chapter 103

Jun Qianye also looked at Nangong Ning, a faint doubt under his dark eyes.

Nangong Ning ignored all the surrounding sights towards her, including Jun Qianye’s. “Your Majesty, the reason why the princess had been in a coma was not the honeyed drink, though princess cannot take honeyed drinks because of her body constitution. In fact, the truth is that she was poisoned,” she continued.

All the people were shocked when she just had given this claim!

This was the point! Princess Qingle was poisoned. NOT allergy. A short while ago they were interrupted by the honeyed drink, so they temporarily forgot that!

Nangong Ning continued, “Once princess took the honeyed drink, she felt unwell. But the honeyed drink itself could not let princess precisely fall down into my arms. It’s because of the poison.”

Emperor Fengtian looked at her and asked, ”So what on earth was the matter with Qingle?”

Nangong Ning turned her sight to the highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli for a second. “Dear highest-ranking imperial concubine, can you tell us if princess had ever met something before today?” she asked.

“What do you mean?” the highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli’s face trembled slightly.

“To put it more accurately, had princess ever taken anything before going to sleep last night?” Nangong Ning didn’t answer her, but questioned closely.

This time the highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli’s face went white directly. She stared at Nangong Ning and almost asked “How did you know that?”

Even though she was repressing her mood, everyone would be clear that what Nangong Ning had asked had ever happened if he glanced at her look.

A faint doubt passed across Emperor Fengtian’s eyes. He could not help asking, “My highest-ranking imperial concubine, had Qingle ever taken anything last night?”

The highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli’s face shuddered. She hastened to shake her head and say, “No, not at all, Your Majesty. Do you suspect I was the one who has poisoned Qingle? I AM Qingle’s birth mother!”

“Well, even a vicious tiger will not eat its cubs.” Nangong Ning suddenly added, “But I have this definite certitude that Princess Qingle had ever taken a recessive poison before going to sleep last night. The so-called recessive poison is a kind of poison that would not show its effect without poison inducer.”

Emperor Fengtian changed countenance. He stared at her and asked, “Recessive poison? Are you sure?”

Nangong Ning nodded, and added, ”As for the poison inducer, it is likely to be in that cup of honeyed drink. However, I dare not say if Miss An knew this scheme. I think it will be better if you ask her in person, Your Majesty.”

Emperor Fengtian looked at An Suying, who was now scared as pale as corpse. Only then did she realize that what she and her aunt did had been uncovered!

Oh dear, what could she say? Silly as she was, she was clear that Princess Qingle was royal. Once she admitted that, no matter what would happen to her aunt, she would definitely be finished at first!

Panic-stricken, she turned to look at the highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli, whose heart was bounding for fear that An Suying would say something more in panic.

She had tried to set Nangong Ning up at the cost of her own daughter. But just because she was Princess Qingle’s birth mother, most of people would not suspect her. If any, they would also feel it was unutterable.

However, at present Nangong Ning was linking clues to her step by step. Probably now Emperor Fengtian also began to suspect her.

“Ying Er. I am your natural aunt, and I have been treating you very well. This is exactly your payback to me? Qingle is your younger female cousin, your blood relation. How could you harm her!” the highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli bombarded An Suying in a stern voice.

She had no choice. Either. She had to catch someone as a scapegoat in such a situation. On the stage, Nangong Ning had already acquitted herself so she could not blame it on her any more. And it was hard for her to frame others nearby except An Suying.

She was silly, and the situation now was also against her.

However, the highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli was too self-righteous in the end. Even ants would put up their deathbed struggle, not to mention a living person. No matter how silly An Suying was, she was aware that her dear aunt was pinning everything on her.

But, she DIDN’T want to die!

“My dear aunt, how could you say that? It was not me. I…I had never did that!”

Nangong Ning stood beside them, arm crossed, and looked at frightened An Suying with a gloomy sight. “Miss An, it was you that gave the honeyed drink to princess. Are you really living in the dark? If you harm our exalted princess, your poor body is far to meet one-tenth of the payment!” she said coolly.

An Suying, who had been already in panic, was now nearly fainting by this horrible strike.

At present she was sure that that honeyed drink could not be denied. Everyone believed that it was she that had given the honeyed drink to Princess Qingle. In such a situation her aunt must have also abandoned her and even placed all the blame on her.

Besides, Nangong Ning was right. If she really shouldered this whole plot, it would be fairly trifling to cut her into pieces!

Her pupils shrank abruptly, and then looked up at Emperor Fengtian. “Your Majesty, it was not so. It was my aunt that let me give the honeyed drink to princess. I…I really didn’t know what was in it. I had exhorted my aunt that princess could not take the honeyed drink, but my aunt just insisted that…” she screamed.

“An Suying!” never did the highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli expect that An Suying would directly betray her for real!

In her eyes, she was the most exalted figure in her family. Anyone else in the An family must be willingly to become her chessman. So she always thought An Suying did not dare to betray her for the apprehension about the lifeblood of the whole An family, though she didn’t assist her. After all, she was the highest-ranking imperial concubine, the giver of most of the An family’s wealth and rank.

