That Imperial Concubine is both wicked and cunning! Your Majesty, wake up!

With a smile that she could hardly hide, the Empress turned to Xiao Yan and said, "I think Consort Song seems to be pregnant."

Emperor Xiao Yan twirled the jade thumb ring in his hand, his expression indifferent, not even lifting his eyelids.

Because he knew it was impossible; Song Shuangning had been drinking contraceptive medicine and wouldn't get pregnant.

Song Shuangning clutched her clothes, gasping for breath as if she couldn't catch her breath. She said intermittently that her hands and feet felt numb and weak, and her chest felt tight and suffocating. In the end, she couldn't even speak a complete sentence.

She didn't look pregnant at all; she looked more like she had been poisoned. Only then did the people in the hall belatedly realize what was happening.

Xiao Yan's face was frighteningly dark. Without saying a word, he bent down, picked her up, and strode towards the side hall. "Go and urge the imperial physician again."

A quarter of an hour later, Physician Zhang rushed over. Before he could even bow, Xiao Yan urged him sternly, "Go and examine Consort Song's pulse first."

Physician Zhang dared not delay. He had barely taken Song Shuangning's pulse when his expression suddenly changed drastically. He looked up sharply at Xiao Yan and exclaimed, "Your Majesty, the young lady has been poisoned! It's aconite poison! This poison is extremely dangerous. Fortunately, the young lady hasn't been exposed to it much, otherwise her life would be in danger. We must detoxify her immediately, or things will change."

Everyone in the palace knows how toxic aconite is. It's notoriously poisonous, and you can't touch it at all.

Even a tiny bit can cause dizziness, palpitations, and numbness in the limbs; if there's too much, even a miracle wouldn't be able to save you.

"Aconite poisoning requires a concentrated decoction made from licorice and mung beans, which can be administered orally to slow the spread of the poison. Honeysuckle and Coptis can then be used as antidotes," said Physician Zhang.

"Hurry and make preparations. I want Consort Song to be safe and sound."

Get things settled here.

The Empress turned to Imperial Physician Zhang and pressed, "How could Consort Song have been poisoned by aconite when she was perfectly fine?"

Imperial Physician Zhang bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, to find out the cause of the poisoning, we must examine Consort Song's daily life, diet, and frequently used items to see if they have come into contact with any poison."

Tingyu immediately said, "Imperial Physician, why don't you take a look at the young lady's clothes first?"

Physician Zhang held the clothes and sniffed them: "Yes, this garment not only has the fragrance of acacia, saffron, but also aconite."

Consort Rong was puzzled. She had only instructed people to fumigate the clothes of Song Shuangning with acacia incense, but had never overlooked the poison of aconite. Where did this poison come from?

Xiao Yan's expression darkened, and his gaze seemed to sweep over Consort Rongxian almost imperceptibly.

Consort Rong lowered her head guiltily, her heart pounding wildly: What does the Emperor know?

Although Qiu Baolin was terrified, she still mustered her courage and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty the Empress, Sister Song would never harm Consort Shu and the imperial heir. Sister Song has already been poisoned...this must be someone's doing..."

Consort De continued, "Someone wants to get rid of Consort Shu's unborn child and Consort Song, killing two birds with one stone."

Xiao Yan said, "Take the people from the Imperial Wardrobe Bureau in for questioning."

A moment later, Li Fuquan led two eunuchs in hurriedly. "Your Majesty, this servant has discovered these unusual soils in the courtyard of Zhaoyang Palace. They don't look like ordinary potting soil."

Physician Zhang examined the soil carefully and then smelled it closely.

"Your Majesty, if you want to determine whether this soil is mixed with acacia and saffron, I have a method. Just prick the soil with a silver needle. If the silver needle turns red, it means that these two things are indeed present."

Upon hearing this, Consort Rong lifted her skirt and knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, do you truly doubt me?"

Xiao Yan's eyes were deep and his tone was calm and indifferent: "Xian Ning, whether you did this or not can be found out with a simple examination. If you did not, your innocence will be cleared."

