Zheng Fangyu's face turned completely white in an instant. She couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, "You're talking nonsense!"
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you can't believe what children say!" Zheng Fangyu knelt on the ground, her heart pounding with anxiety. "This humble woman has absolutely not done anything to harm Your Majesty!"
The Zheng family members all knelt down: "Please, Your Majesty and Empress Dowager, investigate this matter thoroughly!"
Xiao Guangyuan naturally knelt on the ground, not daring to move. He glanced at Chen Zhixiu and Bai Tuantuan, who were standing straight, and cursed them in his heart!
"You may all rise," the Emperor said calmly, "This matter still needs to be investigated. Changning, do you have any evidence?"
Bai Tuantuan blinked her eyes: "I didn't say that the Zheng family hurt the Empress Dowager! After all, there are quite a few people who were born on the same day, month, and year as the Empress Dowager, let alone on the same day, month, and year."
The Zheng family members were all taken aback and looked at Bai Tuantuan with some confusion.
Zheng Fangyu breathed a slight sigh of relief. Just as she was about to say something, Bai Tuantuan continued, "Actually, as long as the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet doesn't get mixed up with my second aunt's, nothing will happen."
"That is to say, each of you will live your own lives. In this way, fate will not entangle the two of you, nor will it take away the Empress Dowager's life fortune because my second aunt is young and vigorous and her life fortune is greater than that of the Empress Dowager."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Fangyu felt as if a hand had gripped her throat, and she wanted to say something but didn't know where to begin.
“But you can’t blame my second aunt, she didn’t know about this.” Bai Tuantuan looked at Zheng Fangyu, “She didn’t mean it.”
The Empress Dowager and the Emperor exchanged a glance, a sense of estrangement forming between them.
The ministers and their wives around them whispered among themselves.
"Zheng Fangyu was favored by the Empress Dowager since childhood because she was born on the same day and month as her, but little did she expect it to be a disaster! Tsk tsk tsk."
"Yes, it's fortunate that it was discovered early, otherwise the Empress Dowager's health would have been affected."
"That's right. But with this, Zheng Fangyu's pride and joy will be gone. I'd like to see how she'll be so smug in the future!"
"Empress Dowager... Empress Dowager..." Zheng Fangyu finally found her voice, "This subject is at fault!"
The Empress Dowager waved her hand and slowly said, "This matter is not your fault. It's because I always make you celebrate my birthday with me. Well, it's come to this now. Is there any way to resolve this?"
“My eldest uncle once gave the Emperor a prescription that has the effect of strengthening the body. The Empress Dowager can take it with the Emperor,” Bai Tuantuan said softly. “Take it three times a day before meals. Don’t get it wrong.”
The Emperor nodded: "Old Cai, instruct the Imperial Kitchen to send some to the Empress Dowager every day."
Eunuch Cai readily agreed.
Bai Tuantuan looked at Ning Nanxiao and gave him a knowing look. Ning Nanxiao coughed twice and asked, feigning doubt, "Uncle Emperor, can we trust what she says?"
Zheng Fangyu also wanted to question how a child could know such mysterious things.
Xiao Ruyan gripped her handkerchief tightly. If Zheng Fangyu's taro hadn't been holding her back, she probably would have rushed up to confront Bai Tuantuan long ago.
The Emperor raised an eyebrow, puzzled, and asked, "You've been in Fenghua Town with Changning for so long, didn't you know she had this ability?"
Ning Nanxiao frowned slightly: "Back then, when Uncle Bai's life or death was unknown, it was indeed she who calculated the location and saved Uncle Bai. But at that time, I thought she was just lucky. This time..."
"This time, Changning predicted the two princesses' misfortune, and it was indeed so; there's no denying it," the Empress interjected. "Changning, do you have a way to prove it?"
Bai Tuantuan tilted her head, puzzled, and said, "Master didn't teach me a way to prove it myself! Master said that if you believe, it exists; if you don't believe, it doesn't, but all my calculations are accurate!"
Seeing Bai Tuantuan's confident demeanor, the Empress hurriedly asked, "Who is your master?"
Bai Tuantuan fell silent. How should she describe this fictional master?
[Describe me! Describe me! Quickly, quick, Bai Tuantuan, I am your master! Tell me, your master is handsome and dashing, over eight feet tall!]
