Having made a plan in mind, Lady Huang immediately put it into action. She went through her luggage and, having learned that it would be bestowed upon the Fourth Prince by Consort Xi, she specially spent money to buy some things for future use.
She knew that it would be inconvenient for her to do anything in the backyard of her brother, and it would be difficult to buy these things, so she prepared some in advance.
Huang lived relatively close to Chen Gege, so their relationship was better than that of other women.
In this scheme, Huang also dragged the innocent Chen Gege into it.
Chen Gege has always been the most low-key person in the backyard. Hongli doesn't like her much and rarely goes to her place to rest, but Chen Gege is not discouraged or takes any action because of this. She has always lived her life peacefully and contentedly.
Because they lived close by, Chen Gege became friends with Huang Gege. Being rather naive, she was unaware that Huang Gege, who was on good terms with her, was plotting against her.
The time came to the fifteenth of August. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a day for family reunion. The palace would hold a Mid-Autumn banquet. Hongli and Empress Fucha were qualified to enter the palace to attend the banquet, but the other princesses were not.
Empress Fucha did not mistreat them. She prepared a family banquet several days in advance, which she attended with everyone at noon. In the evening, she and Hongli went to the palace together.
For this family banquet, everyone is required to bring out a dish they have prepared themselves. Considering that the princesses in the inner courtyard are not of high status and do not have much money, Fucha Shi suggested that they simply prepare a dish and bring it up.
Such warm and homey things don't cost much, which is a relief for these princesses; otherwise, those with limited means wouldn't know what to do.
Chen Gege made osmanthus syrup, which is a dessert and not quite a dish. It tastes sweet and fragrant with a very rich osmanthus aroma.
Huang Gege made Eight Treasure Fish Salad. Fish is a great ingredient, but with two pregnant women in the family, Huang Gege didn't make the traditional fish dish and instead chose Eight Treasure Fish Salad.
This method removes the fishy smell and makes the fish taste fresher. Most importantly, Yunyi loves to eat fish, and Huang went to great lengths to complete her task.
The food and water in the backyard are easily tampered with. As a princess from a prominent family, Lady Fucha was raised from childhood to be a mistress of the house, so she couldn't possibly be unaware of these things.
So although she made this suggestion, she also specially invited the imperial physician to come over in order to avoid any problems. All the dishes that were served were first checked by the imperial physician to make sure there were no problems before they were served.
This practice put everyone at ease, so when the dishes were served, everyone would oblige and eat some.
Jin Gege was more cautious; she took a couple of small bites as a formality and then put down her chopsticks.
But Fucha Gege and Su Gege were both foolish and had no sense of vigilance at all, especially Fucha Gege, who was pregnant but still dared to eat food from outside.
The maidservant brought out all the dishes, and Yunyi raised her eyebrows slightly, inwardly scoffing.
All the other dishes were fine; the imperial physicians were quite skilled and didn't allow any problematic dishes to be served.
However, there are two menu items that seem fine on their own, but will cause problems if eaten together.
She glanced up at Huang Gege almost imperceptibly; Huang Gege smiled normally, and there was no sign of guilt on her face.
In order to complete the mission, Huang was essentially testing the waters herself. She ate a lot of fish and osmanthus syrup, and even recommended it to everyone, saying that the two were even more delicious when eaten together.
After hearing this, Princess Fucha tried making it herself, and it was indeed even tastier than Huang had said.
The reason she wasn't on guard tonight was twofold: first, she trusted the Fujin (principal wife) and thought that with the imperial physician present, there wouldn't be any problem with the dishes; second, she assumed that since Huang Gege (a concubine of the emperor) was also eating, it shouldn't be a problem for her to eat Huang Gege's cooking either.
Hongxiu, who was serving nearby, was in despair. Her princess was too naive and had no sense of caution. How could she eat these things indiscriminately? What if she harmed the little master in her belly?
Hongxiu was extremely anxious and tried to subtly remind Fucha Gege several times, but the other party didn't understand. Helpless, Hongxiu chose to give up. Oh well, she couldn't save her mistress anyway.
Yunyi found it somewhat amusing. Seeing the other party's eager promotion and attempt to harm her, she had a wicked idea. Pretending not to know anything, she cooperated by eating a few bites before putting down her chopsticks.
Huang was getting anxious, and couldn't help but wonder if Princess Gao had discovered something amiss.
Her heart skipped a beat, but Huang was relieved when she saw that Gao Gege had eaten a few bites of the white fungus and lotus seed soup and then continued eating the dishes she had just eaten. She thought that everything should be fine and that Gao Gege probably hadn't noticed anything wrong with her food.
Huang was secretly delighted. This time, her method was very secretive and would definitely not be discovered. Even if it was discovered, she would have a reason to explain.
While drinking the white fungus and lotus seed soup, Yunyi couldn't help but smile. Huang was probably secretly pleased, but what she didn't know was that the lotus seeds could counteract the poison she had given her.
The eight-treasure fish paste contains swirling grass flowers. When osmanthus flowers and swirling grass flowers are combined in osmanthus syrup, they produce the same effect as safflower, causing pregnant women to miscarry.
The flower of the bindweed is relatively rare, and few people use it for cooking. However, it is edible and there is no problem with it being used in combination with osmanthus.
However, Huang used sedum flowers to pair with the fish. When these two ingredients come together, and then encounter osmanthus flowers, they react and become something similar to safflower musk.
However, Yunyi wasn't worried. The lotus seeds in the white fungus and lotus seed soup she had on hand were the antidote for these things.
Even without lotus seeds, this poison wouldn't harm her. She has medical skills and the system's pills, so she's practically immune to all poisons. These poisons pose no threat to her.
It wouldn't harm her, but it was still somewhat dangerous for Princess Fucha. Yunyi couldn't say it outright, but she hinted to Princess Fucha several times that it was delicious and that she should try it.
Perhaps this was truly Fucha Gege's destiny to suffer this calamity. Huang Gege said those two dishes were delicious, so she tried them. Yunyi said the white fungus and lotus seed soup was delicious, but she didn't like the taste of lotus seeds, so she only drank two sips out of politeness.
Yunyi felt somewhat helpless about this. She had already said all that, but Princess Fucha still ignored her, so there was nothing she could do.
But what Yunyi never expected was that while she and Princess Fucha were safe, it was Princess Huang, the scheming mastermind, who was in trouble.
The family banquet was a lively affair, with everyone in a harmonious atmosphere. Hongli and Lady Fucha were both happy and talked a lot.
Hongli kept a close eye on Huang Shi, fearing she might cause trouble. Her dishes were only served after being examined by two or three imperial physicians.
He kept a close eye on Huang, fearing she might harm someone, but unexpectedly, Huang herself actually wanted to get into trouble.
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