Correcting a mistake, Qi Fei's father is called Qi Rong, and someone took medicine yesterday, so they were dizzy and made this BUG.

  Qī Fēi was suddenly radiant, she raised her voice with this sentence, and instantly the whole scene turned to look over here.

  She became more and more interested, facing Chenluo said: "Shangyi, I saw you just stopped Meihuan sister from eating this pine seed fish sauce, isn't it...". She smiled, emphasizing her tone: "Is there something wrong with this dish?"

  As soon as this was said, everyone's face turned pale and they all put down their chopsticks, looking like they were facing a great enemy. Someone's heart was racing so fast that they accidentally knocked over a crystal bowl, which fell to the ground with a loud "crash", making everyone even more frightened.

  Chenlu's face showed extreme surprise: "Why did Concubine Qi say such a thing? Concubine Mei has a dragon fetus in her womb, and the imperial physician specifically instructed that the medicine for stabilizing the fetus cannot come into contact with 'hair-like' aquatic products, so..."

  The empress could no longer hold back her temper and suddenly flew into a rage, interrupting before she finished speaking: "Concubine Qi, today you've spoken the most nonsense. Have you gone mad? If you're unwell, it's better to summon the imperial physician early on, so as not to frighten your sisters with these groundless scares."

  She was so angry that her face turned even paler, and she was supported by the maids on either side as she went back to the inner palace to rest.

  The queen swept her sleeves and left, making the banquet awkward and uninteresting. The concubines were all clever people, seeing that it was not a matter, humming and hawing, and casually made some excuses to leave.

  A spring day banquet ended with a lack of enthusiasm and was hastily concluded.

  ****

  Chenlu and Meiniang returned to Chang Palace in a sedan chair. Yigugu welcomed them, saw that their faces were not right, and already knew something was wrong.

  From noon till nightfall, this "feast storm" had spread like a hurricane throughout the palace.

  For half a day, Chenlu's ears had no peace, she was asked repeatedly, sighed and finally spoke up.

  "Eldest Aunt, you'd better throw away that package of medicine for stabilizing the fetus. Another day, ask the Emperor to change the imperial physician and have him write a new prescription, then have someone verify it, and have several trustworthy people prepare the medicine personally."

  What?!

  Mei Niang and Yue Gu Gu couldn't believe their ears.

  Mei Niang was already aware of her meaning: "Sister... You're saying that the medicine is poisonous?"

  Her delicate small face was deathly pale, and the teacup in her hand trembled on the verge of falling.

  "This... this can't be... I personally tested each of those pills with a silver needle!"

  "Aunt, this pill is non-toxic, it just has a strange smell that will linger in the body for three or four days. Once it encounters the roots of certain plants and they combine, it will become a fierce poison."

  Mei Ni let out a loud shriek, and her teacup fell to the ground with a clang. She looked at one person, then another, before finally bursting into tears with a "Waaah".

  The dew was just about to fall, and looking at the fearful expressions of the old and young, I was thinking of persuading them to go back, when suddenly there was a report from outside the door that an imperial edict had been issued, summoning her to an audience.

  ****

  Palace of Heavenly Purity

  Yuan Qi didn't play chess with others as he used to, but instead arranged the ancient chess manuals, looking at the scrolls that were extremely old yet still clean and spotless, obviously treasured by their owner.

  "It's really lively today..." He smiled at Chen Lu: "These concubines of mine, one by one are virtuous and talented to an extreme, and are also great talents. Nowadays, even the 'Ben Cao' is too shallow for them, so they've started studying ancient prescriptions!"

  Chenlu listened to his dangerous and sarcastic words, which were quite absurd, but somehow gave rise to a sense of familiarity in her heart.

  This was also her only feeling after being busy for half a day.

  The medicine balls used by Mei Niang have no harm at all, but a very small amount of a strange fragrance is added to them. This fragrance itself has no effect, but if it encounters the root of a certain plant, it will turn into a highly toxic substance in the human body, slowly weakening and killing the person.

  At the queen's banquet, that dish of pine seed fish sauce had mixed in that kind of root stewed into juice.

  It also has a fragrance, similar to the scent of pine nuts, which is often difficult for ordinary people to detect.

  Unfortunately, it's just not easy... but not impossible either.

  Chenlu thought of He Gu Gu in the Yu Huayuan, the several poisonous substances she cultivated were even more brilliant than this, colorless and tasteless, almost no one in the world could detect them.

  The means are high and low, and it can be seen at once

  She has nothing to do with this matter, then what is the purpose of cultivating those rare and poisonous substances?

  In this palace, stripping away the layers of mystery, indeed a puzzle within puzzles.

  "Dew... I really underestimated you, your skills in detoxification are impressive. It seems that letting you stay in Chang Palace was the right choice. What do you think about this time?"

  Yuanyu seemed to be asking casually, but his deep black eyes showed no emotion.

  "Your Majesty, it doesn't really matter who the culprit is."

  Chenlu thought for a moment and replied with a shocking answer.

  "Oh?"

  The emperor actually smiled, and his warm and handsome face made people feel like they were basking in the spring breeze.

  But his eyes had no smile, only a deep and bottomless darkness.

  Invisible pressure, all in this one glance.

  If those who normally think he is "benevolent and dignified" were to see him, they would definitely be scared to death.

  "If this is not important, then what is most important?"

