Chapter 1113 - 1115: The Mother Who Sabotages_1
Bai Ruozhu remembered a phrase she had read in her previous life, which said that there’s no such thing as a perfect crime, it’s just that you haven’t found the flaws yet.
The poisoner will always show a flaw, it’s just that it needs to be carefully investigated.
At this moment, an eunuch from the outer hall came to report, "Empress Dowager, the Empress and the Madam of the Duke of Dingguo have arrived."
The Empress Dowager revealed a hint of surprise, "Why has my mother come with the Empress?"
"To reply to the Empress Dowager, it seems they met on the way," said the little eunuch.
"Please ask them to go to the Main Hall, I will be there shortly," the Empress Dowager said with a tone of weariness.
Bai Ruozhu observed everything silently, thinking to herself that the Empress Dowager really didn’t have the same kind of leisurely time portrayed in the novels and TV shows, even to the extent of ruling from behind the curtain; the Empress Dowager in front of her seemed to have quite a bit of helplessness.
Before the Empress Dowager could go to the Main Hall, an elderly woman with graying hair hurried in. She was followed by a large retinue, among whom was the elegantly dressed Empress, wearing a phoenix crown.
"This concubine pays respect to the Empress Dowager," said the Madam of the Duke of Dingguo upon seeing the Empress Dowager and proceeded to bow, but the Empress Dowager quickly held her up.
"Mother, there’s no need for such formalities." Although the Empress Dowager stopped the Madam of the Duke of Dingguo from bowing, her tone and address were very polite.
At this moment, it wasn’t appropriate for Bai Ruozhu to leave, so she quietly took a glance at the Madam of the Duke of Dingguo, the Empress Dowager’s mother. Her eyebrows and eyes were somewhat similar to the Empress Dowager’s, but her gaze was sharp and her expression stern, clearly someone rather strict.
Thinking about how the Empress Dowager had affection for Yao Yuxuan in the past, yet married the then Crown Prince for the sake of her family, it seemed there must have been some conflicts with her mother, which may be why they were so distant.
At that point, the Empress stepped forward to bow to the Empress Dowager, and Bai Ruozhu, due to etiquette, had no choice but to bow to both the Empress and the Madam of the Duke of Dingguo as well.
"Wasn’t Lady Jubilee’s health being managed by Madam Jiang? How has it come into question again?" asked the Empress, not so much in criticism but plainly suspecting Bai Ruozhu’s medical skills.
The Madam of the Duke of Dingguo furrowed her brows and scolded sharply, "Bai Family, you are just a woman, and not even of a considerable age, what medical skills can you have? Surely you have deceived the Empress Dowager with your demon words, jeopardizing my granddaughter’s health!"
"Mother, Ruozhu indeed has medical skills..." the Empress Dowager began explaining for Bai Ruozhu, but before she could finish, she was interrupted by the Madam of the Duke of Dingguo.
"Empress Dowager, it’s your nature to be too soft and too easily trusting of others!" The voice of the Madam of the Duke of Dingguo was not soft, and it carried a tone of resentful disappointment.
The Empress Dowager, angered, turned ashen-faced. If the speaker hadn’t been her own mother, she would have ordered her to be dragged away by now.
Bai Ruozhu watched all this and couldn’t help but internally criticize the Madam of the Duke of Dingguo’s domineering attitude. How could she undermine her own daughter like this in front of her daughter-in-law? Was this truly her own mother?
She was so thunderstruck by the Madam of the Duke of Dingguo that she even forgot the initial criticism had been directed at her.
"Mother, please be cautious with your words!" The Empress Dowager’s face fell; she had lost her husband before the age of forty and although her son had ascended the throne smoothly, she had to face pressures from all sides. She was naturally gentle and not fond of conflicts, even lacking a bit of authority at times, and now her own mother was putting her in such an uncomfortable position, making things very hard for her.
"Fine, fine, now you won’t listen to advice!" The Madam of the Duke of Dingguo, her face flushed with anger, began to cough violently as if her lungs were about to come out. The Empress Dowager, helpless, could only pat her back to soothe her qi, and just like that, the momentum shifted back in favor of her mother.
