The Enchanting Imperial Concubine (Book 3)

Chapter 458 - Qi Fei

By the time the imperial physician arrived, a cup of tea had already passed. Upon entering the tent, he saw a pool of bloody vomit on the ground, which eased his expression somewhat.

Vomiting the poison immediately after food poisoning provides greater benefits for subsequent treatment.

"Why are you still standing there? Hurry and detoxify Guifei!" Ning Chen shouted.

The imperial physician hurried forward, taking out supplies from his medicine box while responding. "Your Majesty, don't worry. Guifei managed to vomit the poison in time, so she should be fine. However, I'm afraid it may not have been completely expelled, so I'll give her some stomach-protecting pills and an emetic to ensure she vomits thoroughly."

Often, poisons that take effect immediately after ingestion have no antidote; they can only be expelled. It seemed that Ye Yun hadn't eaten much, and with the timely vomiting, she shouldn't be in any life-threatening danger.

After taking the medicine, Ye Yun felt her stomach churning again and kept vomiting into the basin. During this time, the other imperial physicians who had arrived were busy preparing the medicine for her next dose. At first, Ye Yun was able to expel some substances, but gradually it was just bitter water, and the blood streaks diminished significantly. The physician observed that it was about time and wasted no time in having her take more hemostatic and stomach-protecting medicine.

When the Fourth Prince arrived, he found his mother extremely weak and fragile, cradled in his father's arms, as if she could shatter at any moment.

"Mother!"

The Fourth Prince rushed over with a choked voice, squatting by Ye Yun's feet and placing his hand on her knee, his eyes brimming with tears. "What's wrong, Mother? Please don't scare me! I'm still young, and my younger siblings are too. We can't be without you!"

Following closely behind the Fourth Prince, the Ye family also appeared anxious. Ye Zhe, disregarding his back injury, attempted to approach, while Yin Shi could only follow suit, as did Ye Shuran.

"Your Majesty, what exactly happened? Who dared to poison Guifei's food?"

After speaking, Ye Zhe knelt down. "Your Majesty, she is my only sister. My father and I have guarded the border for many years, and we do not seek credit. But please, Your Majesty, consider the hard work my father and I have put in and save Guifei. We must find out who is behind this!"

Yin Shi understood her husband well and knew he was usually low-key and steady, always loyal and respectful. However, this time, to defend Guifei, he was even willing to use the Ye family's military achievements to pressure the Emperor, demonstrating his deep affection for his sister.

But Ye Zhe's actions might also displease the Emperor, so Yin Shi immediately knelt down as well. "Assassinating a consort is a capital offense. Moreover, today the Emperor and Guifei dined together. Who knows what the true purpose of the poisoner was? This concerns the Emperor's safety; we must investigate thoroughly to ensure peace of mind."

In truth, there was no need for them to say such things; Ning Chen was already on the verge of intense rage.

After carefully placing the unconscious Ye Yun on the bed, Ning Chen darkly surveyed the crowd that had gathered in the tent.

"First, the Fourth Prince startled the horse, then Guifei was poisoned. Good, the person behind this really has some skill! Imperial physician, investigate every dish on this table! Arrest everyone in the kitchen and subject them to severe torture; if they refuse to tell the truth, tie them up and throw them to the wolves!"

Looking at Ning Chen, who resembled a vengeful spirit, no one dared to speak; they could only watch the imperial physician test the dishes for poison. However, curiously, none of the ten dishes showed any discoloration with the ten silver needles used for testing, indicating that the food was not poisoned.

Furrowing his brow, the imperial physician cautiously inquired, "Your Majesty, do you recall if Guifei ate anything that you did not?"

Ning Chen thought for a moment and replied, "The milk tofu, that dish of caramelized milk tofu—I found it too sweet and didn't eat it, but Guifei did try several pieces."

Upon hearing this, the imperial physician went back to re-examine the milk tofu. Yet, no matter how he tested it, the silver needles indicated no poison. The aroma also gave no hint of anything unusual, and naturally, the physician did not dare to taste it, leaving him in a dilemma.

It remained uncertain whether the dish was the source of the problem. Meanwhile, when Qi Fei heard that the dish she had delivered might be poisoned, her expression grew heavy. Although there was no conclusion yet, she felt an unsettling anxiety in her heart.

Sure enough, in the next moment, Ning Chen pointed at her. "Qi Fei, you brought this dish. Explain what's going on with it!"

Under the gazes of everyone present, Qi Fei furrowed her brow and stepped forward, her heart racing. After taking a deep breath, she said, "Your Majesty, this dish was brought by me, but it was not prepared by me."

She then recounted the incident with the young maid spilling the soup and soiling her clothes. "I felt sorry for her, so I agreed to bring this dish for her, to prevent her from being reprimanded for missing her task. As for the rest of it, I truly know nothing," Qi Fei answered honestly.

Ning Chen narrowed his eyes slightly, clearly still harboring doubts and not fully believing her.

At this moment, Yi Fei interjected, "Since you say that the young maid would bring the soup later, why hasn't she come yet? Does Qi Fei have anyone who can verify that you are telling the truth?"

"Yes, Yu Suo was with me at that time," Qi Fei quickly replied.

Yi Fei smiled mockingly, "Yu Suo is your dowry maid; of course, she would support you. Her words are not reliable. Surely, no one else saw that maid?"

Upon hearing the question, Qi Fei recalled the situation in detail, and her complexion gradually paled. There had indeed been no one else present at that time; she must have fallen into a trap, with the poisoner using her to deliver the items and then framing her for it!

Realizing this, Qi Fei immediately forced herself to calm down and quickly countered, "The imperial physician has yet to determine if this dish is problematic, yet Yi Fei speaks as if she is certain I would poison someone. Could it be that you, Yi Fei, knew this dish was flawed from the very beginning and deliberately set me up?"

"Don't slander me! I merely have my suspicions; after all, it was Guifei who was poisoned after eating the food you brought!" Yi Fei retorted loudly.

Her words suddenly reminded Ning Chen. The last thing Ye Yun had eaten was the lamb chop sent by Qi Fei. As he thought of the ancient texts he had read, a flash of insight crossed his mind. He quickly grabbed a silver needle from the imperial physician's hand and first tested the lamb chop. Without changing the needle, he directly jabbed it into the milk tofu.

Within a few breaths, the silver needles began to darken.

"There's poison! This dish is indeed poisonous!" Yuan Jiu exclaimed, quickly protecting Ning Chen behind him.

Ning Chen's eyes were filled with killing intent as he threw the darkened silver needles to the ground, sneering as he spoke.

"What a clever trick! Only when two dishes are eaten together will the poison take effect; if tested separately, the poison wouldn't be detected. The one who poisoned this really put in a lot of thought!"

Yi Fei immediately pointed at the person beside her, raising her voice.

"Good! Qi Fei, how dare you poison Guifei? What are your intentions? Are you harboring thoughts that shouldn't exist, trying to plot something for the Fifth Prince?"

At her mention, everyone else recalled that Qi Fei had children, although they were not her biological offspring, they were still princes. Moreover, the Qi family was a prominent noble clan, and it was not unlikely that they coveted that position.