Xiao Yi stared at the coachman, his gaze icy.
“There will definitely be a punishment!”
He paused briefly. “Now, tell me every detail of everything that happened after you left the estate.”
“Understood.” The coachman was terrified.
Starting from when he had left the estate that morning, he recounted everything in painstaking detail—every trip he took to relieve himself, everyone he encountered, and the surroundings he had been in.
After listening, Xiao Yi pondered for a moment.
“So, you’re saying it was only after drinking that tea that you kept needing to leave?”
The coachman nodded hastily.
“Yes, Your Highness. After I drank it, I kept needing to go.”
“At the time, I thought I had just eaten something bad.”
Xiao Yi turned to Duoduo. “Take his pulse.”
Duoduo nodded and reached out toward the coachman.
The coachman looked up in surprise, glancing quickly at Duoduo. He lowered his head again and respectfully extended his hand.
Duoduo felt his pulse for a while, then withdrew her hand.
“Father, there is nothing unusual in his pulse.”
“However, his pulse is a bit weak and floating, which suggests he ingested a laxative.”
“The dose of the laxative was very light—it just gave him a mild case of diarrhea. Once his system was empty, it stopped.”
As Duoduo finished speaking, the coachman nodded vigorously.
“Your Highness, that’s exactly what happened!”
Xiao Yi stared at the coachman, his eyes sharp.
“Do you remember who gave you that tea?”
The coachman thought for a moment, then shook his head.
“No one, Your Highness. I fetched it myself.”
“By the side gate of the palace, there’s a place where free tea is provided.”
“Usually, I bring my own water flask.”
“Today, I hadn’t planned to drink any.”
“But I heard that today’s tea was a rare Tieguanyin.”
“I… I had never tried it before, so… I went to get some.”
After saying this, the coachman lowered his head in shame.
“Heard? Heard from whom?” Xiao Yi suddenly asked.
The coachman froze for a moment. “I, uh, didn’t really notice.”
“All the estate carriages were parked by the side gate.”
“The drivers were all waiting there.”
“I was inside the carriage, and the person speaking just happened to walk past the Wang estate’s carriage.”
Xiao Yi frowned.
No doubt about it—this was a setup specifically aimed at the coachman.
The speaker must have orchestrated it intentionally.
The goal was to lure the coachman into drinking that tea.
It was cleverly set up.
No trace left behind!
No, wait—
Xiao Yi’s gaze shifted. “You said there were many carriages parked there?”
The coachman nodded repeatedly.
“Yes. That’s exactly why I didn’t suspect anything.”
Xiao Yi nodded.
“What do you usually do while waiting there?”
The coachman lowered his head.
“Mostly, everyone rests in their carriages in the heat.”
It was midsummer, and the drivers couldn’t leave their posts.
The area outside the palace was heavily guarded. With nothing else to do, they would just nap to pass the time.
“Do you remember which estates’ carriages were parked near yours today?”
The coachman furrowed his brow, trying hard to remember.
“I don’t know which estate they belong to, but I remember what they look like.”
Xiao Yi nodded.
“Fine. Tomorrow, act as if nothing happened.”
“Go find the carriage that was next to yours today, and inquire who came near our mansion’s carriage.”
“If you find out the truth, you’ll make up for your mistake.”
“If not, go receive twenty lashes yourself!”
The driver shuddered.
Twenty lashes would leave him bedridden for at least a few months.
“Yes! This servant will surely find out!”
Xiao Yi waved his hand, and Yunxiao led the driver out.
Xiao Yi remained silent in thought, and Duoduo dared not leave.
Duoduo twisted her fingers together, her heart filled with some unease.
“Father, I still have one thing I haven’t told you!”
Xiao Yi’s gaze landed on Duoduo’s face.
“What is it?”
Duoduo reached into her sleeve and pulled out a jade pendant, holding it out to Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi looked curiously at the dragon-shaped jade pendant in her hand.
“Where did you get this?”
Duoduo blinked. “Imperial Grandfather bestowed it upon me.”
Xiao Yi looked at Duoduo thoughtfully.
“For what reason?”
Duoduo lowered her eyes and organized her thoughts.
Raising her gaze back to Xiao Yi, she said,
“At noon today, on my way to Kunning Palace, I ran into Consort Shu.”
“She wanted to hit me as soon as she arrived, and even tried to grab me.”
Duoduo paused here, observing Xiao Yi’s expression.
Xiao Yi’s expression remained unchanged from the start.
“I took her hostage, and that alarmed Imperial Grandfather,” Duoduo continued boldly.
“When Imperial Grandfather arrived, Consort Shu made accusations, but I turned the tables on her.”
“Then Imperial Grandfather confined Consort Shu to her quarters and rewarded me with this jade pendant.”
“He said that seeing this pendant is like seeing him.”
“From now on, no one may bully me!”
Duoduo spoke with a hint of pride.
Her eyes held a note of seeking praise as she looked at Xiao Yi.
Xiao Yi gazed at Duoduo. He did not praise her, but instead his expression grew profound.
Seeing the change in her father’s face, the joy in Duoduo’s heart faded.
“Father, have I done something wrong again?” Duoduo asked, with a trace of reluctance.
Xiao Yi lowered his eyelids, then looked up after a moment.
“Do you know the saying, ‘An innocent man may suffer guilt because of his jade’?”
Duoduo nodded.
“Father means this jade pendant will bring me trouble?”
Xiao Yi nodded slowly.
“Yes. Today’s incident is the best example.”
Duoduo finally understood.
So those men had come because of the jade pendant in her possession.
She felt deeply unwilling.
“Father, must I return the jade pendant?”
Xiao Yi curled his lips into a smile.
“Do you want to?”
Duoduo answered without hesitation, “No!”
Xiao Yi’s smile widened.
“Then you must have the ability to protect this jade pendant.”
Duoduo nodded.
“Please advise me, Father!”
Xiao Yi looked at Duoduo, and after a moment, a smile bloomed on his face.
“You did very well today!”
“Matters in the palace often rely on underhanded schemes.”
“You did the opposite and brought it into the light.”
“However, merely taking a hostage was still too light a touch.”
Xiao Yi shook his head in disapproval.
Duoduo blinked.
“I scattered itching powder.”
Afraid he might not understand, she added, “My itching powder is based on Master Zhang’s formula.”
Xiao Yi understood—the itching powder Duoduo referred to was poisonous.
And it was the kind of poison that imperial physicians could not detect.
Xiao Yi nodded approvingly.
“Not bad. You have ideas.”
“But it’s still not enough!”
“When you kill a chicken to scare the monkey, you must strike a fatal blow to ensure the monkey feels the deterrent effect.”
Duoduo furrowed her brows, thinking for a moment.
“Father, do you mean that because my move wasn’t harsh enough, that’s why this afternoon happened?”
