The Daily Life of a Concubine

Chapter 18 - Poisoning

But when the Emperor asked, he dared not conceal anything and reported everything he had found and guessed.

"Your Majesty, I have determined that the poison was administered by Lady Bai. The specific source of the poison is still unknown. The Qinghe Palace has been sealed off, and the servants around Lady Bai don't know when she left Qinghe Palace..." After speaking, he handed the blood-soaked letter to Defu Gonggong.

Upon hearing this, the Empress was horrified. It was shocking that no one had noticed Lady Bai leaving the palace in broad daylight. This was simply absurd.

Even the Emperor would find it hard to believe Lady Bai had such skill.

Moreover, did the enmity between these sisters really run that deep?

The Emperor looked at the blood letter handed over by Defu, remaining silent for a long time.

"Your Majesty, I have heard that the Bai sisters had conflicts at home, but it was not to the extent of mortal enemies. There might be other hidden reasons," the Empress said, not to exonerate Lady Bai but because she genuinely had doubts.

Huang Daren nodded, "What the Empress suspects is correct. I share the same doubts. I need to investigate further."

Emperor Rui glanced at the Empress before turning his gaze away and throwing the blood letter on the ground. "In that case, I leave this matter to you. I want to see who is bold enough to harm my inner palace and frame my consorts. Such audacity deserves to be investigated thoroughly."

With that, the Emperor stood up. "Prepare to strip Lady Bai of her rank and have her executed for breaking palace rules."

The Emperor then turned and entered the inner hall.

Seeing this, the Empress had to leave the outer affairs to be handled.

The corpses in Qingliang Palace were naturally removed, and the bloodstains were cleaned up, leaving only watermarks.

The stench of blood had long dissipated. "Have the adjacent Lanyue Pavilion cleaned up and prepared for He Liangdi to move in this afternoon," Emperor Rui instructed as he left, turning to those behind him.

"Yes."

Defu took a deep breath. It seemed this favored consort had truly captured the Emperor's heart.

With the Emperor gone, Defu stayed behind.

He directly approached the busy Wang Momo (Translator's note: I referred to her as Madame Wang in previous chapters. Now she will be called Momo, also known as Nanny Wang).

"Momo, the Emperor has ordered that He Liangdi be moved to Lanyue Pavilion. It must be done this afternoon. You will need to work hard once more."

Wang Momo, an old acquaintance of Defu, was once in service to the Emperor but had to leave his side due to the Empress Dowager's reasons and ended up in Qingliang Hall for her retirement.

It was unexpected that she would end up serving He Liangdi. Ah, fate.

"Rest assured, Lanyue Pavilion has been vacant. It just needs some cleaning. The main hall? Lanyue Pavilion isn't like this small courtyard with few rooms."

It was a grand hall with distinctions for the front, back, and sides. The status required to live there was beyond that of a mere consort.

Defu shook his head. "Momo, you're joking. You understand palace rules far better than I do. It was you who taught me the rules back then."

Wang Momo understood perfectly. "Alright, I'll note it down. The Western side palace is good and spacious."

Meanwhile, in the inner hall, the consort on the bed opened her eyes after hearing Chun Feng say the Emperor had left.

Her appearance now was far from the earlier weakness and pallor.

"My lady, how could Lady Bai have come to our courtyard and tried to commit suicide? It looks so strange," Chunfeng said in a low voice, as if afraid someone would overhear her.

Chunyu, who had calmed down from her initial shock, said immediately, "Such a proud person likely couldn't handle the fall from grace. Plus, since you have received the He title, she might have acted out of resentment."

Bai Jingxian sighed. "If the family outside knew about this, who knows how the First Madam would have tormented us. Anyway, this matter is not related to us. We'll leave it to the Emperor and Empress. With them, our innocence will surely be restored."

The First Madam's torment didn't concern her.

The original consort's stepmother wasn't necessarily a good person either, and with the siblings, it was likely they were pleased the favored sister was gone. Their biological sister ascending would be better than the favored sister's rise.

People are always selfish.

Even the original father wouldn't favor the deceased daughter over the First Madam, risking offending another daughter.

The original host had already lost feelings for that family, let alone her. She couldn't protect herself.

In the Zhengzheng Hall, Emperor Rui rubbed his throbbing temples, his mind consumed by the identity of the mastermind behind this incident.

After the Empress returned to Kun Ning Palace and learned that the consort's residence had been changed, she immediately sent rewards to her own nanny, considering the shock she had suffered.

Such a major event had long spread among the palaces. Seeing the Empress's rewards, the high-ranking concubines naturally did not fall behind.

Of course, no one dared to visit Qingliang Hall.

In the afternoon, after Lanyue Pavilion was prepared, Bai Jingxian moved in with the help of palace servants.

Living alone in such a grand pavilion, she indeed made many people envious and jealous. But considering what she had encountered, their hearts were at ease.

Such glory was beyond their capacity to enjoy.