Jiang Lanyue used the excuse of feeling unwell and not having completely cleared the poison to return to Huining Palace first.
As soon as she left, the Empress Dowager said, "Emperor, do you have any thoughts on what happened today?"
idea?
The Emperor looked at the Empress Dowager: "What ideas does the Empress Dowager think I need?"
The Empress Dowager choked up.
She glanced at the palace maid who could no longer speak and asked the emperor, "Does Your Majesty believe that this palace maid could have infiltrated the inner palace without an inside accomplice?"
"An inside man?" The emperor's eyes darkened.
His gaze was fixed on the Empress.
Meeting his eyes, the Empress paused for a moment, her brows furrowing slightly, and said gently, "What happened today is my fault."
"Of course it's your fault!" The emperor's hoarse voice was laced with coldness.
Such a grand birthday banquet, and someone actually managed to sneak in and poison it!
If the person who poisoned us was sent by an enemy country, then no one at this birthday banquet will escape!
At that time, others will be able to take over the Great Qi Kingdom without losing a single soldier!
The Empress lowered her eyes and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to accept the punishment."
"We'll discuss the punishment after the birthday banquet." The emperor still gave the empress some face.
The Empress replied gently, "Yes."
The emperor looked at the Minister of Justice: "Look, why can't this palace maid speak?"
The Minister of Justice responded, walked up to the palace maid, reached out, pinched her chin, and forced her to speak.
Upon inspection, the Minister of Justice frowned: "Your Majesty, her tongue has been plucked out."
What??
Someone pulled out your tongue?
Moreover, it was completely uprooted?
Yuan Yao touched her neck and felt a chill in her mouth.
Inside the main hall, everyone else was also astonished.
What did this person go through to have their tongue pulled out?
That's too ruthless!
It's too bloody!
The emperor glanced at the baby in his arms with consideration.
Yuan Yao's face was swollen and red on one side, and pale on the other.
Could it be that she was frightened?
The emperor patted Yuan Yao on the back reassuringly and asked the palace maid, "Can you read?"
The palace maid trembled, nodded, and then shook her head.
Does it mean yes or no?
The emperor said grimly, "Someone, bring me paper and pen!"
Behind him, Li Deshan waved to the young eunuch, who immediately ran to fetch paper and a pen.
Upon seeing this, the Empress Dowager's expression changed repeatedly.
Soon, the young eunuch came over with paper and pen: "Your Majesty."
The emperor looked at the mute palace maid and said, "Since you can't speak, write for me."
Tell me, who sent you?
Whom were you trying to harm by poisoning me?
Yuan Yao was speechless upon hearing the emperor's question.
Do you think anyone will answer your question?
Unexpectedly, the palace maid, trembling, hesitated for a moment and then reached for the pen.
The Empress Dowager's heart was in her throat.
At that moment, a very soft sound rang out.
Canfeng's ears twitched: "Watch out!"
Ignoring everyone else, he rushed toward the emperor who was holding Yuan Yao.
Canfeng protected the emperor, held Yuanyao firmly, and after spinning around a few times, he was already three meters away from where he stood.
The speed was astonishing.
The sound of flesh being pierced was exceptionally clear in the hall.
Yuan Yao's heart was in her throat.
The entire hall was so quiet that even the sound of a pin dropping could be clearly heard.
suddenly……
"Bang!"
The sound of flesh falling to the ground rang out.
Yuan Yao looked up in surprise.
Others shared the same surprise and disbelief.
The mute, fake palace maid in blue robes lay on the ground, her eyes wide open, her body convulsing in pain.
The ink-stained brush slipped from her fingertips.
A few drops of ink splashed onto her lips, staining her bright red blood a deep, inky red...
The fake palace maid died with her eyes wide open in disbelief.
This turn of events happened so fast that others didn't have time to react.
The Minister of Justice angrily rebuked, "Who exactly are you?"
His voice woke the others.
Everyone turned to look at the one-eyed man beside the Minister of Justice.
