When Lan Huier saw the emperor drink the soup, she couldn't stop smiling. She looked at the emperor excitedly, her heart pounding in her throat.

She kept fantasizing about the wonderful scenes of the night, completely unaware of the sinister smile on the face of the eldest princess who had succeeded in her scheme.

Gu Jianli stood there stunned, not understanding why the emperor wanted to drink.

Just when she finally felt she could understand this man a little, he would do something that baffled her again.

That's how it is now.

He knew perfectly well that there might be something wrong with the soup, but he still drank it without hesitation.

Her heart was still pounding, and suddenly, a terrifying thought flashed through her mind.

At this moment, the eldest princess spoke up:

"Consort Lan is truly humble. This yam and hibiscus soup tastes just as good as that of the imperial chefs. I'm sure that after my brother and mother have tasted it, they will remember your kindness."

"After all, there aren't many concubines in the harem who are willing to personally cook for the Emperor and the Empress Dowager."

"Moreover, Your Majesty has always preferred a light diet, so you will surely enjoy this soup very much."

She covered her mouth with one hand and looked at Lan Huier meaningfully.

Lan Hui'er understood immediately and replied, "If that's the case, it would be my honor. If Your Majesty wishes to drink it again in the future, I can cook it for you every day."

The emperor remained expressionless and did not utter a single word.

Lan Huier wasn't embarrassed; she walked to her seat and sat down quietly.

The eldest princess looked at the clean bowl in front of the emperor, her lips practically curling up to the sky.

Just wait a little longer... just a little longer.

She looked triumphantly in Gu Jiangli's direction, her defiant gaze conveying to him that if anything happened to the emperor, no one in the entire harem could protect her.

However, the smug expression on the princess's face slowly faded after she met Gu Jiangli's gaze.

She saw an unprecedented coldness and ruthlessness on Gu Jiangli's face, like a spider in a spiderweb calmly watching its prey from a corner.

At that moment, the princess's heart trembled involuntarily.

But she glanced at the empty bowl in front of the emperor, and then calmed down.

Lan Huier brought it up herself; even if she's stupid, she shouldn't make a mistake on something so simple.

Just as she was thinking this, she heard a "click" sound beside her.

The eldest princess turned her head in surprise, hoping to see her brother collapse from exhaustion.

But to her surprise, the one who was physically exhausted was not her brother, but her mother.

"Mother! What's wrong, Mother?"

Everyone's attention was drawn to her voice.

Lan Huier looked in the direction of the eldest princess, puzzled.

"Mother...how could this be?"

The Empress Dowager covered her chest with one hand and her nose with the other.

Crimson drops of blood trickled from between her fingers, her face flushed an unusual rosy hue, her eyes unfocused, and her breathing rapid.

"What's wrong with me?"

The eldest princess cried out in a panic, "Summon the imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician quickly!"

In an instant, the originally joyous Double Ninth Festival family banquet became a complete mess.

The concubines gathered together, their faces filled with panic and fear.

Gu Jiangli remained unmoved and slowly took a sip of the yam and egg drop soup.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Lotus quietly came up behind Gu Jiangli and stood there as if she had been there all along.

"Your Majesty, rest assured, no trace was left. Those two little maids have already returned to Delan Palace." Lotus whispered in Gu Jiangli's ear in a voice only the two of them could hear.

Gu Jiangli nodded gently, his face calm and composed.

Lan Hui'er was not familiar with the imperial kitchen, and she didn't even notice that two palace maids were replaced during the delivery of soup.

It wouldn't be difficult to switch the soup between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.

Such a scheme of substitution was a piece of cake for her.

The soup that the Empress Dowager drank was the very soup that Lan Huier had originally intended to give to the Emperor.

However, judging from Lan Huier's expression, she had no idea what kind of consequences her soup would cause.

The princess made the naive and foolish Lan Hui'er her weapon, and Lan Hui'er probably thought the princess wanted to help her.

Gu Jiangli sat quietly, watching the farce unfold like a bystander.

She remained unmoved no matter how panicked others were.

At this moment, there was another person in the hall who, like her, had no expression.

The emperor glanced indifferently at the Empress Dowager, who was still bleeding from her nose, and gave an order towards the outside of the hall:

"The Empress Dowager's illness is suspicious. The main hall is sealed off, and no one is allowed to leave until the cause of the Empress Dowager's illness is found."

The Empress Dowager has always been in good health, so her sudden illness is somewhat unusual.

The emperor then ordered the main hall to be sealed off, and the reason for this was quite clear.

"Could someone have poisoned us?" one of the concubines asked.

This statement made the already anxious and uneasy hall even more apprehensive.

"Poisoning?! No way, who would dare to poison the Empress Dowager?"

"This is a capital offense!"

"What about the food we ate? Is it poisonous too? What did I just eat? Am I going to die?"

...

As everyone chatted amongst themselves, no one noticed that Lan Huier's face had turned as pale as paper.

She kept swallowing, her eyes darting around in a panic.

At this moment, the imperial physician rushed over.

The elderly Imperial Physician Lin was the most senior and skilled physician in the palace.

Even he shuddered inwardly after feeling the Empress Dowager's pulse.

This kind of major event has not occurred in the palace for many years.

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