Chapter 34: Murder at the Banquet Part 1
By the time Da Ying and Xie De got back to the garden, Bai Zhi had already updated them on the situation. General Ming's concubine was poisoned and the main suspect was…Ban Shiang.
The air was tense, a breathless Concubine Yun was laid on a wooden stretcher in front of two women kneeling, Ban Shiang and Pei'er, Concubine Yun's maid. The rest of the guests sat there, as if they were watching a play.
"I demand answers!" the loud and angry voice of General Ming could be heard from a far. "Your majesty, I will not leave until I get answers!" General Ming demanded, still giving face to the emperor but at the same time sending a sign of threat. The wrinkles on the emperor's face became more noticeable when a frown appeared on his face. "Who are you?" he stared directly at Ban Shiang and asked in a very intimidating voice. Ban Shiang didn't dare look up at him. She was in a bad situation, there was no way she would tell the emperor that she was Da Ying's maid. The emperor didn't wait more than 15 seconds before slamming his fist on the side of the table, "Speak! What resentments do you have against Concubine Yun?"
"Your majesty, I didn't do it,"
"Hmph! In front of his majesty, you dare to lie?" General Ming stood up and accused Ban Shiang in front of everyone.
"Ban Shiang is my people; may I ask what her crime is?" Da Ying spoke in a calm voice as she stepped into the scene. For a moment, everyone forgot about Concubine Yun's death. Da Ying's beauty had captivated the hearts of many in the room. Her slow steps were even more elegant and refined than most people remembered.
On the side, Wen Wan twisted up the handkerchief in her hand when she took notice of Da Ying. Her face turned into a delightful sneer a moment later when she realized the situation. Who cares if she was a beauty, death was waiting for her. Ban Shiang was her maid; there was no way she could get out of this situation without a scratch. She placed her handkerchief back in her sleeve and prepared herself for the show.
The young ladies in the back also felt envy, not only was Da Ying more beautiful than them, she was walking side by side with the man of their dreams, Qin Xie De. Every women in the city knew what kind of man Xie De was. He solemn spoke or smiled at them, how was it possible for him to willingly walk side by side with Da Ying. Luckily Da Ying thought of the big picture and had swapped her outer robe with Bai Zhi on the way back. If not, who knows how wild the mind of these people's could get. "Da Ying Gongzhu, may I be so bold as to ask what complaint you held against my concubine that you would poison her to her death?" General Ming didn't wait for Da Ying to get situated when he started to accuse her. Da Ying turned and smiled at General Ming. "General Ming is too quick to come to a conclusion. How are you so sure that I did it? Where is your proof?"
Qin Xie De jumped to protect her. "Please present the evidence then. General Ming, let me remind you, accusing a member of the royal family is a huge crime in itself," he warned.
"Evidence? It's all so clear. Da Ying gongzhu's maid was so eager to serve my concubine wine, how could it be anyone else?" he pointed at Ban Shiang and scoffed.
"Gongzhu, it's not true. It was her," Ban Shiang pointed at Pei'er. "I came to find you but was stopped by Concubine Yun's maid. She handed the wine over to me and told me she had to urgently use the restroom. I had no choice but to serve Concubine Yun but I didn't do it, I didn't poison her" Da Ying knew it wasn't Ban Shiang but the situation...Ban Shiang had gotten herself in it.
"Lies, I was on my way back from the kitchen with the tray of wine in hand but she…she ruthless grabbed the tray from my hand and told me she would serve. She also told me if she did things properly and someone took notice of her, her status could be moved up in the future." Pei'er cried and pointed at Ban Shiang, accusing her of having personal motives. "Ying'er, how do you explain this? You were also gone at the time of the murder. This makes it hard to believe you, even I as your mother can't protect you," Empress Mei Wu said softly. Da Ying was about to give a lie when Xie De beat her to it. "Da Ying gongzhu was with me, there is no way she could have been able to plot murder without me noticing," Xie De took a step forward, blocking Da Ying. "Da Ying gongzhu has no grudge against Concubine Yun. There is no way they could have met enough times to develop hate. Pei'er on the other hand, someone who has spent years with Concubine Yun, one can only suspect she had some sort of grudge against Concubine Yun. It's no rumor that Concubine Yun is quick tempered and easily provoked," Empress Mei Wu never would have thought, her nephew would come to Da Ying's aid.
General Ming also stepped forward, "Duke of Lan, are you implying that my own people murdered my concubine? If Pei'er wanted to murder Concubine Yun, why would she do it in the open, in front of so many people?"
"Enough! Today is a joyous day, how could it turn into a murder scene. Sheriff Wu Tan, you handle this case," he turned to Wu Tan who was also present at the banquet. He too had been mentally examining the situation. Wu Tan stood up and walked towards the emperor. "Yes, I will get to the bottom of this,"
"I don't care what method you use, as long as you get answers. Guards, take both these maids away. As for you Da Ying Gongzhu, I'm placing you in the imperial prison until the case is solved," Pei'er's eyes widened in horror as she looked at General Ming for help. He gave her a meaningful look.
Ban Shiang on the other hand didn't care about her own safety but Da Ying's. Da Ying didn't say anything at first; she only looked at the ground, deep in thought. Only when the guards were inches away from Ban Shiang did she speak. "Wait! No one is to take Ban Shiang away that easily. Why don't we just get to the bottom of this tonight? How did Concubine Yun die? Where is the poison? Has it been identified?" everyone looked at her as if asking, how should they know? The poison was never identified, this whole time, they had just been taking the words of General Ming and Pei'er. General Ming laughed loudly in disbelief, "Da Ying gongzhu should know better than anyone else,"
"General Ming is so eager to accuse me, I wonder if you have a motive?"
"Preposterous, my concubine just died and you think I have a motive? My mind is clear; all I want is for someone to take responsibility for her death,"
"Ying'er, what do you suggest then?" the emperor asked.
"Whoever did it surely still has it on them. As long as we find out what poison was used, we can search for the murderer," Da Ying looked at Pei'er. Pei'er didn't act nervous or afraid when her eyes met Da Ying's.
"Ying'er, Sheriff Wu Tan will get to the bottom of it. Let him handle it," Empress Mei Wu suggested.
"Da Ying gongzhu is right, why don't we summon Imperial Physician Cuo Pei to examine the body. If we don't find the culprit tonight, I'm afraid they will get the chance to escape," Xie De spoke up.
"Someone bring Cuo Pei here. Also bring the body of Concubine Yun back," the emperor ordered. General Ming immediately stepped forward, "Your majesty, Concubine Yun just died unjustly, how can I allow her body to be examined in front of everyone before the murderer is found,"
"General Ming, then what do you want? What the Duke of Lan said is correct. You want answers tonight, we'll get answers tonight," the emperor said. General Ming had no more reason to retort and so he had no choice but to step down. While waiting for Imperial Physician Cuo Pei, Da Ying had a moment to think about the situation. She thought that she would have to put her revenge on hold to find the person who met up with Prime Minister Yao. Who would have guessed that person would be General Ming...
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