He was so burned that he almost dropped the bowl, and hurriedly put it on the table, his long nail guards getting covered in the medicine.

Qi An raised an eyebrow: "What, did feeding Father Emperor medicine make you feel wronged? Or do you not want Father Emperor to get better at all, and are only hoping to become Empress Dowager as soon as possible?"

"You're talking nonsense. Of course, I hope His Majesty is in good health."

"Alright, then hurry up and feed them. Every time you and your son come, you just stand there and watch. Are you here to take care of someone who's ill, or to stroll through a temple fair?"

After being humiliated by Qi An, she had no choice but to pick up the medicine bowl.

The young eunuch reminded her, "Your Majesty, the poison has not yet been tested."

The old emperor glared at him: "This medicine was personally prepared by the eldest princess, what's there to try?"

Then she said, "Let's give it a try. Everyone can rest assured."

"No need for that."

Qi An took the bowl and drank a mouthful directly.

"Can we feed him now?"

Then she took the bowl and fed the old emperor spoonful by spoonful until he finished drinking.

After swallowing the last dose of medicine, the old emperor's eyes suddenly bulged out, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, which landed right on the empress's face.

The Empress Dowager screamed in terror as she watched the Emperor lying on the couch, vomiting black blood.

"Guards! Guards! Summon the imperial physician immediately!"

The eunuchs and palace maids inside the palace were in a panic and chaos.

The Empress pointed at Qi An, her voice trembling: "It was you! You brought this medicine, you poisoned it! How dare you commit regicide!"

Qi An slapped him hard across the face: "Are you calm now?"

He yelled again, and got another slap: "After I poisoned it, I took a bite myself first. Am I crazy?"

Then everyone in the hall remembered, "Oh yeah, the princess was the first to drink it, how come she's alright?"

The old imperial physician had barely returned to the Imperial Hospital when he was summoned again. Upon hearing that the emperor had been poisoned, he was terrified.

Could it be that today is a day of national mourning?

Qi An ordered the Imperial Guards to surround the entire palace, and no one was allowed to leave until the culprit was found.

The old emperor had fallen into a coma, but fortunately he was not going to die for the time being. The imperial physicians were also unsure what kind of poison it was.

The old physician examined the medicine bowl and all the people and objects that had come into contact with the medicine, and finally found the poison in the Empress's armor.

The Empress was shocked and her legs went weak, causing her to collapse: "It wasn't me! I was framed!"

She pointed at Qi An: "It was the Eldest Princess, it was the Eldest Princess who poisoned him."

The old imperial physician couldn't help but ask, "How did the poison get into the Empress's nail guards?"

The Empress was speechless. She did indeed hide poison in her armor, but it was intended to poison Nie Yuhuang. How did it end up in the Emperor's medicine?

The imperial physician said, "If this poison hadn't clashed with the medicine in the Emperor's body, he would probably already be..."

Qi An said coldly, "Take her down for this princess."

"How dare you! I am the Empress, how dare a mere princess like you be so insolent!"

Qi An drew the sword hanging beside the dragon bed and pressed it directly against the Empress's neck.

Do you think this princess wouldn't dare?

Nie Ming lunged forward: "Let go of my mother."

Qi An kicked him away: "Get lost, stay somewhere else."

"Ming'er..."

The Empress Dowager glared at Qi An with hatred: "You wretch, when my son ascends the throne, I will tear you to pieces."

Qi An punched her eyeballs twice: "You harmed the imperial heir, committed treason, and are the one who should be torn to pieces."

Qi An looked at the Imperial Guard Commander again and shouted, "Do I need to say it a second time?"

The commander glanced at the princess with her imposing aura, then at the crown prince who could only tremble and cry for his mother, and then at the emperor who didn't know how many more days he had left to live.

He knew it was time to choose sides.

The commander bowed respectfully and clasped his hands in a fist salute: "As the Princess commands."

Next, Qi An ordered his men to search the Empress's Weiyang Palace, where they found many valuable items.

Abortion accounts for half, witchcraft accounts for the other half.

Fu Gui exclaimed, "Wow, she's so busy every day! She's the captain of the abortion team and also a master of fabric art."

Qi An picked up two rag dolls covered in needles, each bearing her and the old emperor's birth dates and times.

"I can understand. She just wants to get promoted, make money, and have her husband die. After all, becoming the Empress Dowager is the end of the palace intrigue."

Witchcraft and sorcery were a major taboo in the imperial harem.

Even if the Empress Consort can prove that she did not poison the emperor, her reign as Empress is over for the sake of her using witchcraft to curse him.

When a wall falls, everyone pushes it down.

The Empress has caused the deaths of countless concubines' children over the years; everyone is waiting for her downfall.

Qi An threw her into the Cold Palace, and less than three days later, the Empress died tragically there.

According to Fu Gui, at least seven or eight concubines were involved.

When the old emperor woke up and learned of this, he said nothing, but issued an edict appointing Princess Nie Yuhuang as regent.

In the imperial bedchamber, the old emperor lay dying, with only Qi An by his side.

Qi An asked calmly, "Father, do you really not know what the Empress has been doing all these years?"

The emperor remained silent for a long time before saying, "Yuhuang, your father only has one son, and I cannot fail to consider his needs. I am aware of what the empress did; I originally intended for her to be buried with her."

It wasn't that he didn't want to punish the Empress, but that he didn't want the Crown Prince to become the son of a sinner.

"Is Father Emperor blaming me? Blaming me for exposing the Empress and not giving the Crown Prince any face?"

"It's not your fault, Yuhuang. After Father Emperor passes away, the fate of the Great Yu Kingdom still rests on your shoulders."

Qi An dropped his pretense and asked with a playful expression, "How will you carry it? Will you pass the throne to me?"

The old emperor's pupils contracted: "You want to be the emperor?"

"Can't I even think about it?" Qi An looked at the old emperor, revealing his ambition without reservation.

The old emperor looked at his ambitious daughter, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes, followed by deep apprehension.

"No, the throne of Dayu can only belong to the Crown Prince."

Then, he put on a tender and affectionate expression, looking like a good father who cares about his daughter.

"You are Father's most beloved daughter, and Father will not mistreat you."

"I will bestow upon you the title of Princess Zhenguo, granting you the power to oversee the country until the new emperor comes of age. The Tiger Tally will also be given to you. In other words, until your younger brother comes of age, you are the de facto master of Dayu. Is that enough?"

Qi An smiled brightly: "What if I don't want to return it to him later? What does Father Emperor plan to do? Kill me?"

“Silly child, how could I possibly kill you? Your father believes you will protect the empire. I will hand it over to your younger brother when he comes of age.”

Fu Gui said sarcastically, "No wonder he can become emperor. His brainwashing rhetoric and moral blackmail are even more powerful than those of a pyramid scheme."

A flash of ferocity crossed Qi An's eyes. He grabbed the old emperor by the neck and leaned down, saying:

"You won't kill me? Then tell me, what did the secret order you left for Nie Ming say?"

The old emperor coughed, his eyes changing drastically.

Qi An's face was grim as he asked Nie Yuhuang a question in a stern voice.

“They took advantage of my filial piety, poisoned me, caused me to lose my child, and left me crippled, so that I could only serve the Nie family and protect their empire.”

"When Nie Ming comes of age, if I don't appreciate your kindness, I'll have him executed with a secret edict. Is this what you mean by 'trusting me'?"

The old emperor's cheeks flushed red as he asked in shock, "How...how did you know?"

Qi An slowly approached him, his voice cold and eerie.

"Because I am already dead."