Chapter 49

It was time for Su Jingyao’s medicinal bath again. She sat in the wooden tub, leaning back against its edge.

Madam Li stood beside her, gently massaging her body.

“My Lady, there is a spy from Yikun Palace in Zhaochun Palace,” Madam Li said in a calm tone, clearly unimpressed by the spies.

“Oh? How did the Noble Consort manage that?”

A faint smile appeared on Su Jingyao’s lips, curiosity flashing in her eyes.

The Noble Consort hadn’t been someone who schemed much back in the Eastern Palace. The kind and innocent female lead used to look down on such tactics.

“One of our palace maids, Ping’er, used to work in the Eastern Palace. At first, I wasn’t sure if she was the Noble Consort’s person, so I didn’t monitor her too strictly,” Madam Li explained while continuing her massage.

“Ping’er thought no one noticed her movements, but I always had someone follow her secretly.

She meets with Qiner, a senior maid from the Noble Consort’s palace, every five days. They are careful and use different methods each time to avoid suspicion,” Madam Li continued in a lower voice.

“Ping’er is just a second-rank maid in our palace. She rarely even enters the main hall—what could she possibly know about me?”

Su Jingyao’s tone was slow, and her expression carried a hint of disdain.

She already didn’t fully trust anyone in her palace. Only her closest attendants knew her real plans.

“She doesn’t know much, of course. But I fed her a mix of true and false information, and she ran to tell Qiner every five days,” Madam Li said softly.

“The last time you asked Miaoyun to leak the news about Your Majesty taking you out of the palace on your birthday, we did it through Ping’er.”

“Good. That means she has nothing to do with me anymore.”

Su Jingyao closed her eyes, looking completely relaxed, a faint smile on her lips.

“My Lady, what if the Noble Consort does nothing?” Madam Li asked, slightly frowning with concern.

“The Noble Consort never played such tricks back in the Eastern Palace. Even if she wanted to now, she wouldn’t know how,” Su Jingyao replied.

She didn’t answer right away but instead smiled meaningfully.

If the Noble Consort truly intended to do nothing, then why was Qiner so eager to gather information on Zhaochun Palace?

Besides, on the first night after Jun Zechen became emperor, she had deliberately sent him to Yikun Palace—to make sure Lingyue understood that his love was not divided. The emperor had changed his affection.

The Noble Consort couldn’t easily let go of her feelings for the emperor, so she would try to confirm his favoritism through certain actions.

A woman’s jealousy could be terrifying.

And jealousy was not something Ling Yue could easily control.

---

The next day, the sun was shining brightly, and warm light spread across the palace.

In the garden of Zhaochun Palace, magnolia trees were in full bloom—some were as white as snow, while others were pink and delicate, creating a beautiful scene.

“Master, His Majesty sent you three sets of dresses in commoner styles yesterday. Please choose which one to wear today,” Miao Xia said softly, pushing a rack of clothes in front of Su Jingyao for her to pick from.

Su Jingyao glanced at the three dresses—one was fiery red, one pure white, and one light blue with a fresh and elegant look.

After a moment of thought, she said gently, “The white one.”

She needed to act pitiful today, and white would help her get into the mood quickly.

“Yes, Master,” Miao Xia responded obediently and began to dress Su Jingyao carefully.

After a simple yet elegant makeover, Su Jingyao set off.

The emperor had not announced that he was taking her out of the palace, as the Empress Dowager was still around. If she found out, it could affect Su Jingyao’s reputation.

Clearly, the emperor had considered this, which was why he kept it a secret.

Inside the carriage, a eunuch led Su Jingyao to a hidden location where she waited.

She had brought plenty of food and even a book to pass the time.

---

Meanwhile, in Qianqing Palace, Eunuch An Shun rushed inside with a panicked expression.

The emperor, Jun Zechen, was already dressed in commoner clothing, making him look even more handsome and dignified.

“Your Majesty! Your Majesty!” An Shun’s voice trembled with urgency.

The emperor frowned slightly, impatience in his tone. “What happened?”

“The Noble Consort has fainted!” An Shun stuttered in fear.

Jun Zechen was stunned for a moment, then immediately strode towards Yikun Palace with a dark expression.

His eyes were icy cold, and An Shun followed closely behind, his face also filled with worry.

Today, the emperor was supposed to take the Pure Virtuous Consort out of the palace, so why had the Noble Consort suddenly collapsed?

Upon entering Yikun Palace, Jun Zechen saw Ling Yue lying unconscious on the bed, her face pale.

With anger in his voice, he shouted, “What happened?”

Since ascending the throne, he had not crowned Ling Yue as empress due to various reasons, and he had always felt guilty about it.

Now, less than a month later, she was lying unconscious because of palace conflicts.

“Where is the imperial physician?” he asked immediately.

“Your Majesty, the physician will arrive soon,” a servant replied.

Jun Zechen stood by the bed, staring at Ling Yue with a serious expression.

His deep eyes were filled with countless emotions—worry, anger, guilt…

A short while later, Imperial Physicians Hu and Li arrived in a hurry.

They bowed respectfully, “Your Majesty.”

“Quickly examine the Noble Consort,” the emperor ordered, his tone urgent.

Physician Li knelt beside the bed and carefully checked Ling Yue’s condition.

With a furrowed brow, he turned to the anxious maid, Mei Xiang.

“Did the Noble Consort show any symptoms before she fainted?”

“She felt nauseous and vomited before collapsing,” Mei Xiang replied anxiously.

