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

"Shangguan Xuanran, how dare you defy the imperial decree!"

"Your Majesty, please punish me."

"If I were to truly punish you, could you bear the consequences?"

Jiang Qingying was furious. She warned her not to go, but the girl wouldn't listen.

"Are you ignoring my words?!"

"Your subject dares not."

"You're so daring!"

Jiang Qingying paced back and forth in anger, and it took her a long time to suppress her rage.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Shangguan Xuanran knelt on the ground and recounted in detail what had happened last night.

After listening to Shangguan Xuanran's story, Jiang Qingying was somewhat surprised.

"You mean Li Yunsheng knows martial arts?"

In his previous life, Li Yunsheng never revealed that he knew martial arts.

Li Ze, you've been hiding this for so long!

"Yes, but his martial arts skills aren't very high."

She thought that she had underestimated her opponent at the beginning, and that if she had gone all out from the start, she would have been able to kill Li Yunsheng.

But later they found out that Wei Xiang had been hiding in the house all along.

Therefore, it was destined from the beginning that I would not succeed.

She just couldn't understand how Wei Xiang knew she had gone to assassinate someone last night.

Could it be that she really sleeps in Li Yunsheng's room every night?

Jiang Qingying snorted coldly.

"This trip wasn't entirely fruitless, but you dared to disobey the imperial decree; you are hereby punished—"

He had only spoken halfway when he saw blood dripping from Shangguan Xuanran's right hand onto the ground.

Although Shangguan Xuanran clenched his fist, he still couldn't hide it.

Jiang Qingying's heart softened.

"A year's salary will be deducted. If this happens again, I will not let it go lightly!"

Shangguan Xuanran's eyes were slightly red, and his head hit the ground.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Get up, stop kneeling."

Jiang Qingying knew that Shangguan Xuanran was doing it for her own good.

However, this matter is not only extremely dangerous, but it could also give others ammunition to criticize it.

If Li Yunsheng investigates and gets his findings into the palace, he'll end up investigating Shangguan Xuanran.

No one in the world would believe that this was Shangguan Xuanran acting on his own initiative.

The world would assume that she, the emperor, had sent her trusted confidants to assassinate the regent ministers.

Jiang Qingying was about to ask Shangguan Xuanran to go down and bandage her wounds, but she quickly realized something was wrong.

She grabbed Shangguan Xuanran's right hand and questioned him.

Your blood... is black!

Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, Shangguan Xuanran immediately withdrew his hand.

"Your Majesty, be careful, it's poisoned."

"You—was the arrow that hit you poisoned?"

Shangguan Xuanran gave a bitter smile.

"When I returned last night, I still couldn't understand why Wei Xiang didn't chase after us."

After returning, I understood…

She fainted halfway through her sentence.

"The imperial physician!" Jiang Qingying shouted, "Summon the imperial physician immediately!"

……

early morning.

Jiang Qingying looked at the empty seat.

"Why didn't Minister Li attend the morning court session?"

She had assumed that Li Yunsheng would use the morning court session as an opportunity to make a fuss.

When she arrived, she had already prepared her response.

But when they arrived, they discovered that Li Zei hadn't come at all.

Su Yingjie stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, Li Yunsheng is requesting sick leave."

Jiang Qingying sneered inwardly. Sick leave? She even fended off Xuan Ran's assassination attempt last night. She's clearly in perfect health. Where did this illness come from?

"Do any of you ministers have something to report?"

……

After the court session, Jiang Qingying hurriedly returned to Weiyang Palace.

Upon returning to Fenglin Palace, the first thing he did was summon the imperial physician who had treated Shangguan Xuanran for questioning.

"How about it?"

"Your Majesty, Shangguan Xuanran is severely poisoned. I can only suppress the poison for two days. If there is no antidote, I fear..."

"Then what are you still standing here for? Hurry up and prepare the antidote!"

The imperial physician looked troubled.

"Your Majesty, I cannot prepare this antidote."

Jiang Qingying slammed her hand on the table.

"What did you say?"

The imperial physician knelt down with a thud and hurriedly explained.

"Your Majesty, this poison is called Thousand Machine Inducing, which is made up of several or even dozens of poisons."

"If the proportions of the poison are unknown, I will find it difficult to obtain an antidote within just two days."

"What use are you to me if I keep you around!"

Jiang Qingying turned and left.

Chapter 13 starts, the higher the better!

Jiang Qingying stood at Shangguan Xuanran's door, but did not go in immediately.

After hearing the imperial physician's words, she understood why Li Yunsheng was not attending the morning court session.

Li Ze is waiting for me to beg him!

hateful!

They deliberately coated the arrows with poison—not an immediate, potent poison, but one that others couldn't cure.

The one who was poisoned was Shangguan Xuanran, but the target was her.

She could even picture Li Yunsheng's face: "Beg me, beg me, and I'll give you the antidote."

How could I, the dignified Empress, show weakness to that traitor Li!

Moreover, if she were to take the initiative to go to Li Yunsheng, it would be tantamount to admitting that she had sent someone to assassinate him.

Having given someone a handle against her, how could Li, that scoundrel, let her go so easily?

Whether it's a threat or a deal, it must be something that benefits Li the traitor.

But—if we don't go find that guy.

The imperial physicians can only suppress the poison for two days. If they cannot obtain the antidote by then, Shangguan Xuanran will be beyond saving.

Shangguan Xuanran was the person closest to her, and she couldn't bear to watch him die in pain.

At this moment, Jiang Qingying was torn between saving him and not saving him, feeling extremely conflicted.

Therefore, she didn't know how to face the person who had risked his life for her.

"Shangguan Xuanran, you have really given me a difficult problem."

After a moment of silence, Jiang Qingying went inside.

Shangguan Xuanran, who was lying on the bed, wanted to get out of bed to pay his respects, but was stopped.

"You're injured, don't get up."

Jiang Qingying walked to the bedside, hesitating about how to start the conversation.

Shangguan Xuanran propped himself up and sat up, speaking first.

"Your Majesty, you must not go to Li Yunsheng."

Her voice was weak, but her tone was very firm.

She took it upon herself to assassinate Li Yunsheng, and even if it cost her her life, she could not implicate the Empress.

Jiang Qingying said irritably.