Shi Shu kept reassuring herself, forcing back her trembling hands as she walked to the door. Qi Hong stopped her, took the tray, and without even glancing at her, said, "Alright, go do your work." She then turned and carried the tray inside, secretly replacing three of the cups before even entering the dining room.
Shi Shu breathed a sigh of relief, somewhat dazed, and hid in the old eunuch's room. She was done! She had finished this momentous task! Something bad was about to happen over there; she couldn't stay. Shi Shu hurriedly changed back into her own clothes and returned to Anci Palace, still somewhat disoriented. She was done already? So smoothly? Was even the heavens smiling upon her?
She didn't know if the poison in the wine cup would be detected by the eunuch testing it, but it was the best she could do. She had no better method and could only try her luck. If successful, the Empress Dowager would be the only mistress in the palace, and she could continue as Empress Dowager simply by adopting a young member of the imperial clan. She didn't know what the Empress Dowager's next plan was. In her view, the Empress now hated the Empress Dowager and wasn't on her side. She hadn't considered the Empress's safety at all and naturally felt that her method was the safest. Anyway, as long as the Emperor was in trouble, the Regent would find a way to help the Empress Dowager, just like six years ago.
On the other side, Qi Hong brought wine to the table, exchanged a glance with Fu Rong, and personally set out three cups. Fu Rong naturally assumed that Qi Hong had given the cup laced with medicine to the Empress as instructed, but in fact, Qi Hong had followed Mo Yun's orders and replaced all the cups. The Empress and Emperor's cups were laced with medicine by Qi Hong, while Fu Rong's were clean. Xiao Shunzi stepped forward to inspect the cups, but Fu Rong had already risen, picked up the wine pot, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, I have come to pour wine for Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress. Now that the misunderstanding has been cleared up, let's not dwell on the past. Drink this cup of wine, and let all grudges vanish like smoke."
Even when the Emperor and Furong dined together, they didn't always follow the proper etiquette. Xiao Shunzi naturally withdrew, and Furong began pouring wine. The Emperor didn't notice anything amiss. Furong assumed only the Empress's cup was poisoned. Even if it wasn't tested positive for poison later, the Emperor wouldn't suspect her because of the Empress, since the Empress Dowager was the one who poisoned them. So she remained calm and composed, raising her cup to toast them, her smile quite beautiful.
After downing a cup of wine, the Empress clutched her stomach and cried out in pain, collapsing to the ground. Before Furong could even rejoice, she suddenly saw the Emperor also covered in cold sweat, clutching his abdomen. She panicked and screamed, "Your Majesty! The Imperial Physician! Quickly, summon the Imperial Physician!"
"Someone come and help! Bring all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital, quickly!" Xiao Shunzi hurriedly ordered the palace servants to help the Emperor and Empress lie down on the bed. The room was in complete chaos. Furong was still in shock and couldn't recover. Taking advantage of the chaos, Qihong knocked the two poisoned wine cups to the ground and replaced them with the cup that Shishu used to apply medicine. Then, she took advantage of the chaos to go out and hide the three cups in her sleeve. Moyun's people would quietly take them away and destroy them.
Furong snapped out of her daze, found Qihong, grabbed her, and whispered through gritted teeth in her ear, "What happened? How could something have happened to the Emperor?"
Qi Hong hurriedly said, "This servant doesn't know. This servant did everything according to Your Highness's instructions. Perhaps they have another plan."
Furong was also in a state of utter confusion. She could escape if the Empress was in trouble, but if the Emperor was in trouble, she was finished. Even if she exposed Qihong now, it would be useless and would only lead to her own incriminating statement. She shook off Qihong and rushed into the bedchamber to the Emperor's side. Seeing the Emperor's incoherent state, she couldn't help but tremble.
The imperial physicians rushed over and, without even bothering to pay their respects, immediately began to examine the emperor and empress. After taking turns examining them, they all turned pale and were quite frightened.
Suppressing her fear, Furong anxiously asked, "How is the Emperor's health? Why isn't he being treated quickly?"
All the imperial physicians knelt on the ground. The head of the Imperial Hospital said in a trembling voice, "Your Highness, the Emperor has been poisoned. This poison is extremely potent and domineering. We can only save the Emperor's life. In the future, the Emperor will probably be bedridden and need constant medicine."
"What?" Furong was struck dumb, filled with regret. She had set the trap to get rid of the Empress Dowager and the Empress, not to harm the Emperor! If the Emperor fell, she would be nothing. What was she to do?
The imperial physician who examined the Empress reported that she had miscarried and had been poisoned by the same poison as the Emperor, and would be bedridden for the rest of her life. But Furong didn't listen at all, and neither did the others. Furong only ordered the imperial physicians to treat the Emperor, "Hurry up and prepare the medicine. If anything happens to the Emperor, you will all lose your heads!"
After saying that, she remembered that the poison was administered by the Empress Dowager, who might have the antidote. She immediately stood up and pointed outside, saying, "Go and examine the food, dishes, wine pot, and wine cups. Check everything for me to find out how the Emperor was poisoned. Quickly! Eunuch Shun, the Emperor is currently in a coma, and something bad may happen. We still don't know who is harming him, so you must not listen to other people's orders. Also, quickly summon the Imperial Guards to ensure the Emperor's safety."
Besides the Emperor, only the Empress Dowager could issue decrees. Furong's words were quite clear, and Xiao Shunzi expressed his willingness to obey. Soon, he followed her instructions and ordered the Imperial Guards to surround the palace, preventing anyone from entering or leaving at will. The imperial physicians also discovered the two cups, which were coated with poison. However, the head of the Imperial Hospital was somewhat puzzled. This poison seemed to be lethal, so how come the Emperor and Empress only suffered physical decline but did not die? But in any case, this was all they found, and naturally, they could only report this.
