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Xiao Jinyu went to Fengyi Palace early in the morning.

Right after the Emperor had left following his visit with the Empress, Xiao Jinyu walked in with large strides.

"Mother." Seeing the Empress lying on the bed, Xiao Jinyu was extremely worried.

The Empress had just finished her breakfast and was somewhat surprised to see her younger son, "Yuyu, why have you come?"

Xiao Jinyu saw that the Empress’ face was flushed, almost as red as his own, and though puzzled, he didn’t have time to ask questions.

"Why didn’t Mother inform your son when you fell into trouble? It was Crown Prince Brother who told me, otherwise I would have had no idea that Mother had been poisoned."

"The Crown Prince told you?" The Empress thought about how the Crown Prince had taken the initiative to find Mandala last night to detoxify her, and she still felt surprised.

"Yes, Crown Prince Brother left early in the morning, and I couldn’t wait to come and see Mother. Don’t worry, with Crown Prince Brother, Mother will be fine," Xiao Jinyu reassured.

The Empress nodded, "This palace knows, hoping that the Crown Prince will return soon."

Xiao Jinyu glanced around the hall to ensure there were no outsiders, then leaned in close to the Empress’ ear and whispered, "Mother, the reason you’ve been poisoned with a slow-acting poison is because of the incense you burn in the palace. Someone has laced the incense with poison."

Upon hearing this, the Empress looked toward the incense burner by the bed. Incense was a daily necessity, and if the poison were in the incense, it indeed would not be easy to detect.

The incense was always handled by Qing Ying, her maid who came with her as part of her dowry and had been with her for many years; it couldn’t possibly be her.

She looked at her son doubtfully, "Yuyu, how did you know there was something wrong with the incense?"

Xiao Jinyu spoke at a volume only the two of them could hear, "It was Crown Prince Brother who said it. He told you to check which people had handled the incense, catching the poisoner is most important."

The Empress did not expect the Crown Prince to be so attentive. She called for Qing Ying, "Change the incense."

"This servant understands." Even without the Empress stating it explicitly, Qing Ying had guessed the reason. Following the order, she went out, extinguished the burning incense, and replaced it with a type that was not commonly used.

The Empress said, "Now that this palace has been poisoned, I presume all three palaces and six courtyards know about it. They dare not act now. Once the Crown Prince returns and this palace is unharmed, the poisoner will definitely become restless."

Xiao Jinyu said, "That’s also what Crown Prince Brother said."

Xiao Jinyan had left the palace with men before dawn, splitting into several groups to search for Mandala.

Finally, two days later, he returned with the Mandala.

As soon as the Mandala was found, it was immediately given to the Imperial Doctor to prepare the antidote.

After the Empress drank the antidote, the Imperial Doctor took her pulse again to ensure that the toxins were completely gone.

"Empress, the toxins have been entirely cleared, and there is no longer a major threat," the Imperial Doctor said with a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.

Relieved by this, the Empress looked up at the Crown Prince standing by the bed and said with appreciation, "It was all thanks to the Crown Prince for finding the antidote in time. You have worked hard these past few days."

Xiao Jinyan bowed his head and nodded, "These are all my duties as your son. Now that Mother is safe, I am at ease."

Despite the Emperor having a plethora of beauties in the three palaces and six courtyards,

there is only one Empress. While the Emperor was still the Crown Prince, the Empress - then the Crown Princess - had always been by his side, restraining her nature, and managing the affairs of the East Palace for him.

By the time the Emperor ascended the throne, and the Crown Princess became the Empress, his married wife, everything from the East Palace to the inner court was managed in exemplary order.

Of course, it was a joyous occasion that the Empress was unharmed.

When the Emperor looked at the Crown Prince, his eyes showed admiration: "The Crown Prince is becoming more and more competent in handling affairs, truly a son of mine."

Xiao Jinyan bowed deeply, "Thank you for the compliment, Father Emperor."

