Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Yueya'er struggled and shouted, "These aren't my things!"

The Princess Consort raised her hand, and silence instantly fell around.

Countless eyes fell on Yueya'er.

The Princess Consort: "This item was found in your chest. How can you prove it isn't yours?"

Though young, Yueya'er had always been quick-witted.

When Hong Xi suddenly pulled her into the room to question her, she sensed something major was happening.

She secretly noted Hong Xi's questions, recalled everything from the past two weeks, and her thoughts became clear in an instant.

Faced with this sudden frame-up, she spoke with clarity, "It must have been Old Lady Ma who secretly placed it in my chest!"

"I share a room with Old Lady Ma—it wouldn't be hard for her to frame me!"

Yueya'er continued, "Twenty days ago, Old Lady Ma claimed she had an upset stomach and went to the latrine five times in one night!"

"I was woken up in the middle of the night and followed her to check. I vaguely saw a figure then..."

In fact, ever since Yueya'er received her assignment from Xie Run, she had been vigilantly watching Old Lady Ma.

That day, when Old Lady Ma first went to the latrine, Yueya'er followed her.

She found nothing unusual the first four times, but she still followed for the fifth time and encountered the figure behind the latrine.

Mama Li sneered, "Since you spotted a figure, why didn't you report this to Lady Xie?!"

Yueya'er also regretted it. "It was dark, and the shadow flashed by. I was afraid I might have misjudged and wronged Old Lady Ma, so I didn't think much of it. Now that I think back, it was suspicious..."

She planned to keep watching Old Lady Ma until she made a mistake.

Little did she know Old Lady Ma had already quietly made a move against the mistress!

Old Lady Ma snorted, "You're just spouting baseless accusations!"

"Where's the proof? Without evidence, you're just making empty claims—and now the thing found in your chest is supposed to be mine?"

Old Lady Ma said this with great confidence, then added a curse, "You sly girl, always slacking off at work, and now you're trying to make me your scapegoat!"

"Heaven should punish you!"

Yueya'er, frantic, glared fiercely at Old Lady Ma: "I do have proof!"

Old Lady Ma trembled, but blustered, "If you've got it, then show it!"

Yueya'er said, "That day, Old Lady Ma wasn't really sick from food. She deliberately took croton powder herself. Afterward, she buried the paper wrapping in the soil!"

Yueya'er pointed behind the osmanthus tree.

"Right there!"

Good thing she had been cautious back then, otherwise she'd be wrongly accused now!

Hearing this, Old Lady Ma's face changed. "Who's to say you didn't secretly bury it yourself just to frame me?!"

Xie Run, who had been watching silently, finally spoke slowly. "Croton powder isn't something the mansion physician would dispense casually. Which courtyard's people went to get it can be tracked down."

The Princess Consort also knew this and immediately sent someone to look into it.

She also sent someone to dig under the osmanthus tree.

Sure enough, they dug up the paper wrapping of the croton powder.

Taking this opportunity, the Princess Consort added, "Yueya'er, even if we dig up the croton powder, it only proves that Old Lady Ma might have gone out to meet someone that night. It doesn't prove her involvement in your mistress's poisoning."

Yueya'er replied, "I know. I still have more evidence!"

Old Lady Ma immediately started wailing, "What evidence? You just want to kill me, this old woman..."

The Princess Consort waved her hand coldly. "Gag her."

Someone immediately stuffed something into Old Lady Ma's mouth, filling it completely so she couldn't say a word.

Yueya'er said, "The evidence is on the water buckets."

Water buckets?

Old Lady Ma was stunned, then suddenly grew confident and straightened her back.

Yueya'er glanced at her, seemed to sense something, and smiled to herself.

"There are two buckets for watering the flowers. I marked mine with a crescent moon on the bottom."

Yueya'er said calmly, "If the water used for the flowers was poisoned daily, the bucket must still have traces of poison!"

Mama Li immediately said, "That's right!"

The Princess Consort glanced at the imperial physician. "I'll trouble Dr. Jiang once more."

Earlier, when Yueya'er and Old Lady Ma were brought out, all possible evidence items had also been brought out.

Dr. Jiang first tested the buckets with a silver needle, identified the poisoned one, and then had it turned over to check the bottom.

"This one has no crescent mark."

The unmarked bucket was Old Lady Ma's, and it was found to be poisoned!

An old servant turned over the other one. "This one has a mark. It's Yueya'er's, and it's not poisoned!"

Old Lady Ma, gagged, widened her eyes in disbelief. "Mmph mmph!..."

She seemed to want to say something.

Mama Li stood beside the Princess Consort. "Old Lady Ma, what do you have to say for yourself?!"

The Princess Consort frowned and was about to have someone remove the gag to let Old Lady Ma speak.

Xie Run suddenly bowed to the Princess Consort. "Your Highness, Old Lady Ma plotted to harm me; she must not be allowed to live!"

She glanced at the Princess Consort. "But I dare not decide this myself; I await your judgment!"

The Princess Consort exchanged a meaningful look with Xie Run.

Xie Run's single sentence sealed Old Lady Ma's fate.

She let the princess decide, which meant handing the person over to the princess for disposal, earning a favor from the princess.

The princess was also afraid that Old Lady Ma might say something about herself.

She had already formed a plan in her mind.

The princess said, "In that case, I will take her back to Qingsong Courtyard and wait for the prince to arrive before we decide together."

Mama Li paused, glanced at Yueya'er, and said, "Princess, and this girl..."

Although Yueya'er had proven her innocence, she was implicated in Xie Run's poisoning and might need to be taken back for interrogation.

Xie Run spoke up to protect her: "Princess, in fact, I've had Yueya'er watching Old Lady Ma this whole time."

That is to say, Xie Run was vouching for all of Yueya'er's actions.

The princess and Mama Li immediately understood, and they were now sure that Old Lady Ma had betrayed her mistress and poisoned her.

The princess said, "Then get some good rest. When there is news, I will send someone to let you know right away."

Everyone in Linxuan Pavilion bowed in unison: "Farewell, Princess."

When the princess left, Xie Jiang also followed.

Obviously, she did not want to get involved in the unsavory business of Prince Jing's mansion.

Before leaving, Xie Run grabbed her hand and stuffed a thousand taels of silver into it.

"Elder Sister, this is a thank-you gift."

"Don't be so formal—we're sisters. You have it hard enough making a living in the capital on your own, and you have to be troubled by me. I can't bear to see you work too hard."

Xie Jiang was not short of money.

But Xie Run knew how to speak sweetly and act charming. Every word touched Xie Jiang's heart, so she had no choice but to take the money and make a quick getaway.

Dan Tao teased on the side, "I didn't know you were so good at sweet talk before, Mistress."

"If you used this skill on the prince, I'm afraid his heart would soften."

Xie Run gave her an enigmatic look.

"You don't understand. How can the prince compare to my elder sister?"

Xie Jiang was the leading lady in her own story, and being her only younger sister was more promising than being Prince Jing's favored consort.

Dan Tao and Xiaoshu said nothing, but they agreed with Xie Run.

A sister born of the same mother is naturally more reliable than the prince.