After Haitang and the six princes separated, as soon as they arrived at the gate of Qinghe Palace, they saw Concubine Ji preparing to leave the palace.

When Concubine Ji saw Haitang coming, she smiled and said, "It just so happens that you accompany the palace for a walk." That day, I heard that the emperor gave your brother and the county lord of Qingyao a marriage, and the palace didn't have time to ask you properly. ”

The two walked all the way, talking all the way about the family affairs of Cheng Hanbai and the county lord of Yao, the prince of Yu and Princess Yilan, Concubine Ji praised this good family affair, and sighed for the fact that Cheng Mansion did not have a master mother.

Before feeling it, the two walked outside the queen's bedroom. A team of chamberlains was walking in with a few things, and when they saw Concubine Ji and the others coming, they stopped to make way.

"The queen mother is sick, what is the big thing, and she hurriedly sent it in?" Concubine Ji asked casually.

"Back to Niangniang's words, this is a tribute to Shudi, Ji Guifei Niangniang commanded, saying that nothing else is in a hurry, but this black tea is the queen mother's day to drink, the taste is mellow, and there is no antidote. That's why I was in a hurry to send it. The little father-in-law of the Internal Affairs Office replied eloquently.

Concubine Ji waved her hand, and they rushed in.

went in to see the queen, and Haitang looked at the queen's complexion, but the liver qi was stagnant, and it was fine. It seems that the queen is just out of sight and out of mind, calling herself sick and avoiding the world.

The queen asked people to see the tea, and it was the Shudi black tea that the little waiter had just said.

The queen said: "The palace likes to drink black tea every day, this is the last time to pay tribute to Shudi, and there is not much left." Prince De heard that the palace likes to drink, so he specially gave some to the palace this time, and I don't know if I got it. ”

A palace maid next to her hurriedly replied: "The new one has been obtained, and the Internal Affairs Office has just sent it in." Do you want to try something new? ”

The queen smiled and said, "You are also stingy! Go and soak some new ones, and let Concubine Ji and Miss Begonia taste them. In a few days, the county lord of Qingyao will marry into Chengfu, Miss Begonia and Qingyao are serious sisters-in-law, sister-in-law first taste the things in her sister-in-law's house, isn't this what it should be? ”

Several people laughed, and there were already palace maids making three cups of tea below. Haitang had drunk this kind of black tea, she picked up the tea and smelled it, and immediately stopped Concubine Ji and the queen from coming: "Don't drink it, Niangniang, there is something wrong with this tea!" ”

Concubine Ji and the queen were both startled, and the queen hurriedly called the palace maid who was making tea to kneel, and asked people to close the palace door and interrogate them carefully.

The one who made the tea was a second-class palace maid, called Chunhua. As soon as she heard that the tea was poisonous, Chunhua was so frightened that her soul flew and sat on the ground:

"Niangniang, the tea was just sent in by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the slave didn't even have time to change the tea jar, so she took it out of the tea bag and brewed it directly. When the slave maid made tea, as usual, the tea leaves were washed twice before brewing. From beginning to end, there is only one slave in the tea room, and there is indeed no witness, but the slave and maid are not poisoned, please check it! ”

Begonia tried the tea with a silver hairpin on the side, but the silver hairpin did not change color. She tasted a little tea with the tip of her tongue, and tasted the tea again, before saying: "Niangniang, the poison in this tea is not highly poisonous, nor is it just dropped, but it has been soaked in tea leaves for a long time. ”

After hearing what she said, Chunhua, who was kneeling on the ground, was obviously relieved, and she glanced at Cheng Haitang gratefully. Haitang picked out a few more tea leaves from the tea bag in the palace maid's tray, sniffed it carefully, tasted it again, and then she nodded, affirming her judgment.

"Prince De is so bold that he dares to poison this palace!" The queen said angrily.

"Mother, please calm your anger. How stupid is Prince De to put slow poison in the tribute he gives with his name and surname? The poison in this tea leaf must be drunk for at least seven consecutive days before it dies.

During these seven days, it is difficult to guarantee that it will not be discovered. Is Prince De's poisoning just to expose himself? Niangniang, please think again! Begonia knelt down and explained.

"This poison is called Seven Days of Killing. The most terrible thing about it is that it is not easy to be excreted from the body through vomiting or excretion, and after accumulating in the body for seven consecutive days, when its toxicity begins to erode the internal organs, there is no cure. Niangniang, this poison is a kind of insect poison, produced in Yunnan. ”

"Yunnan? If this palace is not mistaken, Ji Chuan's mother is from Yunnan, and she once raised a pair of peacocks at home. The queen said lightly. After listening to Haitang's words, she had calmed down and felt that Haitang's analysis was correct, and there should be someone else who poisoned her.

Concubine Ji was shocked and guessed: "Could it be that someone wants to blame Prince De?" ”

The queen was silent, and she waved her hand at Concubine Ji tiredly: "You guys should step back first, don't make a noise about the poisonous tea leaves." Bengong only said that she didn't like to drink tea during her illness, and let's see what else she has to do. ”

Concubine Ji heard the word "she" and knew who the queen was referring to. didn't say a word, and hurriedly withdrew with Begonia, and the two walked back to Qinghe Palace quickly.

"There is no blood in the harem for murder, and I don't know when, if it's good, the person will 'die of illness'. Even if it's fine clothes and food, what do you mean by living this day? Concubine Ji smiled bitterly.

She patted the back of Cheng Haitang's hand and said, "Actually, with a child like you by your side, I can feel a little more at ease in this deep palace." If it weren't for you today, the queen might be ......"

Haitang held Concubine Ji's hand and said, "Niangniang, now that King Duan is afraid that he will have to be involved in the dispute between the crown prince, then your goal in the palace will be even greater, and you must be careful yourself." When I go back, I will send some antidote pills in, although they can't cure all kinds of poisons, but they will always have some effect, and I can buy some more time. ”

Concubine Ji was sighing, and Haitang told the sixth prince of the emperor when she met the sixth prince in the imperial garden today, and she told the sixth prince about the diagnosis of the disease, and even asked Concubine Ji to recite the Buddha several times in a row.

Concubine Ji said: "It's not that the imperial doctor can't diagnose it, it's that person who doesn't let the imperial doctor diagnose it." If you can cure him, treat him quietly, and don't make a noise. Concubine Yuan didn't know how many tears she shed for this son! Alas, the sixth child has been sick for all these years in vain, and he is also a poor child......"

Concubine Ji sighed a few times, and then told Begonia two more words, and asked Chang Gui to send Begonia out of the palace.