Time seemed to slow down infinitely at this moment.
Inside the Hanyuan Hall, everyone's gaze was drawn to the strange yet beautiful arc drawn in the air.
The silver wine jug, guided by a red silk ribbon, danced gracefully like a star orbiting the moon. The spout tilted, and a crystal-clear stream of wine flowed from it, refracting a captivating amber luster in the brilliant candlelight, striking with perfect precision the empty glass goblet before Empress Lin Wanwan.
"My God! That's incredible! Absolutely incredible!"
"This dance should only exist in heaven; it is rarely heard on earth!"
"Controlling the wine pot with a silk ribbon and pouring wine from a distance! This...this is simply divine skill!"
After a brief moment of shock, thunderous cheers erupted in the hall!
All the civil and military officials present, including the enlightened senior ministers, were completely captivated by this scene brimming with artistry and imagination. They no longer considered any schemes or plots; their hearts were filled only with heartfelt admiration for the exquisite dance skills.
In their eyes, this was hardly an assassination attempt. It was clearly the Western Region dancer offering the Empress the finest wine in an unprecedented and respectful manner!
This is an unparalleled honor!
Regent Xiao Yuan stood below the throne, stroking his beard, his smug smile undisguised. His eyes gleamed with a venomous light as he stared intently at the woman on the phoenix throne, who was about to face the end of her own destiny.
What a perfect assassination!
It is full of artistry and deceptiveness.
Even if it were later discovered that there was something wrong with the wine, it would only be described as a "mistake" by the dancer, who was not skilled enough and had picked up the wrong wine pot. Who would have thought that this was a meticulously planned murder? And he, the uncle who "kindly" recommended the dancer, could completely absolve himself of any responsibility!
Lin Wanwan, this time, you can't escape!
On the throne, Lin Wanwan's breathing almost stopped.
As she watched the line of wine getting closer and closer to her glass, every muscle in her body tensed instinctively. Reason told her there was definitely something wrong with this drink!
However, she cannot move.
If she showed any resistance or panic when everyone considered it a gesture of "respect," it would be seen as "disrespectful" and even interpreted as "unwilling to accept good advice and narrow-minded." At that point, regardless of whether the wine was actually defective, the Regent's faction would seize upon it and make a big fuss about it.
She has to... accept this glass of wine!
At least on the surface, one should make the gesture of being prepared to accept this drink!
Lin Wanwan slowly, very slowly, raised her hand. Her movements were elegant and composed, and her face even carried a perfectly timed hint of "surprise" and "admiration" for the exquisite dance skills.
Her slender fingers slowly reached towards the crystal-clear glass wine glass on the table.
But in her heart, she was screaming wildly.
What should I do? What should I do?!
Are we really going to take a gamble, betting that the wine isn't poisoned, or that the poison isn't too strong?
No! No way!
Just as her fingertips were about to touch the cold glass, just before that fatal line of liquor was about to fall into the glass!
Out of the corner of her eye, Lin Wanwan subconsciously glanced at Xiao Che beside her one last time.
She wanted to find a hint, a way to break the deadlock, from him.
However, what she saw was a terrifying scene that made her soul tremble and her blood almost freeze!
Xiao Che's face remained as calm and composed as ever, befitting an emperor.
But above his head, the orange, constantly spinning alarm suddenly exploded with a "snap" the moment she looked at it, as if it had been overloaded!
Instead, a huge, blood-red skull logo that took up the entire emoji area was replaced!
Ghostly green flames burned in the skull's eye sockets, and a hideous, terrifying smile twisted its lips. Around it, green bubbles, representing deadly poison, continuously rose, and the entire scene exuded a suffocating aura of death!
Below the blood-red skull, a line of enormous, equally blood-red characters, dripping with "blood," was branded onto Lin Wanwan's retina like the most vicious curse—
[Don't move! The wine is poisoned! .gif]
Boom—!!!
Lin Wanwan's mind went completely blank for a moment!
The visual impact of that instant is a thousand times more terrifying than any hint of language or eye contact!
poison!
It's really toxic!
Moreover, it's a deadly poison that can trigger the highest level of blood-red alert on Xiao Che's facial expressions, signifying mortal danger!
What was about to fall into the cup was not some fine wine, but a poison that could instantly kill her!
The instinct for survival, like that of the most primal wild beast, instantly broke through the shackles of reason and took over her entire body!
Just as her fingertips were less than half an inch from the glass, and just as the glistening stream of wine was about to fall into the glass at the critical moment!
Lin Wanwan reacted instantly!
She didn't scream or knock over the glass, because that would be too obvious!
Her body seemed to be "frightened" by the stunning dance, and she suddenly leaned back, her elbow "inadvertently" twisting sharply to the side!
"Clang—crash—!"
A crisp, piercing sound, like porcelain colliding and shattering metal, instantly resounded throughout the entire hall!
The entire set of tableware in front of Lin Wanwan—wine glasses, jade chopsticks, gold bowls, silver plates…all of it was swept to the ground like a celestial maiden scattering flowers under her “accidental” sweep!
The glass goblet, about to be filled with poison, was the first to be hit, arcing briefly through the air before crashing heavily onto the hard gold brick.
"Crack!"
A crisp cracking sound rang out.
The exquisite wine glass shattered instantly, turning into countless glittering fragments.
The deadly stream of liquor, having lost its target, ultimately fell helplessly onto the cold ground, making a faint sizzling sound before disappearing completely.
The entire hall fell into a deathly silence in an instant.
Everyone was completely stunned by this sudden turn of events.
The thunderous cheers abruptly ceased.
The languid music also stopped.
The wine jug that had been flying through the air crashed to the ground with a clang.
Everyone stared blankly at the Empress, who sat on the main seat, looking "panicked" as if she had been terrified by the trouble she had caused.
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