"Madame Cui, though you first resided in Boling and later moved to Xindu, the Cui family is still a prominent lineage. You must have heard that I am not only the current princess consort, but also a physician.
This syringe once compelled Emperor Feng Qingheng of the previous dynasty to confess his crimes, and it also led to the ruin of the Prime Minister and Grand Commandant of Da Qin.
I wonder if Madame Cui wishes to test the power of this truth serum as well?"
As it happened, Madame Cui had indeed heard of the potency of truth serum.
Knowing there was no escape, she abandoned her subservient demeanor and stood up, her tone ominous, "Princess Consort, must you be so absolute?"
Her words clearly carried a threat, but Lu Qingwan seemed not to notice, responding frankly, "Yes, I summoned you to the palace today precisely to make you confess. What do you intend to do?"
"As a member of the Cui Wang clan, I naturally cannot do anything to you. But Princess Consort, do not forget, I am also the wife of the Tongzheng Shi, a third-rank lady of the imperial court. Even if you are a princess consort, you cannot touch me without proof!"
This attitude utterly terrified the Tongzheng Shi in the side hall, causing him to collapse onto the floor.
Lu Qingwan remained calm. "You speak the truth. Without proof, I indeed cannot touch you. But now, do we not have proof?"
As if deliberately provoking, Lu Qingwan waved the truth serum in her hand. "Once this is injected, all the evidence will be present. Do you think your position as a third-rank lady will remain secure?"
Seeing the truth serum, Madame Cui sneered dismissively. "You dare?! Believe it or not, if you lay a single finger on me here, Si Fengwu in Da Qin will have to pay with his life for me!"
Lu Qingwan's heart skipped a beat. She had assumed this Madame Cui was merely a pawn bought off, but it seemed her position there was quite significant. She feigned a look of shock. "So you really deliberately lured the Prince to Da Qin! What have you done to the Prince?"
Seeing her panic, Madame Cui finally felt satisfied. "Now you're scared? It's too late! From the moment Si Fengwu fell into the trap and left Xindu, he was destined not to return! I originally intended to keep you for a few more days, but since you insist on seeking death, don't blame us for being impolite!"
After speaking, she smiled triumphantly, even stepping onto the jade stairs that only the emperor could tread, approaching Lu Qingwan step by step.
"When you incited Si Fengwu to annihilate my Chu clan, did you ever imagine you would end up like this? The Chu clan was annihilated, and you rose to prominence. I, however, endured mockery within my household, worrying daily about the future of myself and my children. I was trampled upon by those foul-mouthed fools, yet dared not speak out... Now, can you still be so arrogant, my Princess Consort?"
As she spoke, she placed paper and pen on the table. "I know Si Fengwu gave you the Xuanjia Army's tiger tally long ago. Hand over the tiger tally. Write to Lian Yu and hand over the Xuanjia Army to my brother, or I will immediately have someone kill Si Fengwu, and you will not survive either!"
To threaten Lu Qingwan, she even pulled out a dagger, unsheathed it, and pressed it against Lu Qingwan's neck. However, before she could raise her hand, her own neck felt a chilling sensation.
"Stealing the tiger tally, seizing military power, and colluding with outsiders to harm the Prince. Cui Wang clan, your end has arrived!" Lu Qingwan calmly raised her hand. A golden pistol appeared, its dark muzzle pressed against Madame Cui's jaw.
"Considering your husband's diligent service in court, assisting Prime Minister Nan and working diligently for good governance, I gave you an opportunity. As long as you truthfully confessed the truth of being threatened and admitted your previous transgressions, I would have granted you a dignified end. But now, that opportunity is gone."
Madame Cui paid no mind to opportunities or lack thereof. She was simply shocked. "How is it possible? I clearly..."
"You clearly used mandragora to drain my strength, didn't you?" Lu Qingwan slowly stood up. "It seems the one who instructed you is also skilled in medicine, even knowing that mandragora is colorless, odorless, and difficult to detect. But did they not tell you that medicine is my livelihood?"
As she spoke, she put away the truth serum. "Oh, right. I forgot to tell you, I stopped using that truth serum long ago. Of course, it's not because you developed an antidote. It's mainly because the question-and-answer format is too tedious. Doesn't your master like soul-seizing? Coincidentally, I also know how. Perhaps I should try it on you?"
If Madame Cui was merely surprised at first, unable to believe that the mandragora hadn't incapacitated Lu Qingwan, then upon hearing this, she was utterly terrified.
"You knew all along?" They had deliberately had their people feign capture to mislead Lu Qingwan, then take an antidote before being injected with truth serum. When confessing, they pretended to be unable to resist the truth serum's effects, revealing partial truths and false information to mislead Si Fengwu and Lu Qingwan. As a result, the two wasted much effort, and their intended actions were constantly obstructed. Her masters were raising glasses in celebration of their temporary success, while Lu Qingwan watched the show. This was clearly a battle of vastly different scales!
Lu Qingwan smiled arrogantly. "Unfortunately, you realized it a bit too late!"
Without giving Madame Cui further opportunity to speak, she turned and instructed Li Su, who had a sword at Madame Cui's neck, "Go and invite the esteemed officials from the side hall."
Upon hearing that there were people in the side hall, Madame Cui's face changed drastically. The moment she saw her husband, she looked as if she had lost her parents. Her body went weak, and she collapsed directly onto the ground.
The woman in the room cried out, "Master!" After crying out, she didn't know what else to say. She knew that from the very beginning, everything she had said to Lu Qingwan had been overheard by Cui Wanyuan. But she soon realized that if she wanted to survive, she had to cling to Cui Wanyuan. The court was in dire need of people, and the Boling Cui clan was full of talent. If Lu Qingwan were to harm Cui Wanyuan now, other noble families would surely become uneasy. Madame Cui was certain that for the sake of the court's stability, Lu Qingwan would not dare to alienate Cui Wanyuan completely. Therefore, even though she knew Cui Wanyuan knew everything, she still clung to his leg and wailed, "Master, save me! The Princess Consort cannot handle the rumors, so she wants to use me as a scapegoat! I do not fear death, but the Boling Cui clan is innocent! If I am convicted of treason and rebellion, how will our children face the future?!" While claiming not to fear death, her words were designed to force Cui Wanyuan to protect her.
Little did she know, Cui Wanyuan already detested her. Unable to unleash his anger due to being in the imperial study, he harshly pushed Madame Cui away and then knelt heavily on the ground. He solemnly removed his official hat and placed it before him, then prostrated himself with great reverence.
"This subject, Cui Wanyuan, has failed in his family's upbringing, allowing this foolish woman to commit such a grave crime. This subject is ashamed to have betrayed the trust of the Prince, the Princess Consort, and the two Grand Secretaries. This subject knows his sins are unforgivable and dares not beg for leniency from the Prince and Princess Consort. This subject is willing to surrender all the family assets of the Boling Cui clan to aid the Prince and Princess Consort in building the new dynasty. This subject only begs that the Prince and Princess Consort, considering that other members of the family are unaware, might grant us a path to survival."