Yong'an Palace was brightly lit.
The entire palace was under heavy security.
As the Emperor commanded, not even a fly could escape.
A white dove flew by and was immediately shot down by the guards with a hidden needle...
Yong'an Palace was eerily quiet.
The emperor was dressed in clean undergarments and helped to sit on a soft couch. His hair was disheveled, and the handprint on his face was red and swollen.
Not just his face, but his entire body was covered in an unnatural red hue.
Seeing figures moving in the bedchamber, the emperor looked up, his eyes somewhat unfocused: "Where's the tea? Why hasn't the tea been brought yet?"
However, no one paid him any attention.
Yuan Yao and Huai Rou brought out the tea they had personally brewed. As soon as they went around the screen, they saw that the emperor's hands were trembling slightly.
He seemed to be extremely thirsty, on the verge of a mental breakdown...
Huairou stepped forward with a cup of tea at the perfect temperature: "Father, the tea is here."
Yuan Yao then took another pot of tea and placed it on the table next to the Ninth Prince. She poured three cups, one for the Ninth Prince, one for the Empress, and one for Consort Lin…
The Ninth Prince took a sip of tea, pulled Yuan Yao to his side, and checked her hands: "Are you tired?"
Yuan Yao shook her head: "The eunuch started the fire. I just put in the tea leaves and water. It's not tiring."
The Ninth Prince nodded.
His precious little dumpling, pampered since it was a baby, was now personally brewing tea for this useless emperor tonight...
The more I look at the emperor, the more displeased I become with the "Nine Thousand Years Old".
He picked up the teacup beside him and drank it all in one gulp.
On the soft couch, the emperor took the teacup handed to him by Huairou, took only one sip, then frowned and asked in a hoarse voice, "What kind of tea is this?"
"How dare you serve me such awful tea?"
Huairou's eyes reddened slightly from the shouting. She took a few steps back and knelt on the ground: "Father, this tea is pre-Qingming tea, a tribute tea that was just sent this year..."
Upon hearing this, the emperor frowned even more deeply.
He suppressed his anger, picked up his teacup, and took another sip.
After tasting it, he threw the teacup away.
"Smack!"
The teacup was smashed into pieces, and tea splashed everywhere.
A shard of porcelain flew toward Huairou's face.
Upon seeing this, Yuan Yao exclaimed in a low voice, "Sister Huairou!"
Fortunately, a small bead knocked the broken porcelain shards off in time.
"Splash..."
The broken pieces of porcelain fell to the ground, swirling around.
The Empress stood up, took two steps to Huairou's side, and pulled her up: "Huairou, quickly let your mother take a look!"
Huairou's face was a little pale, but she remained calm: "Mother, I'm fine..."
She almost got disfigured.
The culprit was her father, the emperor...
After a moment of fear, Huairou gratefully bowed to the Ninth Prince, saying, "Thank you for saving me, Your Highness."
The Ninth Prince pursed his thin lips slightly and remained silent.
His gaze fell coldly on the emperor: "Your Majesty wishes to drink tea, is that it?"
Hearing his voice, the emperor wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, his tone somewhat aggrieved: "A-Yuan, thirsty..."
The Ninth Prince glared at him coldly.
The emperor shrank his neck.
My whole body feels extremely uncomfortable.
If he hadn't retained the last shred of reason, the emperor would have just wanted to find a lake, jump in, and soak in it to cool off.
The emperor reached out and tugged at his collar, revealing his collarbone and neck covered in red marks.
Seeing this, Li Deshan quickly stepped forward and pulled his clothes back: "Your Majesty, this is unacceptable! Princess Huairou and Princess Yuanyao are still here!"
The emperor was parched: "Water, give me water!"
Li Deshan almost burst into tears. He turned to look at him and said, "Your Majesty..."
The Ninth Prince coldly said, "Feed him the pot of tea that Consort Lan had brewed."
Lanfei's Tea?
Li Deshan's heart skipped a beat.
Everyone present, except for the emperor, knew what was going on.
Consort Lan's tea might be deadly poison!
In this situation, why would you still serve the emperor a drink?
Seeing that Li Deshan didn't dare to move, the Ninth Prince looked at Consort Lan and asked, "What did you put in the tea?"
Consort Lan was forced to wear a thick outer robe, and her mouth was gagged while she was pressed to the ground.
As soon as the Ninth Prince gave the order, the eunuch holding her released his grip.
Consort Lan gasped for breath: "Your Highness is joking. Of course, there's only water and tea in the tea."
The Ninth Prince's eyes turned slightly cold: "Li Deshan, slap him."
Slap...slap in the face?
Li Deshan was stunned on the spot.
Not only Li Deshan, but the Empress was also stunned.
Consort Lan looked at the Ninth Prince in disbelief.
This Consort Lan is currently the most favored concubine in the palace...
Li Deshan forced himself to say, "Excuse me."
"Smack!"
A heavy slap landed on Consort Lan's left cheek.
The Ninth Prince picked up his teacup: "Tell me, what exactly is in this tea?"
Consort Lan gritted her teeth: "There's no tea, nothing at all!"
"Very well then." The Ninth Prince smiled coldly: "Li Deshan, pour the tea."
Li Deshan gritted his teeth and did as instructed.
After pouring the tea, the Ninth Prince curled his lips into a sneer, his eyes gleaming coldly: "Consort Lan has been kneeling for so long, she must be thirsty."
This cup of tea shall be offered to Consort Lan.
A hint of panic flashed in Consort Lan's eyes.
In that instant, Li Deshan had already picked up the tea and walked over.
Two eunuchs held Lan Fei down tightly, while another eunuch boldly pried open her mouth.
Consort Lan struggled desperately: "Let me go! Let me go..."
"Your Highness Consort Lan, please forgive me." Li Deshan pinched Consort Lan's chin with one hand and raised his teacup with the other.
A full cup of water was poured into Consort Lan's mouth.
"Hmm..."
Consort Lan tried to struggle and vomited the water.
However, Li Deshan gripped her chin tightly and forced her to swallow all the water.
After Consort Lan drank the water, the eunuch stuffed her mouth shut again.
Li Deshan then poured another cup of tea and handed it to the Emperor: "Your Majesty, the tea you requested... has arrived."
The emperor was trembling all over, and his consciousness was becoming somewhat unclear.
As soon as the teacup came close to his lips, he opened his mouth and gulped down the entire cup of tea.
After finishing his drink, he looked up and said, "Give me another cup!"
Li Deshan looked to the Ninth Prince for help.
The Ninth Prince coldly said, "Give him another cup."
With red eyes, Li Deshan poured another cup of tea and handed it to the emperor.
This time, the emperor drank with unusual urgency.
After drinking two cups of cooled tea, the emperor gradually felt better...
Upon seeing this, the Empress stood up.
She looked at Consort Lan and asked in disappointment, "Why? Why did you do such a thing? Did you think about the consequences?"
"Ugh... Ugh..." Lan Fei struggled, her eyes wide with rage.
With tears welling in her eyes, the Empress continued, "This time, I will not save you, nor will I save the Pei family!"
You'd better pray that the Emperor is alright..."
Consort Lan struggled desperately.
At that moment, a young eunuch announced from outside: "The head of the Imperial Medical Academy has arrived..."
The head of the Imperial Medical Academy hurriedly entered the sleeping quarters.
He bowed, and before he could even wipe his sweat, a teapot was handed to him.
The Ninth Prince said coldly, "You've been in the Imperial Hospital for many years and are very knowledgeable. Investigate what was added to this tea."
Check carefully, and be careful not to make a mistake!
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