FRGNM -Chapter 221 Has the Emperor Been Poisoned?

“On that day, you were all present. Did any of you notice anything unusual about Imperial Grandfather?” Putting down the brush in his hand, Nangong Mo stared at the woman before him, tapping the table lightly with one hand.

The women who were sobbing wiped away their tears. One of them choked out, “Reporting to Your Highness, that day the Emperor was enjoying himself in the wine pool. While he was being intimate with Consort Liu, he suddenly fainted. We all saw it with our own eyes.”

“I…” Consort Liu turned deathly pale with fright. She looked sickly, yet still crawled forward a step, shaking her head. “Your Highness, I truly know nothing. Before that, His Majesty had also been intimate with them. I… I…”

“Then all those who had intimate contact with Imperial Grandfather that day, step forward!” Nangong Mo had no interest in listening to their details. His sword-like brows knit together as he coldly stared at the consorts before him. “You all know exactly what I mean by ‘intimate.’ Step forward!”

For a moment, the faces of those kneeling in the great hall flushed red. Knowing what the Crown Prince was referring to, three awkward women shuffled three steps forward, and another woman with an empty, distant expression also stepped forward three paces.

Four of them…

Nangong Mo waved his hand, ordering the guards to escort the other consorts away, leaving only these four behind. As if deep in thought, he propped his chin with one hand and paced slowly around them.

“Y-Your Highness…” Consort Liu trembled all over, tears filling her eyes as she looked at Nangong Mo.

The two women beside her huddled together, shaking nonstop. Nangong Mo, however, stopped in front of the aloof woman and asked calmly, “May I ask, Consort Li, why you neither cry nor make a fuss?”

“Would crying and making a scene like some petty woman really solve everything?” Her long lashes fluttered slightly. The woman kneeling on the floor merely looked ahead indifferently, as though everything around her had nothing to do with her.

As if recalling something, Consort Liu suddenly cried out, “That’s right, Crown Prince! When His Majesty was playing around that day, he took her—she was still a virgin! She bled a lot back then. The Emperor fell ill—this has everything to do with her!”

“What?” Even Nangong Mo was stunned. Every woman the Emperor took into the palace usually consummated the marriage on the very first night.

Consort Li remained kneeling calmly. A sickly flush rose on her pale cheeks as she coughed lightly. “Your Highness, His Majesty was drunk that day, so nothing actually happened. Does this also require Your Highness’s investigation? Or do you believe I am an ill-omened woman who brings calamity?”

“Yes, exactly, Your Highness! This woman must be—”

“Silence.” Nangong Mo barked. Consort Liu immediately shut her mouth, trembling as she looked at him.

Ill omens were all nonsense. But according to the imperial physician, the poison could only be administered by a woman—and only during intercourse. If it were Consort Li, then how could she have done it?

Frowning slightly, Nangong Mo sat down on the couch. His long fingers tapped lightly on the desk as he looked indifferently at the four women. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he ordered the guards to close the doors. Looking down at them from above, he said coldly,

“I forgot to tell you—Imperial Grandfather isn’t sick. He’s been poisoned. And only the one who administered the poison has the antidote. If you reveal who did it, I will spare your lives.”

As his lips curved into a faint smile, Nangong Mo looked at them with chilling indifference.

Faces drained of color. Consort Liu abruptly turned her head toward the bed where Murong Hua lay, her whole body shaking. The other two consorts were so frightened they began to cry. Consort Liu’s expression twisted as she suddenly pointed at Consort Li.

“It’s you! It’s you, isn’t it? You poisoned His Majesty! What a vicious woman—you’re truly ruthless! I never thought you’d treat His Majesty like this! You’re shameless!”

“Let go.” As Consort Liu grabbed her hair, Consort Li merely turned her head coldly to look at her. A rare flash of ferocity flickered in her eyes.

From the seat above, Nangong Mo caught that sharp glint. A cold light flashed through his star-like eyes. His right hand clenched tightly, yet he did not stop the two women.

The corner of Consort Li’s lips lifted slightly as she turned to Consort Liu. “Without any evidence, how do you know I’m the murderer?”

“How do I know? You’ve never behaved yourself! You steal our hair ornaments and rouge, you secretly consort with eunuchs behind the Emperor’s back, sneaking around with men! You’re no longer a virgin at all, are you? This poison is yours, you vile woman!”

A loud slap landed as Consort Liu tore at Consort Li’s hair.

Yet the woman kneeling there did not resist at all. Instead, she smiled faintly, her expression bleak and desolate, as though she had long grown accustomed to such treatment. She stared indifferently at the floor, her pale fingers clenched tightly together, brows furrowed.

“That’s enough.” Nangong Mo shouted. “Consort Liu, you’re not some shrew from the streets. There’s no need to treat Consort Li—who holds the same rank as you—this way.”

Consort Li was cold and taciturn, not good with words. Consort Liu, on the other hand, loved to fabricate accusations. As for the other two, from beginning to end, they had hardly spoken at all.

Nangong Mo turned to them and asked in a low voice, “Then what do you think, Consort Lin and Consort Xue?”

