Hall of Eternal Life.
The empress dowager had been waiting here anxiously for a long time. As soon as Xie Yanci stepped over the threshold, she immediately went to greet him.
"Emperor! What on earth is going on today?! When the shadow guard told me this, I was terrified!"
"It's alright, mother." He sat down on the throne wearily. "It was just another trick by the remnants of the border rebels. No one was hurt. Concubine Wen's pregnancy is also stable."
"What about Lady Yi?"
"Her?" Xie Yanci's heart hesitated slightly, and he replied casually, "Noble Lady Yi is not the assassin's target at all. With her personal guards here, no one can hurt her."
The Queen Mother hesitated to speak, not knowing where to start, and could only fall silent.
Instead, he took the initiative to ask, "Did your mother hear something that made her specifically inquire about Concubine Yi's news?"
"Well, I heard that you specially brought her and Concubine Jin to the General's Mansion. Then, on the way back to the inn, you made an exception and let Concubine Jin ride with you! Your Majesty, you are not without a queen. If you break the rules like this and it gets out..."
"I was inconsiderate. Please calm down, Mother."
When faced with something he doesn't want to talk about, he always avoids the topic.
No matter what the Queen Mother scolded, it was like a punch on cotton, without any pain.
"Anyway, just be sensible! The Prime Minister's people are still watching, so don't let them get discouraged!"
"Yes, I understand."
After the Queen Mother finished her instructions and left the Changsheng Palace, Xie Yanci relaxed his posture, leaned back on the soft couch, and said to the empty inner hall:
"Come out!" "Your Majesty."
"What did you find out? Are they from the same small border country as last year's group?"
The shadow guard respectfully presented an object, "Your Majesty, this is a poison dart I found. On the surface, it looks just like any other weapon made in a blacksmith's shop. However, there's something else hidden within."
As he spoke, he twisted the handle. After the dart head fell off, dark green liquid oozed out. It was obviously the poison prepared in advance!
"It...isn't applied to the outside of the dart?"
"Yes," the shadow guard patiently explained. "I've checked. The outer layer is coated with another common poison powder. The inner layer is a carefully prepared liquid. If you are hit by the dart, it will mix into the flesh and blood, and the result will be certain death!"
Xie Yanci looked at the corroded paper on the imperial desk and couldn't help but frown: "Why do I feel like I've seen this somewhere?"
"Your Majesty has good eyesight."
The shadow guard hesitated for a moment, then said honestly, "This is a secret medicine from the palace, developed by the Imperial Master. It's usually stored in Yiqingtai. No one is allowed to use it without the Emperor's permission."
Yu Huai?! Why is it him again?
Just as Xie Yanci was puzzled, the shadow guard continued, "Moreover, I saw with my own eyes that the darts were fired from near the Grand Master. They were too far away or too close to threaten Noble Lady Wen. Unless..."
"That's enough! I understand."
He didn't want to listen carefully to the rest of the words, he just wanted to analyze them alone.
If Yu Huai was indeed the murderer, then whose interests had been affected by the child in Lady Wen's belly? Why did he have to kill her in public to vent his hatred?
"Your Majesty, this is the dinner that the Imperial Concubine sent me. She said that something unexpected happened today, and she has gone to the Yanxi Palace to visit her sister. I hurriedly prepared some small dishes for Your Majesty, please don't mind."
"Um."
Xie Yanci stared at the food box and didn't move.
"Your Majesty, are you going to..."
"Yang Mingrui, Concubine Wen is pregnant. Who do you think is the bigger threat? Princess Zhaohua's biological mother, or the Concubine?"
Eunuch Yang originally wanted to come in to deliver meals, and after completing his task, he continued to guard outside the door, but he was unexpectedly called by the emperor to stay, and he was extremely frightened for a moment.
He was even unwilling to call her "Noble Lady Yi" and had no idea what was going on!
"Your Majesty, these are offensive words!" Eunuch Yang wiped the sweat from his forehead. "This... this servant has no evidence, and it's not right to favor one majesty over another..."
"Just pretend you don't know them. If you were a poor commoner, you would answer my question."
"They are... sisters from the same family. The elder sister has been favored for many years but has no children, while the younger sister soon became pregnant. The family must be gradually leaning towards the younger sister. If the elder sister loses her balance, she will indeed do something wrong. At worst, both will perish..."
When Eunuch Yang said this, he carefully raised his head and glanced at the emperor's expression.
Fortunately, everything is calm as usual.
"With the addition of a new offspring to a large family, the favor received by the original only one will certainly decrease. His biological mother might also do so for the sake of her offspring... But Your Majesty, Concubine Yi..."
"Okay, you can leave now."
Xie Yanci waved his hand and didn't ask any more questions.
——
Concubine Jin leaned against the bed and looked at the moon, but she could only see dark clouds.
She had driven all the maids serving in the inner room outwards. Only then could she let down her guard and chat with the person behind the curtain.
"Qian Dai knew too much. I promised her many benefits and was able to help her family, so her death was not a loss. I just hope she can be reborn into a good family and become a master in the next life, instead of being a mere prey."
"It doesn't matter, as long as the emperor stands by you. He is not a dull person. He knew that Qian Dai was a scapegoat, but he acquiesced."
Concubine Jin gave a bitter laugh: "So what? I'm getting older and still haven't given birth to any children. Plus, there are so many scheming newcomers. I'm afraid I really won't be able to keep the Emperor..."
"Impossible."
As soon as the plain robe appeared outside the curtain, she saw it. Her face turned pale for a moment, and she quickly stood up and pushed the man back.
“Be careful!”
"You are always so cautious. You know that if anyone sees any clues, I will take action to eliminate her and will never give you any worries."
Concubine Jin picked up the Buddhist beads on the bedside table and fiddled with them one by one. "Originally, I didn't like kneeling in the Buddhist temple and reciting those incomprehensible scriptures with the Empress Dowager. But now, I'm extremely panicked, and I always feel that something big is about to happen..."
"Your Majesty, I've already told you. Never doubt yourself at any time. You are the most noble woman in the world. Not even the legitimate daughter of the Meng family can be compared to you! And now, are those mere sixth-rank nobles enough to scare you so much?"
"I……"
The slender hand caressed her face, and the scent of benzoin from the fingertips soothed her mind, and the original restlessness and anxiety disappeared.
She looked up, her eyes filled with worry. "Will I never be able to bear the Emperor's child in this lifetime? Or was I born a barren woman?"
"If your majesty really wants, I can help you."
"How can you help me? I'm tired of the medicine from the Imperial Hospital!"
The man didn't answer, but made an exception and put his arm around her waist, pulling her into the depths of the curtain...
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