Chapter 14 The Calm Queen Mother

In her previous life, not long after Xiao Jingren ascended the throne, the Queen, who was the Queen Mother at the time, also "gently" awarded her the pair of bracelets!

She was pregnant at that time and wore it with great joy.

Little did they know...

There is a secret hidden inside this bracelet!

Day after day, the cold poison hidden in the bracelet silently seeped into her flesh and blood, eroding her vitality and hope bit by bit!

Her child, who had just come into the world and whom she had never met, was separated from her forever in silence!

"She truly is worthy of the nobility of the Shen family's legitimate daughter."

"This is the great love of my mother."

Thinking about it now, every word and sentence is extremely ironic!

A bone-chilling chill suddenly rushed from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, making her tremble all over.

A perfect smile slowly bloomed on Chen He's face, that smile was intertwined with surprise and deep gratitude, just like a flower blooming in spring, fresh yet gentle.

"Thank you for your favor and kindness, Her Majesty. Chen He is grateful!"

After saying this, she gently extended her hand with an elegant gesture.

The moment my fingertips lightly touched the bracelet, an inexplicable warmth penetrated my skin and reached my heart.

Chen He's heart suddenly trembled. This bracelet must not be worn lightly!

However, looking around, everyone is staring at me. How can I refuse gracefully in such a situation?

Chen He's thoughts flashed like lightning, and he came up with a plan in an instant.

She calmly took the bracelet and held it carefully in both hands, as if it was the most precious treasure in the world, with a glimmer of cherishment in her eyes.

At this moment, every one of her movements seemed so natural and just right, without anyone noticing any flaws.

Just as she was about to put it on her wrist, she seemed to suddenly remember something, and turned her head slightly, giving a slightly shy smile to the maid-in-charge who had just held the box beside the queen.

"This aunt..."

Her voice was soft, with a hint of girlish sweetness.

"I was a little anxious when I came in just now, and it seems that the pearls on my temples are a little crooked."

She raised her right hand slightly, as if to hold her temples, and the jade bracelet on her wrist swayed.

"Could you please help me take a look, Auntie?"

As she spoke, she naturally extended the wrist with the bracelet towards the palace maid, and at the same time raised her left hand as if to tidy up her hair.

The palace maid was stunned and subconsciously took a step forward to help her check.

Just as the palace maid approached and her sight was attracted by Shen He's hair—

Chen He used his right hand, which held the jade bracelet, to gently tap the corner of the table next to him with his wrist in an extremely subtle and clever way!

There was only a crisp "pop" sound!

The jade bracelet with excellent water content shattered with a sound!

It broke into two pieces and fell onto the mirror-like golden brick floor!

The sound was particularly harsh in the quiet Ci'an Palace!

Everyone's movements seemed to be paused.

The smile on the queen's face froze.

The Queen Mother paused as she leaned forward slightly.

The flash of gloating in Lanpin's eyes froze.

Even Xiao Jingchi, who had been smiling foolishly, seemed to have lost the innocent curve at the corner of his mouth for a moment.

On the golden brick floor, the emerald green jade bracelet was broken into two pieces and lay quietly.

However--

Right on the edge of breaking!

A wisp of very light and thin green smoke is rising!

If you don't look closely, it's almost impossible to notice!

But Shen He kept staring!

She saw it clearly!

Then, an indescribable smell, with a hint of sweetness and a strange bitterness, began to spread.

It smells like almonds that have been covered for a long time, and has a slightly moldy smell.

Not strong, but extremely clear.

Shen He, who was closest to him, even frowned slightly.

"What...is this smell?"

A young palace maid sitting next to the desk couldn't help but cover her nose and whisper. Her voice was as thin as a mosquito, but it echoed clearly in the hall where it was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

In an instant, everyone's attention was focused on the wisp of drifting green smoke.

The queen's face instantly lost its color and became extremely pale.

She suddenly turned her eyes, and her sword-like gaze shot straight at the head maid who was holding an exquisite box beside her. The look was cold and sharp.

The palace maid in charge was also filled with fear, her knees seemed to have gone weak, and she fell to the ground with a thud, her innocence and fear evident in her heart.

"Mother..." The Queen forced herself to remain calm and turned to the Queen Mother, but there was a barely perceptible tremor in her voice.

The Queen Mother's expression darkened as well, her eyes like torches sweeping across the broken jade on the ground and the strange wisp of green smoke.

"Someone!" The Queen Mother's voice pierced the hall like frost, carrying unquestionable majesty. "Send the imperial physician immediately!"

Chen He lowered his eyelids slightly, a barely perceptible sneer hidden beneath his long eyelashes, as if he had anticipated this sudden storm.

Soon, Doctor Liu hurried into the hall carrying a heavy medicine box, his face full of tension and caution.

"Your humble servant pays homage to the Empress Dowager and the Empress." His voice was a little hurried, yet respectful.

"No need to be polite." The Queen Mother raised her finger and pointed at the broken jade pieces scattered on the ground. Her tone was filled with a hint of confusion and dissatisfaction. "Doctor Liu, please take a look. Why do these jade bracelet fragments emit such a strange smell?"

