“The inner prison separated the people from Kunde Palace and interrogated them one by one. Each testimony was obtained independently. From beginning to end, they didn’t see each other—there was no chance for collusion. At first, some were tight-lipped, but after two or three rounds, most told the truth.”
Ding Zhao lowered his head even more as he continued, “Each round of questioning was sealed in a separate dossier, all here. Your Majesty, the first round was chaotic, but from the second round onward, the statements began to align. By the third round, their testimonies matched up clearly.”
The emperor’s expression darkened as he flipped through the other confessions, page after page. His face grew uglier the more he read. By the end, he threw all the documents to the ground in one sweeping motion.
So it was the empress who poisoned—and they had even found the poison in Kunde Palace.
“Why were there two kinds?” After his initial fury, the emperor felt waves of dizziness. Once he steadied himself, he asked again.
Ding Zhao replied with his head bowed, “According to the palace staff from Kunde Palace, Lu Momo brought them two different substances at different times. They didn’t know what the items were—only followed orders. If we want to clarify everything, we’ll need to interrogate Lu Momo.”
Lu Momo was the stewarding Momo by the empress’s side. Without an imperial edict, even Ding Zhao couldn’t simply take her away.
At this stage, the case was becoming clear. Questioning Lu Momo was only to confirm the details.
With a blank expression, the emperor said coldly, “Interrogate her.”
“Yes.” Ding Zhao bowed and withdrew, heading straight to Kunde Palace with his men.
Lu Momo was currently attending to the empress. When she heard Ding Zhao had come to arrest her, a flash of panic crossed her face. But she quickly calmed down and turned to look at the empress.
The Empress’s expression grew even uglier. The Crown Prince had already been confined to the Eastern Palace, and when she had begged His Majesty to let her see him once, the Emperor had refused. Now they even wanted to take away Lu Momo. As the Empress, what authority did she have left?
“Chief Steward Ding, what are you doing?” the Empress asked angrily, unable to suppress her fury.
Ding Zhao looked at the Empress and smiled as he replied, “Your Majesty, this servant is acting on His Majesty’s orders to bring Lu Momo for questioning.”
“What, you’ve already taken away so many from Kunde Palace, and now you want to take Lu Momo as well?” The Empress gripped the armrests tightly, her face tense with anger.
“This servant is only following orders. Please don’t make things difficult for me, Your Majesty. If His Majesty were to punish me afterward, I wouldn’t be able to bear it.” Ding Zhao’s smile faded, and he turned slightly to the side and glanced at the attendants beside him. “What are you standing there for? Escort Lu Momo.”
“Yes.”
The attendant beside Ding Zhao stepped forward and looked at Lu Momo. “Lu Momo, please come with us.”
“Outrageous!” The Empress slammed the table. “Ding Zhao, what do you think you’re doing? I forbid it!”
Ding Zhao slowly straightened his posture, the last trace of a smile disappearing from his face. Looking at the Empress, he said solemnly, “Your Majesty, if you insist on defying the imperial edict, this servant will have no choice but to report back to His Majesty and let him decide.”
Seeing this, Lu Momo immediately knelt before the Empress. “Your Majesty, please don’t be angry. This old servant is willing to go. Don’t be impulsive, Your Majesty. I am innocent—I will surely return. Please don’t worry.”
The Empress looked down at Lu Momo, her eyes red with unshed tears. Lu Momo had served her for decades, yet now she was to be taken to the inner prison.
No one else taken from Kunde Palace had been released. Lu Momo’s chances of coming back were slim.
The Empress gripped her handkerchief tightly, lowering her eyes to look at Lu Momo.
Lu Momo gave her a deep, reassuring smile and lightly shook her head. She couldn’t let the Empress further provoke His Majesty on her behalf.
She kowtowed heavily to the Empress. “Your Majesty, take care.”
Lu Momo knew the danger of this trip all too well. She took a deep breath, stood up smiling, then turned to Ding Zhao. “I wouldn’t dare trouble Chief Steward Ding. Let’s go.”
Ding Zhao now looked at Lu Momo with new regard, his expression softening noticeably. He gave the Empress a bow, then turned and strode away.
Once they were gone, the Empress collapsed back onto her seat. Tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Consort Shu.
Duan Wang.
Duan Mingxi.
Very well. All of you—how impressive you are!
Xiao Ji San?
She hadn’t even used Xiao Ji San. This was a complete setup—they had framed her.
But now she had no way to defend herself. She had poisoned someone—just not with Xiao Ji San.
The once-lively Kunde Palace was now eerily desolate.
One by one, her people were being taken away. Today it was Lu Momo; tomorrow it would be Zhang Mingde.
The Crown Prince was under house arrest. If the Emperor truly intended to depose him, she—the Empress—would become an obstacle. The Emperor would show no mercy.
Her brother, having defended the Crown Prince, had already been scolded by the Emperor, stripped of his position, and sent home to reflect. If she weren’t still Empress, even the title of Duke Cao might not have been preserved.
The hall was terrifyingly silent, broken only by the Empress’s chilling laughter.
Cuiwei Palace.
Consort Shu frowned and looked at Hu Momo . “You said Consort Gui invited both Consort Xian and Consort De to have tea?”
But didn’t invite her.
“Yes,” Hu Momo nodded. “I personally saw Song Momo—Consort Gui’s trusted attendant—deliver the invitations. There’s no mistake.”
Consort Shu sneered. “Now that the Crown Prince has been confined and Kunde Palace is being investigated, Consort Gui can’t sit still. She wants to pull Consort Xian and Consort De to her side.”
“Your Highness, you must be cautious,” Hu Momo said worriedly. “Over the past few months, you’ve repeatedly given her advice, yet she’s repaying you like this. It’s truly disgraceful.”
“People die for wealth, just as birds die for food,” Consort Shu said coldly. She had long known this day would come—she just hadn’t expected Consort Gui to act so quickly. “Both Consort Xian and Consort De went?”
“Yes.”
Consort Shu’s lips curled into a mocking smile. She looked at Hu Momo and said, “Close the doors. For the next few days, we won’t go anywhere. If anyone comes, just say I’m unwell.”
“Your Highness?” Hu Momo was puzzled. “If people find out, won’t they think you’re afraid of Consort Gui?”
Consort Shu’s eyes glinted as she smiled. “That’s exactly what I want them to think.”
The Emperor had spent years grooming the Crown Prince, only to suddenly confine him. The one who suffered the most must be the Emperor himself.
And the Empress—long regarded as the model of virtue—was now exposed for poisoning Mingxi. The Emperor was enraged over the Qiping Prefecture affair and took it out on the Empress. That was the real reason for his fury.
But once his anger subsided?
What would he do? What would he think? No one could predict.
The higher one climbed now, the harder the fall later.
Now that even Lu Momo had been taken away, the Empress’s most trusted aides were all gone. With her personality, she would never resign herself to defeat.
She must have something else planned.
Consort Gui was celebrating too soon.
Consort Shu knew that in moments like these, one must stay composed.
No arrogance, no impatience—remain calm and steady.
Consort Gui’s lack of restraint had only worked in her favor.
With that thought, Consort Shu looked at Hu Momo . “Send word to Duan Wang—unless I summon him, he mustn’t enter the palace.”
The Crown Prince’s confinement was just the real beginning.
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