Retry this case!
For a moment, Jiang Jinyue's vision went black. Her sharp nails dug into Zhuier's arm, piercing through the fabric and into the flesh.
Zhuier also staggered. Her lips turned pale as she whispered, "Miss... Wh... What should we do? Will the prince find out about us?"
Jiang Jinyue was in a complete mess. Just thinking about the day when Song Yinghuai had mercilessly forced her to jump into the Taiye Pond made her shiver.
If he found out today that she had secretly harmed Concubine Yao and Caiyu, she feared she would have no place to hide.
"Have you disposed of the remaining poison?" Jiang Jinyue secretly checked while Song Yinghuai was carrying Caiyu away.
"Except for some poison powder left under Caiyu's pillow as evidence, I poured the rest into the well in the yard."
"That's good." Jiang Jinyue took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. "The evidence is destroyed. I don't believe they can find out it was us! Let's go to Zhaonanxuan!"
At Ruixue Tower.
A Hu person climbed up the stairs, opened the door, and babbled in broken Chinese to Sheng Jiangli.
Sheng Jiangli frowned slightly after listening and sighed, "I see. As soon as the Prince of Yan returned, I knew he must have invited the eminent monk Guangzhi to treat Concubine Yao. That old monk is very skilled in medicine. Concubine Yao won't die for the time being. What a pity..."
He crossed his arms and paced around the room, smiling meaningfully. "I originally wanted to stir up some trouble in Yanjing while Concubine Yao was dying of poisoning. I didn't expect Song Yinghuai to return so quickly. Even the envoy from Shangjing will soon be taken back to the capital by force. He truly lives up to his name as the Prince of Yan."
The Hu person with a bushy beard asked, "So what's our next plan?"
Sheng Jiangli paused for a moment. Instead of answering his question, he asked, "What is the Prince of Yan doing now?"
The Hu person sneered, "He's avenging his woman."
Sheng Jiangli gave him a deep look and seriously corrected him, "Suobude, that maid is not the Prince of Yan's woman."
Suobude laughed, "That maid is also the general's woman now! The general is so brave. He's given the Prince of Yan a huge cuckold!"
It was he and a few of his brothers who had carried Caiyu in just now.
Sheng Jiangli didn't correct him either.
It was good to let this rumor spread. Anything that could annoy Song Yinghuai was good.
However... He couldn't ignore Caiyu's matter.
He remembered the woman named Jiang Jinyue. As soon as he entered the mansion, he noticed that this woman was bent on getting rid of Caiyu.
That woman... might be highly suspected.
Sheng Jiangli narrowed his eyes and ordered Suobude, "Before I entered the mansion, I heard Guan Baishan describe how Concubine Yao was poisoned that day. The poison she was poisoned with is very likely to be the Half - Moon Poison from the Western Regions outside the pass. Once poisoned by this poison, one cannot see the sun the next day. Once exposed to the sun, the poison will immediately flare up and lead to death."
"Half - Moon Poison?" Suobude's eyes widened. "Isn't that the poison from our place? I know who sells it in the black - market gathering place of Hu merchants at the border between the desert and the frontier."
Sheng Jiangli smiled and patted his shoulder. "Exactly. Go to the black market and find the person who sells the medicine. By any means necessary, make him tell who bought the medicine before Concubine Yao's accident, whether it's Jiang Jinyue or someone related to her!"
Suobude was a bit confused. "How do you know it's Jiang Jinyue? What if it was someone else unrelated to her who bought it?"
A blood - thirsty smile appeared on Sheng Jiangli's face. "I say it's Jiang Jinyue, so it must be Jiang Jinyue! Even if you knock out all that person's teeth and pull out his tongue, you must get a confession naming Jiang Jinyue!"
Suobude suddenly realized. "Ah! I just heard that maid Caiyu in the front yard say that it was Jiang Jinyue who tortured her and forced her to sign. So the general is going to treat her in her own way!"
He gave a thumbs - up. "Taking revenge for one's woman. I approve. I'll go and do it right away!"
By now, the night was deepening. A silver moon hung high in the sky, and there were no clouds in sight. The sky over Yanjing was broader and more far - reaching than that over Shangjing.
Many common people were getting ready to rest, but only the Prince of Yan's Mansion was brightly lit, as if it were daytime.
