Chapter 1030: Chapter 751: The First to Fall Under the Knife
Chu Ruoyan frowned slightly and immediately said, "It’s not Panqing. She has been by my side for so many years; I know her character well!"
Shang Ruyi glanced at Panqing. At this moment, she completely lost the justified stance she had earlier, demanding Shang Ruyi eat a pastry in front of her, especially after hearing about the ingredient that causes miscarriage in pregnant women, leaving her trembling with fear.
Panqing said, "I didn’t; I’ve never heard of such a thing."
After speaking, she immediately walked over to Chu Ruoyan’s side, trembling as she spoke, "Madam, you must speak for this servant; I am not such a person."
"..."
"This servant has been following Madam since childhood; Madam’s thoughts are this servant’s thoughts. Madam wants to get close to the Princess, and this servant only helps, how could I sabotage?"
"..."
"Besides, after Madam put the items inside, this servant immediately brought them over. With such a short distance between Jinyu Garden and Qianqiu Palace, anyone could see! This servant never opened this box!"
Seeing her so flustered and unintelligible, revealing her own thoughts, Chu Ruoyan blushed slightly and quietly rebuked, "Why panic? Of course, I believe you!"
Only then did Panqing hesitantly close her mouth.
Seeing this, Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but squint her eyes slightly.
The relationship between this master and servant is somewhat like her own with Tushere. Having grown up together, the servant fiercely protects the master like a hen guarding her chicks; it’s a kind of instinct. So whenever there’s trouble, Tushere relentlessly seeks retribution, and seeing Madam’s handmade items ignored, Panqing insistently demands Shang Ruyi eat a piece.
Moreover, if there really is an issue, upon investigation, responsibility would definitely fall upon this master and servant duo. Though Yu Wenquan values this pregnancy, he might refrain from punishing Chu Ruoyan due to her status as a Princess of the previous dynasty, but Panqing would certainly be the first to suffer.
Panqing surely is aware of this and wouldn’t be so bold.
Along with her last sentence—
Considering this, Shang Ruyi looked at Tushere, who was also frowning in thought, then approached and softly said, "This servant saw Panqing come over, she indeed did nothing suspicious."
Shang Ruyi nodded slightly.
She recalled that before Panqing came to Qianqiu Palace today, Tushere had reported it, suggesting Tushere saw Panqing walking from Jinyu Garden. As Qianqiu Palace and Jinyu Garden are adjacent, with only a hundred steps between them, if Panqing had tampered along the way, palace attendants nearby or Tushere observing Jinyu Garden would have noticed.
Clearly, it wasn’t her.
Then, who else could it be?
Shang Ruyi frowned and asked, "After the pastry was placed in the box, it never passed anyone else’s hands?"
Chu Ruoyan heard this, exchanged a glance with Panqing, and both recalled the day’s events before shaking their heads simultaneously, "No one."
Qianqiu Palace fell silent again.
Su Qinglan glanced at the frightened Chu Ruoyan and her servant, then at the solemn Shang Ruyi, hesitantly suggesting, "If it’s truly impossible, perhaps report to Prince Qin or—Your Majesty. Ultimately, this matter needs clarification."
Hearing this, Chu Ruoyan’s face turned paler.
Su Qinglan’s words naturally aim to uncover the truth and self-preservation; he was tasked to ensure Shang Ruyi’s pregnancy safety, yet someone dared to "poison" the pregnant Princess Qin. As the saying goes, "A clear threat is easier to avoid than a hidden one," if the culprit isn’t found, and they succeed one day, as the Imperial Doctor, he would definitely face punishment.
But Chu Ruoyan, having grown up in the palace, especially after witnessing her country’s downfall, understands palace secrets better.
Some matters, if left untouched, hold no weight.
Once examined, they become overwhelming!
For instance, if Shang Ruyi continued investigating privately, the outcome might impact only those involved; however, reporting to the Emperor turns it into a charge, regardless of other factors. Since Chu Ruoyan and Panqing handled the pastry, they’d surely be implicated. Yu Wenquan might consider Chu Ruoyan’s status and avoid harsher punishment, but a mere reprieve from death wouldn’t ensure other suffering.
As for Panqing, her fate might not even concern the Emperor.
With this in mind, Chu Ruoyan quickly replied, "No, we should clarify this issue before reporting to Your Majesty!"
Then, she looked at Shang Ruyi with great difficulty, "Princess, is it possible?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi stared at her for a long time with furrowed brows. She considered Chu Ruoyan’s concerns but couldn’t overlook her and her unborn child’s safety. Someone was secretly targeting her; failing to uncover the truth would leave her vulnerable!
