The desperate and furious voice fell into the Queen's ears, sounding as pleasant as celestial music.
Nalan Qingshu, today you're finally going to die!
Don't blame this palace for not being able to tolerate you. It's your own fault for standing in this palace's way.
Inside the main hall, Di Yunjian slumped on his seat. His eyes were fixed intently on the slender and frail figure on the inner chamber's couch. Panic, helplessness, and heart - wrenching pain spread ceaselessly through every part of his body.
The clothes had been changed, and he had even had the antidote pill mixed into her breakfast today. How could this still happen?
Di Yunjian covered his face in pain, and tears seeped through his fingers.
"Your Majesty... What's wrong with Concubine Shu?"
A worried voice came from outside the door. Di Yunjian looked up, his eyes blood - red. The coldness and anger in his eyes, like a bottomless abyss, sent shivers down one's spine.
His emotions were like an invisible storm, spreading wantonly within the main hall until the shadow of fear crept up the backs of the other concubines and the Queen.
The Queen took a deep breath and stepped forward, feigning concern. "Your Majesty, this concubine just heard about this as soon as she arrived at the Fengyi Palace. Has Concubine Shu's cold worsened?"
Di Yunjian let out a cold laugh and turned his head to look intently at the inner chamber.
The Queen followed his gaze. Inside the bedroom, Zhu Yao and Shihua were bustling around the couch. From time to time, heart - rending sobs could be heard.
So she's really going to die...
"Replying to Your Majesty and the Queen, Consort Chen Shu has been poisoned, but we don't know what kind of poison it is yet... The imperial physician has already administered acupuncture. We don't know if Consort Shu will..." Li Dahai, who was standing beside Di Yunjian, stepped forward and said.
"Poisoned?!" The Queen feigned surprise. "How could she suddenly be poisoned?"
"Your Majesty must conduct a thorough investigation! Concubine Shu is the one Your Majesty holds dearest. This person is simply too audacious!"
There was no trace of warmth in Di Yunjian's eyes. His tone was cold. "Li Dahai, seal off the Guanghan Palace. No one is allowed to leave. Search the Guanghan Palace thoroughly for me!"
The Queen sat down beside Di Yunjian with a faint smile, her eyes flickering. "Your Majesty, what did Concubine Shu come into contact with before? How did she suddenly get poisoned?"
Li Dahai replied, "Your Majesty, Consort Shu just touched the clothes sent by Lady Tang, and then this happened!"
"Go and investigate." Di Yunjian stroked his ring. "I want every detail. Investigate for me!"
Li Dahai had someone take the clothes away for inspection.
The hall fell into an eerie silence. All the concubines in the hall were eagerly awaiting the death of the woman on the couch, who was on the verge of death.
After a while, the imperial physician entered the hall with the clothes. "Your Majesty, these clothes are poisoned. However, this kind of poison is rather rare and has never been seen in the Dashun Dynasty."
Di Yunjian's tone was cold. "Who all touched these clothes?!"
"Replying to Your Majesty, Lady Tang supervised the Shangyi Bureau throughout the making of these clothes. It was also Lady Tang who proposed to make clothes for the two young masters." Zhu Yao walked out of the inner chamber, lifted her skirt, and knelt on the ground.
"Your Majesty! This servant doesn't know where Her Ladyship has offended someone. Please seek justice for Her Ladyship!"
Zhu Yao clasped her hands and bowed deeply. A glint of light flashed in her eyes.
"Nonsense!" Xilan's voice rang out. She walked into the hall and knelt down with a thud. "Your Majesty, please make a clear judgment! Our young mistress did propose to make clothes for the two young masters, and she did supervise the people from the Shangyi Bureau. But if the clothes were poisoned and the poison was so strong, why would our young mistress touch them?!"
"The poison was so strong that both Consort Shu and our young mistress are on the verge of death. What reason would our young mistress have to do such a thing?!"
"Please, Your Majesty, make a clear judgment and clear our young mistress of all charges!"
The Queen also nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty. If this was done by Lady Tang, it doesn't make sense..."
"Moreover, during the days when Your Majesty was away, it was always Lady Tang who accompanied Consort Shu. How could she possibly poison Consort Shu?"
Di Yunjian said, "Bring the maids from the Shangyi Bureau who were in charge of these two pieces of clothing to the Guanghan Palace."
"Yes," Li Dahai responded and personally led people to the Shangyi Bureau.
After a while, he returned with several maids from the Shangyi Bureau.
