Following Su Jin’s gaze, Zhu Qiyue looked toward the slightly closed hall door—Su Jin’s meaning was that the poisoner was actually among the female family members who came to mourn?

That didn’t seem right either. Zhu Qiyue thought carefully. Su Jin had just said the “Congealed Char” was placed there on the eighth day of the first month. But the eighth was the first day of the lying in state, and clearly only a few high-ranking palace consorts had come to mourn that day.

Could the true poisoner actually be one of Father Emperor’s consorts?

But these consorts hadn’t come to the inner hall on the eighth.

As Zhu Qiyue puzzled over this in confusion, Su Jin said, “I’ve already asked—on the eighth, those who came to the inner hall of the Eastern Palace, aside from the Eagle Guards, were only a few palace eunuchs. Since the Twelve Guards must conduct mutual inspections before performing guard duty, this Congealed Char wasn’t brought in by the Eagle Guards. Therefore, it could only be one of these eunuchs.

“The Eastern Palace is heavily guarded. All eunuchs and palace maids are searched once outside the main hall of the Eastern Palace, and searched again before entering the inner hall pavilion. Both times they’re searched, they should be ‘clean.’

“Then there’s only one explanation—this eunuch must have obtained the Congealed Char between these two searches, that is, on the road from the main hall to the inner hall. Upon reaching the inner hall courtyard, when no one was paying attention, he placed the Congealed Char in the incense burner, then went to the pavilion entrance to be searched by the guards.”

The Eagle Guard commander said, “But from the main hall to the inner hall, Eagle Guards are stationed all along the way. They would have no opportunity for private exchanges.”

“Private exchanges don’t necessarily have to be conducted face to face,” Su Jin said. “If a palace eunuch merely stopped to rest his feet, would you become suspicious?”

Zhu Qiyue said, “Censor Su means that someone first brought the Congealed Char into the Eastern Palace and hid it along the road from the main hall to the inner hall. Afterward, that eunuch retrieved the Congealed Char from the hiding place, brought it into the inner hall courtyard, and placed it in the incense burner.”

“Precisely,” Su Jin said. “This true poisoner is the person who, on the eighth, hid the Congealed Char along the road from the main hall to the inner hall.” As she spoke, she bowed to Zhu Qiyue. “Please, Twelfth Highness, think carefully—that day, aside from the Eagle Guards and those few eunuchs, who else came to the Eastern Palace without being searched?”

Only those few consorts who came to mourn.

Hearing this, Zhu Qiyue fully understood.

After the palace upheaval on the night of the seventh, people in the palace were panic-stricken. As a result, on the eighth, only a few high-ranking consorts came to the Eastern Palace to mourn. Among them, Consort Qi and Consort Yu should have come—the Imperial Noble Consort was under house arrest, and all palace affairs were managed by these two. He had little impression of the other consorts, but Consort Qi, six months pregnant, had also come to mourn.

Thinking of this, Zhu Qiyue’s brow slightly furrowed. Yes, at the time he had found it strange—Consort Qi was carrying the imperial heir, and to avoid any offense, she shouldn’t have come.

Seeing Zhu Qiyue’s expression, Su Jin asked, “The Twelfth Highness already has an idea, doesn’t he? The person you suspect—who is she?”

At this moment, the slightly closed hall door behind them was suddenly pushed open. A woman dressed in plain palace attire with clear, cold eyes emerged from within the hall and said indifferently, “Censor Su is an outer court official. Having already helped clarify the cause and effect of this case, this should be enough. As for who the poisoner is, this palace will investigate clearly.”

This woman was none other than Qiling’s aunt, the mother consort of Fourth Prince Zhu Yushen—Consort Qi.

However, upon hearing these words, Su Jin refused to let the matter rest. “In response to Your Ladyship the Consort, although this case occurred in the inner palace, the person the poisoner sought to harm was the Thirteenth Highness. The Thirteenth Highness is a prince, the legitimate bloodline of our Great Sui. Attempting to harm him is equivalent to treason, involving matters of state and the social order. Should this humble official not investigate to the end?”

As she spoke, she looked again at Zhu Qiyue. “I know who Your Highness suspects. I have an extremely simple method. Your Highness need only summon the guards from the main hall of the Eastern Palace on the eighth and ask if anyone left during the mourning—”

“Su Jin, enough.” This time it was Zhao Yan calling her.

