Returning after a three-year escape from death, the tyrant has turned evil.

Chapter 271 Poisoning
She nodded casually and then picked out some more pastries.

They were all very busy; some were even cutting fruit platters.

The palace maid hesitated for a while, then realized that no one was paying attention to her anymore. She slowly took out a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve, opened the lid, and as she passed by the west side, quickly dripped it into the bayberry drink. Then, she walked over with an air of importance, picked up a bowl, and left carrying a full food box.

After her, palace maids from various palaces came over, some with fruit platters, some with bayberry drinks, and many with snacks.

When Xichun arrived, she was somewhat surprised to see that the bayberry drinks on the table were almost gone: "It seems that all the ladies of the palace like this stuff."

The head eunuch hurriedly stepped forward: "It's been a long time since we've seen Miss Xichun. Don't worry, the one for the Imperial Concubine is kept over there. You can come and get it whenever you want."

Xichun smiled and casually explained, "Your Majesty is pregnant, so I have to go and take care of her. That's why I'm here again."

She didn't say anything more and hurried back to Qingliang Palace, where she found Song Yi standing at the palace gate, looking up at her as if he had been waiting for her to arrive.

Xi Chun found it amusing. Just as she walked up to Song Yi, Song Yi quickly took the food box from her hands: "Jiang Lanye doesn't let me eat too much. I'll eat a little bit before he comes back, and then I'll tell him I haven't eaten yet when he arrives."

Actually, it's fine to eat something cold when it's hot, it's just that Jiang Lanye gets nervous too easily, so he's a bit strict with her.

Hearing Song Yi say this, Xi Chun just smiled.

As she watched Song Yi bring out the food, she suddenly remembered something.

"By the way, Your Majesty."

"Ok?"

"The drug test hasn't been done yet."

Every dish of food sent to Qingliang Palace had to be tested for poison first. At first, Song Yi was not used to it, but he got used to it over time.

Song Yi was taken aback. "Yes, I had forgotten."

"This servant will go and get the silver needles."

So Song Yi sat there and waited.

She had been here for so long and had never seen a silver needle turn black. She knew Xichun was being cautious, just in case something really went wrong.
A moment later, Xichun returned.

As she inserted the silver needle, she smiled and said to Song Yi, "Your Majesty, you seem even more greedy than before. In just this short while, your mouth is already watering."

Song Yi touched her belly and immediately shifted the blame: "It has nothing to do with me, it's the little one in my belly causing trouble."

Xi Chun said helplessly, "Alright, Your Majesty, wait!"

Just as Song Yi reached out to pick up the bowl, Xi Chun startled him so much that he trembled all over.

"what happened?"

Xi Chun's face turned deathly pale instantly. When Song Yi looked closely, the tip of the silver needle in her hand was strangely bluish-black.

"Snapped!"

Startled, the bowl shattered on the ground, splashing red soup that stained Song Yi's skirt.

Just as Jiang Lanye reached the door, he heard the crisp sound of bowls and plates shattering. He frowned slightly and strode inside.

"Yiyi, what's wrong?"

He glanced at the mess on the ground and noticed that Song Yi looked dazed, as if she hadn't come to her senses yet.

Xi Chun quickly turned around and knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty, the bayberry drink that the Empress wanted to drink is poisoned!"

Jiang Lanye's heart sank suddenly, as if he had lost his weight. He quickly walked to Song Yi, reached out and pinched her chin, extremely nervous: "Did you drink it?"

Song Yi shook her head, her gaze finally focusing. She looked at Jiang Lanye and quickly hugged him.

She held him tightly, and if you listened closely, you could hear her voice trembling: "I almost drank it right away." Jiang Lanye's large, warm palms were pressed tightly against her back, and for a moment he couldn't tell whether he was trembling or Song Yi was trembling.

If Song Yi had really drunk it, when he came back, would he have seen Song Yi lying on the ground?
He didn't even dare to think about it.

Hearing the commotion outside, Eunuch Cao came in and saw that Xichun also looked distraught. He asked anxiously, "What happened?"

"Someone wants to harm the Empress."

Jiang Lanye pursed his lips and hugged Song Yi tightly: "Call the imperial physician over and find out what kind of poison is in here."

"Yes!"

Eunuch Cao was also quite frightened and hurried away.

This is the Qingliang Palace; someone dares to use poison right under His Majesty's nose.

Song Yi pressed her face against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, and felt her emotions gradually calm down. She pulled away slightly and whispered, "I'll never dare to be greedy again. If Xichun hadn't reminded me that we hadn't tested for poison, who would have thought that this time there would be poison? There wasn't any poison before."

Jiang Lanye didn't want to say too much right now, lest he frighten her again.

But it's clear that some people couldn't sit still after seeing that she was pregnant.

"I will investigate and leave it to me."

Song Yi nodded slightly.

After a while, two imperial physicians arrived.

They looked at the spilled bayberry juice on the ground, their eyelids twitched, they picked up a handkerchief, dipped it in some juice, and sniffed it.

"Your Majesty, this substance should be aconitine. Ordinary people who take it are prone to palpitations and fainting, often misdiagnosed as suffering from heatstroke. If a pregnant woman takes too much, she may bleed and miscarry within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

After saying that, they looked at Song Yi and breathed a sigh of relief when they found that Song Yi was still standing there unharmed.

"This stuff has a very faint taste, and ordinary people can't smell it, let alone mix it into this bayberry drink. Fortunately, Her Majesty didn't drink it."

Jiang Lanye's eyes were unusually cold: "Aconitine? Your Imperial Hospital should have this."

The two men were taken aback, realizing that Jiang Lanye suspected them, the imperial physicians. They quickly knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Hospital takes stock of the medicinal herbs every day. It keeps a clear record of what is missing, how much is missing, and what it is used for. Moreover, almost no one has gone to the Imperial Hospital these past two days."

Jiang Lanye closed his eyes and took a deep breath: "So, it wasn't taken from your Imperial Hospital."

"Probably not."

Seeing this, Eunuch Cao cautiously approached and asked, "Your Majesty, shall we summon the people from the Imperial Kitchen?"

Jiang Lanye kicked over the stool in front of him, startling everyone.

“Of course.” His voice was terribly soft. “Investigate every inch of it for me.”

Song Yi had just been frightened, and now Jiang Lanye held her in his arms, constantly comforting her.

She hadn't eaten lunch, and although she was hungry, she didn't dare to eat anything. Looking at the plate of snacks that Xichun brought over, she shrank back a little.

Xichun quickly said, "Your Highness, I just tested the poison, and it's fine."

Jiang Lanye looked at her with concern: "Aren't you afraid to eat it?"

She nodded without saying a word, but simply tugged at Jiang Lanye's clothes.

As a modern person, she had never seen anything like this before. She only knew about things like sleeping pills, never imagining that there were such poisonous substances.

Jiang Lanye remained silent for a moment, then suddenly reached out, picked up a piece of pastry, and put it in his mouth.

(End of this chapter)