Suddenly, Ji Junye felt a sticky sensation on his hand. Then, a sweet and strange fragrance wafted over. His eyes darkened sharply, and he flung her away with a forceful flick of his hand.
"What did you put on me?"
Concubine Xiao was thrown over three meters away and fell onto the cold floor of the palace hall. Like someone who had survived a disaster, she laughed and cried, gasping for fresh air.
She knew that as long as the Xiao family still existed, His Majesty wouldn't and didn't dare to kill her.
The fact that she had made him lose his composure precisely indicated that her plan had succeeded. And now, her other plan was about to succeed too.
Ji Junye inexplicably felt a rush of blood to his head. His eyes were extremely sharp. "You're courting death!"
How dare she drug him with such a thing!
Ji Junye looked around and suddenly spotted a copper basin. He quickly walked over to wash his hands. Who knew what that filthy stuff was made of?!
Several imperial guards standing nearby were also affected. Their eyes gradually became glazed. Ji Junye's face grew increasingly grim.
The efficacy of this medicine was surprisingly strong!
Concubine Xiao became even more complacent. So what if she had fallen out of favor? As long as she got through this night, she would be invincible!
She slowly stood up and walked towards Ji Junye, looking at him with infatuated eyes.
"Your Majesty, I truly love you..."
"I saw Your Majesty once when I was a young girl in my boudoir. Since then, I've been infatuated with you. Your Majesty, do you know that my father originally intended to support the King of Jin? It was I who persuaded my father, and that's why the Xiao family switched to supporting Your Majesty."
"My heart has always been with Your Majesty. Why can't Your Majesty see that?"
It didn't really matter whether he could see it or not. After tonight, he would be hers.
If she couldn't have his heart, then she would have his body. Power and status would all be hers!
Concubine Xiao approached Ji Junye, breathing sweetly. Her eyes were as alluring as a seductive fairy. She reached out her hand to pull him into the inner chamber.
But before she could touch him, she was flung away by a powerful force.
Ji Junye's eyes were clear. There was not the slightest sign that he had been drugged.
Concubine Xiao was stunned and almost let out a scream in shock. "How could this be?"
Even those imperial guards who had just smelled a bit of the fragrance had been affected. She had directly smeared the drug on his hand!
Ji Junye sneered. "Didn't anyone tell you before you drugged me that such despicable things are useless against me?"
Concubine Xiao felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave. Her whole body went cold.
Ji Junye walked out of the door without mercy. He said to the several imperial guards who had already turned red in the face, "She's yours."
He had never been a kind - hearted person. He wouldn't show any mercy to Xiao Lanyin just because she was a woman. Fortunately, those drugs had no effect on him tonight. If he had really been affected, even cutting her into a thousand pieces wouldn't have been enough to vent his anger!
The palace door was closed, isolating the outside world and also isolating Xiao Lanyin's screams and despair inside.
After Ji Junye returned, he washed his hands eight times that night. He rubbed his skin raw before he could barely suppress the disgusting feeling.
This night was a sleepless one for many people.
The Guangping Marquis Mansion was also far from calm.
In the darkness, a figure sneaked out of the cold courtyard. She carefully followed the path to the corner of the wall beside the wood - shed. Her large black robe wrapped her whole body tightly.
After making sure there was no one around, she squatted down, pulled out a small brick, and placed the pre - prepared message under it.
Just as she was about to put the brick back in place, her wrist was suddenly grabbed. Before she could react, her arm was forcefully twisted behind her back, and she was pressed against the wall.
All she could think was that it was all over.
Shen Qing found out early the next morning. She really hadn't expected that someone would dare to take risks last night right after she had ordered a strict curfew during the day.
"Who is it?"
Zhuxing replied, "It's Concubine Zhang. The messages she was passing were all related to the young lady. I've already had her sent to the imperial prison."
Shen Qing smiled faintly. "If this continues, the imperial prison will probably be full before long."
Zhuxing scratched her head sheepishly. "I was just afraid that the people behind her had long hands. In our imperial guards' hands, we're sure she won't be able to play any tricks."
"You're right."
When it came to interrogation methods, nothing could compare to the imperial prison of the imperial guards.
But it was actually Concubine Zhang... This really surprised her.
It really was true that the dogs that bite don't bark. She seemed so inconspicuous, but in fact, she was the one who had been planted here.
It seemed that the King of Jin really wanted her life. Was it because she had injured him that night?
But the King of Jin had already been arrested. To whom was she passing the messages?
That afternoon, Shen Qing summoned everyone to the main hall. Then she had the blood - covered Concubine Zhang carried in.
The old lady roared angrily, "Shen Qing, what do you mean by summoning us all here to look at a dead person?!"
She was an elder after all. Instead of going to the Renshou Hall to pay respects to her, Shen Qing had summoned her to the main hall.
She had no manners at all!
The others weren't as bold as the old lady to confront Shen Qing. But when they saw the corpse, their faces turned pale. They covered their noses with handkerchiefs. They were dissatisfied in their hearts but didn't dare to show it.
Concubine Wei was a bit bolder. She took a look at the corpse. When she saw who it was, a shrill scream pierced the sky.
"Ah—"
"What are you screeching for?"
The old lady scolded. She might not be able to discipline Shen Qing, but could she not discipline a concubine?
Concubine Wei didn't care about the old lady anymore. She pointed at the corpse with a trembling finger. "Zhang... Zhang..."
The corpse on the stretcher was actually Concubine Zhang, who had been discussing the madam's preferences with her yesterday!
The others also looked over. After seeing that it was Concubine Zhang, they almost vomited.
Shen Qing lifted her eyelids and said slowly, "I said yesterday when I left that if anyone leaked information that shouldn't be leaked, don't blame me for being merciless. But someone actually took risks last night. So I had to summon everyone here again to talk about the new rules."
"Life in the mansion will go on as usual. But everyone who enters or leaves the mansion, and who they meet, must be recorded. You must get my permission before you can go out. I don't want what happened last night to happen a second time."
"Similarly, if any rumors spread outside, I will first investigate within the mansion."
The old lady slapped the table and stood up. "You're trying to imprison us? Which family has such rules?!"
Shen Qing retorted neither too softly nor too harshly, "Then, old lady, you'd better persuade your son to write a divorce letter quickly."
The old lady was so angry that she covered her chest.
Concubine Xing rolled her eyes and was the first to say, "Madam, don't worry. Our third branch has always been well - behaved. When I get back, I'll definitely discipline the servants well. If they dare to gossip, I'll be the first to cut out their tongues!"
Shen Qing curled her lips. "Third aunt is always sensible."
The old lady glared at Concubine Xing fiercely, but Concubine Xing pretended not to see it.
In the current situation, if she couldn't see who was in charge of the Marquis Mansion and still put on the airs of an elder, she would really die without knowing how.
"I heard that third uncle has done a lot of things for the people in the past few years in his post, although he hasn't achieved any great feats. He will probably return to the capital next year."
These words really hit Concubine Xing's heart. She was overjoyed. "I'll take your kind words, madam."