But Su Jin only paused slightly, staring intently at the hesitant Zhu Qiyue and asking, “Why does Your Highness hesitate?” Without waiting for Zhu Qiyue to respond, she asked again, “Has Your Highness also developed doubts? Are you wondering why there were still oversights despite your strict precautions? Do you feel as if you’ve been manipulated?”

Having said this, Su Jin walked directly to the barely breathing slave girl. “This woman—did Your Highness know her beforehand?”

Zhu Qiyue said in astonishment, “How did you know?”

“Why did Your Highness order the Eagle Guards to strictly guard the Eastern Palace? Wasn’t it because you already knew that person wanted to harm the Thirteenth Highness?” Su Jin didn’t mention who “that person” was, but Zhu Qiyue should understand “that person” was his Seventh Imperial Brother, Zhu Zhaowei.

“That person knew you suspected him and were guarding against him, so he made sure you remembered the slave girl’s face beforehand, remembered that she belonged to his household. This way, after today’s incident, you would naturally think the medicine the slave girl carried was the deadly poison, and you wouldn’t guard against the Imperial Medical Bureau’s wound medicine.

“Consider this—if there had been no slave girl today, if she hadn’t used another poison to create a diversion, even if everyone who used the Imperial Medical Bureau’s wound medicine was fine, wouldn’t you still be suspicious? Wouldn’t you still wonder what all these non-venomous snakes were for? At the very least, wouldn’t you have the Eagle Guards and physicians search the entire inner hall of the Eastern Palace before letting the physicians treat the Thirteenth Highness’s wounds? Or perhaps, before this piece of ‘Congealed Char’ was found, before your doubts were dispelled, you wouldn’t have let anyone use any medicine at all?”

Su Jin stood with hands clasped behind her back. “Your Highness, your doubts weren’t groundless. The reason you had oversights was precisely because that person manipulated you.” Her gaze swept across the inner hall, lightly passing over the six-months-pregnant Consort Qi, finally returning with burning intensity to Zhu Qiyue. “I won’t investigate that person—I can’t afford to investigate him. But today, can’t I even find one of his allies in this rear palace? Must we allow him to act recklessly and harm lives?! Allow him to cover the sky with one hand, wielding power over life and death?! If today’s matter happens again—”

“Su Shiyu!”

“Censor Su!”

Before Su Jin could finish speaking, Zhao Yan and Consort Qi interrupted her simultaneously. Anger had already appeared in Zhao Yan’s eyes as he rebuked in a low voice, “You’re being far too improper!”

Su Jin was stunned, but her heart remained unsettled. She opened her mouth again. “But this humble official…”

“Shiyu.” Someone else called her name.

It was Zhu Nanxian.

He looked steadily at her, worry impossible to conceal between his brows. Finally unable to restrain himself, he asked, “What’s wrong with you?” Then he shook his head. The corners of his pale, bloodless lips curved gently upward. He still smiled at her and said again, “I’m fine.”

The tidal waves in her heart had risen ten thousand feet, swallowing heaven and drowning sun, yet upon hearing this one phrase “I’m fine,” they came crashing down in an instant, returning to river and sea.

Su Jin looked around in confusion.

Yes, what was wrong with her? She had always been calm and composed. Didn’t she know that pursuing some matters to the end would be harmful rather than beneficial?

This battle hidden deep within her heart alone, making her so aggressive—what had caused it?

Was it seeing him, covered in injuries, leaning against a pillar yet still smiling at her? Or was it learning that the Thirteenth Highness had stopped the physician only at the very moment the powder was about to be sprinkled on his wound?

Su Jin didn’t even dare think carefully about what the result would have been if she hadn’t gone to the Imperial Clan Court today, hadn’t encountered Qiling, hadn’t asked her to bring the note into the Eastern Palace.

She knew what she could do for him was limited.

But it turned out, it was truly this limited.

The sunlight was silent. Everyone looked at her with shock or suspicion, yet the fire in Su Jin’s eyes gradually subsided.

She stood alone with lowered head, her gaze as quiet as the brilliant, soundless spring sun. The next moment, her knees suddenly dropped to the ground. She kowtowed three times to Zhu Qiyue, Consort Qi, and Zhao Yan. “This humble servant was improper. It was this humble servant who was arrogant and eager for achievement, impetuous and rash, greatly overstepping bounds toward the Twelfth Highness and Her Ladyship the Consort. Please, Your Highness, Your Ladyship, Lord Zhao, punish me.”

As Su Jin spoke, she kowtowed once more in Zhu Nanxian’s direction. “I also acted presumptuously toward the Thirteenth Highness. Please, Thirteenth Highness, punish me.”