As soon as they returned to Changchun Palace, Yanhe, Shiliu, and others came forward to meet them.
"Your Ladyship!" Shiliu's face was full of concern.
Having just been searched, Changchun Palace was in some disarray. The palace servants watched cautiously from the shadows.
Before Qi Daiyu could ask, Yanhe spoke up, "As soon as you left, this servant instructed Xiangchun to take the Third Princess to Zhongcui Palace." She had reacted quickly, sensing something was wrong, and immediately sent Si Yu to Nie Zhiyu's place to avoid frightening the child.
Qi Daiyu nodded, then signaled for them to continue the conversation inside.
Once inside the room, Yanhe closed the door. The four senior maids—Shiliu, Putao, Pingguo, and Lianwu—stood surrounding Qi Daiyu.
Shiliu asked, "Your Ladyship, what exactly happened? This servant heard that the Empress was poisoned. Lanyi summoned you to Kunning Palace and forbade anyone from accompanying you. Then Matron Zhao came to search the palace. Could it be that..."
Qi Daiyu did not respond to her. Instead, she looked at Putao. "Did you find anything?"
Before leaving, she had instructed Putao to check the study.
Putao nodded and took something out from her robe. "After you left, this servant immediately searched the study. Since you had previously told this servant what all those tools in the study were for, I remembered everything."
There were many things in the study: various pottery jars and clay sculptures she had made when bored, as well as various vessels she used to divert attention. Although Qi Daiyu didn't allow others into the study normally, she didn't mind letting Shiliu and the others watch when she was "putting on an act," as having "witnesses" made the act more convincing.
When Putao showed curiosity, she would even explain the names of those tools, what was inside them, and their purposes.
Qi Daiyu would thoroughly destroy every one of her "failed experiments." As for the successful products she kept for herself, she would label them clearly by category, ensuring no mix-ups. After observing for so long, Putao could roughly distinguish them—this was precisely why Qi Daiyu had sent her to search the study.
"This item, this servant found under the daybed. It seemed to have accidentally rolled under there, but this servant knew at a glance it was definitely not from the study." Putao handed the object to Qi Daiyu for inspection. It was a thumb-sized wooden gourd with complex, faded patterns on its surface, looking very old.
This object was utterly out of place, not just in the study, but in the entire Changchun Palace.
Qi Daiyu wrapped a handkerchief around her hand before taking the wooden gourd. It was very light. On the top was a bean-sized protrusion. Qi Daiyu felt that area and detected a slight irregularity.
She said, "Fetch a needle."
Shiliu immediately went to get one.
Walking to the window, Qi Daiyu used the light coming through the paper pane. She inserted the needle into the irregular spot and pried it forcefully. With a soft "click," the protruding part popped open and fell to the floor, rolling. Pingguo, quick-eyed, covered it with a handkerchief.
Everyone looked at the gourd body in Qi Daiyu's hand.
Once the hidden top was removed, a peculiar fragrance wafted from the gourd. The scent was not strong, but it was strangely captivating, making one want to take a deep breath.
Qi Daiyu held the gourd a bit farther away and extended her other hand. Yanhe immediately placed her own handkerchief over Qi Daiyu's hand. Qi Daiyu tilted the wooden gourd, and soon some pale blue powder flowed out.
The fragrance emanated from this powder.
"Fetch some water," she said.
Shiliu promptly poured a cup of water. Qi Daiyu poured the powder from her hand into the cup. Before long, the powder dissolved, turning the entire cup of water a deep blue.
"It's Qilan leaf juice," Qi Daiyu stated. "This fragrance is exactly the same as the scent of the Qilan leaf juice dug up from the flower bed. This powder is likely Qilan leaf pollen."
How interesting. Burying it in the flower bed wasn't enough; they had to place it in her study as well.
Shiliu was furious. "That Lu Wei has some nerve! How dare she frame Your Ladyship!"
Then she felt puzzled. The outer flower bed was one thing; anyone could go there. It would indeed be possible to act during night watch. But this study was inside the main hall. Lu Wei, a junior maid, had no chance to enter...
Then she heard Qi Daiyu say, "It wasn't Lu Wei."
Putao asked, "Your Ladyship means someone else entered the study?"
Yanhe inquired, "Does Your Ladyship suspect someone?"
