CHAPTER 238: CHAPTER 238 ENVY

Leaving the Agarwood Pavilion.

The Imperial Physician glanced back while carrying his medicine box.

He raised his hand to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead.

But he couldn’t erase the scene of Young Master Xie knowingly eating piece after piece of the pastry laden with laxatives.

It was a potent laxative.

Even if he prescribed an antidiarrheal medicine, it would be ineffective against such a strong drug.

He used to think the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion was vicious, but he didn’t expect Young Master Xie to be no less so.

This must be what they mean by birds of a feather flock together.

Inside the study room.

Xie Jingchen looked at Su Jin, feeling utterly powerless, "Is it enough?"

For a brief moment.

He thought it would just be better to die from poisoning.

Su Jin, "...."

"What kind of question is that? If you’re not full, keep eating," Su Jin said, the corner of her mouth twitching.

"...."

"If you’re full, rest a bit and then eat more."

"...."

Xingxing enviously said, "I wish I could eat as much as the master."

The master couldn’t eat enough, but she couldn’t get enough.

"That’s not something to envy," Su Jin said wistfully.

Xie Jingchen, "...."

He now somewhat suspected Su Jin simply admired him too much.

So she made him eat poisoned pastries to make herself feel better.

Xingxing looked at Su Jin, "Is the poisoning matter going to be just let go like this?"

Though none of them were poisoned.

They still couldn’t allow others to poison them.

If there’s any malice, it must be smothered; otherwise, it will happen again.

However, the Empress holds a noble status, and directly confronting her might only be possible through poisoning.

"It’s too late today, we’ll go to the palace to complain tomorrow," Su Jin said with a smile.

Phoenix Palace.

The Empress leaned on the Imperial Concubine’s Couch, allowing the palace maid to massage her legs.

Nanny Zhou brought over some bird’s nest soup.

"It’s really strange, Mr. Huang went to the palace to deliver the decree, how come he’s still not back?" Nanny Zhou frowned.

Outside, urgent footsteps could be heard.

The Empress was already not in a good mood, and the disorderly footsteps only made her more annoyed.

The Empress was deeply disgusted with mahjong.

But recently, wherever she went, people were talking about mahjong.

With mahjong in the harem, the conflicts between the concubines had lessened, sparing her from many headaches.

But the time she saved was used to copy the "Women’s Training" and "Women’s Precepts"!

Several eunuchs came in, kneeling with a thud, startling Nanny Zhou.

"What’s going on?" Nanny Zhou asked.

The eunuch looked at Nanny Zhou and said, "Mr. Huang ran away."

Nanny Zhou, "...."

"Why would he run for no reason?" The Empress frowned.

If everything was fine, he naturally wouldn’t run away.

But they went to Duke Zhen Country Mansion today.

Princess Shouning went there well and good but was carried back to the palace on a stretcher.

The eunuch said, "Mr. Huang wanted to vent for the Empress and the Princess, demanding the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion kneel to receive the decree, but she said her knees were injured from saving the Emperor, and she couldn’t kneel, asking Mr. Huang to wait until her knees were better before announcing the decree."

"The reward was prepared by the Emperor for the Empress, and just taking it back to the palace would definitely anger the Emperor. Mr. Huang only apologized and knelt to admit his mistake to the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion."

"Originally, it would have been fine if he, a servant, had knelt, but at that moment he was still holding the Empress’s decree in his hand...."

After the eunuch finished speaking, the Empress’s face turned as dark as the sky before a storm.

Nanny Zhou’s face turned pale as well.

Kneeling to present the Empress’s decree to the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion?!

Where was the majesty of the Empress, the mother of the nation?!

"Mr. Huang said he had a stomachache on the way back to the palace and went to use the latrine. We waited outside for a long time, but he never came out. When we went in to find him, there was no sign of Mr. Huang in the latrine," the eunuch said timidly.

"We looked for him for quite a while, searched several streets, and when we couldn’t find him, we returned to the palace."

