Chapter 6, Case Review

I will merely keep a record of your transgressions. By the way, Empress, you have already committed the crime of deceiving the sovereign twice.

Su Yue, stay here and see what else can be found; Su Feng, take all the eunuchs from Kun Ning Palace to Yang Xin Hall. Except for those close to the Emperor, anyone who approaches Yang Xin Hall should be knocked out and brought back. Hurry!

Poisonous mooncake

Ye Zhenzhen was almost driven to madness by her thoughts. Which bastard has caused this great trouble for me? If I catch you, I will have you torn to pieces!

Ji Wujiao smiled and said, "You are my empress, how could I possibly deal with you?"

I am doing this for the good of the Ye family. If Fang Xiuqing's daughter becomes the empress, the Ye family will be in danger... Alright, madam, do not cry anymore. Zhenzhen will definitely be fine. My granddaughter, Ye Xiuming, will not be unable to handle such a small matter.

Well, although he cannot do this now, it may not be certain in the future

Isn't it still before the deadline? How do you know that I definitely won't be able to find out

After having lunch, he slipped over to Kun Ning Palace and kindly reminded Ye Zhenzhen that she had one more day left

... ...

Madam Ye cried and cried, then began to scold Ye Xiuming again. Ye Xiuming did not dare to retort and could only respond obediently.

I am referring to the poisonous mooncakes that you made

"What of the queen? Even wanting to come back to see grandmother is impossible. My poor granddaughter..." As she spoke, she unexpectedly wiped away her tears

After lunch, Ye Zhenzhen had already adopted an attitude of indifference, as if she were a dead pig unafraid of boiling water. It was just bookkeeping, after all; she still hadn't saved enough for the time being. She held a plate of dim sum and devoured it with a sense of venting her frustrations, completely devoid of the demeanor of a master of the six palaces.

Ye Zhenzhen and Su Feng quickly arrived at the side hall of Kun Ning Palace, where the eunuchs of Kun Ning Palace resided. Ding Daxiang shared a room with another eunuch; today, this eunuch was supposed to be on duty, but for some unknown reason, he suddenly returned and then discovered that Ding Daxiang had hanged himself. Su Yue asked him why he had come back, and he stammered, unable to explain clearly.

Given the circumstances, there is no turning back. I only hope that Zhenzhen can exercise caution in the palace, and not act as freely as she did at home; if she can ensure her safety for a lifetime, that would be sufficient

"Your Highness, I found this on him." Su Yue quietly handed a small paper package to Ye Zhenzhen.

On that day, many people in the palace witnessed the queen, dressed in a fiery red gown, seemingly fleeing for her life. The palace maids and eunuchs, despite having spent a long time in the imperial palace, had never seen such a scene; they were all terrified, their faces ashen, unsure of what was happening, and fearing that they might be implicated. They could only kneel on the ground, remaining motionless. After finally seeing the queen off, Su Feng led a group of eunuchs, shouting and clamoring as they pursued her, their demeanor resembling that of street thugs engaged in a brawl.

Ye Zhenzhen no longer paid attention to him and walked up to the corpse. The body had already been laid down, lying on the ground, with bulging eyes and a long tongue hanging out, which was quite horrifying

This is the most talked-about news inside and outside the palace today

Ye Xiu quietly defended, "Zhenzhen is the Empress, who would dare to scheme against her"

Thus, the final approach is to secretly bring items into the palace from outside, which poses certain difficulties

The problem arose from this unique crystal shrimp mooncake. Last night, Lifi picked up the mooncake and, in a moment of whimsy, broke it open to feed the shrimp filling to the black cat in her arms. To her surprise, after eating it, the black cat suddenly arched its neck and died

Ye Kangle stood outside the door, listening to his parents' conversation inside. He shook his head and sighed, ultimately deciding not to enter. Initially, he had considered his daughter's lifelong happiness and did not agree with that marriage proposal. Moreover, he already had a satisfactory candidate for a son-in-law, but his father was too stubborn, and he found himself unable to go against his wishes.

Which was the second time

Thus, Ye Zhenzhen began to fixate on the plate of mooncakes once again, hoping to discern some hidden meaning

Everyone was quite puzzled. As human beings, we all possess curiosity, including the palace maids and eunuchs. Therefore, those palace maids and eunuchs who had no urgent tasks at hand and were somewhat bold mixed into the ranks of Su Feng and followed along. Su Feng, leading the way, was unaware of the unusual situation behind her, while the young eunuchs from Kun Ning Palace were momentarily at a loss, only knowing to follow along to catch someone, without caring that they were being followed.

Another tricky aspect of this case is that the range of suspects is too broad... Li Fei has been in the palace for many years, and through diligent and tireless efforts day after day, year after year, she has made many enemies. It is truly a miracle that she has come this far. Therefore, even an inconspicuous little eunuch in the palace could potentially have the motive to commit this crime, let alone high-ranking consorts like Xian Fei and Xi Pin, whom she has openly ridiculed. Even the Emperor cannot be completely exonerated from suspicion; consuming this substance may only lead to poisoning, and it does not necessarily mean death. If he wanted to take the opportunity to give Li Fei a warning while also setting a trap for the Empress, it is not impossible. Furthermore, there is Li Fei herself; she is not dead, after all. It is entirely possible that she staged a performance to garner attention and sympathy while framing someone she dislikes.

Upon careful examination by the imperial physician, it was found that a substance called "Xiang Fei Zi" had been added to the filling of the mooncakes. This Xiang Fei Zi is extracted from certain wild fruits found in the southern regions. When smelled closely, it has a faintly sour and astringent taste that does not attract much attention, but when consumed, it imparts a unique fragrance, hence its name. Xiang Fei Zi can be used as a cooking seasoning and can also be used in medicine, but it must not be consumed in conjunction with shrimp or crab, as this may lead to symptoms of poisoning, which can be life-threatening in severe cases

A multitude of images suddenly flashed through her mind, as if several plays had finally come together to form a complete story. Ye Zhenzhen's phoenix-like eyes widened in shock, and she exclaimed, "Not good!"

