Chapter 16 : Come, drink this bowl of poisonous chicken soup

She was carrying a food box herself.

At a glance, she saw Concubine De’s stunningly beautiful face.

Concubine Li was seething with jealousy!

How could Concubine De look so radiant and composed after having a child, with an added touch of pure beauty that made it hard to look away?

In the palace of three thousand beauties, the one thing in abundance was beauty.

Yet, no one can match the deadly beauty of Concubine De!

Concubine De’s beauty was striking and assertive.

Her beauty was bold and unapologetic.

Especially her majestic and resolute look, reminiscent of a frost-covered mountain beauty.

From a distance, it was enchanting.

Up close, it was overwhelming.

But she was surprisingly simple-minded and didn’t have many tricks up her sleeve.

Concubine Li’s seductive and obsequious voice rang out, “Concubine De, I had planned to visit you a few days ago, but considering you had just given birth and needed to rest, I waited patiently. Now, I simply couldn’t wait any longer to see you and the little princess.

I’ve personally brewed this nourishing chicken soup for five hours.

As women, after giving birth, our bodies need to recuperate. I heard that chicken soup is the best for restoring health.”

[Beware! Beautiful mother, don’t believe her words. This isn’t nourishing chicken soup; it’s clearly poisonous chicken soup.]

[Concubine Li is jealous of your beauty and has added poison to the soup that can ruin one’s appearance and cause body odor.]

[The saying “women’s hearts are the most poisonous” fits Concubine Li perfectly.]

Concubine De’s gaze towards Concubine Li suddenly darkened.

Concubine Li had just picked up a white porcelain soup bowl from the food box.

She met Concubine De’s cold, piercing eyes.

Her hand holding the soup bowl froze momentarily.

Was it her imagination?

Why did she feel that Concubine De’s gaze was so unfriendly?

As if she could see through her intentions for coming here.

No!

It must be a mistake.

Concubine De was so simple-minded and easy to deceive.

“Oh, so this is Princess Ah Bao. She’s truly adorable. Let me hold her, and you can have your soup, dear.”

[Ugh!]

[Move away! Don’t touch me!]

As Concubine Li’s hand was about to touch the swaddled baby, Concubine De subtly moved aside, avoiding the touch.

She smiled slightly and said, “Concubine Li, please don’t hold Ah Bao. She is sensitive to strangers and doesn’t like being held by others.”

“Ah, this child is truly perceptive, recognizing strangers at just over a month old.”

Hmph.

As if I wanted to hold her.

She’s just a little princess; she’ll have children of her own someday!

“Well then, Concubine De, you should drink the soup while it’s still hot. Don’t waste my kind gesture.”

Concubine De held Ah Bao and lowered her eyes, her tone gentle but her words piercing, “I’m afraid I must disappoint you, Concubine Li. I’m allergic to chicken soup.”

Concubine Li: ???

“Al… allergic?”

So all that effort she put into cooking the soup was for nothing?

She had painstakingly obtained the special herbs from outside the palace, hoping Concubine De would enjoy it today.

[Ahahaha, plans don’t always go as expected.]

[Concubine Li is left dumbfounded. Beautiful mother successfully avoids a mishap. Hugs!]

Concubine De looked at Ah Bao with immense affection.

She didn’t understand the meaning of “hugs.”

But when Ah Bao waved her little hand, Concubine De leaned in and planted a kiss on the baby’s cheek.

[Beautiful mother is so soft and sweet!]

Concubine Li watched the warm interaction between Concubine De and Ah Bao, feeling as if a knife was stabbing into her heart.

At that moment, Zhilan walked in with a white porcelain soup bowl, “Your Majesty, the soup is ready.”

Zhilan placed it on the table with two sets of bowls and chopsticks.

“Uh, sister, what is this?”

“Turtle soup.” Concubine De’s voice remained soft.

Concubine Li froze, her face changing immediately, “Why are you drinking this kind of soup so early in the morning? Isn’t this used for… um, men’s nourishment?”

“Concubine Li, you might not understand. This soup is not gender-specific.” Concubine De subtly signaled Zhilan.

Zhilan understood and said, “Speaking of which, our lady’s fair skin and beauty are partly thanks to this turtle soup. It’s a secret recipe from outside the palace, known not only for its health benefits but also for enhancing beauty.

Look at our lady; even after giving birth, she still has a radiant complexion and skin as smooth as snow, all thanks to this.”

Is that so?

Concubine Li, hearing about the beauty benefits, brightened up and couldn’t help but look at the soup.

The soup bowl emitted a fragrant steam, and the aroma filled the room.

“Concubine Li, would you like to try it?”

Concubine Li was initially reluctant.

But seeing Concubine De’s beautiful face made her want to try it, “I… may I?”

“Of course. The bowls and chopsticks are all ready for you.”

Concubine Li hesitantly picked up the soup bowl.

Concubine De gently said, “Sister, come, drink this bowl of soup.”

In less than a few seconds, Concubine Li had downed the entire bowl of soup.

It felt like this wasn’t just soup but a magical elixir that could instantly enhance beauty.

“I expected it to have a strong odor, but it actually smells quite pleasant. It’s a bit familiar… similar to chicken soup, hehe.” Concubine Li laughed awkwardly.

She had already planned in her mind.

When she returned to the palace, she would have her people find some small turtles for her.

“Zhilan, didn’t you bring Concubine Li’s soup bowl?” Concubine De suddenly spoke.

Concubine Li, lost in her dreams of becoming more beautiful, was jolted by Concubine De’s words.

“What?” Concubine Li stood up from her seat in shock.

Zhilan quickly apologized, “Oh, Your Majesty, I’m sorry. I mixed up the soup bowls. The bowl for Concubine Li looked just like the one for our Yihe Palace. I didn’t distinguish them.”

“It’s alright, fortunately, I haven’t drunk it yet,” Concubine De said generously.

“My chicken soup—are you saying I drank my own soup?” Concubine Li’s eyes widened.

Her mind flashed back to Concubine De’s words, “Come, drink this bowl of poison chicken soup.”

Ahhh!

Concubine Li was dumbfounded. She quickly covered her stomach and rushed outside to vomit, “Ugh, ugh, ugh—”

After a long while of retching, she couldn’t bring up a single drop.

Concubine Li even tried to induce vomiting herself.

But the poison was already inside her; it wasn’t easy to expel.

“Concubine Li, what’s wrong? I remember you’re not allergic to chicken soup, so why are you vomiting?” Concubine De’s eyes gleamed with a sly smile.

Concubine Li was distraught, feeling like she was about to spit blood from anger. “I—”

“It couldn’t be that the chicken soup was too unpalatable for you to even swallow, could it?”

“No…” Concubine Li was at a loss for words. The turtle beauty soup had turned into a face-destroying poison soup.

She had to say it tasted good!

[Haha, Mom, I have reason to believe you purposely had Zhilan bring the wrong bowl.]