The one-eyed man, who was on the verge of death, was still clutching two poisoned needles in his hand.
Just now, when he shot that needle, it seemed he had used all his strength...
The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth and looked at him.
Why bother?
The Empress Dowager's eyes were red.
However, the one-eyed man didn't even glance at her.
She knew that at this point, he really should cut ties with her.
However, this situation is not what she wanted to see...
The Minister of Justice raised his foot and kicked the one-eyed man over.
"puff……"
A mouthful of blood stained the Empress Dowager's magnificent skirt.
The one-eyed man then raised his eyes and glanced at the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager pinched off all of her fingernails and held them in her palm.
The broken nail clippings dug into her tender flesh, but she felt no pain at all...
The Minister of Justice bent down and picked up the poisoned needle from the ground.
He then beckoned to the Imperial Guards: "Men, search him!"
"Wait!"
The Empress Dowager finally couldn't hold back and spoke up: "This main hall is full of women from various families. If you want to search them, take them to the back hall."
"Why go through all this trouble?" The Emperor glanced at the Empress Dowager and said gloomily, "Bring the screen!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several eunuchs scurried off to move the screen.
The screen painted with an autumn mountain scene was quickly moved in and placed in a semi-circle in the center of the main hall.
The Imperial Guards roughly dragged the one-eyed man inside.
A long trail of blood was left on the ground.
Li Deshan knew that the emperor hated seeing blood, so he quickly waved for someone to wipe away the bloodstains.
The Minister of Justice led his men and thoroughly searched the one-eyed man.
A moment later, the Minister of Justice emerged from behind the screen: "Your Majesty, I found many bottles and jars on this person."
As he spoke, he presented the emperor with many exquisite and delicate bottles and jars.
The emperor's anger grew: "Imperial physician, come and examine me."
The imperial physician cured Jiang Lanyue of the poison but did not leave. Upon hearing the emperor's words, he retrieved his tools.
Soon, one of the imperial physicians said, "Your Majesty, there is indeed a lot of poison in these jars."
"What poison?" the emperor asked in a cold voice.
The imperial physician wiped his sweat: "There is arsenic, arsenic, etc... and several kinds of powder. I don't think they smell like poison. They are more like peanut powder, almond powder and the like."
Peanut powder? Almond powder?
Yuan Yao's heart trembled.
Are these nut powders prepared for her?
That's going too far!
Not only did they try to frame her, but they also carried around things she was allergic to!
ah!
wrong!
It seems that Feng Xun is also allergic to nuts?
Could it be that these things are meant to be used against Feng Xun?
Phoenix Seeking...
His mother was a princess of the Great Qi Kingdom and the emperor's elder sister.
The emperor and the empress dowager clearly did not have a good relationship.
This suggests that the Empress Dowager and that princess's relationship wasn't very good either...
Therefore, it is highly possible that the Empress Dowager's people targeted Feng Xun!
Thinking this, Yuan Yao gripped the emperor's robe and asked, "Your Majesty, do you remember Prince Feng Xun?"
"Feng Xun?" The Emperor frowned. "What happened to him?"
Back then, my elder sister was married off to the Kingdom of Xiqiu as part of a political alliance, and she lived a very difficult life.
He heard that a large part of the reason his elder sister was working so hard was because of Feng Xun...
The emperor did not dislike Feng Xun, but he also could not like her.
He asked, "What's wrong with Feng Xun?"
Yuan Yao said in a childish voice, "Many people know that Feng Xun cannot eat peanuts or almonds."
These things, which are delicious to ordinary people, could kill him.
"Is that so?" The emperor was somewhat surprised.
Yuan Yao nodded.
Suddenly, the emperor's face darkened, and he asked the one-eyed man with hidden anger, "You are actually planning to incite war between the two countries?"
Tell me, were you sent by the State of Chu?
Yuan Yao: "???"
No!
Wrong, wrong!
Your Majesty, you're going in the wrong direction!
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