After being angered by Noble Lady Wen, Noble Concubine Jin was so angry that she fainted in Chengqian Palace.
The palace maids quickly moved her to the couch and called in the imperial physician to treat her. They were so busy in the end that Xie Yanci never even came to see her.
It was because Concubine Wen had chosen a perfect opportunity: after the emperor's morning court today, according to custom, he would go to Shoukang Palace to accompany the empress dowager to worship Buddha.
If we send someone over at this critical moment, using the excuse that "the imperial concubine has fainted", the empress dowager will certainly bear a grudge against us, thinking that she is trying to seduce the emperor and complaining without any real reason.
Therefore, Imperial Concubine Jin could only choose to lean on the couch and sulk: "This Fifth Girl, her body is covered with vicious thorns! Anyone who passes by and accidentally touches her will surely be heartbroken!"
"Don't be angry, Your Majesty. We have done nothing wrong. There must be someone in the palace who wants to take action against her dragon fetus. We can just watch the show from the sidelines."
"She...how dare she threaten me?!" Imperial Concubine Jin was still brooding over those words. "No matter how foolish I am, I wouldn't drag my entire family down with me! Why can't she understand? After she made such a fuss, my efforts to mend my relationship with the Empress Dowager are now in vain!"
Seeing that further persuasion was futile, Qian Dai changed her tactics: "My Lady, you are now taking the blame for the real villain. Why don't you calm down and think about who tampered with the fish soup?"
"You're right." She was also confused and angry.
The incident happened suddenly that day, and I was questioned repeatedly without any time to think carefully. Now, recalling the scene in the small kitchen, only two people seemed unusual.
"The Queen has always been at odds with me, but she actually came over to talk to me that day. Although her tone was still sarcastic, it wasn't as aggressive as usual. I thought she was just trying to learn from me temporarily, but I didn't expect her to actually give up her power. Could it be..."
"Your Majesty, I don't think so," Qian Dai analyzed with a frown. "The Empress's behavior is normal. Moreover, the fish soup given to Concubine Wen was also her decision. If she really was the one who poisoned the place, wouldn't that bring suspicion upon herself? I believe she, like Your Majesty, has been blamed."
Imperial Concubine Jin seemed to be lost in thought, and pointed her finger at the last person: "In this case, the only one left is the maidservant in Lin'an Palace."
"who?"
"Wen Yu, who follows Concubine Yi closely! I heard that she came from Prince Lian's palace. As soon as she entered the palace, she stepped over Jing An and Jing Ning and became a top-notch palace maid. If Concubine Yi didn't have extraordinary abilities, she wouldn't trust the words of a mediocre person."
Qian Dai also knew a lot, and she responded in a flattering way, "Yes, anyone who could be sent to the palace by the Eighth Prince must be no ordinary person. Who knows, maybe Concubine Yi left her maid to poison the kitchen just to get away from it!"
"But, I didn't even notice it."
Concubine Jin closed her eyes and recalled the scenes again. Aside from the Queen circling around her, Wen Yu remained a few steps away and did not move forward.
Is it possible to poison someone from a distance?
Qian Dai brought the tea and mentioned another matter, "Your Majesty, I've been asking about this Aunt Wen Yu. The palace maids all say she has a pair of miraculous hands that can rejuvenate people. If anyone has a bump or a scar, they can always go to Aunt Wen Yu! It's not surprising that a woman like her can get secret medicines that are unknown in the palace, right?"
"You mean, this maid is also proficient in medicine?"
"Exactly! That's why I'm worried. She must have used some clever trick. Even if she's not standing beside the Majesty, she can still use others to sneak the Poison God into the fish soup without anyone noticing."
There is such a possibility!
Concubine Yi from Sang Yuxuan has escaped death several times and is so smart that she is almost a demon!
Now that he had Princess Zhaohua, he was bound to climb higher. This plan was risky. If he could remove the dragon fetus in Qu Yuexi's belly and turn the sisters against each other, it would be a brilliant plan!
Thinking about it this way, that woman is really scheming.
"My precious daughter has grown up so much, she should be more sensible, right?"
Behind the curtain, someone bowed slightly in response.
——
The Queen Mother was disturbed by the gathering and hadn't slept well in the past few days. Her only comfort was the growing up of Princess Zhaohua.
"Your Highness, you haven't fully recovered yet. Please let me take you!" Aunt Zijin rushed to take the little princess and weighed her a few times. "She seems heavier now. Her clothes won't fit her anymore."
"Alas, having such a lovely girl by my side gives me hope! The women in Yonghua Palace are just as scheming as when I was young, and even more vicious! They want to kill people at the slightest provocation! The Queen is also a simple-minded person, and I'm afraid she can't control the overall situation."
Aunt Zijin coaxed the princess and offered some soothing words: "Empress Dowager, after all, the Emperor is there to support you. The ones at fault are those criminals who want to gain power by harming others! The Empress Dowager's original intention of preparing this gathering out of filial respect for you must not be criticized!"
"Yes, she is indeed a good child." The Queen Mother shook Zhaohua's little hand again. "Little girl, you must try your best to crawl to the Imperial Grandmother today, okay?"
So, the scene that happens every day is played out again.
Aunt Zijin bent down with great effort, holding the little princess's body and guiding her to crawl forward. Unless she used her hands to drag her forward, she would soon fall to the ground.
Blinking her big watery eyes, she played with the toys made by the palace servants in her hands, not understanding what was happening.
"Get up, don't strain your waist."
Seeing this, the Queen Mother sighed softly and said nothing more.
Aunt Zijin comforted her with the same excuse as before, "Empress Dowager, the little princess might be one of those who's slow to learn. I heard there was a prince in the previous dynasty who couldn't walk until he was over a year old! But he grew up and was fine, wasn't he?"
"But... Zijin, I think you've noticed. Zhaohua's body is different from the babies I've met before. It's like she has no backbone. As long as no one supports her, she will..."
"No! Don't worry, Queen Mother! The little princess is a big lucky star. She's so young now. Maybe she's just too lazy to move, so she likes to lie down."
As soon as he finished speaking, the toy suddenly fell to the ground!
The little princess cried non-stop, her face flushed red! If you didn't know, you might think her neck was locked and she couldn't breathe.
Aunt Zijin quickly picked her up, patted her back, and checked her neck for any strings. However, she found nothing unusual.
"What's going on? Zhaohua, Zhaohua?!"
"Empress Dowager, I'll go get the imperial physician right away!" Aunt Zijin couldn't get away, so she could only shout outside, "Yinzhu! Go get Jiang Yuanzheng! Something's happened to the little princess!"
The baby in the cradle waved his hands around and scratched the skin near his neck, feeling extremely painful.
The Queen Mother was frightened and burst into tears. She was helpless except to comfort her.
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