“We…” Consort Lin raised her head and met Nangong Mo’s gaze, then shook her head gently. Trembling, she said, “We don’t know either. After His Majesty favored Consort Xue, he insisted on favoring me, then Consort Li, and finally Consort Liu. We—”

“I didn’t ask about the order.” Nangong Mo cut her off. “The poisoner—won’t you defend yourself?”

He couldn’t help but admire his imperial grandfather. At such an advanced age, he still persisted in doing such things.

Of course, in Qian Yi’s eyes, Nangong Mo himself was a super pervert.

Consort Lin’s face turned pale as she shook her head. “No, no, Your Highness. I didn’t poison him. Poisoning brings us no benefit whatsoever. If His Majesty were to pass away, we would be buried with him. How could I possibly poison him…”

“That’s right! It must be Consort Li!” Consort Xue cried out as well, wiping away her tears. “She’s not afraid of death at all—she treats life and death lightly. Why would she care about our feelings? Consort Li, just admit it. If you don’t, we’ll all suffer together. Sister, we’re begging you—hand over the antidote.”

The kneeling woman merely raised her head calmly and met Nangong Mo’s gaze. “I did not poison him.”

“You didn’t poison him? Then why is the Emperor like this? You’re still denying it!” Consort Liu roared, reaching out to grab Consort Li’s hair again.

Nangong Mo moved faster, coldly seizing Consort Liu’s wrist. “Consort Liu, you are still a consort of the palace. Everything you do should be worthy of your status. Look at you now—what difference is there between you and a shrew?”

“Your Highness, this is favoritism! Is she really that good, that both grandfather and grandson are captivated by her?” Consort Liu became utterly irrational, her anger exploding as she said whatever came to mind.

Smack!

A cold slap landed on Consort Liu’s cheek. Nangong Mo grabbed her and flung her heavily to the ground. Sitting on the couch like a domineering monarch, he ordered, “Guards—drag Consort Liu out and behead her!”

“Y-You can’t! By what right?! Crown Prince, Nangong Mo, by what right can you kill me?! I am Consort Liu—by seniority, I’m your grandmother! You can’t just kill me because you say so!”

Her face turned ashen as she tried to assert her status, though her trembling legs betrayed her fear.

With a cold smile, Nangong Mo raised an eyebrow slightly. “What do you think? You may hold the title of Consort Liu, but in reality you’re no different from a market shrew. Have you learned nothing of palace etiquette? You have insulted me repeatedly, provoked me, and now even slandered Consort Li by accusing her of impropriety with me. For that single sentence alone, you deserve death. Guards—drag her out and execute her!”

“You… you… Emperor, save me! Emperor—this wretch Consort Li has clearly colluded with the Crown Prince! She poisoned you so that you’d die, so he could ascend the throne and consort with her!”

Bang!

A powerful kick slammed into Consort Liu’s abdomen. The woman was kicked flying, crashing hard into a pillar. She stared in disbelief at the woman standing before her.

Even Nangong Mo was shocked, raising his brows as he looked at the woman now standing.

Her intelligence was unmatched. She stood there calmly, unafraid, not even bothering to hide her emotions. Her expression was cold yet natural, perfectly fused with the pride in her bones.

Killing intent surged in her eyes. Her fists clenched tightly as she turned to the two women on the ground. “Hand over the antidote.”

“Y-You—what are you trying to do, Consort Li?” Consort Xue recoiled in terror, raising her hands defensively.

Consort Li gave her no chance. With a tearing sound, she ripped open Consort Xue’s clothing and flung it across the hall, nearly stripping her bare, leaving only her undergarments. From Consort Xue’s chest, she retrieved a small packet of white powder.

She walked calmly to Murong Hua’s bedside. Her movements unconsciously softened as she opened the packet and placed the antidote into her own mouth.

It was powdered medicine—melting instantly upon contact!

Even Nangong Mo froze, leaping to his feet. But the woman before him bent down gently and kissed Murong Hua’s lips, transferring the milky-white liquid into his mouth, which he swallowed bit by bit.

“The Bloodthirsty Gu requires a man and woman to copulate in order to succeed. But the antidote…” Her low voice spilled forth as she sat on the edge of the bed, gently brushing Murong Hua’s hair aside and gazing at that familiar face.

“The antidote requires a woman’s life in exchange. She must hold Blood-Drinking Grass powder in her mouth and pass it into the man’s, drawing the Bloodthirsty Gu into her own body. Once the Extreme Cold Gu enters, she will survive for one hour. When the Gu dies, the host dies.”

A faint smile curved her lips, like a gentle breeze brushing the face. Her pale fingers traced his cheek, then his brows and eyes, as she softly recited,

“By West Lake’s shores, West Lake’s love;
In Tower Beyond Towers, rain tolls the bells.
Painted corridors, embroidered boats, rainbow skirts in dance;
Little bridges, flowing streams—Ye Píngtíng.”

“Perhaps you’ve long forgotten who I am, Hua…” She looked at him tenderly, then stood up and placed a jade hairpin carved with lotus flowers beside his pillow.

Turning around calmly, she faced the people in the room.

“Your Highness,” she said softly, long lashes trembling, the coldness gone from her eyes,
“may I dance one last time for His Majesty?”