allonlinenovel Chapter 169 We urge Your Majesty to conduct a thorough investigation.
Chapter 169 We urge Your Majesty to conduct a thorough investigation.
With a solemn expression, Physician Zhang extended his right index finger, carefully dipped it into the white powder placed on the clean handkerchief, and slowly put it into his mouth.
In an instant, Physician Zhang's originally calm expression changed drastically. At the same time, with lightning speed, he picked up a glass of water that had been prepared beside him and poured it into his mouth to rinse his mouth.
In the blink of an eye, he turned around abruptly, knelt down and kowtowed to the Emperor without hesitation, his voice trembling as he said, "Your Majesty, the white powder scattered on the surface of Consort Zhuang's dish of mooncakes, after careful examination, has been found to be datura pollen, which can cause hallucinations."
How could they not be afraid? That was a palace banquet for the Reunion Festival, which should have been a joyous and peaceful scene of family reunion. But who could have imagined that such a chilling thing would happen?
Not to mention the grand scale and extraordinary significance of the palace banquet itself, the presence of envoys from foreign lands made it more than just an ordinary court banquet; it rose to the level of a state banquet.
Yet, in such a solemn and dignified occasion, representing the image and dignity of the nation, someone actually dared to plot against Consort Zhuang and the Crown Prince! Had this person lost their mind or gone completely insane? It's simply unbelievable!
When the Emperor heard Physician Zhang report this matter, he was immediately enraged. He suddenly stood up, raised his hand and slammed it hard on the intricately carved sandalwood table in front of him. With a loud bang, the cups and saucers on the table jumped up.
At the same time, the Emperor, his face contorted with rage, roared, "Investigate! Investigate this thoroughly immediately! I must find out how this hallucinogenic poison got into the palace! Who dares to cause trouble right under my nose!"
"Li Desheng".
"Your servant is here," Li Desheng quickly stepped forward and bowed in response.
"Arrange for someone to escort the Nan Shi Kingdom delegation back to their post station to rest."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will arrange it immediately." After receiving the order, Li Desheng went down to find Zhang Quan, the commander of the Imperial Guards, and asked him to arrange a small team to escort the Nan Shi Kingdom delegation back to the post station.
The Empress Dowager had not expected anyone to be so bold. She carefully observed everyone present, hoping to find the person who had poisoned her.
Of course, until the real culprit was found, everyone in the post station was strictly restricted in their freedom of movement and was not allowed to enter or leave at will. Other ministers, their families, and concubines were all required to remain in the Jiaohua Hall to await the final investigation results, and no one was allowed to leave without permission.
The ministers and their families never imagined that attending a palace banquet would nearly cost them their lives. At this moment, their faces were deathly pale, their hearts filled with fear and unease.
Meanwhile, Su Nuannuan had arranged for Yingchun to escort His Highness the Crown Prince back to the Empress's side. After all, given the current situation, keeping the Crown Prince by her side was unwise. If any further unforeseen events were to occur, she feared she would be unable to protect him with her current abilities.
At this moment, Su Nuannuan was discreetly observing the actions of Consort Qin, Consort Li, and Consort Qing. Although she keenly sensed that Consort Qing seemed to be behaving slightly abnormally, she dared not easily conclude that the matter was related to her. After all, the other two consorts were equally formidable—although the second and third princes raised by Consort Li were disabled and unable to inherit the throne, this did not mean that they could be completely ruled out as suspects.
If all the healthy princes were to die young, then in the absence of other princes, these two, provided they are neither mentally challenged nor foolish, would have a very high chance of inheriting the throne.
Although Consort Qin verbally declared that she had no interest in the supreme throne, how could her maternal family remain docile? Despite the apparent calm and inaction at present, who could truly know what insidious and cunning schemes they might be plotting behind the scenes?
At that moment, Su Nuannuan felt utterly exhausted. She even had a fleeting thought of taking her two children and leaving this chaotic palace.
At this moment, Consort Qin was tightly embracing her son, Canglan Jingxu, with a heart full of fear, afraid that she might lose him if she was not careful. Consort Li, although she appeared calmer on the surface, did not dare to be careless either. She hurriedly instructed the two nannies beside her to take good care of the two young princes and not to let them eat anything indiscriminately.
As for Consort Qing, she calmly and gently coaxed her one-year-old son to sleep. Seeing Consort Qing's composed demeanor, Su Nuannuan couldn't help but sneer inwardly, muttering to herself, "Look at how confident she is! She must be certain that this incident will never be traced back to her. I just wonder who will ultimately take the blame and suffer this undeserved misfortune for her."
The other imperial physicians exchanged bewildered glances before quickly replying that, after careful examination, the remaining mooncakes showed no abnormalities.
At this moment, Su Nuannuan suddenly stood up, took light steps, and went straight to the center of the magnificent hall. She knelt down on both knees, straightened her back, and kowtowed heavily, saying in a clear and firm voice, "Your Majesty, this matter is clearly someone deliberately targeting me and His Highness the Crown Prince. I beg Your Majesty to do justice for me and His Highness the Crown Prince."
Upon seeing this, the Emperor frowned slightly, a hint of concern flashing in his eyes. He quickly extended his right hand and said gently to Su Nuannuan, "My beloved consort, please rise. I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly and give you a satisfactory explanation."
Upon hearing the Emperor's words, Su Nuannuan slowly raised her head, her beautiful eyes glistening with tears. She softly replied, "Your Majesty, I thank you," and then straightened up as she rose. However, instead of returning to her seat as everyone expected, she remained quietly standing in the center of the hall.
Su Nuannuan originally wanted to act innocent and virtuous when she complained, but after trying for a long time, she couldn't pull it off, so she simply did it directly.
At that moment, the Empress, who had been sitting steadily on her phoenix throne, slowly rose to her feet. She gracefully bowed to the Emperor and said in a low voice, “Your Majesty, it is only natural that the Crown Prince is closer to Consort Zhuang. However, I never imagined that such a treacherous person would take advantage of this to sow discord and cause Consort Zhuang to suffer this undeserved calamity. I urge Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly. If such wicked individuals are not brought to justice, I fear no one will dare to be close to the Crown Prince in the future.”