Caiyu had been treated with medicine and changed into a loose dress.
Although her face was a bit pale, she looked much better than when she had been dragged off the torture rack.
Presumably, Song Yinghuai had given her some highly effective medicine for treating injuries.
Jiang Jinyue looked at her. Her heart felt as if it were being bitten by thousands of ants, painful and sour.
Although Song Yinghuai never mentioned it in words or on his face, who could count how many times he had made exceptions for Caiyu?
Han Fen carried in a seven - panel official chair made of Guanghan wood. Song Yinghuai sat upright on it, while Caiyu and Jiang Jinyue stood side by side below.
Song Yinghuai's eyebrows were like distant mountains. His thin lips were slightly pursed, and his cold eyes casually swept over the two of them. There was not a trace of warmth in his eyes.
"Who of you will tell me what happened again?"
Jiang Jinyue rushed to say, "Cousin! Let me tell you..."
She told the whole story from the moment Concubine Yao took a bite of the morel mushroom to the moment she vomited blood and was carried back for diagnosis.
"Cousin, from cooking the dish to presenting it, Caiyu was the only one involved. Aunt suddenly got poisoned. If it wasn't her who poisoned the dish, who else could it be?" Jiang Jinyue asserted confidently.
But Song Yinghuai remained unmoved. He looked at Caiyu and asked, "Do you have any objections?"
Caiyu curtsied and said, "Your Highness, this maid has objections. My dish was once touched by Zhuier!"
Zhuier's face changed. "Sister Caiyu, I only saw that you were too busy and the guests were in a hurry to be served, so I helped you carry the dish. I didn't expect you to be so distrustful of me and call me back to carry it yourself. I was still wondering why you were so repulsed by me..."
"Now that I think about it, it was you who poisoned the dish for the Princess Dowager! No wonder you didn't dare to let me touch it!" Zhuier shifted the blame.
Caiyu was not affected by Zhuier's slander at all. She simply said, "There is no evidence yet to prove whether I poisoned the dish or not, but other young monks in the back kitchen saw you touch my dish."
Zhuier's face tightened, and a flash of panic crossed her face, which was quickly caught by Song Yinghuai.
Song Yinghuai snorted. "Is what Caiyu said true?"
Zhuier opened her mouth, but Song Yinghuai interrupted her. His voice was like an ice - blade:
"Think it over before you answer. If you dare to lie, you will be beaten to death on the spot!"
Zhuier shivered violently. "... Y... Yes, it's true. This maid only touched it for a moment. How could this maid possibly poison the dish in front of Sister Caiyu? Her eyes are so sharp!"
Song Yinghuai chuckled. "Don't try to change the subject. Whether her eyes are sharp or not has nothing to do with you. But you... You clearly touched her dish, but why did you hide the truth? If you have a clear conscience, why didn't you just admit it?"
With each word Song Yinghuai said, Zhuier's face grew paler. She stammered and didn't know how to answer. Her eyes kept looking at Jiang Jinyue, full of pleading.
Before Jiang Jinyue could say anything, Song Yinghuai cut her off and asked, "Did you know that Zhuier touched Caiyu's dish?"
Song Yinghuai's voice was not loud, but it carried a suffocating coldness. The air pressure in Zhaonanxuan instantly dropped. Everyone was stunned and fell silent in fear.
Jiang Jinyue swallowed nervously and quickly weighed the pros and cons in her mind.
If she said she knew, she would be in the same situation as Zhuier, hiding the truth and being suspected of framing Caiyu.
It would be better...
She gritted her teeth, closed her eyes tightly, and said, "Yue'er didn't know!"
"Miss!" Zhuier's face turned deathly pale. "This maid, this maid..."
"Shut up!" Jiang Jinyue interrupted her fiercely. She gave her a murderous look. "You evil maid! How dare you hide the truth and put me in a position of disloyalty and unfilial piety. You deserve to die!"
Zhuier remembered that her parents and elder brother were all from the Jiang family. Her body swayed unsteadily. Facing Jiang Jinyue's fierce gaze, she finally "thumped" to her knees on the ground!
"Miss, this maid deserves to die!"
"This maid was just jealous of Caiyu, so she hid the truth. But the poison was really put by her. This maid just wanted to confirm her guilt as soon as possible!"