The palace maid beside the emperor suddenly raised her hand and threw it with force.
A dart was shot out and pierced deeply into the dancer's wrist.
"Well!"
The dancer endured the pain, gritted her teeth, took the dagger with her left hand and attacked the emperor again.
"Ah! There's an assassin!"
"Protect the emperor! Protect the emperor!"
For a moment, there was chaos in the hall.
The Qinglong Guards, holding long swords, surrounded the entire hall.
The Queen Mother held the eldest princess in one hand and the fourth prince in the other. She wanted to hold Lu Hongxuan in her arms as well, but she found that Lu Hongxuan was actually blocking Lu Qingyuan.
"Don't panic, Auntie. You and Qiqi stay behind! I'll block it!"
There was no trace of fear in the seven-year-old boy's eyes.
At the same time, the emperor on the throne remained calm and continued to sit quietly, not paying any attention to the dancer.
However, the palace maid beside the emperor had a cold face, pulled out the long whip hidden in her sleeve and started fighting with the dancer.
The dancer's moves were brutal and fierce, going straight to the vital points, but the palace maid responded with ease.
After just two rounds, the dancer was defeated.
The palace maid tied the dancer's hands behind her back, tied them with a whip, and kicked her to the ground.
After doing all this, she returned to the emperor indifferently, without any emotion, as if nothing had happened.
The emperor couldn't help but praise: "The people of Wangsheng Pavilion are indeed well-deserved of their reputation. Their martial arts are really good."
The palace maid lowered her head and replied coldly, "It's all the Lord's fault."
The emperor raised his eyebrows slightly: "Did Yan Xi teach you to say that?"
“…”
The palace maid didn't answer, which was considered as her agreement.
"Well……"
The dancer lying on the ground had bloodshot eyes and bulging veins on her forehead. The wound on her arm was still oozing black blood.
Apparently, the dart that had struck her was also poisoned, and now she was suffering greatly from the effects of the poison.
She struggled to sit up, her hair untied and blood oozing from the corners of her mouth. She looked utterly miserable.
The emperor looked down at her and said, "Tell me, who sent you?"
He was extremely cautious about this palace banquet.
The palace maids and eunuchs who served tea and water had their backgrounds checked.
The dancer was able to bring in the dagger, obviously someone was secretly helping her.
"He only favors the evil concubine and harms his brothers. Such a tyrant king deserves death!" The dancer gasped and cursed loudly.
The emperor laughed instead of getting angry: "It seems that you really don't want to live anymore."
"Why fear death? How long do you think you can live? What good things do you think your partner feeds you every day?"
The dancer was almost crazy, laughing with her head thrown back.
The next moment, her brow furrowed, and black blood spit out of her mouth. Then her eyes widened, and she fell to the ground, unresponsive.
Pei Yi stepped forward and sniffed the dancer's breath, then opened her mouth and took a closer look.
After a moment, he clasped his fists and said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, the assassin has bitten through the poison sac in his mouth and died of the poison."
The emperor nodded and said, "Carry it away and clean it up."
"yes."
Pei Yi waved his hand, and two guards came forward and carried the dancer's body away.
The eunuch took a rag and wiped the blood stains on the ground in a few strokes.
Seeing that there was nothing serious, the empress dowager finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She looked at the emperor and warned him, "We must send someone to investigate this matter thoroughly."
"Your Majesty, what the assassin said before his death is indeed worth pondering."
When the Eighth Prince said this, his eyes were fixed on Shen Mingyue.
Obviously, he wanted to shift the blame and drag Shen Mingyue into the water.
After all, if there was a rift between Shen Mingyue and the emperor, the third prince might not be able to become the crown prince.
He then had more time and opportunities.
Lu Qingyuan saw through the Eighth Prince's thoughts at a glance.
She snorted coldly and said bluntly, "It's just a few random words uttered by a desperate assassin. To suspect those around you because of this is sheer folly."
The Eighth Prince glanced at Lu Qingyuan with dissatisfaction and said sarcastically, "I've heard for a long time that you and Concubine Ming have a deep relationship, and now it seems to be true. When the Emperor was assassinated, you didn't care about his health, but instead protected Concubine Ming without any explanation. I guess in your heart, the Emperor is not more important than Concubine Ming."
Lu Qingyuan said calmly, "Eighth Uncle, are you trying to sow discord? What you said is similar to what the dancer said. Besides, I don't see you caring much about my brother."
The Eighth Prince was furious: "What do you mean? As an elder, it is only natural for me to reprimand you for your inappropriate words and actions. You..."
"Alright, alright! The noise is giving me a headache!"
The Queen Mother spoke, impatiently interrupting the argument between the Eighth Prince and Lu Qingyuan.
She raised her hand, rubbed her aching head, and sighed, "We're all family, why are we so suspicious?"
Lu Qingyuan smiled and agreed: "What the Queen Mother said is right, family members should keep their differences to themselves, and it is good to be united and harmonious."
"Never mind, today's dishes were specially prepared by the Imperial Concubine at the request of the Imperial Chef. Everyone, please try them."
After the emperor said this, he picked up a piece of cake and started eating.
So the party continued.
Marquis Lan Xin was beside the Queen Mother, sometimes serving dishes, sometimes pouring tea, and occasionally talking to her, looking like a well-behaved and sensible person.
She was thoughtful and sweet-spoken, and was very good at pleasing the empress dowager, making her laugh.
The Queen Mother was delighted and immediately took off the golden peony hairpin on her head and gave it to Lan Xin.
Lan Xin was very excited and carefully put away the gold hairpin.
Before the banquet was over, the Queen Mother said she felt dizzy and wanted to return to the palace early.
The emperor wanted to send the queen mother back to the palace, but she waved her hand and refused: "I have Lan Xin to accompany me, so you don't have to worry. Go back to the palace."
"But……"
"I'm going back first."
The Queen Mother turned and left without saying anything.
Lan Xin stayed beside the Queen Mother, replacing Wan Shuang.
Late at night, fireworks exploded outside the palace. The palace banquet finally came to an end.
Wan Shuang hunched over and walked to the side of the Eighth Prince, whispering, "Prince, the Queen Mother invites you to the Shouning Palace to discuss important matters."
"The Queen Mother is looking for me?" the Eighth Prince asked suspiciously, "What's the matter?"
Wan Shuang smiled and said, "It's probably related to Miss Lan Xin. I don't know the details, but Your Majesty will know once you go there."
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