Someone had already gone to summon the imperial physician, and Meng Wan watched from the side, her brows furrowed slightly.
If it were poisoning, one's face should turn blue or purple, but Consort Xin's face was slightly flushed, as if she had ingested some toxic substance.
She walked over, glanced at the table, and her eyes suddenly lit up.
"Your Majesty, please order someone to prepare two ounces of bayberry juice for Consort Xin to drink."
Her clear voice stood out in the noisy hall, startling everyone. The emperor was also puzzled, while Prime Minister Meng frantically tried to signal to his daughter, fearing she might get into trouble. Meng Wan, however, lowered her eyes and remained calm and unhurried: "Your Majesty, please order preparations immediately. Otherwise, if we delay, I'm afraid it will be too late to save us."
She spoke with such solemnity that the emperor was taken aback for a moment. For some reason, he believed her words completely and ordered people to prepare without much hesitation. At this moment, someone laid Consort Xin flat on a cushion, and when the bayberry water was brought, it was poured down her throat.
Everyone held their breath, staring intently at what was happening, but their expressions varied.
Naturally, some were tense, fearing someone might die before their eyes; others were observing, curious to see what the Prime Minister's daughter was up to; and still others were watching a farce, waiting to see Meng Wan's fate after Consort Xin died without medicine.
Only Meng Wan remained calm, kneeling on one knee and taking Xin Guiren's wrist. After a long while, she smiled faintly and said, "It's done."
As she spoke, Consort Xin's eyelids twitched, then she slowly opened her eyes, staring blankly and confusedly at the people before her. After a long while, she finally uttered a soft, hesitant sentence: "I... what's wrong?"
The woman who had been with her rushed over and helped Consort Xin up, tears and smiles flying everywhere: "My lady, I'm so glad you're alright. You scared me to death."
At this moment, the imperial physician finally arrived and examined Consort Xin's pulse. After confirming that she was out of danger, the emperor ordered her to be sent back to her palace.
"Wan'er, now you can tell me what happened, right? Why did Consort Xin suddenly faint?"
Everyone looked over with curiosity. Meng Wan curtsied and smiled slightly, "Your Majesty, I have just examined Consort Xin's dishes and found that there are mustard greens and rabbit meat. These two delicacies are not poisonous in themselves, but if eaten together, they can cause people to faint or even die. The antidote is to give them two ounces of bayberry juice."
Immediately, the hall was filled with sounds of admiration, and the emperor's eyes shone with undisguised praise. He exclaimed "Good!" three times, showing just how delighted he was.
The atmosphere returned to its previous cheerful state, and even the absence of Prince Heng was forgotten. The emperor, in high spirits, waved his hand and said, "Since the seventh prince has not yet arrived, let's not wait for him. Let's begin the feast!"
As the words fell, the sound of a zither began to rise, and a group of women filed in, holding fans and swaying gracefully. The large hall was instantly filled with the sound of music.
V6's Sharp Edge Dazzles (Part 1)
At the banquet, Prince Heng did not show up in the end. The Emperor was fine, but the Empress's expression was not so good.
This Prince Heng is far too inconsiderate. The Emperor has set up a banquet, and all the civil and military officials, as well as the princes, are waiting for him. How dare he not show up?
However, Meng Wan didn't care much. She was exhausted that night and was worried about whether Feng Qi was alright. So when she got home, she put the matter of asking her older brother to help find the hairpin out of her mind. She went back to her room, took out the blood kite, blew it, and waited for Feng Qi to appear.
Sure enough, his figure appeared before her in no time. He was as handsome as ever, and when he looked at Meng Wan, he smiled lightly: "You shone brightly at the palace banquet just now. Should I congratulate you?"
With a teasing tone and seeing that he was unharmed, Meng Wan's heart finally calmed down. She let out a long sigh of relief and glared at him irritably: "Who wants your congratulations? I'm lucky I wasn't scared to death by you. So, you weren't hurt by those guards, were you?"
Although the worry in her voice was not obvious, he still caught it keenly. Feng Qi couldn't help but smile: "How could I possibly care about those good-for-nothings? They don't even have the qualifications to fight me."
His arrogance wasn't off-putting. Meng Wan listened quietly, then couldn't help but glare at him: "You're such a braggart. The palace guards were all trained by my elder brother. They're all exceptional. You only managed to escape because you were lucky."
"You..." No man could stand being teased like that, and his face immediately darkened: "Since you say so, then I'll go and have a match with them."
"Hey you..." Meng Wan quickly grabbed him: "Are you crazy? Do you have a death wish? How dare you say such nonsense?"
“I’m not making this up. If you say again that I’m not as good as them, I’ll really go.”
Never having seen such an arrogant person, Meng Wan glared at him in annoyance, but she really didn't dare to joke anymore, otherwise she was afraid he would rush out suddenly.
"Alright, I won't say anything more! But speaking of which, why did you go to the palace? What were you going there to do?" Meng Wan softened her tone, then sat down on the soft couch before asking softly.
Feng Qi sat down next to her and poured himself a cup of tea. The fine Yuquan Longjing tea was fragrant and delicious. He praised the tea repeatedly. After drinking it, he chuckled casually, "I didn't do anything, just took a walk."
Just taking a casual stroll?
"You just wandered around and ended up at the palace? Do you think it's your backyard?"
"yes."
...
Sometimes, Meng Wan felt unable to communicate with him because his thoughts were too strange, and this strangeness was probably because she knew almost nothing about him.
So she couldn't keep up with his train of thought or his pace, and this feeling frustrated her greatly.
"What's wrong?" He asked softly when she suddenly stopped talking.
Meng Wan bit her lip and remained silent.
Are you angry?
"No."
"What happened?"
Meng Wan lowered her eyes, then raised them again: "Is Feng Qi your real name?"
Uh—Stopped by her question, Feng Qi was clearly taken aback for a moment, then shook her head: "No."
"Then... who exactly are you?" I always felt that he was not simple, even though he always used a nonchalant appearance to cover it up, but the strange light that occasionally flashed in his eyes could not be hidden.
"Hmm?" He was clearly taken aback for a moment, but only for a second. Then, a slight smile appeared on his lips as he looked at Meng Wan with clear eyes: "Is this important?"
"yes."
"Oh--"
"I didn't mean to hide it intentionally, but since you asked, then I will..."
"Tap tap tap--"