CHAPTER 45: CHAPTER 44 IT WAS YOU WHO POISONED

In a haze, Xia Ruqing was shaken awake.

"Master, wake up quickly! Something terrible has happened—Qiu Hong from our courtyard... she hanged herself!" Zi Yue said urgently.

Xia Ruqing was still dazed, but upon hearing this, she instantly became mostly awake.

"What?"

Hearing the word ’death,’ Xia Ruqing’s mind went blank.

"Qiu Hong... Isn’t she one of the palace maids who does menial labor in our palace? How could she..."

Xia Ruqing paused for a moment. Suddenly, as if she had realized something, her expression turned stern. She ordered, "Zi Yue, go and guard Qiu Hong’s body! Do not let anyone near it!"

"Hurry!"

"Yes!" Without a word, Zi Yue turned and ran off at once.

"Xiao Xizi, go to Jiaofang Hall. If you see anyone sneaking around, stop them by any means necessary!"

"Yes!"

Xiao Xizi answered crisply, without a hint of hesitation.

Xia Ruqing was very satisfied.

Her generosity on regular days had not let her down! These were the kind of people Xia Ruqing wanted!

「...」

She dressed as quickly as possible, pulled her hair into a careless ponytail, and headed straight for Jiaofang Hall.

She moved swiftly, her footsteps growing increasingly quick.

Someone was trying to harm her! If she wasn’t mistaken, they would surely find poison on Qiu Hong’s body. At this moment, someone must be reporting to the Empress, intending to lead her to Zhaohua Pavilion to search the body in public. If they found poison, the evidence would be irrefutable. What she needed to do was stop the person going to report!

Just as she was thinking this, she failed to notice someone approaching from the front, right at the corner.

BANG!

All her thoughts scattered, leaving her stunned and ashen-faced.

And... there was the Emperor, who looked utterly bewildered from the collision.

He had just come out of Jiaofang Hall when a figure suddenly flew at him, and then...

"Th-this servant deserves death!"

Xia Ruqing fell to her knees with a thump.

Zhao Junyao came back to his senses. Seeing it was her, his anger dissipated somewhat.

He asked in a deep voice, "Why are you in such a rush this early in the morning?"

Xia Ruqing was wondering how to answer when she caught sight of a nearby courtyard.

Xiao Xizi was kneeling, with a Little Eunuch lying unconscious beside him.

A surge of joy filled her heart, and she hurriedly said, "Emperor, that Little Eunuch is acting suspiciously. This servant wishes to interrogate him!"

"Oh?"

Zhao Junyao narrowed his eyes.

This young woman actually dares to interrogate someone; she really makes me see her in a new light!

"Fine!"

Suddenly, he was intrigued.

He was very curious to see how this little vixen would conduct the interrogation!

"Li Shengan, go back and arrange for the banquet first. I will come later!"

"Yes!"

Li Shengan withdrew.

The Empress, seeing a lead in the matter, put aside her work and came to claim some ready credit.

She immediately instructed Yu Lan to arrange a side hall and have the Little Eunuch awakened.

One glance was all it took to give Xia Ruqing a shock. When she saw the Little Eunuch’s face clearly, she couldn’t help exclaiming, "So it was you!"

Xiao Zhaozi knelt on the ground, his face pale as he looked around.

The Emperor was present, the Empress was there, and Lady Xia was also there; he immediately began to tremble in terror.

"Th-this servant gr... greets..."

Zhao Junyao, growing impatient, waved his hand dismissively. "Dispensed!"

The Empress looked at the Little Eunuch and asked in surprise, "Aren’t you from Honored Lady Hu’s retinue? What brings you to my Jiaofang Hall? Does your mistress have some issue?"

Xiao Zhaozi steadied himself, lowered his head, his eyes darting about. When he raised his head again, he wore a pitiful expression.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Your Highness the Empress, this servant discovered this morning that Qiu Hong, a palace maid doing menial work for Lady Xia, had hanged herself!"

"Lady Xia has always been at odds with our Honored Lady, and I fear..."

