The fish soup prepared by Concubine Jin was laced with a deadly poison of a unique type, the source of which remains unknown. And the crab-stuffed orange soup presented by Wei Shuyi contained a small amount of arsenic in the orange peel, giving it a green tint.
The imperial physicians in the palace were used to seeing common ailments and had no chance to see the secret remedies circulating in the martial arts world. Therefore, the matter came to a standstill.
The concubines sat at the bottom, not daring to make a sound.
The Queen Mother frowned and rubbed her temples, exhausted. "This palace is becoming increasingly restless! Today, I was lucky that the raccoon slave saved me from disaster. Otherwise..."
"Mother, you are blessed with good fortune. Heaven is helping you!" The Queen quickly came over to reflect on herself. "It's all my fault for holding this kind of gathering. This gave the treacherous people an opportunity to take advantage of it!"
"Well, this matter has nothing to do with you, get up quickly."
Concubine Jin, kneeling in the center, tears welled up in her eyes. "Empress Dowager, I beg you to investigate thoroughly, even if it means spreading this matter far and wide and making it known to everyone. I don't care about my reputation, I just want to be cleared of all charges!"
"Nonsense! If this gets to the ears of the people, it'll be a harem scandal! Do you think it's some kind of rural gossip that everyone can talk about on the streets?"
"But I really didn't do it!" Concubine Jin winked at Qiandai, "First, I have no bad intentions, and second, I'm not so stupid as to poison the food I made! If the Emperor were here, he would understand the whole story!"
"Eldest sister, are you saying that the Empress Dowager is old and can't distinguish right from wrong, and only the Emperor's presence can clear your name?" Concubine Wen was frightened and only then came to her senses. "Eldest sister, I told you a long time ago that this child is not just mine, but also the child of my sisters Qu. But what about you? My belly is not even fully revealed yet, how could you harm him?!"
Imperial Concubine Jin was so angry that she immediately retorted, "You, don't slander me! The truth hasn't even been revealed yet, how can you be so sure that I was the one who poisoned you?"
“That’s enough!”
The Queen Mother slammed the table to put an end to the verbal dispute.
She glanced at everyone, finally looking at Wei Shuyi: "Noble Lady Yi, from the moment this happened until now when you're kneeling in front of the hall, you haven't said a word. Why is that?"
"Only when you've done something wrong do you try to explain your reasons and beg for forgiveness. I was so focused on cooking, wanting to honor the Empress Dowager, that I don't know where someone tampered with my meal, leading to this scene. I haven't figured out what happened yet, so I'm keeping silent."
"So, both of you have been wronged... Zhang Da Ying, you were also there helping Noble Lady Yi prepare this meal. Did you spot anyone suspicious?"
The woman hiding at the back huddled and knelt beside him: "No, no!"
"Have you tasted the things I asked Zijin to bring you earlier?"
“No.”
The Queen Mother's eyes gradually became sharper: "Why?"
"First, Lady Wen spilled her tea, and then the raccoon servant suddenly barged in. My attention was diverted several times, and then I became concerned about the Empress Dowager's health, so I forgot about this..."
"Then you eat now."
"Ah?!" Zhang Da Ying seemed unable to believe what he heard. "The imperial physician just said it's poisonous!"
"That's just the bottom layer. I've tasted the ones on top too. Aren't they still alive and well?"
The Queen Mother intended to make trouble, and Zhang Da Ying felt that he could not escape, so he had to walk slowly to the front, picked up another vegetable leaf, and swallowed it with gritted teeth!
"Ahem...water! Your servant...ahem!"
"Hasn't anyone taught you the etiquette of dining in the palace? You just swallowed it whole. What are you afraid of?" The Queen Mother observed the scene with a cold face, then ordered her servants, "As for the dishes of Concubine Jin and Concubine Yi, I will have someone investigate later. But now, the person who should be interrogated is you!"
"Ahem... Her Majesty the Queen Mother, why is it me?!"
"I am old and my eyesight is blurry, but you are the only one behaving strangely and is extremely suspicious. The person I suspect most right now is Zhang Da Ying. Drag him away! Interrogate him!"
The farce in Shoukang Palace was heard by the Imperial Master Yu Huai at the first opportunity.
"This is truly outrageous! The Empress Dowager is the most honored woman in Yonghua Palace. How dare you attack her? My Lord, you must inform the Emperor immediately and have him severely punish the culprit behind this!"
"The Empress Dowager's kindness in raising the Emperor is no less than that of a biological mother and son." Yu Huai put down the jade in his hand and was not in a hurry to leave. "The food was highly poisonous, and everyone present was alive. How did they detect it?"
"I heard... I heard that a black raccoon suddenly appeared and accidentally ate the fish soup that had been spilled on the ground, and that's how it saved the Empress Dowager from disaster."
"Raccoon slave?!"
"Exactly! Everyone in Shoukang Palace is saying this. Furthermore, on my way here, I saw eunuchs carrying a package, preparing to dispose of the body."
Suddenly, Yu Huai seemed to see the raccoon slave who always ate leftovers in the corner of Yu Pei's Qingming Pavilion.
Could it be... him? !
Yu Huai quickly stood up, intending to go to the Hall of Eternal Life to have a chat with the emperor. Unexpectedly, as he reached the main gate, he saw Yu Pei walking down the steps.
"Hey, isn't this the Imperial Preceptor?" Yu Pei perfunctorily saluted, picked up the wine gourd at his waist and took a big sip. "You also came to see the Emperor for something?"
"Did you have any hand in what happened in Shoukang Palace?"
"Huh? What happened in Shoukang Palace?" Yu Pei scratched his head in confusion and blew air into the cracks between his fingernails. "I've discovered that the Imperial Master is truly a master of vision and hearing. You're the first to know what's happening in every corner of Yonghua Palace. Sometimes, the Emperor isn't even as good as you!"
Yu Huai bowed in the direction of the Hall of Eternal Life and said, "Master Yu, you are joking. How dare you say such outrageous words in front of the Emperor?!"
"I still say what I said before. When I judge people, I never look at appearances. For example, the Imperial Master appears to be loyal to the emperor and patriotic, diligent and hardworking, and he puts the people of the Great Zhou at the top of his heart. But in reality..."
Yu Pei took a step closer, almost whispering in his ear, "You too desire supreme power, and are climbing up step by step. Now, the only one who can stand in the way of the Imperial Master is the Emperor."
"presumptuous!"
"If you are unhappy about what I heard, you can tell the emperor what I said." Yu Pei was not afraid of his anger. Instead, he took another sip of wine and sprayed a cloud of wine mist at him. "Oh, it's hot out. I feel uncomfortable after going out. I'm leaving now. My lord, please go find the emperor!"
Yu Huai turned sideways and watched the hunched figure leave. Then, he slowly raised his right hand and wiped away the tears from his face.
Yang Mingrui also witnessed this scene from the high platform and quickly came down with a handkerchief in hand. "Master Imperial Master, please calm down! Taoist Yu has this rustic personality. Even the Emperor can't do anything about him!"
"No problem."
He clenched the handkerchief tightly and pretended to be relieved.
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