As for the Imperial Study, after receiving the message from Yikun Palace, Ning Xu fell into deep thought. After a moment, he turned to his Hidden Guard.
"The Empress knows she’s been poisoned?"
Wufeng bowed his head, pondering for a while, "Even if she isn’t aware, she’s already become cautious. Now, she only eats vegetarian dishes from the Imperial Kitchen. She doesn’t touch any meat dishes!"
Despite his young age, Ning Xu was undeniably handsome and possessed an innate noble air about him, especially notable was the cinnabar mole by his eye—bright red as blood. It was extraordinarily attractive when the corner of his lips curled slightly upward.
"Hmph... I wonder if she’s truly become smarter or if someone is guiding her behind the scenes. Others know she only eats vegetarian dishes, so even if they would poison her, they’d do it in the meat dishes. She simply abstains from meat altogether, showing such a strong will to live, it’s quite amusing to people—"
"Is the Emperor feeling pity?"
Wufeng, lacking insight with his statement, immediately felt two icy glares shot in his direction from Ning Xu’s way: "Would I pity that fool?"
"Which of your eyes saw that?"
Wufeng’s ever-stoic face didn’t show a trace of expression, "The other day, Mrs. Yuan Wen came to the palace, and halfway there she was intercepted by the Empress Dowager. Later, the Empress Dowager found a doctor from outside the palace. If there’s no connection between these events—"
"If there’s a connection, then go find out what it is. Even though the Empress is useless, she serves as a protective film. Otherwise, those old foxes would each want to cram their daughters in here. Don’t they see how young I am? Do they really wish for me to die young?"
Though Wufeng found this remark amusing, he couldn’t muster a smile, his demeanor always unflappable. He continued to inquire.
"We’ve discovered three groups involved in the poisoning so far; should we intervene soon?"
Ning Xu waved his hand dismissively, a look of irritation on his face: "Let’s just watch and wait, to see how capable this woman is. If she truly can slim down from the ordeal, I wouldn’t mind genuinely supporting her to the end—after all, the Empress Dowager indeed has been kind to me. If she wishes to repay that kindness, why can’t I do it on her behalf?"
Wufeng pursed his lips, "Does the Emperor not think this debt of gratitude is being overstated? Although our people didn’t follow into Cining Palace that day, judging by Yikun Palace’s behavior, it hardly seemed like that of a loving mother. At times, the Empress executed brilliant diversions to avoid having her pulse taken, and all this happened after Yuan Shoucheng came to take the Empress’s pulse. There seems to be something amiss in all this."
"It seems that the three days Yuan Yuan was missing are crucial. Within just that time span, Yuan Shoucheng detected something abnormal about her body. As her father, having grown up in the Yuan Residence, no one knows Yuan Yuan’s condition better than Yuan Shoucheng. It appears this woman has realized something herself; why else would she even be wary of her own parents?"
The Emperor’s words made Wufeng grasp something, "I will follow this lead and investigate thoroughly."
While the Emperor and Empress Dowager went out to investigate, Yuan Yuan had already put down her headphones and closed her laptop.
The laptop was something she obtained from the ’space’ in exchange for her jewelry, including surveillance devices. The downloaded content of the surveillance, including the days Mrs. Yuan Wen went to Cining Palace and returned home, left Yuan Yuan with a cold sneer on her lips after listening to those conversations.
"What a clichéd and yet familiar melodrama, no wonder the Empress Dowager is so kind to me, no wonder the Yuan Family treats me this way. Turns out, I’m just their cannon fodder in a power struggle?" Googlᴇ search novęlfire.net