Upon hearing about these effects, Imperial Concubine Lan’s brow relaxed slightly. However, she drank the honey flower tea like water and said, “It’s good, but I don’t like sweet things.”
Taohua raised an eyebrow, thinking that perhaps Duan Yunxin hadn’t lied after all. Could it be that Imperial Concubine Lan truly preferred bitter tea? She may have misjudged the situation.
As Imperial Concubine Lan put down her tea and was about to try other snacks, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her stomach, nearly losing her balance.
“Your Highness!” The nearby palace maid quickly supported her, noticing the Concubine’s unusual complexion. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing, perhaps I ate too much.” Clutching her stomach, Imperial Concubine Lan stood for a moment, hoping to recover. However, her condition worsened, alarming Taohua who approached, saying, “Your Highness? Perhaps we should call for the Imperial Physician.”
Everyone hurriedly helped her into the room. The Imperial Physician arrived quickly, and after checking her pulse, frowned and asked, “What did Your Highness consume recently?”
A young palace maid pointed at Taohua and said, “She last drank this lady’s tea, and became unwell immediately after.”
“Bring the teacup here.”
“Yes.”
Feeling a chill, Taohua sensed a bad premonition. She watched at the doorway as the young maid went out and returned, frowning, “The teacup is missing.”
The tea-makers gradually returned from outside, unaware of what had happened, still looking for the Imperial Concubine. Gu Huairou anxiously stood at the threshold, looking around, “Her Highness put the cup on your table after drinking. No one paid attention, and now it’s gone.”
“Then someone must have it in for me,” Taohua said, pressing her lips together. “But what’s strange is that there couldn’t have been any problem with my tea. Didn’t the palace staff check everything when we prepared the tea?”
“Yes, anything that enters Her Highness’s mouth is checked by the palace staff,” Gu Huairou frowned, glancing at the inner chamber and whispering, “The palace staff is fine, so why is she affected?”
Fangrui, the head maid of Zhilan Palace, emerged from the inner chamber with a grim expression, staring at Taohua, “The teacup is missing, perhaps a palace maid accidentally cleared it away. We will investigate thoroughly. As for whether our Mistress’s condition is due to your tea, that’s easy to resolve. We’ll have everyone else’s tea and snacks tasted immediately. If there’s no problem, I’ll have to ask you to accompany me to the Clan Court.”
Taohua pressed her lips together, “I had no intention of harming Her Highness. If you wish to investigate, please do so thoroughly to prevent the real culprit from escaping.”
“I understand.” Fangrui nodded slightly and left with her staff.
Mei Zhaoxue and the others had just returned, bewildered by the commotion. “What happened?”
Maid Fangrui explained, “The Imperial Concubine has been poisoned. The Imperial Physician is treating her now. Please place all your tea and snacks on the table for the Zhilan Palace staff to taste before we draw any conclusions.”
“Poisoned?” The women gasped, covering their mouths. Qin Jieyu frowned and asked, “What did she eat before being poisoned? Shouldn’t we just investigate that?”
“Her Highness last drank Madam Jiang’s tea,” Fangrui said, lowering her eyes. “Coincidentally, the teacup disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving nothing to examine. We can only test the other ladies’ tea and snacks to deduce if there was any issue with the missing cup.”
Mei Zhaoxue turned pale and hurried into the main hall, kneeling in the outer chamber, “I failed in my duty to supervise. I only pray for Her Highness’s swift recovery, or I’ll deserve a thousand deaths!”
Imperial Concubine Lan lay weak, too exhausted to respond. Taohua, watching from outside, said softly, “I am still part of the Chancellor’s household. When I’m wrongly accused, Madam’s first reaction isn’t to defend me, but to admit guilt on my behalf, regardless of how this might implicate the Chancellor’s manor?”
“Silence!” Mei Zhaoxue’s eyes were full of concern and anger. “There have never been issues at previous tea tastings. This year, all the trouble stems from you. Had I known, I wouldn’t have brought you, sparing us these misfortunes.”
“If I dared to poison the Imperial Concubine, you wouldn’t be kneeling here speaking so freely,” Taohua said, looking at her intently. “I’ve done nothing, yet misfortune befalls me. This isn’t my fault. We should question those lurking in the shadows, harboring such vicious intent against me.”
As Mei Zhaoxue was about to rebuke her, the Grand Commandant’s wife laughed coldly, “You dare bring your harem squabbles before the Imperial Concubine, even causing Her Highness harm. If this reaches the Emperor’s ears, you’ll have no chance to argue who’s right or wrong. You’ll all be punished together.”
Mei Zhaoxue stiffened, remaining silent. Behind her, Qin Jieyu glared at Taohua, gritting her teeth, “Whoever caused this trouble should bear it alone. How dare you implicate others and still act defiant? I wonder what kind of upbringing you had.”
“I was taught not to harm others and to practice self-discipline,” Taohua narrowed her eyes. “Those who grow poisonous mushrooms in dark corners are likely the ones who weren’t raised properly.”
“You…”
The curtain to the inner chamber was lifted, interrupting their argument.