The Empress was so angry her lips trembled.

Having lost face, and afraid of being executed upon return to the palace, he ran away.

He was indeed clever!

The Empress was fuming with rage when a palace maid ran in from outside, saying, "Empress, something bad has happened!"

"What happened now?!" Nanny Zhou’s heart skipped a beat.

"The pastries the Empress rewarded to the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion are poisoned," the palace maid said.

"...."

"How could they be poisoned?" Nanny Zhou was shocked.

"Did the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion die?" the Empress’s voice trembled slightly.

The palace maid, "...."

"The Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion is fine, but the Old Madam of the Duke Mansion, Princess Nanzhang, and several ladies, young misses, and young masters were all poisoned," the palace maid’s voice grew quieter as she reported.

Because the Empress’s face was indeed dreadful.

She couldn’t hold back any longer.

The Empress stood up, raising her hand and throwing the bird’s nest soup in Nanny Zhou’s hands.

The delicate soup bowl shattered into pieces on the ground.

Nanny Zhou waved her hand, dismissing the palace maid.

She looked at the Empress and asked, "How could the pastries be poisoned?"

The Empress wanted to know too!

Her eyes swept toward those eunuchs.

All the eunuchs bowed their heads, not daring to make a sound.

"Speak!" the Empress said coldly.

The eunuchs said, "We don’t know either, but before leaving the palace, the Princess had a few words with Mr. Huang."

The Empress had a headache.

"Bring Shouning here!" the Empress ordered.

Nanny Zhou went out and instructed the little eunuch to summon Princess Shouning.

But just as she finished her instructions, Princess Shouning came in.

Her delicate face carried a cheerful smile.

Nanny Zhou’s mind flashed with images of Princess Shouning being stung by bees.

The Empress had warned her not to provoke the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion anymore, why didn’t the Princess listen?

Trying to poison the Eldest Young Madam, she managed to evade, but others got caught in it.

What a turn of events.

Princess Shouning came forward and asked, "Mother, what are you looking for me for?"

"You’ll know when you go in," Nanny Zhou said.

Princess Shouning walked in, seeing the bird’s nest soup scattered on the ground with its aroma lingering, a bad premonition surged in her heart.

"Mother?" Princess Shouning’s smile faded away as she asked.

The Empress looked at her.

She waved her hand for the kneeling little eunuchs to leave first.

"Keep your mouths shut," Nanny Zhou said coldly.

The eunuchs were sensible and quickly said, "We know nothing."

After everyone left, the Empress asked Princess Shouning, "Did you instruct Mr. Huang to poison the pastries?"

"It was me," Princess Shouning promptly replied.

"You!" The Empress was furious.

"I just wanted to teach her a lesson; a bit of laxative won’t kill anyone."

"I wouldn’t let her die so easily!" Princess Shouning’s eyes were icy cold.

"Don’t worry, Mother. She’s so annoying; there are plenty in Duke Zhen’s Mansion who want her dead. Once the pastries were in Duke Zhen’s Mansion, who would dare suspect it was poison from the palace?" Princess Shouning said in a relaxed tone.

Nanny Zhou didn’t know what to say.

For the Princess to think this way seemed well-considered.

But when it comes to the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion, any well-considered plan falls short.

The Empress took a deep breath and said, "She didn’t eat the pastries!"

Princess Shouning, "...!!!"

"Then who ate them?" Princess Shouning asked.

"Your aunt, your cousin, your cousin sister!" The Empress felt as if she was about to cough up blood.

Princess Shouning panicked.

Although the laxative wouldn’t take a life, it could certainly take half a life.

"What should we do now?" Princess Shouning was anxious.

"Don’t panic!" The Empress scolded, exasperated.

Nanny Zhou suggested, "Don’t worry, Princess. Mr. Huang escaped, he ran away because of his crime."

The Empress stood up and stepped down from the platform.

Seeing this, Princess Shouning said, "Where is Mother going?"

"To confess to your father!" the Empress gritted her teeth.