The Reborn Princess Has Turned Evil

The remaining people stood in the main hall, each with a different expression, awaiting the result.

Soon, Li Miao returned with his men, carrying a dark wooden box. Immediately, everyone's eyes followed the box.

"What was the result?" Emperor Jing asked succinctly, his tone carrying an air of powerful authority and oppression.

"Your Majesty, I led my men to search all the rooms of the foreign princes. At first, we found nothing, but finally we found this item in the palace of the Crown Prince of Qi." Li Miao said as he presented the wooden box.

Now everyone's eyes turned to Qi Zhi.

Emperor Jing waved his hand, and Wei Nian took the box and opened it for Emperor Jing to see. Inside the box was some white powder.

Emperor Jing frowned slightly, looking puzzled. "What is this?"

"I saw that this object was hidden in the beam and was difficult to identify, so I took the liberty of bringing it back for Your Majesty's decision."

Qi Zhi's expression changed slightly, and he was secretly shocked: This... how is this possible? Yelü Yuanxiu, on the other hand, looked gloating.

Emperor Jing's face was very heavy. He remained silent for a long time, but anger was brewing in his eyes.

The Empress Dowager was still determined to defend Qi Zhi, and scolded Li Miao, "Li Miao, you're quite skilled. You found the item as soon as you arrived. Of all places, you had to find it right in Prince Qi's room. You have a keen eye!"

This is saying that Li Miao was instructed by someone to deliberately frame him.

Li Miao stood ramrod straight, his face solemn, and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, everything I have said is true. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may ask anyone to inquire."

The Empress Dowager looked displeased. "You are so loyal to His Majesty! Yet you turn a deaf ear to my words!"

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!" Li Miao said, and immediately knelt down.

Everyone knows that Li Miao is employed by Emperor Jing, but the Empress Dowager still deliberately mocks him, especially with so many outsiders present. It seems she intends to protect Qi Zhi and help Prince Qing.

Emperor Jing finally spoke, his voice low and deep: "No matter what, we must first find out the truth about this."

After saying that, he gestured for Wei Nian to take the wooden box down for inspection.

Qi Zhi forced himself to remain calm, but his mind was in turmoil. Yelü Yuanxiu's smile grew even wider.

"Didn't Your Majesty say that the imperial physicians of our Jing Kingdom were useless? How come they're effective now?" The Empress Dowager persisted, asking coldly.

The relentless pursuit irritated Emperor Jing, and Jing Anle wished she could tear the Empress Dowager's mouth apart. She simply said, "Although the imperial physicians in the palace are skilled, they ultimately only stay in the palace. They only treat a few illnesses over and over again, and their knowledge is ultimately limited."

Seeing Jing Anle speak, the Empress Dowager's expression became even more unpleasant. She felt that Jing Anle was somewhat ill-mannered and interrupted her. Just as she was about to retort, Jing Anle stopped her, saying, "Father, you should ask Consort Lin to come and examine her. After all, even Consort Li's life was saved by her."

"How can this be allowed?" the Empress Dowager demanded sternly.

"Consort Lin is just a woman; I don't know where she learned some tricks to deceive people. How can we let her come?"

Jing Anle remained calm and composed. "Your Majesty, if Consort Lin were truly deceiving people, how could she have saved Consort Li? Her medical skills are evident to all. Moreover, if the imperial physicians in the palace were absolutely certain, why would they go to such lengths to bring the items back? If Consort Lin's test results are accurate, then the matter of Consort Li's poisoning will be settled."

Emperor Jing nodded slightly upon hearing this. "Anle is right. Summon Consort Lin." The Empress Dowager, seeing that Emperor Jing had already made his decision, was dissatisfied but could not object further.

Before long, Consort Lin rushed over. She had stayed up all night and looked a little tired, but she was still beautiful and charming.

Emperor Jing frowned slightly and comforted Consort Lin, saying, "You've worked hard."

"Serving Your Majesty is my honor." She spoke gently, her face serene, making it seem to others that Emperor Jing truly doted on Consort Lin.

However, to Yongping, it was like a wildcat scratching at her heart. She couldn't stand any woman being close to Emperor Jing, so she said indifferently, "Consort Lin is really amazing. Her medical skills are so superb that she can even surpass the imperial physicians in the palace. Your Majesty is really lucky to have someone like Consort Lin by your side. She is worth half of the Imperial Medical Bureau."

The Empress Dowager immediately understood and said in a shrill voice, "Consort Lin has spent so much effort on medical skills, but has she been diligent in serving His Majesty?"

Questioning her in front of so many people shows no intention of giving Consort Lin any face.

“Grandmother, Aunt,” Jing Anle called softly.

"Let's have Consort Lin test the poison first; we can deal with other things later."

The affairs of the inner palace were being discussed in front of outsiders. Everyone felt that the Empress Dowager and Yongping were quite tactless and not as sensible as Jing Anle.

“Anle’s words make sense, Mother. Consort Lin has always been very much to my liking. Let’s test for poison first.”

Emperor Jing silenced Yongping and the Empress Dowager with a single sentence.

Consort Lin's expression remained unchanged; she remained dignified and composed. Upon hearing Emperor Jing's words, she stepped forward to examine the white powder.

She examined it carefully, sniffed it lightly, and even took a small amount and licked it lightly on the tip of her tongue. After a moment, Consort Lin said solemnly, "Your Majesty, this substance is called 'Heartbreaker.' Ingesting it will cause excruciating abdominal pain, and prolonged exposure can be life-threatening."

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked. These words were largely the same as those spoken by Yelü Yuanxiu. Everyone turned their attention back to Qi Zhi. Qi Zhi was somewhat flustered, but he remained calm and composed on the surface.

Emperor Jing glared angrily, and the atmosphere became extremely tense.

"Consort Lin, do you know what this poison is made of?"

Consort Lin rubbed the white powder between her fingers and shook her head.

A hint of disappointment flashed in Jing Anle's eyes, while Qi Zhi's face lit up with life.

"I told you long ago that Consort Lin's medical skills were not very useful; she was just lucky for a while," the Empress Dowager interjected.

Consort Lin lowered her eyes and looked serene.

"Since we don't know, we can't..." Before the Empress Dowager could finish speaking, she was interrupted by Consort Lin's voice.

"I am just not entirely sure. There are thousands of kinds of medicines in the world, and I am afraid of making a wrong diagnosis."

“Anle knows that Your Majesty is not one to speak recklessly. Since you say so, you must have already made up your mind?” Jing Anle asked.

"If that's the case, then Consort Lin should speak up," Yelü Yuanxiu, who couldn't contain himself any longer, said. He couldn't wait to convict Qi Zhi as soon as possible.

"Please speak freely, my beloved consort." Emperor Jing nodded affirmatively to Consort Lin.

Consort Lin raised her eyes, her gaze firm. "This poison is also called Green Pearl Orchid. It has complex properties and... it only grows within the territory of Qi Kingdom."

In other words, the poison did indeed originate from the Qi Kingdom.

These words caused an uproar in the hall, as they were almost exactly the same as what Yelü Yuanxiu had said.

Qi Zhi's face turned deathly pale instantly. He opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know how to defend himself. Yelü Yuanxiu, on the other hand, raised the corners of his mouth triumphantly and pointed at Qi Zhi, shouting sharply, "Qi Zhi, you poisoned someone. Now the evidence is conclusive. What else do you have to say!"

Emperor Jing frowned, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the crowd. The atmosphere in the hall was extremely tense, and a fierce debate was about to unfold, while the truth seemed to be hidden in a thick fog.