In the entire Changchun Palace, very few could enter the main hall. Eunuchs were immediately ruled out; even Xiao Li and Little Cheng could only enter when summoned by Qi Daiyu. Among the maids, apart from the head maid Yanhe and the four senior maids Shiliu, Putao, Pingguo, and Lianwu, only the four second-rank maids—Xiangli, Hongtao, Sangsen, and Lizhi—as well as Xiangchun and the two wet nurses caring for the Third Princess could enter. However, when Xiangchun and the wet nurses were present, others would inevitably be there too, as they weren't strictly Qi Daiyu's personal maids and required supervision.
So, ultimately, only nine people had the opportunity to enter the main hall and the study.
The fact that their mistress had the five of them follow her inside showed her trust in them. Therefore, the traitor must be among the remaining four.
Who could it be?
"Whoever it is, I swear I'll chop off her hands!" Shiliu rarely showed such temper, uttering such harsh words.
She was not only angry that someone harbored ill intent and betrayed their mistress, but also heartbroken.
Xiangli and Hongtao need not be mentioned; they had served since the Yanqing Residence days, and they all addressed each other as sisters. As for Sangsen and Lizhi, she and Putao had been training them as successors, so that after she and Putao left the palace, they could continue to care for their mistress.
Shiliu couldn't understand who among them would betray.
Qi Daiyu couldn't comprehend it either. She considered herself an exceptionally good superior—never harsh towards the servants, easy to talk to, undemanding, and very generous. For what possible reason would someone betray her?
Her face cold, she said, "Go, without alerting anyone, bring Hongtao here."
Yes, the person Qi Daiyu had seen in the surveillance footage was precisely Hongtao.
Under the pretext of cleaning the main hall, she had slipped into the study when no one was looking and hastily thrown the wooden gourd under the daybed.
Hongtao was soon brought in.
Her expression seemed normal, even with a touch of concern in her eyes, as if worried for Qi Daiyu.
After paying her respects, Hongtao asked solicitously, "Your Ladyship, has something happened?"
Qi Daiyu got straight to the point, holding up the wooden gourd. "Hongtao, does this object look familiar to you?"
Hongtao's gaze fixed on the wooden gourd for a moment, stiffening. She forced a smile and adopted a puzzled expression. "Your Ladyship, what is this? This servant has never seen it before. How could it be familiar?"
"Is that so? Wasn't it you who placed this in my study?"
Hongtao felt an explosion in her ears, her heart pounding like thunder. Her mind raced, utterly unable to comprehend how Consort Hui knew it was she who had placed the gourd in the study! She had been so confident, certain no one had seen her at the time!
Right, absolutely no one could have discovered it. So, Consort Hui must be trying to trick her?
Hongtao instantly calmed down. It must be Consort Hui trying to trick her. Consort Hui had detected a betrayal but couldn't pinpoint who it was, so she was calling in the suspected individuals one by one. Now it was her turn; perhaps the next would be Xiangli or Sangsen.
So Hongtao knelt down, her eyes reddening. "This servant does not understand what you are saying, my lady. You gave orders that no one was to enter the study. How would I dare disobey your command?"
She was putting on quite an act. If Qi Daiyu didn't have surveillance, she might have almost believed it.
"It seems you are unwilling to talk." Worried about the Empress, Qi Daiyu didn't want to waste time on further argument.
She ordered Yanhe, "Lock her in a room, tie her up, and don't let her sleep until she is willing to talk."
Qi Daiyu leaned forward slightly, looking down at Hongtao with an unprecedented coldness in her expression. "I was easygoing before because I considered you one of my own. But since you don't abide by the rules yourself, don't blame me for being ruthless." She straightened up, her posture lofty and imposing. Paired with her cool and aloof face, it sent an involuntary chill through one's heart.
"I once heard a story. To tame a fierce hawk, a hunter would prevent it from sleeping for many days in a row until its wild nature was worn away. I wondered then, if preventing sleep could tame a hawk's wildness, what would happen to a person if they were prevented from sleeping?" Qi Daiyu glanced at Hongtao and instructed Yanhe, "Lock her in a room, tie her up, use wooden sticks to prop her eyelids open, and don't let her sleep."
Yanhe bowed her head. "Yes."
Hongtao tried to resist. "My lady, I have done nothing wrong. Why are you treating me this way... Mmm." She attempted to cry out to attract others' attention, but Putao covered her mouth.
