Chapter 26: Kneel

The two Momos were also swayed by what was said.

Dou Fangchun barked sharply again, "Strip her quickly! Otherwise, I will have you two seized and beaten with the board as well!"

The Momos steeled their hearts and gritted their teeth, ultimately closing in on Nan Xueyin.

Nan Xueyin did not resist, nor did she intend to, allowing her arms to be seized.

Both Momos were adept at their work; they came up and tore off her shawl, their movements swift and decisive.

Very quickly, Nan Xueyin's white silk outer garment was pulled down, revealing a narrow-sleeved shirt underneath, which was also torn down halfway, exposing most of her shoulders.

And even at this moment, Xiao Mingyu remained silent, showing no intention of intervening or even speaking, merely standing by and watching.

"Strip her faster! You must strip her until not a single piece is left!" Dou Fangchun urged impatiently.

Just as the other side of the shirt was about to be torn off, suddenly, a crisp, cold voice came: "Stop!"

Xiao Youlan had arrived.

Dou Fangchun gritted her teeth—how could he have come so quickly, before she was stripped clean!

The two Momos had already stopped their movements, following the crowd in bowing respectfully: "Your Highness, Crown Prince."

Nan Xueyin quickly assessed her current state and was quite satisfied; she casually tousled her hair, raised her hands to protect her chest, and reddened her eyes at just the right moment.

She saw the crowd consciously making way, and when Xiao Youlan saw her appearance, his expression suddenly turned cold and grim.

Nan Xueyin knew that her plan of using the enemy's own strategy against them had already more than half succeeded.

"Cousin!"

Dou Fangchun adjusted her mindset and went up to meet him, intending to hold his arm.

Xiao Youlan, however, ruthlessly shook her off.

Dou Fangchun's smile froze on her face.

The Crown Prince walked straight up to Nan Xueyin, who had already prepared a tearful tone, and called out with a trembling voice: "Your Highness..."

Xiao Youlan's heart trembled; seeing her clothes and hair in disarray, the corners of her eyes stained red with tears, looking at him helplessly and brokenly, his brow furrowed even tighter.

He pulled Nan Xueyin's clothing back up to cover her shoulders.

"Cousin! It was she who poisoned Ruan Yunchan!" Dou Fangchun shouted unwillingly.

Nan Xueyin looked at Xiao Youlan with tears in her eyes, shaking her head and explaining aggrievedly, "Your Highness, this servant did not..."

Xiao Youlan rubbed the back of her hand to signal her to be at ease, then turned to Dou Fangchun and asked: "You say Doukou poisoned her, do you have evidence?"

Dou Fangchun said: "She was the one who brought the tea, and after drinking it, Ruan Yunchan was poisoned and fell unconscious. If this poison wasn't administered by her, then who else could it be?"

Xiao Youlan's voice was cold and sharp: "The tea leaves, the teacup, the water, the boiling, the steeping, the serving—each step involves different people. Is Doukou the only one? Furthermore, when Miss Ruan was drinking the tea, weren't you right by her side? Why are you not a suspect?"

The final interrogation carried a sharp and biting chill that was horrifying to hear.

A trace of imperceptible guilt flashed across Dou Fangchun's face, but she quickly complained: "Miss Ruan is the daughter of a court official; I am doing this to find out whether or not she was the one who poisoned her. Why is Cousin blaming me instead?"

"Are you truly trying to find out the truth?" Xiao Youlan said coldly. "I have never heard that the first step in investigating a case is to strip someone's clothes, and to strip them until not a single piece is left."

Dou Fangchun was choked for words.

"Even for a heinous murderer, one must have complete human and material evidence, conduct careful interrogation, and not use corporal punishment arbitrarily. What, have you, Dou Fangchun, established your own set of interrogation methods? Whether you truly want to investigate the poisoning or are acting out of dark intentions to deliberately make things difficult, you know that in your own heart!"

Xiao Youlan's words were too harsh and cold; there was no longer any warmth between cousins.

Dou Fangchun felt aggrieved and turned to look at Empress Dowager Zong outside the crowd, hoping she could help her.

But the look in Empress Dowager Zong's eyes toward her held only disappointment.

"The Imperial Physician is here!"

An old Imperial Physician with a gray beard hurried over.