Furong was certain that the emperor had been poisoned by the wine in the cup, whether he died from it or was simply overwhelmed by it. She immediately ordered a thorough investigation of everyone who had touched the cup. At that moment, the Empress Dowager arrived. Furong hurriedly told Xiaoshunzi to hurry up and investigate, lest anyone escape, and then went to greet the Empress Dowager to prevent her from making any further moves.
The maidservant returned to Anci Palace to report to the Empress Dowager that she had finished. When the Empress Dowager learned that the maidservant had poisoned all three cups, she felt dizzy and suffered a severe headache. She couldn't even retrieve the cups that had been placed inside.
They had no choice but to grit their teeth and think of a backup plan. The poison had already been administered, and regardless of the outcome, Shishu, as the only one who knew this secret, could not be allowed to live. The Empress Dowager comforted Shishu with a few words and poured her a cup of tea to calm her nerves. Shishu drank it in a panic, and soon after returning to her room, she breathed her last.
The Empress Dowager waited anxiously. Upon hearing that the imperial physician and the guards had been summoned, she rushed over immediately. To her surprise, she found Furong perfectly fine. What was the reason for the poison on those three cups?
The Empress Dowager was puzzled, but she didn't forget to give Furong a hard time as soon as she entered the room, "What happened? Why is there such chaos? What kind of order is this? Where is the Emperor?"
Furong was uncertain, but forced herself to calm down and bowed. "Your Majesty, the Emperor and the Empress have both been poisoned. Eunuch Shun, who serves the Emperor, is investigating and has made some progress. Your Majesty, why don't you wait a moment?"
The Empress Dowager rushed inside to check on the Empress, and her heart sank when she saw her. She summoned the imperial physicians to inquire about the Emperor and Empress's condition, learning that they wouldn't die, but were confined to their beds, suffering worse than death. She was at a loss for words. She didn't know why the medicine hadn't killed the Emperor, but he was indeed down and no longer affected her; her plan had succeeded. But the Empress's child was gone, and the next emperor she wanted was gone. Would she have to adopt a child from the imperial clan?
After the Empress Dowager entered the inner chamber, Furong hurriedly found Xiao Shunzi. The Emperor was most likely deposed, and the Empress Dowager was now the most powerful person in the palace. She knew she would be in deep trouble if she fell into the Empress Dowager's hands, and might even become a scapegoat. The only person she could think of now was the Regent. The Emperor had spoken much about the Regent, and although he said the Regent was deeply devoted to the Empress Dowager, she didn't feel that the Regent seemed to like her. She couldn't find anyone else, so asking the Regent to intervene in this matter was perfectly reasonable. She had no choice but to take a gamble!
When Xiao Shunzi heard that she was going to inform the Regent, he naturally agreed and openly sent someone to do so. The person he sent to investigate also returned and reported that he had found an old eunuch who had been drunk and a young palace maid who had been drugged. Upon closer investigation, it was discovered that Fu Rong had deliberately arranged things beforehand. Soon, someone pointed out that they had seen Shi Shu coming to find the old eunuch, and the palace maid who delivered the wine also looked very much like Shi Shu in profile.
When the Empress Dowager emerged from the inner chamber, seven or eight palace maids were already kneeling outside. The final conclusion was that Shi Shu was the prime suspect. The Empress Dowager's expression changed slightly, but she wasn't particularly frightened. She imitated Shi Shu's handwriting and wrote a suicide note, explaining that Shi Shu resented the Imperial Noble Consort for influencing the Emperor to be unfilial to his birth mother, harbored malicious intent, and wanted to poison the Imperial Noble Consort. Unexpectedly, she accidentally spilled poison on all three cups, and too terrified to face the situation, she could only commit suicide by poisoning herself.
The emperor has been deposed. What can these people do to her even if they find her suspicious? No evidence is no evidence. Even if Xu Zifan is more distant from her than before, he can't just ignore her because of their past relationship. With the passage of time, the doubts about this matter will eventually fade away.
So the Empress Dowager, with a stern face, only ordered Xiao Shunzi to continue the investigation, "Whoever is involved in this matter, arrest them and interrogate them. I want to know who harmed my son!" She then looked at Furong sarcastically, "Imperial Noble Consort, there are many of your people here, yet their testimonies point to my Anci Palace. What are your true intentions? Do you think I, the Empress Dowager, would murder my own flesh and blood? I'd like to know why the Emperor and Empress were poisoned, but you are unharmed, and why only your wine cup is clean? In my opinion, you are the prime suspect!"
Furong knelt on the ground, calmly and composedly saying, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager's words are heartless. The Emperor is my heaven and my only support. How could I possibly harm him? As for why only two of the three cups were poisoned, I have a hunch. Presumably, the poisoner intended to harm both the Emperor and me, but I didn't expect things to go wrong and cause the Empress to suffer. The child in the Empress's womb has no relation to me whatsoever, but it is Your Majesty the Empress Dowager's own grandson. If the Emperor and I fall ill, then the child in the Empress's womb will be... extremely precious to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."
"How dare you!" The Empress Dowager slammed her hand on the table, but was startled by Furong's exposure of her thoughts.
Everyone present kept their heads bowed, cold sweat pouring down their backs. After hearing so many palace secrets, were they even alive? The Empress Dowager said the Imperial Noble Consort poisoned them, the Imperial Noble Consort said the Empress Dowager poisoned them, and the Emperor was truly in trouble—the world was about to change!
At this moment, the imperial guards brought back the body of the maidservant and her suicide note. After reading the note, the Empress Dowager wiped away her tears and said, "That wretched woman! How could she do such a thing? I'll skin her alive and feed her to the dogs! She ruined my son, ruined my son! My poor imperial son..."
"The Regent has arrived—"