You take on two husbands, I'll turn around and marry the tyrant and rule the world.

Right now, besides herself, Lan Bing, the victim Gu Qingmei, and her, the only other person present is her.

Although Chu Nianci wasn't entirely certain, all the suspicions pointed to Bai Qianrou, and she was 90% sure it was her.

Seeing that Gu Qingmei's expression gradually softened and her breathing became steady, Chu Nianci finally felt relieved.

In this life, I finally escaped this deadly calamity.

As long as Gu Qingmei is safe and sound, Bing'er and I still have a glimmer of hope.

A hint of coldness flashed in her eyes. The seemingly innocent and kind "Imperial Concubine" from her previous life was truly a master of deception.

You can't judge a book by its cover, and you can't measure the sea with a bushel.

At this moment, the garden was in complete chaos.

"Who can help me?" Chu Nianci asked, glancing at the still weak Gu Qingmei.

They couldn't lift it up by themselves and needed to find someone to help. However, the young women were still in shock. Some huddled together and whispered among themselves, some sobbed quietly, and a few even tried to run away in a panic. The situation was difficult to manage and no one was willing to help.

Seeing this, Shen Lanbing suppressed her panic and came to help.

With a glance at the chaotic crowd, Chu Nianci composed herself and raised her voice, "Don't panic, everyone. Watch your step. Even if there are poisonous insects, they're just insects. There's nothing to be afraid of. If you see them, stomp on them as hard as you can."

A clear and calm voice instantly drowned out the noise and chaos.

The crowd gradually calmed down.

Chu Nianci turned to Shen Lanbing: "Bing'er, let's help Miss Gu to the side hall over there. You look after her while I go and fetch Aunt Lan and the imperial physician."

Although Shen Lanbing was also frightened and turned pale, she was infected by Chu Nianci's calmness and quickly regained her composure.

She carefully helped Gu Qingmei up as instructed, cautiously watching the ground, and the two moved towards the nearby side hall.

After settling Gu Qingmei in, Chu Nianci turned and hurried off to find Aunt Lan.

Soon, Aunt Lan arrived with her entourage. Upon seeing that the person lying on the ground was none other than the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, she panicked and cried out, "Quickly, quickly fetch the imperial physician! Send someone inside to inform the eunuch of the good news! Consort Chu, take the women and leave!"

Chu Nianci nodded and led the ladies-in-waiting away in an orderly fashion.

She commanded with composure and became the backbone that everyone relied on.

"His Majesty has arrived..." the eunuch's announcement suddenly rang out.

Chu Nianci's heart skipped a beat; sure enough, Duanmu Qingyu had come in person.

The young women were leaving in a noisy commotion.

The crowd fell silent instantly, then retreated to the side of the road without a care in the world, kneeling down in unison.

A figure in a bright yellow robe fluttered past.

The bolder young ladies couldn't help but secretly glance upwards... and upon seeing this, they were all stunned, their eyes seemingly glued to the top, unable to look away.

Chu Nianci saw that the young emperor did not stop walking and went straight towards the side hall where Gu Qingmei was.

He walked with a gust of wind, and the golden patterns on his dark robe flashed like light.

Bai Qianrou and Shen Lanbing were initially taken aback by the sudden arrival and were somewhat bewildered, but they instinctively knelt down with the others.

But when they stood up and looked up, Duanmu Qingyu was walking right in front of them, only two or three zhang away.

So close that you could see the faint glow of the gemstones on his jade tassels.

They saw it clearly, everyone saw it clearly: Duanmu Qingyu's face was like that of a celestial being.

His long, arched eyebrows, deep phoenix eyes, and overall aura of cold indifference that belies his long-held position of power.

It has been branded into the eyes and hearts of all those who secretly watch, like a brand that was unexpectedly burned into them.

The panic, fear, and chaos in the garden were instantly swept away by this invisible pressure, leaving only a breathless, speechless shock.

