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"Absolutely no ulterior motives?" Li Ye kicked aside the incompetent servant. "How could you all deceive me like this after the Empress Dowager trusted you so much? Can you really live with your conscience?"
Zhu Xi, being a woman and a servant who personally attended to the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace, had never faced such reprimand, let alone the kick to her chest. Her face turned pale immediately. "Your Majesty, please spare me, Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, please allow me to explain," Mo Xier said loudly, as the situation unfolded too suddenly for her to intervene.
Li Ye looked at her, his anger somewhat subsiding. "Go ahead."
"Reporting to Your Majesty, after my inquiries, I have determined that the location of the abdominal pain experienced by the Empress Dowager and the vomit produced indicates that the arsenic was ingested by the Empress Dowager herself," Mo Xier said softly.
"What?" Li Ye was taken aback. "How is this possible?"
The Empress Dowager of a nation actually poisoned herself? If this were to spread, it would surely bring shame upon her and lead others to believe that the Emperor was unfilial towards the Empress Dowager.
The censors would undoubtedly offer their admonitions, and those aligned with the Chancellor would surely make a comeback. The court would certainly be thrown into chaos.
In an instant, he felt a mix of emotions. Mo Xier shook her head. "I speak no falsehood."
Green Wisteria, who had been silent all along, now raised a critical point: "The question is whether the Empress Dowager took the arsenic intentionally or unintentionally."
Mo Xier smiled and looked at this woman she resonated with. She nodded. "That's right. Although the deadly poison was ingested by the Empress Dowager herself, she was also deceived."
"You've confused me," Li Ye said, somewhat bewildered.
Mo Xier explained, "Actually, the problem lies in the Empress Dowager's diet..."
"No, that can't be." Before Mo Xier could finish her sentence, Zhu Xi interrupted, "The Empress Dowager's meals have always been handled by me, with no one else involved. I can guarantee with my life that there was absolutely no poisoning of the Empress Dowager. Miss Mo, please do not speak recklessly and wrongfully accuse innocent people."
If it were someone else, Mo Xier would have already left in anger. However, since she was under this roof, she had to lower her head. Therefore, she merely suppressed her anger and said, "Zhu Xi, I never said anyone deliberately poisoned her. Would you please listen to me carefully?"
"Zhu Xi, you are being unreasonable!" Li Ye said angrily. "Zhang Zehai, take her away and give her twenty slaps."
Zhu Xi was stunned: "Your Majesty, please don't!"
Zhang Zehai had already seen through it; the Emperor was trying to assert his authority in front of the palace servants. The Emperor's feelings for Miss Mo were already obvious to everyone.
As a mere servant, why disturb the Emperor's mood? Moreover, Zhu Xi was being too ungrateful; clearly, Mo Xier was defending her, yet she bit back and accused her of wronging innocent people. A slap was too lenient.
Thus, they quickly silenced Zhu Xi and dragged her away.
Mo Xier felt bitter in her heart; being at risk of being slapped was not a pleasant situation. She bit her lip, unsure whether to speak or remain silent.
Green Wisteria gently tugged at her fingers and patted them twice.
She looked up and gave a grateful smile to Green Wisteria before continuing, "Actually, the problem is not with Zhu Xi. The Empress Dowager has indeed suffered from food poisoning this time.
I know that in the afternoon, the Empress Dowager had a bowl of milk, and the Imperial Inner Court sent fresh fruits, among which the citrus was particularly sweet and sour. Just when the Empress Dowager had no appetite, she ended up eating a few more."
As a result, Citrus and Milk naturally caused discomfort in the stomach, producing a potent toxin. Fortunately, it was only in trace amounts, but it still led to severe abdominal pain for the Empress Dowager.
The imperial physicians could not examine her closely and could only feel her pulse with a silk thread. Naturally, some issues could not be detected, and they could not prove their medical skills were lacking, so they requested the Emperor's understanding.
Mo Xier's words made Li Ye nod repeatedly: "So that's how it is. It turns out that food can have such dangerous interactions. Mo Xier, you truly are my lucky star!"
Once this was said, everyone's expressions changed.
Mo Xier felt quite distressed; despite taking precautions against various things, she never expected the Empress Dowager would harm herself!
Green Wisteria lowered her eyelids, revealing no expression and needing to say nothing.
Zhang Zehai glanced at Mo Xier and thought that he now had another person to curry favor with, though he was unsure if this master would be easy to serve.
At that moment, a palace maid who had been attending to the Empress Dowager came out: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has awakened and requests you, along with Miss Mo and Green Wisteria, to come in."
The three entered one after another. The Empress Dowager had already regained consciousness, changed into her regular clothes, and appeared much better, though still somewhat weak: "Emperor, you have come."
Li Ye walked over with concern and asked, "Does the Empress Dowager still feel unwell anywhere?"
The Empress Dowager shook her head, her voice faint: "Much better now, thanks to Mo Xier."
