Consort Shu's tightly furrowed brows instantly relaxed, and the gloom in her eyes disappeared without a trace. Her gaze towards Shen Lixue flashed with coldness and malice: "Young Master Shen, the crime of deceiving the emperor is punishable by death."
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow. He had directly stated that there was something wrong with the crab in front of the emperor, but the silver needle hadn't changed color, indicating that the crab wasn't poisonous. Wasn't she guilty of deceiving the emperor and had completely fooled the emperor and his officials? The emperor would behead her ten times over and still not be satisfied.
She glanced furtively at the young eunuch. He had his head slightly lowered, so she couldn't see his expression. From her angle, she could see the corners of his mouth slightly upturned. He was smiling, very smugly, very eerily. There was definitely something wrong with this crab, but why couldn't she find out? The imperial physician, He, had an air of righteousness about him; he didn't seem like a liar.
"I believe what she said is true, there's something wrong with this crab!" Ye Qianlong looked at Shen Lixue, his clear eyes filled with determination. She had always been helping him, and if she said something was wrong, then it must be wrong.
Consort Shu chuckled, her alluring smile captivating: "Your Highness, I know you and Young Master Shen are good friends and you trust him completely, but Imperial Physician He's medical skills are superb, and he hasn't found any problems!"
"That's because he didn't investigate thoroughly enough!" Ye Qianlong didn't even glance at Consort Shu, coldly replying to her. No matter when or where, he trusted Shen Lixue.
"I also believe in Xiao Li's judgment. His Highness the Crown Prince's crabs are problematic, but they are hidden too well for Physician He to detect!" The non-poisonous crabs were placed neatly in front of everyone, silently confirming Shen Lixue's miscalculation. Not only did Consort De not switch sides, but she also insisted on protecting her. Shen Lixue felt a little touched.
"Sister Consort De, the imperial physicians are all carefully selected and have extensive experience in treating illnesses and testing for poisons. Why do you distrust them and instead trust a young, inexperienced outsider?" Consort Shu said with a smile, subtly mocking Consort De.
Consort De looked at Consort Shu calmly: "Even the most meticulous plans can have flaws. No matter how superb the medical skills are, mistakes are inevitable. As the saying goes, heroes have emerged from among the young since ancient times. Some people spend their entire lives, but when they are old and their eyesight is failing, they only know a superficial understanding of medicine. Some people are young, yet they can be called divine doctors. Consort Shu, the level of medical skills cannot be measured by age!"
Everyone was completely bewildered. Physician He's medical skills were widely recognized as excellent in Xiliang. If he said the crabs in that bowl were not poisonous, then they must be. However, His Highness the Crown Prince, who was usually not talkative, was actually siding with Shen Li in every word. Consort De was also on his side. If he didn't have some ability, these two high-ranking and powerful people would never have helped him like this.
Both Physician He and Shen Li are highly skilled in medicine. These laymen who know nothing about medicine don't know who to trust.
"Sister is absolutely right, I have learned a lot!" Consort De reprimanded her mercilessly, but Consort Shu was not annoyed. She smiled slightly and looked at Shen Lixue: "Young Master Shen's medical skills are truly superb. Even from such a distance, you knew that His Highness the Crown Prince's crabs were problematic. The imperial physicians in the palace were so close to His Highness, yet they did not notice anything!"
All eyes immediately turned to Shen Lixue. Yes, they had been so focused on whether the crabs were poisonous that they had overlooked this detail. The Zhenguo Marquis's residence was more than ten meters away from Ye Qianlong. When the eunuchs served the crabs, the small bowls were covered, so the aroma did not escape at all. Shen Lixue could not see the crabs inside. Standing in her position, she absolutely could not see what was in Ye Qianlong's bowl. So how did she know that the crabs were poisonous?
If we're talking about smelling the aroma, today the wind is blowing from the northwest, and Shen Lixue is sitting southeast of Ye Qianlong, so she can't smell the crab aroma in his bowl at all.
Medical skills emphasize observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation. Shen Li failed to observe or auscultate, and did not even perform inquiry or palpation, yet he concluded that the crab was problematic. Isn't that just nonsense?
The scales in everyone's hearts slowly tipped in favor of Consort Shu. The results of Physician He's examination showed that the crab was normal. If Shen Lixue wanted to attract attention by making a fuss, it was indeed possible that she fabricated something out of thin air!
Consort Shu smiled and glanced at everyone. Heh, they all began to doubt Shen Li's intentions!
Turning to look at Shen Lixue, the cold smile in her eyes deepened: "Doctor He's examination showed that the crab is perfectly normal. Since Young Master Shen insists that there is a problem with it, then please tell everyone what the problem is?"
Shen Lixue smiled. Imperial Physician He had examined the crab carefully and found that there was nothing wrong with it; it was perfectly safe to eat. She had pointed out the problem with the crab in front of the Emperor, and Consort Shu had used this opportunity to shift the blame onto her. If she couldn't find the real cause, she would be guilty of deceiving the Emperor, and even with the help of Consort De and Ye Qianlong, she would still face death.
Consort Shu really couldn't wait to kill her!
"This humble subject didn't see anyone tamper with His Highness's crabs, nor could he see anything wrong with them. However, this humble subject did see him..." Shen Lixue's lips curled into a faint smile, her cold gaze suddenly shooting towards the young eunuch: "When His Highness was drinking the crab soup, he kept staring at the small spoon in His Highness's hand. That sinister, eerie gaze made it seem as if His Highness was drinking a deadly poison..."
