A wisp of smoke from the incense burner slowly filled the hall, carrying a faint, elegant fragrance of flowers and herbs.
Wan'er slowly stood up. "Since the concubine is so sincere, calling me 'Your Highness' seems a bit too formal. Why don't you just call me 'Sister'?"
As she spoke, she walked step by step toward Ag, her gaze gentle.
"Your Highness is of such noble status, how could I possibly dare to presume?" Age said with a humble smile, speaking very quickly, "Just use the original form of address."
Wan'er's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Fine, if you really call me 'elder sister,' I'll always feel like it's Yu Yan calling me."
She then sighed, "In the end, she was my sister, and we had been together since childhood. I am somewhat saddened by her passing." She lowered her eyes slightly, a trace of pain and sorrow flashing in them.
Ag, naturally unaware of Wan'er's pretense, chimed in, "Your Majesty is a person who cherishes old friendships. Yu Yan is unworthy of her. You don't need to be too sad."
Wan'er gave a bitter laugh. "I really don't need to be too sad. After all... the fact that the Emperor didn't implicate the Dong'e family after she committed such a disgraceful act is already the best thing that can be said."
"Yes, it's good that Your Majesty thinks that way."
The palace maid outside the door had been squatting under the scorching sun for a long time, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat. She kept wiping them with her handkerchief, but she was still drenched in sweat.
Seeing Wan'er pulling further and further away, and the palace maid almost losing her footing, Agge became anxious, "Your Majesty..."
Wan'er knew what she was going to say, but pretended to be confused and gently stroked her mother, "Look at my memory, I always forget things. Let her in quickly, how can I refuse your kindness?"
After speaking, the palace maid breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped inside.
Wan'er took it, opened the wooden box, and the system's warning sounded again.
As expected, it was still the same snow lotus as before, without any change. Upon seeing this, Wan'er smiled.
Age thought Wan'er was satisfied and said impatiently, "I'll have someone prepare it right away. If it's left for too long, I'm afraid it will lose its efficacy."
"Okay!" Wan'er nodded with a bright smile.
Seeing this, Ag thought to himself with a sense of triumph: It seems that I am about to succeed. Dong E Wan'er, so what if you have the emperor's favor? You are just a short-lived ghost and can't become my stumbling block.
She then looked at the palace maid and said, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go brew the medicine."
Upon hearing these words, the palace maid rushed out of the main hall as if she had been granted a pardon, as if she were about to do something important.
Seeing that she was even more anxious than her mistress, Wan'er's smile deepened.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
Perhaps Wan'er's smile was too obvious, because Ag noticed something was wrong and quickly asked.
Wan'er snapped out of her daze, composed herself, and turned to look at her. "I was thinking that if I were to become pregnant because of this, it would be a double blessing."
Upon hearing this, Ag lowered his guard and began to flatter him.
She said, "Wan'er, listen. Whether it's the truth or a lie, Wan'er will pretend to believe it."
Half an hour later, the palace maid brought over a steaming bowl of medicine. "Your Highness, please drink this!"
After saying that, she glanced at Ag with eyes that darted around like a mouse.
Wan'er pretended not to see it, stretched out her slender fingers, and was about to scoop up a spoonful and put it in her mouth, but then put it down.
This simple action made Ag's heart leap into her throat. She asked tremblingly, "Your Majesty, why aren't you drinking?"
Wan'er smiled and said, "I suddenly remembered what Yu Yan once said."
"What did you say?" Ag asked, puzzled.
"She said you plotted to harm me." After saying this, Wan'er became serious, and her gaze toward Agge gradually turned sharp.
Age felt uncomfortable under Wan'er's gaze. "No... Your Majesty, please don't believe Yu Yan's nonsense. I explained everything clearly in the palace that day. Don't you believe me?"
"I believe you, of course I believe you." Wan'er laughed again. "I was just saying it casually, why are you sweating so much, Consort?"
Ag wiped the sweat from his forehead and pretended to be calm, saying, "Of course I'm afraid. This is a crime of plotting against you. How could I dare to admit it?"
“Okay…” Wan’er nodded, indicating that she was satisfied with Ag’s words.
However, she added, "To prove your sincerity towards me, I'll trouble you to taste it for me first!"
"Huh?" Agger never expected Wan'er to have this kind of thought process.
"What's wrong? Don't you want to?" Wan'er pressed.
"How could that be?" Ag laughed awkwardly. Although she said that, how could she dare to drink it? She knew better than anyone what was in the Tianshan Snow Lotus.
So she gave the palace maid beside her a wink, and the maid immediately understood.
Wan'er naturally noticed the two exchanging glances, but she didn't point it out. Instead, she said, "Hurry up and taste it, I can't wait."
"Yes." Ager reluctantly agreed, bracing himself to take the medicine bowl from Wan'er's hand.
Just as it was in her hands, the palace maid suddenly lost her balance and coincidentally fell onto her.
The scalding hot medicine was instantly splashed onto Ag's hand, and she cried out in pain.
Seeing that the bowl was empty, the palace maid pretended to be terrified, knelt down and kowtowed, begging for mercy: "Your Majesty, please forgive me, this servant deserves to die, please punish me, Your Majesty!"
Wan'er looked at her, her eyes devoid of any pity, "You spilled such a rare medicine; you truly deserve to die."
Since she says she deserves to die, why doesn't Wan'er just go along with her wishes?
The palace maid was taken aback. She had only said it casually, but Wan'er had taken it seriously. Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a sense of fear and quickly looked at Agge.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
