The sensational case of the Empress Dowager's poisoning finally dissipated two days later, and under the treatment of the imperial physician introduced by Jing Wang, the Empress Dowager's body was completely safe. The court officials all submitted memorials to congratulate her, and Emperor Yuandi was overjoyed. With a stroke of his imperial brush, he exempted one-tenth of the taxes and grain levies in the capital region, and for a time, everyone praised him, their faces filled with joy.

  Under this joy, however, there is also a hidden undercurrent. Rumors are like rivers frozen in ice, slowly and imperceptibly flowing everywhere, and once the time is ripe, they will break through the ice and wreak havoc on the world.

  The palace eunuchs and officials would often discuss in private the Empress's "slip of the tongue" on that day.

  These insignificant people, with great curiosity, discuss the secrets of their masters. In the past few days, five or six have been punished by the eunuchs for speaking out of turn.

  Such punishment only intimidated them on the surface, but in private, rumors were exaggerated and became more vivid.

  In the Azure Moon Palace, Chenluo sat under the window, holding a volume of "Shui Jing" and reading with great interest. Qu Yun was pacing back and forth inside the room.

  "Why must you be so impatient, senior brother?"

  She gently lifted her head and smiled as she asked.

  A gentle breeze swept across her crystal-like face, and her icy pupils, like cold jade, moved with a tranquil air.

  "We've been busy for two days and it's ended up like this!"

  Gou Yun recalled the scene of Empress Dowager's calm and composed figure, his anger burning even more fiercely in his heart. He took a deep breath, looking at Chen Lu who seemed carefree and unruffled, and exclaimed in surprise: "Xiao Chen, did you perhaps see through some hidden mechanism?"

  Morning dew shook her head: "This time, I didn't find any clues, however..."

  She put down the book in her hand, gazed out of the window at the green willows and the clear song of the oriole, and sighed: "In this chaos, just take a look, who got the most benefit, and it's vaguely clear."

  Gou Yun was not a fool, and in a flash of inspiration, he recalled the Queen's frantic expression, Yuan Qi's irritable face, and the frightened sobs of the concubines, and one by one, he ruled them out.

  "Could it be...?"

  "In the end, the one who truly grasped the initiative and gained the most benefit from this matter was Lin Yuan."

  Chenlu smiled faintly and said, looking at Qu Yun's disbelieving expression: "At first, I also thought it was her trick to frame the Emperor with the crime of 'matricide'. But when I saw this antidote, I probably realized that my analysis might be wrong."

  She fiddled with the white, plump root on the table and said: "This is one of the most violent poisons. Even if you find the red fruit next to its roots to neutralize its toxicity, it will still greatly harm a person's lifespan. Lin Yin was severely injured this time. No matter how ruthless she is, she won't joke about her own life."

  Gu Yun thought for a moment, and a figure flashed through his mind. He was startled: "If it wasn't the Empress Dowager, could it be... him?"

  Morning dew nodded and sighed: "Usually, he looks like a young master, but unexpectedly, once he starts, it's so swift and decisive——"

  "Jing Wang Yuanxi, you're really something!"

  The girl sneered and lifted the mysterious veil of the real culprit.

  "We've actually been cheated by this little brat!"

  Qiu Yun's sword-like eyebrows furrowed, recalling a certain past event. He sneered coldly: "The Lin family seems to specialize in producing such hypocritical and ruthless beasts. It can be said that they have surpassed their predecessors!"

  Chenlu didn't get excited, but smiled slightly, picked up the warm teacup and took a few small sips before saying: "The Queen Mother Lin Hui of Jing Wang is a gentle and quiet lady from a good family. Among all the members of the Lin family, she is considered to be one of the better ones, but unexpectedly, she gave birth to such a son."

  She put down the teacup, took over the white radish in front of the case, carefully examined it for a while, and then said: "Looking at these marks, he dug up the red fruit four or five hours before us - what a good skill!"

  She sincerely praised him, both for his accurate judgment and for his ruthless tactics.

  "Jing Wang, this man is really a character. This play 'Filial Son Saves Mother' is not difficult to perform well, it's just a matter of grasping the right moment, taking advantage of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor's discord, and striking at once. Such speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness, combined with his sweet mouth and black heart, make him a rare talent!"

  She glanced out of the window: "Now, inside and outside the palace, there must be rumors everywhere...... This sky is about to change!"

  As if responding to her words, the sky full of dark clouds rumbled with a loud thunder, and the dark clouds grew denser.

  ****

  Sun Ming, the son of the imperial son-in-law, listened to the rumbling thunder outside and felt hot all over his body. He muttered to himself: "Has summer arrived?"

