Chapter 203 An Lingrong's Tricks

The time is at least one month ahead of the original plan.

The empress carefully examined the food and spices provided to the emperor by various palaces and courtyards, and even calculated the dosage. The drugs were mutually exclusive and the emperor's physical condition had been taken into consideration.

"That shouldn't be the case..."

Nian Shilan can't help much with these matters.

The silver charcoal in the charcoal basin glowed red, and the palace was as warm as spring. She held a book and fanned the empress.

[We will die sooner or later, so why bother about one more month or one less month? ]

[It would be better if we died earlier so that we could worry less, right? ]

The queen rolled her eyes at her and asked, "Does this palace care about his life or death?"

Nian Shilan looked back at the Queen, neither convinced nor daring to refute.

The queen realized that she didn't understand.

"If you don't find out the reason, how can you be sure that someone didn't do it secretly with ulterior motives?"

From the yard came the laughter of Xichao and Lanyi playing snowball fights and making snowmen.

The Queen looked out the window and said worriedly, "We have been planning for so many years and have finally waited for the fruit to mature. If someone gets there first at the critical moment, it doesn't matter if you and I die, but Hong Zhao will become a puppet. Who knows what kind of grievances Xi Chao will have to endure in the future?!"

Nian Shilan's eyes instantly became clear and innocent. She blinked:

【Fortunately, the Empress is here. 】

The Queen: “…” She was too lazy to pay attention to her.

The queen lowered her head and continued to look through it, trying to find the problem from the existing information.

Nian Shilan stopped fanning herself, [Could it be because he took the elixir? ]

"Take the pill?"

The queen frowned, "Did you forget to say something again?"

Nian Shilan coughed awkwardly, [In his previous life, he did have a serious illness this year and almost went to see his ancestors.]

[All preparations were made for the funeral, but I didn't expect Prince Yan to refuse to accept me.]

[After he recovered, he became afraid of birth, aging, sickness and death, and searched everywhere for a panacea in the hope of achieving immortality.]

[It was also from this time that he became confused and obsessed with women. He recruited various talented people from foreign lands to make medicine for him. He swallowed those poisonous pills without blinking an eye.]

【But these are things for next year. I didn’t expect them to happen earlier.】

[I lied before that he would die within two years of my death. Could it be that he believed it and went looking for the elixir of immortality in advance?]

The queen thought for a moment and shook her head, "Probably not."

"I have never heard of any Taoist priests entering the palace, and Zhang Mi has not found that the emperor has taken any other suspicious substances."

[If it wasn't given to him by an outsider, then it was given to him by a woman in the harem.]

[Qi Yuebin can be ruled out first...]

The Queen slowly raised her head, and Nian Shilan immediately explained:

"Let's just talk about the facts."

The Queen lowered her head and said quietly, "I didn't say anything, why are you so anxious?"

Nian Shilan: “…”

[Concubine Duan, Concubine Wan, and Concubine Xi can be ruled out first. We have leverage over these three families, so they dare not act recklessly.]

The Queen snorted in approval.

Nian Shilan cleared her throat, [Concubine Jing and Concubine Li can also be ruled out. One has devoted her life to discovering anecdotes about flowers, and the other has no brains for it at all.]

"Um."

[Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong are both unsure. ]

These two people also particularly disliked the emperor. Nian Shilan and the queen were not afraid that they would turn against them. They only suspected that they thought the progress was too slow and secretly added medicine.

【I will ask them both later.】

The queen nodded.

[If it was really done by the two of them, it wouldn't be a big problem.]

At the moment, Nian Shilan is most concerned about the emperor himself. [Lao Deng had already defeated the disease last time, so this time the disease should be able to defeat him, right? There is no way he can survive it, right?]

Since ascending the throne, the Emperor has always been conscientious and diligent, vigorously promoting reforms and personally involved in everything.

Today, the government is in order, the treasury is full, the country is stable, and the people live and work in peace and contentment.

Since the turn of the year would mark a turning point in his life and the beginning of his mediocrity, there was no need for him to stay.

The Queen said without even looking up: "The Emperor has been tired for most of his life. It is time to let Zhao'er share his worries and let him have a good rest."

You're already lying down, so why would you stand up?

Nian Shilan returned to Yikun Palace and waited for An Lingrong to come and pay her respects before asking her directly.

She had always been open and honest with the Imperial Concubine and she knelt down on the spot to admit her mistake.