The bright moon hangs high, beckoning him down from his pedestal.

Shen Wangxi's eyes were cold and deep as he stood up and put on his outer robe.

"Wu Tian".

"Your servant is here." Wu Tian bowed and entered.

"Investigate." Shen Wangxi's voice was icy. "Investigate yesterday's Celebration Banquet: the wine I drank, the objects I touched, and all the people who handled them."

"Especially before and after I left my seat to go to the inner palace, was there anything unusual?"

He paused, then added, "It must be done secretly, without alerting anyone, especially the Empress and the Qingyi Palace."

"This servant obeys the decree." Wu Tian's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately took the order and left.

Shen Wangxi stood with his hands behind his back by the window, looking at the gradually brightening sky, his heart filled with mixed feelings.

He both hoped to find out something to prove that his loss of control was for a reason, and he was also vaguely afraid that if someone was really plotting against him, then who would be involved behind the plot?

Meanwhile, at Qingyi Palace.

Shen Qingruo was awakened by Xiao Jiu's urgent voice in her mind.

"Aruo! Aruo! Something terrible has happened! Shen Wangxi has sent people to investigate yesterday's events! He's suspicious!"

Shen Qingruo instantly woke up, all sleepiness gone. She sat up, her heart racing.

"He can't find you." Xiao Jiu's light sphere flickered anxiously. "The system's methods are beyond the comprehension of this world; he absolutely cannot find out the process."

"However, if he can't find out the process, and if he works backward from the result to find that you were the biggest beneficiary, he'll inevitably suspect you!"

Shen Qingruo pursed her lips; she couldn't just sit and wait for her fate.

She acted quickly, "Xiao Jiu, are there any medicinal herbs in this world with similar effects? Those that can cause hallucinations or have aphrodisiac properties?"

"Yes!" Xiao Jiu answered immediately. "There is one of the secret medicines in the former dynasty's palace called Drunken Immortal's Elixir. It is a colorless and odorless powder made from several extremely rare medicinal herbs. Its effect is to induce hallucinations and amplify inner desires."

"The Imperial Medical Academy happens to have some leftovers from the previous dynasty in its storeroom. The Imperial Physician has not yet fully understood them, only knowing that they have hallucinogenic effects."

Shen Qingruo breathed a sigh of relief. "Very good."

"We need to find a suitable scapegoat. Does the Imperial Kitchen have any palace maids who are beautiful, malicious, dishonest, but also good at disguising themselves?"

Xiao Jiu's light sphere flashed rapidly, retrieving information on palace personnel: "Yes! There's an aunt in the Imperial Kitchen named Chun Tao, twenty-eight years old, with a beautiful face, a sweet tongue, and good at getting things done. She secretly harmed two palace maids who were competing with her, but she did it cleanly and wasn't caught."

"She's always wanted to sleep with the emperor, and lately she's been worried about not having a chance to get close to His Majesty!"

Shen Qingruo's tone was icy. "It's her."

"Skillfully steer the clues about Drunken Immortal's Elixir onto her, saying that she took advantage of the chaos of the Thousand Autumn Banquet to put an entire bottle of Drunken Immortal's Elixir in the wine sent to the Taiji Hall, intending to curry favor with the powerful."

"Understood!" Xiao Jiu immediately took action.

-

Taiji Hall, afternoon.

Wu Tian returned with a solemn expression to report, holding several secret reports and an empty small porcelain bottle in his hands.

"Your Majesty, we have found it. This substance is called Drunken Immortal's Elixir. It is a secret medicine from the previous dynasty's palace. The Imperial Medical Academy does have records of it. Its effect is hallucination."

"This empty bottle was found in a hidden compartment in the bedroom of an aunt named Chuntao in the Imperial Kitchen. A young eunuch who was on good terms with her pointed it out, saying that she had been sneaking around the wine being delivered to the Taiji Hall yesterday."

"Chuntao?" Shen Wangxi had no recollection of this name.

"This woman is quite beautiful and ruthless. She has several lives on her hands, but because she is good at scheming, she has never been discovered."

"According to investigations, she has always harbored the intention of currying favor with His Majesty."

Shen Wangxi stared at the empty bottle, his eyes dark and unreadable. It was a whole bottle of top-grade secret medicine from the previous dynasty. No wonder he lost control so completely.

"Execute him." He parted his thin lips slightly, uttering two cold words, "Clean it up."

"Yes," Wu Tian replied, but did not leave immediately. He hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, the properties of that whole bottle of powder are unknown. Mixing it with wine, I wonder if it will harm your health? Should we summon the imperial physician to take your pulse?"

Shen Wangxi wanted to refuse, but he felt no discomfort and even seemed to have more energy than usual.

But just to be on the safe side, he nodded.

The imperial physician was summoned quickly. He cautiously took the patient's pulse, concentrating intently for a long time before finally withdrawing his hand, kneeling and reporting: "Your Majesty's blessings are boundless. I observe that Your Majesty's pulse is strong and powerful, even stronger than before."

"It seems that although the Drunken Immortal's Elixir was a strange drug from the previous dynasty, some of its ingredients were extremely rare and potent. When mixed with wine, it seemed to have produced a miraculous effect by some twist of fate."

The imperial physician blushed and continued, "Furthermore, His Majesty's timely release not only caused no harm but also allowed the essence of the medicine to be absorbed into his body, making His Majesty even more powerful."

Shen Wangxi was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

He recalled the pleasure that almost consumed him that night, and his still energetic state after several times. Hearing the imperial physician's words, most of his doubts disappeared.

It turned out to be the case.

It was the effects of the drug that caused him to lose control so easily.

It was a blessing in disguise, as it actually strengthened him.

He waved away the imperial physician's order, and a weight seemed to lift from his heart.

Qingyi Palace.

Xiao Jiu relayed everything that happened in the Taiji Hall to Shen Qingruo.

"It's all settled, Aruo. That imperial physician is quite imaginative." Xiao Jiu exclaimed excitedly, "Shen Wangxi thinks he's turned misfortune into blessing, that he'll be stronger in the future, and that he'll have an excuse to repay you."

Shen Qingruo slowly exhaled, walked to the window, and looked at the sky dyed by the sunset.

Although it was extremely dangerous, we finally made it through.

Moreover, after this incident, Shen Wangxi had a reasonable explanation for his loss of control last night and would no longer easily doubt her. What remained was guilt, heartache, and longing after having tasted the sweetness of love.

Shen Qingruo gently stroked her lower abdomen.

The Crown Princess? This time, she didn't believe Shen Jingyan could be so lucky.