"Bold!"
The Queen Mother thundered, "You venomous woman! It wasn't enough for you to poison the Emperor and Concubine Shu. Now you even try to frame me. You're truly a wolf in sheep's clothing! Perhaps..."
Suspicion clouded the Queen Mother's face. "I suspect you're a spy from an enemy state. Guards, arrest this wretch at once!"
The aged Queen Mother's voice boomed like a bell. One could hardly tell that she had just recovered from a long - standing illness.
The palace servants, who had stopped for a moment, immediately rushed forward menacingly at her command, ready to make the arrest.
Ling Shan's pretty face darkened. Without hesitation, she kicked the nearest servant down the jade steps.
"Bold! I hold the Emperor's token. Who dares to move?"
Ling Shan held up a golden token. In an instant, everyone knelt on the ground.
The Queen Mother clearly hadn't expected that the token, which meant "seeing the token is like seeing the Emperor himself", would be in Ling Shan's hands!
That ungrateful wretch, Jun Wuyuan, had actually given such an important thing to this wretch, Ling Shan!
"Where are the Imperial Guards? By my order, surround the Lindede Hall. No suspicious person is allowed to approach. No one is allowed to move around randomly. Those who violate the order will be beheaded!"
"Xu, as long as I, the Queen Mother, am still alive, I won't allow you to take control of the harem! You've deceived the Emperor with your sweet words and poisoned others in secret!"
"Your Majesty," Ling Shan said as she ordered the Imperial Guards to fetch the imperial physicians quickly. Her eyes lost the usual gentleness and were replaced by a sharp look.
"It remains to be seen whether I'm the culprit. However, Your Majesty didn't hurry to summon the imperial physicians to treat the Emperor and Concubine Shu. Instead, you're eager to pin the blame on me. Those who don't know might think you're feeling guilty."
The Queen Mother had calmed down by now. Although her face looked ugly, her tone showed no sign of anger.
"Whether I'm feeling guilty or not will be clear once the imperial physicians arrive. You're highly suspected. As the Queen Mother and the Emperor's step - mother, I have every reason to suspect you!"
Thus, the two most noble women in the harem confronted each other head - on. The people kneeling in the hall exchanged a silent look.
"Your Majesty says I'm the most suspected. Do you have any evidence? You can't just make wild accusations."
"Yes, Your Majesty. Consort Zhao has always been favored by the Emperor. How could she poison the Emperor? There might be some misunderstanding. Please investigate carefully, Your Majesty."
Ling Shan never expected that the first one to speak up for her would be Lady Cui!
Even the Queen Mother was taken aback. Her cold eyes fell on Lady Cui, full of deep suspicion.
With Lady Cui standing up, Concubine Yu and other concubines also stood up and spoke in Ling Shan's defense.
The Queen Mother gritted her teeth. She was in a difficult situation for a moment and gave a slight signal.
Soon, the concubines who were on the Queen Mother's side began to argue back.
Amid this war of words, several imperial physicians were dragged into the hall by the Imperial Guards.
The argument paused for a moment. Everyone's eyes, whether sincerely or not, were filled with concern as they looked over.
Chang Wei, the imperial physician dedicated to the Emperor, took the lead in feeling Jun Wuyuan's pulse. He looked solemn on the surface, but in fact, his mind had wandered elsewhere!
It wasn't that Jun Wuyuan was faking the poisoning. He was indeed poisoned, and it was the same poison as Concubine Shu's.
However, the poison on Jun Wuyuan was faked by Chang Wei by deliberately altering the pulse condition and adding a certain medicine.
After pretending to feel the pulse, he got together with the other imperial physicians to discuss.
Imperial Physician Helian, the Queen Mother's confidant, gave a subtle signal. Soon, Chang Wei reported to the Queen Mother and Consort Zhao.
Jun Wuyuan and Concubine Shu were indeed poisoned!
Moreover, they were poisoned by the same kind of poison, which meant the poisoner was the same person!
As soon as this was said, everyone in the hall was in an uproar.
After the imperial physicians like Chang Wei finished their report, they immediately went to discuss the antidote. Jun Wuyuan was surrounded by his trusted guards and was temporarily out of danger.
However, the matter of who poisoned them was still undetermined. The Queen Mother immediately seized this point and attacked Ling Shan.
Unfortunately, the Queen Mother misjudged Ling Shan's character and was too hesitant.
Perhaps the Queen Mother and the Prime Minister Wang's faction emphasized doing things in a just and proper way. They didn't want to be accused of usurping the throne unjustly. They thought it would be best to pin a crime on the culprit before dealing with them.
But they forgot that in war, speed is of the essence. If they wanted to usurp the throne, how could they still care about their reputation?
It was really like a prostitute wanting to build a chastity arch. How could they expect to have all the good things? It was just wishful thinking.
If it were her, since they were going to rebel and so many people were gathered together, she would just order the guards outside to surround the Lindede Hall and kill those who didn't obey.
Even if there were reinforcements, as long as the plan was well - made, they might be able to get rid of all the people they wanted to eliminate.
Why did they have to be so roundabout, poisoning people and looking for scapegoats?
Moreover, they didn't even use a deadly poison. Wasn't this putting the cart before the horse?
"Your Majesty, don't be in a hurry. The imperial physicians are treating the Emperor. The poisoner really needs to be investigated carefully!"
A mocking sneer curled up on Ling Shan's lips. Her eyes suddenly showed a noble and proud look.
Seeing this, an inexplicable sense of unease flashed across the Queen Mother's heart.
"Guards, bring up the poisoning servant. Let Her Majesty the Queen Mother take a good look!"
The next moment, a palace servant dragged in a disheveled and disheveled old nanny.
Lifting her hair, a very familiar face was revealed.
"Nanny Dou?"
"My goodness, isn't this Nanny Dou who serves Her Majesty the Queen Mother? How could..."
"Shh, don't talk. Can't you see Her Majesty the Queen Mother's face is so dark? Could it be..."
"..."
Whispering voices spread quietly in the hall. Obviously, no one had expected that.
As soon as Consort Zhao took action, she actually arrested Nanny Dou, the most favored and trusted person by the Queen Mother.
This was a heavy slap in the face of the Queen Mother, both in terms of her dignity and her reputation!
"Xu, what do you mean by this?"
The Queen Mother stared at Ling Shan with a look so gloomy that it seemed she wanted to kill.
Ling Shan was not afraid at all. Meeting the Queen Mother's gaze, the curve of her lips grew wider. Her tone was full of meaning.
"Your Majesty, don't scare me like this. I'm timid. I sent Eunuch Liang to investigate. Who would have thought that it would lead to Nanny Dou?
If Your Majesty doesn't believe it, you can let the old Prince Su interrogate her personally to see if the poison found in Nanny Dou's room is a false accusation."