But in truth, she wasn't sure either. She was afraid that the Prince of Yan's heir wouldn't be willing to compete, and she knew the current disparity between the Prince of Yan's heir and the Crown Prince.

Then the only option is to target the emperor.

Thinking of this, she raised her hand and overturned the food box on the table.

Hearing the noise, the palace servants outside rushed in and saw the Empress lying face down on the couch, her hands hanging limply at her sides, and a food box scattered on the floor.

As if she had suddenly fainted while eating, the palace servants were terrified and hurriedly cried out, "Your Highness, Your Highness, what's wrong?"

The Empress said in a husky voice, "It's nothing, I was just a little dizzy and couldn't sit still."

The palace maids pleaded, "Your Highness, from now on, let us serve you your meals."

From the day the Empress began her hunger strike, she said that she was wrong and did not deserve to be served, so she often chased them out of the palace.

The palace servants, fearing that if something happened to the Empress, they would also suffer, sent someone to report the situation to Chen Banjun.

A short while later, Han Meiren came over carrying a medicine box.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty has instructed me to treat you."

The Empress was very cooperative.

After diagnosing the patient, Consort Han wrote a prescription and instructed the people of Fengyi Palace to get the medicine and brew it themselves, without daring to touch it.

She was sent to the palace by the Empress, and she knew the Empress's obsession with power better than the Emperor. Consort Han did not believe that the Empress would really starve herself to death; she was worried that this was a means for the Empress to win back the Emperor's favor.

Since he was sent by the emperor to treat the empress, he was very likely to be used by the empress again.

Therefore, they were cautious and prudent.

However, the empress still suffered a mishap after drinking the medicine, which contained a slow-acting poison. She vomited blood and fell into a coma.

That slow-acting poison wouldn't take effect so quickly on an ordinary person, but the Empress was already weak, and that poison nearly killed her.

Seeing the Empress's face turn ashen, the Emperor flew into a rage, "What exactly happened? Why was there poison in the Empress's medicine?"

The Empress gave a weak, bitter laugh. "Consort Han, my body is already nearing its end. Why do you need to do this?"

This was to tell the emperor that the poison was administered by Consort Han.

The emperor's eyes flashed with anger as he questioned Consort Han, "Tell me, did you do it?"

Consort Han felt wronged and presented her prescription to the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, please understand that the medicine I prescribed is for nourishing blood and qi and warming the body. There is no chronic poison in it."

The people who dispensed and prepared the medicine were from Fengyi Palace. I never intended to harm Your Highness; I am innocent!

But the emperor was even angrier when he heard this. "I put you in charge of the Empress's care, and you treat her so poorly. Get out!"

The prescription itself may be correct, but that doesn't mean she didn't intend to harm the Empress.

Now that the Empress is confined to the Phoenix Palace, it's hard to guarantee that the other concubines or the former court forces connected to them won't harbor malicious intentions, kill the Empress, and take her place.

He had been accustomed to such palace intrigues since childhood, which was one of the reasons why he did not want to have other concubines.

But now, with only four women in the harem, the poisoning incident has already occurred. Unpleasant memories from the past flood back, and the emperor's murderous intent rises.

"Investigate! Investigate for me! If you find out the truth, I will not let you off lightly."

The Empress smiled bitterly, "Your Majesty, why make such a fuss over a dying concubine like me? Your Majesty has many official duties to attend to. Please go back and attend to your important matters. I am also tired."

Her closed eyes and lifeless appearance made the emperor's heart clench.

Although she did not stay any longer, the emperor instructed the palace servants to protect the empress.

In the palace, everyone acts according to the emperor's mood. Especially when the emperor lost his temper because the empress was poisoned, the whole palace knew that the emperor still cared about the empress.

No one dared to underestimate the Empress anymore.

Even the palace servants who had initially looked down on the Empress because she had lost power began to fawn over her, saying, "Your Majesty, Consort Han has been punished by being forbidden from serving the Empress for a year."

She was never favored by His Majesty, and after a year, His Majesty would probably have long forgotten her. Her life was essentially spent in the cold palace.

However, this is all her own fault. How dare she poison Your Majesty! The other two know your place in His Majesty's heart; they would surely be too frightened to disrespect you. Your Majesty is truly blessed.

She tried to flatter her, but the Empress didn't react and sent them all out again.

After all the palace servants left, leaving only the Empress in the room, she rose from the bed. Although her movements were not swift, she was no longer as weak as before.

She walked to the hidden compartment where things were stored, took out a pill, and the remaining toxins in her body were cleared. Her previous symptoms of chest tightness and weakness immediately disappeared.

The emperor couldn't find out who had poisoned him, so he blamed Consort Han, who was in charge of the matter. But no one knew that she had poisoned herself.

The emperor detested palace intrigue the most. Only by getting involved herself could she make the emperor feel guilty for taking concubines and implicating her.

Only with this sense of guilt would the emperor forgive her.

In the palace, the emperor's forgiveness was, to some extent, a favor that allowed her to regain her dignity and power as empress, while also winning her followers.

Although she suffered some physical pain, everything went as she expected. The palace maid had practically written the word "flattery" on her face.

So, is she still worried about having no one to use?

Thinking of this, a cold smile crept across the Empress's lips. She took out another pill and put it in her mouth.

Her energy and spirit, which had just been restored, began to wane again, but her body was unharmed.

The late emperor was obsessed with alchemy and poison making. She had been with him for a while, so she naturally learned a lot from him. In fact, she even developed a hobby of collecting all kinds of pills and poisons.

These emperors were unaware of this.

She hadn't told the emperor before because she was afraid he would think she wasn't obedient enough, but now she was glad she had kept it to herself.

She slowly walked back to the couch, coughed a few times, and ordered, "Someone, go to the storeroom and get some fabric and thread. I want to make clothes for His Majesty again."