At this moment, Xu Yuehuai was also holding back a lot of anger.
"Haha, I'm really fortunate to have seen so many new things outside the palace today, thanks to the Duke of Zhenguo. I'm going to enjoy them properly."
Seeing the pleasant atmosphere, the Empress was in a great mood. Looking at the exquisite plating and color scheme, she felt a surge of appetite even before taking a bite and immediately began to praise the dish.
The Duke of Zhenguo was also pleased with the Empress's statement. After exchanging a few polite words, they changed the subject to food.
Xu Yuehuai, who was in charge of serving the dishes outside, finally breathed a sigh of relief when all the dishes were served.
"Sigh, one can't be careless with the food for the royal family. It's finally finished. Luckily, nothing went wrong."
The others who had come to help were now sitting relaxed, all sighing with relief. They had put in a lot of effort to prepare for today's banquet, and everyone had been on high alert ever since they heard the news.
From the research of the dishes to the preparation of food and ingredients, every step is indispensable and extremely rigorous. On this day, needless to say, the steps that have been practiced countless times before are performed again, and each step is done with utmost care.
Once all the dishes were successfully served, the event was considered complete.
Everyone was quite happy at this point, just waiting for the banquet to end so that everyone could receive some reward money.
But then, an accident happened.
At the banquet, the Queen tasted the most visually appealing dish, and the tingling sensation upon entering her mouth was incredibly pleasant. Just as she was about to continue tasting, she was suddenly struck by abdominal pain, which quickly intensified and became unbearable, even giving her an urge to defecate.
There was no other way; in order not to lose face as the mother of the nation at the banquet, the Empress made an excuse to go out to relieve herself.
But who knew that once they went there, they would lose control of the situation.
This made the head maidservant of the Empress restless. After arranging for someone to take care of the Empress, she went directly to the kitchen.
Xu Yuehuai had already received the news and rushed out immediately.
"Who among you is in charge of preparing the dishes for tonight's banquet?"
He came out furious, immediately interrupting the group who were still chatting.
This sight instantly terrified them, leaving them feeling uncertain.
Fortunately, Xu Yuehuai was there. Looking at the other woman's attire, she remembered that she was a palace maid serving the Empress. Her arrival at this time was most likely at the Empress's behest, but judging from her expression, it seemed more like an accusation. Could it really be something wrong with the food?
Xu Yuehuai immediately thought of this possibility and was startled, but for the sake of the overall situation, she forced herself to suppress her unease and stepped forward to reply respectfully.
"I am the main chef of the dishes for this banquet. Is there anything I can do for you at this time?"
"Heh, do you know that the food you cooked has caused my lady to have diarrhea? I'd like to ask you how you cooked it! Such a big banquet, and you still have this kind of problem!"
It's clear that the head palace maid is still holding back, after all, her purpose is still for the sake of the Empress. Although she wants to punish her, it's still a bit early.
“Princess Heyue, don’t forget that our Empress Dowager doted on you, which is why she put you in charge of this banquet. She never expected you to do this.”
Xu Yuehuai hurriedly followed the head palace maid to visit the Empress, but was stopped when they passed through the hall. It turned out that the Emperor was furious because the Empress had eaten something wrong and disappeared for a while. He immediately summoned Xu Yuehuai and said he would punish her.
Ultimately, it was because Consort Min had already seen Xu Yuehuai leave the banquet.
Left with no other option, Xu Yuehuai, along with the head palace maid, went inside. The head palace maid stepped aside, while Xu Yuehuai knelt down.
Do you know your crime?
As soon as he knelt down, he heard the Emperor's voice demanding an explanation.
"This humble woman does not know what crime she has committed, and begs Your Majesty to enlighten her."
At this point, Xu Yuehuai naturally didn't dare to take responsibility, so he pretended to be confused.
This made the current emperor laugh in anger; he hadn't expected the other party to still be so audacious even at this point.
"Since you say you don't know, then come forward and eat this dish!"
These words startled everyone; it seemed the Emperor was truly enraged.
Just then, the Empress returned, her body weak. Upon hearing these words, she quickly advised the Emperor, "Your Majesty, please do not be angry. Perhaps it was because I indulged in cold food when I left the palace."
The Empress's thoughtfulness brought Xu Yuehuai some comfort. However, since the matter had already occurred, she couldn't remain uninvolved. Since the person in charge was still on her side, investigating the truth and clearing her name was entirely within her capabilities.
"Your Majesty, may I take a look at the dish that is in problem so that I can find out the reason?"
Upon hearing Xu Yuehuai's words, the Empress also spoke up for her. The Emperor, somewhat helpless, raised his hand and flicked his sleeve.
Xu Yuehuai stood up steadily, walked to the Empress's table, and waved her hand in greeting. The Empress smiled and nodded. Then, she used the serving chopsticks to pick up some food, placed it on a clean plate, and smelled it.
After confirming that the food didn't taste bad and hadn't spoiled, Xu Yuehuai breathed a sigh of relief. Thankfully, it wasn't a problem with the ingredients. Since that was the case, she wouldn't be bothered; problems needed to be solved, and if not handled properly, it would be a disaster for her.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I have confirmed that there is nothing wrong with this dish. As for why Your Majesty is unwell, I would like to request that Your Majesty summon the imperial physician!"
Seeing Xu Yuehuai's certainty and upright demeanor, the Emperor was somewhat unsure. Since she requested that the imperial physician be sent, he might as well grant her request.
"Granted!"
At the emperor's command, his attendants rushed out to fetch someone.
The Emperor was leaving the palace to attend a banquet, and as his personal physician, I was required to accompany him, though I was placed in a different room.
Upon hearing the emperor's summons, he quickly stopped eating and went over with his tools.
Upon learning that someone had poisoned the banquet, the imperial physician became somewhat nervous and quickly inquired.
Knowing that the Empress had eaten something that caused the problem, the imperial physician quickly and carefully stepped forward to test for poison. After finding no poison, he immediately took the Empress's pulse.
After examining the dishes again, I concluded that they were laxatives.
Now everyone guessed that someone was deliberately trying to harm Xu Yuehuai.
"Investigate this for me! How dare someone plot against the Empress Dowager at a banquet! What audacity!"
At a single command, the Imperial Guards who had accompanied the Emperor immediately set out to search various locations.
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