Harem Daily Life

Shuang'er said, "I found it under the bed. After the cold palace was sealed, no one could go in to clean it, and nothing had been touched. I checked the tea first and found nothing unusual in the teapot, but I smelled a medicinal odor on the edge of the teacup, so I looked at the cloth that Rong Cairen used to hang himself, and found that it also had a faint smell of medicine. After searching, I found this almost empty medicine bag in the most inconspicuous place under the bed."

Tao Yanyan was puzzled: "Why can't Manager Li find out?"

Shuang'er smiled and said, "I am a specially trained secret guard. Identifying poison is one of the key points of my training. I can recognize even a tiny bit. Manager Li has not been trained, so he naturally cannot find it. There is nothing wrong with the teapot. There is only a little bit left in the teacup. I guess someone poured tea for Rong Cairen and put the poison in the teacup."

"If that's the case, then that means there was someone else at the scene? Was he the murderer?" Tao Yanyan gasped.

Shuang'er nodded, "Moreover, Rong Cairen knew the murderer and was not on guard against him. Otherwise, how could he be drugged so easily? I guess that after Rong Cairen was drugged, he felt dizzy and needed to rest, so he slept on the couch, and the medicine bag must have been left under the bed by the man who helped Rong Cairen over. There was no mattress on the bed, and the bed board was broken and had gaps, so it fell through the gaps."

Tao Yanyan suddenly realized, but she still couldn't figure out who the murderer could be.

Shuang Er continued, "If my guess is correct, then the murderer was the one who tore the clothes and hung them on the beam. It would take a lot of strength to lift the unconscious Rong Cairen and hang her up, so the murderer is most likely a man."

A man who is strong and trustworthy can serve her tea... Tao Yanyan thought for a moment and called Chang Tai: "Go check all the eunuchs in Yongxing Palace and find out who was trusted by Concubine De before, whether there are any who have any connection with Yongning Palace or Baozhi Pavilion, or have behaved abnormally recently."

Chang Tai took the order and left. He did not dare to slack off in the slightest. He started with the most senior eunuch in Yongxing Palace, investigating them one by one without missing any details.

After two days of careful investigation, Chang Tai discovered that a eunuch named Zhao Quan was quite suspicious.

Zhao Quan was transferred to Yongxing Palace to serve three years ago. Recently, because Concubine De was demoted, the people in Yongxing Palace were reassigned their duties, and Zhao Quan was arranged to Baozhi Pavilion.

It stands to reason that it would be difficult for palace servants or palace maids who were assigned to a new position halfway through their career to be valued by their new masters, but Zhao Quan was doing quite well in Baozhi Pavilion and he suddenly became extravagant with his money. These days, he bet only three or five taels of silver at a time, which was different from the past and his behavior was very abnormal.

Chang Tai also secretly found out that on the day when Rong Cairen got into trouble, Zhao Quan was not in Baozhi Pavilion, and no one knew where he went.

Chang Tai did not dare to delay and hurried back to the palace to report to Queen Tao.

After hearing this, Tao Yanyan's eyes became stern: "It seems that this Li Cairen has been restless from the beginning to the end."

Shuang'er said, "My Lady, do you want me to capture Zhao Quan and torture him?"

Tao Yanyan waved his hand and said, "No need. Even if he admits that it was Li Cairen who ordered it, Li Cairen can still say that he is innocent and put all the blame on Zhao Quan. It's better to let Li Cairen confess himself."

Shuang'er was puzzled, so Tao Yanyan asked her to lean over and whispered a few words in her ear.

Shuang'er's eyes lit up after hearing this: "Okay, then I'll go to Baozhi Pavilion tonight."

In Yongning Palace, Shu Fei rubbed her temples and did not speak for a long time after listening to Fu Xin's report.

"Your Majesty, I went to ask the doctor, and he said that the poison had just been administered once, so it was impossible for it to kill a person. It was really too fast for Rong to die of illness so quickly." Fu Xin was very confused.

Shu Fei couldn't figure it out either, but since the person was dead, she would not dwell on it any more: "Forget it, maybe it was just a coincidence, she contracted another disease and died. You should deal with this matter thoroughly and don't leave any handle behind."

Fu Xin nodded: "Yes, then should the extra poison be destroyed directly?"

Shu Fei thought about it. Although Rong Cairen was dead, her son was still alive. He Ye, who pushed poor Kang Er into the water, was still alive. How could Shu Fei be willing?

"The eldest prince has recently moved into Changchun Palace. Find a way to give him the poison." Shu Fei's gentle words frightened Fu Xin so much that she almost fainted.

Originally, murdering Rong Cairen was already a dangerous act. If he were to harm the eldest prince, and under the nose of the Empress Dowager of Changchun Palace, Fu Xin felt that she was hanging her head on a knife and her life was too long.

"Your Majesty, since Concubine Rong is already dead, can you please show some mercy and let the Crown Prince go?" Fu Xin still wanted to persuade her.

Unexpectedly, Shu Fei picked up a cup at hand and threw it directly on Fu Xin's head, breaking the skin on his forehead and causing it to become red and swollen.

"This palace's Kang'er has already fallen asleep in the ground! She is dead, but her son is still alive and well! Go down and accept your punishment! After the punishment, hurry up and do your work." Shu Fei's tone was cold, and Fu Xin had no choice but to cover his forehead and hurried down.

As for Shuang'er, after nightfall she put on her nightgown and went to Baozhi Pavilion under the cover of darkness.

Under her nightgown was a white dress. She had let her hair down and messed it up, looking disheveled and scary in the dark.

"Li Cairen...Li Cairen...wake up and look at me. I will be buried tomorrow..."

Li Cairen was disturbed from her sleep. When she woke up, she found a disheveled person standing beside the bed. She immediately screamed.

"Ah - someone come, there's a ghost -"

Shuang'er shook her head: "It's me, I'm Concubine De. You used the knockout drug so well, and even pretended that I hanged myself. You're really good..."

Li Cairen was so frightened that she lost her sleep. She fell off the bed, knelt on the ground and begged for mercy: "My queen, please forgive me. It was my father who hurt you. He was the one who came up with the idea. He also gave me the money to bribe Zhao Quan. I didn't do anything! Every wrong has its perpetrator. Go find my father to claim my life. Don't come to me. I didn't do anything!"

Shuang'er's eyes turned cold, and she continued in a trembling voice: "Then write down everything that happened, and bring it to my spirit tomorrow to burn it for me. Remember, if you don't do it, I will come tomorrow night and the night after. If you don't resolve this matter, I will not be able to rest in peace."

After saying that, Shuang'er floated away, leaving Li Cairen, who was so frightened that she was sweating profusely, kneeling on the ground and trembling.

The next day, Li Cairen asked for leave and did not come to Changle Palace to pay respects. Tao Yanyan said nothing, only that today was the day for Rong Cairen to be buried, and those who wanted to see her off could go with him to Cidu Hall.

When everyone saw that the Queen went to pay homage in person, they naturally followed suit. If they didn't go, they would seem heartless.