Upon hearing this, Doctor Liu did not dare to slack off in the slightest. He quickly bent down and carefully picked up a piece of debris, his movements revealing the meticulousness and caution unique to a doctor.

He first moved closer to the broken piece, examined it carefully, frowned slightly, as if trying to find hidden secrets from this tiny detail.

In just a moment, Doctor Liu's expression changed!

Become extremely solemn!

He put the fragment down, picked up another one, and repeated the action.

Finally, he stood up and bowed deeply to the Queen Mother and the Empress.

"Reporting to the Queen Mother, Her Majesty the Queen."

Doctor Liu's voice was more serious than ever before.

"Someone has tampered with this jade bracelet and tempered something into it!"

"Judging from the smell and the traces left behind..."

He paused, as if choosing his words.

"It's a strong musk, with a good amount of safflower!"

Musk! Safflower!

As soon as these two words were spoken, the faces of the concubines and palace maids in the palace who had some knowledge of pharmacology all changed suddenly, and they were secretly frightened, as if a chill was quietly rising and penetrating their hearts!

Both of these are powerful medicines that can promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis!

It is a big taboo for pregnant women!

If worn by an ordinary woman, it may be harmful to her body. If it is worn by a pregnant woman... the consequences are unimaginable!

The queen's body shook almost imperceptibly.

"I've practiced medicine for decades, and I can't mistake the scent of musk and safflower!" Imperial Physician Liu interrupted the Queen firmly. "When these two substances are mixed and tempered, they will slowly evaporate when exposed to human warmth. If the jade bracelet breaks and heats up due to the force, smoke will instantly rise! This smell is proof of that!"

There was dead silence in the hall.

Everyone's eyes were focused on the queen's pale face.

It is said that this bracelet was given by the Queen Mother!

this……

“Woo…”

An uncontrollable sob, filled with extreme fear and despair, suddenly rang out!

It’s the Queen!

She seemed to have lost all her strength and stumbled back a step!

If it weren't for Aunt Gui who was quick to catch her, she would have collapsed to the ground!

The queen's body began to tremble violently, like a leaf falling in the wind.

Her face was so pale that it couldn't be described anymore. It was a kind of despair that was almost ashen!

“No wonder…”

She muttered to herself absentmindedly, her voice broken.

“No wonder…”

Tears flowed out like pearls from a broken string, instantly covering her well-maintained face, making her look like a real pear blossom in the rain.

"Your Majesty! What's wrong with you?" The Queen's wet nurse, Nanny Gui, was panicked. She supported the Queen tightly, her voice filled with tears.

As she spoke, she also started to cry. The look in her eyes towards the Queen was filled with genuine heartache: "Our Queen... Our Queen over the years... Wuwuwu..."

Nanny Gui seemed to want to say something, but she was choked with sobs and could not continue. She just cried, and her sad look made it seem as if the Queen had suffered a great injustice.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall became even weirder.

The Queen's misbehavior and Aunt Gui's crying seemed to be silently accusing something.

As everyone knows, the queen has been childless for many years, so she turned her attention to Xiao Jingren, who came from a humble background, lost his mother early, and had no family background on his mother's side.

In recent years, he has always wanted to adopt Xiao Jingren as his adopted son, and the two have gradually become tied together.

Just when everyone was having different thoughts and guessing.

A calm, almost icy voice slowly sounded.

Breaking the suppressed crying.

"Empress." It was the Queen Mother. She was still sitting in the main seat, with no emotion on her face. Only her pair of weathered eyes, sharp as an eagle, were fixed firmly on the Queen.

"I remember," the Queen Mother said in a low voice, yet with undeniable authority, "since I gave you this jade bracelet, you don't seem to wear it often, do you?"

!!!

As soon as these words came out, it was like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart hard!

Especially the queen, her crying stopped abruptly!

The trembling of the body seemed to stop for a moment.

She suddenly looked up and looked at the Queen Mother in disbelief.

The Queen Mother met the Queen's gaze, her eyes not dodging at all, but becoming even sharper.

She continued slowly, word by word:

"What? Today, this bracelet broke, and such a disgusting thing was found..."

The corner of the Queen Mother's mouth curled up in a cold arc with a hint of sarcasm.

"The Queen wants to use these tears to tell me, to tell everyone in this palace... that this poison was tempered within me long ago?"

"Or..." The Queen Mother leaned forward slightly, her voice even colder, "Are you trying to use this to frame this dying old woman like me?"

boom--!

The Queen Mother's words were even more shocking than the poison discovered by Imperial Physician Liu just now!

The queen's face instantly lost all color!

She opened her mouth, wanting to defend herself, but couldn't utter a word!

Nanny Gui was also frightened and held back her tears, looking at the empress dowager in horror.

The hall fell into dead silence again!

Only the faint wisp of green smoke was still rising, emitting a strange and deadly aura.

Chen He lowered his eyes, and the corners of his lips curled up slightly.