Transmigration: The Fate of the Villainess

She committed suicide to escape from pain in her every life. Today, she accepted that she was truly foolish. After crossing into this world, her life had been smooth sailing because of the story within the series that she already knew, enabling her to escape from various problems. This time, it was the situation that had happened in the series as well, though it was entirely out of her control. She had always had the advantage of knowing the future. Now she no longer had the upper hand, and she had to go against Empress Dowager Wei, who was once close to her.

What was happening in front of her was a fate she had never faced before. But, because she had decided to change her fate, she had to continue to fight, no matter how blindly that fight would be.

“How is it, Taizi Fei? How far has your investigation progressed?” Empress Dowager Wei asked Chu Jiaoxin, yet her eyes glanced back at Bai Yu’s smiling face.

Come on, take a shot.

“Bengong has troubled you, Taizi Fei.” Bai Yu smiled at the woman who held the secret regarding the incident of loss. She was not afraid of Empress Dowager Wei revealing that secret here. If her prediction was correct, Ouyang Feilong would never let her bear the blame. And if she could hazard a guess…

He…might even be the true culprit.

“Grandmother. Aunt…” Chu Jiaoxin curtsied and spoke. She could be clearly heard without having to raise her voice. “…I have interrogated Xiao Chang, the royal maid who has given the tonic to Second Consort Bai. She admits that she was the one who brewed the tonic and that the herb was given to her by the empress.”

“Has the fiber of medicine been examined?” Ouyang Feilong asked.

.....

“Yes, Your Majesty. I have examined it. Within the fiber, there is an ingredient poisonous to Second Consort Bai’s pregnancy. When consumed, it increases the risk of miscarriage.”

An exclamation from the guests could be heard as soon as Chu Jiaoxin confirmed the rumor.

Slam!

“Insolent!” Bai Yu slammed her fist onto the table, silencing all within the party. Her eyes turned to the woman who had mentioned her. Her eyes were calm despite the fury in her tone. “…Do you have ten heads to spare to pay for your rash accusation? Bengong is the mother of this nation and an older sister to Second Consort Bai.”

“I do not dare.” Normally, Chu Jiaoxin would continue to argue with her to the point of breaking into a fight. Yet that same Taizi Fei lowered her head and withdrew from the chance of an argument. Both she and Bai Yu knew that someone would show themselves.

“Your Majesty…” A clear voice from a woman in a dark purple dress was heard not too far from Bai Yu’s side. “…The evidence clearly points to—”

“Insolent!” Bai Yu yelled out the same word, forcing Mu Qilin to turn quiet. One had revealed her true nature. According to her calculation, there was another one left. “…How is this related to you, De Fei?”

“She’s not involved, but she’s correct.” Empress Dowager Wei was the person who spoke this time. This was what Bai Yu had been waiting for. “…Your maid has already confessed. There’s nothing you can refuse.” It was clear that Empress Dowager Wei had planned to expose Bai Yu in the middle of the party.

Bai Yu turned to the other woman. Two pairs of eyes exchanged gazes. “Mother, please consider it carefully. I was given this tonic by his majesty, and I passed it on to my sister. If it is truly laced with poison, then is Mother not accusing his majesty as well?”

“Insolent!” Now it was Empress Dowager Wei who yelled out. Her body trembled with anger when Bai Yu turned her own words against her. With such an audience, a high level of acting skills was required for both actresses. Bai Yu was confident that she would not lose to Empress Dowager Wei. “You wronged your sister and now passing the fault to his majesty?”

“I do not dare.” Bai Yu pretended to bow down. “The investigation has yet to be completed. I do not dare ‘throw’ any remark at anyone.” Her words were polite and humble, though the meaning behind them was directed at Empress Dowager Wei. It was then that the elderly woman realized that Bai Yu had lured her to openly state an accusation when Chu Jiaoxin had only started talking.

“Taizi Fei…” The argument between the two pillars of the inner court was interrupted by Ouyang Feilong at the right moment. And it seemed that his sense of timing greatly pleased Bai Yu. “Continue.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The unusually reserved Chu Jiaoxin curtsied before continuing. “Even though the maid had admitted to receiving the tonic from the empress, I did not completely believe her. I then had some people search for the residue of the tonic the Empress always drinks in two locations. The Empress’s palace and the royal doctor’s bureau.”

A few days ago, Chu Jiaoxin sent people to her palace to investigate the residue of the herb used to create the tonic. Bai Yu easily cooperated, as she was certain that they would not find anything abnormal.

“I did not find anything out of the ordinary in the residue.”

“Of course, there’s none…” The sound of Mu Qilin’s mutter attracted the attention of everyone in the party, including Ouyang Feilong, who raised a brow at the person in the seat higher than the other women in the party, though still lower than his and Bai Yu’s. He remembered that he had talked to her alone once. “Ah! I was impolite. Please excuse me.”

It was impossible for Ouyang Feilong to not realize that she was acting. Still, he played along. “What do you mean, Mu De Fei?”

Mu Qilin’s face immediately lit up. This time, Ouyang Feilong remembered both her surname and title! That spurred her on to openly reveal her thoughts. “…I only think that it would not be strange if the poison wasn’t found in the Empress’s palace. Her majesty is also pregnant; how could the harmful ingredient be included then? It is more likely that the herbs were later tampered with at the east palace…”

“Mhm.” Ouyang Feilong nodded, seemingly in agreement. His reaction made Mu Qilin overjoyed, while Bai Yu wanted nothing more than to roll her eyes at Ouyang Feilong. He was becoming a better actor day by day!

“Your Majesty…” Bai Yu touched the back of Ouyang Feilong’s hand to call his attention. She did not know whether it was because of jealousy or frustration, but she had done it. “I am being framed. Your Majesty himself has given those herbs to me. How could I dare use it to harm Third Sister?”

“You’re right.” Ouyang Feilong turned his eyes away from Mu Qilin to look at Bai Yu. The corner of his mouth twitched into a smile for a blink of an eye before returning to normal. He knew she deliberately interrupted his conversation with his consort. Now it was apparent that Ouyang Feilong knew about this staged scene all along. It was even possible that he had been acting from the start. Damn him!

“Your Majesty, this is all I have found. The investigation has yet to be concluded, and the culprit has yet to be found. Please, I beg for Your Majesty’s mercy.” Chu Jiaoxin curtsied after she finished. Ouyang Feilong waved his hand in a gesture of bestowing her with the mercy she asked for. It was as if everything would end there, with Bai Yu still being seen as a suspect. However, before it could truly end, a voice came.

“Your Majesty…” A female voice was heard once more, though it was not the same woman who had spoken. “I, Tai Fei Bai Xue, would like to request Your Majesty’s permission to inform Your Majesty of something.”

“First, please allow me to ask whom Your Majesty has assigned to oversee the Empress’s tonic.” Bai Xue inquired in a serene voice, a notable characteristic of the former De Fei to Ouyang Hongxian.

“It is Royal Doctor Li.”

At Ouyang Feilong’s answer, confusion unfurled on the widowed consort’s face. “…But that day, I accidentally saw that it was another royal doctor who gave the tonic to the empress’s maid…”