Chapter 372 Poisoning
Concubine Li immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I didn't mean to do this. It was all an accident. I don't know why this happened..."
Concubine Li was incoherent and had completely lost her usual composure.
Emperor Defeng turned his eyes away in disgust and asked Nanny Wu beside him.
"Tell me what's going on."
Nanny Wu would naturally not cover up for Concubine Li. She told the whole story in detail.
It turned out that the reason why Concubine Li came to see the Queen was all because of Xiao Yanqing.
The princes could not stay in the capital for long. After the Lantern Festival, they would almost have to set off to return to their fiefdoms.
Xiao Yanqing was also ordered to set off at about the same time.
Concubine Li wanted to ask the Queen to plead for Xiao Yanqing, allowing him to stay in the capital and wait until Xiao Baozhu's coming-of-age ceremony.
The reason why Concubine Li planned this was naturally because she was unwilling to give up and wanted to find other ways to turn the tide.
She thought Empress Sun would agree to such a small matter, but she didn't expect that Empress Sun would refuse it outright and her attitude was very cold.
Nanny Wu: "The matters of the previous court were decided by the Emperor. How could the Empress interfere? The Imperial Concubine's request was clearly unreasonable, so the Empress would naturally not agree. Unexpectedly, the Imperial Concubine reached out and pulled the Empress. The Empress was already weak, so how could she withstand her pull? She lost her balance and fell."
Nanny Wu recounted the entire incident, trying to keep her tone calm, but she could not conceal her grief and indignation.
After hearing these words, the last bit of hope in Xiao Yanqing's heart was completely extinguished, and cold sweat soaked his clothes on his back.
Mother is confused!
Concubine Li also regretted it so much that her intestines turned green.
How could she have known that Empress Sun's body was so fragile? It was like tofu, breaking at the slightest touch.
Once this crime is pinned on her, there will be no chance for her and her son to turn things around.
Concubine Li kowtowed heavily, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I really did not mean to do this. Even if I had the courage of heaven, I would not dare to murder the Queen."
Xiao Yanqing also knelt down and apologized.
"Your Majesty, my mother loves me dearly and was reluctant to leave me, so she came to the Empress to plead for mercy. It was also a momentary mistake that led to this disaster. Everything is caused by me, Your Majesty. If you want to blame someone, blame me."
Emperor Defeng said coldly, "If anything happens to the Queen, both you and your son will be held responsible!"
These words were extremely harsh, and the blood drained from Xiao Yanqing and Li Guifei's faces again.
Xiao Baozhu stood beside Empress Sun's bed, looking at her with tears in her eyes.
On New Year's Eve, the Queen Mother finally appeared in public. Xiao Baozhu was resentful of her and refused to see her.
She had originally planned to see her mother tomorrow and tell her in person that she had found a good marriage that she liked.
Unexpectedly, something like this happened tonight.
Her hands and feet were cold and her mind was in a mess.
Lu Zhiran stood beside her and could only hold her hand to comfort her, unable to do anything else.
Life and death are determined by fate. Whether Empress Sun can survive depends on herself.
The imperial physician finally withdrew the needle, but his brows were furrowed and his face looked unhappy.
"Your Majesty, the Empress's health was already severely weakened and she was already at the end of her strength. This severe blow has completely destroyed her vitality. Now she only has a faint breath left. I am truly powerless to help."
Xiao Baozhu staggered, and Lu Zhiran held her tightly so that she did not fall.
Concubine Li and Xiao Yanqing also looked pale.
Empress Sun was already on the verge of death, but Concubine Li happened to run into the gun. If Empress Sun died, she would be charged with the crime of murdering the empress.
Then she has no way to survive.
Emperor Defeng had already anticipated this outcome, but he still felt heavy in his heart.
At this time, Prince Rui stood up, his face full of anxiety.
"Brother Your Majesty, I have brought a doctor from my own land. He is an excellent doctor. I dare to let him try it on your sister-in-law."
Xiao Baozhu grabbed Emperor Defeng's arm and pleaded, "Father, please let him try. Perhaps Mother can still be saved."
Emperor Defeng knew that Empress Sun was probably powerless to save the situation.
But he couldn't bear to reject Xiao Baozhu's request, so he nodded and agreed.
Prince Rui had already sent someone to invite a doctor, and with Emperor Defeng's approval, the person was quickly brought in.
The doctor's name was Ma Xingyi, a skinny old man.
After the diagnosis and acupuncture, Ma Xingyi's brows were never relaxed.
It took a full half hour to complete the entire acupuncture treatment.
"Your Majesty, I dare to speak frankly. The Empress must have been poisoned."
When these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.
Emperor Defeng's expression suddenly darkened.
"Are you serious?"
"I dare not speak rashly. If my diagnosis is correct, the Queen was poisoned by the Dream Soul Incense, and she has been poisoned for nearly ten years. However, the poison is very mild, so it is not easy to detect."
Nearly ten years!
Who is so bold as to poison Kunning Palace?
Emperor Defeng was surrounded by a sense of impending pressure, "This is outrageous!"
Everyone knelt down, not daring to look directly at the emperor.
"Could you possibly find out the source of the poisoning?"
Ma Xingyi replied carefully, "If a commoner saw that poisonous creature, they should be able to identify it."
"Okay, I allow you to search the palace. Even if you damage anything, I will forgive you."
After hearing this, Ma Xingyi began to search the hall.
He walked to the shrine, where there was a small tablet. It was the tablet of the eldest prince.
Ma Xingyi apologized, then took it off, put it to his nose and sniffed it, frowning.
"Is there something wrong with this tablet?"
Ma Xingyi said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I dare not make a conclusion. If you want to examine it clearly, you must smash it, but the tablet must also be destroyed."
Emperor Defeng did not hesitate, "Smash it!"
The eldest prince has been dead for so many years, what’s the point of leaving an empty tablet?
Ma Xingyi smashed the Guanyin statue down hard, and it shattered into pieces in an instant.
There really was another mystery there.
The middle of the tablet was hollow, and there was a package inside, emitting a faint smell.
Everyone subconsciously covered their mouths and noses.
Ma Xingyi picked up the thing and said confidently, "This is it."
Emperor Defeng frowned and signaled the imperial physician to come forward and check.
The imperial physician also gave the same answer, it was Menghunxiang.
Exposure to this substance over the years can make a person's body weaker.
People who are depressed for a long time and have extreme mood swings are more susceptible to this impact.
Empress Sun was always brooding over the death of the eldest prince. She would wipe the tablet herself every day and often hold it in her hands and stroke it carefully.
Whenever she recalled the past, she would always lose control of her emotions and become heartbroken, and the dream fragrance would more easily invade her heart.
Everything fits together.
Emperor Defeng's expression was extremely grim. "Who on earth is so audacious as to tamper with the tablet of the Grand Prince?"
Nanny Wu was stunned for a long time, and it took her a long time to come back to her senses.
Her voice trembled, "Your Majesty, I remember now. This tablet was brought back from outside the palace by Concubine Li!"
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