newbobooks Chapter 546 Perhaps he too has become a pawn in Su Wan's hands...
Chapter 546 Perhaps he too has become a pawn in Su Wan's hands...
Su Wan put down her medical book, looked at Chu Ruohan, and said calmly, "By the way, Sister Ruohan, my maid reported an interesting story yesterday."
"The little eunuch who delivered the pastries complained to others after leaving Kunning Palace, saying that after the matter was settled, he would have to go to Desheng Pawnshop in the south of the city to collect the reward money himself, which was really troublesome."
Chu Ruohan paused slightly as she peeled the apple, immediately understanding.
"Desheng Pawnshop in the South of the City?"
Su Wan nodded, her gaze deep: "It's illogical for a suicide soldier who was pushed out to be required to collect his own reward."
"Unless, someone wants to leave him with an indelible mark."
After leaving the palace, Chu Ruohan immediately sent this clue to Gu Junze via secret letter.
The Duke of Zhenguo's mansion wields immense power; investigating a small pawnshop would be a piece of cake for them.
Soon, the news came back.
Gu Junze discovered that a few days ago, a young eunuch had indeed pawned a piece of high-quality mutton fat jade at Desheng Pawnshop.
The style of the jade pendant was almost identical to that of a batch of jade pendants that Consort Hui had bestowed upon her trusted palace maids last winter.
Consort Hui thought that with the death of the youngest son, the matter would be completely over and the storm would pass.
She began to move around the palace, sometimes inviting this concubine to admire flowers, sometimes inviting that noble person to enjoy tea, showing in every way that her favor with the emperor had not diminished.
While serving the emperor, she repeatedly complained to Zhao Yunci about the great injustice she had suffered, subtly implying that only a higher rank could silence the gossip in the harem.
"Your Majesty, I don't want anything, I only ask to stay by Your Majesty's side in peace."
With tears streaming down her face, she spoke with heartfelt sincerity, "But the thought of someone so vicious trying to harm me and Her Majesty the Empress fills me with fear."
On this day, Zhao Yunci was reviewing memorials in the imperial study when Chu Ruohan requested an audience.
She respectfully presented him with a tracing of the jade pendant design.
"Your Majesty, this is a design that I obtained by chance. I heard that it was a pawned item that a eunuch pawned at a pawnshop in the south of the city a few days ago. It looks familiar, and I dare not act on my own initiative, so I have come to ask Your Majesty for a decision."
Zhao Yunci didn't pay much attention at first and took it casually, but when his eyes fell on the pattern, his expression suddenly changed.
He recognized the jade pendant!
This was one of the pieces of jewelry that he personally selected and bestowed upon Consort Hui when she entered the palace. He took a second look at it because of its exquisite craftsmanship.
A surge of anger at being deceived welled up inside him, and he snapped the vermilion brush in Zhao Yunci's hand.
"Summon that eunuch who delivered the pastries!"
Inside the Imperial Prison, the young eunuch, who had thought he had escaped this ordeal, was now brought before the emperor again and was terrified out of his wits.
When the design of the jade pendant was placed in front of him, his last shred of psychological defense completely collapsed.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, spare my life!" He cried, tears streaming down his face, kowtowing repeatedly. "This servant confesses! This servant confesses everything!"
"It wasn't Xiao Sanzi who ordered me! It was...it was Consort Hui's head maid, Sister Cuihuan!"
"The powder was given to me by Sister Cuihuan. She said that after the matter was settled, she would arrange for me to leave the palace and enjoy endless wealth and honor! This jade pendant is the deposit she gave me!"
"Arrest Cuihuan!" The emperor's command was chillingly cold.
When the guards rushed into Consort Hui's palace like wolves and tigers, Cuihuan was fanning Consort Hui.
The moment she was dragged away, Consort Hui was completely stunned. The teacup in her hand crashed to the ground with a loud bang and shattered into pieces.
She never imagined that Su Wan and Chu Ruohan would be able to bypass the dead and unverifiable mistress and trace the clues to Cuihuan from a small pawnshop!
Cuihuan was her right-hand woman and knew too many of her shady dealings!
When Cuihuan was brought before the Emperor, she initially denied everything, relying on Consort Hui's influence.
However, faced with the eunuch's identification and the physical evidence of the jade pendant, her explanations seemed weak and powerless.
When the news reached Kunning Palace, Su Wan was being served a pregnancy-stabilizing medicine by a palace maid.
After hearing the report, she simply said to Zhao Yunci, who had come to visit her:
"Your Majesty, I remember this Miss Cuihuan. A few days ago, she talked back to me over a trivial matter. I didn't take it to heart at the time, and I don't know if she holds a grudge against me because of it."
Her words sounded like she was trying to justify Cuihuan's actions, but in reality, she was pointing to the maid's personal grudges rather than her master's orders.
Upon hearing this, Consort Hui breathed a slight sigh of relief, but her heart was filled with even more doubt and uncertainty.
Zhao Yunci was in a fit of rage and couldn't listen to such "excuses".
"Torture!"
Under torture, Cuihuan quickly succumbed to it.
Consort Hui was restless in the palace, like an ant on a hot pan, fearing that Cuihuan would expose her.
Chu Ruohan stood outside the palace, looking in the direction of the Department of Cautious Punishment, her heart filled with coldness.
She suddenly realized that Su Wan's true purpose was perhaps never as simple as bringing down Consort Hui.
What she wanted was to take this opportunity to uproot Consort Hui's deeply entrenched power in the palace.
Just then, news came from the Censorate that Cuihuan had confessed.
But her testimony surprised everyone.
She implicated another concubine, Consort Li, who came from a prominent family and also coveted the empress's position.
"Your Majesty! It's Consort Li! Consort Li is jealous of the Empress's pregnancy and resents Consort Hui's favor with the Emperor!"
"She found me, offered me a large sum of money, and asked me to use Consort Hui to poison the Empress, and then frame Consort Hui for it. It's killing two birds with one stone!"
When the news reached Consort Hui's ears, she was first taken aback, but then she understood Cuihuan's intention.
Sacrifice the pawn to save the king, and you can also drag a powerful enemy down with you!
A glint of ruthless pleasure flashed in her eyes, but she immediately put on a look of utter grief and stumbled toward the imperial study.
The situation reversed instantly, and Consort Li was implicated, causing panic throughout the entire harem.
Standing under the corridor of Kunning Palace, Chu Ruohan felt a chill rise from the soles of her feet.
The water was much deeper than she had imagined.
Su Wan's chess game was far more complex than she had imagined.
At that moment, she suddenly realized that she might also have become a meticulously planned pawn in Su Wan's hands...