The wicked imperial concubine is courting death again; the comments section teaches her how to win w

Qi Yitang thought it to herself and said it aloud.

The Empress Dowager was so angry she almost laughed. "Qi Yitang, what kind of dregs are in your head?"

She was the Empress Dowager; how could she openly poison and murder the Empress? What would that look like if word got out?

Even if she didn't like Qi Yitang, there was no need to use such a simplistic method. It was fortunate that Qi Yitang was serving her son, who was obsessed with love. If she were serving the late emperor, she would be lucky to survive three days in the harem.

"..." After being scolded, Qi Yitang felt relieved.

Okay, as long as it wasn't poisoned.

She took the medicine bowl, pinched her nose, and tentatively took a small sip. Her face immediately changed, and she gagged and waved her hands repeatedly.

"Ugh, no way—it tastes awful, take it away...ugh!"

Qi Yitang was almost in tears.

Which heartless doctor prescribed this medicine? It's sour, bitter, and spicy, like a mixture of bitter herbs, vinegar, and ginger juice boiled together for three days. She couldn't bring herself to drink a second sip, no matter what.

Seeing Qi Yitang's awkward manner, the Empress Dowager's face fell.

If there were even a child crying in the palace, she wouldn't have to worry about her belly all day long.

Now look what's happened! They treat her like this when they ask her to drink a bowl of fertility-enhancing medicine, as if they're trying to kill her.

Just as the Empress Dowager was about to speak again, a female voice came from outside the hall, "Bearing offspring is not solely the Empress's responsibility. If Mother is in such a hurry, she should also let the Imperial Brother drink a bowl to nourish his body."

A man walked in from outside the hall. He was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, tall, and had a dignified and elegant appearance.

It was the late emperor's fourth princess, Princess Anping.

She was the late empress's legitimate daughter and the most favored princess by the late emperor.

Princess Anping curtsied slightly, "Greetings to the Empress Dowager."

When the late emperor passed away, the empress dowager was only a concubine. Even if she didn't particularly like this beloved princess, she still had to maintain a polite distance from her.

"Anping, what brings you here today?"

"Jiahe missed her imperial uncle, so I brought her to the palace to visit and pay my respects to the Empress Dowager," Princess Anping glanced at Qi Yitang, "but I didn't expect to see the Empress Dowager forcing the Empress to drink medicine as soon as we arrived."

The Empress Dowager said with a stern face, "Since the Emperor ascended the throne, the number of heirs in the harem has dwindled. As the Empress Dowager, how can I not be worried?"

"Anping, you are also a mother, you should understand my good intentions."

Princess Anping smiled. "Offspring are certainly important, but what's the use of just focusing on the Empress's belly?"

"Mother, why are you still the same as before, never getting to the point? Why don't you pay more attention to your own son? Maybe there's something wrong with my brother's health."

The Empress Dowager instinctively wanted to refute, "How could that be?"

But then I thought about it again. Qi Yitang was strong and healthy, always running around, even more energetic than a wild deer in the mountains.

The imperial physicians visited every few days and always said that the patient was fine.

The Empress Dowager was filled with dread. Could it be... that the Emperor really was the problem?

……

After leaving Cining Palace, the two walked side by side along the long palace path. The winter sunlight was thin and gauze-like, slanting across the bluestone ground.

"Thank you for earlier..." Qi Yitang's voice was so soft it was like a mosquito buzzing.

Princess Anping tilted her head and glanced at her, raising an eyebrow slightly. "What, you're finally willing to talk to me?"

Who is this? This woman is so charming.

[I looked it up, and this is the villain's fourth sister. The female supporting character used to be her study companion; they're childhood sweethearts, I guess.]

The two of them can indeed be considered childhood sweethearts.

Qi Yitang was favored by the late emperor and was betrothed to the fourth princess as a companion when he was eight years old.

In other families, the companions were usually the ones who helped the princes and princesses with their studies and served them their writing tools. If the princes or princesses made a mistake, the companions would often have to take the punishment for their masters.

When it came to Qi Yitang, it was always her dozing off in class, arguing and fighting with the princes and princesses after class, being punished by the teacher, or causing trouble in front of the princes and princesses' birth mothers, and then Princess Anping would go to bail her out.

As the late emperor's most beloved legitimate princess, Princess Anping was exceptionally intelligent from a young age, and her literary and martial talents surpassed even those of her useless younger brothers.

The late emperor often lamented, "It's a pity she was born a woman," which speaks volumes about her talent.

Unfortunately, ever since Princess Anping had this troublesome little companion, her life has been anything but peaceful, as she has to clean up her messes every day.

I lost a lot more hair than before during those years.

The two were originally as close as sisters, but later Qi Yitang became infatuated with Xie Jingyu.

Xie Jingyu happens to be the brother that Princess Anping dislikes the most.

She privately advised Qi Yitang to be discerning, saying that Xie Jingyu was all show and no substance, and that she should be careful.

She also has other good younger brothers, such as the fifth brother, Xie Ling.

If she wanted, she could act as a matchmaker for them; Princess Anping could tell that Xie Ling had feelings for her.

Actually, if her own younger brother weren't still so young, she would have kept him as her brother's wife.

Qi Yitang seemed to have been bewitched by a man, losing all her intelligence.

At first, she listened reluctantly, but later she turned hostile and accused her of maliciously slandering her brother Yu. She got very angry and said, "I will definitely show you how good Brother Yu is. Until then, I have decided to remain silent and not talk to you." She then ignored her for several months.

Princess Anping also had a temper. It was one thing for her to be a little slow-witted, but she actually turned against her for such a worthless person.

She wanted to see exactly what was so good about "Brother Yu" whom she liked so much.

Forget the past.

Looking back on her actions over the years, Qi Yitang just wants to disappear into a crack in the ground.

At the last Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, she didn't even have the courage to look Princess Anping in the eye, and stayed huddled next to Xie Ling like a quail the whole time.

Unfortunately, what's meant to happen will happen.

Princess Anping spoke softly, "Back then, when I told you to stay away from Xie Jingyu, it sounded like I was trying to harm you."

"I offer one piece of advice and you argue back ten times, and in the end you even break off all ties with me—you've really grown wings and become quite capable, haven't you?"

Qi Yitang was still feeling guilty and muttered awkwardly, "I was wrong... It's all because you all have some smart brains."

She's so stupid, she can't see through Xie Jingyu's disguise at all.

"But why didn't you just tell me about Xie Jingyu's messy affairs back then?"

For example, he already had concubines and maids in his household.

At that time, she thought Xie Jingyu was perfect in every way, but that was based on his "pure and flawless" nature.

If she had known earlier that there were concubines and maids in the mansion, and so many women, she would have found it disgusting and stayed far away from them.

Princess Anping stopped and looked at Qi Yitang, "People always have to suffer some hardships before they learn their lesson."