Chapter 87: How Can We Be Rivals
Emperor of Southern Qi: "Yes, you investigated Yao Niang for treason, why did you poison Tang Yao's daughter?"
The eldest princess was still holding her breath, trying to coax the emperor into pardoning Huan Yanbo. She couldn't bring up the fact that Tang Ying had pretended to be a little beggar in the Golden Palace, which had made her angry and embarrassed, lest the Emperor of Southern Qi remember Huan Yanbo's faults; and she couldn't bring up the fact that she had secretly sent someone to kill him, but was killed by her in the end.
These are things that cannot be made public, so in a hurry, he could only put the blame on Xin Niang.
Yuan Heng asked, "I asked you to investigate Yao Niang's treason, why did you poison Tang Yao's daughter?"
Xin Niang's nature was neither as quick-witted as Yao Niang, nor as knowledgeable as Yun Niang who served her master with soft words. In essence, she was a diligent and down-to-earth scientific researcher, obsessed with all kinds of handicrafts and pharmaceutical and perfume making. She was quick in action but slow in speech. When the Grand Princess asked her about her face, she didn't know how to respond for .
Her master sent her to kill a little girl, so she went.
As for the little girl's true background, she didn't know it. Besides, collecting intelligence was not her forte. That was Yao Niang's job.
Seeing Xinniang remained silent, Tang Ying took the opportunity to give the Grand Princess a stab: "It doesn't matter if I die, but my brother-in-law has gone to the capital. If he knew that I was poisoned, he would never let it go!"
She seemed to be trying hard to get what was in her heart out in one breath, and said breathlessly: "My brother must seek justice for me even if...even if it costs his life, he must spread this matter to the world! By the time others don't know the inside story, they may distort the story. My Tang family has been loyal for generations, and my father and brothers both died for the country. I, an orphan, was poisoned to death under the nose of Your Majesty. Who do you think others will throw the dirty water on? How will the generals from all over the country guess about this? Who did it and who ordered them to do it?" He glanced at the Grand Princess vaguely, as if hinting at something.
The eldest princess was so angry at her hint that she almost had a brain congestion, but if she jumped out now to question Tang Ying's nonsense, wouldn't it confirm the accusation of "instructing Xin Niang to poison Tang Yao's daughter", she could only hold back and not say a word.
Xin Niang's clever brain is filled with all kinds of recipes for making medicines, poisons and perfumes, but she is not familiar with the treacherous human nature, conspiracies and power politics. She was stunned by Tang Ying's question: "I...no one instructed me to do this, I wanted to kill him myself!" This is simply a case of trying to cover up one's own guilt!
The suspicious look of the Emperor of Southern Qi almost pierced the eldest princess's face.
Being suspicious has almost become a professional symptom for emperors, and Yuan Yu is no exception.
After Tang Ying's reminder, he had already imagined a long conspiracy in his mind, and his idea was much more profound and complicated than Tang Ying's hint. The shocked Southern Qi Emperor said sternly: "Since no one is instructing you, what hatred do you have with Tang Ying that you must kill her?"
Tang Ying coughed twice and protested her innocence: "I have never had any contact with her before, so how can there be any hatred?"
"I wanted to kill her, so I killed her." Xin Niang admitted her guilt with a good attitude, but she had no motive or reason for the crime.
Tang Ying was furious, covering her head as if she was about to faint: "You... you... you can kill me if you want, but you haven't even met me before. Do you think I'm a fool, or do you think His Majesty is easy to deceive?"
Emperor of Southern Qi: I actually think what the girl from the Tang family said makes a lot of sense!
Everything has a cause and an effect. Xinniang's words don't make sense.
"Does Mr. Fu have any ideas?"
Fu Chen casually glanced at the kneeling Xin Niang: "Although this person is the Grand Princess's servant and is loyal to her, what she has done is no longer something that the Grand Princess can cover up. It is better to hand her over to me for interrogation. I can always pry her mouth open." The torture instruments of the Forbidden Cavalry Division are not vegetarian.
