Chapter 84: The Poisonous Sachet

Chapter 84: The Poisonous Sachet

Using their own plan against them.

Shen Huai, who had just regained his composure, was once again provoked by her. He raised an eyebrow and looked back at Su Jiaojiao, who was half-lying on the bed. He smirked lazily and effortlessly lifted her into his arms: "You sure know how to boss people around."

"What will you do if I don't dress you?"

He carried Su Jiaojiao straight to the side hall and placed her on another couch: "If you're not embarrassed, stay like this and play chess with me."

Blushing, Su Jiaojiao quickly wrapped herself in her undergarments and bit her lip as she looked at him: "Your Majesty!"

The underfloor heating in the Tai Chi Hall was so intense that even being naked wouldn't cause the slightest chill, but being completely exposed in broad daylight, with her skin fully visible in the air, still made her feel uncomfortable.

She hurried away like a startled deer to put on her clothes, then walked over to the Emperor while adjusting her collar.

Shen Huai chuckled softly as he leisurely collected the black and white pieces from the unfinished game, handing her the black pieces: "You go first."

After sitting down, Su Jiaojiao picked up a black piece, weighing it in her hand, and asked: "How did Your Majesty know that I can play chess?"

"I often see you reading books, and since you're not skilled in crafts, you must have other talents."

Shen Huai looked at the chessboard without raising his eyes: "Do your best; don't lose to me on purpose."

Su Jiaojiao smiled gently and placed the black piece.

Shen Huai raised an eyebrow and glanced at her.

The placement of her piece was very strategic, clearly showing that she knew how to play chess.

Most women in the harem prefer and excel in soft and gentle instruments. Some can play chess, but few are skilled. As far as he knew, only Noble Consort Lan was skilled.

Although Noble Consort Lan was skilled at chess, her attacks were too gentle, and after a few games, there was always a sense of unfulfilled excitement.

Recently, he had kept the Xuan King in the palace, hoping for a satisfying match.

Su Jiaojiao had always seemed delicate and fragile, and he had never considered that she might be good at chess. Seeing her first move now added a touch of surprise to his impression of her.

Shen Huai focused his mind, concentrating on the game.

In the game of chess, even Shen Huai had to be fully attentive to keep up with Su Jiaojiao's moves. Though Su Jiaojiao seemed delicate and harmless, she was extremely decisive and strategic in chess, often catching him off guard.

Before they knew it, the game had lasted over an hour.

In winter, it gets dark early, and outside it was already dusk.

Cai Shan entered with tea, speaking softly from behind the screen: "Your Majesty, it's almost time for dinner."

At that moment, Su Jiaojiao's black piece clicked into place, and she smiled: "Your Majesty, I've won."

Shen Huai wasn't annoyed; instead, he looked at Su Jiaojiao with growing interest, his spirits lifted. Before this game ended, he had never imagined that Su Jiaojiao had such good chess skills, it was truly exhilarating.

As he looked at her gentle smile and lowered eyes, the indescribable feeling in Shen Huai's heart became even more elusive. What kind of woman was Su Jiaojiao? How many more sides of her had he not seen?

Shen Huai grabbed Su Jiaojiao's wrist and said: "Have dinner with me tonight, you can go back tomorrow."

Su Jiaojiao naturally nodded with a smile.

Today, she had seized the opportunity to resolve Zhu Baolin's issue and cleared herself of any involvement with Beauty Xiao, easing her heart.

The most immediate threat now is from Min Cairen.

Min Cairen is no fool; she knows her current plight is Su Jiaojiao's doing, and she won't take it lying down.

The Empress won't make any hasty moves for now. Crown Prince Consort Wang is solely focused on the safety of the Crown Prince, and Min Cairen herself is under house arrest.

When you're down, it's hard to stay calm.

At this point, Min Cairen's life isn't worth sparing.

The next day, Su Jiaojiao accompanied His Majesty for lunch before leisurely returning to Pixiang Palace.

His Majesty rewarded her with an extremely precious cold jade chess set, clearly satisfied with her.

Surrounded by attendants, Su Jiaojiao entered the inner hall, where Yu Ye looked a bit on edge. Upon seeing her return, Yu Ye immediately stepped forward to greet her: "Your Majesty!"

Su Jiaojiao, being perceptive, immediately waved her hand and said nonchalantly, "I'm a bit tired, you can all go and tend to your duties."

She took her place at the head, with only a few trusted attendants remaining, and then asked Yu Ye, "What's wrong? Why are you so anxious?"

Yu Ye pulled a small, plain pouch from her sleeve and handed it over, whispering, "Your Majesty, yesterday when I went to the Shangshi Bureau, I encountered Qiaoer again."

