CHAPTER 114 — WHEN TRUTH STRUCK LIKE A THUNDER
Xiao Xiang's terror was no longer merely visible — it was overwhelming. Her face had drained of all colour, turning a mottled shade of greenish-grey, as though the very life had been wrung out of her. Her lips trembled, her eyes bulged, and her entire body shook so violently she seemed on the verge of collapsing into a heap of quivering limbs.
Tang Ke Xin's final words had struck her like a thunderbolt.
The dead concubine had answered.
And Xiao Xiang's soul had nearly fled her body.
But she was not the only one shaken. The entire courtyard had fallen into a stunned, breathless silence. Even the Emperor, who had weathered decades of palace intrigue, looked momentarily shaken. The Empress clutched her sleeve, her knuckles white. Imperial Concubine Ming's eyes darted wildly, as though she feared a ghost might emerge at any moment.
Had Imperial Concubine Ning truly returned from the dead?
Had she risen to expose her murderer?
The thought alone sent a chill through the assembled crowd.
All eyes turned toward the chamber door.
Tang Ke Xin stepped forward with unhurried grace, her expression calm, her movements precise. She reached for the door and pushed it open, but she did not enter. Instead, she stood just outside, extending one hand into the room.
The courtyard held its breath.
Then — a hand emerged from the shadows within.
A delicate, pale hand, soft and slender, adorned with a jade bracelet. Only the faint bruise on the wrist marred its beauty. And in that hand was the pillow Tang Ke Xin had requested.
A soft cough followed, then a hoarse whisper:
"Here you go."
The voice was unmistakably Imperial Concubine Ning's — faint, trembling, and tinged with shame.
The concubine did not step fully into view, but as she shifted slightly, her face appeared for the briefest moment. Pale, exhausted, but undeniably alive.
A collective gasp swept through the courtyard.
Xiao Xiang's body convulsed. Her eyes rolled back slightly, and she swayed as though she might faint. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly, her face contorted with pure, unfiltered terror.
She had believed Imperial Concubine Ning dead.
She had ensured it herself.
She had hidden the evidence with her own hands.
And yet — the concubine had answered.
Xiao Ying was the first to recover. She sprang to her feet, her voice trembling with relief.
"It's… it's the imperial concubine! This servant brought the jade bracelet to her this morning!"
Without waiting for permission, she rushed toward the door.
"This servant will attend to the imperial concubine!"
Tang Ke Xin did not stop her. She stepped aside, allowing Xiao Ying to enter. Qiu Qiu and Xiao Yu, their faces alight with joy and disbelief, hurried after her.
"Imperial Concubine, are you truly all right? Are you unharmed?"
Their voices drifted out from the chamber, filled with relief and affection.
The Empress pressed a hand to her chest, her eyes glistening.
"Cai'er… thank the heavens. She is safe."
Tang Ke Xin's gaze flickered briefly toward the Empress, noting the genuine relief in her expression. It softened something in her heart — but only for a moment.
She turned back to Xiao Xiang.
"This pillow," she said, her voice cool and sharp, "is the one you used to suffocate Imperial Concubine Ning. You recognise it, do you not?"
She tossed the pillow at Xiao Xiang's feet.
The maid flinched violently, her limbs collapsing beneath her. She sagged to the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Her eyes remained fixed on the pillow, her face twisted in horror.
She had hidden that pillow beneath the bed. She had wiped it clean. She had ensured no one would ever find it.
And yet Tang Ke Xin had known exactly where it was.
Worse — Imperial Concubine Ning had handed it out herself.
The truth was undeniable.
The Emperor's voice thundered across the courtyard.
"So it was this wretched slave!"
His fury was palpable, a storm barely contained. The ministers and palace staff shrank back instinctively.
"You vile creature," he spat. "To betray your mistress so cruelly — and to drag my son into your schemes — your crimes are unforgivable!"
Xiao Xiang did not speak. She could not. Her body trembled uncontrollably, her head bowed so low her forehead nearly touched the ground.
The Empress exhaled shakily.
"It is fortunate Cai'er survived… and that Chen'er's innocence has been proven. Otherwise, this servant's treachery would have destroyed him."
Her voice wavered. The memory of the earlier scene — Ye Lan Chen pressed atop the concubine's lifeless body — still haunted her.
The Empress turned toward the chamber.
"I must go to Cai'er. She will be devastated after what she endured."
Imperial Concubine Ming stepped forward quickly.
"I shall accompany Your Majesty."
Tang Ke Xin's eyes narrowed slightly.
