Consort Wei cried out, "Actually, the Princess Consort committed suicide! She poisoned herself, and it has nothing to do with anyone else, nor with me!"
The room fell silent, an eerie quiet where every breath seemed audible.
Everyone's gaze snapped towards Consort Wei.
Yinzhu exclaimed, "Don't talk nonsense! My Princess Consort is beloved by the Prince, doted on by the Old Imperial Consort, and has just given birth to two adorable children. How could she possibly have poisoned herself?"
The Old Imperial Consort nodded slightly at this.
Indeed, Wang Qingyao had no reason to commit suicide.
In the entire capital, few women enjoyed a happier life than she did.
"Yes, the Princess Consort was living very well. Precisely because she was living so well, she chose to commit suicide. Because all her happiness was bestowed by the Prince, but the Prince carries a curse. She couldn't bear to watch him die, so she sacrificed herself! One life for another!"
The Old Imperial Consort trembled.
Xiao Yun stared at Consort Wei, his eyes dark and somber. "What do you mean by that? What 'one life for another'?"
Consort Wei hesitated for a moment before tears streamed down her face. She said mournfully, "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have introduced the Prince and Princess Consort to the Temple of Karma. Later, I heard from my mother that she went to the Temple of Karma, and the abbot there told her that the Princess Consort had begged him to save the Prince's life. Moved by her sincerity, the abbot revealed this method of exchanging one life for another."
"The Princess Consort loved the Prince so deeply that she was willing to sacrifice herself to keep him alive. The Princess Consort is truly admirable..."
Consort Wei spoke, her eyes red as she wiped away tears.
Yinzhu cried out, "You're lying! I served the Princess Consort day and night, how could I not have noticed anything?"
Consort Wei replied, "The Princess Consort must have known the Prince would not agree to her plan, which is why she chose to do it alone, as if nothing were amiss. Think carefully, has the Princess Consort suddenly become melancholic recently? Has she made arrangements for everything? Just now, she was telling the Old Imperial Consort that everything at Marquis Fuping's mansion had been settled... the Princess Consort was preparing for her funeral!"
Consort Wei spoke with such conviction that the Old Imperial Consort was stunned.
Yinzhu faltered for a moment, murmuring, "No, the Princess Consort wouldn't abandon the young princess and young prince."
She covered her face and sobbed.
Consort Wei secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This reaction indicated that everyone was half-believing her.
Next, all it would take was one more strong push, and Wang Qingyao's "suicide by poison" would be revealed as the truth, with no connection to her whatsoever.
"The Princess Consort has always been meticulous and thorough in her actions. Since she decided on exchanging one life for another, she would certainly not involve others. Your Highness might as well send someone to search the Princess Consort's chambers. You will surely find her suicide note!"
Yinzhu stopped crying and stood up. "Your Highness, I will go. I served the Princess Consort daily, so I know best where her things are kept."
Xiao Yun nodded.
Yinzhu wiped her face and ran out.
Everyone waited patiently.
A short while later, Yinzhu rushed back in, holding a letter. She knelt before Xiao Yun with a "thump." "Your Highness, indeed... indeed there is a suicide note... it's a letter the Princess Consort specifically wrote for you..."
She trembled as she handed the letter over.
Xiao Yun accepted it with trembling hands.
Consort Wei glanced at the envelope. Good, the red seal was still intact. This letter hadn't been read by anyone, making it even more credible.
Xiao Yun tore open the envelope and read it, his face showing a look of pain and sorrow.
He probably wanted to shed a few tears, but none came.
He looked at Consort Wei. "Did your mother tell you all this?"
Consort Wei remained kneeling. "Mother only told me what the abbot of the Temple of Karma said. The rest is my own deduction."
Xiao Yun curled his lips and said with a half-smile, "You've truly understood the Princess Consort's thoughts. Even I, her husband, don't understand her as well as you do."
Consort Wei put on a pained expression. "To be honest, Your Highness, although I am a daughter of the Wei family, I am merely a concubine's daughter. I had to live under the watchful eyes of my legitimate mother and elder sister since childhood, forcing me to learn to read people's expressions..."
"It's just that I don't quite understand why the Princess Consort happened to die in my room. I suppose she couldn't control the onset of the poison. Thinking she was about to die, and fearing no one would care for Your Highness, the young prince, and the young princess, she came to instruct me a few words. After all, I am a side consort in this manor..."
"I was wondering why the Princess Consort never visited my Linglong Pavilion, yet she came today? And spoke so much with me..."
Consort Wei sobbed, applauding her own impromptu performance.
She was truly brilliant. She had used a borrowed knife to kill Wang Qingyao, absolved herself, and even made Xiao Yun look at her with new eyes. In the future, remembering the Princess Consort's wishes, he would surely take good care of her.
Just then, Wang Qingyao, who had been lying still as if dead, suddenly sat up. A white handkerchief slipped from her face, revealing a countenance as beautiful as a blooming flower.
She stretched lazily and yawned. "Ah, this nap was so comfortable. Yinzhu, help this Princess Consort up!"
"Ah—" Consort Wei shrieked in extreme terror, her scream piercing the roof. "A ghost!"