The Empress maintained her composure and said, “Sister, there’s no need to speak that way. Young Lady Zhuang is probably just startled due to her young age.” She had grown fond of Han Yan, especially after the young girl had previously amused her so well. Today, she had noticed the Empress Dowager and Imperial Consort Chen targeting Han Yan from the start. Though there were already enough troubles in the imperial harem and she was reluctant to wade into these murky waters, their actions were now too blatant.
The Emperor most doted on his brother Fu Yun Xi, and Fu Yun Xi had declared his intention to marry Han Yan before the entire court, showing his attachment to the girl. If anything were to happen to this young lady in the palace, as the leader of the imperial harem, she would inevitably be implicated. So she spoke to ease the tension: “Young Lady Zhuang, are you frightened? Quickly drink this wine, don’t waste the Empress Dowager’s kind intentions.”
Han Yan knew she absolutely couldn’t accept this wine. The moment she saw it, she instinctively recalled the tragic end of her previous life. Fighting back her panic about the wine, her gaze swept across everyone in the hall, only to realize sadly that there wasn’t a single person here who could save her!
Ji Lan and Shu Hong bit their lips tightly. As Han Yan’s maids, they naturally understood that this wine couldn’t be drunk, but they couldn’t act rashly, or the Empress Dowager and Imperial Consort Chen would use their transgression to bring disaster upon Han Yan.
Han Yan reached out and took the cup of wine. She didn’t rush to drink it, instead looking at the clear liquid as her mind gradually settled.
The Empress Dowager and Imperial Consort Chen must have some scheme, but they wouldn’t dare to be so bold as to kill her in front of all these noble ladies and the Empress – with so many witnesses if word got out, it would surely become a major scandal. But what exactly had they added to this wine?
She looked down at it, wondering what extra ingredient it contained.
Though they couldn’t kill her here, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t in the future. Whatever was in this wine might not take effect now, but if it acted later, the Empress Dowager couldn’t be blamed. After all, the Empress Dowager had no grudge against her – who would believe it? The extra ingredient in this cup was something that would lead to her death later.
She couldn’t refuse to drink it, as that would be defying an imperial order. If she drank it, perhaps she could still find a way to survive.
In truth, there was no choice, was there?
Very well then. After all, in this life she was reborn, not living for herself but to make those people pay blood for blood. If she died… if she died… She raised her head and gave the Empress Dowager and Imperial Consort Chen a radiant smile: “I beg the Empress Dowager’s forgiveness. Han Yan was just thinking that since the Empress Dowager shows such care for Han Yan, I must certainly return a grand gift in the future.” She spoke with utmost sincerity, though her gaze was like an icy spring, chilling to the bone: “When that time comes, I hope the Empress Dowager won’t find it beneath her.”
The implicit threat and hint in her words were disturbing. The Empress Dowager smiled benevolently: “Your thoughtfulness pleases me.” She then gestured to Han Yan to quickly drink the wine.
Han Yan finally lowered her head and brought the cup to her lips. The cold wine entered her mouth with a burning sensation down her throat. Han Yan felt bitter inside – in life, one’s fate is not one’s own. The most painful thing was having to smile and drink what you knew was malicious poison as if it were an honored reward.
After drinking, the bitter taste of wine still lingering on her tongue, Han Yan smiled brightly as she placed the cup back on the saucer and wiped her mouth with the soft cloth before returning to her seat. The Empress Dowager, seeing her actions, nodded with satisfaction and shared a smile with Imperial Consort Chen. The Empress vaguely felt something was amiss but couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong, so she dismissed it as overthinking.
As soon as Han Yan sat down, Deng Chan immediately said, “You scared me just now! The way you acted, I thought you weren’t going to drink the Empress Dowager’s bestowed wine.”
Han Yan smiled bitterly. She hadn’t wanted to drink the Empress Dowager’s wine, but how could she not drink it with everyone watching? She could hardly tell everyone she suspected the Empress Dowager of poisoning her – she would immediately be executed for slandering the royal family. This was a matter of violating imperial dignity; one could lose their head in an instant. Han Yan didn’t want to lose her head, so drinking the wine was truly unavoidable.
Watching Han Yan, Zhuang Yu Shan covered her mouth and giggled: “Fourth Sister is so fortunate to receive such special attention from the Empress Dowager. You scared your elder sister just now – I thought Fourth Sister was going to defy the imperial order. Hehe.” She looked at Han Yan meaningfully: “I wonder how the Empress Dowager’s bestowed wine tastes?”
Han Yan smiled: “Elder Sister Yu Shan wants to know the taste of the Empress Dowager’s wine?” Without waiting for Zhuang Yu Shan’s response, she continued: “Don’t worry, Elder Sister Yu Shan will surely have plenty of chances to taste it in the future.”
Hearing this, Zhuang Yu Shan’s expression changed several times, and she shot Han Yan a hateful glance, whispering: “Don’t be so smug. You’ll have plenty to cry about later!”
Han Yan remained noncommittal. Ji Lan and Shu Hong stood behind her, not daring to miss any sign of discomfort from her. Though they had watched helplessly as she drank the wine, knowing it wasn’t right but powerless to stop it, now they could only take things one step at a time. If anything happened to Han Yan, they too would lose their will to live.
Deng Chan, unaware of these undercurrents, treated it as a minor incident and continued chatting and laughing with her. As the banquet drew to a close, fireworks were to be set off to add to the festivities. The ladies began leaving Colorful Phoenix Hall, following palace maids to the Imperial Garden to watch the colorful display.
Han Yan had no mood to watch fireworks. As the banquet neared its end, she noticed changes in her body. The changes were extremely subtle, barely noticeable at first, but as time went on, she felt increasingly hot, with a strange fire inside that couldn’t be suppressed, followed by an unprecedented feeling of emptiness.
She didn’t know what this was, but as she grew hotter, her head began to feel fuzzy. This wasn’t a good sign. In her dazed state, she alternated between clarity and confusion, clearly sensing something was wrong. Deng Chan, who was about to go watch the fireworks with her, noticed Han Yan’s flushed cheeks and asked curiously: “Why is your face so red?”
Han Yan shook her head, suppressing the strange palpitations in her heart, and smiled: “Perhaps it’s just a bit too hot.”
Deng Chan didn’t suspect anything further and just smiled: “Let’s hurry to see the fireworks.” She took Han Yan’s hand and stepped out of the hall.
As soon as they left the hall, Han Yan felt the cold wind on her face, which somewhat suppressed that inexplicable restlessness and her mind cleared slightly. Only then did she seem to realize where she was. Connecting her various strange symptoms, Han Yan suddenly understood – it wasn’t that she was too hot, she had been poisoned with spring poison!
Han Yan’s mind exploded. In this life, she had never imagined she would be poisoned with such a thing. Who would use such a vicious method on an unmarried young lady? Even someone with the most vicious heart would have their lifespan shortened for doing something so against human morality.