The Empress said gently, "Consort Rongxian, I know you are wronged, but this concerns the imperial heir and the peace of the harem, so I will have to trouble you."

The moment the silver needle pierced the soil, its tip turned a dark red.

Holding the silver needles, Physician Zhang bowed to the Emperor and explained, "Your Majesty, both acacia incense and saffron are warm in nature. Saffron contains 'blood-activating essence,' and acacia incense, when burned for a long time, will solidify into 'fragrant resin.' When the two are mixed, their aroma will repel the silver, causing the silver needles to turn dark red."

The hall erupted in chaos, with whispers filling the air.

Xiao Yan's cold, imperial majesty instantly spread out, making the atmosphere in the hall somewhat stagnant.

Xiao Yan shook his head in disappointment at Consort Rong: "Do you have anything else to say?"

Consort Rong looked at the reddened silver needle, her hand that had been clutching the handkerchief fell limply, and her voice trembled slightly.

"Your Majesty, someone must be framing me. I am innocent!"

"Enough!" Xiao Yan smashed a teacup, interrupting Consort Xian's sobbing. His voice was completely calm, yet it seemed to carry a chilling coldness.

"Zhaoyang Palace is your place, yet you still claim you've been wronged."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Fuquan led his men in hastily, bowing and reporting, "Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress, the palace maid in charge of managing Consort Song's clothes in the Imperial Wardrobe has committed suicide!"

Consort Rong shuddered, her nails digging into her palms, her fists clenched tightly.

Even though the palace maid committed suicide, leaving no witnesses, the cause and effect of the matter are still clear.

Consort Rong bribed a palace maid in the Imperial Wardrobe to smear aphrodisiac on Consort Song's clothes and secretly add aconite. In this way, she could frame Consort Song for Consort Shu's bleeding and also quietly put her to death.

The real reason Consort Shu started bleeding was Consort Rongxian's aphrodisiac.

Xiao Yan said, "Consort Rongxian, you have disappointed me greatly. You are not worthy of the name Ronghexian at all."

Consort Rong collapsed to the ground, tears welling in her eyes: "Your Majesty..."

"Effective immediately, strip them of their titles, abolish their positions as four consorts, and send them back to Zhaoyang Palace to be confined."

Consort Rongxian, no, now Consort Su, was weeping with tears streaming down her face.

With a complicated expression, the Empress served Xiao Yan a cup of tea. "Your Majesty, please calm down."

Her gaze then swept over the concubines in the hall, whose expressions varied, and her voice was steady and powerful: "Today's events should serve as a warning to you all. In the harem, harmony should be the most valued virtue. If anyone dares to frame another in secret, I will not tolerate it and will punish them severely according to the palace rules."

Xiao Yan stood up: "I'll go see Consort Song."

In the side hall, Song Shuangning had woken up after being given the two bowls of antidote. Tingyu told her about the Empress's treatment.

She pursed her lips indifferently. Simply stripping her of her title and abolishing the title of Consort Four was far too simplistic. This also showed that Consort Su was not someone who could be easily brought down. The Emperor had always shown her a level of tolerance and consideration that others could not match.

She wasn't actually poisoned by aconite at all; this was just her turning the tables on her and using a trick against her.

First, feign being poisoned by Consort Su's aphrodisiac incense, then secretly administer a non-lethal but aconite-like poison to yourself. This will both bring the truth to light and evoke the Emperor's guilt.

The Emperor clearly said he would protect her, but she has been ambushed time and time again. When the Emperor arrives, she will definitely play the victim.

She wanted to make good use of this guilt, to make it an indelible concern in the Emperor's heart, so that no one would dare to touch her easily in the future.

Steady footsteps echoed inside the hall. Song Shuangning propped herself up, and Xiao Yan quickly got up, supporting her shoulders: "Lie down quickly, you're still weak."

Song Shuangning shook her head. She propped herself up and knelt on the bed, weak from her injuries. "Your Majesty, please stop favoring me. I'm so scared. I really thought I was going to..."

Xiao Yan's face darkened, but seeing her weak appearance, his tone softened: "Do you know what you're saying?"