  The dew is still calm and unaffected: "Your Majesty, why do you ask knowingly? If it were true that the real culprit could be caught, I think you would definitely be happy to get rid of an obstacle for yourself - but this time, you're disappointed."

  She glanced at the emperor, knowing that he was still scrutinizing her, and continued: "As for the medicine, if they investigate the imperial physician, he will either be missing or have taken his own life. And as for the empress's banquet, it's even more troublesome. I can guarantee that every single person's small dish had that root's juice in it - so who could possibly be suspected of being the culprit? The empress? Her chef is newly hired, and she will certainly claim innocence: no one would be so obvious as to harm someone in their own palace - everyone would think that way."

  "What a wonderful plan......to make a move in one's own palace, and yet no one will believe it - this young emperor of mine is truly becoming more and more clever."

  The emperor's smile grew sharper, that obvious malice made one guess that he had recalled some unpleasant memories.

  "Take care of Mei Niang's side for these few days."

  "Your Majesty, I once said that there is no such thing as a foolproof defense. I am not accustomed to this kind of simple defense."

  Yuan Qi listened to this bold remark, and didn't get angry, but was somewhat annoyed: "Where did your grand words from that day go? Don't try to shirk, you're the only one suited for this task. If there's a shortage of manpower, just pick whoever you want from Qu Ying!"

  Chenlu heard this and looked at him deeply.

  Yuan Qi only felt a coolness, some slight disturbance instantly dispersed, the whole person, as if soaking in an icy pool.

  Those clear and quiet, icy snow-like black eyes...

  What a stunning beauty, what an enchanting gaze, yet none can compare to the splendor of this one glance...

  Until the dew retreated, the emperor was still a little absent-minded, as if immersed in something.

  ****

  The night was deep, and after the morning dew withdrew from the Qianqing Palace, she did not ride in a palace carriage, but walked alone by herself.

  She looked around, under the clear and bright moonlight, the palace walls stood like thousands of years, inside was either brilliant lights, singing and dancing, or desolate and bleak, solitary and lonely, with no one knowing.

  Today's scene was simply unbearable for her, who had grown accustomed to darkness and bloodshed.

  But behind the laughter and joy, the sinister plots and murderous intentions led by the slender women still made her gloomy.

  These teenage girls, who had just thrown away their family's pampering, entered this magnificent and dark palace. What kind of struggle did they go through to learn how to smile and use their beautiful fingers to strangle others' hopes and lives?

  They trample on their companions' corpses to achieve success, have they ever felt fear or guilt? So that in the dark of night, they wake up from a dream, startled and terrified.

  They are fighting for favor, for descendants, and the fight is for the highest title that women can get in thousands of years. Has anyone ever thought that all this will eventually return to dust? What's the point of it all?

  Yu Gen... Is this what you wanted?

  Three thousand beauties, one frown and one smile, one sorrow and one joy, all honors and disgraces are tied to your body...

  Morning dew stands under the moonlight as water, on a certain day 26 years later, and asks someone in the tomb.

  Layers of grief, layers of indignation, ultimately transformed into unyielding rage.

  This anger is like a burst dam of an icy river, surging forward with an unstoppable force.

  Yuan Xu... just you wait and see, this vast and clear sky, I will personally overthrow!

  The palace walls are silent, just like they have been for thousands of years.

  ****

  Morning dew returned home in the evening, it was already late, she had taken a bath and was about to go upstairs.

  There was a faint knock on the door frame.

  That was cautious and yet urgent, as if it contained a great deal of fear.

  She opened the door and saw a person wearing a white single garment with disheveled hair, standing under the moonlight like a ghost.

  It's Mei Gui.

  She has lost all that innocent serenity, shrinking away, sobbing silently.

  She stretched out her hand and clutched at Chenluo as if clutching a lifesaving straw, whispering: "Sister, please save me!"

  "Big sister......?"

  "Sister, I'm so scared. As soon as I close my eyes, I think of what happened today... At the banquet, everyone was laughing so falsely and fearfully... I thought that just eating without speaking would be enough... But! They actually wanted to harm me!!"

  "Sister... you must save me... you know who poisoned me, don't you? Hurry and report to the Emperor, he will save me!"

  The morning dew is about to sigh, who can save whom? In this harem, who can save whom?

  Your Majesty? Then please produce evidence. Without cause, deposing an empress is something even an emperor cannot do arbitrarily.

  She gently struggled free from Mei Gui, and said slowly and clearly: "Your Ladyship, please calm down!"

  She looked at the girl's frantic and panicked eyes, softened her tone: "I will try my best to ensure your safety, but, Your Highness, in this world, no one can save you, protect you for a lifetime."

  In conclusion, it's a cut-and-dried case with no room for maneuvering.

  Although cruel, she hoped that this naive and innocent girl could thoroughly understand what kind of world she was in.

  "Who can't either..."

  Mei Cong seemed to have grasped her situation in an instant.

  Her gaze was no longer frantic, slowly dimming down.

  "But I really don't want to die... Father, Mother, why are you sending me to this place where people get eaten?!"

  She muttered softly to herself, step by step, retreating back to her own palace.

  The cool night was like water, reflecting her small figure, gradually moving away.

  Note: In traditional Chinese medicine, it is believed that some foods such as beef, fish and seafood, soy sauce, etc. are "explosive" and can interfere with the absorption of medicinal properties and wound healing. Therefore, if you have a JM (acne) breakout on your face, be sure to avoid eating these foods to prevent scarring.