Although it was the first time for Concubine Xi and Concubine Lian to preside over a major festival, they made every effort to make it a grand occasion.

That night, Zhao Yuancheng accompanied the Queen Mother to the table and was very satisfied with the decorations in the hall.

Concubine Xi and Concubine Lian looked at the two's faces, and when they saw that they did not show any dissatisfaction on their faces, they breathed a sigh of relief.

As the dinner began, the sound of loud gongs and drums rang out on the stage.

The princes and princesses were the happiest, running happily around the stage. Concubine Rou sat upright in her seat in her court dress, but her eyes were always fixed on the second prince.

She was looking at others, and others were looking at her.

Fu Qianyu recalled what Haining said when he came back that day, and her eyes looked at Concubine Rou with an even darker look.

Half a month ago, Haining left the palace on the pretext of returning home to visit relatives, and then went directly to Roupin's hometown. It was only after inquiring from many sources that he found out.

Roupin was not the biological daughter of that farmer's family, but was accidentally rescued from the water by the man of the house when he was out fishing.

Because they had no children, they adopted Concubine Rou as their adopted daughter.

Afterwards, Haining went to the Liu family's ancestral tomb.

They dug up Miss Liu's grave overnight and found only an empty coffin. From this, they could conclude that Concubine Rou was the second Miss Liu.

Zhao Yuancheng saw Fu Qianyu was stunned, worried that she was not feeling well, and asked hurriedly: "What's wrong? Where do you feel uncomfortable?"

Fu Xiyu came back to her senses and smiled faintly: "I just think that tonight's banquet is so well organized, the emperor must reward Concubine Xi and Concubine Lian with something."

When Concubine Xi and Concubine Lian heard the conversation between the two, they quickly stood up and said they dared not.

Zhao Yuancheng smiled and said, "The Imperial Concubine is absolutely right. We should reward you well. There are two jade screens in the national treasury. They are tributes. I will give them to you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."

Wan Zhaoyi smiled and said, "I heard that the jade screen is emerald green without a single impurity. The emperor truly loves Concubine Xi and Concubine Lian."

Zhao Yuancheng had been in a good mood recently and was willing to chat and laugh with Wan Zhaoyi. Thinking that she had just given birth to a prince, he gave her the pair of jade ruyi that he had treasured as a pillow.

Wan Zhaoyi was overjoyed and stood up to express her gratitude.

The banquet was coming to an end, and the people from the Shangshi Bureau were preparing to present the last dish.

At that time, the steward was busy ordering people to serve the dishes, but suddenly he took the little palace maid's hand and said, "I added some ginseng to the plate in your hand. This plate is for the Imperial Concubine, so please don't give it to her."

The little palace maid smiled and said, "Don't worry, auntie, I understand."

"Well, go ahead."

Just then, a familiar palace maid came over, and the two of them chatted and laughed all the way towards Yuqing Palace.

When she was halfway through the journey, the little palace maid suddenly tripped over a stone under her feet and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, the people next to her were quick to help her up, so she didn't drop the things in her hands.

Even so, there was a piercing pain in her ankle. The little palace maid had to put the things in her hand on the ground and rub her ankle.

Seeing that she looked unwell, the palace attendant beside her also put down what she was holding and went forward to check, "How is it? Can you still walk?"

After moving her ankle a little, the pain gradually subsided. The little palace maid smiled and said, "It's okay. Let's go quickly, otherwise we'll waste time and Auntie will start scolding us again."

As they spoke, the two of them followed the team closely with their food in hand.

Seeing the people from the Imperial Food Bureau come in, Concubine Xi stood up and said to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor with a smile, "I think that although lotus roots are not a rare commodity in autumn, they are refreshing. I have also asked the Imperial Food Bureau to add some osmanthus honey to it. Let's try it too."

The lotus root was not cooked at all, just sprinkled with a little osmanthus honey for seasoning.

After Zhao Yuancheng finished serving the Queen Mother, he took a bite and ate it, praising it: "It's refreshing, crisp and tender, and it's a great way to get rid of greasiness."

When Wan Zhaoyi saw the lotus root in front of her, her heart couldn't help but rise, and her eyes were always watching Fu Qianyu's every move.

It wasn't until I saw Fu Qianyu picking up some lotus root and eating it slowly that my heart almost jumped out of my throat.

But time passed by little by little.

Fu Qianyu still didn't show any strange expression.

Instead, there were suddenly several screams of terror coming from the faces of the princes and dukes on the opposite side, and there was an immediate commotion on that side.

The sound of gongs and drums on the stage also stopped immediately.

Everyone rushed over to check, only to see the second prince lying on the ground, his small body twitching constantly, and his mouth and nose full of black blood!

The second princess was not in good condition either. Although she was spitting out black blood from her mouth, fortunately she did not faint.

Everyone was in a panic, looking flustered.

Concubine Rou was terrified and no longer cared about her hidden identity. She hugged the Second Prince's lifeless body and shouted, "Call the imperial physician! Call the imperial physician quickly!"

Although the second prince was the child of Liu Shuren, he had royal blood after all. Zhao Yuancheng picked up his son and went to the side hall of Yuqing Palace.

Roupin's legs were so weak with fear that she couldn't get up no matter how hard Luzhu tried to help her.

Yuqing Palace was in chaos, and princes and princesses were killed one after another. Zhu Yu immediately summoned the guards to come and protect the emperor. In less than half a cup of tea, almost all the doctors from the Imperial Medical Bureau arrived.

The guards surrounded Yuqing Palace completely, and no one was allowed to move a single step.

Wan Zhaoyi was a little at a loss. Why was Fu Qianyu not hurt at all, but instead indirectly killed the second prince!

In the side hall, Zhao Yuancheng looked very bad. When the imperial physician came hurriedly, he took the second prince's pulse without even doing the greeting.

But everyone just looked at each other, and no one dared to speak.

The Queen Mother was extremely anxious and asked impatiently, "What happened?"

Doctor Xun fell to the ground, his shoulders trembling slightly. "Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, please accept my condolences. The Second Prince has died of poisoning!"

Concubine Rou finally arrived at the side hall, but as soon as she entered the door, she heard the words of the imperial physician and immediately fainted.

Concubine Xi and Concubine Lian were equally surprised.

They were responsible for all the food in Yuqing Palace tonight, and now that the prince has been poisoned to death, they cannot escape blame no matter what!

Zhao Yuancheng was furious and ordered a thorough investigation.

Everyone was in a panic for a while, and not long after, the imperial physician came to report that the honey lotus root that the second prince had eaten tonight was contaminated with arsenic.

The second princess was also poisoned because she ate little, but fortunately her lungs were not damaged, so she survived.

Concubine Xi and Concubine Lian quickly knelt down and apologized.

The Queen Mother said sullenly, "Anyone who has come into contact with the Second Prince's food tonight will be taken to the torture chamber and severely interrogated. I want to see who is so audacious as to murder the heir to the throne!"

As he spoke, he set his gaze on Concubine Xi and Concubine Lian, "Imprison them both in their respective palaces. No one is allowed to visit them without my permission!"

“Hey!”