Madam Ning looked up: "Not entirely, what's wrong?"
Ning Yao pointed to the dishes in front of her: "What about this?"
Madam Ning looked in the direction she was pointing and said, "This is Tianxianglou's signature dish, shrimp and corn. You love shrimp the most, and you can't handle spicy food, so you ordered this instead."
"What about this one?"
"This is honey potato made by the cook in the manor. It's a dessert. You like this the most. My father and I always have a little bit of it."
Upon hearing this, Ning Yao frowned: "Are shrimp and potatoes served every day?"
Madam Ning, not understanding, nodded: "Yes, is there a problem, Yao Yao?"
Ning Yao woke up yesterday, already very weak, and didn't feel anything unusual.
I drank the spiritual spring water today and didn't feel anything unusual.
Shrimp can become toxic when eaten with foods containing vitamins, comparable to arsenic.
Arsenic can be ingested in small amounts without being fatal, but problems can arise over time.
The most terrifying thing is the interaction between these foods, where they can complement or counteract each other.
Ning Yao looked up at Madam Ning, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
If what Madam Ning said is true, then their health is in danger.
"Mother, after lunch, have the family physician check your and Father's pulses."
Fortunately, Ning Wenyi and his wife doted on her and didn't ask why.
After examination by the prefectural physicians, both were determined to be without any problems.
Ning Yao was still a little worried, so she secretly added a drop of spiritual spring water to the tea and watched them drink it.
Time flies, and Ning Yao has been in the book for a month now.
Within a month, she had figured out the situation in the capital and even secretly entered the palace twice.
On one occasion, he even made a special trip to Ning Qiong's palace.
Looking at Ning Qiong, who was in her late pregnancy, Ning Yao felt a sense of goodwill towards this older sister she was meeting for the first time.
The Duke was capable of pulling off a switcheroo and replacing the eldest sister.
What about the baby in the older sister's womb?
Was it truly a stillbirth, or was there something else going on? The original work doesn't mention it.
Just to be on the safe side, Ning Yao secretly added spiritual spring water to the sweet soup she drank every day.
Soon, news spread from the palace that Consort Rong had given birth.
Because she was a favored concubine, Lady Ning was granted special permission to enter the palace, and Ning Yao insisted on going with her.
Sure enough, when the child was born, the midwife replaced the stillborn child with the one born to Consort Rong.
The emperor announced that Consort Rong had given birth to a stillborn child. Shortly after, an imperial edict arrived, declaring that Consort Rong's stillbirth was an omen of bad luck and banishing her to the Cold Palace.
At this point, everything is proceeding as described in the original story.
As for the child, Ning Yao had no idea where it had been sent.
Even Madam Ning only knew the surface of things and was unaware of the inside story.
Ning Yao immediately looked at her father, the Duke, with new respect.
He's probably the only one who would dare to swap the dragon prince out of the palace!
Three months later, Consort Rong died in a fire in the Cold Palace. The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo fainted on the spot, and the Duke of Zhenguo was also devastated. He suspended court for seven days and stayed at home.
Surprisingly, the emperor had no objections. He not only posthumously honored Consort Rong as Empress Zhaohui, but also lavishly bestowed upon the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion the title of a first-class duke's mansion!
Meanwhile, the Empress's faction, who were portrayed as the villainous female supporting characters, were furious.
After finally getting rid of Consort Rong, they never expected that the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion would gain the emperor's attention.
Immediately, various civil officials and ministers lodged protests and submitted memorials, which were all rejected by the emperor.
One wave after another, the turmoil caused by Empress Zhaohui had not yet subsided when the emperor stirred up trouble again.
The election began right after the New Year.
Just like in the original story, the imperial edict was sent directly to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
Ning Yao entered the palace to accompany the emperor and was given the title of Consort Rong.
The entire government and the public were shocked!
The Empress was furious and smashed several things: "He's slapping me in the face! I killed Ning Qiong, and he brings in Ning Yao, and during Ning Qiong's mourning period! How can he so blatantly oppose me? Isn't he afraid that my Zhang family will replace him?"
An older maid sighed and stepped forward to advise, "Your Majesty, why are you so angry? Even Consort Rong couldn't threaten you, so what can a substitute do? His Majesty has come this far entirely thanks to the Zhang family, yet he's so foolish over a woman. Your Majesty should also consider the Second Prince's future."
Empress Zhang's anger subsided considerably, but she was still resentful.
They've known each other since childhood, so why should I be overshadowed by that bitch Ning Qiong?
She thought that by securing the Empress's position through the Zhang family, she had defeated Ning Qiong, but little did she know that His Majesty's heart still belonged to her!
Since that's the case, don't blame her for disregarding the bond between the young couple!
"Momo, send someone to tell Father that I have approved his proposal!"
Zhang Momo smiled slightly: "It's good that Your Majesty has thought it through. The most unreliable thing in this world is a man's heart."
In the original novel, Ning Yao was supposed to enter the palace through the East Gate in a wedding dress and a sedan chair carried by eight men.
But Ning Yao rejected him.
"Please trouble you to go back and inform His Majesty. I am grateful for His Majesty's kindness, but since my elder sister is in mourning, it is really inappropriate for me to dress too formally. Please refrain from wearing wedding clothes and a sedan chair carried by eight men. I will enter the palace on my own at that time."
The eunuch who came to deliver the imperial decree gave Ning Yao a special consideration, praising her for her tactful manner and saying that she was indeed worthy of being Empress Zhaohui's younger sister!
Rumors circulated that the three daughters of the Ning family were extremely unruly, but now it seems that those rumors were not entirely true.
Ning Yao's meaning was immediately clear to him: His Majesty had indeed gone too far in his actions recently.
It seems that the newly promoted Consort Rong's words are a gesture of respect to His Majesty, and should be enough to make His Majesty listen.
The eunuch delivering the decree gave a smile: "Consort Rong is intelligent and wise. This servant will certainly convey Your Highness's words to His Majesty. As for what to do then, please wait patiently at home."
Ning Yao smiled and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Father-in-law, Zhilan!"
Zhilan stepped forward and gave her father-in-law a bag of silver as a fee for running errands.
No one would complain about having too much money, so the eunuch accepted it with a smile and left the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
As soon as the eunuch delivering the imperial decree left, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Ning Wenyi looked at Ning Yao with some worry: "Yao Yao, if you don't want to go, we don't have to go. Don't force yourself. Dad has a way!"
Madam Ning's face was also full of anger: "That's a place that eats people alive, why did you have to get involved? Look at how much your eldest sister has suffered!"
After spending so much time together, Ning Yao had long since come to regard them as family.
Seeing her eldest sister escape from the cold palace, Ning Yao became even more determined to make this decision.
Since they are family, revenge must be taken!
She wanted to get back at her elder sister for all the suffering and hardship she endured in the palace.
Since the Li Kingdom was doomed anyway, she had no faith in the country.
Before that, she wanted to make sure that Empress Zhang and her ilk wouldn't get a single hair!
Ning Yao smiled slightly: "I know what to do, Father and Mother. You don't need to worry. At most, I will be home safely and reunited with you in two years."
"Father, don't forget what I told you."
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