However, it was too late. Princess Zhaoping, filled with resentment, tilted her head back and swallowed the entire cup of deadly liquor.

Until then.

The slightly tipsy Princess Zhaoping finally realized that Ji Fengyao's exclamation was directed at her. After a brief moment of confusion, she suddenly flew into a rage and slurred, "Princess Chonghe, what... what do you mean? You usually don't let me get close to the Prince, so you can't even let me drink a pot of wine that the Prince offers!"

"What's wrong?" Shang Xiye turned around and looked at Ji Fengyao intently.

"That wine has..."

"Hmm! Pfft—!"

Before Ji Fengyao could finish saying the word "poison," Princess Zhaoping clutched her chest in pain, arched her back, and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. She then staggered and spat out several more mouthfuls of blood, on the verge of collapsing forward.

Shang Xiye quickly reached out and grabbed the back of her collar to prevent her from falling to the ground.

Ji Fengyao also turned around and took the seat of honor, catching Princess Zhaoping from the front and gently laying her down on her back.

Everyone in the hall was startled and stood up.

Emperor Shang Xiche and Empress Chen Ziyun, who were seated on the main throne, were also full of surprise.

The Empress Dowager exclaimed in alarm, "Zhaoping! What's wrong with Zhaoping?!"

"Ah! An assassin!" At that moment, one of the women screamed.

A large number of Imperial Guards who had been stationed outside the palace rushed in. Gao Chengwei, with more than a dozen trusted subordinates, surrounded Shang Xiche's desk, holding his sword and watching Shang Xiye and Ji Fengyao and her servants warily.

"How dare Princess Chonghe openly poison Princess Zhaoping!" The Empress pointed at Ji Fengyao, who was half-embracing Princess Zhaoping and applying pressure points to seal the poison: "Guards! Arrest her! If she resists, kill her without mercy!"

"yes!"

Two squads of Imperial Guards drew their swords and surrounded Ji Fengyao.

"Who dares!" Shang Xiye stepped forward and blocked Ji Fengyao's path.

Xi Que, Bai Lu, and Wu Ying also stepped forward without hesitation, joining Shang Xi Ye in surrounding Ji Feng Yao and Princess Zhao Ping.

Lin Shuang hesitated for a moment, bit her lip, and silently took two steps forward.

"Ninth Prince, what do you mean by this? This bandit poisoned Princess Zhaoping in broad daylight. He is so vicious and wicked. Are you still going to protect her?" The Empress pointed angrily at Shang Xiye and shouted in a fit of rage.

Shang Xiye glanced at the Empress with a cold look in his eyes and said in a deep voice, "The incident happened suddenly. Without distinguishing right from wrong, the Empress insisted that Princess Chonghe was the murderer and was so eager to execute Princess Chonghe. Is she worried that the matter will be exposed, or is she settling a personal score?"

"You're talking nonsense!" The Empress pointed at Princess Zhaoping on the ground and shouted, "Princess Zhaoping died of poisoning, and there are eyewitness accounts of it! Ninth Prince, even if you have won a great victory and hold power, you cannot protect a murderer like this!"

Ji Fengyao spontaneously took out silver needles and quickly used them to seal Princess Zhaoping's heart meridian. Then, using her sleeve to conceal herself, she took out a bottle of upgraded detoxification pills from her storage space and gave them to Princess Zhaoping to take, using her spiritual power to catalyze the process.

After doing all this, she leisurely stood up, looked up at the Empress who was about to make her cry with utter stupidity, and said in a cool and clear voice, "Who said Princess Zhaoping is dead!"

Simeng and Siyi wanted to get closer, but were stopped by Xique and Bailu.

Xique and Bailu had a servant eunuch bring over a soft couch, and together they carried Princess Zhaoping, who had stopped vomiting blood, onto the couch.