Entering the palace means entering a high position; I'm His Majesty's cousin, who am I afr

These words are undeniably heavy.

It was practically a scolding.

In front of all the concubines in the palace, Empress Luo lost all face. Her face turned pale instantly, and she swayed, almost unable to kneel.

When the emperor was angry, even the empress could not escape punishment, and the other concubines dared not utter a sound.

Several concubines who were attached to Empress Luo did not dare to say a word of pleading for her.

Everyone waited quietly for the emperor's decision.

After a long pause, Pei Yan's cold, stern voice came from the head of the table: "Since it was poisoning, there must be a source. Men, thoroughly investigate the entire palace, leaving no place unchecked."

"As you command." Qing'an led the palace servants before the emperor and left Chaoyang Palace.

Empress Luo and the other concubines remained kneeling in the hall, and without orders, no one dared to rise.

The hall remained quiet for a while.

Pei Yan peered through the crown and his gaze fell on a certain spot. Then he said, "Everyone, please get up."

Empress Luo and the other concubines were then helped to their feet.

Consort Hui is a second-rank imperial concubine and the mother of a prince, holding a noble status. Now that she is poisoned and unconscious, this is no small matter.

Some of the more timid concubines were already crying, fearing that this matter would implicate them. Those of higher rank were somewhat calmer, but their complexions were not much better.

Shen Jiayu remained calm.

After realizing that this matter was not simple, she had someone conduct a thorough self-inspection of Yihua Palace, and before leaving this morning, she had someone check it again.

There is no problem.

This matter was probably not directed at her.

So today, she just needs to watch how this grand show unfolds.

The concubines had different thoughts, and the atmosphere was tense and awkward.

A child's innocent voice broke the silence, "Don't stop me, I need to find my mother!"

Everyone looked up and saw the Second Prince trying to force his way into the hall despite the palace servants' attempts to stop him.

The second prince was arguing with the palace servants at the entrance of the palace when he arrived at the door and saw the entire palace full of people.

After recognizing who was sitting in the main seat, he spoke with a sob in his voice, "Father, they won't let me see Mother."

Now the palace servants dared not stop the Second Prince any longer and hurriedly entered the hall to plead guilty. "Your Majesty, the matter concerning the Empress was originally kept from the Second Prince. This morning, we couldn't go against the Second Prince's temper, and we were afraid of hurting him, so we dragged him here. Please forgive us, Your Majesty."

Pei Yan waved his hand, signaling the palace servants to leave, then called out, "Qi Rui, come here."

The second prince obeyed and walked to the seat below the main one. His round, dumpling-like face was full of grievance, and his eyes were brimming with tears. He wanted to cry but dared not. "Father, has something happened to Mother?"

These words surprised the concubines in the palace.

They had long heard that the Second Prince was intelligent and precocious. They thought it was just a matter of cleverness and wit, but now they realized he could say such things.

Was it because someone taught her? Or was she just exceptionally perceptive?

Pei Yan lowered his eyes, looking at his son, his voice softening slightly, "Why do you ask that?"

The second prince, who had been holding back for a long time, finally broke down in tears, his face streaked with sobs. He choked out, "Mother loves me the most; she would never go a day without seeing me. And yesterday, whenever I mentioned Mother, the palace servants shoved and hesitated, looking extremely nervous. I knew then that something must have happened to Mother. Father, I'm so scared. What happened to Mother?"

It's hard to believe that such a logical and clearly articulated statement came from a child who is just over three years old.

Even with instruction, it would be difficult to speak so fluently and naturally.

The concubines in the palace couldn't help but feel moved, thinking that Consort Hui was an extremely competent mother who had raised the Second Prince very well.

Upon hearing this, Pei Yan raised his hand and patted the Second Prince's shoulder, comforting him, "Your mother is not feeling well and is resting quietly."

The second prince's tears flowed even more freely, his eyes red and swollen: "May I go see my mother?"

Pei Yan gestured to the palace servants who were attending to the Second Prince, and led him to the inner palace to visit him.

A moment later, the second prince emerged, looking terrified. "Father, Mother Consort..."

Pei Yan interrupted him in time, comforting him, "Don't worry, Father will wake Mother up."

For a child of this age, who has suddenly lost his mother as a source of support, his father is now his closest relative.

At this moment, Pei Yan spoke, which calmed the Second Prince down a bit, but he was still worried and couldn't stop shedding tears.

A slender figure suddenly squatted down in front of the Second Prince.

It is Consort Lan.

She opened her hand, revealing a few candies in her palm, and asked softly, "Look what Lady Lan is holding?"

The second prince stopped crying, looked around, and said in a slightly nasal voice, "It's preserved plum candy."

Consort Lan patted his little head. "Let the palace servants open it for you to eat. Once you've finished eating, your mother will feel better."

The second prince looked up at her and quickly asked, "Really?"

Consort Lan smiled gently: "It's true. Both Consort Lan and Father Emperor said so, how could Qi Rui not believe it?"

The second prince accepted it, bowed to her, and said, "Thank you, Lady Lan."

It was unclear what kind of chaotic situation would unfold in a moment, so it was inappropriate for the Second Prince to remain there. The palace servants quickly led him out.

The second prince kept turning back, reluctant to leave.

Consort Lan smiled and waved to him.

The second prince left reluctantly.

After seeing the Second Prince off, Consort Lan returned to her seat.

Seeing that everyone in the hall was looking at her, she felt a little embarrassed and uncomfortable.

She looked up at the head of the table and stammered, "Yes... Your Majesty... thought that the Second Prince might come over. He's young and might be scared, so I thought I'd bring something to comfort him."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, perhaps due to excessive nervousness, she could not speak fluently and her tone was hurried.

Pei Yan withdrew his gaze from her and said gently, "Consort Lan, you are very thoughtful."

Consort Lan lowered her head, pursed her lips, and remained as gentle as ever.

After the brief interlude, the hall fell silent again.

As time went on, everyone grew increasingly anxious and uneasy.

They all wished they could personally follow Qing'an to see what the situation was like in each palace.

Finally, just when everyone was on edge, Qing'an returned.

Upon entering the hall, Qing'an knelt down immediately. "Your Majesty, we have only searched half of the six palaces. However, our men have found a box containing something that is neither medicine nor spice. We do not know what it is. Since the Chaoyang Palace has the most outstanding physician, Imperial Physician Guo, I took the liberty of bringing the box back first. The remaining areas will be searched by our men."

Qing'an presented a small pear wood box. Upon opening it, he found a box of brown powder, which was neither medicine nor spice; it was quite strange.

The powder in the box attracted the attention of everyone in the hall, and the concubines whispered among themselves.

Pei Yan raised his hand, signaling Qing An to hand the box to Guo Yuanpan for inspection.

He then asked in a deep voice, "Where was the item found?"

After a moment's pause, Qing An respectfully said, "Your Majesty, it was discovered in the main hall of Xianchun Palace."

Xianchun Palace was only occupied by two or three concubines, while the head concubine was Consort Lan.

This is rather alarming!

The discussions inside the hall abruptly ceased, and all was silent.

Countless incredulous gazes rushed towards Consort Lan, followed by gasps of astonishment throughout the hall.

"Consort Lan?"

"It's actually Consort Lan!"

"Speaking of which, only Consorts Lan and Hui have sons in the entire palace. If Consort Hui were to pass away, wouldn't Consort Lan be the biggest beneficiary...?"

"I really couldn't tell..."