Legend of Zhen Huan: Zhen Huan is reborn

133 Mid-Autumn Festival Banquet

That night, Yinzhen held a grand banquet in Yuqing Palace to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. The beauties in each palace were all dressed in colorful costumes, vying with each other for beauty, and the scene was spectacular.

What Zhen Huan wore tonight was an elegant lake blue gown embroidered with fresh and unworldly gentian patterns. The kingfisher headdress in her hair looked even more dazzling under the flickering candlelight.

Shen Meizhuang was also dressed up in a rare and elaborate manner. She wore a purple and crimson Manchu dress embroidered with several morning glories, which was very elegant.

The large headband she wears is not only inlaid with delicate pearl flowers as embellishment, but also has tassels of the same color gently hanging beside it, swaying in the wind, adding a touch of gentleness and agility.

(Yuqing Palace)

As Su Peisheng loudly announced, "Your Majesty, the Queen has arrived!"

Two figures dressed in bright yellow clothes walked into the hall and slowly sat on the most prominent main seat.

Many concubines stood up and congratulated in unison: "May the emperor be well and may the queen be blessed."

Yinzhen smiled gently and said, "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival family dinner. You don't have to be polite. Please sit down and enjoy."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace." Upon hearing this, the concubines expressed their gratitude and sat down again.

Prince Guo's hearty laughter echoed in the palace. "My brother always says that we don't need to be so reserved at every family dinner, but according to the etiquette of the palace, it is inevitable that we still feel a little more restrained."

Upon hearing this, Yinzhen responded with a smile: "Only our Seventeenth Brother can say such a thing. He is most afraid of being bound by rules."

Then, Yinzhen changed the subject and said with a smile: "However, you were able to attend the banquet on time today and did not escape, which is rare."

Upon hearing this, Prince Guo raised the wine glass in his hand with a sincere look in his eyes: "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival. How dare I be late? I will first toast to my brother. I wish my brother a long life, the prosperity of the Qing Empire, and the people to live and work in peace and contentment."

The two smiled at each other and drank the wine in their glasses.

Afterwards, all the concubines followed suit, holding wine glasses, surrounding Yinzhen and Yixiu, and offering auspicious wishes. The hall was filled with a warm and harmonious atmosphere.

"Your Majesty, I dare to offer you a toast. May you be blessed with long-lasting blessings and good health." Shen Meizhuang said gently.

Yinzhen nodded with a smile, then drank the wine in the glass.

When the snacks carefully prepared by the imperial kitchen were served on the table, Zhen Huan was about to take a piece for Hong Zhou to taste, but she heard An Lingrong gently remind her: "Sister, wait a minute, this snack seems to be a little strange, it is not suitable to taste it lightly."

"Oh? What's wrong?" Zhen Huan immediately became alert when she heard that.

An Lingrong observed carefully, frowning slightly: "I noticed that the color of this soup is quite unusual. It was always clear and transparent in the past, but today it is unusually turbid. I can't help but feel suspicious."

Upon hearing this, Zhen Huan immediately signaled Jing Xi to bring a silver needle to test the poison.

Soon, the silver needle touched the soup and quickly turned black. This scene frightened Zhen Huan so much that she accidentally knocked the soup to the ground. The crisp sound instantly attracted the attention of everyone in the hall.

"Noble Concubine Xi, what do you mean?" Empress Yixiu asked with a hint of confusion and majesty in her tone.

Zhen Huan calmed down and replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, I found that someone secretly poisoned my soup with ill intentions."

"Is this true?" Yixiu's face suddenly changed when he heard this.

Yinzhen also frowned, his eyes were like torches, and he asked sternly: "Who is so bold as to do such an evil thing in the palace? Where did this poison come from? We must find out thoroughly!"

Su Peisheng hurried forward and bowed to report: "Your Majesty, these snacks and soups were carefully prepared by the imperial kitchen and delivered here by a special person. Allow me to call the palace maids and eunuchs in charge of delivering the food and ask them in detail."

Soon, two palace maids and a eunuch were brought to the front of the hall. They knelt on the ground, their bodies trembling with fear.

Yinzhen's eyes were like torches, and he asked in a stern tone, "Tell me! Who instructed you to poison Concubine Xi's soup?"

The maid's voice trembled as she shook her head repeatedly: "Your Majesty, I really don't know. Please have mercy on me, Your Majesty!"

The eunuch was also terrified, and kept saying, "I know nothing about this either. Please, Your Majesty, please look into this matter!"

