CHAPTER 239: CHAPTER 239 UNDERSTANDING

Taihe Palace.

The Emperor lay on the Dragon Couch to recuperate.

He felt uncomfortable all over.

Although he was previously stung by a wasp, the injury was only on his buttocks, and his upper body could still move.

Now his back was severely injured, and his arms were in pain.

Any movement caused him to inhale sharply from the pain.

The Emperor needed to rest quietly, and with his foul mood, no one dared to disturb him.

Even the Empress wanting to confess was stopped outside the hall.

"Empress, please return; the Emperor will not see anyone," the eunuch said.

"Go inform the Emperor that I am here to confess," the Empress said with a cold face.

Unwilling to admit her mistake in the first place, being blocked outside the hall made the Empress quite displeased.

The eunuch hesitated for a moment and then turned to report.

The Emperor frowned, "Admitting a mistake?"

He recalled the Marquis Dongxiang’s confession.

Although Su Jin saved him, the Marquis Dongxiang’s mistake could not simply be overlooked, not something that could be offset by saying ’balancing merits and faults’.

The Emperor had not yet decided how to deal with the Marquis Dongxiang, and now the Empress came to confess.

The Emperor wasn’t keen on seeing the Empress, but he was curious about what mistake she had committed.

For her to admit a mistake willingly, it was certainly no trivial matter.

"Let the Empress come in," the Emperor said.

"Yes."

The eunuch went out to allow passage.

The Empress entered and directly kneeled before the Emperor, "Your Majesty, I am guilty; please punish me."

The Emperor frowned, "What happened?"

"You instructed me to reward the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion, and I selected many rewards, sending Mr. Huang to Duke Zhen Country Mansion," the Empress said.

"But I did not expect Mr. Huang to put poison in the pastries."

"I failed to manage my subordinates properly, please punish me."

Failing to manage subordinates is likely the most common scapegoat in the Imperial Palace.

Every year, countless palace attendants die for these four words.

How could the Emperor be fooled by the Empress’s ’sincere’ confession?

The Emperor moved slightly, and the pain made him inhale sharply.

Eunuch Fu said, "Your Majesty, be careful of your dragon body."

Eunuch Fu was diligent and responsible.

Despite his own injuries, the Emperor asked him to rest, but Eunuch Fu insisted on staying by the Emperor’s side.

He was stubborn, and the Emperor just let him be.

The Emperor lay back down properly.

His brow furrowed tightly.

"Who is the unlucky one this time?" the Emperor asked, turning his head.

The Empress, "..."

Eunuch Fu, "..."

The words were too piercing.

The Empress clenched her hands tightly under her phoenix robe, "The Old Madam of Duke Zhen, Princess Nanzhang, the Second Madam, the Third Madam, and several young masters and ladies were all unlucky."

The Emperor, "..."

Eunuch Fu, "..."

This was beyond bad luck.

Duke Zhen Mansion practically suffered a full-blown defeat.

Outside, a little eunuch came and said, "Your Majesty, Doctor Liu requests an audience; he just returned from Duke Zhen Mansion."

"Let him in."

The Empress was also anxious to know Princess Nanzhang’s condition.

Doctor Liu entered and saw the Empress kneeling on the ground.

Knowing the pastries were rewarded by the Empress, Doctor Liu guessed the poison in them was also linked to her.

The Emperor cherished the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion so much, how could he not investigate?

"How is the Old Madam of Duke Zhen?" the Empress asked with concern.

"The laxative in the pastries was too strong; I could only prescribe some antidiarrheal medicine, but the effect is minimal," Doctor Liu said truthfully.

"That serious?" the Emperor said.

Doctor Liu quickly knelt and said, "It’s my incompetence, unable to help."

"Get up, I believe you’ve done your best," the Emperor said.

The Old Madam of Duke Zhen had a good relationship with the Empress Dowager.

The imperial physicians in the palace, whether for the Empress Dowager’s or Duke Zhen’s sake, would spare no effort.

The Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion had remarkable medical skills.

Poisoning the pastries—

Was that not giving her the solution instead?

The Emperor knew in his heart but still asked, "The Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion is alright, isn’t she?"

Doctor Liu shook his head, "She didn’t eat the pastries."

