Empress Lin felt a venomous hatred gnaw at her heart. She picked up her wine cup, pretending to offer a toast, but under the cover of her wide robe sleeves, she flicked her little finger almost imperceptibly, and a tiny speck of powder fell into the exquisite "Jade Shrimp" dish in front of A Yuan.
The powder melts upon heating, is colorless and odorless, and will only cause people to develop red rashes all over their bodies after a few days, causing unbearable itching and making them look foolish on important occasions.
She thought she had done it perfectly, and a cold smile had just appeared on her lips when she saw Xiao Chengkang, who had been sitting to the left of A Yuan and had been as silent as a shadow, casually pick up the serving chopsticks, take the largest shrimp from the plate in front of A Yuan, put it on his own plate, and whisper something to A Yuan (the gist of which was that this dish was cold in nature and that the princess should not eat too much of it since she had just drunk wine).
A-Yuan nodded with a smile and put down her chopsticks.
Empress Lin's smile froze instantly, her teeth nearly grinding to powder! She watched as Xiao Chengkang slowly and deliberately ate the shrimp, her mind filled with doubt and uncertainty: Was it a coincidence? Or had he discovered something?
After the banquet, Empress Lin grew increasingly uneasy and immediately sent people to investigate Xiao Chengkang's diet and condition. The report came back that the Crown Prince was perfectly normal and there was nothing unusual about him.
"Useless! All of you are useless!" Empress Lin smashed her beloved jade cup in her bedchamber, her face contorted in anger. She couldn't understand why Xiao Chengkang was unharmed when the poison powder had clearly been applied. Was he immune to all poisons? Or had he already seen through her disguise? This unknown fear made her more uneasy than any open attack.
The successive defeats at court and banquets made Empress Lin increasingly anxious. She began to use her influence with her husband more frequently, trying to salvage the situation.
"Your Majesty, look at Yuan'er. She's now speaking eloquently in court and interfering in politics... This... this interference in politics by the harem is a major taboo..." In the dead of night, Empress Lin nestled beside Xi Linghao, her voice filled with worry and grievance.
Xi Linghao closed his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed: "Yuan'er's suggestion is a good one, solving the predicament in the northern border. How can it be considered interference in politics?"
"But...but she is, after all, a woman..." Empress Lin said unwillingly, "Some court officials have expressed reservations, saying that the Princess is too outspoken and may not be a blessing for the country...I am also worried that Yuan'er will attract unnecessary criticism if she becomes too prominent..."
"Hmph!" Xi Linghao suddenly snorted coldly, opened his eyes, and looked sharply at Empress Lin. "So what if she's a woman? I think Yuan'er is a hundred times better than many of the men in the court who hold their positions without doing their jobs! As for criticism?" His voice turned cold. "Empress, as the head of the harem, you should restrain the palace servants and make them careful with their words and actions! I heard that recently, a palace servant in Kunning Palace was beaten to death, causing panic among the people. As the Empress, you should be benevolent and magnanimous!"
Empress Lin was choked by this sudden rebuke, her face turning deathly pale: "Your Majesty... I... I only..."
"Enough!" Xi Linghao waved his hand impatiently and turned around. "I'm tired. You may leave."
Empress Lin looked at Xi Linghao's indifferent back and felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave. She realized that not only had she failed to shake A Yuan's position, but her mistreatment of the palace servants and those inexplicable "minor accidents" had made Xi Linghao increasingly dislike and distant from her.
She walked out of the bedchamber in a daze, and the night wind made her feel cold all over.
"Xi Lingyuan, I'll make you pay! I was able to get you to live in a separate courtyard back then, and now I have the ability to bring you down from this high position," she roared in a low voice.
The palace maids and eunuchs were startled and stood behind the Empress with their heads down. No one dared to take a step forward. Even the Empress's personal maid, Xiyu, and the head eunuch, Lin Haiyi, only dared to step forward to support her after the Empress waved her hand.
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