"Your Majesty the Empress..."
Concubine Dong's face showed a hint of hesitation. Even beads of cold sweat began to form on her forehead, and her shoulders trembled constantly.
She was not only afraid of the woman in front of her but also of Concubine Chu. Caught between a rock and a hard place, she even wished she could just smash her head against the pillar. But what would happen to her family then?
Thinking of this, tears started to stream down her face uncontrollably.
Seeing that she still refused to admit it, Dongfang Yi was about to say something when she heard a rush of footsteps outside the palace.
Then an old woman walked in. It was Nanny Li, who served beside the Empress Dowager.
Before Dongfang Yi could say anything after seeing her, she heard Nanny Li wave her hand at those behind her and say, "Arrest the Empress and take her to the Qianqing Palace!"
Immediately, several old nannies came out, grabbed Dongfang Yi and dragged her out forcefully.
"How dare you! What are you doing to me?!" Dongfang Yi roared loudly, her voice filled with anger. How dare these lowly servants treat her like this! They were so bold.
"Your Majesty the Empress, please forgive us. This is all an order from the Empress Dowager. If you don't want to get hurt, just be obedient!" Nanny Li said coldly. Then she waved her hand, signaling the nannies holding Dongfang Yi to cover her mouth with a cloth.
It all traced back to the time when the Empress Dowager rushed to the Qianqing Palace.
As soon as the Empress Dowager entered the Qianqing Palace, she felt an unprecedented chill. Usually, the Emperor would be sitting in front of the desk, reviewing official documents. But now, there was no one there.
"Where are all the people in the palace?!" the Empress Dowager frowned and asked.
"Your Majesty the Empress said that the Emperor had caught a cold. Ordinary palace servants were clumsy and might aggravate the Emperor's condition, so she sent them all away," Eunuch Li replied.
After hearing this, the Empress Dowager immediately frowned. Based on her years of experience, she inferred that there must be something fishy going on. So she strode into the inner palace.
There she saw Helian Qi lying pale on the bed. There was no one around him.
Her heart skipped a beat. She immediately ordered someone to go to the Imperial Hospital to summon the imperial physician.
When Physician Li arrived, he hesitated for a moment and stammered, not daring to say anything.
The Empress Dowager slapped the table angrily and shouted, "Bold servant! Do you take my words for nothing? Can't you see I'm asking you a question?!"
After hearing this, Physician Li immediately knelt on the ground, his voice trembling as he said, "The Emperor... has been poisoned!"
"What?!" The Empress Dowager widened her eyes in disbelief. She never thought that the rumor that had been spreading in the palace for several days was actually true.
"How many days?" she asked again.
"It's already been three days," Physician Li replied.
"Good for all of you! Such a big thing happened to the Emperor, yet you dared to hide it from me. Do you want to lose your heads?!" After scolding, she began to gasp uncontrollably. Her anger was about to overwhelm her.
"Please calm down, Your Majesty the Empress Dowager. It's all because Your Majesty the Empress was worried that if the matter was exposed, it would shake the Emperor's throne," Physician Li pleaded with his head down.
But this only made the Empress Dowager even more furious.
"What is the Empress? Have you all forgotten who the real master of the harem is?!" she scolded with a sideways glance.
Then she waved her hand at Nanny Li beside her and said, "Where is the Empress? Immediately tie her up and bring her to me!"
That was how Nanny Li came to Concubine Dong's palace to arrest the Empress.
Dongfang Yi was completely powerless to resist. She could only let them drag her out.
Behind her, Concubine Dong watched all this. She knew that the Empress Dowager must have heard the rumor she had spread, so she took out her anger on the Empress. Presumably, she had already seen the unconscious Emperor.
Thinking of this, she let out a long sigh of relief. Although she had been exposed in front of the Empress, with the Empress's current situation, she was probably in deep trouble. The Empress Dowager had always been dissatisfied with the Empress. Now that something had happened to the Emperor, on the surface, it seemed to be all the Empress's fault.
Now that the Emperor was unconscious, the only person who could save her was no longer there. Who would listen to her words?
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but throw her head back and laugh maniacally. Since she had already done so many bad things, she could only pray that the Nangong family would successfully usurp the throne so that she and her family could be saved.
On the other hand, Dongfang Yi, who was being escorted on the way, couldn't say a single word because her mouth was covered. But she knew in her heart that the Empress Dowager must have known everything.
She would surely push all the blame onto her. The Empress Dowager already disliked her. Now that such a thing had happened, she was probably going to lose her life.
In less than a moment, they arrived at the Qianqing Palace. As soon as they entered, they saw the Empress Dowager with a livid face sitting on the highest seat. As soon as she saw the people coming, she casually threw the teacup beside her down.
"Smash—!"
The crisp sound of the porcelain shattering on the ground stimulated the eardrums of everyone present, including Dongfang Yi.
Facing the old woman in front of her, she didn't know what to say. After all, it was ultimately her fault.
"Good for you, Empress. As the mistress of the palace, instead of thinking about how to manage the harem, you tried to harm the Emperor!" the Empress Dowager said coldly and loudly, without the slightest hesitation in her words.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, I didn't harm the Emperor!" Dongfang Yi loudly defended herself.
"If it wasn't you, how could the Emperor have been poisoned? Such a big thing, yet you were so self - righteous and tried to hide it. Are you tired of being the Empress?" The Empress Dowager's cold and harsh words came one after another like a barrage of bullets.
On normal days, Dongfang Yi knew she was in the right and could argue a lot. But now, she couldn't refute a single word.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, I've already sent people to look for the antidote. The Emperor will surely be fine!" she said.
The Empress Dowager just let out a cold snort and then said, "You're no longer worthy of being the Empress of the Dongsheng Kingdom. You don't need to worry about the Emperor's matter anymore!"
Saying that, she waved her hand, signaling Nanny Li beside her to take Dongfang Yi away.
Dongfang Yi had long expected that she might not be able to escape this disaster today. On normal days, when the Empress Dowager launched an attack, it was always Helian Qi who saved her. But now, there was no one to save her.
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, please wait. I know I'm guilty, but there's still something about the Emperor's assassination that I must tell you!" Dongfang Yi broke free from Nanny Li and roared at the old woman sitting on the high seat.
Seeing her determined look and hearing about the assassination, the Empress Dowager ordered Nanny Li to let her go temporarily.
So Dongfang Yi told the Empress Dowager everything about the Dong family, but she only mentioned the assassination organization and didn't mention the Golden Wolf Guards. After all, her father had said that the Golden Wolf Guards was a serious matter and must be kept secret carefully.