Chapter 71: Winter Serpent Trouble, Part 4

Chapter 71: Winter Serpent Trouble, Part 4

Watching Baoxia pass away, Song Zhao couldn't help but shed tears, saying,

"Baoxia was truly devoted..."

Consort Chen raised an eyebrow at her, her expression softening as she spoke:

"Had you not fearlessly rushed forward to pull me back, I might not have lived to see Baoxia’s moment of loyalty today."

She stood up, paused to compose herself, and then murmured softly, "Thank you."

Song Zhao quickly responded, "Your Highness treats me well. How could I stand by and watch you in danger?"

Consort Chen's attitude was, in fact, surprising to Song Zhao.

She had always thought of Consort Chen as a ruthless, cold, and domineering woman,

But today, whether it was her behavior towards Baoxia or the 'thank you' she had just uttered,

Made Song Zhao see her as a human being with emotions for the first time,

Which she found somewhat unsettling.

Consort Chen instructed Yingxiang to properly arrange Baoxia’s funeral, then returned to the main hall with Song Zhao.

The Empress sighed helplessly, "Today's events were so unexpected, thankfully no one was harmed."

"Unexpected?" Holding back her anger, Consort Chen scrutinized the Empress with a piercing gaze and pressed,

"Does the Empress find it unexpected that there are snakes in winter, or that the snakes were not afraid of people? Or... that someone deliberately tripped me as I was leaving? Does the Empress also consider that an accident?"

After speaking, she scanned the consorts with narrowed eyes,

Silent yet with a formidable presence,

Frightening everyone into silence and avoiding eye contact,

Fearing that meeting her gaze might lead her to suspect them.

Yet, Consort Chen’s gaze subtly skipped over someone.

That person, naturally, was Song Zhao, who had risked her life to save Consort Chen.

At that moment, Song Zhao sat near the door, calmly observing as the atmosphere in the hall grew increasingly tense,

She thought to herself, the real drama is indeed unfolding.

In truth, when the incident occurred in the Mei Garden, she had no desire to rescue Consort Chen.

Being bitten by a snake was no laughing matter.

Yet, she couldn’t refrain from saving her.

The incident happened abruptly, and in that split second, Song Zhao had understood everything.

Why did Consort Chen stumble and fall just as she was passing by Song Zhao? What did that indicate?

It indicated that someone indeed intended to harm Consort Chen,

But upon deeper consideration,

Could it also be that someone wanted to frame Song Zhao, making everyone believe she deliberately tripped Consort Chen?

Rather than being defenseless later, it was better to be bold and take a chance.

Hence, the courageous scene of Song Zhao risking herself to protect Consort Chen.

Now that she was calm, Song Zhao carefully recalled who had been around her during the chaos.

She lowered her head, her gaze casually sweeping over the consorts present,

There were Xiao Chang, Liu Chang, Consort Shu’s maid Qingyue, and seemingly two unfamiliar palace maids, though Song Zhao couldn’t recall who they were.

Faced with Consort Chen's questioning, the Empress’s expression also turned grave.

"Are you suggesting that someone deliberately intended to harm you today?"

Consort Chen's expression turned dark, her words laced with sarcasm, "I don't know. All I know is that the invitation to admire the plum blossoms today came from the Empress."

"Absurd!" The Empress, upon hearing her baseless accusations, got unusually angry, "The tradition of admiring plum blossoms on the thirteenth day of the tenth month was established by our ancestors. Are you implying that the person who wants to harm you is me?"

Consort Chen smirked disdainfully and raised an eyebrow at the Empress,

"I haven’t said anything yet, why is the Empress getting upset? Fortunately, in today's unfortunate incident, it was Baoxia from my palace who was bitten by the viper. If it had been the Empress, wouldn’t that be a grave sin?"

Standing tall, she asserted forcefully,

"Someone attempting to harm the central palace cannot be taken lightly. This matter must be reported to the Emperor and thoroughly investigated by the Ministry of Justice!"

With just a few words, Consort Chen significantly escalated the gravity of the situation.

The Empress believed the incident to be an accident, at worst resulting in the death of a palace maid, not causing much stir.

But Consort Chen pointed the finger at the Empress, suggesting that this might be an attempt to harm the central palace, thus implying a plot of rebellion.

In the palace, women are adept at reading between the lines; everyone understood the implications of Consort Chen’s words.

She was clearly insinuating that the Empress had orchestrated the day’s events to harm her.

However, the Empress, confident in her innocence, stated unflinchingly,

"Consort Chen makes a valid point. Shuangruo, report this matter to the Emperor immediately and see if he can spare some time."

Shuangruo bowed in response, and just then, a chilly gust of wind swept through the hall, causing the Empress to shiver slightly.

Shuangruo remarked, "The Empress’s warming flask has cooled down. I'll go and get a fresh one for you."

The Empress handed her the flask, and Shuangruo left with it.

About half an hour later, Shuangruo returned to Yonghe Palace with Jiang Deshun.

Jiang Deshun bowed deeply to the Empress, "His Majesty is currently discussing matters with the Minister of Revenue and couldn’t spare the time, so he sent me to understand the situation."

He swept his dust whisk forward, summoning a palace attendant waiting outside, and introduced her to the Empress,

"This is Xiaosui from the Department of Floral Affairs, who is quite knowledgeable about snakes and insects."

After greeting the Empress, Xiaosui reported, "Your Highness, this season is typically when vipers hibernate. If one suddenly appears and attacks people, it might have sensed a scent it shouldn’t have. Whether the snake failed to hibernate on its own or was deliberately placed in Mei Garden is hard to determine... I know vipers exist in the capital, but I have never seen one in the palace."

"A scent it shouldn’t have?"

Imperial Consort Chen noted that many consorts were wearing the protective charm sachets Xiao Changzai distributed yesterday. Though she wasn’t wearing one, Consort Ying beside her was.

She promptly snatched the sachet from Consort Ying’s waist.

Annoyed, Consort Ying exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

Ignoring her, Imperial Consort Chen handed the sachet to Xiaosui, "Check this, would you?"

Watching closely, Song Zhao noticed Xiao Changzai’s expression change unnaturally the moment Imperial Consort Chen handed the sachet to Xiaosui.

Xiaosui opened the sachet and quickly found the snake glow grass, promptly stating,

"Replying to Imperial Consort Chen, this sachet contains snake glow grass, which snake catchers use specifically to attract snakes!"

This revelation stunned everyone present.

The consorts who were wearing the sachets hurriedly removed and discarded them. Xiaosui inspected each one, confirming that all contained snake glow grass. He added, "The combined quantity of snake glow grass in these could indeed provoke vipers into becoming highly aggressive!"

At this, the consorts turned their astonished gazes towards Xiao Changzai,

Xiao Changzai, terrified and pale, quickly rose from her seat and scurried to the center of the hall, kneeling before the Empress and stammering in a panic:

"Your Highness, the Empress, please see the truth! This matter has nothing to do with me!"