The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter Five - A Sudden Change

All the noble ladies were anxious, standing in silence, not daring to say a word.

"However, since something has happened, it wouldn't be wise for you to leave now," his voice remained neutral, making it difficult to discern his emotions as if he were casually speaking to the ladies about standing at ease. "Why not just stay here with the Empress Dowager and the Empress and wait for the result?"

No one dared to object; the Hall of Hanzhang fell into silence, filled only with the sound of everyone's breathing.

Fortunately, this suffocating atmosphere did not last long, as Chen Ping soon found some leads.

"Replying to Your Majesty, twenty-three palace maids have been detained in the Eastern Palace and have been questioned separately. One of the young eunuchs served the Imperial Grandson his breakfast, after which the Imperial Grandson fell into a coma. He is currently under arrest," Chen Ping knelt on the ground, his face as cold as a statue, not daring to glance aside. "Additionally, there are eleven individuals who entered and exited from various palaces: the Palace of the Noble Consort Xian, the Palace of Consort Liang, the Palace of the Imperial Noble Consort, the Palace of Noble Consort Song, and Qingning Palace of the Empress. The remaining individuals are from Princess Rongcheng's residence and the residences of Princess Shijia and Princess Duanhui."

With the Crown Prince seriously ill, these ladies from the palace had come to check on him and deliver supplements. It was common for favored princesses and noble ladies to send someone to inquire about his condition.

Empress Dowager Rongxian felt her eyelids twitch as she listened. Although there were people from Consort Song's Palace among them, she felt inexplicably lost, vaguely recalling that Princess Shijia had mentioned wanting to visit the Crown Prince when she entered the palace, her heart suddenly racing.

"That young eunuch will be severely punished." The Jianzhang Emperor's expression remained unchanged, staring at Chen Ping motionlessly: "Anyone who sends someone to deliver something or visit will be searched in the palace. I allow you, the Jinyiwei, to search and seize everything!"

Chen Ping agreed and was about to leave when the Empress called out to him.

"Your Majesty," the Empress said with a worried expression, looking at Emperor Jianzhang,  "Yan'er is gravely ill and may not withstand the shock..."

Emperor Jianzhang nodded and added extra instructions to Chen Ping: "When your men go to the various princesses and noble ladies, be careful not to act like bandits."

Empress Dowager Rongxian felt a slight sense of relief—though there were many unexpected developments in the situation, the final outcome would still be a palace search. It was easier to handle as long as they searched...

She regained her previous composure, her elongated phoenix eyes slightly raised as she cast a deep glance at the Emperor and Empress before her gaze landed on the Song family.

Old Lady Song was even calmer than she had expected. Observing the several ladies from the Noble Consort Xian's family, the Guo family, they were somewhat flustered, looking as startled as birds just caught in a net, as if they had never seen such a grand affair before.

To her surprise, it wasn't just Old Lady Song who remained composed; she hadn't noticed it before, but now that she had the leisure to observe, she realized that the little girl beside her, only nine years old, was also unafraid. Although the girl hung her head and appeared honest and obedient, her eyes showed no signs of disturbance. Compared to the other children tightly clutched by their adults, the difference became apparent.

Palace maids filed in one after another, setting up tables and chairs and inviting the noble ladies to sit. Soon, a group of young eunuchs entered, their eyes straight ahead, serving tea and snacks.

As it became clear that this matter would not be resolved quickly, everyone's anxiety intensified, and Old Lady Chen trembled as she held her cup.

By the time the sun hung high in the sky, Chen Ping's questioning finally yielded results. He led several members of the Jinyiwei into the room and began by reporting the results of the palace search: "The sleeping quarters of several ladies have been searched by Eunuch Feng, and no findings were made. The residences of Princess Rongcheng and Princess Duanhui also yielded nothing. However..."

Empress Dowager Rongxian's expression suddenly changed, her eyes fixed on Chen Ping without blinking, as if she could devour him alive at any moment.

"However, the residence of Princess Shijia has revealed several individuals with unknown whereabouts," Chen Ping maintained his stiff and expressionless demeanor, his tone flat and unwavering. "Many tributes and suspicious items were also confiscated. Please, Your Majesty, decide."

Gasps of shock erupted in the room, and everyone involuntarily turned their gaze toward Empress Dowager—who didn't know that Princess Shijia was the only remaining biological daughter of the now Empress Dowager Rongxian? She had always been deeply favored by both the Empress Dowager and Emperor Jianzhang.

Empress Dowager Rongxian pointed her bright red fingernail at Chen Ping, her anger and surprise mingling: "What nonsense are you spewing! What do you mean by 'unknown whereabouts,' and what tributes and suspicious items?! This is clearly slander!"

She was doing her utmost to control her emotions, yet her body still trembled slightly with anger. The Fengzhao Palace, which should have had something to reveal, turned up nothing, while her daughter's residence, which shouldn't have had anything to do with this matter, was said to have been searched and found to have suspicious individuals and items. She couldn't help but feel anxious.

Things were not developing in the direction she had hoped; now, it seemed to have taken a drastic turn...

However, Emperor Jianzhang remained much calmer than she was; he merely raised his eyelids slightly and, after a moment, casually asked, "Oh? What items?"

"I dare not say," Chen Ping replied, waving his hand behind him. Several of his subordinates then presented their findings, each holding something in their hands.

Among them, one person held an eye-catching, solitary silk pouch.

Chen Ping knelt on the ground, not raising his head: "Your Majesty, this item needs to be examined by the Imperial Physicians."

This clearly indicated that Princess Shijia was being implicated in the crime of hiding poison. Empress Dowager Rongxian could no longer contain herself, glaring at him fiercely and stepping down from her seat, exclaiming, "Emperor! Do you believe such wicked words?! Do you believe your own sister would do such a thing?! This must be a frame-up!"

Song Chuyi curled her lips in a cold smile—she had said that one day, Empress Dowager Rongxian would taste the pain of losing a loved one. Previously it was Wang Jinsi, and now it was finally the turn of Princess Shijia, whom she adored like her own flesh and blood.

"Do not worry, Mother." Emperor Jianzhang glanced coldly at the pouch, standing up and solemnly instructing Eunuch Feng, who had been observing with a calm demeanor, "Go fetch the Imperial Physicians to examine what this is."

He then turned to look at the Empress Dowager, who was beside herself with anxiety; his eyes, dark as ink, revealed no emotion, and his words remained flat enough to instill fear: "Once it's clarified, we will naturally know whether it was my sister who did this. I hope it wasn't."

Could this be a power struggle between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor?! The noble ladies felt as if they were drenched in sweat, their backs soaked, as though they had just been pulled from the water, their entire bodies numb and devoid of sensation.

Chief Physician Sun and Chief Physician Chen trembled as they took silver needles to test in front of everyone; when they pulled it out, the end that had touched the powder in the pouch was already black.

Empress Dowager Rongxian flung her sleeves, sending the tray and pouch crashing to the ground, her voice hoarse from shouting: "This is impossible! This is impossible!"

These items should have appeared in Noble Consort Song's Fengzhao Palace, and then the carefully placed hidden pieces in Fengzhao Palace would have confessed, claiming that the poison was provided by the Song family... It should have been this way...