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

Things suddenly took a sharp turn for the worse.

Two key witnesses died instantly, leaving no way to corroborate their stories.

Now, two more concubines have collapsed from poisoning on the spot.

The Empress is indeed shrewd; she even arranged this backup plan.

Chu Nianci felt a sudden rush of cold sweat break out on his back, instantly soaking his inner shirt.

Ignoring her shock and panic, she rushed forward and caught the collapsed Shen Lanbing before Hongying could reach her: "Bing'er, what's wrong?"

Before she could finish speaking, Consort Jia collapsed to the side.

Consort Jia's grandfather was the Duke of Zhenguo, a general who followed the late emperor in his campaigns to pacify the country. He was highly respected among military generals, and in some aspects, his influence and influence had even surpassed that of the Grand Commandant and the Prime Minister.

To put it bluntly, the stability of this half of the country is inseparable from the support of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, and even part of the defense of the capital region was once managed by his sons.

If anything were to happen to her in Tangdi Palace, the consequences would be unimaginable.

The emperor and empress both stood up in shock.

Chu Nianci remained relatively calm. While having the palace servants help the two women to the bed, he reached out and took their pulses.

Bing'er's pulse was rapid and erratic, like a taut, about-to-break string.

Consort Jia fared slightly better.

The two were clearly showing signs of acute poisoning affecting their heart vessels... It was Hanshisan (a traditional Chinese medicine).

This drug, when taken in small doses, can cause euphoria and a feeling of lightheadedness; however, when taken in excess, it becomes a deadly poison.

At this moment, Bing'er's face was pale and her breath was weak; she was on the verge of death. Consort Jia's beautiful face was also flushed with pain.

In the Imperial Medical Academy, only Physician Zhang possessed the most exquisite medical skills, but unfortunately, he was not on duty today.

Chu Nianci dared not entrust their lives to the other imperial physicians.

If we were to summon them now, I fear that before they even arrive, Bing'er and Consort Jia would be beyond saving.

"Tuanyuan, go to the leftmost drawer of my dressing table and get that set of gold needles!" Chu Nianci said urgently without turning her head.

"How dare you!" Empress Lin's sharp voice suddenly rang out, her gaze as sharp as a knife as she looked at Chu Nianci. "You are not a royal physician. Who gave you permission to administer acupuncture without authorization? Now that you've come this far, why don't you confess the truth? Are you trying to harm someone?"

After saying that, she gestured to her head maid, Xia Dong, to step forward and stop her.

Tuanyuan and Hongying immediately stepped to the side, firmly blocking Xia Dong's path, forming a silent human wall.

Empress Lin turned to Duanmu Qingyu, her voice urgent: "Your Majesty, Consort Jia's life is at stake. How can we allow Consort Hui to act recklessly? We should summon the imperial physician immediately!"

Duanmu Qingyu stood with his hands behind his back, his face calm, but his eyes were like a bottomless pool.

He did not respond to the Empress immediately, his gaze sweeping over Chu Nianci's profile, which was calm yet anxious.

He recalled the skillful and precise techniques she used to alleviate his heart ailment.

"I grant you permission to use acupuncture," he finally spoke, his voice low but filled with trust. "Jingxi, go and fetch Physician Zhang immediately, and be quick."

The color drained from Empress Lin's face instantly, leaving her deathly pale.

She looked at the emperor in disbelief...

They had no idea about Chu Nianci's medical skills.

This is why Empress Lin was even more shocked.

Of course, her jealousy was different from Consort Shu's romantic feelings.

What she resented was Duanmu Qingyu's public defense of her, which humiliated her.

Once again, he publicly sided with Chu Nianci!

A chilling sensation, a mixture of humiliation, jealousy, and icy coldness, gripped her heart.

He slumped onto the phoenix chair, looking dejected.

Consort Shu was already filled with hatred and jealousy, but seeing her like this, a sense of pleasure rose on her face.

She wasn't stupid, and naturally she understood the key point: the Empress wanted to get rid of Consort Hui.

Considering she had just spoken up for him, he decided not to kick her while she was down.

And they sat aside and watched them fight like the snipe and the clam.

Having received confirmation, Chu Nianci no longer hesitated.

Tuanyuan quickly retrieved the needle pouch.

She picked up a slender gold needle, quickly scorched it over a candle flame, her gaze focused, and her movements were lightning fast as she pierced several important acupoints on Bing'er and Jiafei's bodies to detoxify them.

The steadiness of his technique and the accuracy of his acupoint selection secretly startled even the palace maid who had some medical knowledge.

After a short while, Shen Lanbing's breathing returned to normal.

His tightly furrowed brows seemed to relax, but he was still unconscious due to the deep poisoning.

Consort Jia's pale complexion slowly returned to normal, her tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, a soft groan escaped her throat, her eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly woke up.

"She's awake! Consort Jia is awake!" Saoxue cried tears of joy.

With the help of another palace maid, they quickly and carefully helped Consort Jia to lie down on a soft couch.

Duanmu Qingyu also moved to sit down by the couch. Everyone held their breath and gathered around her. For a moment, only Consort Jia's slightly heavy breathing could be heard in the hall.

After about the time it takes to drink two cups of tea, Consort Jia's breathing gradually became even.

Jingxi also happened to bring Imperial Physician Zhang, who had rushed over, into the hall.

