Chapter 768 Peony Poison

“His Majesty is still here? Doesn’t he have to go to court?”

Turning around, Lin Mengya asked in confusion as she wiped away the thin beads of sweat on her forehead with a towel.

“No, His Majesty usually goes to the Jade Temple to deal with the court affairs and meet the courtiers after breakfast. Only on the fifteenth day of the new year will there be a court meeting. At other times, if there is no emergency, the ministers will not come to the palace.”

As Madam Jingrou’s personal maid, Ningqiu naturally knew His Majesty’s schedule better than anyone.

Although the national conditions and rules were different, being a decision maker required the same diligence.

After tidying up their appearances, she followed Ningqiu. The two of them gently entered the sleeping chamber of Fengyu Court.

In the sleeping chamber, the palace maids had already finished preparing breakfast. The smell of breakfast in the hall seemed to have softened the coldness, and it felt like a morning of an ordinary family.

“Your Majesty, this is the girl I told you about Helan, I have her to thank for Xiaoyu being OK.”

In the sleeping chamber, there were only them present, but Madam Jingrou still spoke softly. Aside from the four of them, no one could hear anything.

Lin Mengya knew the mannerisms and respectfully bowed down.

“I didn’t do anything really. It was just a coincidence.”

She was not greedy for credit. And she didn’t say much.

Even Madame Jingrou was cautious in front of the Emperor, let alone Lin Mengya, who was just an outsider.

“Oh? I see.”

His voice was deep and cold. No one could tell his true feelings from his voice.

Lin Mengya only heard a very soft sound of flipping the pages, and then there was a kind of elusive silence.

Kneeling on the ground, Lin Mengya thought things over and over in her mind. In the end, she had no choice but to kneel on the ground obediently to be examined by the Emperor.

Even Madame Jingrou didn’t expect things would turn out this way.

She was supposed to be her son’s savior, so it was quite inappropriate for her to kneel down like this.

However, after hesitating for a moment, she could only look at her husband helplessly with a hint of disapproval in her eyes.

After a few minutes, Lin Mengya remained kneeling there in the same respectful manner.

The Emperor closed the book and looked at Lin Mengya with his wise and experienced eyes.

“Well, good. She will fit right in here in your palace. You may get up.”

Although there were no obvious fluctuations in his tone, there was a little more intimacy than before.

Lin Mengya thanked him, then stood up primly, and retreated to the side.

She also figured out what the Emperor was thinking just now. Even though she was Xiaoyu’s savior, from the Emperor’s point of view, there were thousands of ways to repay her so-called kindness. He did not have to put her in Madame Jingrou’s Fengyu Court.

He wanted to see if she knew the rules. It would be best if she knew how to carry herself. If she didn’t, then staying by Madame Jingrou’s side would bring about trouble sooner or later.

However, Lin Mengya had always known the rules and the meaning of being obedient. Presumably, after that little test, the Emperor had a feeling that she could stay in the palace.

“Miss Helan is competent alright, I like her very much. With her by my side, you don’t need to worry about me anymore, Your Majesty.”

After Lin Mengya got the recognition, Madame Jingrou seemed to be relieved and quickly put in a good word for Lin Mengya in a soft voice.

In front of the Emperor, Madame Jingrou used “me” to address herself instead of using a third person address, like she would in front of the Empress. Lin Mengya also noticed the subtle difference.

Standing in the corner, she glanced at the Emperor.

To her surprise, she found that the Emperor was wearing a half-mask on his face.

The silver mask seemed a bit odd on his face, but the half of his face that was exposed was even more perfect than she had expected.

Perhaps when Xiaoyu became an adult, he would be like his father, breaking away from the childhood immaturity and slowly developing the noble spirit of a superior.

However, he was definitely not as handsome as this Emperor. The knife-like coldness of his face seemed to freeze his handsomeness, making people feel scared at first glance.

His gaze shifted. It was as if there was nothing in this world that could move him.

But when he saw Madame Jingrou, his deep eyes melted for a moment.

However, it would only last for an instant.

As if feeling Lin Mengya’s gaze on him, the Emperor’s sharp eyes instantly met hers.

Lin Mengya’s gaze retreated immediately, so she missed the deep shock in his eyes.

Fortunately, the Emperor was very good at hiding his emotions. So in the blink of an eye, his emotions had disappeared.

Apart from himself, no one else present knew about it.

After that, Lin Mengya didn’t care much about what the Emperor said or did.

She just found it a little strange. According to what everyone said, Madame Jingrou seemed to be the apple of the Emperor’s eye.

Looking at how the two got along with each other, Lin Mengya realized that the Madam was indeed very protective and loving towards the Emperor.

