Chapter 50: Exposing the Traitor

Chapter 50: Exposing the Traitor

"It must be Consort Zhen who deliberately framed..."

In front of Chang Le Palace.

Su Jiaojiao stood at the entrance with an umbrella, while Yu Ying stepped forward politely and said, "Consort Zhen requests an audience with Lady Mi. Please inform her."

The palace maid on duty at the corridor, seeing that Consort Zhen had come in the rain, dared not delay and respectfully replied, "Please wait a moment, my lady."

When the message was relayed, Lady Mi was in her room playing with a parrot. Hearing that Consort Zhen had arrived, she glanced back indifferently and said, "Let her in."

Su Jiaojiao, having received permission, lifted her skirt and entered the palace. As soon as she reached the gate of Jiangyun Pavilion, she closed her umbrella to show respect.

The raindrops on the umbrella's edge formed a bead-like pattern. She used a handkerchief to wipe away the moisture on her clothes before entering the inner hall, where she found Lady Mi standing by the parrot.

"I pay my respects to Lady Mi. May you be at peace."

Lady Mi's voice seemed devoid of emotion, and she did not turn her head as she spoke, "You are now the much-beloved Consort Zhen. Why are you rushing here on such a rainy day?"

She chuckled coldly, "If the Emperor finds out, he might blame me."

Lady Mi always valued the Emperor and was a jealous person. Although Su Jiaojiao had now dispelled most of her suspicions, the incident during the prayer at the temple had also caught Lady Mi's attention.

However, the Emperor's visit on a stormy night was still too conspicuous. Such special treatment would surely displease Lady Mi, and her current restraint was only out of respect for the temple.

Su Jiaojiao dared not rise and spoke softly, "I am grateful for your care, and I dare not forget my roots. Today, I came to thank you for taking care of me during my illness."

Her words were modest and not arrogant. Lady Mi stared at her for a long time before the slight displeasure in her heart dissipated. She spoke leisurely, "Since you are sensible, I will naturally take care of you. Physician Lin is my confidant, and sending him to treat you was just a small matter."

Su Jiaojiao lowered her head respectfully and said, "Your kindness is benevolent, and I will remember your grace."

After saying this, she raised her head, her tone tinged with hesitation, "But there is one more thing I wish to verify with you. It is of great importance. What do you think, Your Highness?"

Lady Mi raised her eyebrows and waved her hand, "Everyone, leave."

The palace maids serving in the hall obeyed the order and quietly exited the palace gate, leaving only Lady Mi's close confidants, Yu Ling and Mo Ling, to attend to her.

Su Jiaojiao looked at Yu Ling and Mo Ling, unsure whether to speak, when she heard Lady Mi say indifferently, "It's fine. Yu Ling and Mo Ling are my trusted aides brought from my ancestral home."

With this, Su Jiaojiao no longer hesitated. She stepped forward and knelt in the middle of the hall, saying, "The matter I wish to verify today concerns Physician Lin."

Lady Mi frowned slightly, placing her hand adorned with an engraved gold gauntlet on Yu Ying's wrist, and sat down on the throne. She asked coldly, "What about Physician Lin?"

Su Jiaojiao assumed a modest and curious attitude and said, "Since the day I was carried back with a severe fever from the temple, you assigned Physician Lin to treat me. Physician Lin is well-respected, and I am very grateful."

"But for some reason, a cold has kept me ill for over half a month without any improvement, with a persistent cough. Even the Prince, who is just a child, has recovered and returned to the Royal Academy. No matter how weak my body is, it should not be worse than a child's."

Su Jiaojiao looked up at Lady Mi, her eyes filled with deep fear, "Originally, I didn't think much of it, but after being ill for so long, I began to feel uneasy. So I invited a new physician to examine me. This new physician has just entered the Imperial Medical Office and is not yet familiar with the intricacies of the palace. The prescription he gave must reflect the true condition. But—"

Lady Mi's expression turned stern, "Go on!"

"But the new physician's diagnosis was completely different from Physician Lin's, and the prescription he gave was also completely different. At first, I didn't dare to believe it, but after taking the new medicine, I actually started to recover within a few days..."

Su Jiaojiao clutched her handkerchief to her chest, truly puzzled, "I know you care about my health and would never instruct Physician Lin to do such a thing. But if no one instructed him, why would he delay my recovery? The thought of this scares me, so I came here to tell you as soon as I could."

Before Su Jiaojiao could finish speaking, Lady Mi's expression had already turned very serious. She coldly glanced toward the direction of the palace gates, her eyes filled with anger.

Physician Lin was a subordinate of the Yin family and had been serving her from the beginning, keeping her safe in the palace. She had assigned Physician Lin to treat Su Jiaojiao because Su Jiaojiao's words and actions that day had moved her, and she wanted Physician Lin to cure her. She had never instructed him to delay her recovery.

As Su Jiaojiao pointed out, if no one had instructed him, how could Imperial Physician Lin dare to act on his own? Even when treating other concubines, they are still his superiors, and he couldn’t possibly risk the charge of harming a concubine!

If so, then there's only one explanation that makes sense.

Noble Consort Mi slammed her palm on the table, producing a crisp sound, and angrily scolded, "Ungrateful traitor! How dare you betray me!"

Imperial Physician Lin had betrayed the Yin clan, betrayed her, and secretly pledged allegiance to another master!

Su Jiaojiao was startled, her eyes welled up with tears. She wanted to escalate the situation, so she dabbed her tears with a handkerchief and said mournfully, "I don’t understand, whom have I offended, and who has the power to secretly poach your people..."

Noble Consort Mi sneered, "Who else could it be? In the palace, the only one who is my mortal enemy and has such capability is Noble Consort Wang!"