Su Yue is indeed a brave person! Ye Zhenzhen immediately felt a sense of admiration; as a young woman, to think of the peculiarities in the face of death and to take the initiative to guard it truly requires a measure of courage

Ye Xiu naturally learned about this matter at the first opportunity. Early in the morning during court, he faced various inquisitive gazes, and upon returning home, he was met with a scolding from his wife. Many people know that Elder Ye is afraid of his wife; throughout his life, he has not taken a concubine, and even though he has only one son, Ye Kangle—who is the father of Ye Zhenzhen.

The eunuch hurriedly kowtowed, "Your Highness, spare my life, Your Highness, spare my life, I will never dare again"

Su Feng suddenly rushed in, "Your Highness, Ding Da from Kun Ning Palace has committed suicide!"

Ye Zhenzhen resorted to threats and inducements, frightening the imperial chefs to the point of nearly soiling their pants, yet she failed to extract any useful information. Each of them claimed to be following the customary practices of previous years and did not perceive anything amiss. Ye Zhenzhen was also reluctant to resort to coercion, and besides, even if she did, Ji Wujiao was not someone easily deceived. It was evident that he was deliberately making things difficult for her this time, and it was likely that such difficulties would continue in the future.

Ye Zhenzhen was taken aback, unable to swallow the food in her mouth in time, and with her cheeks puffed out, she asked in a muffled voice, "Which Ding Da Xiang?"

Thus, this procession grew to four or five times its original size from Kun Ning Palace to Yang Xin Hall, which illustrates just how idle the people in the inner palace are

Ye Zhenzhen looked at him expressionlessly, "If I cannot find out, how do you plan to deal with me?"

In other words, whenever something happens in the harem, she is bound to be dragged out and scolded, and after the scolding, she must properly clean up the mess. Otherwise, Ji Wujiao could strip her of her title with the accusation of "the harem is in turmoil, unworthy of the position," leaving her with no place to weep.

The outer skin of the mooncake is snow-white and crystal-like, resembling crystal, while the filling inside consists of shrimp. Because Consort Li enjoys seafood, Ji Wujiao ordered the imperial kitchen to specially create crystal shrimp mooncakes for her. However, this delicacy has a flavor that is too unique, and the other consorts do not like it, nor does Ji Wujiao, which is why the imperial kitchen only prepares it for Consort Li each year.

Genius!

Ye Zhenzhen has already ordered the detention and interrogation of all those who made mooncakes that day. The Imperial Kitchen has also been thoroughly searched, but no trace of the fragrant concubine has been found. This particular item is a specialty of the southern region, with a very limited supply, and it is not favored by northerners, so it was not purchased for the palace. The Imperial Medical Bureau does have some, but according to the recent records of medicinal materials dispatched, no palace has utilized the fragrant concubine.

The third day quickly arrived. Regarding the crystal shrimp mooncake, Ye Zhenzhen still had no clue. It was a joke; she was in the harem, not at the Dali Temple, where would she be involved in investigating cases, especially one with an infinitely large range of suspects and not a single clue!

It is all because you did not heed the advice back then! Our Zhenzhen has a straightforward personality; entering the imperial palace would only lead to her being schemed against by that group of malicious women!

Ye Zhenzhen took it over, but did not open it. She held it under her nose and took a sniff, detecting a sour and astringent scent. She squinted her eyes and said, "Could this be the fragrance of the fragrant concubine?"

Therefore, Ye Zhenzhen still hopes that she should not leave too many handles in Ji Wujiao's hands, especially such obvious ones

Ye Zhenzhen asked: "You probably want to slack off and take a nap, right?"

Then the young eunuch also ran out.

This move is truly both ruthless and insidious

The next day at lunch, when Ji Wujiao learned that Ye Zhenzhen had not eaten well due to the lack of progress in the case, he felt a surge of appetite and consumed one bowl more of rice than usual

... it turns out to be just this! Su Yue wiped her sweat and thought to herself, indeed, lazy people understand lazy people the best

On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Consort Li received a mooncake containing deadly poison, nearly resulting in her demise. Upon learning of this, the Emperor was furious and reprimanded the Empress in the Luhua Palace, directly attributing the unrest in the harem to the Empress's negligence, and ordered her to solve the case within three days

It is the young eunuch who is sweeping outside the palace gate... Your Highness, do not think too much for now, quickly go and take a look. Sister Suyue feels that something is amiss and is guarding the place, ensuring that nothing in the room or the body has been disturbed.

Your Highness, what is the matter?

Su Feng received the order and hurriedly ran out. Ye Zhenzhen kicked the eunuch kneeling on the ground, "You go too, hurry up, all of you go!"

Your Highness! Su Feng gathered the eunuchs of Kun Ning Palace at the fastest speed, risking everything to catch up.

Su Feng had just received these words when she saw a flash of red pass by in front of her. The flowing veil, lifted by the wind, brushed against her cheek, leaving a trail of fragrance. By the time she regained her senses, Ye Zhenzhen had already pulled far ahead of her and was still running wildly

Inside Kun Ning Palace, Ye Zhenzhen was staring blankly at a plate of mooncakes

Ye Zhenzhen thought for a moment, still feeling uneasy, and simply lifted her skirt to rush out herself. Su Yue was so anxious that she was jumping up and down, unable to leave, and could only shout at their retreating figures: "Su Feng! Keep an eye on the Empress! Don't let her bump into anything!"