Originally, the female suspects in the Forbidden Cavalry Department were handed over to Chun Niang from the Inner Prison for interrogation, but unexpectedly, Fu Chen volunteered to take the interrogation. The eldest princess was scared out of her wits. Everyone knew that Fu Chen was cruel and ruthless. Those who fell into his hands would not be skinned but their bones would be removed and their flesh would be gouged out. They would be lucky if they were covered in blood and only had a breath left.
"Wait a minute, let me ask!" The eldest princess hurriedly stopped him.
Xin Niang was her most capable subordinate. If she died in Fu Chen's hands, it would be like cutting off an arm of her own. She couldn't just watch her being dragged away by the people from the Forbidden Cavalry Division. She gritted her teeth and enlightened this ignorant servant: "Did you see that Yao Niang valued her, so you wanted to kill her to warn Yao Niang?"
Tang Ying leaned on the chair and couldn't even breathe properly, but she wanted to tease Yuan Heng: "The Grand Princess has even thought of a reason for Xin Niang to kill someone, why don't you kill someone for her?"
The eldest princess was so angry that her head was about to burst into anger. She could no longer hold back and cursed: "You little bitch, you are just sitting here, are you going to let Xin Niang die for you?"
Tang Ying hid behind Fu Chen with a horrified expression, as if she was frightened by him. "The Grand Princess has been in charge of the Imperial Cavalry Department for many years. Everyone knows her power. So this is the logic of the Grand Princess. I am really eye-opening! I was lucky not to be poisoned, but it doesn't mean that the servants in your house have not done anything evil. Do you want me to sit here and let the servants of your house poison me again?!"
Her face was as pale as if she had crawled out of the underworld, with half of her body leaning on the back of the chair. She would gasp for breath after saying a few words, and it was hard to tell whether she would die or not. Her eyes were like steel spikes, piercing the eldest princess's face. Every word she said tied her and Xin Niang together, and even the Emperor of Southern Qi frowned.
The honest Fourth Prince also jumped out to object, "No! How can this be justified? If the killing intention has been raised, it cannot be tolerated, not to mention that this dog slave is the one who actually poisoned. If she can poison Tang Ying in the palace today, she might be able to poison the concubines in the harem tomorrow. Shouldn't even father have to be extra careful the day after tomorrow?"
The two of them sang the same tune, which made the Emperor of Southern Qi tremble with fear, and even the way he looked at the Grand Princess became strange.
The palace fears most about secret poisoning. Xin Niang's cooking skills have been registered with the emperor. The eldest princess once proudly showed off this capable person under her in front of the emperor. The emperor has eaten the pills presented by the eldest princess, and they were all made by Xin Niang.
There are always two sides to everything.
When the Emperor of Southern Qi trusted the Grand Princess, he felt that having such a capable person under her command would be like adding wings to a tiger. But on the other hand, if this skilled person dared to poison Tang Yao's daughter in the Hunting Palace today, he might not dare to poison in the palace tomorrow.
It is true that Yuanjian is an honest child, and what he said makes a lot of sense.
The pupils of the Southern Qi Emperor shrank slightly, but he relaxed in an instant and issued an oral order: "Fu Chen, listen to my order. I order you to preside over the trial of Xin Niang's poisoning of Tang Ying. Take the suspect back to the Imperial Cavalry Division for trial. You must investigate it to the end!"
Fu Chen knelt down: "I obey your order." He could tell that the Emperor of Southern Qi wanted to kill Xin Niang.
The eldest princess understood what even Fu Chen had heard. She couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat in the middle of winter. Yao Niang's words from the past kept echoing in her ears. She had always suspected that the emperor was dissatisfied with her, and through Xin Niang's incident she had a deeper understanding of this - as expected, the emperor first exiled her son, and then cut off her arm. What's next?
Yuan Heng's heart was filled with panic and anger, but he was not in a position to question them in front of everyone in the hall. He could only watch as the people from the Forbidden Cavalry Division dragged Xin Niang away.