"She struck up a conversation, and sensing something off, I played along casually for a few sentences, deliberately mentioning that you've been feeling drowsy lately, to see if she had any ulterior motives. Sure enough, Qiaoer quickly chimed in, saying winter drowsiness is normal, and that she used to keep dried flowers in a sachet to stay awake in the mornings, and she gave me one."

Yu Ye spoke cautiously, "I secretly opened it and found only dried flowers, nothing out of the ordinary."

"Should we call Imperial Physician Liu now?"

Su Jiaojiao opened the sachet and looked inside for a while, seeing only some common dried flowers, nothing unusual.

She shifted slightly away and said, "Today is Imperial Physician Liu's day to check my pulse. Ling Xiao, go and tell them I want to rest and have Imperial Physician Liu come early."

After Ling Xiao left, Su Jiaojiao looked up at Xiao Songzi and asked, "I recall asking you to watch Min Cairen. Anything unusual?"

Xiao Songzi immediately replied, "I was about to report, after Sister Yu Ye got the sachet, I tailed Qiaoer to see who she met. This morning, I saw her talking with Qiu Xin from Min Cairen's side for a while, and it looked like she got something—maybe money or something else—in a heavy bag."

Su Jiaojiao nodded, pleased. "Good job. With you around, I feel secure."

Receiving praise from her mistress, Xiao Songzi embarrassedly lowered his head and chuckled twice, bending his waist even deeper, saying, "Your Majesty, Min Cairen is isolated and helpless, a fallen tiger. Our people in Zhuoxia Palace are trustworthy. Should we—"

At these words, the people in Pixiang Palace immediately became solemn, looking at Su Jiaojiao.

Her expression unchanged, she rubbed the jade bracelet on her wrist and said indifferently, "If it's a sick tiger, why let it suffer? Better to put it out of its misery."

Not long after, Ling Xiao returned with Imperial Physician Liu, who, due to the urgency of the situation, walked in somewhat hurriedly.

Unlike Ling Xiao's caution, Imperial Physician Liu was very calm, still maintaining his usual serene and cold demeanor.

This was the first time they had met since Su Jiaojiao was promoted to Noble Consort Zhen.

Imperial Physician Liu bowed to her, saying, "Your humble servant pays respects to Noble Consort Zhen, may Your Highness be well."

Su Jiaojiao smiled faintly and said, "Imperial Physician Liu, no need for formalities."

"Today, besides checking my pulse, I also have something I'd like you to examine."

She glanced at Yu Ye, who immediately handed the sachet to Imperial Physician Liu with both hands, saying, "This matter is of great importance, please examine it carefully, Imperial Physician Liu."

Imperial Physician Liu nodded, holding the sachet in his hand, but did not rush to open it. Instead, he looked at the fabric of the sachet, pondering for a while.

The people in the hall dared not speak, fearing to disturb Imperial Physician Liu's judgment. They eyed the sachet in his hand suspiciously, not daring to utter a word.

This plain sachet bore no embroidery or patterns, just a piece of ordinary fabric with no visible craftsmanship. They had already discussed it earlier—could there be something else hidden within?

Soon after, Imperial Physician Liu opened the sachet and used tweezers from his medicine box to pick out the dried flowers inside.

The dried flowers were whole and vividly colored. As soon as the bag was opened, a faint fragrance wafted through the air.

The Pixiang Hall had been burning charcoal, making it very warm, but staying too long could cause dizziness. The sudden whiff of this fragrance had a refreshing effect.

However, it was strange that the scent didn’t seem to come naturally from these dried flowers.

The sachet had no unusual odor, and since it was now empty, the fragrance could only be coming from the dried flowers.

Were these flowers soaked in medicine before drying, or was there undetectable scented powder on them?

Imperial Physician Liu dared not be careless. He pinched the dried flowers and scrutinized them meticulously, but found no traces of powder.

As he wondered if the flowers had been soaked in medicine, he noticed something odd about the stamens.

In a few chrysanthemums, the stamens were unusually intact, dark, and glossy. The stamens were not as dry as the petals.

He picked up a chrysanthemum and gave it a quick sniff. A strong fragrance hit him, and he instantly felt dizzy.

"Quick! Open the windows for air!"

A wave of vertigo washed over him. Imperial Physician Liu clutched the edge of the table to steady himself, his face ashen. "This is a powerful poison."

Seeing this, Su Jiaojiao's heart dropped.

"Assist Imperial Physician Liu to sit down."

Yu Ye stepped forward and placed the sachet and dried flowers on a tray, while Yu Ying and others immediately opened all the windows on both sides.

