Сhарter 7: This Pоisоn Comеs from the Sоuthеrn Воrdеrlаnds
Xiао Lin’s brоws furrowеd slightly.
Нe had bееn so рaniсkеd bу Lin Zhaо’s vоmiting of blооd thаt hе lоst his соmpоsure, аnd hеr words had alreаdy рlantеd susрiсiоn in his mind, leading him dirеctly tо thе Маin Cоurtyаrd to demаnd аnswеrs.
Оnlу now did it dаwn on him… he had lеt his соnсеrn cloud his judgment.
Сui Jin hаd sсhemеd to switсh the marriаgе аnd еven deсеived the Сui family—suсh dеер cunning mеаnt she would never be foolish еnough tо роisоn thе mediсine she hersеlf had sеnt.
Othеrwise, оnce Lin Zhao’s poisoning came to light, Cui Jin would be the first to face suspicion.
The anger in his eyes subsided slightly.
Seeing Cui Jin suppressing the pain between her brows, he paused for a moment and released her wrist.
Cui Jin gently rubbed her wrist, holding back tears as she instructed, “Ru Qiu, detain everyone who had contact with the snow lotus. Interrogate them separately—where the poison came from, who administered it, how it was done… make sure to get to the bottom of this!”
Ru Qiu acknowledged the order.
“Have the steward assist,” Xiao Lin added.
Cui Jin’s lips curled slightly. “The Prince’s Manor is entirely under Your Highness’s control. There’s no need to worry that I might destroy evidence—I lack the capability for that.”
Xiao Lin opened his mouth, wanting to say that wasn’t what he meant.
But on second thought, Cui Jin might not be entirely above suspicion. It was better to wait until the matter was fully investigated.
Before leaving, he turned his head and said, “During the war in the Southern Borderlands, Zhao’er took to the battlefield as a woman to repel the enemy, all to protect our homeland and ensure the safety of women like you, who only know how to scheme in the inner chambers. If you have any conscience, show her some respect from now on.”
With that, he strode away.
When Cui Jin looked up, her eyes were filled with tears.
After the door closed, Ru Qiu hurriedly lifted her sleeve, revealing several deep purple bruises on her wrist, stark and terrifying against her fair, smooth skin.
“How could he be so rough?” Ru Qiu’s eyes were filled with pity, but she added, “But now is not the time to apply medicine.”
Cui Jin gave a soft acknowledgment.
Once the truth came to light, this would be Xiao Lin’s guilt.
She closed her eyes and picked up the wooden fish.
Ru Chun and the others instinctively wanted to cover their ears—from a young age, Cui Jin had persisted in this practice for ten full years… they were truly tired of hearing it!
Fortunately, half an hour later, Cui Jin set down the wooden fish and stood up. “Let’s go see the Secondary Consort.”
She led her attendants to Lin Zhao’s Pearl Jade Courtyard.
The scenery here was pleasant, and the furnishings were exquisite, no less impressive than those in the Main Courtyard.
Inside the room, Lin Zhao lay pale on the bed, with Xiao Lin sitting beside her.
When Cui Jin entered, Lin Zhao’s maid paled and suddenly knelt, crying, “I beg Your Highness for mercy! Our mistress is straightforward by nature. She didn’t mean to disrespect you this morning. If you’re angry, take it out on us servants. Please spare our mistress. She’s not accustomed to the intrigues of the inner chambers and can’t withstand such tactics…”
Her tearful plea made Xiao Lin frown.
“Cui Jin, what are you up to now?” he asked, his tone noticeably impatient.
Lin Zhao gave Cui Jin a cold glance.
Cui Jin’s eyes were red, but her back remained straight. “As the Princess Consort, it is my duty to care for everyone in the manor, so I’ve come to check on the Secondary Consort’s health.”
“It’s just a minor poison,” Lin Zhao said coldly. “What haven’t I seen on the battlefield? Princess Consort, rest assured, I may use any means necessary to defeat the enemy, but I won’t engage in scheming with my own people. As for the poisoning, I won’t hold it against you.”
“Secondary Consort!” the maid protested indignantly. “Not everyone deserves to be called one of your own. If it hadn’t been discovered early, you might have been in mortal danger. This matter must be reported to the palace for judgment!”
Lin Zhao frowned slightly.
Just as Xiao Lin was about to speak, he was interrupted by the steward from outside:
“Your Highness, the matter has been clarified.”Xiao Lin paused, comforted Lin Zhao with a few words, then stepped out the door.
Cui Jin glanced at Lin Zhao’s indifferent expression and followed him out.
In the outer room, the steward was reporting: “Everyone in the Princess Consort’s courtyard is normal. Today, the Secondary Consort only consumed half of the snow lotus. I had the Imperial Physician examine it—the remaining half of the snow lotus… is not poisoned.”
“Not poisoned?” Prince Xin asked, “Then why did the Secondary Consort get poisoned?”
“The snow lotus sent by the Princess Consort is not poisoned, but the snow lotus soup consumed by the Secondary Consort was somehow toxic,” the steward bowed deeply. “The poison… is the Entwining Thread Toxin.”
The Entwining Thread Toxin, with its toxin-like threads, can gradually weaken a person, but a small dose is harmless. Consumed with tremella fungus, it can cause vomiting of blood.
