Unlimited Save System for Palace Intrigue

Chapter 311: The Half-Moon Pact When Ruyi came to visit the Emperor, the other concubines were already there, so she didn’t stand out. After all, although the Emperor had been poisoned and the poison had been neutralized, his health had still been compromised. The Emperor was currently recuperating, and the concubines who had come to visit were only allowed to sit for a short while before being sent away. At this moment, the Emperor was in no mood to admire any beauties. Ruyi saw that the Emperor’s complexion was still good and he hadn’t grown noticeably weaker. It seemed the imperial physicians were quite skilled. Although the poisoning had damaged his health, as long as he recuperated properly, there shouldn’t be any major issues. However, Ruyi had no clue who had poisoned him this time. She simply found these people utterly terrifying. To succeed in poisoning him despite such tight security was a testament to their skill. Fortunately, their target wasn’t her or the Sixth Prince; otherwise, she would never have been able to withstand it. It was clear now that these people were highly skilled. With them lurking outside, constantly keeping a watchful eye on the Emperor, it was indeed a dangerous situation. No wonder Leng Feng had been looking so worried these past few days—it seemed he had run into trouble as well. After all, no matter how capable Leng Feng was, it would be very difficult to track down the culprit without any leads. Unfortunately, she couldn’t offer any help at the moment. All she could do was watch quietly from the sidelines, hoping Leng Feng would find the culprit as soon as possible. Otherwise, not only would the Emperor be in danger, but the Empress Dowager would likely not spare Leng Feng either. With the Emperor poisoned, the Empress Dowager would certainly take it out on him; she hoped Leng Feng could weather this storm. After returning to her room, Ruyi asked Aunt Sun, “With the Emperor’s poisoning, are there any clues as to who did this?” “I’ve already made inquiries, but we still don’t know who the culprit is, nor how the poison was administered. It seems the poisoner is quite skilled—they managed to poison the Emperor without anyone noticing,” Aunt Sun said. “With someone of such skill at large, the Emperor surely cannot rest easy,” Ruyi said. “Even with such strict security, the culprit still managed to poison him without anyone noticing. If this continues, who knows if the Emperor will survive.” “The Empress Dowager likely shares this concern. After these two attempts to poison the Emperor, she intends to have him cancel this tour. After all, the palace is far safer than the outside world, and there are no such unscrupulous individuals plotting to harm him there. It’s as if the Emperor’s journey has been fraught with danger from the very start, which has made the Empress Dowager deeply averse to this tour,” Aunt Sun said. “This tour is a major event. The Empress Dowager has only just asked the Emperor to return to the palace, but he surely won’t agree,” said Ruyi. “You truly understand the Emperor. He does indeed wish to refuse, but the Empress Dowager is insisting. While the tour is of great significance, the Emperor’s life is even more important. Since those who sought to harm him have not yet been apprehended, the Empress Dowager fears there may be another attempt and naturally wants the Emperor to return to the palace first. As for the tour, it doesn’t require the Emperor’s personal presence; the officials he has dispatched will suffice,” said Aunt Sun. “The Empress Dowager has the heart of a loving mother. After all, no matter what, the Emperor is her own son. She doesn’t want to see him come to harm—that’s understandable. What did the Emperor say in the end?” Ruyi asked. “The Emperor has put so much effort into this and paid such a heavy price. This tour has cost a great deal of money, and he certainly doesn’t want to abandon it halfway through. However, the Empress Dowager is insistent, and the Emperor cannot go against her. Therefore, if we cannot identify and apprehend the accomplices who previously attempted to harm the Emperor within half a month, the Emperor will have no choice but to follow the Empress Dowager’s orders and return to the palace,” ” Aunt Sun said. “So, if we can’t catch these murderers within half a month, we’ll have no choice but to return to the palace with the Emperor. After all, if the Emperor isn’t here, we certainly can’t continue the tour,” Ruyi said. “It is a bit of a shame. I had originally thought we could stay and enjoy ourselves a little longer, but now it seems we’ll have to return in no more than half a month. After all, the Empress Dowager’s stance is very firm. In truth, even if the Emperor were to identify the culprits and apprehend those who sought to harm him, the Empress Dowager would still not feel at ease. After all, if there is one, there could be a second. Even if the culprits from this incident are caught, there is no guarantee there aren’t others harboring malicious intent to kill the Emperor. How could the Empress Dowager possibly feel at ease?” Aunt Sun said. “Actually, there’s not much to regret. We’ve done all the sightseeing we came out here to do. Even if we were to go somewhere else, it would be much the same. I originally thought we’d have more freedom outside the palace than inside, but this tour is still taking place in full view of everyone. We can’t just do whatever we please, so it’s not much different from being in the palace,” said Ruyi. “It’s good that Your Highness can think this way. After all, things rarely go exactly as we plan. Even if we wanted the Emperor to stay away from the palace, it’s probably impossible now. If we were to actually persuade the Emperor to stay, it might even anger the Empress Dowager. If that happens, it would be very difficult for Your Highness to deal with her.” Aunt Sun said. In truth, the Emperor was deeply troubled at that moment. He knew the Empress Dowager meant well, but having spent a vast fortune on this tour to root out the parasites plaguing the nation, he never expected to encounter such an incident halfway through. This left him feeling utterly defeated. He had been diligent and devoted to the country and its people, yet he never imagined so many would seek to harm him. Although he had been poisoned, the Emperor was not afraid. He still intended to proceed as originally planned: to inspect his vast realm and then return to the palace. But he had no choice; faced with the Empress Dowager’s tearful pleas, what else could he do? The Emperor could only agree to a one-and-a-half-month deadline. If the culprit could not be found by then, returning to the palace as the Empress Dowager requested would actually be for the best. After all, if the culprit could not be identified within that time, remaining outside the palace would indeed be dangerous. Since the assailant had managed to poison him undetected—and if they could do it once, they could do it again—he had no choice but to be on guard. Under the Emperor’s orders, Leng Feng immediately began his investigation. He uncovered numerous leads; after all, the toxin had been triggered by pollen. Upon learning that officials had previously sent large quantities of rouge and flower powder to the imperial consorts, Leng Feng recognized this as a potential lead and pursued it further. However, the investigation yielded no concrete results. These officials had indeed presented the rouge and flower powder to curry favor with the consorts, and the products themselves were of the highest quality—who could have foreseen that the Emperor’s exposure to the pollen would trigger a toxic reaction? It would be inaccurate to say that this rouge powder harmed the Emperor. After all, had the incident of his poisoning not been exposed through this rouge powder, it would have been far more dangerous had it been discovered later.