Empress in her second playthrough: Something's not right with this plot!

An arrow pierced her shoulder, the arrowhead protruding from her back.

boom.

Without further hesitation, Shangguan Xuanran immediately broke through the window and escaped.

Looking at the broken window, Li Yunsheng immediately got out of bed and looked up at the roof beam, where the crossbow bolt had just been shot.

Wei Xiang leaped down from the roof beam, as if she were a ghost, without making a sound.

Li Yunsheng was startled at first, but after seeing Wei Xiang's appearance clearly, he breathed a long sigh of relief.

"When did you climb up to the roof beam?"

Wei Xiang put away the crossbow in his hand.

"just."

Li Yunsheng then realized that Wei Xiang was already in his room when the assassin entered.

"Did you put the bell on my bedside table?"

"Ah."

"When was this done? How come I didn't know?"

"Sleeping soundly."

Li Yunsheng: ...

At this moment, Liu Quan, carrying a lantern, rushed over with several guards.

"Prime Minister!"

Inside the room, the lights were turned on.

Upon seeing the broken window, Liu Quan immediately understood what was happening.

This wasn't the first time he'd seen something like this over the years.

"Prime Minister, are you alright?"

"fine."

"I'll take men and chase after them right away!"

Liu Quan had just turned around when Li Yunsheng called him back.

"No need to chase."

"Your Excellency, that assassin..."

"She can't escape."

At first, he didn't know who the assassin was.

But just now, the moment the man in black was shot with an arrow, he guessed eight or nine parts of it—Shangguan Xuanran.

A huge uproar!

Even though she was wearing a bralette, Li Yunsheng recognized her immediately just by turning to the side.

He couldn't think of another assassin with that build besides Shangguan Xuanran.

Beside her, Wei Xiang made a startling remark.

"The arrow was poisoned."

Chapter 12 High Slit

Li Yunsheng suddenly turned his head. He had just been wondering why Wei Xiang wasn't chasing after him.

"It's good that it's poisonous, it's good that it's poisonous!"

He had just said "okay" when he realized something.

"Won't she die in the manor?"

"Slow-acting poison".

Ugh--

Li Yunsheng sighed.

"What a pity, the imperial physicians at the Imperial Medical Bureau probably managed to cure her poison."

"Oh."

Wei Xiang took a white porcelain bottle from her waist and threw it into Li Yunsheng's arms.

Then, without saying a word, he walked out of the room.

Li Yunsheng looked at the white porcelain bottle in his hand and smiled.

Needless to say, those imperial physicians definitely couldn't cure this poison.

"Liu Quan!"

"Prime Minister, I'm here."

Standing at the door, Liu Quan was puzzled. Why was the Prime Minister so happy about the assassination attempt?

Li Yunsheng was overjoyed.

"Bring me paper, ink, brush, and inkstone."

"Yes."

Liu Quan didn't dare to ask any more questions. He was already lucky that the assassin had slipped into the mansion and wasn't punished.

A short while later.

With the writing implements placed on the table, Li Yunsheng was no longer sleepy at all.

"Alright, everything's fine here. You can all go now."

Liu Quan stayed.

"Prime Minister, let me grind the ink for you."

After a while, the room became quiet.

The chirping of insects could be heard from outside from time to time, and Li Yunsheng felt exceptionally calm.

However, Liu Quan, who was standing to the side, became more and more confused.

The Prime Minister didn't write any words; instead, he drew a picture!

He was muttering something about a high slit.

……

The next morning.

Jiang Qingying was preparing to go to court when she noticed that Shangguan Xuanran was pale as a ghost.

"Xuanran, are you sick?"

Shangguan Xuanran forced himself to stay alert.

"No, I am not ill."

Jiang Qingying twitched her nostrils and then gently covered her nose.

"What a strong aroma."

"I was wearing a sachet."

Shangguan Xuanran lowered his head slightly, took off the sachet from his waist with his left hand, and held it in his hand.

Although she had treated the wound, there was still a strong smell of blood and medicine.

She could only wear a sachet to cover up the smell.

However, she did not expect that the sachet's strong scent would attract the Empress's attention.

She clutched the sachet in her hand, but couldn't put it away.

Now, she can't lift her right hand at all.

It would look very strange to tuck the sachet into one's bosom with one's left hand.

Jiang Qingying walked up to her.

“I remember you never wear such things.”

From the moment she woke up, she sensed that something was wrong with Shangguan Xuanran.

Now that I look at it, something seems increasingly wrong.

Because, as she got closer, she could smell the medicinal odor.

Jiang Qingying raised her hand and gently poked Shangguan Xuanran's right arm.

hiss--

Shangguan Xuanran gritted his teeth, but still gasped.

Jiang Qingying seemed to understand something.

"Shangguan Xuanran!"

thump.

Shangguan Xuanran knelt on the ground, without saying a word.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Qingying didn't even need to ask; she must have gone to assassinate Li Yunsheng.

Her chest heaved with anger as she pointed at Shangguan Xuanran's head, unsure of what to say.

With a wave of his sleeve, he roared angrily.

"You all get out!"

Upon hearing this, the palace maids serving inside the hall all withdrew from the main hall.