noffsinger Chapter 596: The Victim and the Murderer
Chapter 596: The Victim and the Murderer
Jiang Suining was once again invited to Queen Shi's bedroom.
It has been just over an hour since she left in the morning.
But only an hour later, when Jiang Suining looked at Queen Shi in front of him and greeted her, his mood had changed dramatically.
In her mind, the person in front of her was no longer the victim of poisoning, or rather, the victim of poisoning in front of her was perhaps the biggest culprit who pushed the whole thing to the point where it was now.
The gaze that Empress Shi gave Jiang Suining became increasingly deep, like the cold moon shining through the clouds, or like a fruit that had finally peeled off its obstructing shell, revealing the real flesh underneath.
At this moment, Queen Shi with such eyes is the real her.
"I wonder why the Queen summoned me here again?" Jiang Suining asked with a slightly cold voice, lowering his head.
Empress Shi continued to look at Jiang Suining with a dim gaze, as if examining or threatening her. She did not speak immediately. The bedroom went from quiet to dead silent, and the air seemed to be stagnant.
Since Empress Shi did not speak, Jiang Suining just straightened his back, lowered his head slightly, and stood quietly without saying a word.
After a long time, Jiang Suining heard a sigh and Queen Shi finally spoke.
"Lady Jiang, I really admire you. You are smart, responsible, and meticulous. But if you want to gain a foothold in the harem and climb up step by step, sometimes being smart is not enough. You also have to be able to judge the situation and be muddle-headed."
Jiang Suining looked up and met Empress Shi's gaze. She bowed slowly and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty. However, I don't know what your Majesty means by being confused."
"Since the emperor has decided to end this case, why do you have to keep investigating it? It will do you no good to continue investigating it."
Queen Shi lowered her tone and her voice became a little colder. Suddenly, a sense of oppression spread. After a slight pause, she spoke again with a hint of persuasion.
"Since you are a smart person, you should know that you should let go of some things when you should. Why bother to be stubborn? Although you have performed well in the harem and your husband is in the limelight in the former dynasty, these are not enough to be the foundation for you to gain a firm foothold. See the road ahead clearly, don't make mistakes, and don't offend people you shouldn't offend. This is the most important thing."
"Perhaps it's because I'm not a smart man." Jiang Suining raised a faint self-deprecating expression on his lips, "I'm really ashamed of your appreciation and respect."
Empress Shi thought she had made her words clear enough. Seeing Jiang Suining's reaction, she frowned and made her point clear, "Do you mean to say that you still plan to continue investigating?"
Jiang Suining did not reply immediately, but asked: "Your Majesty, do you mean that you are afraid that I will continue to investigate?"
"How dare you, Lady Jiang! Even though the Empress is fond of you, you shouldn't speak to her like that. It's extremely disrespectful!" The nanny next to her immediately began to scold.
"It's alright." Empress Shi raised her hand slightly, her eyes resting on Jiang Suining. "Lady Jiang, since you have already found out that it was Jixiang, I will just speak frankly with you. This time, it was indeed Concubine Cheng who wanted to poison me. You don't have to doubt it."
"So the queen took advantage of this opportunity and arranged a good show for herself that almost cost her life?"
She originally thought that Empress Shi was really lucky, and although the poison she was poisoned with was dangerous, she still had a chance of survival. But now it seems that the other party may have accurately controlled the dosage of the poison, which is why she was able to survive despite hanging by a thread.
Empress Shi raised her eyes with sarcasm in them, "Noble Concubine Cheng has always coveted my position and wants to replace me. I'm sure everyone in the harem knows this. Now that she can't hold back any longer and wants to take action, why can't I take advantage of this opportunity?"
After being immersed in this harem for so many years, she had long lost her previous compassionate heart.
Although others always thought she was lucky, as she became the queen as soon as she entered the palace, and even though she had no children in her life, the emperor did not depose her, and she still sat safely on the throne of queen.
But only she herself knew that in this deep palace, a queen without children and no favor would have turned into ashes long ago if she didn't have any tricks.
She would not take the initiative to make things difficult for the concubines in the harem, but if someone wanted to plot against her, why should she be soft-hearted?
"How did your Majesty know that Concubine Cheng was going to attack you?" Jiang Suining asked.
"Being in this harem, I naturally have my own way. I have nothing to tell you about this."
"Then I will ask you another question." Jiang Suining spoke word by word, "He Qingrui, what role did she play in this matter? Did Her Majesty use her knowing everything, or was she used by Her Majesty from the beginning?"
If it is the latter, then this matter may have been instigated by Empress Shi from the very beginning. Qingrui, who was considered a useful chess piece by Concubine Cheng, might have been sent to the other party bit by bit by Empress Shi.
Similarly, including Qingrui's death, maybe it was part of Empress Shi's plan from the beginning...
"I know what you are thinking, but I can tell you clearly that the matter of Concubine Cheng looking for He Qingrui has nothing to do with me. Although I do hate Concubine Cheng, but with her favor and the current status of the Fourth Prince, I would not take action unless she takes the initiative to provoke me."
After all, if some calculations are not done well enough and something goes wrong, it will backfire.
Just like what happened this time, if he and Concubine Cheng were in different places, she would not have the emperor's favor and would not have a son to rely on. I'm afraid that the emperor's final choice would not be to keep the peace.
Thinking of this, a deep chill once again surged up in Queen Shi's heart, spreading from her heart to her limbs. It was the resentment for not having children, and the resentment for the emperor's ruthless behavior.
They were clearly a young couple, but in the end their love faded and only a tiny bit of old affection remained.
Jiang Suining observed Empress Shi carefully and felt that she did not seem to be lying, but her heart was still cold. She once again thought of He Qingrui's body being carried away on a stretcher.
"Madam, so when Jixiang was delivering food, he threatened He Qingrui and made her write a suicide note to express her will, and then committed suicide?"
"Yes." Empress Shi admitted straightforwardly, "Since I asked you to come here, I didn't intend to hide it from you. Concubine Cheng used He Qingrui's father and her family to threaten her. I know this very well. If she can use them, then I can use them too. Speaking of which, He Qingrui is really a filial daughter. I originally thought that she would be entangled and hesitant, but I didn't expect her choice to be so straightforward."