Imperial Physician Zhang dared not delay and immediately stepped forward to examine her. After a moment, he bowed and reported, "Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress, Consort Jia has indeed been poisoned by Hanshisan (a type of herbal medicine). Fortunately, she was treated in time and the treatment was appropriate. Her heart and pulse have been protected, and she is not in immediate danger of death. However, the remaining toxins in her body still need to be gradually resolved and treated."

Seeing this, Chu Shunqing, who had been standing to the side with his head down, felt that his chance to make a contribution had come. He stepped forward, dipped his hand in the tea, and interjected, "Your Majesty, Empress, this is the same cold food powder that caused Bai Shuren's poisoning. The ingredients are exactly the same. This poison has a rapid onset and must have been caused by accidental ingestion. I suggest that we should immediately conduct a thorough investigation of all the food and tea in Tangdi Palace."

It's Cold Food Festival noodles again.

Everyone was shocked. If Hanshifen (a type of cold food) were to appear here, then Tangdi Palace would be in serious trouble.

An anxious silence fell over the hall.

At this moment, Consort Jia weakly opened her eyes, her fingers twitching slightly as she gently tugged at the sleeve of Chu Nianci beside her. She then looked at Duanmu Qingyu and said in a barely audible voice, "Your Majesty... after entering the palace, I only... only drank half a cup of ginseng tea to warm myself..."

A hint of shock flashed across Duanmu Qingyu's handsome face.

A fleeting, almost imperceptible hint of pleasure flashed across the usually taut face of the beautiful noblewoman.

He immediately adopted a pained and panicked expression, asking in confusion, "I just drank ginseng tea? Could it be... could it be that there's something wrong with that tea?"

As she spoke, her gaze seemed to drift towards Chu Nianci almost imperceptibly.

Duanmu Qingyu gently patted Consort Jia's hand and said in a deep voice, "Go and check what tea Consort Jia just drank."

Jingxi responded and, together with Physician Zhang, quickly discovered that the ginseng tea contained cold food powder.

The jealousy and embarrassment that Empress Lin had been suppressing for so long could no longer be contained.

Her beautiful face was slightly stiff from suppressing her emotions as she spoke, "Your Majesty, the discovery of poison in the tea indicates that it must be hidden somewhere. I believe that since the clues point to Tangdi Palace, we should send the palace servants who serve Consort Hui to the Censorate for thorough interrogation. Under severe torture, we are confident that they will reveal the truth and find the source of the poison as soon as possible to prevent further trouble!"

Consort Qiao quickly echoed, her voice filled with worry: "Your Majesty, the Empress is right. Since the poison took effect in Tangdi Palace, it means that the poison is most likely hidden there, but it has been hidden very well by someone with deep cunning. If we don't conduct a thorough search and interrogation, won't everyone in the palace live in fear? It's terrifying to even think about..."

Her words drew murmurs of agreement from the palace servants, and a flurry of uneasy whispers filled the hall.

Duanmu Qingyu's gaze narrowed slightly as he slowly swept over the group of palace servants kneeling on the ground in Tangdi Palace.

Tuanyuan was so frightened that her face turned pale and her body trembled slightly. Although Aunt Lan tried her best to remain calm and straighten her back, the fingertips of her hands hanging at her sides were digging deeply into her palms.

Aunt Lan suddenly took a deep breath, stepped forward, and said in a calm but resolute voice, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, I am the head maid of Tangdi Palace. I am responsible for all matters in the palace. If you wish to investigate, please start with me. I am willing to go to the Censorate to prove my innocence!"

"Aunt Lan, you can't!" Chu Nianci frowned.

She couldn't help but feel a little touched.

As the saying goes, true friendship is revealed in times of trouble; she did not fully trust Aunt Lan before.

But after this incident, my trust in him increased considerably.

She immediately interrupted, turning to Duanmu Qingyu and earnestly saying, "Your Majesty, under severe punishment, there will inevitably be wrongful convictions. Those two people just now were willing to use their own lives as bargaining chips to frame me. What else are the people behind them capable of? If loyal people are wrongly accused and tortured because of this, wouldn't that play right into the hands of the wicked?"

"If not, how can you prove your innocence?" the pretty noblewoman retorted sharply.

Empress Lin suppressed the hatred surging in her eyes and said, "Your Majesty, the facts are clear: someone has been poisoned."

Her gaze was sharp as a knife as it fell upon Chu Nianci, her tone tinged with a sigh, "Among the newly arrived ladies of the palace, His Majesty's favorite is Consort Hui. However, with such a matter occurring in your palace, if it is not thoroughly investigated, it will inevitably damage your reputation..."

"Yes," the pretty noblewoman chimed in, "how can we clear your name without torture?"

Chu Nianci's mind raced, repeatedly telling herself not to panic. Panic would only lead to chaos, playing right into their hands and plunging her into utter ruin.

Now that the two people who reported her are dead, and the poisonous Cold Food Powder has been discovered in her palace, the evidence seems complete, almost putting her in a deadly predicament.

To break the deadlock, we need to find another hidden piece placed by the queen.

But after she and Aunt Lan had been secretly observing for so long, they had not found any other suspicious people in the palace.

Could there be something even more deeply hidden?

No, the more people she planted, the easier it would be to be exposed, and the Empress wouldn't take that risk.

Could the poison... possibly not have been released by someone else at all?

"How did they poison him...?"

She pondered those words repeatedly.

Suddenly, a thought cleaved through the fog like lightning...

What if the person who poisoned them was one of those two "dead men"?

She'd figured it out... she knew their method.