Dantai Ji let out a soft laugh and said gently, “The Emperor Father will have people investigate Princess Shengping’s whereabouts over the past few days immediately.”
Rongyao said, “If she truly did something wrong, Father must not shield her.”
Dantai Ji’s tone was resolute. “If she truly intended to spread smallpox and harm your mother and the three of you siblings, then she would be a criminal against all of Great Zhou! I will never spare her!”
Dantai Ji dispatched his secret guards to investigate Princess Shengping’s whereabouts over the past few days, as well as everyone she had come into contact with.
Sure enough, they discovered something suspicious.
Princess Shengping had indeed secretly sent people to look for someone infected with smallpox.
That alone was enough to ensure that Princess Shengping could not escape punishment.
Aunt Sun, who served at Princess Shengping’s side, had secretly contacted people outside the palace over the past few days and exchanged silver for something.
The secret guards quickly tracked down the person who had made the clandestine deal with Aunt Sun.
The man knelt on the ground, wailing as he confessed everything. “My daughter caught smallpox and passed away a few days ago. That noble person found me and ordered me to hand over my daughter’s personal clothing. She even gave me one hundred taels of silver. I knew there was a plot behind it, and that it might cause others to contract smallpox, but I had no choice! My son has also caught smallpox, and I need money to buy medicine and treat him!”
When Dantai Ji learned of this, he flew into a rage. He secretly ordered the guards to cover their mouths and noses before apprehending the man. His entire family was placed under lockdown, and the whole of Xiaoyang Village was investigated.
He ordered everyone infected with smallpox to be confined in one place and strictly forbidden from coming into contact with outsiders. Anyone who left their home would be executed!
Only one household in Xiaoyang Village had contracted smallpox, and the disease had not yet spread. If it was not brought under control, however, hundreds or even thousands of people would suffer.
Everyone knew how terrifying smallpox was.
Once infected, whether one lived or died was left to fate.
Dantai Ji fought down the impulse to go to Fengyi Palace and seize Princess Shengping immediately.
He waited in silence until nightfall.
He was giving Shengping one final chance.
Even now, he could not believe that his once-obedient and sensible daughter would commit such an outrageous crime!
At midnight, when the night was deep and all was quiet, Changle Palace was peaceful and still.
In the rear courtyard, someone furtively climbed over the wall and stuffed something wrapped tightly in cloth into the bottom of a water jar.
He moved swiftly, like a monkey. After finishing, he hurried to leave and climbed back up the wall, intending to jump down the other side.
Who would have thought that before he could reach the top, someone would seize him by the leg?
He was yanked down hard and crashed heavily onto the ground.
His hands and feet were restrained, leaving him unable to move.
Torches flared, and the lights in Changle Palace were lit.
The sneaking thief stared straight ahead. When he saw the tall figure before him, his eyes filled with boundless terror.
“E-Emperor!”
“Which palace are you from?”
Wang Zhong said, “Your Majesty! This old servant knows him. He used to be the gatekeeper at Commoner Chen’s palace. Because he was small and could climb walls and trees, everyone in the palace called him Little Monkey.”
Dantai Ji stared at Little Monkey, his expression dark and foreboding. “Princess Shengping sent you here!”
Little Monkey’s shoulders were seized as he knelt on the ground. “This slave deserves to die! This slave deserves to die! It has nothing to do with Princess Shengping!”
Someone retrieved the item Little Monkey had hidden and opened it. After seeing what was inside, he quickly covered it again and moved far away from the Emperor before speaking.
“Your Majesty! This object is exactly as Yang Si described the one from Xiaoyang Village!”
“Have Yang Si identify it again!”
“Yes!”
Dantai Ji stared coldly at the trembling Little Monkey. “Take him away and interrogate him thoroughly!”
“Yes!”
“Surround Fengyi Palace and apprehend Princess Shengping!”
“This slave obeys!”
In less than fifteen minutes, Changle Palace had fallen quiet once more.
Rongyao was nestled in her mother’s arms, her brows furrowed as she pondered something.