The cold winter wind swept through the hall, dispelling the heat and carrying away the strange scent.

Thanks to the timely ventilation and a general antidote pill from his medicine box, Imperial Physician Liu's color gradually returned.

His chest rose and fell with deep breaths, and his voice was faint as he spoke. "Your Highness, this scent is poisonous. The poison lurks in the stamens of the dried flowers. Over time, it will evaporate, and these few days mark the peak of its toxicity."

"If the sachet is worn, the scent is faint and merely pleasant. However, after a short while, one will feel dizzy. If one becomes addicted to the scent and inhales it deeply without timely detoxification, the toxin will spread to the brain, causing drowsiness and numbing the nerves. The person will become increasingly lethargic and crave clarity. After a few cycles, the toxin will spread throughout the body, leading to a death resembling dementia."

Su Jiaojiao frowned, her expression cold. "This poison is so insidious and vicious. It seems Min Cairen and I are thinking along the same lines."

Min Cairen had long wanted to harm Su Jiaojiao. This time, due to Su Jiaojiao's trap, she was demoted and placed under house arrest, incurring the Emperor's displeasure. Her hatred only deepened, and she wished for Su Jiaojiao's death.

The sachet and dried flowers were a clever and thorough plan.

Before Su Jiaojiao could finish speaking, Imperial Physician Liu added, "Your Highness, there's more."

The poison itself was already extremely cautious and malicious, but it seemed there was even more to it. Su Jiaojiao's clear and charming eyes sharpened.

Imperial Physician Liu, now mostly recovered, supported his head weakly and said, "The fabric of the sachet is not the issue. Your Highness can take a look."

Hearing this, Yu Ye quickly stepped forward, picked up the sachet, and handed it to Su Jiaojiao.

The fabric of the sachet was a grayish-blue, the most common type of material used in the palace. Many people in the palace used it—what could be wrong with it?

Imperial Physician Liu explained, "Although this fabric is common in the palace, its dull color makes it rarely used by women. Even so, this fabric is neither too good nor too bad, and it's not something ordinary palace servants would use. It is most commonly seen in the Imperial Medical Bureau and among guards. However, the guards' uniforms are usually dark blue, which doesn't match. This is the only clue."

"It is the Imperial Physician's Office."

Imperial Physician Liu looked at the sachet, his refined face remained calm, though his complexion was still somewhat pale. He said, "The lower-ranking physicians in the Imperial Physician's Office use this fabric the most. Before I was promoted, I was one of them."

"If the issue with the sachet's fabric had not been discovered, one might have thought it was merely used to deceive others. Even if Your Grace had noticed something wrong with the sachet and reported it to His Majesty and the Empress, the mastermind behind this would likely have had a backup plan, determined to fight you to the death."

"Back when the incident with the Crown Prince occurred, it was Your Grace who recommended me. At that time, even if you were framed, His Majesty might have grown suspicious."

This sachet was crafted with double deceit, aiming to completely block all of Su Jiaojiao's paths. It was truly vicious.

Whether Su Jiaojiao discovered the issue with the sachet, or both the sachet and the fabric, or even if she found nothing at all, she would still be ensnared.

Min Cairen isn't particularly bright, so how could she have such great ability to think so thoroughly?

Did Su Jiaojiao underestimate her capabilities, or did someone give her advice?

Regardless of who is behind the scenes, Min Cairen herself would not let this go.

Su Jiaojiao pondered for a moment, a cold, disdainful smile flickered in her eyes. "Xiao Songzi, go find the most common sachet in the palace, insert the dried flowers into it, burn the remaining shell clean, and have the spies in Zui Xia Palace sow something in Min Cairen's courtyard."

She had been thinking about how to eliminate Min Cairen, this thorn in her side, and now the opportunity had come so quickly.

A mere charge of attempted harm against a concubine would not be enough to remove her. She needed to add more to the mix!

Two days later, on the seventh day of the month.

The snow that had been falling in Chang'an for several days finally stopped, and the sky cleared up. The brilliant golden sunlight bathed the earth, reflecting a blinding golden-white light on the snow.

Su Jiaojiao rose in the morning, attended by Yu Ying and Yu Ye, who assisted her in washing and dressing, deliberately applying a pale, delicate makeup.

Shortly after Imperial Physician Liu entered Pi Xiang Hall, two groups were hastily sent out from the hall, heading to Tai Chi Hall and Feng Yi Palace respectively.

Xiao Songzi personally went to Tai Chi Hall. Upon entering, he knelt down before His Majesty and urgently said, "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Your Ladyship has been poisoned!"