Chapter 61: The Birth of a Murderous Intent

Chapter 61: The Birth of a Murderous Intent

Jealousy spawns evil.

Tears streamed down her beautiful face as she pushed open the palace doors and stumbled out, kneeling before the approaching imperial carriage of Shen Huai.

So much had happened in a single day, causing Shen Huai's veins to bulge on his forehead in anger, his expression icy.

Beneath the moonlight, Su Jiaojiao knelt on the ground, clad in thin clothing, her eyes red from crying, filled with fear and unease as she looked at him, like a frightened young rabbit, which made his heart sink.

Inside the Pixiang Palace, chaos ensued. A dozen palace servants knelt scattered on the ground to welcome the emperor.

Among them, a palace maid was forcibly knelt down, a cloth stuffed in her mouth; she was clearly the culprit.

Shen Huai's expression turned stern as he quickly descended from the imperial carriage, grabbed Su Jiaojiao's wrist, and pulled her up, leading her into the inner chamber.

"Yu Ying, bring a cloak for Consort Zhen."

After sitting down with her, Xiao Songzi brought the culprit into the inner chamber and forced her to kneel. The atmosphere grew solemn, and for a moment, only Su Jiaojiao's suppressed sobs could be heard.

Su Jiaojiao was clearly terrified, her face streaked with tears as she looked at the emperor, wanting to speak but choked by sobs.

"Your Majesty..."

Yu Ying hurried over with a cloak, draping it over her mistress and kneeling before the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, today was the mistress's birthday. The Shangshi Bureau had delivered the noon meal, which was almost untouched. The mistress, ever considerate of her servants, graciously allowed us to share the meal. However, Qian Xia had claimed to feel unwell during the meal, but who would have thought..."

"Who would have thought she was secretly attempting to retrieve poison, sneaking around to hide it near the walls of Pixiang Palace!"

Yu Ye lifted her head indignantly, "The mistress is kind-hearted and ever considerate of her servants, thinking of us in everything. Who would have thought Qian Xia harbored such evil intentions, acting on her own. All the servants in Pixiang Palace had heard Qian Xia's confession. Your Majesty need only ask to know the truth."

As soon as she finished speaking, she spread her hands and respectfully prostrated herself on the ground, "I beg Your Majesty to grant justice to the mistress!"

Shen Huai listened with a cold demeanor, then glanced at the kneeling maid Qian Xia, "Remove the cloth from her mouth."

Xiao Songzi immediately pulled out the gag.

Once able to speak, Qian Xia's demeanor quickly changed, prostrating herself and saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me! I was momentarily confused and harbored evil intentions to harm the mistress. Please, Your Majesty, spare me since I did not succeed! I was only momentarily confused, Your Majesty!"

By now, Pixiang Palace was surrounded by the emperor's guards, with several armed soldiers stationed at the entrance, making it impossible for Qian Xia to escape.

Shen Huai stared at her for a long moment, then calmly asked Yu Ying, "When did she start serving Consort Zhen?"

Yu Ying knelt upright, slightly bowing her head, "She was sent by the Internal Service Bureau when the mistress was first titled Beauty and still residing in Junwu Pavilion. It has been about eight months now."

Shen Huai's dark eyes were deep, making Qian Xia's heart race.

He glanced at her, his imposing aura as a superior making Qian Xia tremble, and coldly asked, "You've served Consort Zhen for eight months. Why did you choose today to act?"

Qian Xia visibly panicked, looking around at the life-threatening situation, and nervously said, "I... I saw how grand the mistress's birthday celebration was today, and that's when I harbored evil intentions!"

"Outrageous!" Shen Huai's eyes were filled with brewing fury, "How dare you lie in front of me!"

Su Jiaojiao said mournfully, "Qian Xia... you've been with me for eight months. I've always treated you well, and you've always served me diligently. How could you be someone who, out of greed and vanity, would harbor evil intentions to harm a palace consort? The palace hierarchy is strict. Without someone's instigation, how could you dare to act? Moreover, where did you learn about this black pill?"

Her voice trembled, but her tone grew softer and more gentle, "Just tell the truth. With His Majesty here, justice will surely be served."

