matters to heart,

After all, she never took Xiao Jingheng seriously. If he wanted to play a role, she would simply play along.

"I know the Emperor will surely grant me justice, and I trust in him. Therefore, I've never worried about my situation. It’s just that Consort Shu and the little prince are truly pitiable…"

Seeing her on the verge of tears again, Jiang Deshun hurriedly said, "Your kindness is why the Emperor cherishes you so much. During your confinement, the Emperor will ensure the Imperial Kitchen prepares your meals well. Please don't be so hard on yourself. You wouldn’t want the Emperor to see you looking so haggard and worry, right?"

Song Zhao pursed her lips and nodded softly, "Thank you, Eunuch Jiang. And please take good care of the Emperor as well. The loss of the little prince must weigh heavily on his heart, even if he doesn’t show it."

"Understood, young mistress. After you’ve dined, please rest early. I shall take my leave now."

That evening, Song Zhao only nibbled on a few tasty dishes without overindulging.

Having not eaten well for several days, she was naturally very hungry.

But hadn’t she deliberately starved herself to make a point to Xiao Jingheng?

Once the truth is revealed in a few days, proving that she is not the one who harmed Consort Shu, and considering she has been confined and starved for so long, which man wouldn’t feel pity for her?

The next day, around noon, Song Zhao was sitting on a warm seat reading a book when she suddenly heard Li Changzai raising her voice in the courtyard, shouting,

“She won't die from eating a little less! Why is a guilty woman being so melodramatic?”

Song Zhao only heard this one sentence, clearly meant as a deliberate insult from Li Changzai for her to overhear.

The lunch sent to her today also arrived half an hour late.

The palace maid delivering the meal immediately started apologizing upon entering,

“I'm so sorry, Mistress Song. I was on my way to bring your meal when Li Changzai called me to her palace to help move a table, which caused the delay…”

Song Zhao didn’t make it difficult for her, smiling and saying, “It’s alright, Sister Li’s matters are important. Besides, I was in a bad mood these past few days and was unappreciative when you brought my meals. I hope I didn’t make things hard for you.”

“Serving the young mistress is my duty. There’s no trouble at all,” he replied.

As he neatly arranged the dishes on the table, he respectfully said, “Please enjoy your meal, young mistress.”

Song Zhao glanced at the now somewhat cooled dishes, picked up her chopsticks without a word, and began to eat with relish.

*

In the Changyang Palace,

Xiao Jingheng, seated on the dragon throne, leaned forward slightly, his brows furrowed in anger,

“Continue,” he commanded.

The person standing bowing before him was the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, who began:

"Your humble servant visited the pharmacies throughout the capital and found that in the past two months, only 'Jishitang' has sold Huo Zi Cao. Following this lead, we took portraits of the four newly entered young mistresses and their personal servants into the palace and had the pharmacy owner and clerks identify them. They remembered one person vaguely."

After saying this, he handed a portrait to Jiang Deshun. Jiang Deshun glanced at it and, while presenting it to Xiao Jingheng, said solemnly:

"Your Majesty, it's a personal maid of Li Changzai from Yaohua Palace, named Fuer."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingheng’s grip on the portrait tightened suddenly,

"Li Changzai? She dares to be so bold!"

He flung the crumpled paper to the ground, his imperial rage frightening all the servants in the hall to their knees, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

"Your Majesty! There's trouble, Your Majesty!"

A young eunuch burst in, further incensing Xiao Jingheng,

"What is all this noise about!"

"Your... Your Majesty! Song Changzai from the west side hall... she's been poisoned!"

"What did you say!?" Xiao Jingheng, shocked and bewildered, stood up abruptly, demanding, "Speak clearly!"

"The specifics are unclear to me, but the imperial physician has already rushed there. Just now, a palace maid from Yaohua Palace reported that it seems she has been poisoned with arsenic!"

The words 'arsenic' heavily struck Xiao Jingheng’s heart.

His heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly set off for Yaohua Palace...