Physician Li analyzed her pulse and symptoms before concluding gravely, “Your Majesty, the Noble Consort has been poisoned.”

Jun Zechen’s expression turned ice-cold, his voice low and dangerous. “Is there a cure?”

“Based on her symptoms and pulse, she has ingested Aconite. Fortunately, she didn’t consume much, so the poison is mild. I will immediately prepare an antidote,” Physician Li responded quickly.

“Do it,” the emperor commanded.

Then, he turned to Physician Hu, “You check her too.”

For the emperor, having two physicians confirm a diagnosis was standard practice—both to prevent misdiagnosis and to avoid the risk of corruption.

Physician Hu carefully examined Ling Yue and confirmed, “Your Majesty, my findings match Physician Li’s. The Noble Consort accidentally ingested Aconite.”

“How could she have eaten Aconite by mistake?” the emperor asked with a deep frown.

“An Shun, investigate this immediately,” Jun Zechen ordered coldly.

He then sat by the bed, silently watching Ling Yue, sighing in his heart.

She had suffered.

Suddenly, he remembered—Yaoyao was still waiting for him.

But now that Ling Yue was poisoned and unconscious, how could he leave the palace to accompany another consort?

With a dark expression, he stepped out of the room and quietly instructed Fu Quan.

“Go tell the Pure Virtuous Consort that the Noble Consort was poisoned today. I cannot take her out of the palace. She should return to Zhaochun Palace, and I will visit her later.”

After a brief pause, he added, “Also, take the purple gemstone jewelry set and the full-length glass mirror from my private collection and send them to Zhaochun Palace.” Fu Quan was shocked when he heard the order. The jewelry set was one thing, but the glass mirror was different.

Back when the late emperor was in power, only the empress dowager had one. Even when the former Noble Consort begged for it, the late emperor never gave it to her.

But now, His Majesty was giving the only glass mirror in the entire palace to Pure Consort Su.

Fu Quan quickly bowed and said, “Yes, Your Majesty. I will arrange it immediately.”

After Fu Quan left, Jun Zechen finally let out a small sigh of relief.

Still, he felt a bit guilty. He didn’t want her birthday to be ruined.

But since Yao Yao cared about the Noble Consort, she would probably understand his decision.

Meanwhile, Su Jingyao was still waiting in the carriage, calmly enjoying flower pastries and tea while reading a book.

“Master, Eunuch Fu Quan is here,” Miao Yun reported softly.

Su Jingyao raised an eyebrow, then reluctantly put away her things.

Her expression changed slightly, turning more melancholic.

“Greetings, Your Highness,” Fu Quan bowed respectfully.

“You may rise. Where is His Majesty?” Su Jingyao asked eagerly.

“Noble Consort has been poisoned, and His Majesty has gone to Yikun Palace. He won’t be able to take you out of the palace today. His Majesty asked you to return to Zhaochun Palace, and he will visit you later,” Fu Quan explained carefully.

For a brief moment, Su Jingyao’s expression stiffened, but then she let out a disappointed sigh.

Still, she asked with concern, “How is Noble Consort doing?”

“The imperial doctors are already preparing an antidote. She should be fine,” Fu Quan quickly reassured her.

“That’s good. I will return to Zhaochun Palace now.”

Su Jingyao forced a smile, but it was filled with bitterness.

When she returned, her face was calm.

Her lips parted slightly as she gave an order to Miao Yun.

“Miao Yun, close the bedroom doors. Keep them shut so that everyone outside thinks His Majesty is at Yikun Palace while I stay here feeling miserable.”

“Yes, Master.”

Miao Yun obediently went to shut the doors.

When she returned, she saw her mistress elegantly sitting on the couch, holding a brush and writing carefully.

Su Jingyao glanced up and gave another order.

“In two days, summon the female officials from the Six Bureaus, the Twelve Divisions under the Three Palaces, and the Palace Disciplinary Bureau. I want to have a discussion with them.”

“Yes, Master.”

Then, Su Jingyao narrowed her eyes slightly.

“What kind of poison was used on the Noble Consort?”

“I heard it was monkshood,” Miao Yun answered.

Hearing this, Su Jingyao’s brush suddenly stopped. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Monkshood?

That’s a very toxic plant. But why monkshood?

If she remembered correctly, just touching monkshood could cause a stinging sensation.

Didn’t Tang Ronghua once use it by applying it to a prayer bead bracelet?

Su Jingyao knew about this because An Zhaorong had given the monkshood to Tang Ronghua.

Her spy in An Zhaorong’s palace had discovered it before.

So, was this poisoning done by An Zhaorong, or was it a trick by the Noble Consort herself?

Su Jingyao believed it was more likely a scheme by the Noble Consort.

If An Zhaorong truly wanted to poison the Noble Consort without caring about the consequences, the Noble Consort would probably be dead by now.

This time, the Noble Consort was smart.

She not only used this incident to keep His Majesty from taking Su Jingyao out of the palace but also tried to drag An Zhaorong down with her.

It was a clever plan—killing two birds with one stone.

However, An Zhaorong wasn’t stupid either. The monkshood in her palace was probably already gone.

The real question was how the Noble Consort planned to frame An Zhaorong.

Su Jingyao looked out the window, her gaze distant.

An Zhaorong was right.

Once the Noble Consort gained power, the first person she would eliminate was An Zhaorong.

After all, back in the Eastern Palace, An Zhaorong had harmed her many times.

Now, the Noble Consort was finally fighting back.F