Chapter 601 Shield 11

The Emperor had no time to concern himself with such trivial matters. He grabbed the arm of the Imperial Physician and said, "Quickly, come and examine Consort Zhao. You must save her!"

The Imperial Physician was pulled so hard by the Emperor that he almost stumbled and was forced to kneel down by the Emperor himself because he didn't kneel down to pay his respects.

Fortunately, the Emperor reacted quickly and helped the person up. After calming his wildly beating heart, the old imperial physician immediately reached out to take the person's pulse. As soon as he touched the pulse, he said, "Hmm?"

He glanced at Consort Zhao's face; it was rosy and delicate, not at all like someone who had been poisoned.

He glanced at the Emperor again, and the Emperor's anxious expression completely bewildered him. He really thought that Consort Zhao had been poisoned.

"Your Majesty, Consort Zhao has indeed been poisoned. I need to examine what kind of poison she has been given before I can develop an antidote."

Ning Yan's other personal maid, Xiao Man, immediately brought over the snacks and tea that had been on the table.

After examining the patient together, Physician Hu and Physician Wang reached a common conclusion: "It's poison from oleander leaves."

Oleander leaves can be deadly, and if there's enough, death can happen in just a few seconds.

After Hu Yuanzheng finished speaking, he wiped away a cold sweat. He was really lucky. The Empress must have discovered that the tea was poisoned and didn't drink it. Otherwise, she would have been dead by the time they arrived.

He quickly added, "Your Majesty, please have someone carry Consort Zhao back to the palace. I need to instruct a female physician to administer acupuncture to her. The poison she has been given is too strong; if things go wrong, the baby in her womb may be lost."

The Emperor said, "Then carry it! Quickly, don't waste any time!"

Ning Yan was carried back to Zhu Yan Palace.

The Empress wondered if Hu Yuanzheng could be developed into her informant, and even brought him back to Zhuyan Palace for acupuncture to detoxify him. Wasn't this just stalling for time?

After all this trouble, how can the child possibly recover?

It's like heaven is helping her; she didn't have to do anything before someone took care of that little bitch.

She was just beginning to feel happy when the Emperor suddenly turned around. "Empress, Consort Zhao's accident happened here with you. If anything happens to her or the child in her womb, I will never let you off the hook!"

Empress: ...

"Rongquan, investigate for me!"

Whoever harmed Consort Zhao, I will take her life once it is found out!

The concubines fell silent, not daring to even breathe. The Emperor was truly angry this time; someone was about to die!

After the emperor finished speaking, he returned to Zhuyan Palace.

Before he even entered the courtyard, he could hear crying from afar.

The Emperor's heart skipped a beat. Could his sister-in-law have died? He hoped nothing had happened to her, as Xian'er was pregnant.

Yes, he genuinely didn't want anything to happen to his sister-in-law, but compared to his sister-in-law, his own woman was still the most important.

He realized something was wrong as soon as he entered the side hall.

The palace maids outside were crying loudly, but the situation inside the palace was completely different.

He strode into the inner room and found Xian'er chatting and laughing with her sister-in-law, while Hu Yuanzheng and Wang Taiyi were sitting on the side drinking tea.

Upon seeing the Emperor enter, everyone quickly bowed in greeting.

"Your Majesty, you're finally back! Yan Yan has suffered so much this time, you must avenge her!"

The Emperor: "...What happened? It's cured already?"

Hu Yuanzheng bowed and said, "Consort Zhao noticed that the tea smelled wrong, so she didn't drink it. Therefore, there was no point in treating it."

Emperor: So it was all an act!

But damn it, he actually believed it!

My sister-in-law is such a good actress!

Ning Yan: "Your Majesty, you didn't notice, did you?"

"It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright. I thought Consort Zhao had really been poisoned!"

The Emperor smiled insincerely: He's full of resentment now. So everyone knows you're faking it, but I'm the only one who believed it!

That makes sense, the imperial physician could tell whether she was alright just by taking her pulse. As for Xian'er, that girl definitely didn't want her sister to worry, so she told her directly.

When it's just me—in that kind of situation, my sister-in-law really can't say anything, what if she gives herself away?

Didn't he tell him the truth as soon as he got back?

Alas, in a mere instant, the Emperor had already convinced himself.

"Let me tell you, brother-in-law, you have to investigate this matter thoroughly. No matter who did it, they can't be let off the hook. She really wants to kill me!"

The emperor's resentment vanished instantly at the mention of this, "Don't worry, I hate the person who harmed us even more than you do!"

The Emperor ordered a thorough investigation, and once the type of poison was identified, finding out who was responsible was all too easy.

However, the mastermind behind this was quite unexpected.

"Rongquan, are you sure it really is her?"

Rong Quan bowed and replied, "The evidence is conclusive. This servant found oleander leaf powder in a hidden compartment under Consort Li's bed, which is consistent with the powder in Consort Zhao's teacup."

Consort Li, when we were in the Crown Prince's residence, the Emperor treated everyone in the inner court according to the rules. He didn't treat anyone any better or worse than anyone else.

Once the emperor ascends the throne, all the old men in the palace will be granted the title of concubine according to their original ranks. As long as she doesn't cause trouble, her future treatment won't be bad. Why bother with this whole thing?

Consort Li was the second daughter of Li, a Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion. A Grand Secretary was essentially the Emperor's secretary; although only a fifth-rank official, he was quite close to the Emperor. The Emperor summoned Li and presented the evidence directly before him. "I don't know why Consort Li did this," he said, "but my word is law, and she has harmed my offspring..."

Lord Li immediately kowtowed three times, pleading, "Your Majesty, please grant her death! My Li family has no such wicked woman!"

The Emperor: As expected, none of the people in the imperial court and the harem have disappointed him.

That very night, Consort Li was poisoned and died.

The poison was found under her bed.

The poison of oleander leaves is indeed real; just a tiny bit can kill a person within ten seconds.

...

Consort Li died, and Consort Zhao's life was saved by Imperial Physician Hu. The Emperor immediately promoted Consort Zhao to the rank of Consort Shu.

The women in the harem were all seething with hatred. How could she survive such a severe poisoning, and more importantly, her child was still safe? How could she be so lucky?

Ning Yan only stayed in her room for three days to recover from her illness before going to the Empress's palace to pay her respects again.

Now the Empress is afraid of her, because she was poisoned by her, and the Emperor directly punished her by deducting a year's salary!

No concubine in the palace truly lived off her salary, especially the Empress, who was never short of money. It was shameful!

Therefore, even if Ning Yan's greeting was not standard, she did not find fault with it.

He also instructed people to take good care of her, saying, "Consort Shu, you are pregnant now and have just recovered from an illness. Your body needs proper care right now, so it's alright if you don't come to pay your respects."

If something happens elsewhere, it's none of her business.

Ning Yan: "Your Majesty, the imperial physician said that I am in good health and all the toxins in my body have been expelled, so I am fine and do not need to recuperate."

I still have to come to pay my respects, otherwise people will say that I am disrespectful to the Empress, ignorant of etiquette, and ill-mannered.

Consort Mu, who had previously criticized Ning Yan for not teaching her manners: ...Do we really have to drag her out and be sarcastic about her again at this point?