After a pause, Doctor Liu added, "The Young Master Xie of Duke Zhen Mansion ate quite a lot."

The Emperor, "..."

Eunuch Fu, "..."

The Empress felt a sense of relief.

Though that female bandit wasn’t caught, Young Master Xie’s misfortune was satisfactory enough.

"Is Young Master Xie alright?" Eunuch Fu asked with concern.

"He’s fine from eating the pastries," Doctor Liu shook his head.

"But knowing the pastries were poisoned, he still ate several pieces in front of me."

"He even said he could digest a bit of laxative," Doctor Liu expressed concern.

The Emperor, "..."

Eunuch Fu, "..."

"His digestion is truly impressive," the Emperor commented with a strained face.

Doctor Liu, "..."

The Emperor.

Young Master Xie was making light of his suffering.

He might be tormented by poison to the point of despair, wishing not to live.

Thinking of Young Master Xie’s situation evoked sympathy in Doctor Liu.

On the way back to the palace, Doctor Liu pondered for a long time.

He understood Young Master Xie’s actions.

The poison in his body tormented him for six years, driving him to extreme hatred.

Now, there was finally a slight advantage, which was using poison to counteract poison, rendering the laxative ineffective.

After learning that others had diarrhea, Young Master Xie took pleasure in deliberately eating more to provoke others, using their anger to vent his dissatisfaction.

He ate the pastries in the study, unbeknownst to others.

Doctor Liu thought it was meant for him to witness.

To be conveyed through his mouth into the palace, reaching the ears of the one who poisoned them.

Doctor Liu glanced sideways at the Empress with the corner of his eye.

Young Master Xie could digest the laxative, but the Empress seemed unable to digest this matter, her face looking as if constipated.

"Where is the one who poisoned them?" the Emperor asked.

The Empress’s body stiffened, "Mr. Huang escaped."

The Emperor’s expression darkened, "Escaped?!"

"He truly escaped; the eunuch who went with him to deliver the edict searched for him for a long time and couldn’t find him," the Empress said.

This was indeed true.

But the Emperor didn’t believe it at all.

In the Imperial Palace, you can’t find someone this loyal and devoted.

A eunuch, living well in the palace, to go poison someone for the Empress’s sake and then live a life on the run, what’s in it for him?

Failing to manage his subordinates, committing a major blunder, and still trying to deceive him, the Emperor.

The Emperor’s face was icy as he scolded, "The Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion just saved me today, and the reward from the palace nearly cost her half her life. If word gets out, who would dare save me?!"

"The eunuch sent by the Empress to deliver the edict, for personal vendetta, nearly put me in an ungracious position!"

"Relying on such an idiot, how can ’failing to manage subordinates’ excuse it?!"

"Considering you confessed of your own accord, I’ll let it slide; just copy the palace rules a hundred more times!"

The Empress’s face turned pale.

"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong!" the Empress cried.

"Withdraw."

The Empress clenched her fists, biting her lips tightly until the taste of blood filled her mouth before she finally released them.

The Empress bowed and withdrew.

After the Empress left, Eunuch Fu looked at the Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, although the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion was not unfortunate, someone tried to harm her. With her personality, she certainly won’t turn a blind eye and let it go."

The Emperor’s mouth twitched.

He already knew that she was skilled in medicine.

Knowing the pastries were poisoned and still served them to the Old Madam, that was not filial.

"This time, it might take quite a reward to quell this matter," Eunuch Fu said worriedly.

"This time, she will not enter the palace to file a complaint," the Emperor said confidently.

"Your Majesty, you don’t understand her," Eunuch Fu blurted out.

The Emperor gave him a sideways glance.

Eunuch Fu’s smile vanished.

Lifting his hand, he silently slapped his own mouth.

The next day.

The Emperor was having breakfast.

The eunuch entered and said, "Your Majesty, the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion requests an audience, asking you to make a decision for her."

Cough cough!

The Emperor choked on his congee.

And he choked quite badly.

The wound on his back split open from the strain.

The Emperor, "..."

"Your Majesty, are you alright? Shall I call for the imperial physician?" Eunuch Fu asked urgently.

"Let the Eldest Young Madam of Duke Zhen’s Mansion come in to dress my wounds," the Emperor said sullenly.

Eunuch Fu, "..."