ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 143

The words of the Emperor left everyone in shock. The Grand Princess was the first to respond, letting out a sigh of relief, and said, “Your Majesty is wise.”

As she spoke, she signaled to Xiao Yan and Li Zhizhi, urging them, “Quickly, get up. The Emperor will surely uncover the truth and catch the person who poisoned the Seventh Princess to seek justice for A’yang.”

Li Zhizhi also felt relieved in her heart. She respectfully addressed Emperor Jing Ming, “These pastries were indeed brought to the Seventh Princess by this subject, but there were others who handled them before this. If I truly intended to harm the Seventh Princess, would I have done it so obviously?”

Once these words were spoken, the palace maids grew alarmed again. Some were kneeling and others were crying out to clear their names, insisting it wasn’t them. However, Emperor Jing Ming remained unmoved, coldly asking, “Where are the poison testers?”

There was a moment of silence in the crowd before two eunuchs crawled out, their faces full of terror. Emperor Jing Ming sternly questioned them, “It is your duty to test for poison for your master. Why is it that now the master has been poisoned, yet you remain unscathed?”

The two eunuchs turned pale with fear and stammered in their defense, “The Seventh Princess has always been protective of her food and does not allow the servants to test the poison first, fearing it would take away from her share. We had no way around it… Please, Your Majesty, spare us!”

They began to kneel repeatedly, their foreheads. .h.i.tting the ground with a thud, soon drawing blood. Yet, Emperor Jing Ming showed no expression and scolded, “That is your failure to do your duty. When you were being lazy, you should have thought of today’s consequences. Now that something has happened, you blame your master? Take them out and beat them to death!”

Immediately, someone stepped forward and swiftly dragged the two eunuchs out. Soon, sounds of clubs striking could be heard from outside, accompanied by cries of pain and anguish that sent chills through the hearts of everyone present. Even Li Zhizhi felt a shiver run down her spine.

At that moment, she suddenly felt Xiao Yan’s hand move; he gently squeezed her fingers. When she turned to look, she met his gaze, which held a comforting meaning.

The Grand Princess, observing their interaction, couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, looking away as if she hadn’t seen anything.

The hall grew increasingly silent, as if it were dead. Gradually, the sounds of wailing diminished until all that could be heard were the sharp sounds of the clubs, with no human voices, creating a chilling atmosphere. After a while, an inner servant entered respectfully and reported, “Your Majesty, the person has died.”

Emperor Jing Ming responded with indifference and turned his gaze to the remaining palace maids, who looked pale and terrified, trembling and burying their heads as if they wished to shrink into the ground. Emperor Jing Ming’s sharp eyes swept over them, asking, “Who has handled these pastries?”

For a moment, no one dared to answer. Emperor Jing Ming waved his hand and ordered, “Since no one is willing to speak, take them out first and give them fifty strokes each, leaving them alive to ask questions.”

In the palace, those who carried out the punishment had some skills. For example, those to be beaten to death could be killed with just a dozen strokes, and it wouldn’t be immediately apparent. Those who had made mistakes but whose crimes did not warrant death would receive thirty or fifty strokes, leaving them bloodied but still alive. However, as Emperor Jingming commanded, if only to leave them able to talk, they could be beaten to the point of being half-dead, unable to seek life or death.

The palace maids panicked, hurriedly pointing fingers at one another, and pushed out three maidservants. Yet those three refused to admit to anything, even after being beaten severely, bloodied and bruised, each gritting their teeth and enduring.

Seeing Emperor Jing Ming’s expression grow darker, Li Zhizhi suddenly spoke up, “Your Majesty, this subject has a method.”

At this, all eyes turned to her. Emperor Jing Ming asked, “What method?”

Li Zhizhi replied slowly, “Not long ago, a friend gifted this subject a secret medicine that makes one speak the truth. If asked, they will answer without a single lie. In my opinion, we could have them take this medicine, and then the truth would be known.”

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing Ming’s brow moved slightly, “A secret medicine from the Southern Frontier?”

Li Zhizhi showed a look of surprise: “The Emperor knows?”

Emperor Jing Ming replied, nodding, “Many years ago, the Southern Frontier King offered a tribute of a certain drug.”

He did not elaborate further, but it was clear to everyone that the drug existed. In an instant, some people breathed a sigh of relief, while others felt uneasy and anxious. Emperor Jing Ming said to Li Zhizhi, “Since you have this drug, go and fetch it.”

Li Zhizhi received the order and immediately instructed someone to return to the Princess’s residence to retrieve the medicine. After a short while, she returned, holding a small bamboo tube, which was the secret medicine Yang Jun had given her when she left. However, there was only one pill inside, which was far from enough for the many people kneeling there.

Li Zhizhi did not show any sign of concern on her face. She approached the three palace maids and asked, “Since you all claim to be innocent, I will give you an opportunity. Who is willing to be the first to try the medicine?”

At this question, two of them immediately spoke up, eager to volunteer: “I am willing to try the medicine!”

“I can do it! Please let the Princess give it to me first!”

Li Zhizhi ignored their pleas and turned to the third person, who had been silent. She smiled and said, “They really don’t know how to be modest, making such a fuss. You seem to be quite polite; why don’t you go first?”

