The next day, after the morning court session, Feng Qingzhuo came to take Leng Yue's pulse again.
Leng Yue fought off her drowsiness and asked, "Academician Feng, what's wrong with me? Have I been poisoned?"
Feng Qingzhuo was visibly taken aback for a moment, but quickly recovered. He took Leng Yue's pulse with one hand and stroked his beard with the other, saying with a smile, "Your Majesty truly lives up to your title of Son of Heaven; you are so intelligent!"
Leng Yue's face remained expressionless, seemingly dignified, but in reality, she was at a loss for how to react. To call her intelligent when it was so obvious—was that a compliment or an insult?
"However, I don't understand. All the food was inspected, so why was I poisoned?" Leng Yue asked, voicing her doubts. If it was poisoning, why was she the only one poisoned?
“Your Majesty, there is nothing wrong with your food. The poison was put in the incense and tea. Moreover, the person who poisoned you was very careful; examining any one of them individually leaves no trace. Only when these two toxins interact can poisoning occur.” After taking your pulse, Feng Qingzhuo continued, “I also asked Miss Qingluan. She said that you choked once while eating and drank a lot of tea. That’s why you were poisoned.”
"How could the person who poisoned me know I would definitely drink water?" Leng Yue asked, then immediately realized she'd asked something unnecessary. People who finish eating usually drink some tea, either to rinse their mouths or to cut through the grease. In any case, she would definitely use that tea.
Feng Qingzhuo then asked Leng Yue to open her mouth for a look, and continued to explain, "It seems that the person who poisoned you didn't intend for you to be poisoned immediately. Perhaps he didn't expect you to drink so much tea at once? Alright, Your Majesty, please lie down. This old minister will give you another acupuncture treatment."
"Acupuncture still?" Leng Yue's face paled slightly. "Director Feng, I'm really much better now, I don't need acupuncture anymore, right?"
Feng Qingzhu ignored Leng Yue, took out a silver needle and looked at her, "Your Majesty, the poisoning you suffered this time could be serious or minor. You should be extra careful to avoid any long-term effects."
Leng Yue knew she couldn't escape it, so she obediently lay down, but couldn't help but urge, "Director Feng, you must be careful, I... I'm afraid of pain..."
Feng Qingzhuo smiled and said, "Your Majesty can rest assured that this old minister is very confident in this matter."
Leng Yue lay down nervously and found that it was indeed as Feng Qingzhuo had said; the silver needle piercing her skin only caused a slight pain. Strictly speaking, it didn't even hurt as much as a mosquito bite.
Once Leng Yue realized the pain had subsided, she felt much relieved and relaxed. Before long, she fell asleep.
Seeing that Leng Yue had fallen asleep, Feng Qingzhuo took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands and looked at Qingluan, saying, "Miss Qingluan, keep a close eye on the Emperor. Remember not to let her move around!"
"Yes," Qingluan curtsied in response.
Feng Qingzhuo looked at Qingluan and said, "I just need to go to the Empress Dowager's place. The Emperor will be fine for the time being, so you must keep a close eye on him."
Qingluan continued to reply with "Yes," never once looking up at Feng Qingzhuo. Instead, Feng Qingzhuo gave Qingluan a deep look, his expression inscrutable, "In this place, clever people don't live long..."
Qingluan's heart skipped a beat, and she dared not utter a sound. Feng Qingzhuo suddenly laughed again, "Hahaha, this old man will take his leave now." After saying that, Feng Qingzhuo flicked his sleeves and strode away from Lengyue's palace.
Seeing him leave, Qingluan couldn't help but plop down on the ground. For some reason, she had sensed a murderous aura emanating from Feng Qingzhuo just now. Therefore, she almost couldn't hold back and nearly exposed herself.
The body of Qingluan is actually inhabited by a mission participant, whose real name is Liufang, and whose soul level is W. She is also among those participating in the assessment held by headquarters this time.
Liu Fang was unaware of the others' missions, but hers was to protect the young Emperor Zhao Dai. She knew that the emperor was actually a little girl, and she also knew that many people here wanted to assassinate Zhao Dai.
Liu Fang knew that to protect this little girl, she needed to be powerful. However, Liu Fang didn't consider herself particularly powerful; she was only a W-level mission participant, and as far as she knew, she was the weakest mission participant in this world.
They were divided into four groups for this assessment, with taskers of similar levels belonging to the same group. Liu Fang heard from her system that the other taskers were all of the highest level in their groups. They were all hoping to make a qualitative leap after this assessment.
Their levels were originally divided into four tiers. Within the same tier, leveling up was relatively easy. As long as they completed more tasks and trained more, they would naturally level up.
However, advancing to a higher level is extremely difficult. Relying solely on completing tasks and training would take an indefinite amount of time. But if one can achieve first place in their group during the assessment, they can directly advance to the next level. Therefore, no one is taking this assessment lightly!
Liu Fang had considered becoming number one and advancing to the next level. However, the thought of competing with so many top talents made her lack confidence.
These mission takers are unaware of each other's missions or identities. During his mission, Liu Fang may encounter other mission takers or even indigenous adversaries.
Compared to the other mission takers, Liu Fang had no higher rank, so she had no chance of winning. Compared to the natives, Liu Fang had no power or influence, so she still felt uncertain. However, if she failed to complete the mission, she would face demotion. Even if she wasn't demoted, she would be placed on probation for a long time. Therefore, Liu Fang felt very anxious!
Zhao Dai's words had somewhat moved Liu Fang. If they really couldn't gain more power, wouldn't her chances of winning be greater if she and the young emperor fled the palace? However, before she could do anything, she was warned by Feng Qingzhuo.
Liu Fang couldn't help but speculate about Feng Qingzhuo's identity, but she couldn't figure it out at all. She felt that Feng Qingzhuo was a mission taker, and also seemed to be an indigenous person. But regardless of Feng Qingzhuo's identity, he seemed to be a hostile visitor and would be difficult to deal with.
While Liu Fang was still pondering how to find a way out, Leng Yue woke up with a soft moan, "Qing Luan?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Liu Fang hurriedly came to Leng Yue's bedside. "Your Majesty, you're awake. Would you like some water?"
Leng Yue nodded; she really did feel thirsty after taking a nap. Liu Fang brought over some tea, and Leng Yue drank a few sips.
"Where is Chief Physician Feng? Why are you the only one here?" Leng Yue then noticed that only Qing Luan was serving in the huge palace.
Liu Fang replied simply, "Academician Feng has something to discuss with the Empress Dowager. Please lie down for a while longer."
"The silver needles in my head are still there?" Leng Yue, who had been sitting, dared not move upon hearing this.
Liu Fang nodded, "You should lie down for a while. Chief Physician Feng should be here soon."
Leng Yue didn't dare move around with her head full of silver needles; she wasn't a hedgehog who could hurt others. One wrong move, and she'd be the one most likely to get pricked. Leng Yue had seen plenty of news reports about needles getting stuck in the skin and requiring surgery to remove them.
This is ancient times. If it gets into her blood vessels, she'll be in excruciating pain.
Leng Yue lay there, not daring to utter a word because Feng Qingzhuo wasn't there. She was afraid the silver needles would move, get into her flesh, and eventually burrow into her brain and never come out.
“Um… Qingluan!” Leng Yue’s voice was very soft, and her movements were very small.
"Yes," Liu Fang quickly curtsied.
"Go and see... has Dean Feng arrived yet?" Leng Yue was terrified.
"Yes, this servant will go right away." Liu Fang finished speaking and left, leaving Leng Yue alone in the palace.
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