  He muttered to himself as he took off his changshan.

  He thought of his delicate wife waiting in the back hall, and his heart skipped a beat. He then recalled her beautiful face with a hint of anger between her eyebrows, and he couldn't help but feel both love and fear.

  "Then so be it, I have this chronic illness, what's the harm?"

  He never drank or gambled outside, and as for brothels and the like, he avoided them in fear. His colleagues laughed at him for being afraid of his wife like a tiger, but he didn't care at all.

  He also came from a prominent family, but his father died early and his relatives were very thin. He didn't have anyone to promote him on his official career path, although he had repeatedly made military achievements, he never got a big promotion.

  Who would have known that one day, good fortune would descend from heaven and the previous emperor, remembering his father's life-saving kindness, overruled public opinion and actually married off his own eldest daughter, Princess Yi Xiang, to him.

  At that time, he was almost stunned by this sudden good fortune. When he thought about it again, he felt very uneasy and feared that they were not a match made in heaven, as the emperor's daughter was a pampered princess, and the two of them were fundamentally incompatible.

  Such anxiety lasted until they entered the bridal chamber and lifted the veil, at which moment it was declared over.

  He, the proud man Sun Ming, from then on became the permanent servant under the skirt of Princess Yiren.

  He was thinking of the sweetness at first sight, and was slightly smiling, when a servant came to report: "The second son-in-law has come to pay his respects!"

  What is he doing here?!

  Sun Ming felt somewhat disgusted, recalling the oily and crafty smile of his brother-in-law, Er Fu Ma Qian Xi. As the only son of a former emperor's senior minister, he held a position in the Ministry of Officials and had a meteoric rise in his career. He looked down on Sun Ming, a military officer stationed in Beijing.

  "He helplessly said: 'Quickly invite him into the living room, I'll be right there!'"

  It's been a long time since we last met, and Qian Xi's smile was radiant. He spoke warmly to Sun Ming, saying: "Long time no see, big brother looks even more majestic!"

  Sun Ming did not fall for his trick, and thought to himself, "You have always looked down on me as a rough and unrefined martial artist. Tonight you sneak into my house under the cover of darkness, definitely up to no good."

  "Second brother, it's been a long time... I recently heard that you've been promoted to Shilang, congratulations!"

  The two of them chatted about some trivial matters, and before they knew it, it was time for dinner. The two of them sat down at the table to drink, and after three rounds of wine, Qian Xi's face turned slightly red. With a pleased expression, he began to boast about some secrets from the imperial court, pretending to be mysterious: "There's something good that I must help Big Brother with!"

  He came with a strong smell of wine and leaned in to say, "The Empress Dowager's phoenix body has finally turned danger into safety. This time, the King of Jing made great contributions, but didn't get much reward..."

  Sun Ming's heart tightened as soon as he heard it. Although he had been stationed in the army for a long time, he also knew something about the major events in the court. He chuckled and said, "The King of Jing is a member of the royal family, what reward can be rare?"

  "Big brother, you are wrong. Actually, I've already heard rumors from the palace that Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has always wanted to bestow a generous reward on King Jing, but she's afraid of public criticism, so she's been hesitating..."

  He continued to laugh, his voice growing louder, and said with a pleased tone: "We are also members of the royal family, several brothers, so we decided to jointly petition, to ask for a reward from the King... This does not interfere with state affairs, but fulfills the Empress Dowager's kindness. When she is happy, your promotion, big brother, will be imminent!"

  Sun Ming listened to this flattering idea, a burst of anger in his heart, just about to refuse bluntly, when suddenly outside the corridor, a clear and crisp cough, instantly shocked him.

  "Uh... wait, let me think for a moment, Second Brother!"

  It wasn't easy getting rid of Qian Xi, who was as smooth-tongued as a river. He immediately walked back into the inner chamber and said to his wife, "Yi'er, why were you eavesdropping outside?"

  Yi Xun Emperor's daughter coldly snorted: "What is it? Is there something that can't be seen or heard that I'm not allowed to know?"

  "What's going on here?"

  Sun Ming called Qu Dao: "Qian Xi is crazy to get promoted, he's trying every means to please the Empress Dowager, and he actually wants to drag me in! I was just about to refuse!"

  "Would you have refused if I hadn't given you a hint?"

  "She sneered and said: 'Do you think... this is Qian Xi's own idea?'"

  Note: Ji Chang usually refers to Chen Jichang in the story of "He Dong Shi Hou". Later generations used "Ji Chang's disease" to refer to the condition of being afraid of one's wife like a tiger.