Zheng Guangde forcibly snatched the sachet from her hands, then nervously went over to Xue Yan. After comparing the scent of the sachet with that on the doll, he emptied the sachet and examined its contents carefully before kneeling before Emperor Qingping to report.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, it is indeed Cunzhi Pill.”
By this point, the evidence could be considered conclusive.
These past few days, only Diancui had possessed the key to the storeroom. If it were said that the object had already been there and Diancui had been unaware of it, that could still be explained. But the doll actually carried the scent from Diancui’s body, and this fragrance was unique to her.
There was absolutely no possibility that it could have been someone else.
“…Diancui?” Consort Shu was startled and stared blankly at her, only to see that Diancui had already collapsed onto the floor, doing nothing but shaking her head and insisting that she had been wronged.
But at this point, no one would believe her even if she cried injustice.
Emperor Qingping looked at her. He was just about to ask why she had done this and who had instructed her when Xue Yan suddenly spoke.
“Since Auntie Diancui says she was wronged, why doesn’t Father Emperor investigate thoroughly before passing judgment?”
When no one else was paying attention, he casually tossed the doll back into the box. The seemingly careless movement was like throwing away some insignificant object, yet also like a slowly descending executioner’s blade, cleanly severing a person’s head.
“If you want to find out whether she made this thing, why not search her room?” Xue Yan looked at Emperor Qingping and said.
There was not the slightest hint of insolence or disrespect in his tone, yet somehow it made Emperor Qingping uncomfortable from the depths of his heart, as though an invisible force were trampling upon his dignity as Emperor.
But what he said was indeed reasonable.
Suppressing his displeasure, Emperor Qingping waved his hand and instructed Lingfu and Zheng Guangde, “Go search it at once.”
Meanwhile, Jun Huailang, standing beside them, felt somewhat flustered and glanced sideways at Xue Yan.
Originally, Diancui could already have been convicted. Cursing a consort was a capital offense, and no matter who stood behind her, she would not escape the death penalty.
But now they were going to search her room. What if she had cleaned everything up properly and left no evidence behind? What then?
Xue Yan glanced sideways at him.
Those amber-colored eyes were calm, carrying a hint of reassurance. With just one look, they caused Jun Huailang’s flustered emotions to settle somewhat.
Before long, Zheng Guangde returned to report.
He came stumbling and crawling back, his mind in a daze. When he entered the room, he even tripped over the threshold and fell to his knees in front of Consort Shu.
Behind him, Lingfu also returned carrying several items to report. They were all needles, threads, and other sewing materials, along with pieces of fabric similar to that used to make the doll.
“…Your Highness!”
Zheng Guangde raised his head from the floor, his voice trembling.
“…What happened?”
Consort Shu was already somewhat dazed. Seeing the conclusive evidence laid before her, and Diancui collapsed on her knees on the floor yet unable to offer any explanation, she simply could not comprehend it.
This palace maid had served her for nearly twenty years.
She had trusted Diancui so deeply and had never treated her unfairly for even a single day. How could she still have betrayed her?
Seeing Zheng Guangde kneeling before her, she was somewhat dazed and barely managed to ask the question.
She saw that tears were about to fall from Zheng Guangde’s eyes. Trembling, he held out a cloth bundle and spread it open before Consort Shu.
Inside were several paper packets, each containing medicinal powders ground into fine powder.
“What are these?” Emperor Qingping asked.
Zheng Guangde glanced sideways and fiercely glared at Diancui with red-rimmed eyes. Then he placed the items on the ground and kowtowed tremblingly.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, they are all medicinal powders. There are some that this servant does not recognize, and this servant has already sent someone to summon the imperial physicians. The remaining ones are saffron, musk, and persimmon stem powder.”
Everyone present was immediately startled.
These were all common medicinal materials, and their effects were well known. Saffron and musk were both used as contraceptives, while persimmon stems were cold in nature, and frequent consumption could also cause a woman to lose her ability to bear children.
Consort Shu’s legs went weak, and she nearly fell. A palace maid beside her quickly caught her.
“…Diancui?”
Her voice trembling, she barely managed to call Diancui’s name.
Diancui, who was kneeling on the floor, also stared blankly at the things beside Zheng Guangde.
How could this be…?
Even if she had done all these things, she had never left any evidence behind in her own room.
The scraps of the same fabric had long since been burned.
As for the contraceptive medicinal powder, she had always hidden it inside the tea jar she used for drinking tea. That medicinal powder had been given to her by Noble Consort Yi’s people. The prescription was extremely secretive and did not contain conspicuous ingredients such as saffron or musk. Even if it were discovered inside the tea jar, it would not attract attention.
Who was it?
Who knew everything she had done, then infiltrated her room without anyone noticing and planted all this evidence inside?
Diancui knew that whoever this person was, they had calculated everything in advance, simply waiting for her to expose herself today.
She could still claim that the witchcraft doll was something she had made herself out of hatred toward Consort Shu.
But that contraceptive prescription was different.
Once an imperial physician came to examine it, the truth would inevitably be exposed.
She was merely a low-ranking palace maid. Musk and such things might be relatively easy for her to obtain, but how could she possibly have found such a complicated prescription herself?
She would inevitably be subjected to brutal torture and forced to reveal the mastermind behind her.
Diancui collapsed onto the floor. Her eyes red, she looked at Consort Shu.
She had been miserable and alone since childhood. Only after serving at Consort Shu’s side had she managed to escape her suffering.
But her only younger brother was being controlled by Noble Consort Yi’s family. She could not abandon her brother.