Bai Qianrou and Shen Lanbing were initially terrified, their hearts pounding.

But now that he could see the emperor's face clearly, the restlessness in his chest strangely disappeared, replaced by a vast emptiness of silence and tranquility.

In this silence.

They suddenly realized that they had just been complimenting each other's appearances, which suddenly seemed extremely ridiculous.

What beauty could rival the most exquisite and refined? All pale in comparison to the overwhelming beauty of His Majesty.

With such a peerless emperor right before their eyes, almost every young lady present looked on with admiration... Even if they couldn't be chosen as concubines, just staying in the palace as a maid by his side would be enough to make their lives worthwhile.

Chu Nianci knelt quietly in the crowd, and couldn't help but sigh softly in her heart.

It's truly a case of "meeting Duanmu once and being doomed for life."

Those ladies who saw him today, if they are not chosen, will likely have their hearts broken when they return home.

Duanmu Qingyu walked to the side of the unconscious Gu Qingmei, then suddenly stopped, his long eyebrows furrowing slightly, as if he had smelled a bloody scent.

"Your Majesty, be careful, there is blood on the ground," Jingxi whispered a reminder.

Duanmu Qingyu then stopped approaching and simply stood there watching quietly.

Jingxi quickly walked to Gu Qingmei's side, examined her for a moment, and then turned back to report: "Your Majesty, Miss Gu has been poisoned."

The surroundings were completely silent; the young women dared not utter a sound.

Chu Nianci quickly looked up and glanced at him, noticing that his long, dark eyebrows were tightly furrowed on his jade-like, radiant cheeks, and his eyes held a look of shock, worry, and slight nausea.

Considering his behavior of having someone place a fox fur cushion under his seat when they first met, and his habit of bringing his own cups and saucers when traveling, this is consistent with his actions.

All of this indicates that he has severe obsessive-compulsive disorder related to cleanliness, which leads him to abhor all contact with others.

Chu Nianci suddenly thought of an inopportune question.

How did His Majesty and the Empress consummate their marriage?

As she thought about it, the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up slightly.

Sure enough, the next moment, Duanmu Qingyu frowned, "I feel like vomiting..." He only had time to say this before covering his mouth and nose.

Chu Nianci cleverly knelt forward and offered her her mint sachet: "Your Majesty, please smell this; it can suppress nausea and dizziness."

Duanmu Qingyu was about to reprimand this audacious palace maid.

Suddenly, I caught a whiff of a refreshing fragrance, and immediately felt much more refreshed.

He glanced at Chu Nianci, then turned and walked straight to the pavilion.

Then, with a wave of his hand, the palace servants immediately led all the women away from the scene.

Chu Nianci turned around as well, but Duanmu Qingyu's clear voice came from behind her: "You may stay here."

She breathed a sigh of relief and stood to the side with her head down.

"Summon the imperial physician and call the people from the Imperial Household Department," Duanmu Qingyu ordered.

A young eunuch hurriedly accepted the order and left.

About an incense stick later, only a very young imperial physician arrived, carrying a medicine box and hurriedly kneeling down to pay his respects.

"What happened?" Duanmu Qingyu's expression darkened slightly. "Where are the three imperial physicians in the palace?"

The young imperial physician was so frightened that he kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty... Physician Zhang has fallen ill, Physician Xu went to the Prime Minister's residence to consult on his case, and Physician Liu was summoned back to the Earl's residence by Imperial Physician Lin, who said that the Dowager's old illness had relapsed..."

Upon hearing this, Chu Nianci's heart stirred slightly.

The Imperial Physician was Lin Jingrui, who knew that Madam Xie was ill.

But I didn't expect him to be so bold.

She dared to arbitrarily summon the imperial physician to her home to treat her, especially on such an important day as the imperial concubine selection.

"Absurd!" Duanmu Qingyu's voice turned cold. "Today is the imperial concubine selection, and there isn't a single imperial physician on duty in the palace? Immediately go and invite Physician Zhang back, and summon Imperial Physician Lin to the palace. Make him kneel down at the Lizheng Gate."