Mo Xier knelt down and said cheerfully, "This servant does not dare take credit; it is all due to the Empress Dowager's great fortune."
"Alright, stop being modest," Li Ye said affectionately. "Get up, kneeling all the time, I don't know who you learned that from."
The Empress Dowager glanced at the Emperor but remained silent, turning her gaze to Green Wisteria. "Was it Green Wisteria who helped me with the massage earlier? It felt wonderful; thank you for your hard work."
Green Wisteria shook her head. "It was all Miss Mo Xi who was busy attending to everything. I merely did my part; it wasn't hard work."
The Empress Dowager nodded. "You are all benefactors to me and deserve generous rewards." She then looked at Li Ye. "Emperor, what do you think would be a suitable reward?"
Li Ye's gaze was solely fixed on Mo Xi'er; every move and smile from her captivated him. "That depends on what they want. Mo Xi'er, whatever you desire, I will fulfill it."
Mo Xi'er twitched her lips, wishing she could disappear into the ground. Brother, we are not that close; please call me by my full name.
Though she thought this in her heart, she didn't dare say it aloud. "It is a blessing for a commoner to serve the Emperor and the Empress Dowager; I wouldn't dare to make any presumptuous requests."
"I am asking you to speak; no matter what you say, I can grant it. My word is my bond." The more she hesitated, the more Li Ye's determination grew.
Mo Xi'er opened her mouth, about to say something.
"Your Majesty, if Mo Xi'er hasn't decided yet, may I suggest that Green Wisteria speak first?" Green Wisteria suddenly interjected.
Li Ye looked at her with curiosity. "Sure, go ahead."
"The servant wishes to plead for Zhu Xi. Please consider her years of service to the Empress Dowager and the fact that she is unaware of this matter. I hope you can be lenient and show mercy," Green Wisteria said as she knelt down.
The room fell into silence.
The Empress Dowager said, "What happened to Zhu Xi?"
"She neglected her duties and caused the Empress Dowager to suffer, so I punished her..." Before the Emperor could finish his sentence, the Empress Dowager laughed.
"My child, she is not guilty for being unaware. The Empress Dowager knows you are filial, but Zhu Xi has served me for many years. She may not have made contributions, but she has endured hardships. If you punish her like this, the other servants will not accept it."
The Empress Dowager patted the back of the Emperor's hand and comforted him, "Let me handle this matter."
The Emperor nodded, "Whatever the Empress Dowager decides is fine."
The Empress Dowager nodded and looked at the troubled Mo Xier, frowning slightly. "Mo Xier, have you not thought about what you want?"
"Mo Xier lacks nothing; I truly seek nothing." Mo Xier felt overwhelmed; she just wanted to live quietly as an ordinary person. Did it really need to be this complicated? Your Majesty, you have thousands of beauties in your harem; why must it be me?
"Since you cannot think of anything, then let me give you a reward, how about that?" The Empress Dowager said with a smile.
Mo Xier was taken aback for a moment. Looking into the other person's authoritative gaze, she thought for a moment and nodded. "To receive a reward from the Empress Dowager is a great honor for Commoner Mo."
"I find you quite clever and charming; I wish to adopt you as my Adopted Daughter and bestow upon you the title of Princess Huaiyu. Would you be happy with that?" The Empress Dowager's words stunned everyone present.
Mo Xier stood there in shock, almost unable to believe her ears. If she became a princess, wouldn't that make her the Emperor's sister? In that case, how could the Emperor dare to have thoughts about her?
"Empress Dowager, you are truly talented," he was about to agree when a furious voice interrupted him.
"I do not agree!" Li Ye stood up, his imposing presence nearly causing others to falter.
"What does the Emperor mean by this?" The Empress Dowager's tone was rarely so cold towards the Emperor. "Is it that after narrowly escaping death, I cannot confer a title upon my savior?"
"That is not what I meant," Li Ye explained. "It's just... it's just..."
He understood the Empress Dowager's intention; she simply did not want him to create a rift with Night Star over a woman.
But a ruler is a ruler, and a minister is a minister; they cannot be of the same day.
Night Star lay awake in bed, tossing and turning, his mind filled with Mo Xier's playful smile. He couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle bitterly, never expecting that one day he would become so infatuated.
Suddenly, he felt a tightness in his chest, as if someone had gripped his heart fiercely. He sat up abruptly, gasping for air; he had never experienced anything like this before.
He had always trained in martial arts, strong and healthy. Aside from being weak as a child, he had never seen a doctor since joining the military. The sudden onset of this condition caught him off guard.
Once his breathing steadied, he stood up and tried to move around, ruling out any signs of poisoning. He walked to the table and poured himself a cup of tea, which had been brewed by the waiter earlier in the evening. The lukewarm tea was just right for him. He gulped it down, feeling much clearer afterward.
"Could something have happened to Mo Xi'er?" A sudden realization struck Night Star, making him anxious. He quickly pulled a small flute from his sleeve and began to play softly.
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