Qian Xia nervously glanced between the emperor and Consort Zhen, then, as if thinking of something, gritted her teeth and made to dash towards a nearby pillar.

Su Jiaojiao cried out in shock, "She's trying to kill herself!"

The guards at the door immediately kicked Qian Xia, sending her sprawling back, and she fell to the ground, clutching her stomach in pain.

Seeing this, Su Jiaojiao grew even more uneasy. She knelt halfway before the Emperor, with tears in her eyes, and said, "Your Majesty, something is amiss here."

"Earlier today, the Crown Prince was poisoned, and now poison has been found in my palace tonight. Had it not been for Xiao Songzi and Yu Ye discovering it in time, and if this poison had been hidden in some unknown corner of Pixiang Palace, wouldn't it have been blamed on Consort Zhen as an attempt to harm the Crown Prince in a few days?"

I know that I am favored by Your Majesty and am still young, and will eventually have my own children," she said, biting her lower lip, full of grievance. "How could I possibly harm the Crown Prince? If I didn't like the Crown Prince, such a lovely child, I wouldn't have jumped into the water to save him last autumn..."

"Moreover, I was only recently favored and promoted to the rank of Beauty this spring. Where would I find the time and ability..." She slightly raised her head to look at the Emperor, sobbing uncontrollably, "Someone must be trying to frame me... Your Majesty, please see the truth!"

Shen Huai tapped the armrest of his chair a few times thoughtfully, remaining silent for a long while.

Today's misfortunes came one after another, as if they had been premeditated. Consort Zhen is favored, and envy runs rampant in the palace, but what she said is true. She only gained favor this year, having not yet come of age before, and was in the position of a selected rank.

Noble Consort Wang comes from the Wang family, and most of the people around her are trusted confidants. Her reach couldn't extend this far. Moreover, with Consort Zhen's current favor, it's only a matter of time before she bears a child. There's no need for her to harm the Crown Prince to secure her position.

Doing so would be too risky and would bring no benefit to Consort Zhen. Today's incident must have been someone trying to frame Consort Zhen for harming the Crown Prince.

Shen Huai's gaze suddenly turned sharp and piercing.

Harming the royal heir, targeting a palace consort, and framing another—what a vicious and jealous woman!

Shen Huai gently supported her, his tone softening slightly, "Today's matter implicates many people. I will get to the bottom of it."

Reassured by the Emperor's assurance, Su Jiaojiao turned to Yu Ye and said, "Yu Ye, bring the item forward."

Yu Ying placed the black pill on a handkerchief and presented it on a tray, saying, "Your Majesty, this is the black pill taken from Qian Xia. Please summon a few imperial physicians to examine it."

Shen Huai glanced at it, leaned back, and said in a deep voice, "Cai Shan."

Cai Shan did not dare to delay and immediately ordered someone to handle the matter.

At this moment, Su Jiaojiao turned her gaze to Qian Xia, who was lying on the ground moaning in pain.

Qian Xia was determined to die, insisting that she was only jealous of Consort Zhen's favor and wanted to kill her, not mentioning a single word related to the Crown Prince's poisoning.

It seemed that the mastermind behind this had already instructed her that if the plan was exposed, she must not reveal a single word and should die immediately.

But something still felt off.

Su Jiaojiao's mind raced.

If she wanted to kill Noble Consort Wang and chose to frame someone else to clear her own name, she must have prepared thoroughly.

If the framing succeeded, not only would she eliminate a favored consort she disliked, but she would also achieve her goal and keep a spy in place.

If the framing failed, the spy would have to commit suicide immediately to avoid being tortured and implicating her.

This logic made sense, but something still felt wrong.

Su Jiaojiao's heart raced, and she forced herself to remain calm despite her extreme unease. She had already stopped crying and looked at Qian Xia, saying softly, "Your Majesty... earlier, Qian Xia tried to commit suicide to avoid punishment and refused to tell the truth. But if Qian Xia dies, the lead on my side will be cut off, and it will be much harder to investigate the mastermind behind this..."

She stopped there, waiting to see what the Emperor would decide.

