Chapter 651 - 638: Poisoning
Chapter 651: Chapter 638: Poisoning
No one knew about these things; Mrs. Ruo never talked about it, and the queen had never mentioned a word about it either.
However, Mrs. Ruo suspected that Concubine Hui, oh no, the current queen, Mrs. Qiao, must have known about this.
Mrs. Qiao sought Mrs. Ruo’s help not only to vent her spite at the previous queen, but also to seek revenge on what Mrs. Xiao Qiao did in the past.
If it were still the same as before, with the King of Qi deeply in love with her, Mrs. Ruo would not feel threatened.
After all, the King of Qi was the emperor’s own brother, so the emperor would turn a blind eye to many things. Even though Mrs. Qiao is now the queen, the emperor probably wouldn’t make any rash moves.
But now, it’s hard for her even to get an audience with the King of Qi, she is even more pitiful than Mrs. Xiao Qiao was in the past.
At least Mrs. Xiao Qiao could speak to the King of Qi about her problems, even if it meant invading the palace at night.
Given her current situation, it would be too easy for the queen and the crown prince to deal with her and Chu Jinzhuo.
No, she couldn’t just sit and wait for death. She had to regain the King of Qi’s affection by all means necessary.
Otherwise, there would truly be no place for her and Chu Jinzhuo in the future.
Mrs. Ruo’s brows knitted together tightly as she looked at Bi Tao, her maid beside her, and asked, “Where is the prince now?”
“Your highness, the prince, he …” Bi Tao hesitated, finally stuttering out, “he’s strolling in the garden with Concubine Hang.”
Since Hang Xueyun’s miscarriage, the King of Qi compensated her by welcoming her into his mansion with the formalities of a concubine after she finished her period of confinement.
Since then, whenever the King of Qi returned to his mansion, nine times out of ten he spent his time with Hang Xueyun.
Even when Mrs. Ruo claimed to be pregnant, the King of Qi only took a glance at her, saying a few words about taking good care of herself before leaving her.
Mrs. Ruo tried to behave like Xueyun and pretended to have a miscarriage too, blaming everything on Xueyun. But the King of Qi stood by Xueyun’s side and blamed it on Mrs. Ruo’s carelessness instead.
Mrs. Ruo was infuriated beyond words.
When she heard the King of Qi was with Hang Xueyun, she instinctively clenched her fists. Her long nails dug into her palms, leaving deep crescent-shaped marks.
“I heard that Concubine Hang hasn’t been feeling well these days. Send some medicinal dishes to her from the small kitchen and have her replenish her energy,” she commanded through gritted teeth.
She had no interest in caring for that woman’s wellbeing. She wished Xueyun would drop dead.
But now, she couldn’t even see the King of Qi. Only by being attentively caring to Hang Xueyun would the King of Qi see her as understanding and obedient.
Although it was somewhat pretentious, Mrs. Ruo knew that seeing each other often would spark some affection. No matter how he felt about her, as long as they met more often, decades of matrimonial affection would cause the King of Qi to be a little more considerate of her.
“Yes, this servant will attend to it right away,” Bi Tao promptly ordered the small kitchen to prepare.
Soon, two dishes, Astragalus with stewed Silkie chicken and donkey-hide gelatin with stewed lamb, were brought to the table in front of Hang Xueyun.
Bi Tao cleverly said, “Your highness, Concubine Hang, these are two medicinal dishes that the consort asked the kitchen to prepare especially for you. She said it was to help boost your health.”
“The consort is worried about Concubine Hang’s health. She wishes that you recover quickly so you can give the prince a child sooner. This would bring joy and prosperity to our mansion.”
“The ingredients for these two medicinal meals were personally selected by the Princess. Even the donkey-hide gelatin used in the lamb stew was a gift that the Princess received when she attended a feast in the palace during the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Princess thought it was a precious ingredient, so she has been reluctant to use it, but she decided to use it specifically to nourish Concubine Hang,”
“The Princess also emphasized that everything given to Concubine Hang must be the best quality, and that the stewed soup, in particular, should be prepared with great care. The heating process must be meticulously controlled to avoid overcooking or undercooking, so as not to waste the valuable ingredients or to deliver a dish that is not delicious. Therefore, the Princess spent a long time watching over the preparations in the kitchen herself,”
The King of Qi just slightly nodded, “The princess is indeed thoughtful.”
“What your highness said is absolutely correct,” Bi Tao said, “The Princess often says, ‘Family harmony leads to the prosperity of everything.’ You, the lord, have always worked tirelessly day and night, and it’s inappropriate for you to worry about these trivial matters within the mansion. As a wife, the Princess should manage the entire household, ensuring peace among all the consorts and concubines, so everyone can serve you harmoniously.”
“Hmm,” the King of Qi nodded his approval again.
Seeing this, Bi Tao suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.
Hang Xueyun smiled, listening to Bi Tao’s words and the King of Qi’s responses, blinking her eyes.
“The Princess is so caring. I should thank her in person. However, I’m still sick and I’m afraid of passing my illness to her. I will definitely visit her to express my gratitude once I recover. Bi Tao, could you please convey my thanks to her for the time being?”
“You’re being too polite, Concubine Hang. The princess says it’s her duty to take care of the house and doesn’t deserve any thanks. After you recover, you can visit the Princess. She has got some fashionable fabrics and is planning to make some winter clothes,” Bi Tao said with a smile.
“Then I will certainly trouble the Princess at that time,” Hang Xueyun agreed with a smile.
Seeing that the conversation had run its course, Bi Tao, not wanting to overstay her welcome, decided to excuse herself. She smiled, “Then, I will not disturb your highness and the concubine’s dinner. I’ll take my leave.”
“The culinary skills from the Princess’s kitchen have always been superb. Give it a try.” The King of Qi extended a piece of black chicken with his chopsticks into Hang Xueyun’s bowl.
“Your highness has been working hard these days, and lamb meat is nourishing. Please have a piece.” Hang Xueyun smiled, picked up a piece of lamb, blew off the heat, and instead of placing it in Qi King’s bowl, she brought it directly to his lips.
With beautiful Hang Xueyun in front of him feeding him a piece of lamb held by her slender hand with chopsticks, the King of Qi warmed. He opened his mouth, swallowed the lamb and after chewing for a while, he nodded appreciatively, “It does taste good indeed.”
“If you enjoy it, I will have more prepared for you in the future,” Hang Xueyun said with a smile, then she ate the piece of black chicken from her own bowl.
The two finished their dinner in such an affectionate manner.
As the last spoonful of fish soup with tofu skin was swallowed, the color suddenly drained from Hang Xueyun’s face. She clutched at her stomach, “Your highness, my stomach hurts terribly…”
The King of Qi tried to grasp the delicate hand that Hang Xueyun extended towards him but felt a severe pain in his belly before he could hold her hand.
The pain came swiftly and intensively, unlike the discomfort experienced from eating something disagreeable.
It was more like…
“Someone, we’ve been poisoned!” With the last of his strength, the King of Qi managed to call out but was unable to maintain consciousness any longer. He collapsed onto the table just like Hang Xueyun had done moments before.
“Your highness!”
“Concubine Hang!”
The room immediately devolved into chaos.
Mrs. Ruo, hearing the news, hurried over to find the dire situation. Shocked, she quickly sent for the imperial doctor from the palace to provide medical treatment for the King of Qi and Hang Xueyun.
After taking their pulses, the white-bearded, venerable imperial doctor, heavy with age and respect, knitted his brows.