Give Each of Them a Pill

"Of course, His Majesty gave it to me," Grace replied.

"Impossible! Why would His Majesty give you the Vermilion Order? Who do you think you are?" Consort Penelope shouted. "That Vermilion Order in your hand must be a fake!"

Grace said nothing. She walked out into the courtyard and held up the Vermilion Order to the sunlight.

Instantly, it emitted a dazzling five-colored light, gathering in the air to form a beautiful Vermilion Bird spirit.

"Consort Penelope," the Chief Palace Guard said, "this is the genuine Vermilion Order."

"She... She must have stolen it!"

"Consort Penelope, without the emperor's blood-sacrifice authorization, no one can use the Vermilion Order," the Chief Palace Guard said. "It couldn't have been stolen!"

The Chief Palace Guard spoke nothing but the truth, and Consort Penelope wished she could sew his mouth shut.

But they were the emperor's personal guards; the consorts had no authority over them.

"Everyone, listen up!" Grace announced loudly. "There's something fishy about Princess Gia's death. Today, we must get to the bottom of it!"

"Please instruct us, President Zhu," said the Chief Palace Guard.

"First, summon all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau!" Grace ordered. "To avoid suspicion, there's no need to call the Imperial Alchemist!"

"Yes, ma'am." The Head Eunuch instructed the junior eunuchs to go.

"Chief Palace Guard," Grace called, "take your men and detain all the attendants who served the princess. Make sure none of them die!"

"Yes!" The Chief Palace Guard led his men away.

Consort Penelope's face twisted with rage. She shouted, "Are you all insane? Who does she think she is? She's nothing! And you're actually following her orders?"

"Consort Penelope, it's not her orders we're following, but the Vermilion Order," the Chief Palace Guard said. "To see the Vermilion Order is to see the emperor. You stand before it and refuse to kneel, shouting like this—it's disrespectful to His Majesty!"

Consort Penelope's expression changed. She glanced at the Vermilion Order in Grace's hand, her face contorted.

Even those around her couldn't help but tremble with fear.

The imperial physicians arrived quickly.

Grace had them consult together to determine how Princess Gia had died.

Their conclusion: poisoning.

This poison caused the victim to die quietly, without any visible signs of distress.

Grace took out a bottle of Red Truth Pills from her Sanctum and handed it to one of the imperial physicians. "Take a look. What are these?"

The imperial physicians inspected it and replied, "Red Truth Pills. They control a person's mind and force them to speak the truth."

"Give each of them one," Grace said, pointing at the attendants from Moonlight Palace. "Chief Palace Guard, you interrogate them."

The Chief Palace Guard complied.

Consort Penelope's chest heaved violently. Suddenly, she drew a knife and lunged at Grace.

Consort Penelope was no weakling.

But she was no match for Grace.

Grace kicked her squarely in the chest, sending her flying six meters back.

"Seize Consort Penelope!" Grace commanded.

"Chloe Zhu, how dare you!" Consort Penelope roared, her voice fierce.

"Seize her," Grace said, unfazed and expressionless.

But this time, the palace guards hesitated, all looking to the Chief Palace Guard, afraid to make a move.

Consort Penelope came from the emperor's maternal family (adoptive mother) and was the Empress Dowager's beloved niece—her status was unmatched.

Even with the Vermilion Order in Grace's hand, they dared not touch her.

"If anything happens, I'll take full responsibility," Grace said. "Just follow orders."

The Chief Palace Guard was a smart man.

After thinking it over, he waved his hand and said, "Seize her!"

And so, Consort Penelope was taken into custody.