TGCFNM -Chapter 495 The Old Palace Maid Testifies

For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall froze.

Chu Ling stood with her head lowered at the side, not even daring to breathe too obviously. Wan Sanjin stood quietly beside her, keeping just as still.

But Fu Qingyu across from them was much more at ease, seemingly confident, quietly waiting.

After about a quarter of an hour, the palace eunuch outside called out in a loud voice:

“Prince Qi has arrived!”
“Prince Rui has arrived!”
“Prince Su has arrived!”
“Prince He has arrived!”

Wan Sanjin, slightly shocked, quietly turned to look at Chu Ling. She gave him a slight nod of her jaw, silently telling him to stand properly. What was about to happen no longer really involved them—it wasn’t their place to judge.

“Your humble son pays respects to Father Emperor,” the four of them said in unison, kneeling and bowing.

The emperor behind the screen snorted coldly, his gaze icy, making even the Empress Dowager at his side reluctant to say anything.

Since the emperor did not command them to rise, the four princes remained kneeling, and for a moment, both sides were at a stalemate.

It wasn’t until the Empress Dowager broke the silence, calling them to rise, that she spoke helplessly: “I thought only Old Seventh was summoned. Why have all of you come?”

“Your Majesty,” Prince Rui replied in a deep voice, “we were all curious about why Old Seventh was summoned, especially as it concerns the case of Empress Hexiao’s death. Moreover, one of the judges is said to be the orphan of the late Crown Prince.”

Chu Ling’s eyes widened involuntarily—did Prince Rui really dare say that?

Even the Ghost Scholar let out a soft whistle. That statement was extremely blunt; it openly denied Fu Qingyu’s identity as the late Crown Prince’s orphan.

Fu Qingyu, however, was unperturbed, merely bowing slightly and saying respectfully: “Prince Rui, this case has already reached an important stage. His Majesty summoned Prince Qi as well, in order to inquire about the truth.”

“Oh? What truth? The truth you speak of?” Prince Rui’s expression remained unchanged, but his gaze deepened slightly.

Fu Qingyu’s lips curved faintly, her gaze cold: “Naturally, it is the truth uncovered by Lord Chu.”

Chu Ling: “!”

Prince Rui, Prince Ru, and the others all turned to look at the obediently lowered Chu Ling, frowning slightly.

Prince Rui spoke slowly: “Lord Chu, we were all cared for by Her Majesty the Empress during our youth. Therefore, if you have discovered the truth behind her death, we ask that you inform us immediately.”

At this moment, the emperor also spoke in a low voice: “You may speak.”

Chu Ling responded respectfully and began slowly: “Since I took on this case, the first thing I did was go to the imperial villa. In the abandoned villa, I found a camellia japonica flower. Upon opening it, I discovered it contained poison. According to Master Fu, it was a powder made from bloodthirsty Gu worms.”

“The next day after returning from the villa, I was permitted to investigate the inner palace. By the bedside in one of the halls, I discovered a hidden compartment. Inside were a blood-written note, a porcelain vial, and a secret letter. Master Fu said the blood note contained a warning from Her Majesty the Empress before her death, but unfortunately it was never delivered. The poison in the vial resembled a medicine Your Majesty once took, suggesting someone may have attempted to harm you. The secret letter was correspondence between Noble Consort Tao and the Tao family, revealing their plan to seize the throne.”

“These three items should have been delivered to Your Majesty by the Empress, but according to Master Fu’s investigation, Lady Lian, who served the Empress, secretly withheld them, poisoned the Empress’s medicine, and caused her death, hiding the evidence. To prevent the matter from being exposed, she committed suicide, following the Empress in death, and was given a lavish burial. That is why Your Majesty summoned Prince Qi to witness the judgment.”

Chu Ling finished speaking in one breath and stepped back.

Wan Sanjin quickly gave a thumbs-up in response.

Chu Ling blinked and happily accepted it.

Fu Qingyu lowered his gaze and smiled, then turned to Prince Qi and spoke slowly, “Yes, that is why His Majesty summoned Prince Qi here.”

Prince Su frowned. “Can the matter of Noble Consort Gui be settled based solely on your word?”

Fu Qingyu shook his head slightly, his expression tinged with sorrow. “The reason Qingyu is so certain is that we have found a witness—the witness is the elder palace maid Yin Liu, who once served beside Her Majesty the Empress.”

As soon as Fu Qingyu finished speaking, Elder Gao led in an aged palace maid to give her testimony.

The old maid looked as if she had stepped out of another lifetime, staggering forward. Her eyes instantly reddened, and with a thud she knelt down, her tears flowing before she could even speak.

“Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I am Yin Liu. I have survived to return… Your Majesty…”

Chu Ling had been curious about the maid’s appearance, so she craned her neck to look. But upon seeing her in person, her first reaction was disbelief.

This elder palace maid bore a striking resemblance to the palace ghost she had encountered before—one appeared youthful, the other aged.

Bai Su was also stunned. “Isn’t this… isn’t this the same palace maid…?”

“Bai Su, go have a closer look,” Ghost Scholar instructed.

Bai Su immediately floated over, scrutinizing the maid’s face, observing the subtle expressions as the Emperor and Empress Dowager questioned her, then returned with a mind full of questions.

“There’s no sign of deception; this must be her true face—but how is that possible?” Bai Su murmured, stunned.

Ghost Scholar’s expression turned slightly cold. “Nothing is impossible. She had no one to verify her death back then. Whatever she says now is truth.”

Chu Ling lowered her head slightly, still feeling the situation absurd.

Someone had kept a person resembling another alive all these years, just to wait for this day?

“So… you personally saw Noble Consort Lian poison the Empress’s medicine, correct?” the Empress Dowager asked sternly.

The elder palace maid lifted her head, hatred in her eyes. “I can confirm it—it was Noble Consort Lian! Now that I have identified the culprit, I can finally follow Your Majesty…”

Chu Ling sharply looked up, sensing danger. Prince Rui reacted faster, making a move, but the old palace maid bit down on the hidden poison in her mouth and died instantly.

Thus, there was truly no one left to confirm the crime.

Prince Qi knelt heavily, banging his head on the floor. “Father, I truly did not know about this!”

The Emperor slammed the table, standing up abruptly. “Didn’t know? Your vile mother killed the Empress, yet after death enjoyed mourning honors, and because your mother was made a queen, you claim ignorance—do you think that clears you entirely?”

The Empress Dowager hurriedly stood, grabbing the Emperor. “At that time, the Seventh Prince was still very young. How could he have known? Besides, he wasn’t raised by his mother but by Consort Tao.”

As she spoke, realization dawned on her. “So it was Consort Tao who held the Seventh Prince hostage, forcing Noble Consort Lian to act. Knowing her own sins were grave, Noble Consort Lian then chose to follow the Empress in death.”

The Emperor clenched his fists, his gaze as if it could pierce through the screen in front of him.

Ghost Scholar suddenly slapped Chu Ling. “Gu worm.”

Chu Ling stepped forward before anyone could react and knelt. “Your Majesty, while Noble Consort Lian is certainly guilty, I believe the matter of how the gu worm entered the palace should be carefully investigated. Otherwise, it may endanger Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager.”

The hall fell silent. After a long moment, the Emperor spoke lightly, “You mean to say, the one who ordered Noble Consort Lian may not have been Consort Tao, because she would not even know what a gu worm is?”

Chu Ling thought to herself that she didn’t know Consort Tao well either… how should she answer?

At that moment, Prince Qi suddenly realized something and immediately spoke up, “Father, I beg you to give me a chance to atone through merit, so I may catch the person behind all this.”