Shen Nanzhou's investigation was not yet complete, and for now, Qian Xia was the only lead.

Shen Huai understood this well and immediately said coldly, "Summon someone."

"Take Qian Xia to the interrogation chamber and torture her. Keep her alive at all costs, and make sure to extract the name of the mastermind from her."

Two guards in armor entered through the palace doors, each grabbing Qian Xia by an arm and dragging her out. Just then, the Empress, who had arrived late, saw Qian Xia, and her eyes flickered briefly before she quickly regained her composure. She hurried forward, frowning, and said, "I apologize for my tardiness, Your Majesty. Please forgive me."

Shen Huai gave the Empress a deep, penetrating look, his expression dark and inscrutable.

Though he remained silent, the Empress felt a sudden chill in her heart, as if the Emperor had seen right through her, causing a fleeting sense of unease.

But it was only momentary. The Empress swiftly suppressed her unease, bowed her head, and knelt to beg the Emperor's forgiveness: "With so many incidents occurring in the palace within a single day, it is a result of my lax governance. I beg Your Majesty to punish me for my negligence."

After studying her for a moment, Shen Huai averted his probing gaze and said coolly, "If someone has been scheming for a long time, even the Empress could be deceived."

"You may rise."

The Empress nodded once more, grateful for the Emperor's mercy, then rose and glanced at Consort Zhen, seated beside the Emperor. She asked gently, "I arrived late and saw a palace maid being dragged away as I entered. Could she have intended to harm Consort Zhen?"

Su Jiaojiao, seated beside the Emperor, looked at the Empress, making no move to relinquish her place. She spoke softly, "Your Majesty has already sent Qian Xia to the interrogation chamber to be punished. The truth will soon come to light."

The Empress nodded calmly, standing before the Emperor with no intention of taking a seat. "Since Your Majesty has made a decision, all is well."

Then, with some hesitation, she added, "However, there are still some doubts about this matter that I cannot comprehend."

"Today, the Crown Prince fainted from poisoning, and tonight Consort Zhen says someone intended to poison her. Isn't this too much of a coincidence?" The Empress's expression was calm, but there was a hint of worry in her eyes. "If the poisoner acted alone, isn't it too hasty? Moreover, the palace maid just tried to harm Consort Zhen today, and Consort Zhen knew so quickly that someone was trying to poison her?"

The Empress spoke tactfully, seemingly concerned for Su Jiaojiao.

In reality, she was subtly telling the Emperor that two incidents happening in one day were too suspicious, and Su Jiaojiao coincidentally catching the culprit was too convenient, possibly a case of the thief crying "stop thief."

Su Jiaojiao sneered inwardly but spoke in a pitiful and delicate tone: "The Empress's speculation is correct. Two poisoning incidents in one day are indeed too coincidental. Besides, I have always been on good terms with everyone and treated my servants well. How could Qian Xia be targeting me?"

"After Your Majesty's interrogation, it is almost certain that the target was not me, but to frame me for the Crown Prince's poisoning today."

Her voice grew more sorrowful: "I do not know which vicious woman wants to harm the Crown Prince and drag me down at the same time!"

"If we hadn't caught Qian Xia today, wouldn't the villain's plan have succeeded?"

Su Jiaojiao repeatedly referred to the "vicious woman" and the "villain."

But the Empress remained calm, showing no displeasure, and only said gently, "Oh? Is that so?"

She even showed a hint of a smile and asked, "Since you caught the palace maid who wanted to frame you, have you obtained the evidence?"

Seeing the Empress's expression, Su Jiaojiao suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

At this moment, although the investigation had not reached the Empress, Qian Xia had not followed the second plan to commit suicide and could reveal the mastermind under severe torture. At such a critical moment, the Empress should have shown some signs of guilt.

Even if she was extremely good at disguising her emotions, she shouldn't have such a confident smile.

What went wrong?!

Yu Ye first looked at Su Jiaojiao's expression, then at the Empress, appearing very vigilant. She curtsied and said, "The black pill is in my hands."

The Empress raised an eyebrow knowingly, smiled, and nodded, "I presume Your Majesty has already sent for the imperial physicians."