Mo Ling, who was carrying a tray of tea and snacks, shuddered at the mention of Noble Consort Wang, her hands went limp.

The tray slipped from her hands, making a loud clattering sound as the tea and snacks scattered across the floor, leaving a mess.

Seeing her mistress on the verge of losing her temper, Yu Ling, wanting to help Mo Ling out, stepped forward and knelt to clean up, frowning and gently scolding, "How could you be so clumsy?"

Mo Ling's eyes flickered, her voice trembling, "My hand slipped, please forgive me, my lady."

Noble Consort Mi said displeasedly, "What’s gotten into you? Recently, you’ve been either dropping this or breaking that. If you keep being so careless, I’ll have you reassigned to serve outside the hall to teach you a lesson!"

Mo Ling panicked upon hearing this, immediately kneeling before Noble Consort Mi and pleading, "Please give me another chance, don’t move me outside the hall!"

Noble Consort Mi frowned, "Didn’t I just say there’d be consequences if it happened again? Why are you so panicked?"

As the mistress and servant were talking, Su Jiaojiao noticed something falling out of Mo Ling's sleeve, mostly hidden by the hem of her skirt.

She leaned over and picked up what appeared to be a brown paper package, glancing down to find it was a folded paper packet.

Su Jiaojiao was startled and looked up, saying, "Your Highness, what’s this?"

Her voice rose slightly, covering Mo Ling's sobbing. Noble Consort Mi followed her gaze and saw the paper packet in Su Jiaojiao's hand.

Mo Ling's sobs stopped abruptly, and she turned to see what Su Jiaojiao was holding, immediately panicking, "It’s not mine, I don’t have it!"

If it wasn't hers, why was she so quick to deny it!

Noble Consort Mi was furious, never expecting that Mo Ling, whom she trusted so much, could harbor such malice. She roared, "Yu Ling, slap her! Make her stop shouting!"

Yu Ling, shocked by the turn of events, looked at Mo Ling, who was now crying uncontrollably, and said in disbelief, "Mo Ling... you..."

Though she was reluctant to act, Mo Ling's betrayal was undeniable. Yu Ling raised her hand and slapped Mo Ling hard, stuffing a handkerchief into her mouth, saying, "Shut up!"

Su Jiaojiao, seeing Mo Ling's strange behavior, became even more certain that she was up to something, saying, "Your Highness, this is what fell from Mo Ling just now. Please take a look."

Noble Consort Mi took the packet and opened it, finding it filled with white powder. Could it be poison?!

She said coldly, "Summon Imperial Physician Lin—"

Before she could finish, Noble Consort Mi realized that Imperial Physician Lin, who had already shown signs of disloyalty, could no longer be trusted. First, Su Jiaojiao had raised suspicions about him, and now Mo Ling had revealed her true colors. What a coincidence that it all happened on the same day!

Su Jiaojiao's illness after saving the Crown Prince from drowning was not fabricated, and Imperial Physician Lin was not someone she could manipulate. Now, it seemed that someone was in a hurry, eager to eliminate them both!

Even Mo Ling had turned traitor. It seemed that Noble Consort Wang had been gradually infiltrating her inner circle, aiming to bring her down completely!

Noble Consort Mi was so angry that her chest heaved, glaring at Mo Ling with deep disappointment. She turned to Su Jiaojiao and said coldly, "What was the name of the new physician who treated you?"

Su Jiaojiao timidly replied, "The new physician's surname is Liu."

Noble Consort Mi said coldly, "Yu Ling, go out and send someone to summon Imperial Physician Liu to the Palace of Eternal Joy. Do not alert the other palace servants in the palace."

First, it was Imperial Physician Lin, then it was Mo Ling. Her trusted confidants had betrayed her one by one, and now she trusted no one!

Shortly after, Imperial Physician Liu entered the Hall of Crimson Clouds with his medical kit.

Dressed in a green robe, he looked clean and composed as he walked into the hall without haste. He bowed and said, "This humble servant pays respects to Noble Consort Mi and Consort Zhen."

Noble Consort Mi said coldly, "Come here and see what this is."

Imperial Physician Liu calmly stepped forward and took the paper package from Noble Consort Mi with both hands. He opened it, glanced at it, and then sniffed it. He then took a ladle of water from a nearby fish tank and dissolved a pinch of the powder in it. Only then did he speak in a gentle voice, "Your Highness, this is a rare medicinal powder. It is white, has a slight bitter taste, and becomes transparent when dissolved in water. I have a rough idea of what it might be, but I need to combine it with a pulse reading to confirm the exact type of medicine."

Mo Ling's eyes were filled with despair as she watched Noble Consort Mi extend her wrist, allowing Imperial Physician Liu to take her pulse. She was terrified.

After a while, Imperial Physician Liu finished his careful examination and nodded, saying, "This medicine is known as 'Hundred Days of Harm.' Its toxicity is mild, but long-term use can severely damage the body. It harms the meridians, coagulates the heart's blood, and in the early stages, the pulse does not show any abnormalities, only symptoms of blood deficiency and physical weakness."

Having said that, he did not elaborate further. He took a few steps back and said, "Your Highness, the poisoning is not severe. I will prescribe a remedy for you to take for half a month to expel the toxins, and you should be fine."

After Noble Consort Mi nodded, Imperial Physician Liu's slender figure retreated from the hall and headed toward the study. Once he had left, Noble Consort Mi turned and stared fiercely at Mo Ling, "Take out the handkerchief."

Yu Ling had already tied her hands and yanked the handkerchief from her mouth. Mo Ling collapsed to the ground, crying out desperately, "Your Highness, I didn't do it, I didn't! How could I dare betray Your Highness... It must be Consort Zhen framing me... Your Highness, please discern the truth!"