sbdcsierra Chapter 1379 Willing to Die to Show His Will
Chapter 1379 Willing to Die to Show His Will
"No... Madam, I really don't have any..."
Tao Ye just shook her head desperately and repeated these words.
Su Quanye had a blank expression on his face, as he was already accustomed to such scenes.
He had been in the Ministry of Punishment for many years and was well aware of many shady methods, which involved using things that were colorless, odorless, and difficult to detect.
Su Quanye stopped arguing with Tao Ye and gave the order: "Search!"
"Carefully search all the belongings that Concubine Kang handled yesterday, as well as the residences of any suspects!"
The eunuch from the Ministry of Punishment said, "Yes!"
They moved swiftly and quickly returned to the residences of Taoye and several other palace maids who might have had access to the dressing table.
One of them held a small coarse cloth bag in his hand and bowed to Su Quanye, saying, "Eunuch Su, this was found under Taoye's bed, in the innermost layer of the mattress."
Su Quanye took it and opened it in public. There was actually a lot of silver inside. A quick look showed that there were at least twenty taels!
A suppressed gasp suddenly sounded in the hall—
The annual allowance for a palace maid was only six taels of silver. Even if Tao Ye didn't eat or drink, it would take her more than three years to save up twenty taels of silver!
There is no way she, a second-class palace maid, could have so much savings!
Su Quanye picked up a silver ingot and looked at Taoye with cold eyes: "Taoye, where did you get all this silver?"
Tao Ye stared at the bag of silver, her eyes wide as bells, her face showing undisguised shock and bewilderment. She said in panic, "No! This isn't mine!"
"I don't know! I've never seen this much silver!"
She turned to Concubine Kang, tears streaming down her face, "Your Majesty! Please believe me! I really don't know where this silver came from!"
"Someone must have framed me!"
Looking at Tao Ye's genuinely horrified expression, Concubine Kang felt a flicker of doubt in her mind.
If it was really Tao Ye who did it, and she got a large sum of money, why didn't she hide it more secretly, but it was found out so easily?
This is too unreasonable.
However, during that time period, only Tao Ye had come into contact with the balm.
The people from the Ministry of Punishment also found silver of unknown origin in her bed.
All evidence seems to point to Tao Ye.
To others, this is irrefutable evidence.
Tao Ye didn't know what she was thinking of. It was as if she had grabbed the last straw. She raised her head suddenly and looked at Su Quanye with tearful eyes: "Eunuch Su, I applied the ointment for the Majesty yesterday, and it got on my hands too."
"If it was really me who put the red grass juice into the ointment at that time, why didn't I get a rash?"
"This... doesn't this prove my innocence?"
At first glance, what she said does make sense.
Yes, if the ointment had been tampered with, how could the peach leaves be safe and sound?
Liu Ye, a nearby palace maid who was not on good terms with Tao Ye, took the opportunity to retort, "Who knows if you took the antidote in advance?"
"After doing something so shameful, I naturally have to leave a way out for myself."
This was not entirely without reason, and it instantly extinguished most of the fire of hope that Tao Ye had just ignited.
Su Quanye ignored the willow leaf and turned his gaze to the imperial physician who had been waiting for orders, asking questions.
The imperial physician understood and stepped forward, bowing in Nangong Xuanyu's direction. He explained in a serious tone, "Your Majesty, not everyone who comes into contact with red grass juice will develop an eczema. Whether or not it occurs is closely related to one's physical constitution."
"Those with accumulated dampness and heat in their bodies and disharmony of qi and blood are easily affected by it; whereas those with a balanced and strong constitution may experience no symptoms or extremely mild symptoms even if exposed."
"Therefore... the fact that Tao Ye never fell ill doesn't directly prove that the ointment she applied to Concubine Kang was non-toxic."
The imperial physician's words were calm and objective, but they completely blocked Tao Ye's way to defend herself.
Tao Ye collapsed to the ground instantly after hearing this...
Nangong Xuanyu sat in the main seat, watching the farce below, with the irritation between his brows barely concealed.
He patiently said to Su Quanye in a cold voice, "Since that's the case, drag Tao Ye away for a thorough interrogation. Make sure you find out who is behind this."
"The slave obeys the order!"
Su Quanye bowed and accepted the order, then waved to the young eunuch.
Two eunuchs from the Ministry of Punishment immediately stepped forward, one on the left and one on the right, and tried to lift up Tao Ye, who was as limp as mud.
"Do not--!!!"
Tao Ye's voice was filled with extreme fear of torture.
She had heard too many rumors about the Ministry of Punishment in the palace. It was a hell on earth, and once you entered it, your life would be worse than death!
Skinning and pulling out tendons, knocking out bones and sucking out marrow...
All kinds of tortures swirled in her mind, instantly shattering Tao Ye's last bit of sanity.
She had no way of proving her innocence. Rather than being tortured into confessing under duress, only to end up dead, it would be better...
The fear of torture ignited a desperate madness in Tao Ye's eyes.
She suddenly raised her head and looked directly at Concubine Kang on the couch, her eyes were complex and difficult to read. There was despair, injustice, and a hint of determination.
Tao Ye screamed with all her strength: "My Lady, I am innocent! I am willing to die to prove my innocence——"
Before she finished her words, when no one could react, she burst out with astonishing strength and used all her strength to slam into the hard vermilion palace pillar next to her!
"boom--!!!"
A dull and terrifying roar sounded in the hall.
Blood instantly spurted out from Tao Ye's forehead, staining the cold pillar red.
Tao Ye's body slid softly to the ground, twitching twice before she fell silent. Only her eyes remained wide open, staring blankly at the temple beams, as if silently accusing her of injustice...
It all happened so fast and so unexpectedly!
There was a moment of dead silence in the hall, followed by a few suppressed exclamations.
Several timid palace maids were so frightened that their faces turned pale. They subconsciously stepped back and covered their mouths with their hands.
Even Li Changde, who was used to the storm, had his eyelids twitching slightly.
Concubine Kang was so frightened by the bloody scene that happened so close to her that she trembled all over, her stomach churned, and she almost vomited!
She looked at Tao Ye's blood-stained body and her eyes, which had never closed until her death, and a chill ran through her heart...
This... is this the method used by the person behind the scenes?
Not only did he harm her, but he also took the life of a palace maid, leaving no evidence!
Shen Zhinian's face, which had always been calm, now frowned. He looked at the corpse that was still warm with deep eyes.
Nangong Xuanyu obviously did not expect Tao Ye to die by hitting the pillar.
He looked at the blood and corpses in the hall, and the impatience and irritation in his eyes became more and more intense.
The emperor has to deal with a mountain of military and national affairs every day, and he really has no extra energy to waste on trivial matters such as the harem.
He waved his sleeves and said, "Since Tao Ye has committed suicide out of fear of punishment, the subsequent matters will be handled by the Ministry of Punishment."