Seeing her daughter looking so tense, Cui Huaiyin assumed that she had been frightened. She held the girl tighter and comforted her softly. “Don’t be afraid, Yaoyao. Your father has already caught the villain. Princess Shengping will be punished this time as well.”
Rongyao raised her head and looked at her mother with bright, sparkling eyes. “Uncle Three should be back by now, shouldn’t he?”
Cui Huaiyin gazed at her daughter’s fair, delicate face. She was stunned for a long while before saying, “Perhaps tomorrow, or perhaps the day after. Yaoyao, do you want to…”
“Yes!” Rongyao said solemnly in her soft, childish voice. “These past few days, Yaoyao has read many books and learned something from them. We mustn’t keep villains by our side, or else we’ll be in danger.”
Cui Huaiyin stared at her well-behaved daughter in a daze.
Her daughter truly was clever. At such a young age, she could already distinguish right from wrong and knew how to protect herself…
“Does Yaoyao want to go to Fengyi Palace and take a look?” Cui Huaiyin asked tentatively.
Rongyao shook her dizzy little head. She raised a small hand to her mouth and yawned, then wrapped her arms around her mother’s waist. “Yaoyao is sleepy. Mother, sleep with Yaoyao. We can go and see tomorrow morning.”
Cui Huaiyin smoothed her daughter’s silky hair and gently drew her into her arms, lightly patting her back. “All right. Go to sleep.”
This night was destined to be anything but peaceful.
First, Changle Palace was lit up by blazing torchlight. Soon afterward, the same happened at Fengyi Palace.
The Emperor sent guards to surround Fengyi Palace.
All of them shared one characteristic: they had once been infected with smallpox.
Princess Shengping and all those who served at her side were taken into custody and brought away for interrogation.
Even the Empress and the Fourth Prince were implicated.
At that moment, several people knelt in the center of the grand hall. Some were confused, some timid, and others utterly frantic.
The Empress said, “Your Majesty, what exactly has happened? Why did you send people to surround Fengyi Palace in the middle of the night?”
Dantai Ji said coldly, “Someone in the palace was hiding an object contaminated with smallpox.”
The Empress cried out in shock. “What? How dare anyone do such a thing! How could such filthy objects have entered the palace? They intend to throw the entire palace into chaos! Is someone trying to harm my son?”
Dantai Ji scrutinized the Empress before turning his gaze toward the seven-year-old girl kneeling nearby with her head lowered, silent.
“It was Princess Shengping.”
The Empress sprang to her feet. Her eyes widened as she looked at Princess Shengping, and her entire body trembled. She demanded loudly, “You—you’ve gone mad! What were you planning to do with that thing? Who were you trying to harm? Do you not want me as your mother and intend to use smallpox to kill me?”
Princess Shengping seemed frightened. She shook her head in confusion. “I—I don’t know. I didn’t!”
The Empress said, “The evidence is conclusive! His Majesty has already surrounded Fengyi Palace, yet you still dare to deny it!”
Dantai Ji’s eyes darkened. “You didn’t?”
Princess Shengping raised her head, tears streaming down her face in endless strands. In her childish voice, she said, “Yuer doesn’t know what Father is talking about. What is smallpox? What can smallpox do? Is it a kind of flower?”
The grand hall fell into complete silence.
“Bring them in!”
Soon, Little Monkey, bound hand and foot, was brought in. Aunt Sun was brought in as well, followed by Hexiang from Noble Consort Cui’s palace…
Hexiang spoke first, recounting everything that had happened without leaving out a single detail.
“...Aunt Sun threatened me. She said that if I didn’t do it, my parents outside the palace would both lose their lives!”
Aunt Sun lowered her head and said nothing.
The Empress pointed at Princess Shengping in anguish. “How could you? You’re still so young—how could you have such a vicious heart, going so far as to use smallpox to harm someone? It’s my fault. I failed to raise you properly. This is all my fault.”
Princess Shengping shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “I didn’t. I never asked Aunt Sun to find any smallpox. I truly didn’t. Shengping doesn’t know anything.”