But Xin Niang was a stubborn person. If she had been eloquent and made up an old grudge with the Tang family, she might have been able to get away with it. However, her silence just confirmed that she was being instructed by someone. Everyone in the palace knew that she was a loyal servant. Who else but the Grand Princess could control Xin Niang? The Grand Princess secretly hated all these people in the palace. She swept Yao Niang with a resentful look, but she held up a handkerchief and complained sadly: "Your Majesty, I asked Xin Niang to investigate Yao Niang's treason for your safety. After all, the Imperial Cavalry Division is an extremely important department. Although I am no longer in the Imperial Cavalry Division, I cannot watch Your Majesty being deceived. Yao Niang...she doesn't seem to be suitable for working in the Imperial Cavalry Division, right?"
Yao Niang knew too many secrets. If she did not stay in the Imperial Cavalry Division, she would lose the protection of the Grand Princess. After falling out with Yuan Heng, it would be impossible for her to stay in the Grand Princess's Mansion to work. It would be difficult for her to have a good ending, and the Emperor of Southern Qi would not let her leave with the secrets of the court.
She sighed inwardly, as expected, the eldest princess had remained as paranoid as ever over the years , leaving her no chance of survival.
"Your Majesty, I am willing to resign from the position of Chief of the Imperial Cavalry Department." Yao Niang said calmly, "But after I leave, I am afraid that the Imperial Cavalry Department will be in chaos, so I want to recommend Tang Ying to take over the position of chief." She kowtowed three times to the Emperor of Southern Qi: "I have been loyal to Southern Qi and Your Majesty all my life. Before I leave, I have only one small wish, which is to meet the King of Nanyue and the Crown Prince of Nanyue. Please grant me your approval!"
Tang Ying was so scared that she almost fell off the chair, but Fu Chen helped her up at the right time: "No, no, no, Your Majesty, I don't have that much ability. I just want to stay with Aunt Yao and learn for two more years."
Emperor of Southern Qi: "I agree." He did not look at Yao Niang kneeling on the ground again, but turned to the eldest princess and said: "I am tired, and my sister is not feeling well, so you should go back and rest as soon as possible." He also reminded her: "Tang Ying is loyal to the emperor and the country. When she recovers, she will be promoted to the head of the Imperial Cavalry Department. Everyone, go away."
Tang Ying: "... Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace!" She was then half-supported and half-carried out of Chengming Palace by Fu Chen, with the Fourth Prince following closely behind her.
Yuan Jian followed Fu Chen and Tang Ying all the way back to the camp. The first thing Tang Ying did when she entered was to rush to the basin to wash her face. She put two drops of medicine into the water and carefully washed the pale color off her face. As she had eaten well and slept well in recent days, even the dark circles under her eyes were gone, and her skin even showed a little pinkness.
“You you…” Yuan Jian followed her because he was worried about her health. He didn’t expect to witness her face-changing skills with his own eyes. He felt cheated: “You you you…”
Tang Ying pulled the finger he was pointing at and pushed it down: "What do you mean? Are you hoping that I will be poisoned to death?"
"Not really." Yuan Jian organized his words for a long time before he uttered, "But you lied to my father. If he knew, wouldn't that be a crime of deceiving the emperor?"
"It is true that Xin Niang poisoned me, and it is also true that I was poisoned. May I ask what I have deceived Your Majesty about?"
"Apply it on your face..." She pretended to be dying, and even he was fooled.
Tang Ying argued confidently: "Is there anything wrong with a woman putting on makeup when she goes out? Mine is called Xizi makeup, it makes me look sickly and pitiful. I was almost poisoned to death, how can I not look pitiful for once?" She sat down with her legs crossed, and took some dried meat from the table and munched on it. She was far from "pitiful" in any way.
Lord Fu stroked his forehead, a smile spreading across the corners of his lips - what a nonsense girl, I don't know where she learned this kind of street banditry, how can the Fourth Prince be her opponent?
