The Empress Dowager's heart skipped a beat. She knew only too well how precious that golden pill was. But if she showed reluctance to take it out at this moment, wouldn't it make her, the Empress Dowager of a great nation, seem overly stingy, unwilling to save her own granddaughter?
How could she claim to care about the world then?
The Empress Dowager waved her hand repeatedly, instructing her personal maid to go back and fetch the pill. At the same time, she complained, "Saving my granddaughter is of utmost importance! You should have informed me earlier!"
Concubine Rong murmured, "That pill is a token of the Emperor's filial piety to Your Majesty. It cost a great deal of rare treasures to concoct this single pill for Your Majesty. The Emperor hoped that Your Majesty would take it to live a long and healthy life..." Her words were, of course, on behalf of the Emperor.
The reason Concubine Rong had reached her current position was that she was smart enough to anticipate the Emperor's concerns and desires. Naturally, the Emperor would remember her kindness. Once Empress Zhao was deposed, the position of the Empress would surely fall to her, Concubine Rong.
The Empress Dowager quickly waved her hand and said, "I am fully aware of the Emperor's filial piety. But no matter how precious this pill is, if it can save my granddaughter's life, it's worth it!"
Wei Dongling thought to herself: A showdown of acting skills between the two-time champions of the harem power struggle! What a display of affection between the kind mother - in - law and the filial daughter - in - law! They're all such schemers!
The head of the Imperial Medical Bureau kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty's love for her descendants is truly a blessing for all the people in the world!"
Wei Dongling thought: You're laying it on too thick! You're almost reaching the horse's hooves!
The Emperor immediately declared, "I will search for another pill for Your Majesty."
The other pill would surely not be as precious as this one, but there was no other way. The Empress Dowager nodded and smiled, "The Emperor's filial piety warms my heart." She had no other choice but to be happy, didn't she?
The Empress Dowager's pill was soon brought over. Concubine Shu carefully took out the pill in front of everyone, crushed it, and brought it to Wei Dongling's lips, feeding it to her with warm water.
Wei Dongling felt a bit resistant. Who knew what the effects of this medicine were? What if it conflicted with the pill she had taken before! What if the two medicines couldn't be taken together and she died?
She couldn't die! She hadn't even consummated her marriage with her husband yet!
Concubine Shu ignored Wei Dongling's flailing and twitching. She pinched her chin and stuffed the medicine in. Her actions seemed gentle but were actually quite forceful. For a moment, Wei Dongling even thought that Concubine Shu was trying to harm her!
Soon, a burning sensation filled her abdomen, and Wei Dongling began to twitch uncontrollably. This time, it was real twitching, not an act. Her whole body trembled, and even her teeth chattered painfully.
Wei Dongling regretted it so much that she could have bitten her own tongue. Her head tilted, and she fainted completely.
The Empress Dowager glanced at Wei Dongling on the bed. Her heart skipped a beat, and her face turned deathly pale. She called out anxiously, "What's wrong with my granddaughter? Doctors! Come and check on her quickly!"
The head of the Imperial Medical Bureau rushed forward to feel her pulse. After a while, he reported, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, Princess Five is suffering from a condition of being unable to tolerate the tonic. I believe there is no serious problem. She should recover after a while."
Everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Not long after, the eunuch in charge of the Inner Court Service came back with a report. During the search, the maid Qiaoyue had looked flustered. Fine powder was collected from under her fingernails, and after comparison, it was confirmed that she had touched arsenic!
The conclusive evidence shocked everyone.
A maid in Yaoguang Pavilion had attempted to kill her master?
The Emperor asked with a dark face, "Which palace did she serve in before? Who was she instructed by?"
The eunuch in charge of the Directorate of Ceremonies wiped his sweat nervously and replied, "Before, she... she served in the Cining Palace."
The Empress Dowager's face instantly darkened. She glanced at the maid beside her and asked, "She came from my palace?"
The maid who served the Empress Dowager replied, "Your Majesty, Qiaoyue did serve in the Cining Palace before." That maid had always been sweeping the courtyard and had never served the Empress Dowager up close. There were so many maids serving the Empress Dowager that Her Majesty naturally hadn't paid attention to such a person. The maid quickly called out, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, some time ago, you told the chief maid Minfang to choose two quick - witted maids to serve Princess Five in Yaoguang Pavilion. This maid Qiaoyue was one of the maids chosen by Minfang."
The Emperor's face was as black as charcoal. Concubine Rong quickly called in Maid Minfang to give an account.
Minfang knelt in front of the Empress Dowager. Her eyes were slightly red, and her whole body trembled as she said, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager! It has nothing to do with this slave! I really had no idea that Qiaoyue would do such a thing! Please clear my name!"
The Empress Dowager's face darkened. Who could order a maid who had come from her palace? After a moment of silence, she said, "Minfang, you have been loyal to me for so many years without a single hint of disloyalty. I naturally trust you. But the person who dared to harm my granddaughter was chosen by you personally! What do you have to say?"
Minfang sobbed and cried, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, this slave's loyalty to you is known to heaven and earth! I thought Qiaoyue was a hard - working girl, so I brought her here to serve Princess Five! I really don't know anything!"
The Empress Dowager glanced at Minfang kneeling on the ground and asked the eunuch from the Inner Court Service, "Go and investigate! When did Qiaoyue enter the palace, and when did she start serving in the Cining Palace?"
"Yes!"
Soon, the Inner Court Service presented the records. Maid Qiaoyue had entered the Cining Palace to serve six months ago through the connections in the Imperial Household Department. Before that, she had served in Princess Seven, Murong Yunxi's, Mengzhu Hall.
When Concubine Rong heard that the maid came from her daughter's Mengzhu Hall, her face also darkened instantly.
The Emperor said to the Inner Court Service with a black face, "Make her confess the truth! Don't wrong her former master."
"Yes!"
Wei Dongling felt alternately hot and cold and had a low - grade fever. This state lasted for most of the night. It wasn't until she woke up in the middle of the night, thirsty for water, that she alerted Maid Minfang, who had been waiting by her side. Minfang quickly helped her up and fed her water.
The doctor waiting outside heard that the princess had woken up and came in to feel her pulse. Seeing that Princess Five's pulse had stabilized, he heaved a sigh of relief and quickly reported to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.
Wei Dongling glanced at Maid Minfang, whose eyes were bloodshot, and asked, "What's wrong with you? You look so ugly crying?"
Minfang told her what had happened after she fainted.
Wei Dongling asked in astonishment, "Qiaoyue confessed that she was instructed by Princess Seven?"
Minfang nodded.
Wei Dongling raised her eyebrows and asked, "Has Princess Seven admitted her guilt?"
Minfang shook her head and said, "Princess Seven cried until her voice was hoarse. She claimed that she had never instructed Qiaoyue and that she was being wrongly accused."
Wei Dongling felt surprised. To be honest, the friction between her and Murong Yunxi wasn't that serious. Earlier, Princess Seven had just misunderstood that there was something between her and Shangguan Yun, which was why she had stopped the Young Master Yun from taking her out of the palace.
Alas! Young Master Yun was really a troublemaker for women!