Fu Yuheng rubbed his temples, and the court and harem would not let him rest for a moment, "Queen, get up!"
He had never felt as tired as he did now, both physically and mentally exhausted. He closed his eyes and continued to gently rub his temples.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Xiao Shushen slowly stood up and summoned the imperial physician. The person who had been sent to check on the situation also returned.
"Tell me, if there is even a trace of falsehood, I will never forgive you."
Sitting next to Fu Yuheng, Xiao Shushen was truly the mother of a country, and she had the right aura just right.
"Reporting to Her Majesty, I have asked the maids who serve her. Today, the princess has a poor appetite. She only drank a bowl of porridge sent by Her Majesty, and did not eat anything else. I have brought the bowl."
The servant sent to check knelt on the ground to report, with the bowl of porridge mentioned in front of him.
When Xiao Shushen saw Aunt Gui coming back, she suddenly felt more confident and secretly proud of herself, waiting to see what tricks Shen Qingwan would come up with this time.
He winked at the imperial physician and said sternly, "I'd like to trouble you to take a closer look. This matter is of great importance and cannot be taken lightly."
"Yes, Queen, I will do my best."
The imperial physician responded, picked up the bowl of porridge, and examined it carefully. He put his face close to the bowl and probed with his nose. He then took out a silver needle and put the bowl down after a long while.
Everyone in the room held their breath, not daring to make any noise. The atmosphere was so depressing that it made people feel uneasy and frightened.
"How about it?"
The imperial physician was a little nervous when he heard the queen's question, and wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve. "Your Majesty, the princess' illness must be caused by this porridge. I found traces of arsenic in the porridge bowl."
Xiao Shushen was not in a hurry to punish Concubine Xian, but pretended to care about the princess, showing her kindness as the mother of a country, "Since you know the cause of the disease, can the princess cure it?"
"I will do my best, old minister."
Xiao Shushen turned to look at Fu Yuheng, looking somewhat embarrassed. She stood up with the help of Aunt Gui, knelt in front of Fu Yuheng and recounted what had just happened in detail.
"Your Majesty, this porridge was sent by Concubine Xian after all. I'm afraid I have to wrong Concubine Xian a little. But if I am wrongly accused, I'm sure I want to prove my innocence. You won't mind, right?"
When Fu Yuheng opened his eyes, there was some incomprehensible emotion in them.
"No need, I, I will go ask myself." After a moment of hesitation, he stood up and left the princess's residence. He couldn't tell what he felt now. Although he believed in Shen Qingwan's character, the evidence was now conclusive.
Fu Yuheng didn't know what he was struggling with. Maybe he just wanted to hear her say with his own ears that the porridge was indeed sent by her!
Shen Qingwan was still confused about the princess' illness, and she didn't even hear Lianyun calling her several times.
Lianyun saw Shen Qingwan's uneasy look and asked worriedly, "Master, do you think there is something wrong?"
Just as he was about to speak, he heard a eunuch's message outside the yard.
Fu Yuheng hurriedly walked up to Shen Qingwan in two steps. This surprised Shen Qingwan a little. In her impression, even if the sky fell, Fu Yuheng would find a solution calmly and without making a sound.
"What's wrong with the emperor? What happened? Come, have a drink of water." Shen Qingwan poured a cup of freshly brewed tea and placed it in front of Fu Yuheng.
"Xian Fei, do you admit your guilt?"
He had a gloomy face and did not take the tea from her. Instead, he started to blame her.
"What crime have I committed?" She suppressed the doubts in her heart and looked directly into Fu Yuheng's eyes.
"Can you send someone to give the princess a bowl of porridge today?" Seeing her puzzled face, Fu Yuheng felt a little soft-hearted. Maybe she was being wronged
"I did send someone to deliver it, but what's wrong with the porridge? Is there any problem?" Shen Qingwan felt more and more uneasy. Could there be something wrong with the porridge
"Hehe, what's the problem? The imperial physician found arsenic in the porridge you sent." He looked at Shen Qingwan sarcastically, pinched Shen Qingwan's chin with his slender fingers, and stared into her eyes, as if trying to see something from them.
"I did not poison her. The princess and I have no grudges in the past or in the present. I have no reason to drug her. Someone must have framed me."
Shen Qingwan did not avoid his gaze. Fu Yuheng was even more angry when he saw the firmness on her face. "So, the princess framed herself?"
"I have no reason to poison the princess, do I?"
"You know the reason!"
Lianyun watched the two of them talking back and forth, terrified. She knelt on the ground, tears dripping down her cheeks, sobbing, "Your Majesty, this bowl of porridge was sent by me. I guarantee with my life that this porridge is not poisonous. Your Majesty, please believe my queen. My queen would never do such a thing. Everyone knows that my queen is the most peaceful and has never wanted to be involved in the struggles in the harem!"
Fu Yuheng kicked Lianyun away and glanced at her with contempt, "Who do you think you are? You have no right to interrupt when the master is talking. Didn't your master teach you the rules?"
Shen Qingwan broke free from Fu Yuheng, hugged Lianyun tightly, and looked at her distressedly, "Lianyun, are you okay?"
"Master, Lianyun is fine, you should quickly explain this to the Emperor!"
She looked at Lianyun's miserable appearance and couldn't help but let her tears fall.
"Shen Qingwan, don't you want to explain to me?" Fu Yuheng felt a little distressed when he saw her crying.
Letting go of Lianyun, Shen Qingwan straightened her back and looked at Fu Yuheng with calm eyes, "If the emperor doesn't believe me, no matter how I explain, it will be useless."
"Shen Qingwan, my good and virtuous concubine, is this how you treat me?" Fu Yuheng was heartbroken. He had ignored the opposition of many ministers and insisted on appointing her as a female official. He even fell in love with her. But now he found out that she was actually a cruel and ruthless person who would do anything to achieve her goals.
Seeing that she still showed no sign of wanting to explain, Fu Yuheng became furious and threw her to the ground.
"Oh. I was blind. I thought you were different from the women in the palace. I thought you were noble and stubborn, but kind-hearted. I didn't expect you to do such a thing. Are you worthy of me?"
Shen Qingwan looked up at Fu Yuheng. She couldn't find any trust on his face. She didn't expect that she was so unbearable in his eyes.
"Your Majesty doesn't believe me, so it's useless for me to say anything!" Shen Qingwan looked at him in despair, her voice was light, and her whole body had lost its vitality. It turned out that being wronged by the person you love is so uncomfortable and so heartbreaking.