The palace maid’s expression stiffened slightly, a flicker of unease flashing in her eyes. She quickly replied, “I don’t mind; I can go last…”

“Whether you go early or late, you must try it,” Li Zhizhi said slowly, pausing for a moment before adding, “Or are you… afraid of something?”

The palace maid fidgeted and clearly had something to hide. Seeing this, everyone understood the implications. Emperor Jing Ming coldly ordered, “Bring the iron board.”

The iron board, as the name suggests, is a board filled with densely packed sharp nails, and those who are made to kneel on it have no chance of survival!

Upon hearing this, the palace maid trembled in fear, her face turning ashen. Just as someone was about to pull her away, she suddenly clenched her mouth shut, her face contorted in pain, struggling violently like a fish out of water, her strength nearly breaking free from the two eunuchs holding her.

Xiao Yan quickly noticed something was wrong and swiftly grabbed her chin, but it was too late. In an instant, blood sprayed out, staining Xiao Yan’s hand. The palace maid lost all her strength, slumping down, her eyes wide open, staring intensely at everyone.

She had bitten her tongue and committed suicide!

Emperor Jing Ming was furious, suddenly standing up: “Very well.”

He sneered and repeated, “Very well! So she was loyal to her master, and I completely misjudged her!”

Just as the situation was becoming clearer, it took a sudden turn. Now that the person who had poisoned was dead, the circ.u.mstances became even more puzzling. Everyone held their breath, not daring to make a sound, fearing to provoke the Emperor’s displeasure and bring disaster upon themselves.

At that moment, a palace maid emerged from the inner hall, walking carefully and cautiously reporting, “Your Majesty, the Seventh Princess has awakened and wishes to see you.”

Emperor Jing Ming’s expression softened slightly, but when he saw the corpse on the ground, his gaze turned cold again. “Send someone to investigate her background. Her relatives should all be imprisoned and await punishment.”

After finishing, he strode toward the inner hall, and Xiao Yan pulled Li Zhizhi along, softly saying, “Let’s go see.”

Li Zhizhi nodded and followed him for a few steps when she suddenly remembered something. She turned back and met the gaze of the Grand Princess, who had a complicated expression on her face, staring at the hands of the two. Li Zhizhi seemed to be scalded by something and quickly shook off Xiao Yan’s hand, awkwardly hiding it behind her back. She called out, “Mother.”

The Grand Princess sighed inwardly but pretended not to see. With a smile on her face, she spoke in a calm tone, “Let’s go see A’yang.”

…

As soon as they entered, they found Xiao Rulei waking up. She was pouting at Emperor Jing Ming, saying, “A’yang’s tummy hurts.”

Emperor Jing Ming personally tucked her blanket, speaking in a gentle tone rarely seen by outsiders, “Take your medicine well, and you’ll feel better soon.”

Lying on the bed, even though she smiled, Xiao Rulei’s face was still as pale as paper, lacking her usual vivacity. She looked like the white porcelain doll she had before, making others feel pity. However, she was oblivious to it all. Upon seeing Li Zhizhi and Xiao Yan, she greeted them cheerfully, acting carefree, unaware that she had just returned from the brink of death. She curiously asked, “Father, did A’yang eat something bad?”

Emperor Jing Ming paused for a moment as he looked at his daughter. Not hiding anything from her, he explained the entire situation clearly. In the end, his tone turned somewhat authoritative as he said, “Next time you want to eat something, you must have the palace servants test it for poison first. Only after ensuring it’s safe can you eat it.”

Xiao Rulei observed his expression and obediently responded, but suddenly remembered the bean cake and her expression changed. She nervously asked, “Father, are you alright?”

Emperor Jing Ming replied, “I’m fine.”

“Ah,” Xiao Rulei exclaimed, “What about that guard brother?”

Xiao Yan furrowed his brow slightly and asked, “What guard brother are you talking about?”

Xiao Rule earnestly explained that she had previously shared a piece of bean cake with the guard on duty. Then, with concern, she added, “He won’t be poisoned too, right?”

Seeing her concern, Emperor Jingming ordered a palace servant to check on the guard named Xue Huai. Xiao Yan reached out to touch Xiao Rulei’s forehead and asked, “Besides your stomachache, do you feel unwell anywhere else?”

Xiao Rulei shook her head, about to say something when she suddenly pushed his hand away, seriously stating, “You can’t touch my head, or I’ll get stupid.”

Xiao Yan was almost amused by her remark: “Do you think I care? With your brain weighing only a few taels, how stupid could you possibly get?”

Xiao Rulei rolled her eyes and glanced at Li Zhizhi, pouting and looking aggrieved. “Sister, brother is bullying me.”

In an instant, everyone’s gaze fell on Li Zhizhi, each with different expressions. The Grand Princess looked at her with an indescribable expression, while Emperor Jing Ming’s gaze was full of meaning.

Li Zhizhi was suddenly thrust into the spotlight and felt extremely awkward, wishing she could just escape. She certainly couldn’t blame Xiao Rulei for it, so she shot Xiao Yan a glare instead. If it weren’t for him egging her on, how would Xiao Rulei understand this? She had always gone to the Grand Princess to complain, and now she was the one left in an awkward position. Truly, one misstep led to another; this was trouble that didn’t need seeking out.

Xiao Yan: …

He began to ponder: It seems I really can’t touch Xiao Rulei’s head in the future; she really has gotten smarter!

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