The Job Of An Imperial Concubine

111

Servants of different ranks kneeled in Xihe Palace's courtyard. Some were from the Department of the Palace. Some were in charge of sweeping the courtyard. There were even some that frequently passed through Xihe Palace.

Expressionless, Zhuang Laoyan sat at the side. Sitting in the seats of honor were the emperor and empress. Their expressions weren't as pleasant as hers. On the ground were a few shattered teacups, courtesy of an enraged Feng Jin. If it wasn't for the child in Zhuang Laoyan's womb, one would fear these servants would have already been dragged off and beaten with wooden staves.

"You all say you are innocent, so who tampered with the flowerpots' soil?" Face calm, the empress stared at the two eunuchs who had brought the soil to Xihe Palace. "You two delivered this soil to Consort Zhao's residence. The most suspicious people are you. One knows that the type of soil used depends on the flower's temperament, and that the types of soil come from different places. There are no issues with the soil that was originally stored at the Department of the Palace. So the only possibility is that you two tampered with the soil en route to Xihe Palace. It's in your best interest to come clean now. Just who ordered you to do this?"

The two eunuchs had long since been frightened to the point that their legs went soft. They had not known that there were issues with the soil, much less that there had been a mastermind behind them. After hearing the empress' words, they had no other option but to knock their heads against the ground and cry for their innocence. Yet, they could not bring out evidence to wipe off all suspicion on them.

"Since you people keep saying you are innocent, then think back carefully. As you were on the road to deliver the soil, did anyone bump into you? Did anyone approach or get close to you?" asked the empress, her tone growing a bit more gentle. "And recall who gave you the soil."

The two eunuchs were so frightened that their brains were in a confused mess. For a short while, they could not recall what the empress wanted them to. However, the empress did not rush them, merely picking up her teacup and taking a slow sip. She turned her head to face Zhuang Laoyan. "Fortunately, someone was able to detect something wrong. Otherwise..." The empress remembered that Zhuang Laoyan had already suffered a miscarriage before. If women miscarry too often, it could lead to infertility. Luckily, this child could be saved. If not, then she did not even want to think about how things would turn out. Fear still lingering in her heart, she glanced at the silent emperor. And she gripped her teacup tighter.

"This concubine has worried Your Majesties the emperor and empress." Zhuang Laoyan forced a smile. "Recently, other than going to pay respects to Her Majesty the empress, this concubine dared not go anywhere else recklessly. Who would have thought that someone could come up with such an impossible-to-defend-against scheme."

A sigh escaped the empress' lips at these words. Indeed, this idea of infusing drugs into soil was unprecedented. Was impossible to defend against effectively. She had ordered people to rigorously watch over the people and things in Xihe Palace, yet never expected such a tactic.

An average person's schemes at most involved food, clothing, incense, or other things that could be used. A woman who could think of incorporating soil into a scheme was too terrifying.

"Do not worry. We will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly," said Feng Jin in a deep voice. "We do not believe that there is something in this rear palace that We cannot discover through investigation."

Zhuang Laoyan forced a smile at what had been said. She accepted the handheld brazier Yunxi had proffered. "This concubine believes in Your Majesty." There was nothing in the world that could not be found out. The crux of it was whether the emperor was in the mood to investigate.