[WARNING! Toxic!]
Those three blood-red characters, like three red-hot branding irons, were fiercely burned onto Lin Wanwan's retina.
It was as if all the blood in her body had been drained in that instant, then poured in icy water. A chill shot from her tailbone straight to her head, freezing her completely.
poison?
Poisonous?!
Where is the poison?
Her gaze unconsciously shifted from the grotesque skull symbol above Xiao Che's head to the corner of his mouth where he had just finished drinking the medicine, and then to her own empty hand, which was still in the offering gesture.
A terrifying thought, one that sent shivers down her spine, struck her instantly.
The problem... isn't in that bowl of dark medicine.
And what she personally handed over... was candied fruit!
How could this be?!
These candied fruits were made by the original owner's mother herself, a cherished keepsake. How could they possibly be poisoned? Could it be... that someone tampered with her dowry?!
Who did it? And why?
Countless thoughts exploded in Lin Wanwan's mind, but she had no time to think about them.
Because Xiao Che, who was standing in front of her, had already gotten into trouble.
Suddenly, an unnatural, sickly flush spread across his already pale face. His body swayed violently, as if struck by an invisible force, and he staggered back half a step.
Immediately afterward, he raised his hand and gripped his throat tightly, his face contorted in extreme pain. His breathing became heavy and rapid, as if something was blocking his airway.
"Well……"
A suppressed, painful groan escaped from his throat.
The next second, to Lin Wanwan's horrified gaze, Xiao Che suddenly bent over and opened his mouth—
"puff--!"
A mouthful of dark, foul-smelling blood gushed from his mouth, splattering onto the gleaming floor tiles and forming a shocking stain. The blood was so deep that, under the candlelight, it almost appeared as an eerie, inky color.
The strong smell of blood instantly filled the bedchamber.
It's over.
Only those two words remained in Lin Wanwan's mind.
She personally poisoned the emperor.
This crime is so serious that it's not just punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family, but probably even eighteen generations!
Xiao Che wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand and slowly straightened up.
His already sinister phoenix eyes were now completely filled with a violent, destructive killing intent. That gaze was no longer the probing, feigned ferocity of before, but a chilling killing intent from the depths of hell, ready to devour people alive!
If he was a paper tiger before, now he is a ferocious beast that has been thoroughly enraged and is on the verge of death!
"You...you have some nerve!"
His voice was hoarse, like a broken bellows, each word sounding as if squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying a strong stench of blood and undisguised hatred.
He approached Lin Wanwan step by step. This time, his steps were no longer steady, but carried a hint of unsteadiness from the poisoning, yet his earth-shattering aura was a hundred times stronger than before!
He stared intently at Lin Wanwan, his gaze as if he were looking at a dead person.
In his heart, without a doubt, it was this new empress who had just married into the palace, this audacious woman, who had given him this fatal blow with a poison coated in sugar!
Lin Wanwan was terrified.
She wanted to explain, to shout "It wasn't me," but faced with such overwhelming evidence, any defense would only seem weak and powerless.
He won't believe it.
How could someone about to be poisoned believe the poisoner's explanation?
Begging for mercy? Absolutely not! Begging for mercy would be tantamount to admitting guilt, which would only make him kill more easily!
What to do? What to do?!
Driven by extreme fear and a desperate will to survive, Lin Wanwan's brain was working at an unprecedented pace. Her eyes, like those of a frightened rabbit, frantically scanned the bedroom, trying to grasp at any straw.
Outside the palace, the guards and eunuchs who heard the commotion rushed in. When they saw the scene before them, they were all terrified, but dared not step forward.
The old eunuch who had just delivered the medicine returned, kneeling on the ground in horror, his body trembling more violently than ever before.
It's him!
Lin Wanwan's gaze was precisely fixed on the old eunuch.
She remembered that in the original owner's memories, all the dowry items would be inspected and registered by the head eunuch of Kunning Palace after entering the palace.
The old eunuch in front of them was none other than Li Dequan, the chief steward of Kunning Palace.
If there's a problem with the candied fruit, then he, as the person in charge of the inspection, will absolutely be implicated!
A crazy, do-or-die plan instantly took shape in Lin Wanwan's mind.
This is her only chance.
She had to stir things up before Xiao Che completely lost his mind and ordered her to be killed, shifting everyone's attention from her, the "poisoner," to the candied fruit itself, and... the unseen hand behind it all!
Xiao Che had already walked up to her.
"Clang—!"
He drew the longsword, which had just been sheathed, with all his might once again. The blade emitted an ominous hum, a sound born of its master's rage.
"I will tear you to pieces!"
He roared, and with his last bit of strength, he raised the sword high in his hand.
The chilling sword light reflected his handsome yet terrifying face, twisted by poisoning and rage.
Lin Wanwan knew this was her last chance.
Just as the long sword was about to strike her down, Lin Wanwan moved.
She didn't scream, flinch, or kneel down and beg for mercy as anyone had expected.
She made a move that left everyone speechless.
She suddenly leaped off the bed, not to escape, but to rush toward the small brocade pouch that had just fallen to the ground.
She grabbed the pouch containing the candied fruit, and without even looking at it, she shoved the remaining seven or eight candied fruits into her mouth in a rough and forceful manner!
"Hmm!"
The sweet and sour plums, coated with frosting, instantly filled her entire mouth; a few even poked her teeth because of the force of the plums.
She chewed frantically, the copious amounts of saliva and candied fruit juices mixing together, making it almost impossible for her to speak.
After doing all this, she raised her head and met Xiao Che's bloodshot eyes, filled with destructive desire, once again.
Her face was streaked with tears, and there was a trace of candied fruit residue on the corner of her mouth; she looked utterly disheveled.
But her eyes held a resolute determination that seemed ready to die, and... a sense of grievance.
She looked directly at Xiao Che and shouted, her voice muffled and strained, with all her might:
"Your Majesty...If...if I am guilty...um...I am willing to die with you!"
His voice was broken and incoherent, yet it possessed a powerful, awe-inspiring quality.
The entire bedchamber fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone was stunned by her crazy act.
Xiao Che, who was holding his sword high, suddenly stopped. For the first time, a hint of wavering and disbelief appeared in his eyes, which were burning with rage.
He looked at the woman who had stuffed her mouth full of "poison," ready to go to her death with him...
Looking into her eyes, which were once so clear and bright, yet now filled with a sense of resolute determination and tragic grandeur...
Was she also framed?
This thought, like a pebble thrown into an icy lake, stirred a faint ripple in his mind, which was consumed by poison and rage.
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