Bai Tuantuan's lips twitched slightly before she said, "My master has an ordinary appearance and is short in stature."
Soup spoon: ? ? ?
[Don't talk nonsense! He clearly looks like a master, holding a whisk!]
Bai Tuantuan: "My master doesn't seem very smart; he always has food in his hand."
Ladle: !!!
[Bai Tuantuan! You did this on purpose!]
Bai Tuantuan: "My master always envies my intelligence, saying that I was born to do this job!"
Everyone: ...
Bai Han coughed twice, stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, Tuantuan's master is very mysterious. None of us have ever seen him. He comes and goes without a trace."
"Oh? So mysterious?" The Emperor became interested.
"I don't believe you!" Ning Nanxiao said arrogantly, "Unless you calculate it again!"
The Empress Dowager chimed in, "Yes, yes, Changning, why don't you do the calculation again?"
Bai Tuantuan looked distressed: "Master said that prying into too many heavenly secrets will shorten my lifespan. I'm only five years old, and I want to live to be five hundred!"
Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help but burst out laughing; after all, they were just kids!
“However, I can calculate something else.” Bai Tuantuan took three copper coins, ran to the Empress Dowager’s side with her chubby little legs, placed the coins in the Empress Dowager’s hand, and said with a smile, “Your Majesty, please toss them. Just think about what you want to ask in your heart.”
The Empress Dowager was a little curious, but she still took it and tossed it up as Bai Tuantuan had instructed. Soon, three copper coins landed on the ground.
As Bai Tuantuan picked them up, she said, "The Empress Dowager was asking how many more years she could live..."
"Empress Dowager?" The Emperor looked at the Empress Dowager in shock.
The Empress Dowager looked at the Emperor with a kind smile and said, "I just want to know, so I can have a general idea."
"What was the result?" The Emperor sighed inwardly and turned to look at Bai Tuantuan.
Bai Tuantuan put away the copper coins and looked at the Empress Dowager, saying, "Your Majesty, you are only in your fifties. You will live to be seventy or eighty without any problem."
"The divination says that staying away from petty people will surely lead to longevity."
The Empress Dowager murmured a few words: "Stay away from petty people?"
“Yes!” Bai Tuantuan nodded. “For example, the poison in your body needs to be neutralized!”
"What?!" The Emperor was shocked. "The Empress Dowager has been poisoned? What happened?"
The Empress Dowager herself was stunned and looked at Bai Tuantuan in disbelief.
Bai Tuantuan shrugged and looked at the people below: "Then you'll have to ask my second aunt! Ask her why she poisoned you!"
"You're framing me! I didn't poison her! Bai Tuantuan, if you keep spouting nonsense, I'll tear your mouth apart!" Zheng Fangyu was truly panicked. Poisoning the Empress Dowager was a capital offense!
Chen Zhixiu strode forward, grabbed Zheng Fangyu and pulled her up, slapping her hard across the face: "Whose mouth are you trying to tear apart? You think you're so great?"
"Stop!" Lord Zheng roared. "Such disrespect in front of the Emperor and Empress Dowager, is this the Bai family's upbringing?"
"Instead of worrying about the upbringing of my Bai family, Lord Zheng, you should be more concerned about your daughter," Bai Han said coldly. "How my Bai family behaves is none of your Zheng family's business. You should explain why you poisoned the Empress Dowager!"
"How can you take the words of a mere child seriously? Do you really think she can read the will of Heaven? I think this is all a scheme by your Bai family! You want to sow discord between my Zheng family and the Emperor!"
Bai Haotian said irritably, "Are we so bored that we let a child stir up trouble? Lord Zheng, are you getting senile?"
Ning Nanxiao said lazily, "We'll know the truth once we summon the imperial physician."
"Summon Imperial Physician Huang, the chief physician of the Imperial Hospital!" The Emperor's order sent everyone into a panic.
Bai Tuantuan looked at Zheng Fangyu with her eyes crinkled, and slightly opened her mouth to make a mouth shape.
A hint of confusion flashed across Zheng Fangyu's eyes.
Ning Nanxiao, standing to the side, turned his head slightly, listening to the growing murmur of the surrounding people. He then looked at the group of people who were worried about the Empress Dowager, smiled softly, and whispered, "She said, you're finished."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com