All the court ladies held title were in a state of panic, standing with difficulty, not daring to utter a single word.

“However, since something has happened, it wouldn’t be proper for you all to leave now.” His voice remained inscrutable, impossible to discern joy or anger, as casual as when he usually told the titled ladies to rise: “Why not simply accompany the Empress Dowager and the Empress while we await the results.”

No one dared raise an objection. The Hanzhang Hall fell so silent that only the breathing of the crowd could be heard.

Fortunately, this suffocating atmosphere didn’t last long before Chen Ping had already investigated and found some leads.

“Your Majesty, the Eastern Palace has detained twenty-three palace servants who have each been interrogated separately. Among them, one young eunuch served the Grand Prince his breakfast, after which the Grand Prince fell into an unconscious state. The person has now been taken into custody.” Chen Ping knelt on the ground, eyes fixed straight ahead, his face cold as a sculpture: “Additionally, there are eleven people who entered and exited various palaces, coming respectively from Consort Liang’s Chuxiu Palace, Consort Xian’s Changping Palace, Noble Consort’s Fengzao Palace, and Her Majesty the Empress’s Qingning Hall. The remaining few came from Princess Rongcheng’s residence, Princess Shijia’s residence, and Princess Duanhui’s residence.”

The Crown Prince was gravely ill, so these palace ladies had all come to visit the sick and send supplements. Additionally, those more favored princesses had also sent people to pay visits—this was all perfectly normal.

Yet Empress Dowager Rongxian’s eyelids kept twitching as she listened. Although people from Consort Song’s Fengzao Palace were included, she felt inexplicably confused, vaguely recalling that when Princess Shijia had entered the palace, she had mentioned to her in passing that she would also visit the Crown Prince. Her heart suddenly began pounding violently.

“Use severe punishment on that young eunuch.” Emperor Jianzhang’s expression remained unchanged, staring motionlessly at Chen Ping: “As for those who sent things or came to visit, search all palaces and residences thoroughly. I authorize you Imperial Guards to conduct raids!”

Chen Ping acknowledged and was about to leave when the Empress called him back.

“Your Majesty.” The Empress looked toward Emperor Jianzhang with concern in her eyes: “A’Ying’s condition is critical, I’m afraid she cannot withstand a fright…”

Emperor Jianzhang nodded and gave Chen Ping additional instructions: “When your people go to the princesses’ and county princesses’ residences, be careful. Don’t act like bandits.”

Empress Dowager Rongxian felt slightly relieved—although many changes in the matter were beyond her expectations, the final result would still be palace searches. As long as they searched, that would be manageable.

She regained her previous composure, her narrow phoenix eyes slightly upturned as she looked deeply at the Emperor and Empress, then turned her gaze to the Song family members.

Old Madam Song appeared more composed than she had expected. Looking at Consort Xian’s maternal family, the few ladies from the Guo family were rather lacking in bearing, each one like a bird just shot down, their souls still unsettled, as if they had never seen any grand occasions.

What surprised her was that Old Madam Song wasn’t the only composed one. She hadn’t noticed before, but now with some idle time to observe carefully, she discovered that the nine-year-old girl beside her was also unafraid—although the little girl kept her head lowered in an obedient manner, there were no ripples whatsoever in her eyes. Compared to other children who were being tightly clutched by their family’s adults, the difference was quite apparent.

Palace maids filed in to set up tables and chairs, inviting the titled ladies to sit, followed by a line of young eunuchs who kept their eyes straight ahead as they served tea and refreshments.

Seeing that this matter wouldn’t be resolved quickly, everyone’s hearts grew increasingly uneasy. Old Madam Chen’s hands couldn’t help but tremble as she held her cup.

By the time the sun hung high in the sky, Chen Ping’s interrogation finally yielded results. He led several Imperial Guard officials through the door and first reported the palace search results: “Eunuch Feng led people to search the bedchambers of several ladies, but found nothing. Princess Rongcheng’s residence and Princess Duanhui’s residence also yielded no findings. However…”

Empress Dowager Rongxian’s expression suddenly changed, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on Chen Ping, as if she could devour him alive at any moment.

“However, at Princess Shijia’s residence, we discovered several people whose whereabouts are unclear.” Chen Ping maintained his rigid, emotionless demeanor, his tone flat without much inflection: “We also confiscated many tribute items and suspicious objects. We request Your Majesty’s judgment.”

Gasps rose one after another throughout the room, and everyone couldn’t help but shift their gazes to the Empress Dowager—who didn’t know that Princess Shijia was Empress Dowager Rongxian’s only surviving biological daughter, who had always been deeply beloved by both Empress Dowager Rongxian and Emperor Jianzhang.

Empress Dowager Rongxian’s fingers, painted with bright red henna, pointed directly at Chen Ping, both shocked and furious: “What maggoty nonsense are you spouting! What people with unclear whereabouts, what tribute items and suspicious objects?! This is clearly slander!”

She had already exerted all her effort to control her emotions, yet her body still trembled slightly with rage. The Fengzao Palace, where things should have been discovered, had yielded nothing, while her daughter’s residence, which should have had no connection whatsoever to this matter, was said to have suspicious people and items found—she couldn’t help but feel panicked.

Things had not developed in the direction she had hoped for, and now it seemed a major change had occurred.

Emperor Jianzhang, however, was far calmer than she was. His eyelids merely lifted slightly, and only after a long while did he ask with a casual tone: “Oh? What items?”

“This subject dare not say.” Chen Ping waved his hand backward, and the officials behind him raised the items they held in their hands with both hands.

The person in the middle held a solitary brocade pouch that was particularly eye-catching.

Chen Ping knelt on the ground without raising his head: “Your Majesty, these items must be examined by the imperial physicians.”

This clearly had almost established Princess Shijia’s crime of harboring poison. Empress Dowager Rongxian finally couldn’t contain herself and lost some control, glaring at him viciously before walking down several steps from her seat and crying out: “Emperor! Do you believe the words of such a vicious dog?! Do you believe your own elder sister would do such a thing?! This must be someone framing her!”

Song Chuyi curled her lips into a cold smile—she had said that sooner or later she would make Empress Dowager Rongxian 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 loved like her own heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys.

“Mother, rest assured.” Emperor Jianzhang glanced coldly at the brocade pouch, stood up and commanded in a deep voice to Eunuch Feng, who had been observing with eyes on nose and nose on heart: “You go find an imperial physician to come examine what this is.”

He then turned to look at the extremely anxious Empress Dowager, his pitch-black eyes revealing no expression, and the words he spoke remained so calm they were frightening: “Once we investigate clearly, naturally we’ll know whether it was elder sister who did this. I hope it wasn’t.”

Was this actually the Empress Dowager and the Emperor contending against each other?! All the titled ladies felt sweat had already soaked through the clothes on their backs, dripping with perspiration as if they had just been fished out of water, their entire bodies numb without any sensation.

Director Sun and Director Chen tremblingly took silver needles to test in front of everyone. When they pulled them out, the end that had touched the medicinal powder in the brocade pouch had already turned black.

Empress Dowager Rongxian swept her sleeve, knocking the tray and brocade pouch to the ground, shouting until her throat ached: “This is impossible! This is impossible!”

These items should clearly have appeared in Consort Song’s Fengzao Palace, and then the sleeper agent already planted in Fengzao Palace would have confessed, saying that the poison was provided by the Song family. Things should have been this way…