"Mother, Ruozhu has already investigated, Wenwen has been poisoned, and if her condition has stabilized, Ruozhu should be able to detoxify her in a few days," the Empress Dowager explained softly.
"What? Someone dared to poison Cining Palace?" the Empress exclaimed in surprise, before suddenly kneeling down, "Mother Empress, it is my fault for not managing the harem properly, to let such an incident occur. Has the poisoner been caught now?"
"You may rise, there are always intrigues in the palace, and I will ensure that the matter is thoroughly investigated," the Dowager Empress lifted her hand, signaling the Empress to stand up.
Truth be told, the Dowager Empress didn’t trust the Empress either. With Consort Le pregnant, jealousy was inevitable in the harem. The Empress had only given birth to a daughter; how could she want someone else to take the position of the crown prince?
However, the Duchess of Dingguo huffed coldly, "If the poisoner isn’t caught, doesn’t that mean the Bai Family can say whatever they want? It needs to be thoroughly investigated whether the wrong medicine was used or if it was indeed poison."
"The Imperial Doctors were completely helpless; it was Ruozhu who saved Wenwen’s fetus. Now Wenwen is resting, and it would be best not to disturb her. I shall decide on this matter myself," the Dowager Empress’s tone grew firmer towards the end.
The Duchess of Dingguo trembled with anger, "Very well, I shall see how you investigate this today and what results you can find!"
Bai Ruozhu didn’t understand why the Duchess of Dingguo accused her of incompetence and blamed her for Consort Le’s poisoning as soon as she arrived. Now she was being watched coldly by the Duchess, Bai Ruozhu could only continue to figure out a way to investigate.
"Does Consort Le normally leave her room?" Bai Ruozhu asked the palace maid beside her.
"Replying to Lady Jiang, Consort Le usually takes a short walk outside to get some fresh air every morning," the palace maid replied.
"Summon the other palace maids of Cining Palace to bring the clothes worn these past two days to the Main Hall," Bai Ruozhu thought for a moment and then said.
Without waiting for the Dowager Empress to give an order, her close attendant immediately took care of the arrangements, understanding the Dowager’s stance. If the Dowager gave the command, who knows what the Duchess of Dingguo would say next.
Soon, the palace maids from the hall gathered in the Main Hall, and Bai Ruozhu checked them one by one, finally stopping in front of a rough palace maid.
"Is she in charge of sweeping? Did Consort Le pass by her during her morning stroll out of the room?" Bai Ruozhu asked.
The personal maid attending to Consort Le thought for a moment, and soon looked surprised, "Lady Jiang is correct, I remember that both this morning and yesterday morning it was this girl sweeping. Although Consort Le did not speak to her, she did pass by her. Previously, when checking anyone who had contact with Her Highness, no one thought to check her."
The sweeping little palace maid was so scared her legs went weak, and she fell to the ground with a thump, "I don’t know anything; I haven’t done anything."
Bai Ruozhu looked into her eyes; the little palace maid was terrified but did not show signs of hiding anything, seemingly truly unaware.
She pulled out a handkerchief from the little palace maid’s sleeve, "That’s it, it was on this handkerchief."
The Dowager Empress glared fiercely, "Speak, where did this handkerchief come from!"
The Duchess of Dingguo snorted from the side and said, "You just smelled it and knew? Are you a dog by any chance? We should still call the Imperial Doctor to have a look!"
The Dowager Empress, feeling annoyed, and seeing Bai Ruozhu nod in agreement, had no choice but to send for the Imperial Doctor from the Imperial Medical Bureau.
At this moment, the sweeping little palace maid had already fully confessed the origin of the handkerchief.
"Your Highness, I am truly wronged; the handkerchief was a gift from Sister Dongqing of Fuyun Court. It’s common for sisters in the palace to give each other handkerchiefs and pouches. I really didn’t know the handkerchief was poisoned," the little maid cried bitterly.