Page 261

Nanny Zhu was desperate to find someone with the courage to expose this matter. She stared intently at Luo Yan for a moment before she angrily rebuked, "How dare you! You question the Empress's imperial decree?!"

With a fierce wave of her hand, she commanded, "Seize them!"

A few eunuchs in uniform rushed forward and pinned Luo Yan and her companions to the ground.

Nanny Zhu turned to the girl on the bed and continued, "Miss Rong, your mother is about to arrive in the capital. If you wish for her safety, you should not defy the Empress's command and obediently drink this wine!"

The girl on the bed trembled and abruptly stood up. "Don't hurt my mother! I'll drink it!"

Only then did Nanny Zhu's expression soften. She gave a subtle signal to the palace maid beside her. "This wine is solely for you, Miss Rong. As long as you drink it willingly, your mother and these maidservants will be unharmed."

Upon hearing this, the palace maid walked toward "Rong Shu" with the wine.

Nanny Zhu's gaze remained fixed on her until "Rong Shu" finished the drink, at which point a hint of a smile appeared on her face.

From their vantage point in the shadows of the old plum grove, Chang Ji watched everything unfold through the latticed window. Confused, he wondered why his master's aura grew colder despite the fact that Liu Ping was inside and the poison in the wine had been switched.

Those usually calm and composed eyes were now filled with murderous intent, causing Chang Ji's heart to skip a beat in fear.

Fortunately, the hostility vanished quickly, and soon, his master returned to their usual demeanor.

Assured that the wine would surely kill Liu Ping, Nanny Zhu left Minglu Yard with her companions right after the servant girl had drunk it.

"Did that old nanny really leave? Without even confirming if Liu Ping is alive or dead?"

Chang Ji was taken aback. Normally, when he killed someone, he would check again to ensure there were no survivors. Nanny Zhu's hasty departure before the victim breathed their last was unusually careless.

"Zhu Nanny used a poison from the Western Regions, one that is certain to kill upon contact with the lips. The victim will suffer for half a day before finally succumbing. She couldn't wait."

Gu Changjin's face remained cold. Knowing that Zhu Nanny had switched the medicine on her own accord, she would surely be punished with death upon her return to the palace. Thus, she rushed to see Princess Yun Hua before her demise.

And he needed Zhu Nanny to convey a message to Xiao Fu at Daci'en Temple.

"Take Liu Ping with us. We're going to Daci'en Temple now; the Empress should be arriving there soon as well."

Chapter 103

"Did she really drink it?"

In a secluded temple hall within Daci'en Temple, Xiao Fu sat in a wooden wheelchair, looking at the kneeling Auntie Zhu with a soft inquiry.

Her eyes were bloodshot, and her eyeballs slightly protruded, indicating that she had not had a good night's sleep in days.

Auntie Zhu chuckled. "She did, Your Highness. The moment I mentioned Shen Yizhen, she drank it obediently, like a good girl."

Auntie An harrumphed coldly, disdainfully saying, "What difference does it make if she's disobedient? All of Young Master's men in Minglu Yard have been knocked out by our drugs. Who else could save her? If she refused, we would have broken her jaw and forced it down her throat. That was 'Third Watch,' just a single drop is enough to take her life."

Both Auntie An and Auntie Zhu were well aware of the poison's toxicity. This drug was a specially tribute from the Western Regions to Emperor Jian De, and countless people in the previous dynasty and imperial harem had perished from it. Their deaths were horrifying.

Yet Xiao Fu remained uneasy, asking again, "Was the medicine you used given to you personally by Master Fan Qing?"

Auntie Zhu nodded. "After Master Fan Qing gave the medicine to me, Miss Wen took it herself. She endured for a few days before finally convincing the Empress to send Rong Shu away."

Auntie Zhu smiled as she continued, "The Empress originally planned for Master Fan Qing to bring Rong Shu to Daci'en Temple. I wonder what expression she'll have when she hears that Master Fan Qing said the young miss has died."

Xiao Fu smiled faintly. "She will most likely mourn and show compassion, trying to convince Xiao Yan that she's not a poisonous woman. Unfortunately, I can't enter the palace to witness Qi Zhen and Xiao Yan's reactions when they find out that Rong Shu is their child. I've already told her that I can kill her first child, and I can also kill her second."

With a subtle roll of her eyes, Xiao Fu turned to Nurse Zhu and spoke softly, "Are you prepared for your return to the palace this time?"

"Nanny is ready," Nurse Zhu replied. "If it hadn't been for Empress Xia and Prince Qiyuan back then, my lowly life would have ended in a brothel. As for my relatives, they've enjoyed many benefits from me over the years. If they suffer because of me now, it's only paying back what they owe."

If not for the late Empress bringing her into the palace, she would have been sold by her father into a brothel to raise money for her brother's marriage.

Her return to the palace meant certain death. Emperor Jia Yu's wrath would spare no one, leading to the destruction of her entire family.

But Nurse Zhu cared little. She had no children, and those who had treated her kindly were long gone. Taking her blood-sucking kin down with her to the underworld was a small consolation.

Nanny An tossed a wax-sealed pill, saying, "Take this medicine when you enter the palace; it will ease your suffering."

Nanny Zhu understood that the pill was not only to alleviate her torture but also to prevent her from divulging any sensitive information under duress.

She caught the pill and bowed deeply, assuring, "Your Highness, rest assured. When I return to the palace, I will claim that Empress Qi instructed me to poison the prince. I won't implicate His Highness the Crown Prince or you."

A hint of a smile appeared on Xiao Fu's face as she replied, "Go now."

Nanny Zhu rose, lifting the half-dropped curtain of the small Buddhist altar, and pushed open the door with a creak.

Behind the screen, Xiao Fu could only see her sudden halt, but not the shock and terror that flickered across Nurse Zhu's face as she pushed the door open.

With a thud, Nurse Zhu seemed to lose all strength, collapsing heavily onto the ground.

"How... How can this be..." She trembled violently, as if someone had clutched her throat, her voice trapped in her esophagus, unable to escape.

The aged palace nurse gazed at the girl before her, dressed in a bright red robe, seemingly resurrected from the dead, and Empress Qi standing beside her, accompanied by Nurse Gui. Realization dawned upon her, sending shivers down her spine.

"Vile wench!"