Di Lingwei was truly bewildered. Fortunately, Xing Ruolan had kept her head lowered and hadn’t seen the shift in her expression.
After Xing Ruolan finished speaking, Di Lingwei feigned calmness and said, “Zhen understands. You are dismissed.”
She looked as though she had really thought of all those things.
“This Servant takes leave.”
Xing Ruolan withdrew respectfully and obediently.
Alone in the study room, Di Lingwei rubbed her temples, a hint of helplessness flashing through her beautiful eyes.
“Forget it, let them imagine whatever they want. I’ll just read my own book.”
Di Lingwei picked up the “Romance of the Imperial Palace” in her hands again and continued reading.
Time gradually moved towards evening.
It was time for the meal again. Di Lingwei, graceful and unhurried, made her way to the eastern chamber of her bedchamber to dine.
Palace maids brought the dishes and placed them on the table. Every imaginable delicacy from land and sea was present, their aroma filling the entire eastern chamber.
Yet, just at that moment, for unknown reasons, a palace maid, right after setting down a dish, suddenly collapsed. The thud of her fall was unmistakable.
Di Lingwei turned her head and saw the maid struggling as if trying to get up but seemingly unable to for some reason. Her face had turned deathly pale, showing an expression of pain.
Before Di Lingwei could grasp the situation, with successive thuds, two more palace maids collapsed.
This startled all the other palace maids present, and Xing Ruolan rushed forward to check on them.
The situation deeply shocked Di Lingwei internally, yet she maintained her composure outwardly and asked in a deep voice, “What is the situation?”
After a brief inspection, Xing Ruolan’s expression turned grave. “Your Majesty, it seems they have been poisoned.”
Poisoned?
Why would the palace maids be poisoned?
Di Lingwei swept her gaze over the fallen figures. A thought suddenly struck her. The meals she normally consumed were always tasted by the maids first. Only after it was confirmed safe would it be presented to her. And now, the palace maids showed signs of poisoning. Didn’t that mean…
Di Lingwei felt her limbs turn cold, her heart pounding like a drum. Yet, on the surface, she forced herself to maintain a dignified appearance. “Pass on Our order. Summon the Imperial Physician immediately to treat them. Also, investigate the source of the poison.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Xing Ruolan said seriously.
Someone was attempting regicide. This was an extremely serious matter that could not be taken lightly.
In this situation, Di Lingwei swept her gaze over the table full of dishes. Naturally, she dared not take a single bite. She turned and left the hall.
The perimeter of the bedchamber was guarded by the Imperial Guard. The leader on duty was naturally Wei Nian, whom she had reassigned.
“Greetings, Your Majesty.”
Seeing Di Lingwei emerge, Wei Nian quickly bowed.
Di Lingwei nodded casually, not in the mood to say much. She just wanted to stand there for a while.
Whoever wanted to kill her had failed with poison. Who knew if they would use other methods next? The problem was, although she appeared to have supreme martial power, she was actually incapable of fighting at all. She only had Wei Nian, who seemed reliable, by her side for safety. Otherwise, she truly felt no sense of security.
Not long after, Xing Ruolan came to report. “Reporting to Your Majesty, the matter has been roughly investigated.”
Di Lingwei turned to face Xing Ruolan. “Speak.”
Xing Ruolan immediately explained the situation. The poison used this time was a slow-acting toxin. This meant it hadn’t been added to the batch of food just now but was placed in the noon meal.
Clearly, the poisoner knew that Di Lingwei had palace maids test her food before meals, hence the use of a poison that wouldn’t take effect immediately.
Hearing that the poison was in the noon meal, Di Lingwei’s legs nearly buckled. She had eaten all of her noon meal!
Just then, Xing Ruolan spoke with an expression of admiration, “No wonder Your Majesty refused to drink the chicken soup at noon. You must have known that the chicken soup was the poisoned dish.”
Di Lingwei: “…”
The poison was in the chicken soup?
The palace maids experiencing health problems were those who had tasted the chicken soup. Those who tasted the other dishes were fine. Perhaps the poisoner believed that Di Lingwei, who liked chicken soup, would definitely drink it, so they only poisoned that dish?
Regardless, knowing she hadn’t consumed the poisoned food allowed Di Lingwei to greatly relax. Then, in a deep voice, she said, “From now on, without Our explicit command, do not make chicken soup again.”
Xing Ruolan agreed, “Your Majesty is wise. It is still unclear how the toxin was mixed into the chicken soup without detection, and the poisoner has also not been found. Under these circumstances, it is indeed unsuitable to drink chicken soup again.”
In truth, besides the tasting by palace maids, there were various other safety verification methods for Di Lingwei’s meals, but none had detected the poison in this chicken soup. This indicated that it was no ordinary toxin.
The reason the poisoner targeted the chicken soup was not necessarily because Di Lingwei liked it. It could be that the poison was only easily concealed in the chicken soup, making it harder to detect. Otherwise, the perpetrator could have simply added a bit of poison to every dish, which would have been foolproof. The fact that they didn’t must have a reason.
“Not a single clue about who the poisoner is?” Di Lingwei asked, somewhat displeased.
Someone capable of poisoning her food was likely of considerable status within the palace. How could she be at ease with such a person existing?
Xing Ruolan said softly, “This matter has already been passed to the Ministry of Justice. They will conduct the investigation.”
Hearing this, Di Lingwei felt helpless but could say nothing more. She was powerless in this matter and could only let others investigate. She just hoped the would-be regicide would be found quickly.
Not long after, Shangguan Yuchan and various officials heard the news that someone had poisoned Di Lingwei. They came one after another to pay their respects and expressed their willingness to share Their Majesty’s burden and would certainly assist in the investigation.
Di Lingwei remained noncommittal, briefly dealt with everyone, and then sent them all away.
After all, among these people, who knew how many were truly loyal? Could the one wanting to kill her actually be hiding within this very group?
Di Lingwei felt some unease.
Unconsciously, the sky had darkened. Everyone else had withdrawn from the bedchamber, leaving Di Lingwei sitting alone by the bedside.
Although she was alone, a rope hung beside the bed. A slight pull would ring a bell in the distance, and Xing Ruolan would immediately come to attend to her. Without this method, even if Di Lingwei spoke louder, those outside wouldn’t hear her, as the bedchamber was vast.
Slowly removing her outer garments, the white inner clothing outlined Di Lingwei’s curvaceous and graceful figure. She sat down on the bed, preparing to sleep.
But just then, a sudden inspiration struck her. In a commanding tone, she spoke, “You think you’re hiding well? You think you can deceive Zhen? Come out and present yourself honestly. Don’t make Zhen take action. If Zhen acts, there will surely be bloodshed!”
After she spoke, all was peaceful in the bedchamber, with no movement.
Seeing this, Di Lingwei secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the bedchamber was quite safe after all. Time to sleep.
