Marquis Ningyuan, seated in his seat, was also very worried. He hadn't expected that someone would use the banquet to administer laxatives. This was the mother of the nation; to lose her composure outside the palace would be a grave matter.
However, he was more worried that Zhang Ting was behind it. This matter seemed to have far-reaching implications, affecting too many people. Only she would do something so thoughtless. He just hoped that if it was her, she wouldn't be found out, otherwise, things would get really troublesome.
Soon, a palace maid was so frightened by the atmosphere that she immediately stepped forward and knelt down.
Seeing this, everyone's attention was drawn to the palace maid.
Even the current emperor was enraged again and slammed his fist on the table.
"How dare you! Confess honestly, who gave you the order to poison people?"
Upon hearing this, the palace maid was so frightened that she burst into tears, shaking her head repeatedly.
"No, I just remembered that before the banquet started, Miss Zhao... Zhao Min took over. I guess someone took advantage of that time to poison her. This matter has nothing to do with me. I would never dare to have any harmful intentions."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yuehuai suddenly had an idea.
Since it was a last-minute poisoning, it happened suddenly and was discovered in time. The person probably didn't even have time to clean up the mess.
Thinking of this, Xu Yuehua knelt down again.
"Your Majesty, I have a plan that can help us find out the truth as soon as possible."
"Speak quickly!"
Seeing that someone had a clue, the emperor was also somewhat expectant. He wanted to see who was behind it all and how dare they be so bold.
Xu Yuehuai quickly voiced her thoughts, and the Emperor immediately approved them.
Since everyone is under control and present, checking their hands is the quickest thing to do now.
Since they acted directly, there would definitely be residual laxatives on their hands, which could be clearly determined by having the imperial physician examine them.
"Granted! Summon all the guards and maids in and examine them one by one! Since this matter arose because of you and you also proposed the solution, then you shall find the murderer yourself."
The Emperor directly entrusted this matter to Xu Yuehuai, since she was the person directly responsible for being framed and would have to take the blame if something went wrong. Therefore, she would definitely be the one who would put the most effort into the investigation.
And so, the others walked in, lining up in rows to be checked. Some were still unsure what was going to happen and were quite nervous.
Seeing this, Zhao Min, who was sitting in her seat, panicked immediately.
"What should I do? What should I do? What if they find out about me?"
Just as I was thinking this, I accidentally knocked over the wine glass in my panic.
The already tense atmosphere intensified. The Consort Min and the Empress immediately turned their gazes towards each other.
Zhao Min quickly offered an explanation.
"I'm so sorry to have disturbed you, esteemed guests. I'm feeling a bit unwell and was just trying to scratch myself, but I accidentally spilled the wine glass with my sleeve. I apologize to everyone for this!"
Zhao Min's face was covered in a fine sweat, and she was extremely flustered.
As the empress, the head of the harem, she realized at this moment that things were not so simple. Thinking about how she had been forced to go to the toilet for a long time in a disheveled state because of the drug, she became even more furious.
Losing face at a minister's private banquet on such an occasion is something that can never be recovered. With this in mind, the Empress decided to take the initiative.
It was said that they were inspecting the maids, but if Princess Heyue hadn't given them instructions behind the scenes, who would have dared to do it?
"How dare you! I can clearly see that there's something wrong with your hands. You're truly vicious, trying to poison me. You're as venomous as a scorpion!"
The queen spoke very bluntly, intending to provoke the other party and prove her suspicions.
The next second, I actually got the result I wanted.
"No, I didn't mean to. I didn't intend to poison you. It was an accident... I just wanted to teach Xu Yuehuai a lesson, but I didn't expect that dish to arrive..."
When she realized what had happened, Zhao Min quickly covered her mouth. She never expected that she would blurt it all out of nervousness and excitement.
Everyone else present stopped and turned their gazes to this fool. They hadn't expected the Queen to trick him so easily, causing him to confess immediately.
If someone has this idiot in their family, they'll have a headache for life.
"absurd!"
Upon hearing this, the Emperor flew into a rage. He hadn't expected that it was because he was targeting someone else that his Empress had accidentally ingested the poison and suffered such torment. This woman was, after all, his daughter; to raise such a fool was utterly disgraceful.
They had lived in luxury in the palace for so many years, with imperial physicians attending to their every need. Who would have thought that they would encounter such a thing while attending a banquet? This was not only a frame-up, but also a sign of lax discipline and a disgrace to the royal family.
Xu Yuehuai never expected such a turn of events. Although she suspected the other party, she had to investigate the clues step by step and find out the truth slowly. But who knew that the Empress would be so helpful, making the other party jump out directly.
If you investigate yourself, you might not even get the same results on the other person.
At this moment, Xu Yuehuai made no move. She knew that the person in the most difficult position was the one in power, as this was his daughter. She had come out to a banquet with him, acted arrogantly in someone else's home, and framed an ordinary citizen. No matter how you looked at it, the one who was most embarrassed was the Emperor.
At this point, Zhao Min realized the seriousness of the situation and quickly knelt down to beg for mercy.
"Your Majesty, I didn't mean it, I really didn't mean it. It's all Xu Yuehuai's fault for being so arrogant. I just wanted to teach her a lesson, that's why I resorted to this tactic. I really didn't mean it." Hearing Zhao Min's explanation, the Emperor's face darkened even more.
He was just about to hold Xu Yuehuai accountable for this, but now there's been such a big reversal, and this idiot even admitted it himself.
"Get back here and reflect on your actions! Don't embarrass yourself again!"
Clearly, the Emperor is furious, but he can't afford to lash out at this point. No matter how it's handled, the royal family will lose face; the best course of action at this time is to keep the information confidential.
"Can……"
Zhao Min was extremely unwilling to accept being yelled at like that in front of everyone, especially in front of the person she hated the most.
She was furious. Turning to glare at Xu Yuehuai, her resentment only intensified. If Xu Yuehuai hadn't suggested checking everyone's hands, she wouldn't have been so nervous, and she wouldn't have been discovered.
Thinking of this, she became even angrier. Seeing that the emperor ignored her and her aunt, Consort Min, did not speak up for her, she stood up and fled the scene as if she were escaping.
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