Upon hearing this, Yinzhen's face darkened. He waved his hand and gave a decisive order: "Come here, drag these two ignorant people to the Ministry of Punishment for strict interrogation. Make sure to find out the real culprit behind this!"

At this time, another palace maid plucked up the courage, walked out of the crowd, and reported to Yinzhen: "Your Majesty, I may be able to tell you some clues." Although her voice trembled slightly, it was firm.

Yinzhen looked at the maid with a sharp gaze and said in a deep voice: "If you have real evidence, I will give you a lighter sentence; but if you dare to say even a single lie, I will not let you off easily."

Upon hearing this, the maid kowtowed and said, "I dare not lie to the emperor. I was originally responsible for delivering the snacks here, but I suddenly felt an unbearable stomachache on the way, so I entrusted the snacks to another maid to deliver. Not long after I left, I vaguely heard Cuiguo, who was beside Concubine Qi, stopped the maid. The two talked for a few words, and Cuiguo opened the food box and carefully checked it. Although I didn't hear the whole conversation, I already had doubts in my heart."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the hall, and everyone's eyes were cast on Concubine Qi Li Jingyan and her maid Cui Guo.

Concubine Qi Li Jingyan looked pale and seemed to want to explain herself, but was speechless for a moment.

Cuiguo was so frightened that she was trembling all over and stood aside not daring to look up.

Zhen Huan took the opportunity to speak slowly, with a tone of confusion and grievance: "I really don't understand how I have offended Sister Qi that she would do such a cruel thing to me."

After that, she turned to Yinzhen and continued, "Your Majesty, when Doctor Wen examined my pulse yesterday, he mentioned that there seemed to be traces of musk on my body. Your Majesty, you know that since I became pregnant, I have been avoiding such taboos. Jinxi, you tell me."

Upon hearing this, Jin Xi immediately stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and then reported in a clear and logical manner: "Your Majesty, I have the audacity to report that a few days ago, Concubine Qi gave our queen a pair of ink pens. I did not think much of it at the time, thinking it was just an ordinary thing. However, I later discovered that the ink pens were soaked in musk. Your Majesty happened to be practicing calligraphy with the pens at that time, and she unknowingly got contaminated with the scent of musk, which caused her palpitations and panic. Fortunately, Doctor Wen was very skilled and treated your Majesty in time, which saved the dragon fetus in her belly."

"Your Majesty, I have no intention of harming Concubine Xi. That was actually just an ordinary writing tool, and it was generously given to me by the Empress." Concubine Qi Li Jingyan spoke gently.

Yixiu was secretly shocked and quickly explained, "Ms. Qi is wrong. What I gave you was indeed a pure red sandalwood feather pen. I wanted you to give it to the Third Prince as a token of my care. Who would have thought that you would use it for something else?"

Yinzhen's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a barely perceptible sharpness. At this time, Yixiu turned to Yinzhen and said, "Your Majesty, I had good intentions. I wanted to use this gift to help the mother and son reunite for a while, thinking that Concubine Qi was eager to see her son. I never thought that this would turn out to be..."

"Your Majesty, I am truly wronged!" Qi Guiren Li Jingyan cried out in pain, "I have absolutely no intention of harming Guifei Xi, please understand!"

Yinzhen asked in a stern tone, "How do you explain this soup? Do you dare to deny that you have never thought of poisoning Concubine Xi?"

Cuiguo stood to one side, her body trembling constantly. Yinzhen saw her panic clearly, while Li Jingyan, the noble lady of Qi, kept shouting, "It's unfair, it's really unfair to me!"

Yinzhen resolutely pronounced the sentence: "Li, the noble lady of Qi, was stripped of her title immediately, demoted to a concubine, and banished to the cold palace as a warning to others because she plotted to poison the concubines and endanger the royal bloodline."

When being dragged away, Li Jingyan continued to cry out for justice, tears streaming down her face, just like pear blossoms wet by rain in spring, so pitiful.

Upon hearing the news, the third prince Hongshi was extremely anxious and rushed over to plead for his mother. However, in the end he was only persuaded to return to Jingren Palace, feeling unwilling and helpless.

"The palace maids, eunuchs and others who are lazy and derelict in their duties will be dragged out immediately and punished with forty strokes of the cane each as a warning to others," Yinzhen announced sternly.

Upon hearing this, the palace maids and eunuchs bowed their heads and confessed their guilt, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace." They were then dragged away from the scene by the guards as ordered.