eurekapd Chapter 266 The Death of Consort Rou
Chapter 266 The Death of Consort Rou
The virtuous concubine's bedroom.
In the afternoon, a eunuch came to report that the Emperor had invited Consort Xian to come over.
Consort Xian felt somewhat uneasy.
The Emperor had summoned Dong Qian back to the capital, but she didn't know what for. Fortunately, Dong Qian didn't return, which put her at ease.
Since the last palace banquet, his daughter Xiao Yingxue has been confined to her quarters, and he has never been summoned.
Why is the Emperor suddenly summoning her now?
However, I had no choice but to go.
They tidied themselves up and went over there.
Upon entering the Qianqing Palace, one sees the Emperor sitting in a chair, with the Crown Prince and the Ninth Prince standing to the side.
It's perfectly normal for the Crown Prince to be there.
Why is Ninth Prince Xiao Yuqi here too?
Consort Xian had a bad feeling.
The emperor sat down and sipped his tea, his thoughts unreadable.
"Yuqi, is what you just said true?" the Emperor asked slowly.
Consort Xian's heart skipped a beat.
Xiao Yuqi, what did you just say?
"Father, what I said is absolutely true. Please, Father, do justice for my mother!" Xiao Yuqi knelt down.
Consort Xian's face turned deathly pale.
Mother concubine?
Could it be that Consort Rou's affair has been uncovered?
Consort Xian looked at Xiao Yuqi. After she killed Consort Rou, she was afraid that things might get complicated and wanted to kill Xiao Yuqi. However, he was always in poor health and looked sickly. She felt that he was already having a hard time just living, so she thought he didn't pose any threat.
It seems that it has been about half a year since the Ninth Prince's health improved, and he no longer coughs as often as before.
Moreover, she had previously tried to subtly inquire whether he knew the truth about what happened back then, but Xiao Yuqi always appeared harmless and genuinely knew nothing.
She wanted to find out what kind of person Xiao Yuqi was, so she sometimes deliberately made things difficult for him. Xiao Yuqi didn't dare to talk back and was very respectful to her, which made her feel at ease about him.
I never expected that I would report her today!
The Emperor remained calm and slowly spoke, "Consort Xian, Yuqi has accused you of murdering his mother. Do you have anything to say?"
Consort Xian knelt down, looking extremely aggrieved, tears streaming down her face like a broken string of pearls: "Your Majesty, I am innocent! How could I possibly have killed Consort Rou!"
"I am deeply saddened by the passing of my sister, Consort Rou. I do not understand why the Ninth Prince reported me!"
The Emperor remained expressionless, using the lid of his teacup to skim off the tea foam, and said, "Yuqi, don't you have witnesses? Bring them up."
A palace maid brought in a woman.
Consort Xian looked at this woman, and her heart skipped a beat.
is her.
How did they find it on her head?
The woman, who was probably in her thirties, knelt before the Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, my name is Fei'er. I used to be a maid in Consort Xian's palace. Consort Rou died because she took medicine given to her by Consort Xian."
"You servant girl, how dare you slander me!" Consort Xian's face turned pale as she pointed at Fei'er.
"Ping'er, who did this, was silenced by Consort Xian. I only saw it by chance." Fei'er continued talking as if she hadn't heard what Consort Xian was saying.
“At that time, I was terrified and dared not say anything. I was almost twenty-five years old then, so I quickly left the palace before I turned twenty-five.”
Consort Xian said urgently, "Your Majesty, please don't listen to this servant's one-sided story! She has no evidence at all; she's just making things up!"
The Emperor looked down at Consort Xian, his expression calm: "One person's testimony is indeed unreliable."
Then he turned to look at Xiao Yuqi: "Yuqi, do you have any other witnesses or evidence?"
A hint of gloom flashed in Xiao Yuqi's eyes. Why was his father's answer different from what he had imagined?
For years, he had been secretly investigating the case of his mother's death.
However, only one witness, Fei'er, was found.
He dares to bring this matter to light now because he has calculated that Xiao Dongqian and his father are about to go to war, and that his father will also target Consort Xian.
If the Emperor says Consort Xian poisoned someone, then she poisoned someone; if the Emperor says she didn't poison someone, then she didn't poison someone.
But why is Father asking me for other evidence?
Xiao Yuqi could only reply, "Your Majesty, I have no other evidence."
Upon hearing this, Consort Xian's expression visibly softened: "Your Majesty, there is insufficient evidence at present. How can you convict me based on the testimony of just one person?"
"You dare to slander me with your bare words? Your Majesty, please uphold justice for me!" Consort Xian glared fiercely at the Ninth Prince. If you want to convict me, I'll turn the tables on you!
Xiao Jiye knelt down: "Father, I believe that my ninth brother is not the kind of person who spreads rumors and slanders others! Fei'er was the personal maid of Consort Xian before, and her words can serve as testimony!"
The Emperor glanced at the people kneeling on the ground and slowly said, "Yuqi, you have no other witnesses, but I do."
Consort Xian's face gradually turned pale again.
Xiao Yuqi looked up at the Emperor in surprise, a faint light flickering in his eyes.
"Bring that Physician Hu from the prison to me!" the Emperor commanded.
The eunuch accepted the order and immediately left.
For a moment, Consort Xian almost forgot to breathe.
Your Majesty, even Physician Hu has found out...?
After a while, Physician Hu was summoned up.
Xiao Yuqi stared at Physician Hu, wanting to hear what he had to say.
"Your Majesty, the Consort Xian asked this disgraced minister for some dragon's beard vine. This dragon's beard vine is a fire poison that can treat cold-related illnesses."
"Her Majesty the Virtuous Consort has a mild constitution and shows no signs of coldness. I was wondering what Her Majesty the Virtuous Consort wanted this dragon beard vine for."
"However, since Her Majesty specifically requested this medicine, this humble subject did not inquire further. Later, I heard that Consort Rou had succumbed to a fever and passed away... Only then did this humble subject realize what Consort Xian wanted the dragon's beard vine for..."
Physician Hu misdiagnosed the child and caused the death of a young prince.
He should have been executed, but Physician Hu said he had a clue to provide in exchange for his life.
This refers to the incident where Consort Xian used dragon's beard vine to kill Consort Rou.
The emperor did not kill him, but instead imprisoned him, intending for him to testify in the future.
"Your Majesty, I don't remember asking for Dragon Beard Vine. It's been so many years, who could possibly remember? How can you be so sure that I was the one who poisoned her!" Consort Xian's voice was already trembling.
"After Physician Hu finished speaking with me, I secretly sent people to examine Consort Rou's remains and found that there were indeed signs of her taking Dragon Beard Vine," the Emperor said with a somber expression.
"Later, I went to the Imperial Hospital to check, and it turned out that you were the only one who went to the Imperial Physician to get Dragon Beard Vine during those days. You even sent medicine to Consort Rou."
Consort Xian lost her balance and knelt on the ground.
She looked at the emperor in disbelief.
Physician Hu was imprisoned several years ago.
It turns out that the Emperor knew from that time onward that he was the one who killed Consort Rou.
But he never stopped seeking favor with himself.
Who would have thought he was such a good faker?
And then there's Xiao Yuqi; like father, like son.
When did he find out about these things?
Even though they knew, they kept it to themselves for years, and they didn't see a single clue!