"This humble official can only do his best to try!" Ying Yue was so scared that she squatted on the ground, her face pale. If...if Noble Concubine Shih indeed died of poison, none of them would survive! Judge Zhang heard the news and hurried over. He was accompanied by several other senior Old Imperial Doctors! The Imperial Physicians whispered among themselves for a long time before finally reaching a consensus. Then, they applied acupuncture where needed and prescribed the necessary formulas. The tips of her fingers, toes, nose, and earlobes were all pricked to let out the black blood. Noble Concubine Shih’s life was only narrowly saved. Daylight was gradually breaking. Upon hearing the news, the Empress was deeply frightened and immediately hurried over from Jiaofang Hall. By the time for the morning greetings, the entire Harem knew about it. "What exactly is going on? How could she be poisoned all of a sudden!" She had no children; who would harm her? Who could possibly harbor such a deep hatred against her! Ying Yue was terribly scared. Under the Empress’s pressing questions, she couldn’t help but recall the events of last night. "Last night, I served the Noble Consort her dinner!" "Right after that, the bathing and washing up, the Noble Consort was perfectly fine!" "I only returned to the Servants’ quarters after the bed curtains were drawn and the Noble Consort had gone to sleep!" The Empress looked at the still-busy Imperial Physicians and asked, "Apart from this, are you sure nothing else occurred?" "Were the Noble Consort’s meals and usual items the same as always?" Ying Yue thought for a moment and then nodded. "Everything was the same!" If there was anything different to note, it would be that Ruirui from Consort Yun’s entourage had delivered some spices. But those spices... Her Highness didn’t use them at all! That’s why Ying Yue had ruled her out! Seeing she couldn’t get anything more, the Empress coldly ordered the Imperial Physicians, "Check around for anything amiss!" "Such a scandalous affair occurring within the Harem! How could I, the Empress, ignore it!" With that, she found a place to sit and waited for the Emperor to arrive and handle the situation together. One of the Imperial Physicians, diligently following the Empress’s order, began a careful inspection within the palace. Unfortunately, by the time the Emperor arrived, they had not uncovered anything. When Zhao Junyao arrived, Noble Concubine Shih had already been saved, but she was still unconscious. "Zhang Baiji, what poison has the Noble Consort taken?" Judge Zhang stepped forward slowly. "Your Majesty, it is a potent poison! And it’s slow-acting! Moreover, this substance does not seem to originate from our Great Chu; it appears to have come from... abroad!" Judge Zhang was learned in ancient and modern knowledge, familiar with both domestic and foreign matters. But one person’s capabilities are ultimately limited; it was impossible to recognize all poisons. Therefore, he could only make a judgment based on the symptoms. Zhao Junyao looked at the Noble Consort lying on the bed, her lips blackened and her complexion purple, and asked with a frown, "How is the Noble Consort now?" "Replying to Your Majesty, she is temporarily stable. Although the poison is severe, the dose was small, which is why it was not lethal!" "Had it been slightly more, I fear..." He feared that what lay before him would be a corpse! Hearing this, Zhao Junyao’s gaze suddenly shifted to the Empress. "Regarding this matter, what are your thoughts, Empress?!" The Empress’s heart jolted, and she quickly knelt. "Your Majesty, it is this concubine’s failure in managing the Harem. Please, Your Majesty, bestow punishment!" "Is it merely a failure in managing the Harem?" Get full chapters from 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹·𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒·𝗇𝗲𝘁 "The Noble Consort owes you nothing. Why do you repeatedly try to doom her to a point of no return?!" Even if the Noble Consort was arrogant and domineering, Zhao Junyao had never thought of letting her die! Furthermore, he detested anyone playing tricks right under his nose, let alone harming someone—harming them to death! The Empress wore an expression of utter disbelief. Zhao Junyao raised his hand to stop her. "Regarding this matter, it is best the Empress does not intervene. I have my own arrangements!" After speaking, Zhao Junyao instructed Zhang Baiji further, "The medical records of Noble Concubine Shih are entrusted to you. You must ensure her life is saved!" Having said that, Zhao Junyao strode away. The Empress slumped to the ground, her face a mask of confusion, her entire world collapsing around her. Lost and disoriented, the Empress stared out the window and wept all morning. Sister Ji was extremely anxious. "Empress, the Emperor has always been perceptive; he knows what he is doing!" "Eunuch Li has always been efficient. With just a little investigation, it will be clear that this wasn’t our doing!" "Every injustice has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor. Whoever it is, they will surely be found!" The Empress wiped her tears. "I felt something was amiss from the start! The Noble Consort has been encountering mishaps repeatedly! Yet we have done nothing!" "There’s a hidden hand behind all this, seizing every opportunity, pushing me into the abyss time and again!" Thinking this, the Empress slammed her hand on the table in anger. "Such audacity, to dare scheme against me, the Empress!" "Your Highness, it is indeed time to investigate!" The Empress narrowed her eyes. "We’ll start the investigation right here in our palace! If there’s any disloyal wretch eating our food while secretly helping outsiders, I’ll ensure she dies without a burial place!" Sister Ji responded and withdrew. Li Shengan was indeed efficient. He quickly found out that on that night, it was Ruirui, Consort Yun’s Second Class palace maid, who had gone to Xifu Palace to deliver some spices. Consort Yun expressed great surprise at this. "I never instructed her to deliver any spices!" This palace maid is suspicious! By the time everyone realized this, Ruirui had suddenly hanged herself in her own room. Li Shengan personally led the investigation, searching high and low. Nothing was found on her person or in her room! Then, it must be Consort Yun. Although Eunuch Li was hesitant, he had to follow the regulations and take Consort Yun to the Punishment Department. She wasn’t interrogated but was locked up first. She and Cai Die were confined in separate cells. Consort Yun cried and proclaimed her innocence all the way. "Eunuch Li, I am truly innocent! How could I possibly harm the Noble Consort!" Eunuch Li also felt quite helpless. "Consort Yun, this old servant also has no choice; the evidence is irrefutable!" Consort Yun was so incensed she burst into loud wails. "Who is it? Who is trying to harm me, the Consort?" Eunuch Li shook his head and chuckled inwardly. "All these people, when they feign innocence, they all seem quite convincing!" "This morning, the Empress put on a similar act!" "But tell me, who would believe it?" "The grudges and feuds of the Harem—who can’t see through them?!" "If they had known this day would come, why did they act as they did in the past?" "Fighting and scheming, in the end, it’s not guaranteed they can truly climb higher!" "Thinking this, Li Shengan suddenly felt that Xia Jieyu was the clever one." "She lives a life of simplicity and contentment, eating and drinking well, and conducting herself modestly; this, in turn, has earned the Emperor’s fondness!" "Heh! It can’t be helped!" "Oh, Heaven, your insight is truly clear as day!" Almost within a single day, the Noble Consort was poisoned, the Empress was placed under house arrest, and Consort Yun was imprisoned. Anyone even slightly connected to this matter did not fare well. For a time, panic swept through the palace! No one dared to venture out. Two days later would be the Laba Festival. With such an incident occurring in the palace, it was rather desolate and quiet. Everyone was left to their own devices. If they wanted any particular porridge, they could inform the Imperial Kitchen and receive it! As for anything else, no one had the heart for it. On the day of the Laba Festival, Xia Ruqing leisurely sipped a bowl of Eight-Treasure Porridge, remarking thoughtfully, "The swift and dramatic changes within this palace are truly fascinating!"