She glanced at the black pill on the tray and said with a smile, "This is good news. Since the evidence has been found, perhaps the imperial physicians can identify the poison and write a corresponding prescription, which might cure the Crown Prince's poisoning. With the royal heir's life safe, as his mother, I couldn't be happier."

After hearing the Empress's words, Su Jiaojiao suddenly realized, her heart sinking to the bottom.

She abruptly looked up at the Empress, unconsciously tightening the handkerchief in her hand. So, this black pill was the key! No wonder she had always felt something was off.

Su Jiaojiao prided herself on her intelligence and thorough thinking, but she hadn't expected the Empress to have a backup plan.

As the Empress had just mentioned, since Qian Xia has been caught, the stolen goods must have been seized as well. Now that the source of the poison has been identified, there is a great possibility that the Crown Prince's poison can be neutralized.

However, if the Empress had gone to such lengths to set up such a grand scheme, only to fail at the step of framing, it would have been entirely unnecessary to kill two birds with one stone.

Since she had made several preparations, it shows that she had long anticipated such a day.

First, she gave the Crown Prince a slow-acting poison to weaken his body. If it went unnoticed, it would simply be considered ordinary weakness, and she wouldn't need to use her backup plan. But if it was discovered to be poisoning, she would shift the blame to someone else.

Her best choice was Su Jiaojiao, who had not yet gained influence.

The Empress had planted someone in Su Jiaojiao's Pixiang Palace. Once the matter was exposed, the prepared poison would be conveniently placed within Pixiang Palace.

If it wasn't discovered, with such a serious accusation in the palace, she would naturally become the scapegoat, unable to defend herself.

But if Su Jiaojiao was alert and noticed something amiss, catching the culprit, then the mole Qian Xia would choose to kill herself to protect the Empress.

At this point, the only flaw was the poison left behind after Qian Xia's exposure.

The reason the Empress smiled was that this poison was not the one that had poisoned the Crown Prince; it must have been another kind.

Regardless of whether Qian Xia succeeded or not, the Crown Prince's poison could not be counteracted.

Moreover, Su Jiaojiao's claim that she was being framed would also be debunked.

If the poisons were different, how could it be considered framing?

Since the Empress could calculate this far, it is likely that Qian Xia, now in the training department, would soon meet her end.

A gap that had been painstakingly opened had once again become a deadlock.

After realizing this, Su Jiaojiao suddenly felt a sense of overwhelming fear, her back breaking out in a cold sweat, and the brightly burning silver charcoal brazier could not give her any warmth.

It was like walking on the edge of a cliff, where a single misstep could lead to a deadly fall.

She now did not know whether to be relieved or vigilant. She was merely a consort who had gained favor this year, yet the Empress had taken her so seriously, setting up such an intricate scheme to harm her.

Not long after, the palace servants arrived with several imperial physicians, bowing to the Emperor.

Su Jiaojiao knew that the physicians' examination would be useless, and her desire to know the truth had already been shattered, instead fueling her desire to kill the Empress.

Previously, the Empress had used her, balanced her, and even instructed Imperial Physician Lin to secretly poison her medicine, but it had never provoked such a strong urge to kill.

But today's incident with the Crown Prince's poisoning had truly shocked her, and the deep-seated fear that arose within her was almost screaming at her to kill the Empress and eliminate the threat.

Today she targeted the Crown Prince; tomorrow it would be Noble Consort Wang and Noble Consort Mi, and in time, she would surely come for her.

In the palace, there were thousands of palace servants, her spies everywhere, like countless eyes watching her, quietly waiting for the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to Su Jiaojiao.

With such a terrifying woman standing in her way, Su Jiaojiao would only live under her shadow for the rest of her life.

Su Jiaojiao's grip on her handkerchief tightened, and she didn't even notice that her body was trembling slightly.

As the imperial physicians jointly studied the black pill, the Empress looked at Su Jiaojiao indifferently and suddenly asked, "Is Consort Zhen cold? I see that you seem to be feeling unwell."

The Empress had been standing in front of Shen Huai the entire time, looking down at Su Jiaojiao sitting beside the Emperor, her expression inscrutable: "The palace doors are open, and the cold wind keeps blowing into the room. Consort Zhen has a weak constitution; if she catches a chill, it would not be worth it."