"This matter is related to the poisoning of our Honored Lady. This servant has taken the liberty of reporting it and implores Your Majesties to investigate thoroughly!"

Zhao Junyao narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

The Empress’s expression changed. She had intended to assert her authority with a scolding, but seeing that the Emperor remained silent, she held her tongue as well.

Xia Ruqing was thoroughly infuriated.

"You’re talking nonsense!"

Kneeling to the side, Xiao Xizi also sneered, "Xiao Zhaozi, you seem remarkably well-informed about the affairs of our Zhaohua Pavilion!"

Xiao Zhaozi immediately found an excuse. "Our Lijing Pavilion is right in front of your Zhaohua Pavilion. It’s a matter of life and death—did you really think you could keep it hidden?"

At this point, he grew more confident, his tone even carrying a hint of smugness.

Humph! The evidence is ironclad. Lady Xia, just you wait for your downfall!

Xia Ruqing suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Xiao Zhaozi, are you aware that speaking nonsense in front of the Emperor is the crime of deceiving the monarch?"

Indeed, a flicker of emotion crossed Xiao Zhaozi’s eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

"The Emperor is wise. This servant would never dare speak carelessly. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you can certainly send someone to inspect Zhaohua Pavilion!"

As long as I can draw the Emperor there, Lady Xia won’t be able to clear her name even if she throws herself into the Yellow River! Humph!

Zhao Junyao gave a cold laugh and finally spoke. "I will naturally investigate Zhaohua Pavilion. However..."

He paused, then continued, "You are a servant from Lijing Pavilion. How is it that you know the affairs of Zhaohua Pavilion so thoroughly? Could it... really be just a coincidence?"

His words went straight to the point—logical and compelling, leaving no room for rebuttal.

He never resorted to using his power to oppress others; what he desired was to thoroughly convince people, leaving them with no grounds for argument.

As expected, Xiao Zhaozi was momentarily flustered, yet he stubbornly retorted, "Th-this servant was just passing by, heard a commotion inside, and then... eavesdropped..."

"Passing by?" Xiao Xizi asked incredulously.

"A commotion?" Xia Ruqing found it somewhat amusing and pressed, "Xiao Zhaozi, beyond our Zhaohua Pavilion to the north is the Cold Palace. Where exactly were you ’passing by’ to?"

Xiao Xizi also chimed in, "There are a total of five of us, master and servants, in Zhaohua Pavilion. This morning, our master hadn’t woken up yet. Lady Zi Yue was attending to her in her room, and I went to the Imperial Kitchen to fetch meals. That left two maids doing menial work. One hanged herself, so only one was left. Who could she have been arguing with?"

Unexpectedly, Xiao Zhaozi craned his neck stubbornly and said, "She... she saw the dead body and cried out in fear."

"Presumptuous!" Zhao Junyao slammed the table, unable to bear it any longer.

So cunning! This servant deserves to die!

The Empress also said angrily, "Xiao Zhaozi, do you admit your guilt?"

"Your Highness the Empress, this servant... I am wronged!"

"Wronged?" Xia Ruqing found it laughable. "You, as a personal eunuch, betrayed your own side and poisoned your mistress! How exactly are you wronged?!"

Filled with rage, she knew no fear, only an urgent desire to clear her name.

"This servant..."

"Actually, that day at noon, you made sure to get something from Xiao Xizi, whether it was the cheese or something else!"

"Because your goal was to poison Honored Lady Hu and then frame me! Am I not right?"

"No wonder we kept investigating the Imperial Kitchen but found nothing. It was you who administered the poison all along!"

Everything that was incomprehensible before now made perfect sense!

Xiao Zhaozi’s eyes darted back and forth; he racked his brains but couldn’t utter a single word.

He had no choice but to brace himself and remain silent, allowing Lady Xia to reveal the truth sentence by sentence.

At this point, the truth of the matter had essentially come to light.

As for the person behind Xiao Zhaozi, that would be left to the Punishment Department for interrogation.