Pin Shanhe

The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet officially began.

As the music began to play softly, the dancers began to sway gracefully.

On the table were delicious dishes carefully prepared by the kitchen, as well as mooncakes and fresh fruit, and wine glasses were filled with fine wine.

The emperor and his ministers gathered together to enjoy the moon and attend a banquet.

Shen Fu was supposed to take her seat with her father, Shen Ting'an.

However, after the recent turmoil, the Seventh Princess Jun Anning took a liking to her and invited her to sit at the same table.

Shen Fu readily agreed.

Looking at the bright and beautiful woman in front of her, she couldn't help but think of the other woman's fate in her previous life, when she was forced to marry far away and eventually died.

Although they hadn't known each other well before, they knew she was straightforward, honest, and of outstanding character.

It's truly heartbreaking that they ended up like that!

Moreover, she had just stepped forward to testify for herself, allowing Jiang Ruoyao to get her just desserts.

For this reason alone, she's determined to be friends with him.

Of course, there is another reason, which is to ensure that tonight's plan can proceed better.

This position is higher than the seats for officials below, allowing for a clearer view of the surrounding area.

Suddenly, a little child ran in.

The little guy was born with fair skin and a cute, innocent look. His two short legs moved so fast that the wet nurse and the palace maids behind him could hardly keep up with him.

"Seventeenth Prince, slow down, don't fall."

The moment Shen Fu saw the baby appear, an alarm bell rang in her heart.

Following the trajectory of his previous life, he will die a violent death in half an hour.

The reason was that he ate a piece of sweet cake at the banquet.

He then collapsed to the ground, bleeding from all seven orifices, and died!

After the incident, everyone present was utterly shocked.

The emperor was furious and heartbroken.

The seventeenth prince was his youngest son, a child born late in life, whom he doted on to the extreme, even to the point of dying right before his eyes.

Who could be so cruel as to harm a three-year-old child?

He immediately ordered a thorough investigation, determined to find the culprit and avenge the young prince!

But a plate of sweet cakes goes through countless hands along the way, from its preparation and delivery from the imperial kitchen to the banquet.

Finding the real culprit is easier said than done.

Later, a eunuch testified that he had personally witnessed a palace maid in Consort Ning's palace opening the lid of the pastry halfway through.

When the palace maid was found, she had already committed suicide by poison.

Black blood flowed from her eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.

Upon examination, the poison in her body was found to be exactly the same as the poison that the seventeenth prince had been poisoned with!

Among the bundles found in the palace maid's room, they also discovered the bracelet that the Emperor had bestowed upon the Consort a few days earlier.

In this way, Consort Ning became the prime suspect.

No matter how much she cried out for justice, it was no use.

When Emperor Yong saw his youngest son arrive, he immediately showed a loving smile.

"Rui'er, come to your father."

The little child immediately walked towards the emperor, and Emperor Yong picked him up.

"It's only been two days, but I feel like I've grown taller and heavier."

The seventeenth prince's mother, Consort Yun, smiled and said, "The little prince also talks about wanting to see his father all the time!"

Children are always restless. After sitting on Emperor Yong's lap for a short while, he started fussing to get off. Lady Yun quickly had someone bring him to her side.

At this moment, a group of palace maids entered and placed the dishes and snacks carefully prepared by the imperial chef on the table.

Strangely enough, the previously restless little child suddenly became quiet, seemingly attracted by the snacks in front of him.

The pastries were colorful and emitted an enticing aroma.

Seeing him staring intently at the pastries, Lady Yun smiled and said, "Rui'er, are you hungry? How about your mother feeds you?"

Just as I picked up a piece, a cry of pain suddenly came from not far away.

Shen Fu cried out, clutching her stomach.

Jun Anning, who was standing nearby, immediately asked with concern, "Miss Shen, what's wrong?"

"My stomach...it hurts so much!"

"What happened? Should we call the imperial physician?"

Shen Fu's actions quickly attracted everyone's attention, even alarming Emperor Yong.

"I don't know either. I just ate a piece of pastry on the table and suddenly I had unbearable abdominal pain."

Everyone couldn't help but become suspicious.

The imperial kitchen prepares its meals with great care, so how could they cause stomach aches after eating them?

Judging from her pale face and pain, it seemed to be quite serious.

Someone in the crowd said, "Could they have been poisoned?"

Everyone was shocked by these words.

The atmosphere suddenly turned icy, and the hall became as quiet as a chicken's nest.

Even the sounds of string and wind instruments stopped.

Emperor Yong's expression was cold and stern, clearly showing his vigilance.

At this moment, even Consort Ning could no longer sit still.

She is in charge of today's palace banquet. If something goes wrong, how will she explain it to the Emperor?

Especially since it involves a serious matter of suspected poisoning!

She immediately stood up and said, "Quickly, summon the imperial physician to examine Miss Shen."

There are many people at today's banquet, and to avoid any unexpected situations, two imperial physicians were already waiting outside.

They came in immediately upon being summoned.

One imperial physician took Shen Fu's pulse, while another took out silver needles and examined all the dishes she had used.

The silver needles did not turn black, confirming they are non-toxic.

After taking her pulse, the imperial physician asked, "Miss Shen, have you been indulging in cold weather lately?"

Shen Fu knew, of course, that if there were no problems with her body, she would not be able to pass the imperial physician's test.

So before entering the palace, she made a point of eating some iced grapes.

"That's it, the gastrointestinal discomfort caused by cold entering the body."

Jun Qiyuan's clenched fist relaxed.

When Shen Fu was suspected of being poisoned, his heart was in his throat, fearing that something unexpected might happen.

Thankfully it was just a false alarm!

Little did they know, this incident had already caused panic.

Soon someone suggested that all the dishes on the table should be checked.

Jun Jingyan immediately agreed: "For the sake of Father Emperor's health and everyone's safety, this is the only way."

Jun Qiyuan could no longer sit still and immediately raised his objection.

"Isn't this inappropriate? Today is a palace banquet, a time for the emperor and his subjects to enjoy themselves together. How could there be any poisoning? Besides, we just examined Fu'er and confirmed that she is alright. If we continue to investigate, it might delay the banquet and spoil everyone's enjoyment."

"Fourth Prince, you are mistaken. How can we put everyone's minds at ease if we don't investigate? The banquet can continue; we just need to have the two imperial physicians test the poison."

Jun Qiyuan was extremely anxious, but could not find a better reason to stop it.

Fearing that continuing would arouse suspicion, he reluctantly shut his mouth.

The first thing to check was naturally the emperor's food.

After inspection, the diet was found to be without any problems.

Next up were the princes and the concubines...

After checking each one, the silver needles showed no change.

Soon, they arrived in front of Lady Yun and the Seventeenth Prince.

Jun Qiyuan clenched his fists tightly, his heart pounding in his throat.

The imperial physician first checked the dishes and drinks on the table, and after confirming that there was nothing wrong, he finally came to the plate of pastries.

Pick up a piece and insert a silver needle into it.

When it was pulled out, the silver needle had already turned black.

The desserts are poisoned!