klisemfg Chapter 872 Tell the truth
Chapter 872 Tell the truth
The Emperor frowned, his gaze sweeping over Song Ruozhen and Imperial Physician Wang; neither of them made sense.
Aside from the time when Consort Duan was disfigured, Song Ruozhen had never met Consort Duan before, and they had no contact at all in all this time.
The reason he entered the palace today was because he specifically summoned him. In that case, there is only one possibility left.
"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, someone is surely trying to use this opportunity to frame Princess Chu!"
The Empress's eyes were solemn. "The Princess Consort of Chu has recently made many contributions, which may have offended some people, so they deliberately took this opportunity to frame her."
If she is found guilty of plotting to harm the concubines in the harem, then she deserves the death penalty!
"Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly. Physician Wang is likely just a pawn in this game. If we don't find out who they are, we will be restless and unable to eat or sleep!"
When the other concubines heard about this, they all had their own guesses, and what the Empress said was the most likely explanation.
However, the Princess Consort of Chu was a capable woman, and it wasn't so easy for the other party to slander her. On the contrary, the Imperial Physician Wang himself ended up getting himself into trouble.
"Your Majesty, my mind was completely blank just now, as if I were being controlled by someone, and I had no idea what happened."
Imperial Physician Wang kowtowed repeatedly, pleading, "Your Majesty, please investigate! This humble subject truly had no intention of harming Consort Duan!"
"Guards, take him away and subject him to severe torture. We must extract the truth from him!" the Emperor roared.
Without a word, the guards dragged the imperial physician away. A mere imperial physician's body couldn't withstand such torture, and he would likely confess everything he was supposed to soon.
Seeing that Physician Wang was being taken away, Song Ruozhen knew from the ashen look on his face that he was not going to survive.
If the plan fails, Liang Wang's men will not let him live; in fact, even if the plan succeeds, he still will not survive.
It's just unclear what bargaining chip the other party used to entice him to agree to this condition.
"How is Consort Duan now?"
The imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital rushed over and breathed a sigh of relief after examining Consort Duan's condition.
"Your Majesty, Consort Duan only suffered a minor superficial injury to her neck; it is not serious."
Chu Muyao looked at the other imperial physicians and said, "Father, today's events are truly strange. With so many imperial physicians in office, why was the least senior Physician Wang chosen to treat Consort Duan? I wonder if there's something wrong with that?"
The Emperor glanced at Chu Muyao. This girl has grown up now and can already see through the clues.
"Doctor Xu, what exactly is going on?"
"Your Majesty, Consort Duan's illness has always been under the care of Imperial Physician Yang, but he has been feeling unwell these past few days."
Physician Wang had always been assisting Physician Yang, so the matter was temporarily handed over to Physician Wang.
Physician Xu knelt down and hurriedly explained, "Although Physician Wang is relatively young, he is always reliable and knows Consort Duan's condition very well, which is why I feel comfortable entrusting her to him."
When the Emperor saw that the other imperial physicians gave the same answer, he knew that the Imperial Hospital was probably unaware of the matter.
"Everyone else, please step back."
The concubines who had come to watch the spectacle all withdrew, each harboring their own guesses, but none dared to voice them directly.
After everyone else had left, the Emperor turned to Song Ruozhen and Chu Muyao, "Now that everyone is gone, do you two have anything to say to me?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Muyao's heart skipped a beat.
What her sister-in-law had told her before was absolutely right. Although they could keep these things from others, they couldn't hide them from their father.
The Empress also stayed behind, and from her daughter's expression, she knew what was going on, and her heart immediately tightened again.
"Father, after my daughter-in-law and the princess entered the room, Physician Wang took out a puppet talisman and intended to stick it on my daughter-in-law."
Because his daughter-in-law had sensed something was wrong when he came in, she immediately restrained him and stuck the puppet talisman on his body.
Immediately afterwards, we saw him freeze for a moment, then attack Consort Duan like a madman.
Song Ruozhen did not hide anything; none of those who could become emperors were simple.
His ability to see through people's hearts was so great that ordinary people could be seen through at a glance. Moreover, after Physician Wang was taken away, he might confess.
Rather than waiting until it's discovered and you're suspected, it's better to clarify things now.
Chu Muyao nodded repeatedly, "The situation looked really bizarre at the time, and my daughter was almost scared to death."
If that puppet talisman had been affixed to my sister-in-law, then she would be the one plotting to kill Consort Duan right now, and she would be impossible to clear her name even if she jumped into the Yellow River!
The emperor's brows furrowed even more deeply, "A puppet talisman?"
"Father, the effect of the Puppet Talisman is just as its name suggests. The person afflicted by the Puppet Talisman will do the same things as the person afflicted. In other words, while under the influence of the talisman, they have no idea what they are doing."
Some insidious members of the mystical arts use this method to make others their scapegoats, leaving them with no way to refute the claims.
A look of terror filled the Empress's eyes. She patted her chest in lingering fear and said:
"Your Majesty, such methods are truly insidious!"
If Ruozhen hadn't also known a little, she probably would have already fallen into the trap. If the person behind this isn't found, it will be impossible for her to eat or sleep in peace.
"That Imperial Physician Wang has been bribed; he's probably the only lead we have now."
Seeing Song Ruozhen's clear eyes, the Emperor knew she wasn't lying. However, upon closer examination, he realized the matter was not so simple.
This also involves the King of Chu and the King of Liang, which is quite troublesome.
The previous events clearly indicated a conflict between the King of Liang and the King of Chu. Is today's incident... a trap deliberately set by the King of Liang?
Song Ruozhen, Chu Muyao, and the Empress stopped there, as anything involving princes was a sensitive topic.
If they were even slightly smart, they wouldn't have brought these things up, lest they be accused of having ulterior motives.
"You've been frightened today, so you should go back now," the Emperor said.
"Thank you, Father."
Song Ruozhen didn't want to stay in the palace for long, so when she heard that she was allowed to leave, she was overjoyed.
The Empress left with Chu Muyao, and only after they had walked some distance did she speak:
"Now that Consort Duan has become like this, I thought she would calm down a bit, but I didn't expect her to cause such a serious incident."
Fortunately, Ruozhen, you're smart enough; otherwise, this trap would have been a dead end.
Song Ruozhen smiled slightly, but her expression was somewhat solemn. "This is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune. Now it's their turn to have a headache."
"Ruozhen, don't worry, I will definitely give you an explanation for this matter. I will never let them bully you for nothing!"