After Hongtao was dragged away, Shiliu's face still bore traces of lingering anger. "Mistress, given Hongtao's status, it's impossible for her to obtain something as rare as Qilan leaves. Someone must be behind this, instructing her. Who is trying to harm you and the Empress?" That person behind the scenes not only wanted to harm the Empress but also to drive a wedge between you and her. Truly despicable!
Qi Daiyu was also pondering the matter. Logically, the Empress presided over the central palace. Though strict, she was fair. The consorts and concubines might have private grievances, but they shouldn't go so far as to attempt the Empress's life. If it wasn't a personal vendetta, then perhaps... it was for the position of Empress?
Having watched plenty of palace intrigue dramas, Qi Daiyu's ability to make connections was quite good. But she soon frowned again.
For the Empress's position? The Empress and the Emperor shared a deep bond, and she had children to rely on. Her position was extremely secure. Even if the Empress were gone, who in the palace could contend for that position?
Consort Ning, or... Nie Zhiyu?
Consort Ning had family background and seniority. Nie Zhiyu had a prince and her family background was also good. But Consort Ning had always maintained an aloof, non-competitive demeanor, and Nie Zhiyu had aligned herself with the Empress since entering the palace. Neither seemed like someone who would move against the Empress.
Qi Daiyu felt troubled and restless. To find out who it was, they still had to wait for Hongtao to talk.
She also decided she needed to review the videos she had recorded before, to see if she could discover any clues.
Meanwhile, in Yanxi Palace, Consort An dismissed her attendants and entered her bedchamber alone. After ensuring the doors and windows were closed, she walked to the bed, lifted the bedding, revealing a hidden compartment in the bed frame. Consort An reached to touch the small lock on the compartment, and her heart turned cold.
Someone had tampered with this lock.
But Consort An still clung to hope. She opened the compartment, only to find that a small wooden gourd inside had vanished without a trace. Her expression finally grew heavy.
Her Qilan leaf pollen was gone.
Consort An closed her eyes tightly, her fingernails digging into the bedding. She felt the stiff skin on her face aching faintly, a tearing pain that made her feel as if she had been transported back many years.
Back then, not long after giving birth to the Second Princess, her belly was covered in stretch marks, and star-like spots and streaks had appeared on her face.
For the consorts and concubines in the palace, beauty was one of the most important assets. Seeing that the marks on her face wouldn't fade no matter what medicine she used, Consort An thought of something.
It was a rare substance from her mother's homeland, called Qilan leaves.
Qilan leaves were banned from entering Zhao, but Consort An's mother was originally from a foreign region, so obtaining them wasn't difficult. Consort An had brought some with her when she entered the palace.
The world knew that extracting the sap of Qilan leaves for medicine could moisturize the skin and have anti-aging effects. But few knew that if the pollen of the Qilan leaf was dissolved in water and applied to the face, it could restore youthfulness to one's appearance, eliminating any scars or blemishes.
However, such a miraculous substance naturally had side effects. Poisoning from Qilan leaf sap could cause, in mild cases, diarrhea and headaches; in severe cases, gastrointestinal ulcers and heart meridian blockage. As for Qilan leaf pollen, because few used it, its side effects were not clearly known. At that time, Consort An, feeling desperate and wanting only to restore her face to its former state, didn't care about potential side effects.
Moreover, she told herself then, she would only use a little, just a little, and never overdo it.
Later, the blemishes on her face and the stretch marks on her belly indeed faded. But before she could rejoice, she discovered her face was becoming increasingly stiff. Slowly, she couldn't even smile anymore.
Consort An didn't dare reveal her use of Qilan leaf pollen. The imperial physicians only said she had a "facial paralysis," likely a postpartum complication.
But only she knew the real reason.
If asked whether she regretted it, Consort An did not. For her, living with a stiff face was better than living with a face full of blemishes.
So she hid the Qilan leaf pollen well, never showing it to anyone.
But now, that wooden gourd was gone!
If the Qilan leaves that poisoned the Empress came from her...
More than the fear of being traced back to her, Consort An worried about another matter.
Both Qilan leaf sap and Qilan leaf pollen shared a common trait: everyone who wanted to try them told themselves they would only use a little. But the fatal allure of Qilan leaves was addictive...