An Suying was almost scared to lunatic. She cried and bleated, “Aunt, it is exactly you that asked me to give this drink to princess. I know nothing beyond this. I just followed your order, my dear aunt!”

“It means, the criminal who poisoned Qingle is you, the highest-ranking imperial concubine?” Empress Xun said with astonishment.

The highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli’s face changed color. She turned and then moved on knee to Emperor Fengtian’s feet.

“Your Majesty, it is nonsense. How could I poison Qingle? Qingle is my own daughter!”

This statement used to be the highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli’s best shield. Emperor Fengtian hadn’t thought it could be her that poisoned Princess Qingle. However, now Emperor Fengtian began to feel uncertain.

The reason was that An Suying would by no means tell a lie in such a situation. She would not betray the highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli as far as there existed any tiny possibility.

“The highest-ranking imperial concubine, you are indeed…incredible.” Empress Xun shook her head, as if it was hard for her to accept this truth. She turned to Emperor Fengtian and said, “Your Majesty, I don’t think the highest-ranking imperial concubine would murder her own daughter. How can a mother do that! It is even worse than a beast!”

Hearing that Emperor Xun compared her to beast, the highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli must be raged under normal circumstances. Yet now she had no time for that. She seized Empress Xun’s word and said, “Your Majesty, please listen that empress also thinks it could not be me!”

Empress Xun swore in her mind. It was not what she meant!

“Your Majesty, it is true that it is incredible. I have a suggestion that we should interrogate An Suying for some more time. After all, those in freezing room are quite skillful. If we take Miss An to there, they will surely get the truth.”

Being the highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli’s posse, An Suying was of course disliked by Empress Xun. So now Empress Xun would not have any hesitation to say that.

The highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli also wanted to take An Suying down to interrogate her, for that was the only way to avoid the destiny that was fully convicted of poisoned Princess Qingle by Emperor Fengtian.

Nevertheless, An Suying didn’t want to die, and also was in fear of sufferings of flesh. It was clear that the highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli wanted to pin everything on her and even tried to sacrifice her, she could not think of the family affection between she and her aunt any more. To make it worse, at present she found that there was not any family affection at all.

“Your Majesty, dear Empress, I will confess everything right now!”

Empress Xun slightly raised her lips and said coldly, “Well, Miss An is really sensible. Things will be easier.”

Hearing that, the highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli was about to black out.

Nangong Ning stood beside them, arm crossed, and her look was quite cold and gloomy.

She would not show any sympathy to the highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli. This woman had set such a big pitfall for her at the cost of her own daughter. No matter what retribution she got now, she deserved it.

Nangong Ning just felt sorry for Princess Qingle. Such a lovable child, in a twist of unfair fate, had such a mother!

An Suying had flung her whole body down in the flat. “Last night, when princess was about to go to sleep, my aunt…no, the highest-ranking imperial concubine fed princess a pill. I don’t know what it is, but I just remember it is cyan. At that time the highest-ranking imperial concubine told princess that it was a kind of sleeping pill, so princess obediently took it.”

“And then?” Empress Xun’s voice turned cold and had a rise.

“After that there was also not anything strange until today. In the flower nursery my aunt called me to take princess to play and fly a kite, and she said I should feed princess a cup of honeyed drink. I know that princess cannot take honeyed drink, so I was worried and I tried to persuade her.But the highest-ranking imperial concubine asked me to do as I was told without spare words. So I went to do that, and after that…” An Suying bit her lips when she was saying. Even though she didn’t say the following word, everyone knew what is was.

Empress Xun looked at her and asked, “Miss An, you mean you didn’t know the truth throughout the process, and just followed the order?”

“Yer, it is true! I don’t know it for real. I just know the honeyed drink is inappropriate, but I don’t know anything else!” An Suying cried loudly.

When the highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli asked her to take Princess Qingle, she had some hesitation indeed. Yet she didn’t worry about Princess Qingle. She was just afraid that the highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli would poison Princess Qingle.

After a short pause, An Suying bit her lips and said again, “Your Majesty, about that cyan pill, I saw imperial physician Qiao gave it to the highest-ranking imperial concubine. I didn’t know what it is, but I heard that the highest-ranking imperial concubine told imperial physician to prepare for today, and she would not let him down…”

Hearing An Suying’s confession, everyone there knew all the things. Obviously, it was the highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli that had set up the plan to frame Nangong Ning with imperial physician Qiao.

Empress Xun screamed in due time, “No wonder that the highest-ranking imperial concubine insisted on imperial physician Qiao today. When imperial physician Qiao said he could not detoxify the poison, the highest-ranking imperial concubine once screamed it was impossible!”

Nangong Ning nodded, “Your Majesty, imperial physician Qiao could not detoxify the poison because it had changed in princess’ body because of the allergy.”

“No wonder! That is how it is! The highest-ranking imperial concubine, you are really…” Emperor Xun stared at the highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli as if it was hard for her to believe that.

The color had left the highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli’s cheeks. She could not even say a single word.

At that time, Emperor Fengtian looked at the highest-ranking imperial concubine Anli, the one he always loved ardently, in disbelief.