Chapter 47: Trust Is Earned

Pan Yueqing ignored Zou Yingru's insinuations. A faint smile played on her lips, and she looked as if she were looking at a petulant child. Under Pan Yueqing's overly calm gaze, Zou Yingru gradually composed herself and fell silent. Although she continued to make statements like a drowning person grasping at the last straw, in fact, her demeanor didn't earn her much trust.

"Sister Zou, I believe my second sister isn't that kind of person." Pan Miaoqian appropriately broke the strange silence, instantly drawing everyone's attention to herself. She had a naturally furrowed brow, making her a beauty with a melancholic air. Biting her lip, her eyes were slightly red. Coupled with the impression she had given earlier of being a bullied illegitimate daughter, although her words seemed to show trust in Pan Yueqing, they surely had the opposite effect on others.

"Miss Pan the Third, have you been bullied by your legitimate sister for a long time? It's better not to jump to conclusions at a time like this! This is the crime of attempting to harm the royal family. It's not something that can be settled just because you believe in her." Suddenly, someone laughed, causing everyone to burst into laughter. After the laughter, when they looked at the matter again, they realized it was no simple affair.

"I don't need anyone's trust, and I fully agree that 'this isn't a coincidence'." Pan Yueqing's gaze was calm. She didn't show any signs of panic due to external factors. Even Lai Changya, who was standing beside her, secretly marveled at this person's remarkable courage and mental strength.

Pan Yueqing raised her eyes and looked at Xia Yang. "So it was you who spread the word."

Xia Yang's face turned pale, and she lowered her head, stammering, "This servant... This servant doesn't know what Miss is talking about..."

"It doesn't matter. Let me tell you," Pan Yueqing smiled knowingly at Xia Yang. "Of course, it's not a coincidence because I was the one who told you the name 'Boruo Incense'. And then you passed it on to the people behind you."

Pan Yueqing glanced slightly at Pan Miaoqian, her smile unchanged. "Everyone, I did go to Mr. Yang's place. I believe that most of you here have heard of Mr. Yang's reputation to some extent. Even if you haven't been there, surely someone in your family has. Just yesterday, I also met the Princess of Pingning, the First Prince, and the Second Prince. The fact that I went to Mr. Yang's place can't prove that I poisoned the Princess."

"As for why I could use the pill today, I once suffered from being drugged, so it's not strange that I bought some self - defense medicine. Boruo Incense is also a type of drug. I decided to try whatever I could when I saw that Imperial Physician Xue had no solution."

Her bright eyes swept past Xia Yang and then landed on Pan Miaoqian, whose expression had slightly changed. The smile on her face faded a bit. "And I was attacked at Mr. Yang's place. I woke up a bit earlier and happened to hear about the earliest origin of Boruo Incense, the story of the incense offered in front of the Buddha. This servant overheard it."

"But Mr. Yang clearly..." Xia Yang's face was deathly pale. Recalling the situation yesterday, she had indeed seen Yang Lin take out a package of "medicine powder" and had clearly heard the conversation between Pan Yueqing and Yang Lin. Suddenly, she understood everything. She pointed at Pan Yueqing. "It was all a bluff? You never trusted me?"

"I did trust you at first, but unfortunately, you revealed your true colors quickly." Pan Yueqing said with a light laugh. "But it was just my speculation until you asked me about Boruo Incense in the carriage, which completely confirmed my guess."

"You're just a small pawn. I'd like to ask my dear younger sister, why did you send your maid out through the side gate last night in the middle of the night? And why was the direction she went exactly the East Ward?" Pan Yueqing raised her eyes to look at Pan Miaoqian, her smile still on her face. "If I'm not wrong, you sent Shanchai to buy Boruo Incense at a high price, right?"

"Second... Second sister... Don't talk nonsense... I... I..." Pan Miaoqian covered her face and sobbed. "How could I do such a thing to you? Besides... As a young lady in a boudoir, how would I know about such a vicious poison? Even if you want someone to take the blame, you can't..."

"Stop crying. No one here wants to see your tearful beauty act." Pan Yueqing was annoyed by her crying.

"How can you talk to Miss Miao like that!" There were always a few male guests who regarded Pan Miaoqian as their dream lover. One of them stepped forward immediately. "Miss Miao is the most talented young lady in the capital! I think you're just spouting nonsense to make Miss Miao take the blame!" Many people echoed his words.

Pan Yueqing gave these people a cold look. Indeed, there were more and more thoughtless people these days. Lai Changya slightly furrowed her brows, and her gaze darkened. She looked at Pan Miaoqian, who was covering her face and crying, carefully. For a moment, she was in a trance. When she came, she had known about Pan Miaoqian, the most popular and talented young lady in the capital recently. She had thought Pan Miaoqian was an elegant person. But after carefully examining Pan Miaoqian's appearance, she felt disappointed. It turned out that she was a vulgar person.

"Third sister, there's no such thing as a secret that can't be revealed," Pan Yueqing looked at Shanchai, who was standing behind Pan Miaoqian. "Shanchai, judging by the time, you should be feeling short of breath and stuffy in the chest now, right?"

Shanchai's face was an abnormal flush. When everyone turned their gazes to her, Shanchai was about to deny it, but then she felt dizzy again. She leaned against the pillar, unable to say a word. Seeing Shanchai's state, everyone's faces changed suddenly, and they all turned their eyes to Pan Yueqing.

"You actually poisoned her?!" The male guest who had supported Pan Miaoqian pointed at Pan Yueqing in disbelief and scolded.

"Brains are a good thing, but unfortunately, you don't have them," Pan Yueqing rolled her eyes at the male guest. Looking at Shanchai, who was having difficulty breathing, she said coolly, "You went there in the middle of the night and forcefully knocked on Mr. Yang's door. Everyone here knows that Mr. Yang has a strange temper and likes to be with poisons. If you go there rashly and impatiently bang on his door, you'll surely be poisoned by the Huanshan poison that Mr. Yang made and put on the door."

"The onset of the poison is very slow and not fatal. It just makes your heart beat faster and causes difficulty in breathing. It's just a lesson from Mr. Yang." Pan Yueqing's voice was filled with laughter, like the sound of a silver bell ringing in everyone's ears. She rested her chin in her hand, pretending to be deep in thought. "Although it's not immediately fatal, you'll still die if it persists."

Shanchai looked up in horror. Of course, she didn't want to die. But now she felt as if there was a fishbone stuck in her throat and couldn't say anything. Due to lack of oxygen in her brain from difficulty in breathing, driven by her survival instinct, she gasped several times and raised her hand to point at Xia Yang.

A smile played on Pan Yueqing's lips, and she said leisurely, "Third sister, tell me, how could it be such a coincidence that the poison from Mr. Yang's door in the seventeen households of Huangjidao is on your personal maid? " She raised her eyes to look at Luo Shui, her smile reaching her eyes. "Luo Shui, go and search Xia Yang for the medicine powder."

Under everyone's gaze, Luo Shui grabbed Xia Yang. Soon, a package of "medicine powder" exactly like the one on Pan Yueqing was found on Xia Yang. Under Pan Yueqing's signal, it was handed to Imperial Physician Xue. As soon as Imperial Physician Xue slightly opened the package of medicine powder, his face changed abruptly. "It's real Boruo Incense!"