0p0 Chapter 195 Gelsemium
Chapter 195 Gelsemium
When Shen Meizhuang hurried to Qingliang Palace, the palace was filled with people kneeling inside and outside. They all had their heads lowered and their expressions were solemn. The atmosphere was so depressing that it made it almost hard to breathe.
Shen Meizhuang took a deep breath, gathered herself, and walked into the palace: "Your Highness, I pay my respects to you."
Yongzheng seemed not to hear anything and continued to sit by the bed with a blank look in his eyes, not saying a word.
Shen Meizhuang slowly stood up and walked to the bed.
Lying on the bed was Nian Shilan, the once stunningly beautiful woman. Now her face was as pale as paper, her eyes were closed, and she looked lifeless, like a withered flower, having lost all her beauty and vitality.
Shen Meizhuang stared at Nian Shilan's quiet face, and a complex emotion surged in her heart. This woman, who was only in her twenties, ended her life prematurely with a heart full of regret and unwillingness.
She had thought she would feel a sense of pleasure, but now, looking at this cold body, she felt only endless sadness in her heart, a sense of grief for the loss of her loved ones. All the hatred and grudges of the past seemed to have become unimportant at this moment, vanishing with the departure of Nian Shilan.
Beside Hua Fei's bed, there was another corpse covered with white cloth.
It’s Songzhi.
Soon, the Queen and other concubines in the palace came one after another. Even the pregnant Zhen Huan and the sick Qi Yuebin forced themselves to come to Qingliang Palace.
The Queen approached the bed, her steps light yet heavy. She leaned forward slightly, gazing at the man she had battled with for years. Her eyes were complex and profound, and a subtle smile played at the corner of her mouth, but it was fleeting.
She quickly put on an expression of grief, tears welling up in her eyes. "What the hell is going on? How could this happen out of the blue?"
The sound of crying could be heard one after another in the hall.
A moment later, Su Peisheng hurried into the hall. He looked nervous, with beads of sweat on his forehead. He came before Yongzheng, saluted respectfully, and said, "Your Majesty, the matter has been thoroughly investigated!"
Yongzheng, who had been bowing his head in deep thought, finally raised his head slowly. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk, staring straight at Su Peisheng, and he said in a deep voice, "Speak!"
Su Peisheng took a deep breath, collected himself, and then said, "Your Majesty, the imperial physician has examined all of today's meals. A large amount of Gelsemium elegans, also known as Gelsemium elegans, was added to the ginseng duck soup, so the silver needle didn't detect it."
When he heard the words "ginseng duck soup", Yongzheng's gaze suddenly turned to the queen beside him, with a glint of suspicion in his eyes.
The Queen looked bewildered and stood there blankly, waiting for Su Peisheng to continue.
Su Peisheng continued, "I have already checked. The eunuch who brought the soup is from the Queen's palace. I asked the eunuch who tasted the food to verify it. This soup is indeed the work of the Queen's kitchen!"
These words struck the Queen like a bolt from the blue, shaking her whole body. So, she was the one who poisoned Concubine Hua? How could that be possible? She knew nothing about it! If she could have killed Concubine Hua so easily, why had they fought so bitterly all these years?
The Queen was panicked and hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, I never gave ginseng duck soup to Concubine Hua! I was completely unaware of this matter. Please investigate!"
Su Peisheng, who was standing by, carefully observed Yongzheng's expression and continued, "Just now, Shuimu Mingse sent a message that Concubine Cao has passed away after consuming the duck soup!"
When these words were spoken, the concubines were all stunned, but Concubine Duan, who had been silent all the time, slowly raised her head and looked at Zhen Huan fixedly. Zhen Huan keenly noticed Concubine Duan's unfriendly look, so she turned her head and looked at Concubine Duan, and their eyes met in the air.
Meanwhile, the Empress continued to defend herself, "Your Majesty, I felt unwell when I woke up this morning and didn't have the energy to deliver anything to Qingliang Palace. Someone must have deliberately framed me. Please, Your Majesty, help me!"
Yongzheng narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at Su Peisheng and asked in a deep voice: "Where are the two eunuchs?"
Su Peisheng knelt on the ground, his forehead pressed against the ground, and replied in a trembling voice: "Your Majesty, those two eunuchs... they have already... committed suicide out of fear of their crimes!"
"Be bold!"
Yongzheng opened his eyes wide and shouted loudly, throwing the beads in his hand to the ground, and the beads flew everywhere in an instant.
In an instant, everyone in the hall was frightened and trembled all over. Their faces turned pale and they knelt down tremblingly. Even Zhen Huan knelt on the ground holding Huanbi's hand.
"Continue investigating! No one who has touched this bowl of soup must be spared. We must investigate thoroughly and thoroughly! If there is even the slightest omission, I will not let them off lightly!"
"The slave obeys the order!"
Yongzheng slowly stood up, took a deep look at the person on the bed, a trace of regret flashed in his eyes. After a moment, he turned around and glanced at the concubines kneeling on the ground again.
"Empress, since you are involved in this matter, you should stay in Louyue Kaiyun Pavilion and wait until the matter is thoroughly investigated!" Yongzheng's tone was cold and resolute.
"Yes!" The queen's face turned pale.
The emperor was furious, and she knew that this was not the time to defend herself.
"Concubine Hui." Yongzheng's expression softened slightly.
"I'm here." Shen Meizhuang quickly raised her head and responded respectfully.
"I'll leave the palace affairs to you. Please discuss Hua Fei's funeral with the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It must be grand and magnificent!"
"The minister and concubine follow the order."
Yongzheng slowly moved his feet to the incense burner, glanced at it, and said in a deep voice: "Put out this incense burner!"
After the Emperor and Empress left, the concubines also returned to the palace. Shen Meizhuang grabbed Jingpin, who was about to leave, and looked at her eagerly, "Sister, help me!"
The Queen was under house arrest and could not take charge of affairs. Shen Meizhuang had never organized a funeral before, so she didn't know where to start.
Seeing her anxious expression, Jingpin nodded helplessly.
"I will stay in Qingliang Palace, and my sister will go to Shuimu Mingse to settle Princess Wen Yi first!"