She did not stop them — but she did not allow the moment to pass unchallenged.
"Your Majesty," she said softly, "before you go, it may be wise to question this palace maid. I suspect she knows more than she has admitted. Perhaps even something connected to Senior Servant Wan Yi."
The Empress froze mid‑step.
Her eyes widened, a flicker of fear crossing her features.
Senior Servant Wan Yi.
The name alone carried weight — and danger.
The Empress turned slowly, her gaze settling on Xiao Xiang with a new, sharper intensity.
Tang Ke Xin continued, her tone calm but firm.
"Imperial Concubine Ning once overheard something concerning the Emperor. Afterwards, she sought out Senior Servant Wan. She has been weak and drowsy ever since. I believe Xiao Xiang may have played a role in that."
The Empress's breath caught.
Cai'er had indeed mentioned overhearing something. And she had indeed been strangely lethargic since then.
Could Xiao Xiang have had something to do with Cai'er's illness.
Could she have been acting under someone else's orders?
The Empress's heart tightened with dread.
Whoever stood behind Xiao Xiang…
Whoever orchestrated this…
Knew far too much.
Imperial Concubine Ming's expression shifted subtly. She watched the Empress with keen interest, her eyes narrowing.
The Empress stepped closer to Xiao Xiang.
"Why did you do this?" she demanded. "What drove you to such cruelty?"
Xiao Xiang lifted her head slowly.
Her eyes were hollow, her expression twisted with bitterness.
"Hmph," she said, her voice trembling but laced with resentment. "She is a palace maid, and I am a palace maid. My looks are no worse than hers. So why is she the imperial concubine while I remain a lowly servant?"
Her voice rose, cracking with emotion.
"Every time the Emperor visited, she sent us all away — afraid he might look at us. Afraid he might favour us. Why should she monopolise him? Why should she be the only one?"
The courtyard fell silent.
Even Tang Ke Xin paused.
This was her reason?
This petty jealousy?
This childish envy?
She had murdered her mistress…
Framed a prince…
And nearly destroyed the Empress's position…
Because she was jealous?
The Empress's face darkened with fury.
"You wicked creature! Cai'er sent you away because the Emperor never touched her! He merely sat and read. How could she allow you to witness such a thing?"
Imperial Concubine Ming stiffened. She too had always dismissed her maids before the Emperor arrived — but for entirely different reasons.
The Emperor's expression grew unreadable. His gaze flicked toward the Empress, something complicated flickering in his eyes.
Then his voice hardened.
"Who was the man you brought into the palace? And who ordered this?"
Xiao Xiang's bravado crumbled instantly.
"This servant… this servant…"
Her head dropped lower and lower. Her shoulders shook violently.
Tang Ke Xin's instincts screamed a warning.
She stepped forward quickly — but Ye Lan Jue was faster.
He seized her wrist, pulling her back sharply.
His eyes flashed with anger.
"Do you not understand danger?" he hissed under his breath. "What if she has a hidden weapon? Poison?"
Before Tang Ke Xin could respond, Ye Lan Jue lifted his foot and kicked Xiao Xiang hard.
The maid rolled across the ground.
And then — she stopped moving.
Her face had turned an unnatural shade of black. Her eyes stared blankly at the wall. A thin trickle of dark blood seeped from the corner of her lips.
She was dead.
Tang Ke Xin froze.
She had sensed no poison. No symptoms. No signs.
Whoever had poisoned Xiao Xiang had done so with terrifying skill — a poison that lay dormant, undetectable, until triggered at the precise moment.
The Emperor's face darkened.
"Why did she die so suddenly?"
Even Imperial Concubine Ming recoiled, her expression twisted with fear.
Imperial Physician Liu stepped forward, knelt beside the corpse, and examined her briefly.
"Reporting to Your Majesty," he said solemnly, "she died from poison. It must have been administered earlier. It leaves no trace until activated. Once it takes effect, death is immediate."
His explanation matched Tang Ke Xin's thoughts exactly.
Ye Lan Jue's expression grew grim.
Even he had not detected anything amiss earlier.
The poisoner was skilled.
Too skilled.
"Drag her away," the Emperor ordered coldly. "Dispose of her."
The Empress exhaled shakily — a mixture of disappointment and relief. If Xiao Xiang had known more, her confession could have been disastrous.
The Crown Prince, who had watched the entire scene with unnerving calm, allowed a faint smile to curl at the corner of his lips as he looked at Tang Ke Xin.
A smile that held no warmth.
Only interest.
And something darker.