Chapter 109 Poisoned Wine

The large, warm dragon robe wrapped around his body carried Huo Lin's unique aura and reassuring body temperature.

[Hmph, what are you looking at? I'm happy with this.]

[My imperial robes can be worn by whomever I wish.]

Huo Lin's inner thoughts, tinged with a barely perceptible smugness and a possessive, domineering nature, clearly reached Jiang Huan's ears.

Jiang Huan revealed a rosy-cheeked face, feeling a little uneasy under the gazes coming from all directions.

She silently buried her face in the collar of the dragon robe. What was the Emperor so smug about? Didn't he see that Consort Jia's eyes were practically spitting fire?

Huo Lin's gaze swept over the frozen crowd below. His voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable air of authority.

"The singing and dancing continue, today we celebrate this great victory and a happy marriage, why not stop?"

His words finally broke the brief silence.

The sounds of string and wind instruments resumed, and the dancers once again gracefully began to dance.

The ministers seemed to be jolted awake, and resumed their toasting and drinking, but their eyes kept involuntarily glancing at Jiang Huan.

Jiang Huan tried to ignore the gazes directed at her and looked towards the song and dance performance in the center of the hall.

She picked up the fruit wine beside her and sipped it slowly, trying to use the sweetness to suppress the shock she had just felt.

Just as she was squinting and watching the dancer perform a difficult flying whirlwind with amazing flexibility, her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of a graceful figure moving about.

A young concubine, about seventeen or eighteen years old and dressed in a light pink palace gown, was carrying a cup of wine and walking towards her.

Jiang Huan vaguely recognized that face; it seemed to be a concubine who had recently become very close to Consort Jia and was quite favored by the Empress Dowager, something like...

Qin Changzai?

She put down her wine cup, sat up straighter, and maintained the slightly tipsy, smiling expression on her face, but her heart was taut.

What are they trying to do?

Qin Changzai knelt gracefully slightly below the throne, her voice sweet and gentle, though somewhat tense.

"Your Majesty, I offer you a toast to congratulate you on your great victory in the southern border and the prosperity of the nation."

Huo Lin didn't even lift his eyelids, only gave a faint "hmm" and symbolically raised his glass.

【It's the same old routine again, so boring.】

Hurry up and finish your toast, then leave. Don't stand here in the way.

Qin Changzai seemed very nervous, her hand holding the wine glass was trembling slightly.

She took a deep breath and took a step forward. When she was only two steps away from Jiang Huan's desk, something unexpected happened.

Whether Qin Changzai tripped over the hem of her skirt or actually slipped, she suddenly stumbled forward, letting out a short cry of surprise.

The wine glass she had been holding steadily suddenly, at the moment of the fall, splashed precisely at Jiang Huan's face and chest from a tricky angle.

"oops!"

"careful!"

Several exclamations rang out at the same time.

Jiang Huan was wrapped in Huo Lin's large dragon robe, which made it difficult for her to move. She watched as the cup of wine was about to be poured over her head.

She could even smell an extremely subtle, eerie odor, unlike the usual aroma of wine.

[Toxic!]

Huo Lin's thoughts exploded in Jiang Huan's mind like a thunderclap, instantly unleashing a torrent of anger and murderous intent.

Almost in the blink of an eye, Huo Lin stretched out his long arm, grabbed the armrest of Jiang Huan's wheelchair, and used all his strength to pull her and the chair towards him, protecting Jiang Huan in front of him.

Splash—

Most of the amber-colored wine was spilled, splashing onto the imperial steps covered with a thick brocade carpet, with only a few drops landing on the hem and cuffs of Huo Lin's clothes.

Everyone stared in disbelief at the scene, and then something even more chilling happened.

The wine spilled on the dark carpet did not spread and stain like ordinary wine, but instead quickly emitted a very slight hissing sound, accompanied by extremely fine white foam.

The foam spread rapidly, quickly corroding the carpet in that small area until it turned black and even emitted a wisp of smoke with a pungent, strange smell.

Highly poisonous.

"Ah!" Several palace maids who were nearby screamed in fright and hurriedly retreated.

The ministers gasped in shock, their faces turning deathly pale; some of the more timid ones even knocked over their cups.

The singing and dancing had already stopped, the musicians stood frozen in place, and the entire hall fell into a deathly silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Jiang Huan was shielded behind Huo Lin, trying her best to suppress her wildly beating heart.

If that glass of wine had actually been spilled on her face, the consequences would have been unimaginable!

She subconsciously looked at Qin Changzai, who was frozen in place, terrified.

The other person's face was deathly pale, his lips trembled like a leaf, and his eyes were filled with only blank fear. He was clearly just a pawn pushed out to die.

Huo Lin stood in front of Jiang Huan, his tall figure like a mountain, blocking all possible dangers.

He slowly turned his head, his gaze as cold as polar ice, fixed intently on Qin Changzai.

[Dare to touch her? You're asking for death!]

"Qin Shi has behaved improperly before the Emperor," Huo Lin's voice was icy cold, echoing clearly in the hall, "harboring ulterior motives and intending to harm a palace concubine, her crime is doubled."

Qin Changzai was so frightened that she couldn't even utter a word of protest, and could only collapse on the ground and kowtow repeatedly.

"I didn't mean it. I didn't know that the wine in this cup was such a terrible thing. Your Majesty, please spare my life!"

"have no idea?"

Huo Lin's lips curled into an extremely cold arc, an arc devoid of any smile, only sarcasm.

"So you don't know? Guards!"

Upon seeing this, the guards who had been waiting by the steps immediately stepped forward.

“Drag this wicked woman away and imprison her in a dark room. Keep her under strict guard and do not allow anyone to approach her.”

Huo Lin's voice was firm and unwavering.

"I will personally investigate who instigated this treasonous act right under my nose."

"yes."

The guards grabbed Qin Changzai, who was crying and begging for mercy, from the ground and dragged him out of the hall without any pity.

The piercing cries quickly faded outside the palace gates, leaving only a mess on the ground.

A grand banquet intended to celebrate victory and bestow a marriage was instantly tainted with the shadows of conspiracy and bloodshed.

In the dead silence, a eunuch suddenly trotted in and whispered a few words to the emperor.

Huo Lin's icy expression did not melt away in the slightest. He turned his head slightly and looked towards the palace gate. His voice was not loud, but it was enough for the ministers in the front row to hear clearly.

"Did the Empress Dowager send someone to plead for mercy?"

He slowly sat back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the silent officials below, finally settling on the carpet still bubbling with fine white foam, his voice as cold as the winter wind.

"Go tell the Empress Dowager that the poisoned wine in the palace has not yet been cleaned up. Does she have a clear conscience about what she asked for?"

He paused again as he spoke, each word falling like an ice bead.

"If someone were to pour poison in front of the Empress Dowager, I would stop them just the same way."