"Stop! What are you doing?!"

The Queen Mother came to her senses and saw blood dripping into the boiling water, so she quickly spoke out to stop it.

Shu Shunyi was frightened, her hand trembled, and the dagger fell to her feet. There was blood on the blade, and a fishy smell in the air. The scene was too weird.

"I didn't know the Empress Dowager was coming, and I'm sorry for not coming to greet you. Please forgive me!"

She immediately knelt on the ground, and there was no time to treat the wound on her right arm, which was still bleeding. It was particularly horrifying!

The Queen Mother took a deep breath. "The Emperor summoned you to his bedchamber, and not long after, you became like this. Is this how you made him sick? What's cooking in the pot? Why drip blood into it? What are you planning?!"

Each question made me feel wronged.

Before Shu Shunyi could say anything, Tong Jun next to her rushed in to explain, "Empress Dowager, you've wronged my young mistress! The pot was cooking medicine. She didn't have the guts or the mind to harm the current emperor. Instead, she learned that the emperor was seriously ill and was trying every possible way to save him!"

"Save? How to prove it?"

"Mr. Tong, please stop." Shu Shunyi stopped him with her eyes, then knelt down and pleaded, "Your Majesty the Queen Mother, please forgive me. My father is deeply favored by the Emperor and is dedicated to serving his country. Since I entered the palace, I have never disturbed the harem or plotted to murder the Emperor. Moreover, the Emperor treats me very well and has come to my rescue more than once when I was bullied. I have no reason to harm him."

The Queen Mother approached the pot and saw that it indeed contained boiling dark brown medicine.

On one side is his son's life, and on the other side is a somewhat pale excuse.

She told Zijin, "Go get a bowl, pour the medicine in, and have Shu Shunyi drink it."

"yes."

Wei Shuyi was standing by but couldn't speak out to plead for mercy.

She understood that the Queen Mother had suspicions about Shu Shunyi, but she never expected it to be so serious!

Asking Shu Shunyi to drink the medicine in public clearly showed that he suspected it was poisonous and wanted to test it himself!

Fortunately, there was no impatience on her face. Instead, she waited quietly for Aunt Zijin to bring the bowl. After blowing on it a few times, she tilted her head back and drank the medicine clean.

Seeing this, the Queen Mother was at a loss for words: "Since that's the case, you can tell me the details."

"I only learned of the Emperor's illness from the palace two days ago. However, I am not a high-ranking concubine and do not have the right to trespass into the Hall of Eternal Life. Staying in the palace to pray to the gods is not an option either. I know that Aunt Wen Yu, who is by Jia Wanrong's side, is skilled in medicine, so I asked her to come every day to study the medicinal herbs based on the illness I heard about. I pondered for a long time and finally came up with a prescription, but it's missing a crucial ingredient..."

"What is missing?!"

"Human blood, anyone's will do." Shu Shunyi looked at the palace maids around her, "But, they usually serve me, and it's already extremely hard. My body and hair are given by my parents, how can I take their blood at will? So, I thought, as long as the emperor's illness can be cured, shedding a little blood is nothing..."

The Queen Mother looked at the dagger in surprise, then stared at Tong Jun: "Where is the prescription? I want to see it."

"Yes, I'll get it right away!"

After a while, Tong Jun brought a stack of papers and said apologetically, "Your Majesty, the young lady wrote a lot of papers, and I can't read very well, so I took them all."

"No problem."

The Queen Mother unrolled the scroll of rice paper and saw two distinct handwritings, written and drawn, as if they were discussing something. The further she looked, the more of one handwriting appeared, and on the last sheet of paper, the ingredients of the prescription were confirmed.

What fell at the end was indeed "human blood".

Aunt Zijin was standing beside her and had obviously seen the contents of the paper. After a flash of surprise in her eyes, she looked at the empress dowager and nodded.

"It seems that I have wronged you. Get up, don't kneel!"

"Thank you, Empress Dowager."

"Don't blame me for being cruel. This involves the Emperor's life and property, so I can't help but investigate diligently." The Queen Mother waved her hand, inviting Shu Shunyi to step forward. "You're also foolish. There are so many scars on your arms. If the Emperor sees them in the future, he'll be heartbroken!"

Wei Shuyi handed over the clean gauze in time, and the empress dowager bandaged Shu Shunyi herself, which made her attitude clear.

"Your Highness, this is a small matter that I can handle myself. How dare I trouble you to do it?"

"You injured yourself for my son and took so much blood. Even if it's just to thank you for him, I will bandage it for you."

"Yes, I thank the Queen Mother for her consideration."

Shu Shunyi took the opportunity to steal a glance at Wei Shuyi, and her uneasy mood gradually dissipated.

——

The Empress returned to Fengluan Palace in a rage. She pondered over it, still puzzled: Why was the Emperor, barely waking up, still calling out for Yao'er? This gave Concubine Jin an opportunity, and she, the Empress, was kicked out?

Jin Han also saw the embarrassing scene: "My Lady, should I notify the Master to come over?"

"This palace and the imperial concubine have been at odds for a long time, and father knows about it. What's the point of notifying him? He doesn't care about the stumbling block in front of him, but instead keeps a close eye on Jia Wanrong. He got angry with me before about the birth, and now he probably can't help!"

"But if we let Concubine Jin stay in Changsheng Palace, won't she take all the benefits?" Jin Han suggested again, "Your Majesty, your Majesty and you are related by blood, so there is no such thing as an overnight grudge. Write a letter and say a few good words, and your Majesty will definitely solve the problem for you."

"If father had truly been useful, after entering the palace for a few years, I wouldn't have been humiliated by being trampled underfoot by a noble concubine." The Queen took a bite of grapes and felt a little better. "But the situation is different now. First it was Jia Wanrong, then Shu Shunyi. They each get their share of favor. It's okay for her to be complacent for a few days."

"Your Majesty, according to the rules, you are the one who should be attending to the patient. If the time comes, what if the Imperial Concubine whispers in your ear that you are afraid of hardship and fatigue..."

"What else? When I was in the mansion, I didn't like to serve others. In the past, when my father was sick, it was always my mother who took care of him, and I basically never intervened. It's true that I'm afraid of hardship and fatigue, and it's also true that I don't want to see that bitch. Since she wants to show off so much, then let her work hard and endure the hardship! I don't mind."

Jin Han looked at his master who was obsessed with fruits and sighed softly.

She finally understood why, before entering the palace, the Prime Minister had repeatedly told her to make every effort to make suggestions and to help the poor get out of trouble.

"By the way, Jinhan, there's something you need to help me with."

She immediately became interested: "Have you thought it through, Your Majesty? Even if you're not in the Palace of Eternal Life, it would be nice to send a servant over every day to inquire about your condition and bring you some medicine!"

"Who told you to do this?" The Queen rolled her eyes. "I don't like these green grapes. Go talk to the Imperial Household Department and ask them to change them to purple."

"My Lady, is there anything else?"

"No more. When I remember what I want to eat, I'll tell you to make it."

It doesn't matter if the emperor is sick, the imperial doctors will naturally serve him at his beck and call.

All she wanted now was to fill her stomach and have a good sleep.