The harem is too complicated; the empress, a lazy bum, wins by doing nothing.

Chapter 284 Poisoning
"Did I ask you that?" Emperor Yuanwu's expression grew even more unpleasant.

Consort Xian was taken aback, but she quickly came to her senses. The imperial physician that Consort Wen had invited had not come. What did that have to do with her? Why was she in such a hurry to admit her mistake? It wasn't like she had been invited and Consort Xian hadn't come.

Consort Xian smiled and said, "I don't know how the Empress manages the harem these days. The people in the Imperial Hospital are getting more and more arrogant. I don't know what those imperial physicians are busy with all day long. What if they really delay Consort Wen's treatment?"

Consort Xian stood up as she spoke, “The palace maids around Consort Wen are really something. I’ve been in the palace all day preparing dinner for the Emperor, and I’ve been wronged. Why didn’t they send anyone to say a word so I could stand up for my sister?”

When Green Pine heard Consort Xian's pretentious words, she couldn't help but glance in her direction.

Just then, Physician Zhao from the Imperial Hospital walked in carrying his medicine box. It was unclear whether he was in a hurry or frightened.

The moment Physician Zhao knelt on the ground, his forehead was covered with a fine layer of sweat. "Your Majesty, please forgive me, I am late."

Although Emperor Yuanwu's expression was not good, he did not reprimand him for wasting any more time. He simply waved his hand and told him to hurry up and go in to examine Consort Wen's pulse.

Perhaps feeling guilty, Physician Zhao moved his lips as if he wanted to explain, but seeing that Emperor Yuanwu had no intention of making him palatable, the words that were on the tip of his tongue got stuck in his throat. He picked up his medicine box and went inside.

Meanwhile, Shen Qingwan also received the news at Kunning Palace.

After kneeling and recounting the events in detail, Su Tianhe cautiously raised his head and asked, "Your Majesty, this is all my fault. This afternoon, I was busy teaching the newly arrived eunuchs the rules, and I was careless, which led to such a big incident in the harem. The Emperor has already gone there. Would Your Majesty like to go and take a look?"

Shen Qingwan was also annoyed. With such a thing happening in the harem, she, as the empress, was certainly to blame. What was Consort Wen up to now?
Since there's a good show to watch, she'll reluctantly go and see it.

Shen Qingwan went in a sedan chair. Having served in the palace for so many years, she naturally knew the weight of the sedan chair and moved quickly and nimbly.

As she stepped into Consort Wen's palace, Physician Zhao had already treated Consort Wen.

"May Your Majesty the Empress be blessed."

"The Queen is a thousand years old, a thousand years old, a thousand years old."

Emperor Yuanwu raised his eyes and glanced in Shen Qingwan's direction, his gaze filled with a hint of anger.

Shen Qingwan didn't care and sat down next to Emperor Yuanwu.

She could understand Emperor Yuanwu's difficulties. After all, with so many people in the harem, there were bound to be many troubles. He was busy in the court every day, and the women in the harem were not idle either. Today, he finally managed to find some time to enter the harem, so they had no choice but to seize the opportunity and cause as much trouble as they could.

However, on the other hand, if Emperor Yuanwu had been a little more ambitious and had produced more offspring in his harem, would the Empress Dowager have needed to bring one woman after another into the harem?

The imperial harem already had few children, and even fewer were able to grow up.

Could it be that we really want to watch the royal bloodline end with him and hand over the throne to someone else?
The imperial physician knelt on the ground, and only spoke slowly after the Empress sat up straight, "Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress, Consort Wen is not ill, but rather..."

At this point, Imperial Physician Zhao glanced at the Emperor with lingering fear. Emperor Yuanwu coldly snorted, "Speak!"

"Consort Wen has likely been poisoned. She probably ingested something containing aconite by mistake. Since she didn't eat much, I have already given her acupuncture and medicine. After a few more doses of medicine, she should be fine."

Poisoned!

As soon as those two words were uttered, the entire room fell completely silent amidst a chorus of sighs.

The imperial physicians were also kneeling on the ground, trembling. They had thought it was just something bad to eat, but they never expected it to be poisoning. Now the Imperial Hospital was in big trouble!

He had always heard that the Empress had a lot of influence with Emperor Yuanwu. Now he knew he had made a mistake and that he was to blame. He could only look to Shen Qingwan for help, hoping that when Emperor Yuanwu questioned him, the Empress could say a few good words for him and not punish him too severely.

Shen Qingwan knew what his gaze meant, but she simply turned her face away, showing no intention of meeting it.

She had everything planned out, including dinner, to arrange the menu for the next few days. Now that spring has arrived and the ice on the river has melted, she was thinking about how to modify the menu and add more fish, but then this happened.

Her good mood was ruined. She didn't know how long the commotion would last tonight. If things really escalated, she would have to go to Cining Palace early tomorrow morning to explain to the Empress Dowager in person. How could she possibly have the time to care about other people's business?

"Poisoned?" Emperor Yuanwu's already gloomy face darkened even more instantly.

Poisoning in the imperial harem is no small matter.

Physician Zhao raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead. "Your Majesty, when I was administering acupuncture to Your Highness just now, the silver needle pierced the tiger's mouth, and the needle tip turned black, which is indeed a sign of poisoning."

"What exactly happened? How could someone be poisoned out of nowhere? You..." Emperor Yuanwu shouted, pointing at Consort Xian who was standing to the side.

Consort Xian was so frightened that a chill ran down her spine and her hair stood on end. She gripped the silk hand tightly around the collar of her clothes, her legs went weak with fear. If Xia Mei hadn't caught her, she probably would have knelt on the ground on the spot.

She didn't understand why the Emperor was pointing his finger at her when she hadn't done anything.
Shen Qingwan was also a little curious and looked in the direction Emperor Yuanwu was pointing.

Could it be that Emperor Yuanwu possessed some kind of precognitive ability this time, enabling him to uncover the mastermind behind the scenes so quickly?
Shen Qingwan felt that this matter was not as simple as it seemed!

The color drained from Consort Xian's face at a visible speed, leaving her pale and trembling as she spoke, "Your Majesty..."

"You just said..." Emperor Yuanwu thought for a moment and continued, "When Consort Wen went to your place this afternoon, she was fine. That means that Consort Wen was poisoned after she returned from your place."

Consort Xian: ...

Consort Xian's expression flashed by like a revolving lantern. Could Emperor Yuanwu please stop speaking so breathlessly? She was almost scared out of her wits. She thought that Emperor Yuanwu was going to frame her for a fabricated crime for a mere noble lady.

That really scared her to death!
"Your Majesty," Consort Xian chuckled awkwardly, patting her chest discreetly, "Is this what Your Majesty is referring to? Consort Wen was indeed perfectly fine when she left my residence."