However, if Chu Ruoyan and her servant were truly innocent, then—
After a prolonged silence that nearly suffocated Chu Ruoyan, Shang Ruyi finally looked up at her with a serious gaze and said, "One night."
Chu Ruoyan widened her eyes: "Ah?"
Shang Ruyi said: "I give you one night, and also give myself one night."
"..."
"This box left Jinyu Garden and arrived at Qianqiu Palace. The issue could only have occurred in these two places. You go back to check on your people, and I will check on the people at Qianqiu Palace. There must be a result by tomorrow."
"..."
"If not, I will report it and let Your Majesty decide on the matter!"
Chu Ruoyan’s face turned pale, but she also breathed a sigh of relief and said to Shang Ruyi: "Alright, if it really happened in my palace, I will dig three feet into the ground to find this person and give you an explanation!"
After saying that, she turned around and left with Panqing.
Watching the master and servant duo quickly disappear, Shang Ruyi remained silent for a long time before looking at Su Qinglan, who still had a furrowed brow and was clearly not relieved yet. She softly said: "This matter, I’ll trouble Mr. Su to temporarily cover it. Tomorrow—"
Su Qinglan looked at her, eyes flickering slightly, and said: "Princess, if we can’t find out by tomorrow, will you really report to Your Majesty?"
"..."
Shang Ruyi’s gaze darkened.
Upon saying this, Su Qinglan evidently felt she had spoken too much. But since this matter also concerns her life, she hesitated for a while and finally said nothing more, just bowed respectfully: "Then I shall take my leave first. Tomorrow, I will come again to examine your pulse."
Shang Ruyi took a deep breath and said: "Take care on your way, Mr. Su."
Su Qinglan carried her medicine chest and walked out. Tushere followed her with due courtesy, escorting her to the main gate before returning with concern to see Shang Ruyi’s still furrowed brow, softly saying: "Princess..."
Shang Ruyi looked up at her: "What is it?"
Tushere hesitated, eventually asking: "If we can’t find out by tomorrow, do you really want to report to Your Majesty?"
At this, Chang Wan, who was tidying the cups and dishes on the side, also paused, looking worriedly at Shang Ruyi, clearly uneasy about Shang Ruyi indicating that if there were no results by tomorrow, she would report to the Emperor.
Shang Ruyi’s gaze became even darker.
Just as she had thought earlier, some matters are manageable if not weighed, but once weighed, they become insurmountable. If this matter were truly reported to Yu Wenquan, she was almost certain that Panqing’s life would definitely not be spared.
Then, there would be no peace between herself and Chu Ruoyan.
If this matter was indeed orchestrated by Chu Ruoyan, then it serves her right. Even if she sought revenge, as Princess Qin, she would not fear a concubine; however, based on the recent behavior of the master and servant duo, Shang Ruyi really couldn’t see any possibility of them trying to poison and harm her.
Would this thus not mean falsely punishing the innocent?
Then the true perpetrator might disappear without a trace, and could never be found again, and Yu Wenye would indeed be left with the stigma of "mismanaging the household."
Moreover, she didn’t know if it was her illusion, but she felt the incident was strange.
Perhaps ever since her pregnancy was diagnosed, her belly had become someone’s target, so she wouldn’t be surprised if someone would try to harm her, but targeting her through Chu Ruoyan, who had always been in discord with her, seemed too obvious; it appeared not to be an attempt to cause her harm but rather to ensure Yu Wenye’s ’family discord.’
As Shang Ruyi was lost in thought, Tushere’s worried voice sounded again: "Princess?"
"..."
Only then did Shang Ruyi look up at her, then at Chang Wan, who was anxious on the side, and calmly said: "I have my plan, you needn’t ask further. Clean up here."
Chang Wan hurriedly tidied up the dishes.
Tushere then asked: "Princess, should we really investigate in our palace?"
Shang Ruyi glanced at her and said with a wry smile: "The box was brought in by Panqing herself, handed over to Chang Wan only upon arriving at the main hall, and then promptly to me. I opened it personally, while you were always standing by. Who should we investigate in our palace? Investigate among you two?"
With a laugh, she said: "If I cannot trust even the two of you, who can I trust?"
Tushere immediately smiled happily.
Upon hearing this after walking in, though also happy, Chang Wan thoughtfully said: "Princess, my humble opinion is perhaps we should still search thoroughly. I just saw all the lights on at Jinyu Garden, presumably searching for things and people; the princess just mentioned to Lady Chu that we should investigate ourselves as well; if there’s no movement at all, it wouldn’t be good."
Shang Ruyi, thinking it made sense, nodded: "Alright then, you two go ahead and investigate, but keep it low profile, lest the matter is reported before Your Majesty knows."
Both immediately replied: "Yes."