The little eunuch's body jolted, and he pointed his whisk directly at Shen Lixue, roaring angrily, "You're spouting nonsense!"
He turned around and knelt heavily in the direction of the emperor: "This servant's loyalty to Your Highness is as clear as the sun and moon. I beg Your Majesty to investigate and restore this servant's innocence!"
The group exchanged bewildered glances: What exactly happened? How did this involve eunuchs again?
"Shen Li, if you can't find the problem with the Crown Prince's crab, just say so. The Emperor is a wise ruler and won't blame you too much. Why do you have to find an innocent eunuch to take the blame? Your life is precious, and so is his!"
Consort Shu lowered her eyelids slightly, her gentle and dignified demeanor suggesting a sigh of regret for Shen Lixue's ruthlessness.
The way people looked at Shen Lixue became somewhat strange. Physician He's medical skills were obvious to all, and Shen Lixue had admitted that she hadn't noticed anything wrong with Ye Qianlong's crabs. Now, in order to exonerate herself, she was actually shifting the blame onto an unrelated eunuch. She was truly ruthless.
"Your Majesty is wise!" The little eunuch was moved to tears and kept kowtowing.
"Every word I have said is true. If Your Highness does not believe me, there is nothing I can do." Shen Lixue secretly observed the emperor. His eyelids were slightly lowered, and he showed no intention of intervening. She turned to the eunuch and asked, "May I ask which palace this eunuch serves in?"
The young eunuch raised his head and whispered, "This servant is in charge of the crabs for the Emperor, the Empress, the Crown Prince, and the princes today!"
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow: "Does Your Highness think there's something wrong with His Highness's crabs?"
"No problem," the young eunuch replied firmly and decisively.
Shen Lixue smiled, a dazzling smile, but with a hint of eeriness in it. This little eunuch was clever. If he had hesitated for even a second when answering, others would have doubted him. His decisiveness not only dispelled their doubts but also left them with a good impression of righteousness. However, unfortunately, she would not let things develop in that direction.
"Since you are loyal to His Highness the Crown Prince and believe there is nothing wrong with the crab, why don't you drink it on His Highness's behalf?"
Ye Qianlong's eyes lit up, and she chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes, Your Excellency has done a great service. Here's my crab for you!"
The eunuch's face changed instantly, and his body trembled slightly: "This servant is of lowly status and dares not drink His Highness's crab."
"I said it was a reward for you, what are you afraid to drink!" Ye Qianlong stood tall and elegant, giving the little eunuch a cold glance. Seeing that he showed no intention of drinking the soup, she said arrogantly, "Someone, serve the eunuch the crab soup!"
"Yes!" Two guards stepped forward, one on each side, and held the young eunuch down. Another guard took Ye Qianlong's crab soup and was about to pour it into his mouth.
The young eunuch stared in terror at the crab soup so close to him, struggling desperately and crying out, "Your Highness, please save me!"
"Your Highness, what are you doing?" Consort Shu's beautiful face held a hint of anger: "Even if you want to taste the food, you should find a newly entered eunuch. This eunuch has served in the palace for a long time. Even if he has no merit, he has worked hard. Your Highness brought him here to taste the food without thinking. Isn't that making the old eunuchs in the palace feel disheartened?"
"Didn't Consort Shu say that there was nothing wrong with the crab? The Crown Prince's kindness in giving the delicious crab soup to the eunuch shows how kind-hearted he is. How could it make people feel cold?" Shen Lixue looked at Consort Shu, her lips slightly raised, a smile that was not quite a smile.
"You?" Consort Shu's icy gaze swept over Shen Lixue and Ye Qianlong, her teeth clenched. The two of them were working together seamlessly, one singing and the other harmonizing!
She had always insisted that there was nothing wrong with the crab in that bowl, and if she were to say now that there was something wrong and stop them from serving the soup, wouldn't that be like slapping herself in the face?
Ye Qianlong glanced at the guards: "What are you standing there for? Serve the eunuch his soup!"
Bathed in warm sunlight, and under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the guard pried open the little eunuch's mouth and poured the delicious crab soup from the bowl into his mouth. The little eunuch struggled desperately, his eyes filled with terror, as crab soup kept dripping from the corners of his mouth, staining his chest. His brand-new eunuch robe was torn open at the front, revealing patches of soup, making him look extremely disheveled.
The delicious crab soup was something the eunuchs couldn't usually afford. It was a gift from their master, a favor to them. There was controversy surrounding Ye Qianlong's bowl of soup. The person who did the dirty work was pointed at that eunuch. If he hadn't tampered with the soup, he would have drunk it without hesitation.
But look at him now, it's like he's being force-fed poison, like he's having his last meal on his way to the underworld, so angry, so unwilling, there's definitely something wrong with that soup.
Seeing the eunuch's pained and contorted face, Consort Shu clenched her fair hands into fists, her nails digging deep into her flesh without her noticing. Her face was terribly gloomy. Shen Li, Ye Qianlong, how utterly despicable!
After a cup of tea, the crab soup was finished, and the guards got up and left. The little eunuch lay on the ground, gagging incessantly, but the crab soup had already been swallowed, so he couldn't vomit it up anymore.
Seeing the young eunuch's distressed appearance, everyone shook their heads and sighed; he knew there was something wrong with the bowl of crabs.