Xiao Youlan gestured toward Ruan Yunchan, who was still lying on the ground: "Trouble yourself, Imperial Physician Sun."

Imperial Physician Sun stepped forward to check Ruan Yunchan's condition.

Before long, he bowed to Xiao Youlan and reported truthfully: "Your Highness, this is castor bean poisoning. Powder extracted from castor seeds is mixed into water or added to pastries; even a small amount is life-threatening."

Xiao Youlan asked: "Can she be saved?"

"Miss Ruan did not ingest much, and not much time has passed, so she can still be saved. However..." Imperial Physician Sun hesitated slightly.

"However?"

Imperial Physician Sun sighed, "However, the damage the toxin does to the body is unavoidable; she will need to be carefully nursed from now on."

Nan Xueyin understood the implication: she wasn't dead, but she was ruined.

Xiao Youlan understood as well; he paused for a moment and said: "Some say Miss Ruan fell unconscious after drinking the tea served by the palace maid. Imperial Physician, take another look at the tea over there."

A trace of imperceptible panic flashed across Dou Fangchun's face.

Just as Imperial Physician Sun was about to respond and step forward, Empress Dowager Zong spoke leisurely: "It is better to first help Miss Ruan into the palace hall and have Imperial Physician Sun treat the poison there."

Xiao Youlan frowned and looked over.

Empress Dowager Zong also looked at him, "Castor beans have the effect of moistening the bowels, relieving constipation, and reducing swelling and nodules; they are often kept in Baoci Palace. It is possible that the servants were careless and mixed them up, getting them into the tea leaves or tea water. No one poisoned anyone today."

She paused, then looked at Nan Xueyin with a face full of kindness, "Miss Doukou, this child Fangchun is usually straightforward and righteous. Today, she was just anxious and acted out of concern, treating you with rudeness. I hope you will not hold a grudge against her."

Empress Dowager Zong did not want to blow the matter out of proportion and was suppressing it while she could.

Xiao Youlan had something to say, but Nan Xueyin suddenly gripped his hand back.

She bowed gracefully to Empress Dowager Zong, "This servant holds no grudge; today's matter was merely a misunderstanding."

Empress Dowager Zong nodded in satisfaction and repeated, "Yes, just a misunderstanding."

Xiao Youlan's brow remained furrowed.

"Youlan, take Doukou to the side hall to change her clothes."

"... Yes."

Empress Dowager Zong finally smiled at everyone: "Good, then everyone disperse! Today is the Flower Viewing Banquet; do not miss the beauty of the flowers and the spring scenery."

With her having the final say, no one dared to say anything more.

The palace maids carried Ruan Yunchan toward the inner hall, and Zong Taihou cast a glance at Dou Fangchun, "You, come here."

Dou Fangchun followed tremblingly.

Ruan Yunchan was settled outside to be detoxified, and Zong Taihou led Dou Fangchun into the side chamber.

The palace servants were all dismissed, and the Empress Dowager opened her mouth and said, "Kneel."

Dou Fangchun knelt down unwillingly, just about to explain things properly.

Zong Taihou raised her hand and struck her a solid slap across the face.

Dou Fangchun was stunned by the blow.

"Today's affair, it was your own idea alone." Zong Taihou was stating a fact, not asking a question.

"I didn't..." Dou Fangchun mumbled.

"You didn't? Then what motive or purpose would Doukou have to poison the Ruan family girl? It is far less likely than you and the Ruan family girl being jealous of her having the Crown Prince's favor and deliberately poisoning her."

Dou Fangchun refused to admit guilt and stubbornly said, "But Yunchan only fell into a coma from poisoning after drinking the tea she sent over!"

"She sent a table full of several cups of water; how could she be sure which cup the Ruan family girl would drink? Could it be that she poisoned every single cup? This poison was clearly administered by you! You were the one who handed the tea to the Ruan family girl; you hid the castor powder between your fingers and, taking advantage of the moment you handed her the cup, secretly sprinkled it into the tea," Zong Taihou narrowed her eyes to look at her, "If you continue to quibble, the tea on that table has not been cleared away yet; we shall see if every cup was poisoned or just one, and then we shall check if there is any residual castor powder on your fingers or sleeves, and everything will be brought to light!"