"I didn't do it, it wasn't me. It really wasn't me, you have to believe me!"
As she spoke, she wept profusely, her pitiful gaze sweeping over the surroundings. Unfortunately, there was no chivalrous man here to speak for her.
"The Empress Dowager drank from this teapot before, and she was perfectly fine. How is it that after drinking the tea you poured, she can no longer speak?"
Zhao Sisi looked up at Jun Jiuli's confident eyes and secretly sneered. Since she hadn't done such a thing, she must have been framed.
She hadn't read so many novels for nothing. The teapot must have been tampered with.
For example, it might have a double layer or a mechanism for storing poison. Jun Jiuli was eager to condemn her now.
If she revealed the truth later, the feeling of being slapped in the face would be even more satisfying. It would also make the Emperor dote on her and detest Jun Jiuli even more.
Thinking of this, she put on an expression of guilt, bit her lip, and said softly, "If one wants to condemn someone, it's easy to find a pretext. I..."
Before she could finish her next words, Hong Lin, another senior palace maid beside Jun Jiuli, covered her mouth. Zhao Sisi's eyes rolled to the heavens, and she stared fiercely at Jun Jiuli.
The imperial physicians arrived quickly. After feeling her pulse for a long time, they couldn't figure anything out, sweating profusely. Soon, the Emperor also arrived, his face full of concern.
"Imperial Physician Li, how is the Empress Dowager's condition?"
"Your humble subject... your humble subject's medical skills are shallow, and I have never encountered such a potent poison." He said, trembling as he prostrated himself on the ground.
"Useless. What is the use of me raising you?"
"Your Majesty, please forgive me."
Soon, the Emperor's head eunuch summoned all the imperial physicians on duty at the Imperial Hospital.
After much deliberation, no effective method was found. Zhao Sisi, wanting to make a good impression, had the system scan the Empress Dowager's body.
"What's the situation?"
"There is no such poison in the database, but an antidote pill worth 20 points should be able to cure this poison."
Zhao Sisi had spent points on skills like beauty, and now she only had 25 points, which she was reluctant to part with.
However, the Empress Dowager lay on the bed, her face contorted, and she couldn't hold on much longer. After all, she was the Emperor's mother, and her only support in the harem.
Thinking of this, she gritted her teeth and purchased it. She knelt and deliberately fell with a thud. The Emperor, having understood the cause and effect, felt his heart ache when he saw her like this.
Given Zhao Sisi's family background, how could she obtain such a potent poison? Someone must have deliberately framed his innocent darling.
Thinking of this, he cast a fierce glance at Jun Jiuli. The Empress Dowager was usually a bit harsh, but she was still his own mother. This person was truly too wicked.
With these thoughts, he personally bent down and removed the handkerchief that was covering Zhao Sisi's mouth, gently helping her up.
"You are pregnant, how can you be so careless?"
"This concubine is merely worried about Her Majesty the Empress Dowager."
"You don't need to worry. The most skilled physicians in the world are all here. If even they can't help, I will drag them all out and have them beheaded."
The imperial physicians trembled in unison, their discussions becoming even quieter.
"This concubine has a pill at home that can cure a hundred poisons. This concubine is willing to offer it to Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, hoping to protect Her Majesty the Empress Dowager's imperial health and longevity."
All the concubines' gazes turned towards her. She felt that they were envious of her, as she had stolen the spotlight of the entire event.
The Emperor's gaze towards her had changed, but she was immersed in her joy and didn't notice.
"Oh, I've never heard you mention it before. In that case, take it out for the imperial physicians to examine first."
Zhao Sisi didn't detect anything amiss. She walked proudly towards the Dean of the Imperial Hospital and directly took out the pill from her pouch, handing it to him for examination.
After a thorough examination, they determined it was not poisonous but could not analyze its composition. Zhao Sisi even imitated some novels, stating that her blood combined with the pill would be effective.
Seeing the confused and puzzled looks of the imperial physicians, Zhao Sisi felt that this display had earned her immense victory. She was now the center of attention and cast several provocative glances at Jun Jiuli.
After the Emperor agreed to use the medicine, Zhao Sisi, without blinking, cut her palm with a dagger. She wanted the Emperor to see her determination.
A moment later, the Empress Dowager miraculously woke up and stopped bleeding from her orifices. However, her face was still contorted, and she could no longer speak or move.
Zhao Sisi was the first to kneel. "Congratulations, Your Majesty. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is out of danger."
Everyone in the room held their breath. Was this Concubine Zhao perhaps lacking in intellect?
The Emperor stared intently at Zhao Sisi, as if trying to see through her. Zhao Sisi felt a prickling sensation on her scalp. Shouldn't she be rewarded?
After a pause, the Emperor parted his lips and said word by word, "Concubine Zhao, for attempting to harm the Empress Dowager, you are stripped of your title as a concubine and confined to Furong Pavilion. After giving birth to the imperial child, you will be banished to the Cold Palace."
Zhao Sisi looked on in disbelief. Why did she end up like this after saving the Empress Dowager? She desperately cried out for help, hoping to evoke some pity from the Emperor.
Soon, the guards dragged her away.
"I am innocent, Your Majesty, you must believe me!"
Her voice soon faded. The group of imperial physicians returned to the Imperial Hospital, trembling with fear.
"The Empress Dowager is gravely ill. From today onwards, Noble Consort will hold the phoenix seal, and Virtuous Consort and Benevolent Consort will assist Noble Consort in managing the Six Palaces."
"Yes."
The Emperor then gave instructions to the attendants in the Empress Dowager's palace, paid his respects to the Empress Dowager, and left Cining Palace.
The other consorts lingered for a while to show their filial piety. As soon as Jun Jiuli left, they all scurried away.
Shui Wa: "Zhao Sisi is too stupid. She got herself into trouble before she even made a move."
Jun Jiuli: "She was always stupid, but the Emperor was helping her. Now, under everyone's gaze, she had to be dealt with. However, I suppose the Emperor still has some genuine affection for her."
"Heh, that little affection definitely won't withstand future hardships."
"Of course not. I've thought of a new way to play."
The imperial physicians meticulously cared for the Empress Dowager daily, and her life was out of danger. However, she became increasingly irritable, lying there unable to move.
She needed assistance for all her bodily functions. No matter how diligently the palace maids cleaned her, her sleeping quarters still had an unshakeable stench, mixed with the sandalwood incense used in her palace.
The consorts were so disgusted that they no longer came to pay their respects. Several tea cups were smashed daily in Cining Palace. She was unable to speak, and the palace maids caring for her sometimes couldn't grasp her intentions at all.
Even her personal wet nurse had her frustrations. Everyone in Cining Palace was suffering immensely.
This feeling of being in pain while conscious but unable to express it made the Empress Dowager's mental state deteriorate further.