But why was the Emperor always so cold, as if he didn’t care about anyone?

But it was true that the Emperor treated the Madam differently.

When the Emperor looked at Madame Jingrou, the deep affection that flashed across his eyes could not be an act.

Though Lin Mengya had a feeling that something was wrong, she couldn’t tell what it was.

In the end, she had to conclude that the Emperor just wanted to protect Madame Jingrou.

Life in Fengyu Court wasn’t easy at first, because Madame Jingrou almost had to manage everything in the palace.

Therefore, after breakfast, she accompanied the Madame to deal with all kinds of affairs in the main hall.

Before noon, she saw a palace maid walking toward the main hall in a panic.

“Madam, the Empress has fallen seriously ill. All the mesdames from different palaces are now in the Empress’s palace. The medical officials are at a loss. His Majesty wants to ask you if we should invite the High Priest in? His Majesty said that the decision rests in your hands.”

As long as the Emperor was alive, Madame Jingrou would always be the most powerful woman in the palace.

So even when it came to the Empress’s life, Madame Jingrou was still the one who made the decisions.

“It took her this long to fall ill?” Lin Mengya thought as the corners of her lips curled into a casual smile. However, she calculated the time and realized that it was about right.

Her smile did not escape Jingrou’s eyes. She fell into a muse and let the little palace maid leave first. After dismissing the people, she looked at Lin Mengya in confusion.

“Do you know something about the Empress’s illness?”

“Know something?” It was Lin Mengya who planned everything.

After a half bow, Lin Mengya replied in a low voice.

“Madam, don’t panic. And you don’t have to ask the High Priest to come and treat her either. The illness will disappear in three to five days. The Empress will only suffer a little pain. But what do you think people will think of the Empress if she makes a big fuss and calls in people to treat a simple cold?”

In fact, the key of the matter was the pot of purple peonies seeped with her blood.

After all, her blood was the crown of all poisons. As long as it was exposed to the air, a little drop could take a life.

Although those peonies could only last for twenty-four hours, the fragrance of the peonies would fill the air and make it slightly poisonous.

The Empress must like those peonies very much. Although she didn’t put it in her bedroom, it wasn’t too far from her.

Therefore, getting poisoned was inevitable.

As for those servants close to her, they would only feel a little dizzy because they would walk around or go outside and breathe in fresh air from time to time.

Now that she had fallen ill, those closest to her would likely have the same chain reaction as her.

Although the poison was strong, she did only smell the fragrance of the peonies.

The circulation system of the human body naturally had a detoxifying function.

If she could have a few bowls of mung bean soup, she would be fine.

However, Lin Mengya used such a high-level poison. Even her teacher might not be able to test the toxicity of this poison, much less those doctors. So of course, she was not afraid of getting caught on the spot.

As for the withered peonies, they would definitely be disposed of by the maids. After all, who would dare to place a pot of withered flowers in the Empress’s palace?

Hearing Lin Mengya’s words, the pot of delicate purple peonies popped into Jingrou’s mind.

In the blink of an eye, she understood what Lin Mengya meant.

Her expression was slightly hesitant at first, and then it returned to calm after a short moment.

“Go to Feng City and ask the High Priest to come to the capital within five days. By the way, also ask the priests of the other tribes to come as well. The Empress’s life is the most important thing. I won’t allow any delay.”

Seeing how Madame Jingrou was giving orders, Lin Mengya began to admire her.

She just gave Madame Jingrou a little hint, and Madame Jingrou was able to figure out the rest. This time the Empress would offend all the priests, including the High Priest.

The servants got the order and left in a hurry. Only Lin Mengya and the other two were left alone in the main hall.

Needless to say, Ningqiu left to guard the door vigilantly. Madame Jingrou looked at Lin Mengya hesitantly, because she really didn’t know how she thought of this.

“You know the importance of this matter. Although I did what you wanted me to do, however, if someone finds out, you and I will not be able to get away with it.”

Lin Mengya smiled gently and filled a cup of tea for Madame Jingrou with her soft and delicate hands.

Don’t worry, Madam. I’ve used a clever method without leaving any evidence, and nobody can find out what method I’ve used. In fact, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell, Madam. Have you had enough of it after so many years?

It was not because Lin Mengya was ruthless that she had thought of all the ways to poison the Empress the moment she entered the palace.

It was because Xiaoyu had reported his family’s situation to Lin Mengya on the way.

The eldest son was the Empress’s son. Although his mother was in an awkward position, he was the first child of the Emperor after all. It was said that he was quite capable and reputable. He used to be one of the worthiest candidates for the position of the Crown Prince.

The most critical thing was that under the suppression of the first prince, those other princes and families who were ready to compete for the crown, could only temporarily withdraw.