What she was unwilling to admit was that she had grown up alongside this favored daughter of Heaven since childhood. One was the mistress, the other a servant. She had watched helplessly as her mistress was cherished in the palms of everyone’s hands from childhood until now, never having suffered even the slightest hardship.
She could not conceal the jealousy in her heart.
Diancui kowtowed toward her.
Before anyone could react, she suddenly rushed forward and slammed her head against the copper-covered corner of the chest beside her.
In an instant, a dry, warm hand covered Jun Huailang’s eyes.
The hand had clearly defined knuckles, and a thin layer of calluses covered the palm. It seemed as though the owner had deliberately slowed his movement, yet it still carried an unquestionable force that turned Jun Huailang’s gaze in another direction.
“Don’t look.”
He heard Xue Yan’s voice beside his ear.
——
Diancui’s death cast a gloomy atmosphere over Mingluan Palace for several days.
The servants had always trusted Diancui and followed her lead, never expecting that she had been bought off by someone and had made a witchcraft doll to curse Consort Shu, framed the Fifth Prince, and had also been secretly giving the Consort contraceptive medicine all this time.
No wonder Consort Shu had been unable to bear a single child in ten years, and suffered unbearable pain every month when her period came.
They had worked together for so many years. Even though they were all servants, they had developed feelings for one another.
No one had expected that the person who should have been closest to Consort Shu had been harming her for all these years.
When Jun Huailang came out of the eastern side hall and followed the corridor toward the main hall, he heard Zheng Guangde directing a group of eunuchs and palace maids to clean the front courtyard while cursing as he gave orders.
“Who would’ve thought that Her Highness is kind-hearted, yet ended up raising such an ungrateful wolf! You all saw it when the corpse was carried out that day. Anyone whose heart is blinded by greed and who dares do something like this will end up the same way!”
His voice was shrill and loud, and from a distance, it sounded particularly sarcastic.
Several palace servants from Mingluan Palace knew that Zheng Guangde was still angry and was simply looking for excuses to curse Diancui. Everyone was holding in their anger as well, so upon hearing this, they quietly chimed in.
“Who could have the nerve to be like her? Her Highness treated her so well, yet she couldn’t see any of it.”
“Exactly. Who among us could have such a heart?”
“In her next life, she should be reborn as an animal. Only then would it not be a waste of all the wonderful things she did in this life!”
The eunuchs and palace maids whispered among themselves until Jun Huailang approached and they noticed him.
Zheng Guangde hurriedly came forward and bowed to him.
“Young Prince, are you heading to the main hall?”
His voice was already somewhat hoarse from being so busy.
Normally, all the large and small affairs in the palace were handled by him and Diancui together. Now that one of them had died, both people’s workload had fallen onto his shoulders alone.
With the New Year approaching, there were already many affairs to deal with. Then Mingluan Palace had encountered such a major incident. These past few days, he had been so busy that his feet barely touched the ground.
Jun Huailang smiled at him.
“Please rise, Eunuch Zheng. You’ve worked hard these past few days.”
Zheng Guangde hurriedly said, “It’s no trouble, no trouble! But Your Highness, you should spend more time keeping Her Highness company. She… hasn’t been doing very well these days.”
Jun Huailang naturally knew.
Even Emperor Qingping did not know that Diancui had been drugging Consort Shu.
After wrongly suspecting Consort Shu and then seeing that someone in his palace had been harming her in such a manner, Emperor Qingping’s heart had long since been filled with pity.
He had practically emptied half of the Imperial Medical Academy to have physicians treat Consort Shu, but they said that the cold properties had entered her body and that she could only be slowly nursed back to health.
These days, Emperor Qingping had been sending huge quantities of rewards into her palace and coming to see her every day, yet Consort Shu still did not seem to cheer up.
Jun Huailang knew that she had been wounded by the betrayal of someone close to her.
Whenever Emperor Qingping was absent, Jun Huailang would go and keep Consort Shu company, chatting with her.
Today, Emperor Qingping happened not to come, so Jun Huailang went to Consort Shu’s side early in the morning.
Jun Huailang nodded.
“I understand. Don’t worry, Eunuch.”
Zheng Guangde nodded repeatedly and stepped aside to let him pass.
Within Consort Shu’s palace, incense curled gently through the air, while the heated brick bed burned warmly. The moment one stepped inside, it was both warm and fragrant.
The surrounding carved beams and painted rafters, furnishings and decorations were all exquisite, as though one had stepped into an immortal’s dwelling.
When the palace maids saw Jun Huailang arrive, they hurriedly bowed to him and pointed out that Consort Shu was currently in the warm chamber.
Jun Huailang walked inward. After passing through layer upon layer of gauze curtains and painted screens, he saw Consort Shu sitting beneath the window of the warm chamber, with several pieces of fur beside her.
“Aunt, what are you doing?” Jun Huailang slowed his voice, greeted her, and walked forward.
Diancui had to be eliminated, but seeing Consort Shu looking so listless still made Jun Huailang feel unhappy in his heart.
Who in the entire Jun family, whether elder or younger, would be willing to see Consort Shu suffer?
Yet, unfortunately, someone like this had appeared beside her.
Seeing him enter, Consort Shu raised her eyes toward him and then revealed a smile.
She was still listless, without much spirit.
“Come here.” She smiled and moved aside, making a place for Jun Huailang to sit beside her.
“These were all just bestowed by His Majesty. Take a look—which color do you think is prettier?” she asked.
“In a little while, go to the western side hall and ask for Xue Yan’s shoulder measurements. The New Year is almost here. Since I have nothing else to do, I’ll make each of you a cloak.”