Cui Zhu's knees ached, and she couldn't bear the anger any longer. So, ignoring Nian Yuyao's attempts to stop her, she charged at Jun Si like a madwoman, determined to kill her.
Jun Si was not afraid of a defenseless wet nurse. She easily dodged Cui Zhu's fists, grabbed Cui Zhu's arm, and slapped her several times.
"Ouch..." Cuizhu covered her face, tears streaming down her face from the pain. "How dare you hit me?" Knowing she couldn't win, she stopped struggling.
"Hmph!" Jun Si sneered and released Cui Zhu. "I'll hit you if I want to. What else wouldn't I dare to do? If you speak to the Empress like that again, I'll slap you to death."
She approached Cuizhu step by step, startling Cuizhu into taking several steps back. Her eyes glared at Junsi. "You dare! My niece is..."
Upon hearing that Cuizhu was about to mention this person, Nian Yuyao couldn't help but prick up his ears.
But Cuizhu realized what was happening and, at the crucial moment, she swallowed it again.
Jun Si noticed that Nian Yuyao was eager to know who this person was, so he stopped and laughed, "Who cares who she is, I'll still beat her up."
She deliberately didn't ask who the person was, because she knew that the more she asked, the less likely Cuizhu would say.
Cuizhu fell for it and sneered, "She is the emperor's concubine. Would you dare, mistress?"
“I see, no wonder you’re so arrogant.” Jun Si sneered. “But I find it strange that since your niece is some kind of mistress, yet you’re still just a lowly wet nurse, it’s clear she doesn’t respect you.”
"No, that's not true," Cuizhu hurriedly explained. "She's very good to me."
Jun Si's smile deepened. "In that case, she must be the lowest-ranking palace maid or a concubine, which is why she has no right to give you a high position."
"So what?" Cuizhu said dismissively. "Although she agreed, the Emperor dotes on her. Look, he even granted her every wish to have someone from Consort Nian's palace..."
At this point, Nian Yuyao already knew who this person was. It was none other than Yin Yingying, who had just been promoted a few days ago. It turned out that the two were aunt and niece.
This further convinced Nian Yuyao that the incident that harmed Fu Pei was related to Song Yin.
Cuizhu realized she had said the wrong thing and obediently shut her mouth.
Seeing this, Jun Si knew she had asked all the questions she wanted to ask, so she didn't say another word and silently retreated behind Nian Yuyao.
“So that’s how it is.” Nian Yuyao slowly walked in front of the green bamboo.
Cuizhu, unafraid of Nian Yuyao, straightened her back and said, "Does Consort Nian intend to sever my relationship with Lady Yin? You should know that even the Jade Emperor has three poor relatives."
"Hmph, Lady Yin, a mere concubine dares to call herself a lady." Nian Yuyao sneered.
"It's not now, but it will be in the future," Cuizhu said confidently.
"Is that so? Then I'll wait and see." Nian Yuyao glanced coldly at Cuizhu. "If I'm not mistaken, you should have been with Songyin before you returned here!"
“That’s right.” Cui Zhu admitted without hesitation. She thought that as long as she said it was just a normal walk, Nian Yuyao would not be able to do anything to her.
Seeing that Cuizhu had admitted it, Nian Yuyao continued, "They were discussing how to harm my Fupei?"
Cui Zhu was startled. "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm just going to her palace for a visit and to chat about everyday things." As she spoke, her heart was pounding as if it were about to jump out of her chest.
"How dare you!" Nian Yuyao suddenly shouted, then slapped Cuizhu hard across the face. "You dare to address me as 'you' in front of me? Cuizhu, you are nothing but a wet nurse, you are not on equal footing with me."
Having never seen Nian Yuyao with such a serious expression, Cuizhu was momentarily stunned and at a loss for what to do.
Nian Yuyao snorted again, "Even if Songyin came, she would still have to bow respectfully to me and refer to herself as a concubine."
"Yes...this servant knows her mistake." Cuizhu said reluctantly, convinced that Jun Si had taught Nian Yuyao, otherwise a person wouldn't change like this all of a sudden.
"By the way, you haven't answered my question yet. Are you plotting to harm Fu Pei?" Nian Yuyao raised an eyebrow.
"Heaven and earth bear witness, how could this servant dare to do such a thing? I hope Your Highness will not believe what others say." After saying this, Cuizhu glared fiercely at Junsi, but seeing Junsi's indifferent eyes, she lowered her face guiltily.
“Is that so?” Nian Yuyao drawled, “Then do you dare to let the imperial physician take a look and see if there’s anything wrong with your breast milk?” She said it directly, no longer beating around the bush.
"This servant..." Cuizhu began to stammer, beads of sweat still forming on her forehead.
At this moment, Jun Si interjected, "Your Majesty, this person is so guilty, she must have something to hide. Please do not let her go."
“Alright, of course we can’t let her go.” Nian Yuyao nodded, then instructed Chen Xi, “Summon the imperial physician and tell him that I am not feeling well.”
"Yes." Chen Xi accepted the order and left.
Cuizhu looked at Junsi with hatred in her eyes.
Before long, the imperial physician arrived.
At first, the imperial physician thought Nian Yuyao was ill and was somewhat flustered, fearing that something was wrong and he would lose his head. But when he heard that it was to check Cuizhu's breast milk, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
But Cuizhu refused to cooperate no matter what, and in the end Junsi beat her up before she finally cooperated.
After a careful examination, the imperial physician initially remained calm, but then suddenly became serious, his white beard trembling with surprise. "This contains poisonous herbs such as Clematis chinensis and Aconitum carmichaelii. If an infant drinks this milk, it will die within three months!"
"What did you say!" Cuizhu was shocked and couldn't believe it. She immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please spare me! I didn't do that."
"No?" Nian Yuyao sneered, "This is the milk that flowed from your body, and it has never left my sight from beginning to end. You still dare to deny it!"
Upon hearing this, Cuizhu's face drained of color, and her lips trembled as she said, "Impossible, impossible. I just gave him some calming medicine so that he could fall asleep and I wouldn't have to worry so much. I'll feed him in a little while."
Nian Yuyao believed her words, because drinking such poison would also affect her health, and Cuizhu wasn't that stupid.
Even so, Nian Yuyao did not want to let her off the hook. Without her laziness, Fu Pei would not have suffered so much.
Thinking of this, her eyes turned sharp, and she wished she could tear the person in front of her to pieces.
But she held back; she didn't want to get her hands dirty, and she had to find a better way to handle it.
The person outside the door was the one who dealt with Cuizhu.
"Your Majesty, this servant truly did not know. These medicines were promised to me by Yin." Cuizhu finally became frightened and hurriedly begged Nian Yuyao for forgiveness.
"Did she really give it to you?" The person outside walked in with a deep voice.
Everyone looked over at the sound, and apart from Nian Yuyao, everyone else showed a surprised expression.
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