"G... Greetings to Your Majesty. May Your Majesty be in good health!" The maids knelt down tremblingly to pay their respects.
Fine beads of cold sweat had broken out on their foreheads. On the way, they heard that the clothes they made had put Consort Shu's life in danger, and their legs had turned as soft as mud.
"These two pieces of clothing were all under your charge?"
"Yes... They were all under our charge." A maid knelt forward a few steps, her head never lifting.
"Who all touched these clothes?"
Di Yunjian lowered his eyes. An Wu had already changed the clothes, but Shu'er was still poisoned. Could it be that someone had replaced the clothes again?
But... who in the entire palace could know the whereabouts of his An Wu?
Thinking of this, Di Yunjian raised his eyebrows and looked at the figure lying in the inner chamber. His eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes were filled with heartache.
Shu'er... You're really taking too big a risk...
"Replying to Your Majesty... Only we maids touched these clothes, but we really didn't do anything to them! Please, Your Majesty, make a clear judgment!" The maids trembled with fear and kept kowtowing.
"Think carefully. Is there really no one else who touched these clothes?!" The Queen asked in a deep voice.
The maids exchanged glances. The maid who had been leading them suddenly brightened up, as if she had grabbed a lifesaver. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! There was a maid! A maid came to watch us embroider the patterns, and she came many times!"
Li Dahai said in a deep voice, "Who is it!"
"This servant remembers her name... Her name is Chun Guo! She came many times and said she wanted to show Lady Zhu the summer clothes..." The maid replied with trembling lips.
"Your Majesty, Chun Guo is Lady Zhu's maid. This concubine has seen her many times. She's an honest maid. Could there be a mistake?" The Queen fanned the flames at the right moment.
"Humph," Di Yunjian snorted. "Honest? I don't think so."
"Bring Chun Guo and Lady Zhu to the Guanghan Palace!" His low - pitched voice was filled with killing intent.
The concubines in the hall exchanged glances, and they all saw a hint of schadenfreude in each other's eyes.
It was really getting lively. If it was really Lady Zhu who did this, then Lady Zhu had really done a good deed.
"Let go of me! Let go of me! You lowly eunuchs! Let go of this palace!"
"How dare you touch this palace!"
Lady Zhu struggled desperately and cursed angrily.
Li Dahai pulled a long face and had someone drag Lady Zhu and Chun Guo into the inner chamber.
He kicked Lady Zhu hard in the back of her knee. Lady Zhu let out a pained cry and knelt on the ground.
"Our young mistress, get up quickly." Chun Guo stepped forward to help her up and then knelt down properly.
"Your Majesty... You're back. You're finally back! This concubine is innocent! This concubine didn't do it!" When Lady Zhu saw Di Yunjian, all her grievances turned into tears. She knelt forward despite the pain.
"Your Majesty, this concubine didn't push Consort Shu into the water!"
She was crying pitifully.
The Queen snorted and looked at Lady Zhu disdainfully. "Chun Guo, these maids from the Shangyi Bureau have accused you of tampering with the clothes for the Guanghan Palace in the Shangyi Bureau, which has put Consort Shu's life in danger. Did you do this?"
Chun Guo was greatly shocked, and her face instantly turned pale. "No no no, this servant didn't! This servant didn't! This servant is innocent! This servant is wrongly accused!"
"This servant wouldn't dare! This servant wouldn't dare!"
"You... You... It was clearly you!" The maid from the Shangyi Bureau pointed at her.
"Your Majesty! Your Ladyship! This servant saw clearly at that time. This maid picked up the fabric of the clothes and looked at it for a long time. She came many times. This servant also checked if there were any needles in the fabric."
"Your Majesty, please make a clear judgment!"
"Someone, take Chun Guo away and torture her severely!" Di Yunjian's eyes were deep, and his voice had no trace of warmth.
Several eunuchs stepped forward to grab Chun Guo and were about to take her away. Chun Guo struggled desperately.
"Our young mistress! Our young mistress, save this servant! This servant doesn't want to die! This servant doesn't want to die!"
Lady Zhu looked at her coldly. "You lowly thing. How dare you do such a thing? It's already a mercy to take your life!"
She had told her to deal with Lady Tang, but she had failed. A useless person didn't deserve to live.
Seeing her cold - heartedness, Chun Guo struggled free from the eunuchs and threw herself on the ground.
Chun Guo clasped her hands and kowtowed. Every word she said was firm and powerful.
"Our young mistress, since you're so cold - hearted, this servant can no longer cover for you!"