No wonder he was furious... The imperial concubine selection was such a major event, yet all three imperial physicians were absent; this was far too irresponsible.

Based on her memories from her previous life, Chu Nianci knew very well.

Lin Jingrui is absolutely involved in this matter.

According to palace rules, the three imperial physicians must take turns on duty, and the Imperial Hospital must always have one official imperial physician on duty at all times.

Those newly arrived junior imperial physicians are not up to the task of filling this vacancy.

Arranging the rotation of imperial physicians in a reasonable manner was precisely the duty of Lin Jingrui, the Imperial Physician.

But today, on such a big occasion as the talent show, not only did he fail to arrange the duty shifts properly, he also dared to call the on-duty physician Liu back to the Earl's residence to treat his mother, Madam Xie.

This is simply compounding the error.

Neglecting his duties and secretly summoning imperial physicians—either one of these offenses is enough to get him into serious trouble.

The young imperial physician cautiously moved to Gu Qingmei's side, checked her pulse, and examined the treated wound on her calf before reporting, "Your Majesty, Miss Gu has indeed been poisoned by scorpion, but fortunately, most of the venomous blood has been drawn out, so her life should be safe."

"If she's alright, why isn't she awake yet?" Duanmu Qingyu looked at Gu Qingmei, who was still unconscious. Her complexion had improved, but a faint red rash had appeared on her face.

His tone turned stern: "Find Physician Liu immediately. This matter concerns the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. We must spare no effort to ensure Miss Gu's safety."

Gu Qingmei was quickly carried to the warm pavilion, and the surroundings immediately fell silent.

Chu Nianci quietly raised her eyes to look at Duanmu Qingyu.

Even though he was anxious, his phoenix eyes showed no emotion. In his previous life, he actually valued the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion highly and always used its power to counterbalance the Grand Commandant.

If Chu Nianci hadn't been reborn, she would never have connected these details together.

After waiting for the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn, Physician Zhang finally arrived in a hurry.

He bowed and hurried into the inner room to check.

Before long, the elderly imperial physician with gray hair came out to report: "Your Majesty, rest assured, the poison has been neutralized, and Miss Gu's life is not in danger."

"Then why is her face covered in red rashes?"

"This is caused by the toxicity spreading to the skin surface. If you take the medication on time, it will subside in a few days."

Duanmu Qingyu's expression softened slightly, and he immediately began to investigate the cause.

Upon learning that Bai Qianrou, Shen Lanbing, and Chu Nianci were present when the incident occurred, they first summoned Bai Qianrou for questioning.

Unexpectedly, Bai Qianrou was still in a daze of "His Majesty actually asking me a question in person," her pink lips trembled slightly, and she couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

Duanmu Qingyu turned his gaze and saw that Chu Nianci's expression was calm, so he called her name.

Chu Nianci stepped forward and kowtowed, recounting the events concisely and clearly without embellishment.

He only mentioned that he helped Gu Qingmei suck out the poison, omitting the fact that he fed her antidote pills.

She didn't want to stand out too much and let people know that she was an expert in medicine.

"Who is in charge here?" Duanmu Qingyu asked.

"Yes, it's your servant." Aunt Lan hurriedly knelt down, her face pale, but she still responded calmly.

She secretly wiped away a bead of sweat; if Gu Qingmei really got into trouble, her own life would probably be in danger as well.

"How do you explain the appearance of highly poisonous insects in the selection hall?"

Aunt Lan kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty, please understand! It is the dead of winter, and snakes and insects are unlikely to survive. Moreover, I ordered people to sprinkle insect repellent powder three days ago, and we have been clearing weeds from the pavilions these past few days... The appearance of these poisonous insects is truly strange!"

"What about the poisonous insects?"

"The poisonous insect is dead," Chu Nianci said calmly, bowing with dignified composure. "It's right below the steps."