Traveling through the Poisonous Concubine

"Ling'er, did you do this?" Emperor Su Wen looked at his cousin in front of him, feeling confused and worried. He knew his sister and had always been very fond of Ling'er, but this incident seemed to have exceeded her bottom line.

Bai Ling was crying like a pear blossom in the rain, which made people feel very distressed. She knelt in front of Emperor Su Wen and sobbed, "Cousin Emperor, even if Ling'er had a hundred courages, Ling'er would not dare! Besides, you are my cousin and the Queen Mother is my aunt. Ling'er has no right to hurt her..." After that, she cried softly, and tears rolled down like beads with broken strings.

"Ling'er, you really disappoint me. You still refuse to tell the truth." The Queen Mother said angrily, with anger flashing in her eyes. She felt deeply saddened by Bai Ling's behavior, and was also angry at her lies.

However, Bai Ling did not stop crying, but cried even harder. Her cry was miserable and sad, as if she had suffered a great injustice. Her pitiful appearance made it hard to imagine that she would do such a cruel thing.

"Aunt Empress Dowager, cousin Emperor, I know you don't like me. But Ling'er really didn't do this! This chicken soup was obviously cooked by Yun Yuxi, who knows if she poisoned it? Besides, it's not impossible for her to do this for the regent." Bai Ling's words made Emperor Su Wen fall into deep thought, and he began to doubt Bai Ling's words.

Emperor Suwen knew that Bai Ling had deep feelings for the regent, and the relationship between Yun Yuxi and the regent was indeed complicated. In this case, is it possible that Bai Ling attacked the queen mother out of jealousy and resentment? These questions lingered in Emperor Suwen's mind, making him confused and uneasy.

Bai Ling thought that she had shifted the blame to the east. Emperor Su Wen could then suspect Yan Wuque and his wife. At this moment, Bai Ling only wanted to throw the dirty water on the regent so that she could be safe, but her calculations were wrong.

After a while, Zhang Biao came back, and the guards brought a body, which was the palace maid who fell into the lotus pond. Bai Ling was horrified when she saw the body, but soon calmed down. This panicked look happened to fall into the eyes of the queen mother, who fainted from anger.

The head of the Imperial Hospital immediately treated the Queen Mother, but she could not wake her up for a while. Yun Yuxi raised her eyebrows and asked, "Your Majesty, let me try to wake her up. I am proficient in medicine."

Emperor Su Wen was shocked and said, "Yun Yuxi is proficient in medicine, but I knew nothing about it. Yun Yuxi hopes that you can face the reality and not take the wrong path."

"Okay," said Emperor Suwen.

In the room, Yun Yuxi borrowed silver needles from the imperial physician and gave acupuncture to the empress dowager. After a while, the empress dowager woke up slowly, and seeing Yun Yuxi's worried eyes, she opened her mouth to say something but didn't say it.

"Ling'er, I'll give you another chance. Did you do this? If you confess, I'll spare your life. If you deny, and I find out, don't blame me for being ruthless," Emperor Su Wen said in a cold voice.

Bai Ling was struggling in her heart and wanted to admit it, but she knew that once she admitted it, the emperor would not forgive her. So she hardened her heart and said, "Cousin Emperor, Ling'er didn't do it. Ling'er won't admit to anything she didn't do. Please show me the evidence, cousin emperor." Bai Ling said calmly, but she was actually very nervous.

"Your Majesty, I found a young eunuch and he said he saw someone pushing the palace maid into the lotus pond. The person is just outside the door. Does Your Majesty want to call him?" Zhang Biao asked.

Yun Yuxi was a little confused as to what this had to do with the palace maid who died in the lotus pond, but she soon understood that it was Bai Ling who killed people to silence them.

"Tell him, I will personally interrogate him today." Emperor Suwen said without any doubt.

The young eunuch outside the door came in and pointed at Bai Ling and said, "It was you who killed Sister Qing. I saw with my own eyes that you pushed Sister Qing into the lotus pond. Please, Your Majesty, help me." After the young eunuch said this, he kowtowed and soon his forehead was covered in blood.

"Call Bai Ling's personal maid," said Emperor Su Wen.

Huan'er came in and bowed with a confused look on her face, "I don't know why the Emperor summoned me."

"Have you ever left your cousin today? Or have you been following your cousin closely?" Emperor Suwen asked sternly.

"Your Majesty, the young lady was disgraced by the Empress Dowager today and was unhappy. She went to stroll around the Imperial Garden. On the way, the young lady asked me to go to the small kitchen to see what delicious food the princess had prepared. I went to the small kitchen, and the princess said she didn't need any help and sent me back to the Cining Palace." Huan'er told everything.

"Bai Ling, what else do you have to say? Why don't you plead guilty?" Emperor Su Wen shouted angrily.

"Your Majesty, you didn't see that it was Ling'er who poisoned, right? Your Majesty, how can you pin the blame on Ling'er for something you don't have any evidence for?" Bai Ling trembled and defended herself stubbornly.

"Your Majesty. Sister Qing is the maid who sweeps the Imperial Garden, and I am responsible for the maintenance of flowers and plants. Today, when I was pruning the flowers, I happened to be next to the lotus pond. I saw Sister Qing handing a small paper bag to this young lady. Sister Qing said it was croton powder and that she could not say it was given by her. This young lady also warned Sister Qing that she had never seen him. I thought it was better to have less trouble, so I hid in the flowers. I heard their conversation clearly. By the way, I also saw this young lady gave Sister Qing a silver note." When the little eunuch said this, he became even sadder and cried heartbreakingly.

Then the young eunuch said, "Sister Qing was getting ready to leave. This young lady shouted that the carp in the lotus pond were so beautiful. Sister Qing curiously walked beside the lotus pond to look at the carp, but this young lady said that Sister Qing wasn't paying attention. She pushed Sister Qing into the lotus pond, as Sister Qing couldn't swim. I watched Sister Qing die in front of me. It was my fault that I was useless and couldn't save Sister Qing." After the young eunuch finished speaking, he was so sad that he fainted.

At this moment, Bai Ling's face was pale and she slumped to the ground, as if she had forgotten to cry.

Zhang Biao personally found fifty taels of silver on the dead palace maid. Emperor Suwen looked at the evidence in front of him with cold eyes.

"My son, please spare Ling'er for your sake. I will definitely inform your uncle to discipline Ling'er strictly," the Queen Mother pleaded.

Bai Ling knew that she was finished, so she suddenly stood up, grabbed a dagger and stabbed Yun Yuxi. Bai Ling had no martial arts skills, so Yun Yuxi naturally knocked the dagger away.

When the Queen Mother saw Bai Ling's crazy look, she said, "My son, please leave her body intact." After saying that, the Queen Mother seemed to have aged a few years. Aunt Xiuhe helped the Queen Mother to the inner room.

Bai Ling was still cursing madly.

"Eunuch Liu, give my cousin a cup of poisoned wine."

"Royal brother, please take the princess out of the palace. The princess has suffered grievances today. I will reward the princess with fifty South China Sea pearls, ten thousand taels of silver, and one hundred taels of gold." Emperor Suwen said tiredly.

The money-grubber Yun Yuxi immediately knelt down to express his gratitude. His servile appearance was so servile that even Emperor Su Wen had to smile helplessly.