The maid’s words revealed too much information.
The Empress, supported by her attendant, spoke with a trembling voice: “The Fourteenth and Fuqing’s fates are linked, their fortunes rising and falling in opposition? What nonsense is this!”
The idea that two people born at the same time would have interconnected fates, with one’s fortune waxing as the other’s waned, seemed absurd.
The Empress quickly grasped another implication from the maid’s words and exclaimed, “Are you saying Lady Chen was also involved in Fuqing’s eye condition?”
This revelation left her horrified, almost unable to stand.
If Fuqing’s eye condition had been deliberately caused, and she had known nothing about it, allowing her daughter to suffer for so many years – it was too terrible to contemplate.
“Summon the Princess Consort of Yan! Bring her in!” the Empress shouted harshly, completely disregarding Emperor Jingming’s presence.
Pan Hai glanced at Emperor Jingming.
Emperor Jingming, understanding the Empress’s loss of composure, nodded slightly.
Pan Hai went out to relay the message.
“Empress, try to remain calm,” Emperor Jingming said in a grave tone.
Having heard the maid’s words, he too was shocked and furious, but at this point, they needed to understand the situation fully before taking any action.
The Empress managed to calm down slightly, but a fire still burned in her heart, leaving her breathless.
Jiang Si and Yu Jin, who had been waiting outside, quickly entered.
“Seventh Son’s wife, you said before that Fuqing’s eye condition wasn’t a disease, but caused by some kind of parasite?”
Jiang Si nodded.
Emperor Jingming fixed his gaze on her, his tone serious: “Then, do you know under what circumstances such a parasite might occur?”
Jiang Si couldn’t help but glance at Yu Jin.
The Emperor’s question suggested he now had doubts about the root cause of Princess Fuqing’s eye condition. The imperial couple must have heard something from Lady Chen’s maid to prompt this inquiry, implying Princess Fuqing’s condition was not straightforward.
This confirmed her earlier suspicions.
When she had said Princess Fuqing had parasites in her eyes, it was merely a way to explain without causing panic. In reality, Princess Fuqing had been afflicted with the “Veiling Gu.”
The Veiling Gu was one of countless Gu poisons, specifically targeting the eyes. It would spin an incredibly fine web covering the eyeball, creating a mist-like effect.
Those afflicted with this Gu would gradually lose their vision, seeing less and less clearly over time, until they became completely blind.
Because the blindness was caused by the web spun by the Veiling Gu, for those skilled in esoteric arts, treatment was simple – remove the thin membrane and use a special solution to force out the Veiling Gu.
This was why she had been able to cure Princess Fuqing’s eyes with seemingly little effort.
Jiang Si’s mind raced as she considered how to respond to Emperor Jingming’s question.
She could attribute her ability to identify the parasite to innate knowledge, which the imperial couple might accept. However, admitting to expertise in Gu techniques would arouse suspicion.
After careful consideration, Jiang Si replied, “Daughter-in-law only knows that the parasite is extremely rare. Princess Fuqing shouldn’t have had any opportunity to come into contact with it.”
Emperor Jingming and the Empress exchanged glances.
The parasite that caused Princess Fuqing’s blindness was rare, and she shouldn’t have encountered it naturally. This suggested it was deliberately introduced.
The Empress’s face turned pale, her voice shaking: “Your Majesty, Aquan… Aquan was harmed by Lady Chen!”
At this moment, the Empress was grateful Princess Fuqing hadn’t come along. Learning that her years of blindness were due to someone’s malice would be devastating.
How disappointed she would be in this cold, ruthless palace.
“I failed to protect Aquan, I failed as a mother…” the Empress muttered, nearly breaking down.
Emperor Jingming patted the Empress’s arm. “Empress, this is not your fault. You needn’t blame yourself. For now, let’s focus on uncovering the whole truth.”
Now that they knew Lady Chen’s motive for harming Princess Fuqing, they needed to investigate the relationship between Lady Chen and the dancing girl, and how many people were involved in poisoning the princess.
“Pan Hai, have the people in Changsheng Hall dismissed.”
Pan Hai responded affirmatively and immediately went to relay the order.
Emperor Jingming, however, didn’t allow Yu Jin and Jiang Si to leave, instead having them stay to assist with the inquiry.
By this time, Jiang Si and Yu Jin had learned of the conversation between Lady Chen and her trusted old nursemaid.
Pan Hai presented a thick ledger to Emperor Jingming.
“Your Majesty, Princess Fuqing, and the Fourteenth Princess were indeed born at the same time. This servant has discovered something peculiar…” Pan Hai, following Lady Chen’s words, presented another book to Emperor Jingming.
It was a medical record documenting the illnesses of royal personages, with the Fourteenth Princess’s name prominently listed.
Emperor Jingming flipped through it and asked, “What have you discovered?”
The Empress clenched her fists anxiously.
Pan Hai lowered his head and said, “The Fourteenth Princess was sickly from birth but improved at three months, just as Princess Fuqing caught a cold. The records show that Princess Fuqing recovered after ten days, and then the Fourteenth Princess developed a cough. When Princess Fuqing developed a rash at six months, the Fourteenth Princess’s cough happened to be cured…”
As Pan Hai continued, Emperor Jingming quickly flipped through the medical records, comparing the entries for Princess Fuqing and the Fourteenth Princess.
By the end, Emperor Jingming’s face was ashen, and he remained silent.
The Empress snatched the book and began to flip through it page by page.
Her finger stopped on the entry for Princess Fuqing at age five.
“The Thirteenth Imperial Princess suddenly experienced blurred vision. Multiple imperial physicians consulted, to no avail…”
Subsequent entries documented Princess Fuqing’s deteriorating vision until she eventually became completely blind.
Even though Princess Fuqing’s eyes were now healed, reading through this record of those painful days still cut the Empress to the core.
She frantically turned to the Fourteenth Princess’s records. After age five, there was a long period with no record of illness, until two days ago when Princess Fuqing’s eyes recovered and the Fourteenth Princess fell ill again.
The Empress closed her eyes, tears spilling from the corners.
“Your Majesty, Lady Chen must have seen that Fuqing’s eyes were healed while the Fourteenth Princess fell ill, and that’s why she decided to kill Fuqing!”
Emperor Jingming remained silent.
An attendant entered and whispered something in Pan Hai’s ear.
After listening, Pan Hai reported, “Your Majesty, we’ve uncovered the relationship between Lady Chen and the dancing girl.”
“Speak.”
“Four years ago, the dancing girl was praised by her instructor for her exceptional talent, causing jealousy among her peers. Another dancing girl schemed to injure her ankle. Lady Chen happened to witness this and gifted her with an excellent ointment, preventing any lasting damage. The dancing girl was extremely grateful to Lady Chen and confided in close companions that Lady Chen treated her better than her mother…”
After hearing this, Emperor Jingming’s expression turned somber. He waved his hand, “Seventh Son, take your wife and return.”
The truth had come to light. What followed – rewards, punishments, and mourning – no longer required their presence.
“Son (daughter-in-law) takes leave,” Yu Jin and Jiang Si said as they withdrew, leaving the Emperor and Empress alone in wordless contemplation.
After a while, Emperor Jingming stood up. “Empress, I’ll leave the funeral arrangements for the Fifteenth Princess in your care.”
The Empress lowered her gaze, then suddenly asked, “Your Majesty, Lady Chen said she initially didn’t believe but later had no choice. Who told her about Aquan and the Fourteenth’s fortunes rising and falling in opposition? And where did she obtain the parasite that blinded Aquan and the broken-heart grass that killed the Fifteenth Princess?”