vstars Chapter 242 I know who poisoned me!
Chapter 242 I know who poisoned me!
But after washing her hands, the little palace maid did not dry her hands immediately, but kept them in mid-air, as if time had stopped.
She widened her eyes, stared at her hands, and prayed silently in her heart: Please don't change color!
However, after a long and tense wait, her hands still retained their original skin color without any change.
Seeing this scene, the little palace maid finally felt relieved and breathed a long sigh of relief.
She patted her chest gently, secretly rejoicing.
Then, she walked with light steps behind Jiang Yimo and stood respectfully, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.
The other young palace maids witnessed all this and gradually became bolder.
They all followed the example of the little palace maid, carefully putting their hands into the water and then quickly pulling them out.
Everyone stared at their palms, fearing that anything unusual might happen.
When they found that their hands had not changed color, they showed joy on their faces and exchanged glances with each other, as if conveying a signal of reassurance.
But when it was the turn of a palace maid named Mei'er, she walked towards the basin of clear water with heavy steps, as if every step required great courage.
Standing in front of the basin, her eyes were filled with fear and anxiety, and even her hands in her sleeves began to tremble uncontrollably.
Mei took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down, but the tension in her heart surged like a tide. She bit her lips tightly, trying to use the pain to distract herself, then slowly raised her trembling hands and reached towards the basin.
However, just as her fingertips were about to touch the water, an inexplicable fear surged in her heart, and she quickly pulled her hand back as if she had been electrocuted.
Mei'er's face was pale and there was even a thin layer of sweat on her forehead. It was obvious that she was extremely frightened.
Jiang Yimo saw it all and understood it clearly.
She frowned slightly, thinking about something secretly.
Without saying a word, Jiang Yimo just gestured for Mei'er to leave, but did not let her stand behind her.
Soon after, two more young palace maids came forward. Although their expressions were a little nervous, they were much calmer than Mei'er.
Jiang Yimo silently observed their movements, with a barely perceptible light flashing in her eyes. From the expressions of the two little palace maids, it could be seen that they were not the ones who poisoned the woman.
Although she had already made up her mind at this moment and knew who was poisoning, she felt that it was not safe enough and still decided to wash the hands of every palace maid in Concubine Xiao's palace.
As time went by, the other palace maids had completed this step, leaving only Concubine Xiao's personal maid Xiang Ye, who had not yet washed her hands.
However, Jiang Yimo had no intention of giving up. In her opinion, among all the people here, Xiang Ye was the most likely to be poisoned, so she had to test her no matter what.
According to common sense, Jiang Yimo should have directly asked Xitang, Mei'er and the other two who went to the imperial kitchen with Xiangye yesterday to wash their hands.
But she deliberately let all the palace maids in Xiao Fei's palace, including Xiang Ye, participate in it. She did this as a psychological tactic played by the person who poisoned her.
When the last person named Xiao Gong finished washing his hands, Jiang Yimo turned her gaze to Xiang Ye and stared at her for a long time.
However, Xiangye didn't seem to have any intention of getting up to wash her hands. In desperation, Jiang Yimo could only call her by her name, "Aunt Xiangye, it's your turn."
In this way, she tried to subtly remind the other person that it was time to wash their hands.
At this moment, before Xiangye could respond or make any statement, Concubine Xiao on the side spoke first: "Miss Jiang, although you saved the Queen Mother last night and performed a great deed, you must not get carried away and become spoiled because of this! You must know that Xiangye is my personal maid."
Concubine Xiao's tone contained a hint of blame and warning.
"Empress Xiao, please be patient. Today's action is purely for finding out the truth and has no other intention. We just need to ask Aunt Xiangye to put her hand in the water for a while and then take it out. The whole process will not cause any harm to her. I hope that Your Majesty can understand and cooperate so that we can solve the mystery of this case as soon as possible." Jiang Yimo explained.
"Absolutely not!" Concubine Xiao refused firmly.
After hearing these words, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager's faces suddenly turned gloomy, as if water could drip out of them.
However, they did not stand up to speak well of her as Jiang Yimo had expected. Instead, they were ready to watch the show, wanting to see whether this highly anticipated Miss Jiang was really capable of convincing the stubborn Concubine Xiao to quit her subordinates.
Seeing this, Feng Wuhen, who was standing by, couldn't help but feel an urge to help Jiang Yimo out of the predicament.
However, just as he was about to speak, he felt his sleeve being gently tugged - it turned out to be Jiang Yimo signaling him not to make a sound.
Obviously, she already had a plan in mind that could force Xiangye to take the initiative to test the basin of water.
"Empress Xiao, you didn't let Aunt Xiangye wash her hands. Could it be that she is the murderer who poisoned her?" This sentence exploded in everyone's ears like thunder.
Concubine Xiao's face changed, and she said sternly, "Don't talk nonsense! Xiangye accidentally knocked Hongying down this morning, and the two of them were arguing. How could she have the opportunity to poison you?"
"That may not be the case. If she didn't poison, Your Majesty, may I ask why you don't allow her to wash her hands?" someone questioned.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall was extremely tense, and everyone's eyes turned to Concubine Xiao and Xiang Ye, waiting for answers.
Concubine Xiao frowned and said solemnly, "I have no intention of favoring Xiang Ye, but in the current situation, it would be inappropriate to let so many people be implicated and end up with nothing." Her voice was low and firm, revealing an unquestionable majesty.
However, at this time Princess Cang Yue also echoed: "Yes, Madam Xiao, the maids in your palace have already washed their hands, why don't you let Xiang Ye wash them? This kind of differential treatment is really unfair!"
"I hope Your Majesty will think twice and let Xiangye follow Sister Jiang's instructions and put her hands in the basin to wash for more than ten seconds. This way, she can prove her innocence and calm the public anger."
Concubine Xiao finally compromised. She sighed helplessly and waved her hand to signal Xiangye to come over. Xiangye walked to the basin, slowly stretched out her hand, and gently put it into the water. The clear and transparent water reflected Xiangye's pale face and trembling fingers.
When Xiangye's hands touched the water, a cool feeling instantly spread throughout her body, as if it could penetrate her skin and reach her heart. After her hands were touched by the water, she quickly pulled them out, and her hands did not turn purple.
At this time, Jiang Yimo looked at everyone and said, "I already know who poisoned me!"