The Imperial Physician emerged, saying, “I’m uncertain what Her Highness consumed, but she has indeed been poisoned. I’ve prescribed an antidote. Her Highness will need to eat bland food for a few days. As for other matters, they’re beyond my purview. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Farewell, Doctor,” Maid Fangrui saw him out. After his departure, the palace staff had finished tasting all the tea and snacks. None showed symptoms similar to the Imperial Concubine’s poisoning.
Taohua clenched her hands, kneeling beside Mei Zhaoxue. Seeing Maid Fangrui’s gloomy expression, she couldn’t help but say, “There couldn’t have been any issue with my tea. Doesn’t Zhilan Palace have dedicated staff to check everything?”
“That, I don’t know,” Fangrui replied coldly. “If someone deliberately meant harm, even inspections might not guarantee safety.”
Taohua frowned, wondering if her sense of crisis had dulled recently, allowing her to be framed without noticing. Even now, she couldn’t pinpoint where the problem lay.
She hadn’t poisoned anyone, yet the Imperial Concubine was poisoned. Was there some hidden trick, or… was the Imperial Concubine deliberately giving her a hard time?
“Come,” Fangrui ordered, “Escort Madam Jiang to the Clan Court, and send someone to inform the Emperor and the Chancellor.”
“Yes.”
Unfamiliar with palace procedures, Taohua couldn’t think of a way to extricate herself. She could only hope for Shen Zaiye’s help.
However, she wasn’t clear about the relationship between Shen Zaiye and Imperial Concubine Lan. Would the viper save her this time? Or would he add insult to injury by scolding her again?
In the Imperial Study.
The Emperor and Shen Zaiye were at a crucial point in their chess game when a palace servant brought news from Zhilan Palace.
“What?” The Emperor frowned, rising immediately. “How was she poisoned?”
The servant glanced at Shen Zaiye and recounted the events. Shen Zaiye pressed his lips together and asked, “Has it been confirmed that Jiang Shi is responsible?”
“Well… though there’s no concrete evidence, Maid Fangrui had others taste everything else, and there were no issues.”
The Emperor’s expression darkened as he headed towards Zhilan Palace with Shen Zaiye, saying, “I trust you, Chancellor, but your household is too chaotic with too many women. If someone truly harmed Lan’er, don’t blame me for being merciless.”
Shen Zaiye smiled and nodded, “If someone was truly so audacious, Your Majesty need not act. I wouldn’t let them off either.”
“Oh?” The Emperor glanced at him. “Wasn’t it said that you dote greatly on that Jiang Shi? You’d be willing to give her up?”
“In my heart, women are mere playthings,” Shen Zaiye said. “When all is well, I can dote on them as I please, but if they cause trouble, I won’t be lenient. There’s no question of being willing or unwilling. Whoever commits the crime bears the consequences.”
The Emperor pressed his lips together, giving him a deep look. “Chancellor truly lives up to being a pillar of our Great Wei.”
Shen Zaiye nodded, following him into Zhilan Palace.
Everyone had dispersed, with only the Chancellor’s household members still kneeling outside. Shen Zaiye scanned the area; Jiang Taohua was no longer there, likely taken to the Clan Court.
“My beloved,” the Emperor entered the inner chamber, supporting Imperial Concubine Lan against his shoulder, frowning as he asked, “How are you?”
Imperial Concubine Lan smiled weakly, “It’s not too serious, just uncomfortable. My life isn’t in danger.”
“If your life were threatened, that would be unacceptable!” The Emperor said angrily, turning to Fangrui, “Where’s the offender?”
“She’s been taken to the Clan Court,” Fangrui glanced at the Chancellor and continued, “I’ve already investigated. In Zhilan Palace, the other…”
“Have you questioned the staff responsible for checking the food?” Shen Zaiye asked sternly. “They must prevent such incidents for Her Highness, yet they failed today. Shouldn’t you interrogate them, Maid Fangrui?”
Fangrui was taken aback, pressing her lips together, “I was negligent. I’ll question them now.”
Shen Zaiye nodded, but Imperial Concubine Lan on the bed glanced at him, chuckling softly, “The Chancellor is still protecting Jiang Shi, I see.”
“Your Highness, please understand,” Shen Zaiye bowed, “I’m not protecting Jiang Shi. I simply believe she isn’t foolish enough to poison Your Highness openly. If someone is scheming behind the scenes, attempting to gain favor by harming Your Highness, I cannot condone that either.”
The Emperor nodded, “The Chancellor makes a valid point. A thorough investigation is necessary.”
“Maid Fangrui, please also bring the list of everyone’s tea and snacks for us to review,” Shen Zaiye added.
Fangrui hesitated, glancing at Imperial Concubine Lan, who closed her eyes and nodded before she went to fetch the list.
Meanwhile, the palace staff responsible for checking food and tea were brought to kneel outside, crying out loudly, “We checked everything carefully! We only presented items to Her Highness after ensuring there were no problems! We’ve been wronged!”
The Emperor frowned at the noise. Imperial Concubine Lan said weakly, “This is bizarre. If everything was fine, how did I end up poisoned? Am I to blame my misfortune?”
“Don’t worry,” he soothed her gently, then looked up at Shen Zaiye. “The Chancellor is so clever, surely he can discern something from this.”
(End of Chapter)