Feng Jin turned to face the Empress and cupped his hands in response. “Mother, that is indeed the case!”

“Then why…” The Empress looked at the man on the ground, then at Consort Ya, who was wrapped in a cloak.

Feng Jin nodded, turned, and looked toward the Emperor.

“Father, the matter is exactly as Mother has said. A few days ago, once I learned Mother had been poisoned, I sent people to stay behind and investigate.”

“I never expected the matter would lead to Consort Ya. I came here tonight because of this very matter—please, Father, look into this carefully!”

Feng Jin bent and bowed once more.

“Your Majesty, this concubine did no such thing! I did not poison the Empress, nor did I do anything to wrong Your Majesty.”

Consort Ya cried out hoarsely.

“Someone means to harm this concubine—she first drugged me, then lured the eldest prince here, wanting to kill two birds with one stone.”

“She even sent in some lowly commoner, trying to ruin this concubine’s reputation.”

“Your Majesty.”

Consort Ya lay prostrate on the ground. “Please, Your Majesty, seek justice for this concubine!”

An’bao entered, bringing an imperial physician with him.

“Long live the Emperor, long live, long live!”

The physician knelt on the ground.

Behind the female physician were also two maidservants.

The two maids knelt down together as well: “Greetings, Your Majesty, long live, long live, long live!”

Feng Qiongcang waved a hand and said, “Go examine Consort Ya and see if there’s anything amiss with her health.”

“Yes.”

The three of them cupped their hands together and stood.

The female physician approached Consort Ya, bent, and bowed. “Consort Ya, if you please.”

The old nanny stood and helped Consort Ya up.

“Your Majesty, you must seek justice for this concubine! You must seek justice for this concubine!”

Consort Ya kept looking back as she was helped inside.

As her voice faded away, the great hall fell silent.

Feng Qiongcang looked at the two remaining in the hall, his gaze settling on Feng Jin.

“Jin’er, tell me—what exactly is going on here?”

“Yes!”

Feng Jin cupped his hands. “On the fourteenth of July, before I set out for Wutong Town to search for my third brother, Mother summoned me.”

“At the time, Mother was lying in bed, at death’s door, saying she had been drugged.”

“I was uneasy about leaving, so I had people stay behind to investigate this matter.”

“Just now, a guard came to report that there had been progress, so I came to Yaxiang Hall.”

“Father.”

Feng Jin cupped his hands again.

“When I arrived, I saw a suspicious man come in, and I heard Consort Ya’s cries, so I fought with him.”

“The man struck too viciously—I ended up piercing his heart’s meridian. At that very moment, Father, you also appeared at Yaxiang Pavilion.”

“Father, may I ask why you came here? There are too many coincidences in this matter—I don’t think it’s so simple.”

Feng Qiongcang narrowed his eyes slightly and said flatly, “Today, it was Consort Ya’s token that was chosen.”

His gaze swept forward, and An’bao immediately dropped to his knees.

“Your Majesty, this servant absolutely did not falsify anything.”

“Your Majesty.”

The Empress raised her eyes, looking at the person seated above.

“What’s going on with Consort Ya, this concubine doesn’t wish to know, but the matter of her drugging me—the evidence is conclusive!”

“This concubine spent three days recovering her health, and Your Majesty has simply watched me kneel here all this while, intending to ignore it?”

“Come here.”

Feng Qiongcang waved her over. “Sit and speak.”

“Many thanks, Your Majesty.”

The Empress bowed and stood, walking over.

She came to the seat beside Feng Qiongcang, bowed once more, and then sat down.

“Your Majesty, this concubine will have the evidence brought in right away.”

“Very well.”

Feng Qiongcang nodded, his gaze falling on Feng Jin, his expression far from pleasant.

“All of you, rise.”

He waved a hand.

“Many thanks, Father.”

Feng Jin stood.

“Many thanks for Your Majesty’s grace!”

The eunuch An’bao stood as well.

“An’bao, go bring the others in.”

Feng Qiongcang said flatly.

Today the horse-herder Gao Jinsheng had come to the palace and brought Feng Qiongcang good news. Feng Qiongcang understood Gao Jinsheng’s intentions and had specially come to check on Consort Ya.

Feng Qiongcang didn’t wish to admit anything—what he’d just said had merely been a convenient excuse.

He truly hadn’t expected that Consort Ya would dare do such a thing.

At this moment, Feng Qiongcang’s expression was extremely grim.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

An’bao cupped his hands and turned to leave.

Soon, he brought in a group of people, who knelt across the floor.

“Greetings, Your Majesty, long live the Emperor! Greetings, Your Highness the Empress, may you live a thousand years! Greetings, eldest prince, may you live a thousand years!”

Everyone paid their respects.

“Speak—what exactly happened?”

Feng Qiongcang flicked his sleeve, and the air of the entire hall seemed to grow colder.

“Reporting to Your Majesty.”

The Empress’s guard raised his eyes and cupped his hands.

“On the fourteenth of July, after breakfast, Her Highness felt unwell all over. Upon examination by the imperial physician, it was determined she showed signs of poisoning.”

“Later, the physician prescribed medicine, but after Her Highness took it, her condition worsened, until she was at death’s door.”

“Nanny Chen informed General Yao of the matter, and General Yao brought in a doctor to treat Her Highness.”

“After Her Highness took the doctor’s medicine, her condition finally improved—otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to attend the heaven-worship ceremony.”

“Upon investigation, not only was one eunuch from the imperial kitchen bribed, but even the young eunuch attending Physician Hong was bribed as well.”

“The kitchen eunuch drugged Her Highness the first time.”

“The young eunuch Xiao An, while brewing medicine for Physician Hong, switched the medicine, drugging Her Highness a second time.”

“Under interrogation, both men confessed fully to the matter and handed over the remaining poison and the reward money they had received.”

“They also confessed that the whole affair was instigated by Nanny Huang, who serves Consort Ya.”

“Your Majesty, this servant also discovered that a few days ago, Nanny Huang bought poison powder at the Yingli Pharmacy in the capital.”

“Upon comparison, the two batches of poison powder are identical in composition.”

“Your Majesty, it is clear from this that the matter cannot be separated from Consort Ya. Please, Your Majesty, investigate thoroughly and seek justice for Her Highness the Empress.”

Having finished speaking, the general knocked his head against the floor three times to show his discontent.

For an Empress of such standing to be bullied within the harem for four full days while the Emperor did nothing—being from Fengxi Kingdom himself, the general was naturally displeased.

Not just him—everyone who had come from Fengxi Kingdom would feel the Empress had been wronged.

“Your Majesty, it was Nanny Huang, it was Nanny Huang.”

One of the eunuchs said, trembling.

The young eunuch kept knocking his head against the floor, saying, “Your Majesty, it was Nanny Huang who forced this servant to do it, it was Nanny Huang who threatened this servant.”

“This servant never dared spend the silver Nanny Huang gave him!”

“Nanny Huang also said that if this servant didn’t do as she said, she’d make sure he never saw tomorrow’s sunlight, that—” Before the young eunuch could finish, he caught sight of someone emerging from within.

The moment his eyes fell on the old nanny supporting Consort Ya, the young eunuch shot up as if gone mad.

“It’s her, it’s her, it’s Nanny Huang, it’s Nanny Huang!”

“She’s the one who harmed me, I harmed myself… ah…” The young eunuch charged madly toward Consort Ya and Nanny Huang, and stabbed a sword into the heart of the guard protecting Consort Ya.

“Someone, drag this madman out!”