The Enchanting Imperial Concubine (Book 2)

Chapter 347 - Poisoned Wine

In Wutong Palace.

Yuan Jiu finished reading the imperial edict that stripped the empress of her title. He looked at the person before him, but there was no trace of the empress's former dignity. With no one to serve her, and her heart consumed by terror, she had aged ten years in just two or three days. She still wore the same outfit from the Mid-Autumn banquet—an extravagant long robe of bright yellow, embroidered with large blooming peonies and a phoenix with outstretched wings on the back. The luxurious robe now clashed terribly with her haggard face and disheveled hair.

"Lady Xie, here are three options: poisoned wine, white silk, or a dagger. The Emperor remembers your years together and will leave your body intact. Your remains will be returned to your family, and your relatives will not be executed. Instead, they will be exiled to Lingnan, never to return to the capital."

Yuan Jiu ordered someone to bring forward the tray without emotion.

Looking at the three items before her, Xie Shi broke down in tears. "No! I can't die! I'm the empress, the Emperor's first wife! He promised to wait for me to give him a legitimate heir. I won't die! I must see the Emperor—I must see him!"

"Why did you not think of this earlier, Your Majesty?" Yuan Jiu raised his voice coldly. "Even your maids have confessed. You've committed countless atrocities over the years—can you deny any of them? Men, force her to drink the wine. The Emperor demands her death, and die she must!"

At his command, two eunuchs stepped forward, grabbed Xie Shi by both arms, and tried to force the poison down her throat. But she struggled so violently that most of the wine spilled. Just as they were about to pour another cup, the sound of footsteps came from outside.

"Chief Eunuch Yuan, please wait."

Yuan Jiu turned to see Jing De Fei enter the room.

Yuan Jiu bowed. "Why has Your Highness come here? This filthy place isn't fit for you."

Jing De Fei waved her hand. "It's no bother. I've come to say a few words to Xie Shi. Could you grant me a moment?"

Yuan Jiu glanced at Xie Shi and, recalling her crimes, pitied Jing De Fei. He nodded in agreement, warning her to make it quick before stepping out.

"Song Shi, why have you come? To laugh at me? Let me tell you, the Second Prince is not your own child. When he grows up, he won't be filial to you, and you'll meet the same end as me!" Xie Shi, lying on the ground like a rag doll, sneered, her face contorted in rage.

Although she hadn't consumed much of the poisoned wine, a little had entered her system, and blood had already begun to trickle from the corners of her mouth, making her look terrifying.

Jing De Fei looked at her, hatred burning in her eyes. Slowly, she approached.

"You've already been deposed, yet you still refer to yourself as 'this palace.' I am the one who can use that term. As for the Second Prince, how he turns out depends entirely on my abilities. You, on the other hand, have no future."

Xie Shi gasped for breath and laughed madly. "So what? Even if I die, your child won't survive either. You and I are the same—neither of us will have our own children in this life!"

"Exactly. That's why I'll be taking you and your child to the grave with mine!" Jing De Fei's eyes flashed with murder as she lowered her voice in fury.

Then, she crouched down and gripped Xie Shi's face, whispering words only the two of them could hear.

"Do you know what really happened to your dear cousin, Yang Shi, and the child in your womb? Do you think it was Lin Shi? No. She was just a blade in my hand. Her personal maid Biyun worked hard on my behalf to manipulate her."

Only then did Xie Shi begin to feel fear. She never expected the seemingly harmless Jing De Fei to have hidden such depths.

Seeing the fear in Xie Shi's eyes, Jing De Fei smiled coldly.

"What's wrong? Are you scared? There's no need to be—you're going to die anyway, so what is there to fear? Oh, and you probably don't know this yet, but the maid you trusted to plot for you, Chuyun, was from a family your Xie clan destroyed. You're truly foolish, Xie Shi, to have kept her by your side. You don't deserve any pity."

Upon hearing this, Xie Shi's face, already pale, turned ghostly white. She shook her head desperately. "No, it's impossible! How could this be? You're lying!"

She could accept the Emperor finding out about her crimes but not the idea that she had brought this fate upon herself by trusting the wrong person.

"Enough. It's time for you to leave this world. I've told you everything, so you won't die in ignorance."

Jing De Fei's gaze grew sharp as she picked up the jug of poisoned wine, ordering her maid to hold Xie Shi down. She forced the entire jug down her throat.

The poison was so potent that just one cup could kill. As the jug emptied, blood poured from Xie Shi's mouth, but Jing De Fei remained unfazed, letting her hands become stained with the crimson liquid until the entire jug was drained.

Only then did she rise, wipe her hands clean with a cloth, and leave with her attendants.

When Yuan Jiu re-entered the room, he found Xie Shi lying dead in a pool of blood, her eyes wide open in terror. The jug lay beside her, its spout and handle stained red.

The scene was so horrifying that even Yuan Jiu didn't want to linger. He quickly ordered the body to be removed.

Jiaotang Courtyard...

Upon hearing of the empress's death, Ye Yun didn't even raise an eyebrow. After all, this was the person who had nearly cost her both her life and her child.

Still, with the central palace vacant, she wondered how the power dynamics in the harem would shift. In her opinion, Ning Chen wouldn't appoint a new empress anytime soon, meaning the palace's affairs would likely be managed by the highest-ranking consorts.

Next to her, Nanzhi, who was fanning her, couldn't help but comment, "With so many people in charge of the harem now, things are bound to get even messier."

What had started as a complaint suddenly reminded Ye Yun of something important.

"Right, once the Empress dies, power will be dispersed, and the harem will inevitably become more chaotic than before. Once chaos ensues, things will become intertwined and complicated, making it easier to achieve goals and hide actions."

Initially, she had suspected that the person lurking in the shadows could be Yi Shunyuan. After all, if she eliminated the Empress, Yi Shunyuan would have a good chance of ascending to a higher position. However, she had overlooked one person: Yao Xiang.

Yi Shunyuan's third son was still very young, and it wasn't necessary for her to create chaos in the harem at this time; it posed too great a threat to the safety of the third prince's growth.

But now, Yao Xiang had a low status and was not favored, having only given birth to daughters. However, her family background was quite good.

Once chaos erupted in the harem, she could take the opportunity to remove obstacles. With her family background and means, it was not impossible for her to rise to power.

"Send someone to investigate at Fang Xiuyuan, and remember to do it discreetly; do not alert the snake by disturbing the grass," Ye Yun instructed immediately as this realization struck her.

Nan Zhi's expression also grew serious, and she hurriedly went to make arrangements.

Although the Empress had died, this matter clearly would not be resolved quickly.