"Oh my G.o.d, did you see her transform back?! Her appearance was so similar to First Madam and then she...must be possessed! If I didn"t witness it, I wouldn"t have known she was that kind of greedy person. What else did she steal?!""Poison? What is she saying?"
"I don"t know. Wasn"t she possessed by the ghost of First Madam? What poison is she talking about?"
"Don"t tell me there"s actually poison like that."
"Nonsense. How can her appearance revert back to normal if it"s poison? It was obviously the ghost of the First Madam leaving her body in the end."
"If she claims to be poisoned, wouldn"t First Madam also be considered poisoned?" Someone said jokingly.
Chatter quickly permeated the air, but the last remark caused General Wei"s expression to change instantly.
"Poisoned?" General Wei"s asked while Concubine Ruolan attempted to justify herself.
"I was...I am... it"s that hair stick! It"s poisoned! H-Hongyue was seeking to harm you, but because I seized it before she gave it to you, I got poisoned in your place!" Concubine Ruolan sputtered, trying to piece together a new scheme.
"Hongyue doesn"t understand. Is Second Madam saying that you weren"t possessed by the spirit of my mother?" Hongyue articulated slowly, "Then..such a dangerous poison. Why would it be on the Dragon"s Glory?"
"You brat! You put it on-"
"Second Madam sure loves to joke. Hongyue is but a mere miss of a general"s manor, who is easily hara.s.sed by a mere second madam and even needs the help of her dead mother to protect her. Tell me, where would I have the money and needs to get poison?" Hongyue stroked the hair stick as she spoke, "I"ve never seen such poison before, it must be quite costly."
"It was on the hair stick! There wasn"t some ghost of First Madam. I was poisoned," Concubine Ruolan cried out exasperatedly wishing for someone to believe her. The ministers, the Crown Prince, everyone...they"re all being lied to by this Hongyue. Her eyes filled with hatred as she started to form a plan.
General Wei"s face was beginning to heat up. Never had he seen such a mess. Where was the clever Concubine Ruolan he adored so much? This second madam in front of him must be someone else! Repeating the word "poison" with "First Madam" right and left, she might as well tell everyone about the past at this point!
Although he was confused himself, General Wei didn"t believe the concubine was poisoned at all. Tell him just where can you find a poison that can come and leave like that! Since the effects were the exactly like First Madam"s, it wouldn"t be reasonable since there was only one poison he knew would take that influence and it wasn"t curable in the least.
T-then it must be the ghost who was trying to speak through her to reveal the truth about the past!
Did the ghost not leave?! There will be bound to be someone who might inspect her words. The general"s eyes darted towards the Crown Prince. He needed to end this!
"Poisoned? This general thinks you look fine. What is beloved concubine saying? How can there be poison on the Dragon"s Glory? I indulged enough in all your selfishness. Even if you want the Dragon"s Glory, don"t you think you"re going too overboard? You must be delirious from being possessed," He commented coldly before turning his head to his guests, "Second Madam is ill and bad spirited. Taking items that rightfully belonged to the First Madam with no respect. She caused First Madam to be angered enough to possess her body and is now currently insane. Servants! Take her to her room!"
Hongyue frowned. The general was quite experienced, quickly disposing of anything that might be used against him.
"No-no...You"re mistaken. That wasn"t my intention at all. I"m being set up..." Concubine Ruolan"s eyes spun wildly before landing on Hongyue. You horrible wretch! Just who are you? I"ll rip off your mask!
"It"s you! You did this! You"re the one who harmed me," Concubine Ruolan hollered loudly.
Hongyue blinked, "What is second madam saying? Hongyue only took back what was hers."
To outsiders, it sounded like Hongyue was talking about the Dragon"s Glory. However, to the ears of Concubine Ruolan, it seemed like Hongyue admitted her accusation. I don"t believe I won"t be able to expose you! The concubine thought as she cursed Hongyue.
"Jinjing, you have a great daughter! She"s taking revenge for you!" Concubine Ruolan suddenly broke down, howling into the night. General Wei tensed up while the ministers began to whisper among themselves again. However, the second madam didn"t feel like it was enough.
"Jinjing, you"re here right?!!" Concubine Ruolan began to howl louder, "I killed you once, I"ll kill you again!"
The Crown Prince looked over to Hongyue, who was standing still without an expression. She merely stared at the second madam as if she was watching a play.
"I killed your mother! What are you going to do now? Kill me? Just what can you do?!!" Concubine Ruolan taunted Hongyue. Hurry up and lose your temper! Show the General what you"re really like!
However, Hongyue listened as her lips curled up in a mocking sneer. This Concubine Ruolan was likely acting crazy in order to freely expose the past to provoke her into action. It was a risk the concubine was taking with her life to reveal what she thought was Hongyue"s real face for the general to see. Nonetheless, Hongyue could see the whole ploy with a single glance.
What a dangerous woman!
While the ploy was exceedingly useful, Hongyue had more masks than the concubine could afford to peel.
The eldest miss merely bent over and smiled, "Okay!"
What?!
The second madam was shaken. What okay? Why didn"t Hongyue seem to care?
"I said I killed-"
"I heard," Hongyue"s answer was clear and cold.
"Why haven"t you kill me yet?"
The eldest miss came closer to the concubine and leaned down, so they were face to face.
"My mother"s peacefully resting. Why should I send a horrible useless pest to bother her? That"s no good. I don"t want to let you die yet," Hongyue leaned in as she whispered while she cradled Concubine Ruolan"s face in her hands, "After all, second sister would miss her mother, wouldn"t she?"