Most importantly—this is a poison from the Southern Borderlands.
Xiao Lin fell silent for a moment.
Cui Jin, a woman from a boudoir, had no means to purchase Southern Borderlands poison. Moreover, having just married into the Prince’s Manor, she lacked the ability to openly poison someone in the Secondary Consort’s courtyard.
And the tremella and lotus seed soup… this was something she specifically ordered to be sent to the Pearl Jade Courtyard at noon.
Even if she had truly poisoned it, why would she immediately send tremella to expose herself?
Lin Zhao was staging this herself.
Xiao Lin almost immediately became convinced of this suspicion.
Cui Jin glanced at him and reminded, “This Heavenly Mountain Snow Lotus was bestowed by the Emperor last year on my grandmother’s birthday. My grandmother later gave it to me as part of my dowry.”
Xiao Lin’s expression shifted slightly.
Tampering with an imperial gift—if word got out, the censors accusing him of lax household management would be a minor issue, but disrespecting the Emperor would be a grave offense.
Lin Zhao was being too reckless!
Cui Jin curtsied. “My innocence has been proven. I shall take my leave now.”
Xiao Lin instinctively grabbed her wrist, only to see her gasp in pain.
Realizing his mistake, he quickly pushed up her sleeve. When he saw the shocking bruises on her jade-like skin, guilt flashed in his eyes.
“Your Highness!”
Lin Zhao, who had hurried out upon hearing the results, saw this scene and her face turned even colder. She strode forward and pushed Cui Jin aside.
Cui Jin stumbled, nearly falling.
Xiao Lin, rarely showing a stern expression, stopped Lin Zhao. “Let this matter end here. Return to your room to recuperate.”
Lin Zhao suddenly froze, disbelief in her eyes. “Your Highness also thinks I poisoned myself with the Entwining Thread Toxin?”
“It was merely a servant accidentally contaminating the poison. Qing Xi, find out who prepared the snow lotus soup and execute them by caning. As for today’s events… anyone who dares to leak even a word will be put to death,” Prince Xin said coldly.
The Imperial Physician trembled.
Qing Xi accepted the order and left.
But Lin Zhao pushed aside her maid, straightened her back, and stared intently at Prince Xin. “I, Lin Zhao, am upright and honorable, with my own pride. I have never stooped to such despicable harem schemes. If you don’t believe me, I have nothing more to say!”
Xiao Lin rubbed his temples.
He did not want to embarrass Lin Zhao, but he also did not wish to dwell on this matter.
Cui Jin lowered her gaze.
The first step of trust between two people deeply in love had shattered.
After bowing, she turned and left. Xiao Lin only had time to catch a glimpse of her lonely and desolate figure.
He remained silent for a moment before ordering, “Have the Imperial Physician examine the Princess Consort’s hand injury. Retrieve the finest medicinal herbs from the storeroom and send them to the Main Courtyard.”
“Yes.”
…
Main Courtyard.
Cui Jin sat under the corridor, looking at the medicinal herbs that had been delivered, and chuckled softly. “It would be amusing if I consumed these and then vomited blood.”
Ru Qiu sighed helplessly and whispered, “Since you were the one who administered the poison, there’s no point in making a fuss.”
Cui Jin smiled without responding.
In both her past and present lives, Lin Zhao had staged the poisoning and framed her. But this time, Cui Jin had also poisoned her.Lin Zhao had originally intended to use an ordinary drug—one that would merely weaken a person for a month. Such a drug was not particularly rare and would not conclusively prove her self-directed scheme.
Thus, Cui Jin had Ru Xia, the most skilled among her attendants, guard the back gate. When someone from Pearl Jade Courtyard returned to the manor after purchasing the poison, Ru Xia silently swapped it for the Entwining Thread Toxin. Although Cui Jin had almost no influence within Prince Xin’s Manor, she had loyal confidants trained by her uncle, making it no trouble to outmaneuver Lin Zhao.
The silver ear fungus was also deliberately sent by her.
“You calculated this perfectly,” Ru Qiu said with a smile. “In front of the Prince, she would certainly eat the silver ear fungus soup to demonstrate her magnanimity.”
This smoothly cleared Cui Jin of suspicion—and did not wrong Lin Zhao either. At most, it was a case of her being outmatched and counter-schemed.
Even if Xiao Lin ordered a thorough investigation, it would only reveal that she had sent someone to buy the poison herself, further confirming her false accusation.
“But I don’t understand…” Ru Qiu asked, “How did you obtain the Entwining Thread Toxin?”
This was a secret poison from the Southern Borderlands.
“It was Cui Ruyue’s,” Cui Jin replied with a smile. “Yesterday, when I went to her courtyard to prepare for the wedding, I quietly took it.”
What Cui Ruyue had intended for Mother Cui was not just a fertility-suppressing drug.
She had even gone to great lengths, relying on her maternal family, to procure the Entwining Thread Toxin, only for it to fall into Cui Jin’s hands now.
After the two conversed for a while, Cui Jin sat by the window, gazing up at the sky as if lost in thought.
When Qing Xi arrived, he saw this scene and could not help but show sympathy.
“Princess Consort, the Prince knows you were wronged today and specifically sent me to deliver many medicinal herbs.”
Cui Jin remained dazed and did not respond.