Chapter 181 - Prop Engineering

The Emperor returned to the palace well be before dawn as he said he would. But instead of returning to his palace, he directly went to the prison and was currently sitting down waiting for Chen You dragged into the torture chamber. He could hear Chen You screaming and barking for the guards to release her and even threatening them before she arrived in the room. But as soon as she reached the doorway and saw the Emperor, her face lit up but then her face froze in apprehension.

The indifferent expression on his face and his cold gaze that fixed on her as she entered made it clear that he was not there to help her cause. 

As soon as the men released her, Chen You immediately fell to her knees and kowtowed, and tried for a sympathy ploy, "Your majesty, I knew you wou-"

"Start talking." But the Emperor coldly cut her off before she could even begin.

Chen You frowned and looked up at him with an aggrieved expression as she said with an exasperated voice, "I've already said it, it's not my fault. It's those stupid girls who came to tell me nonsense and tricked me! They must have been planning to ruin my life! Why would I try to harm my own cousin? We grew up together! It's just I could not let Your majesty to be made a fool of and so between family and loyalty, I chose loyalty. My only fault is being an eager loyal subject!" She said banging her on the ground as she kowtowed again, to show her sincerity and loyalty.

The Emperor was silent for a bit and then let out a breath and calmly advised, "Make this easier for yourself and simply while I'm giving you the opportunity..."

Chen You frowned and then sat back on her knees to look at the Emperor directly and with tears streaming down her face,  "Your majesty, I have spoken only the truth. All I've wanted to do is to serve you and look after your welfare. The thought that you or your reputation might suffer in any way made me muddle-headed, it's all because of m -"

Chen You flinched and stopped as a guard dropped a large bowl filled with water in front of her. She frowned down at the water and then glanced at the two guards who were standing at her side with wariness.

Then she looked at the Emperor and wanted to continue her plea, when the Emperor simply said, "Begin." And Chen You immediately felt her head submerged in the water. She struggled and tried to shrug off the hand on her head. But with her hands were tied at the front, she could not put up much of fight. She could feel her limbs going limp and then she was wrenched up and immediately gasped for air as she went into a furious coughing fit. 

"Now?" She heard the Emperor say and glanced up at him with her burning eyes and then she said, "I didn't d-" Before she could finish, her head was dunked back in the water and it started all over again. She struggled again and as just as she weakened again, she was wrenched up.

This time the Emperor did not say anything and simply waited. But then she did not say anything and so she was dunked again and again. But she kept insisting that she did nothing wrong and it was the maids who had deceived her. "All I did was be confused, it's a small misunderstanding! It was my fault for believing them, but I was only worried about her!" She hoarsely barked out through her burning throat.

The Emperor sighed and then said, "Bring the poison." Whether or not Chen You was involved in the drugging plot, he knew her hands were not clean, but she was still being stubborn and resilient. Normally he might have found this admirable and might have humored her a bit longer, but today all it did was further irritate him and he wanted it to end swiftly.

Chen You's eyes went wide-eyed as she watched one of the guards come to her with a bowl, she looked at the Emperor with horror, "You can't kill me for this! It's just a misunderstanding, how is it fair? My father is still -"

The Emperor gave a humorless snort and coldly asked, "Your father is what?" with a raised eyebrow at Chen You and she immediately went quiet and lowered her head with a frown. The Emperor then let out a breath and informed, "Of course, I wouldn't kill you for this..."

Chen You blinked and her face lit up with hope until he continued, "...But, Noble consort Chen was completely disappointed with herself and in apology for her making a fool of the Empress dowager and causing chaos in the palace, she drank poison to pay for her wrongs with her life. What do you think?" The Emperor asked with raised eyebrows.

Chen You stared at him wide-eyed in horror and then she shook her head in disbelief, "N-n-no, you woul-dn't..."

The Emperor smirked, "It all depends on you, your life is in your hands." And with that said, the Emperor looked at the guards and one held her up as the other held her mouth open and poured the dark liquid down her throat.

As soon as the guards released her, Chen You tried to throw up but the Emperor calmly advised, "I advise you don't that, with a second dose...accidents become more likely."

Chen You froze and held her burning throat and then she tried to scramble to the Emperor, but the guards held her back and she looked at him with teary eyes. The Emperor at her unmoved and advised, "You should start talking before the poison does irreparable damage..."

Chen You blinked and the tears started to fall but no one cared for her tears. Her stomach began to twist in knots and she pleaded for the antidote for help but the Emperor simply said, "Talk."

Chen You tightly held on to her stomach, closed her eyes and said through gritted teeth, "It's not fair..." Then she opened her eyes and glared at the Emperor, "Why does everything always have to go her way?! It's not fair!"

The Emperor showed no reaction and simply waited, and then she finally spat out, "Fine, I didn't tell her about the banquet. I wanted her to embarrass herself...But then she went out and stayed out on her own, which was even better for me -..." She paused and bit her lip as the pain intensified.

"Continue." The Emperor coldly ordered.

Chen You frowned with angry and pained tears were rolling down her face, but she complied, "The maids came and told me about that -..." She glanced at the Emperor and saw him frown and so she skipped mentioning the incident, "...I didn't expect her to be so stupid but it was a golden opportunity, so I told the Empress dowager. It was the right thing to do, she made a fool of you-"

She closed her mouth again when the Emperor coldly glared at her and instead she said, "I didn't know the maids were lying...She must have worked with them to get me in trouble otherwise how would they dare to - Ahhh..." She closed her eyes and bent over groaning in pain and coughed up blood and stared at blood in horror and then looked up in a panic, "The antidote, please...I've told you everything. That's ever-"

"The rumors, that was your doing, correct?" The Emperor asked, cutting her off.

Chen You froze and then shook her head and quickly defended, "It wasn't me, it was that foolish Chun Hua, she told me about that too and I-...It wasn't me, it was her!"

"Chun Hua?...Your personal maid." The Emperor said narrowing his eyes. 

"Yes, No!", Chen You shook her head again and hysterically said, "I don't know her, it was my mother who sent that bitch to me! I had never even seen her before! She must have come here to ruin me! She must be working with that stupid Lei Xing! That mus-" Then she bent over in pain and curled up as the pain intensified, "antidote...antidote...please..." She managed to squeeze out through ragged breaths.

The Emperor did not respond and knit his brows in thought as Chen You laid there, pleading and curling up in pain. When she finally passed out, the Emperor told the guard to give her the antidote and then ordered for one of the other two maids to be brought in. He wanted to hear how the events of the evening went and how they came upon that scene. 

When the guards wanted to move Chen You back to her cell, the Emperor told them to leave her there on the floor. She would be more useful in the room and then he waited for his next subject as he thought over Chen You's interview.

Chun Hua seemed to be the most suspicious of the bunch now. They had looked into their records and the other two maids had worked in the palace for years and their roots could easily be tracked as their families lived in the outskirts of the capital.

Chun Hua came in with Chen You and then Chen You said she did not know her and had never even met her before entering the palace, which meant she was a very recent addition to their household staff. 

The guards finally dragged in the next subject and dropped her on the ground. The maid shakily bowed to the Emperor as her eyes kept glancing over at the motionless, wet and blood stained Chen You on the side, wondering if she was dead.

Chen You was definitely doing her job as prop very well. With her in that state right in front of her, whatever fear the maid had of Chen You became obsolete. Also if the Emperor could do that to his own consort, the maid knew she stood no chance.

The Emperor quietly watched as fear consumed the maid and then calmly said, "If you speak the truth, I may consider sparing you...Explain everything in detail as it happened that day, truthfully."