Duke Zheng sat in his study, his forehead beaded with cold sweat, his heart filled with growing fear and unease.
He paced back and forth, his mind replaying the events of the past few days. The thought that the Emperor might already know about Consort Zheng's poisoning made him extremely uneasy.
"No, this matter must be found out as soon as possible!" Duke Zheng suddenly stopped and shouted loudly towards the door, "Men! No matter what method you use, you must find out where that Taoist priest is being held! Go now!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a subordinate rushed in and replied, "Yes, sir! I'll take care of it right away!" Then he turned and left.
Watching his subordinates walk away, the Duke of Zheng breathed a slight sigh of relief, but his anxiety did not lessen in the slightest.
He pondered for a moment, then ordered, "Go and invite the lady here!"
A short while later, Madam Zheng walked in with a displeased expression.
At that moment, she was happily preparing for her daughter's wedding when she was suddenly summoned in such a hurry by the Duke of Zheng.
As soon as she entered, Madam Zheng complained, "My lord, what is it that's so important that you had to call me here at this hour? Is there anything more important than our daughter's wedding?"
However, before she could finish speaking, the Duke of Zheng waved away all the servants in the room and said in a low voice, "Madam, something terrible has happened! The Emperor has been poisoned, and it was the Consort who administered the poison."
"What?" Madam Zheng was shocked, and the anger that had arisen from her dissatisfaction vanished instantly.
Even though she was just a woman who had long lived in the inner quarters of the house, she knew that this matter was no small thing, but a serious crime that could implicate nine generations of her family.
"Then... how is His Majesty now?" Madam Zheng asked, trembling.
"He's awake, but he's fine now," Duke Zheng replied irritably.
After hearing this, Madam Zheng felt somewhat relieved, but then she realized something was wrong.
The Emperor has woken up, so this matter is far from over.
She quickly asked, "Master, did you summon me here because there is something you need me to do?"
Duke Zheng looked at her and said, "Go to the palace immediately and sound out the Consort's opinion, to see how much the Emperor actually knows about this matter. Remember, you must not reveal any clues!"
Although Madam Zheng was terrified, she also understood that this matter was of great importance and could not be delayed in the slightest.
She quickly nodded and replied, "Yes, I understand. I will go and submit the summons to the palace right away." After saying that, she hurriedly left the study.
Duke Zheng gazed in the direction she had left and sighed, "Alas, I hope we can get through this calamity safely, otherwise our Duke's mansion will be in grave danger!"
......
Royal Palace
After hearing that the Emperor had awakened, Consort Zheng was extremely anxious and had not closed her eyes to rest for several days.
She was well aware of Emperor Rongsheng's vindictive nature.
If the investigation traces back to her, the Emperor will ensure she has no place to be buried.
However, to her utter dismay, the Ganlong Palace was now heavily guarded, and she was unable to step inside even half a step.
The Emperor issued an edict, explicitly forbidding anyone from approaching him. Apart from Wang Defu and Imperial Physician Zhou, no one else was allowed to get close to him.
Even Jiang He, a highly valued guard, could only perform his guard duties outside the palace.
In just a few days, all the princes and concubines who came to inquire about the news returned empty-handed, unable to set foot in the Ganlong Palace.
Consort Zheng was extremely anxious and repeatedly brought carefully prepared ginseng soup to the Ganlong Palace in an attempt to visit the Emperor, but each time she was ruthlessly blocked at the door by Eunuch Wang.
With a smile on his face, Eunuch Wang said slowly, "His Majesty needs to rest and recuperate at the moment. I hope that Your Highness will go back and rest for the time being!"
Faced with this situation, Consort Zheng had no choice but to turn away with a heart full of resentment and disappointment.
However, she did not give up. Instead, she returned to the front of the Ganlong Hall and stood outside the hall with a devout expression. "His Majesty has always loved drinking the ginseng soup that I personally brew. Please go in and inform him for me."
Unfortunately, Eunuch Wang remained unmoved, not even glancing at Consort Zheng, and simply replied indifferently, "Your Majesty, please don't make things difficult for this servant. His Majesty has already retired for the night. Please return to the palace as soon as possible!"
After saying that, he walked into the hall on his own, ignoring Consort Zheng.
Seeing Eunuch Wang's attitude, Consort Zheng was even more terrified.
Could it be that the Emperor has found out?
Watching Eunuch Wang's departing figure, Consort Zheng looked resentful and could only leave slowly with a heavy heart.
Seeing this, Granny Zheng felt heartbroken and quickly stepped forward to comfort her, saying, "Your Highness, please rest assured. The Taoist priest who knew the inside story has already been poisoned and rendered mute by our people. Even if he wanted to say something, he would be powerless to do so."
Hearing Zheng Mama's words, Consort Zheng breathed a slight sigh of relief, but her worries did not completely dissipate. She couldn't help but mutter to herself, "But do you think the Emperor will suspect me?"
"Everyone in the palace is a suspect, Your Majesty, please put your mind at ease!"
Zheng Mama looked at the Imperial Concubine with a worried expression. If this continued, the Imperial Concubine might be scared to death before the Emperor even passed away.
Consort Zheng's face was as pale as paper, her delicate body slumped weakly on the couch, her beautiful eyes filled with regret and fear.
Looking back, I wonder how I could have been so bewitched as to listen to Shen'er's idea.
What puzzled her even more was where things went wrong. The emperor should have died after being given the medicine, but he was perfectly fine.
Just then, a palace maid rushed in to report: "Your Majesty! The First Madam requests an audience."
"Quickly, invite them in!" Consort Zheng replied hastily, as if grasping at a lifeline.
At this moment, she was completely flustered and only hoped that her family could lend her a helping hand.
Before long, Madam Zheng strode into the hall.
When she saw the Consort's distraught appearance, she was taken aback and asked with concern, "Your Highness, what's wrong? You look so haggard, are you feeling unwell?"
Consort Zheng composed herself and quickly waved for the palace servants beside her to leave. After they had all departed, she lowered her voice and said to Madam Zheng, "I am completely at a loss right now and don't know what to do. Did my elder brother send you here, sister-in-law?"
Madam Zheng nodded and replied softly, "Indeed, we heard about what happened in the palace. My husband was worried about Your Highness and specially sent me to visit you. I wonder if His Majesty has inquired about this matter with Your Highness?"
"No, I haven't even seen His Majesty's face in all these days," Consort Zheng said.
Madam Zheng's heart sank. Had the Emperor become suspicious?
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