Su Jiaojiao tightened her cloak, but her posture remained upright. When she looked up at the Empress, her eyes were already calm: "I am merely concerned about the results of the physicians' examination. After all, the Crown Prince is young, and I care for this child. I once saved his life, and naturally, I hope he can be cured and grow up well."

She smiled faintly, "Your Majesty is truly observant, able to pay attention to me at such a crucial time, as if the poison were of no concern at all. I thank Your Majesty for your concern."

The Empress did not continue the conversation with Su Jiaojiao, only slightly curling the corner of her mouth, then turned her gaze towards the imperial doctors, her expression quickly shifting to one of concern.

The most knowledgeable doctor from the Imperial Medical Bureau, Qian, stepped forward, hesitated for a moment, and then bowed, "Your Majesty, this pill is not poison, but it does have a slight toxicity. This pill is known in ancient texts as 'Meichun', a... aphrodisiac used by men and women in the bedroom."

Shen Huai frowned immediately.

Doctor Qian continued, "The book says that 'Meichun' is odorless in pill form and can only be used by burning. When burned, it emits a peculiar fragrance, similar to blended floral scents. It is harmless to women but harmful to men with prolonged use, leading to impotence..."

Su Jiaojiao's eyes widened in shock, and she looked at the Empress, wishing she could tear her to pieces.

She had guessed it was another poison but never imagined something more vicious than poison!

She immediately turned to the Emperor, her face filled with disbelief, "I mostly serve in the Taiji Hall, and it's often on short notice... I would never use such harmful substances, as Your Majesty knows well."

Tearfully, she said, "Just now, Qian Xia insisted it was used to harm me, but now it turns out to be 'Meichun'. Probably even Qian Xia herself didn't know what the person behind her had provided!"

"This is a deadly trap laid for me..." Su Jiaojiao knelt on the ground with a thud, tears streaming down her face, "Your Majesty, I beg you to investigate thoroughly, clear my name, and bring the culprit to justice."

Shen Huai was silent for a long while before coldly saying, "Get up."

Cai Shan hurriedly stepped forward, "Even so, this vile thing is harmful. Quickly, check the Emperor's pulse, just to be safe!"

Doctor Qian quickly responded, immediately taking out a diagnostic cloth from his medical box to check the Emperor's pulse. After a careful examination, he sighed in relief and said, "Your Majesty, your pulse is steady and strong, with no abnormalities or signs of 'Meichun' poisoning."

Seeing that the Emperor was unharmed, Cai Shan also felt relieved. He looked at the Emperor and cautiously spoke a few fair words, "Your Majesty is unharmed, and the pill is intact; in my humble opinion, it increasingly appears that someone deliberately framed Consort Zhen. Consort Zhen is highly favored; why would she resort to such despicable means to seduce Your Majesty?"

The situation was perplexing. Shen Huai knew Su Jiaojiao was innocent, but with the poisoning of the Crown Prince still under investigation and the outcome unclear, he couldn't openly protect her.

He had only shown a little more favor to Su Jiaojiao, and already someone had set such a deadly trap for her. If he protected her further, he feared it would only put her in more danger.

Having been on the throne for three years, Shen Huai had never truly cared for any woman. All matters of the harem, big or small, were left to the Empress to handle.

To the former Shen Huai, the harem was merely a convenient distraction from state affairs, used when necessary to balance rewards and punishments and consolidate the court.

He had no energy to deal with women's affairs, nor did he care to.

But these sordid matters were escalating, and now the schemes not only targeted the Crown Prince but also sought to kill Su Jiaojiao right under his nose.

If the true culprit was found, he would not be lenient!

The door of the Pixiang Hall creaked loudly as a cold wind swept in. At that moment, a sword-bearing guard quickly entered the inner hall, knelt on one knee before Shen Huai, and gritted his teeth, "Your Majesty, I am guilty. On the way to the training ground with Qian Xia, she bit her tongue and took her own life!"

Author's note:

Twists and turns, the Empress is someone even I fear.