Chapter 12
You Xiang That Can Only Be Found in Mu Kingdom
As she watch the royal physicians bustling around, Xia Hou Shang Yue’s expression is calm, but deep inside she can sense an incoming disaster coming her way.
The empress dowager and Bai Chu Xun fainted together, and they both ate sour plum cake. Since she didn’t eat them, she is fine. This time, it will be hard for her to avoid what is to come.
“How is imperial grandmother? And Xun Er? What about Xun Er?” Bai Yu Chen is still wearing his dragon robe. He was at the imperial study with his ministers to discuss about the Xian Kingdom’s visit when he received the news from a Ci Ning Palace’s eunuch. Bai Yu Chen immediately dropped everything and rushed over.
“The imperial physicians are still checking. They should be fine.”
“Should be? Xia Hou Shang Yue, if anything happens to imperial grandmother and Xun Er, zhen will not let you off!”
Xia Hou Shang Yue bit her lips and did not say anything. She don’t understand why the two people fainted after eating sour plum cake. She made it herself, there shouldn’t be any problem with it.
Bai Yu Chen too no longer says anything. His face is cold. Deep inside he tells himself, nothing must happen to his imperial grandmother and sister.
“Imperial brother, how is imperial grandmother?” Bai Yu Xuan rushes over, anxiously asking. Bai Yu Chen did not answer and merely glance at him coldly.
“The imperial physicians are still checking.” Xia Hou Shang Yue answers lightly.
Bai Yu Xuan no longer asks anything and sits on a chair while watching the busy figures of the imperial physicians.
After about half an hour, the royal physicians finally finished investigating. The head of the imperial physician department, Physician Ye kneels in front of the rest, wiping beads of sweat on his forehead.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, both the empress dowager and the princess has been poisoned using a certain kind of poison called You Xiang. This official already uses the Golden Needle technique to curb the poison. As long as they received sufficient tonic and rests, they will be fine.”
You Xiang? Xia Hou Shang Yue trembles. You Xiang is a kind of poison only found in Mu Kingdom, how can the empress dowager be poisoned using that?
Someone is trying to frame her, that’s all she can think of. Only the empress dowager is truly kind to her in Yue Kingdom, Xia Hou Shang Yue would never poison her. Besides, she has only heard of You Xiang, she has never really seen them.
“How much does Physician Ye understand about You Xiang?” Bai Yu Chen looks at Xia Hou Shang Yue while gritting his teeth as he asks that. Xia Hou Shang Yue, it really is you! Imperial grandmother treated you so well and you go around poisoning her, your heart is so poisonous!
“From what this official knows, You Xiang is primarily used in the southern region. These kind of poisons acts fast, if not treated within the hour, the victim will bleed in all orifices and dies. At present, You Xiang can only be found in Mu Kingdom.” Aware of what he is implying, Physician Ye looks up for a brief moment and glances at Xia Hou Shang Yue’s direction and no longer continue his words. Mu Kingdom is the empress’ homeland. Both the empress dowager and the princess got poisoned, but the empress is just fine. Such a coincidence….
Bai Yu Xuan look over at Xia Hou Shang Yue. Last night, he could see his imperial grandmother truly liked her from the way she treated Xia Hou Shang Yue. Why would she poison imperial grandmother and Xun Er now?
Could she be Mu Kingdom’s….
“Physician Ye, go and investigate all these. Zhen wants to see who in the imperial palace dares to poison the Grand Empress Dowager and Princess Xun Ran.”
Xia Hou Shang Yue knows Bai Yu Chen was directing the words to her. She too did not understand what is going on. You Xiang is a poison only found in Mu Kingdom. Now, she can only hope that her sour plum cake and chicken porridge contains no You Xiang. If they do, even if she flings herself to the Yellow River, she can’t wash herself clean.
Physician Ye and a couple other physicians circles around the table and inspect the sour plum cake and chicken porridge. Xia Hou Shang Yue nervously watches them as they put some of the sour plum cake into some sort of a liquid, from time to time discussing something with each other.
After they finished testing the food, Physician Ye glances at Xia Hou Shang Yue again before bowing his head.
“Reporting to Your Majesty, both the sour plum cake and the chicken porridge contains You Xiang. This official thinks both the Grand Empress Dowager and Princess Xun Ran fainted because they ate these.”
“Zhen understand. All of you may retreat. Mo Yuan, where do all these foods come from?” Bai Yu Chen sits in a chair, his eyes directed at Xia Hou Shang Yue. It has been quiet for half a month, she finally lifts her hand now. He knew Mu Kingdom wouldn’t simply send a beloved princess thousands of miles away just for marriage. Indeed, they have other purpose for her.
“This-“
“Speak, zhen will not blame you.”
Mo Yuan looks at Xia Hou Shang Yue. Her face is pale and she looks like she is going to collapse soon. Mo Yuan would not dare to believe Xia Hou Shang Yue will poison the empress dowager, but, at such circumstances, she can’t help but to.
Xia Hou Shang Yue bit her lips. From choosing the ingredients up until the sour plum cake is cooked, she has not allowed anyone to interfere with the cake. How can the cake contains You Xiang?
Could it be Xun Er? Impossible. She will never use them to poison herself. You Xiang is an extremely potent poison. A slow delay will lead to immediate death. Xun Er has no purpose to do such a thing. Then who could it be?
Seeing Bai Yu Chen’s icy cold eyes and Mo Yuan’s difficult and nervous expression, Xia Hou Shang Yue grasp her hands, up until the point where she hurts her palm. After she release them, she opens her mouth. “The cake and the porridge were both sent by chenqie. Imperial grandmother did not have the appetite to eat yesterday, so chenqie and the princess made her cake and chicken porridge to help her eat. As for how You Xiang gets there, chenqie too did not know, chenqie begs the emperor to investigate!”
Xia Hou Shang Yue’s face is pale. Her words were neither humbled nor overboard. She did not put the poison, she has no reason to not admit that she was the one who sent the food.
“Xia Hou Shang Yue, do you think zhen will believe you if you took the initiative to admit that? Zhen initially planned to let you live in the palace peacefully as the empress, but now, you ruined all that with your own doing!”
Bai Yu Chen slaps Xia Hou Shang Yue in the face with an expression that made Xia Hou Shang Yue’s heart turns cold. She knows, she will never be able to escape this now.
This is such a deadly trap. Even if she manage to avoid the trap, she will not be able to wash herself clean. Just who exactly hates her so much to the point of wanting her death?
“Chenqie knows Your Majesty would never trust anything chenqie says, but the poisoning really isn’t chenqie’sdoing!”
Bai Yu Chen who was originally angry, got even angrier upon hearing that. He stretches his hand and slaps her a couple more times until she fell to the ground.
“Are you saying that zhen is framing you? Even now you still have the audacity to talk back! Somebody come and drag the empress to the dungeon!”
Translator’s Note: Arrghhhh, I hate stories like this the most!!!!!! It’s one thing to be mentally tormenting her, but how low would you have to be to hit a defenseless girl you know would never be able to hit back! I had to take a few breaks between translating to cool myself off haha. Isn’t he supposed to be the emperor? How could he be so clueless and stupid and rash? It’s a wonder how he won the game of thrones to begin with!
I hate male leads like this the most, but now I can’t stop reading because I am dying to know who poisons them all.
Moral of the story: Don’t cook anybody anything hahaha
The main picture is how I imagined Bai Yu Xuan (the brother btw).