After a few peaceful days, the issue of the poisoning also calmed down.

The Empress instructed, "Qing Ying, go investigate who has handled the incense."

After Qing Ying left, she checked the incense; there were still some left over from the last time, which was usually fetched from the Internal Affairs Department when needed.

She put the remaining incense into a small vial, then summoned Cuicui, "Go to the Internal Affairs Department and fetch some more incense."

"This servant will fetch it right away." Cuicui turned and headed to the Internal Affairs Department.

Qing Ying followed discreetly to the Internal Affairs Department and saw with her own eyes as Cuicui received a fresh pack of untouched incense from Eunuch Wang.

The entire process of obtaining the incense was witnessed by Qing Ying.

The Empress asked, "You mean to say, the poisoner might be from the Internal Affairs Department?"

"Your Highness, the incense has always been fetched by Cuicui and then handed to this servant, without touch from others," Qing Ying replied.

After careful consideration, the Empress commanded, "Go and look into Eunuch Wang’s background."

"As you command."

When Qing Ying returned, she already had dug up Eunuch Wang’s background.

"Eunuch Wang is a distant relative of Concubine Qi, and five years ago, through her backdoor dealings, he entered the Internal Affairs Department and landed a lucrative job."

With Concubine Qi brought to mind, the Empress instantly understood.

"Concubine Qi’s treacherous heart never dies. Back in the East Palace, she vied for the position of Crown Princess."

"Capture him, subject him to severe interrogation."

"Yes." Qing Ying led a group of eunuchs to tie up Eunuch Wang and began an intense interrogation.

Initially, he was stubborn and refused to confess, but after reaching his limits, he caved in and implicated Concubine Qi.

With both the testimony and evidence in hand, the Empress led people to Huayu Palace.

At that moment, Concubine Qi was getting dressed, preparing to greet the Emperor. Seeing the Empress bursting in with a crowd of people, she immediately became displeased, "Empress, what is the meaning of this intrusion?"

Without any waste of words, the Empress ordered, "Seize Concubine Qi for this palace."

"I’d like to see who dares touch me." Concubine Qi angrily slapped the table, standing up and glaring at the eunuchs who tried to approach, "Empress, by what right do you arrest this concubine?"

The Empress coldly said, "The matter of you directing Eunuch Wang to poison this palace has been exposed, and with both witness and evidence against you, do you still wish to deny it?"

Upon hearing this, Concubine Qi was so scared she collapsed into her chair. It wasn’t until the eunuchs grabbed her that she snapped back to reality, "I want to see the Emperor, I demand to see the Emperor."

The Empress replied, "Concubine Qi, don’t be anxious. This palace has already presented the witness and evidence to the Emperor. The manner of your punishment will be decided by the Emperor himself."

In the Imperial Study Room, just after reading the confession, the Emperor decreed, "Concubine Qi is arrogant and covetous of the Empress’s position, with sinister

schemes too deep. She is stripped of her title, demoted to a common girl, and locked away in the Cold Palace."

The Empress was quite satisfied with the decree, while Concubine Qi, without even seeing the Emperor’s face, was dragged away by the eunuchs to the Cold Palace.

Xiao Jinyan hadn’t been to Xiyun Pavilion for four days since returning from outside.

Shen Chuwei was delighted beyond measure, no need to learn chess, no need to rise early to pay respects; she slept until she naturally awoke, which felt incredibly relaxing.

However, her elation lasted only a few days before Xiao Jinyan arrived at Xiyun Pavilion, bringing a large item wrapped in cloth.

Seeing Xiao Jinyan bring such a large thing, Shen Chuwei thought it was a reward for her previous efforts.

She stared at the elongated item for a while, knowing it wasn’t food.

"Your Highness, if you came, why bring a gift?" Though she was quite curious about what Xiao Jinyan was offering.

Xiao Jinyan, seeing her eyes filled with expectation and curiosity, whispered softly, "Xiaojiu, open it and see."