Chapter 54: Sister-in-Law, Leave Yourself a Way Out!

"Come, sister-in-law, have some of this Dragon Embroidered Ball. Your elder sister-in-law made it especially for you with her own hands."

As the Empress spoke, she personally placed a piece near Lin Yue's lips. Seeing her smiling face, so warm and attentive as if she were tending to her own beloved youngest daughter, Lin Yue almost felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"Elder Sister-in-law..."

The Empress smiled and said, "Eat up. If you like it, your elder sister-in-law will make it for you again in the future."

Lin Yue nodded and took a bite. It was crispy, fragrant, soft, and glutinous—simply explosively delicious!

The Empress Dowager watched from the side with envy, subconsciously swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

Hearing the sound of her swallowing, Lin Yue quickly signaled the Empress.

The Empress immediately picked up one and gave it to the Empress Dowager. Satisfied, the Empress Dowager said, "You are the Empress. Leave these chores to the palace servants in the future, don't wear yourself out."

The Empress put on an emotional expression and said, "Not at all. As long as little sister-in-law loves eating them, this daughter-in-law will gladly make them for her."

Deeply moved, Lin Yue threw her arms around the Empress's sleeve and cooed, "Wuwuwu, elder sister-in-law is the best to me."

The Empress smiled on the outside, while thinking inwardly: *My dear sister-in-law, what about that nutrient solution...???*

"This is bad! Something has happened!"

Suddenly, Zhou Dahai let out a cry of alarm, startling all three women present.

When they looked up, they saw Zhou Dahai rushing in anxiously. He dropped to his knees with a thud, his voice laced with grief, "Empress Dowager, Your Majesty the Empress, Your Highness the Princess Consort, His Majesty was accidentally stung by a hornet! His face is swollen to a towering degree, and even Grand Physician Lin has no way to treat it. Right now, there's no telling when the poison will fade, and if this drags on too long, His Majesty's life might be in danger!"

"What?" The Empress Dowager stood up anxiously, her expression changing drastically.

"How on earth did he get stung by a hornet out of nowhere?"

"Whose hornet was let in? Could someone be trying to assassinate His Majesty?"

Zhou Dahai wailed, "Just a single one, suddenly flying out from the woods. Hornets are wild creatures, so it's impossible to investigate thoroughly for the moment. The most urgent matter is His Majesty's condition!"

"Empress Dowager, have you ever heard of any detoxifying remedies?"

"And Your Highness the Princess Consort, are there any folk prescriptions among the common people?"

Lin Yue thought: *Can folk remedies even be used at a time like this?*

*[I only remember things like a young boy's urine or a woman's breast milk... Can those possibly work?!]*

The Empress Dowager: "..."?

The Empress: "..."?

"Sister-in-law, you are the only one who has lived among the common people. Can you think of a way?"

*Any detoxifying pill or body-strengthening pill will do! Sister-in-law, save him!*

Seeing the panic-stricken expressions of the Empress Dowager and the Empress, and recalling her previous intention to dilute some nutrient solution for the Emperor to drink, Lin Yue said, "Then let me try. I heard egg whites can help. I'll go to the kitchen and prepare some."

The Empress quickly said, "I'll take you."

Lin Yue nodded and followed the Empress.

Seeing that Zhou Dahai was about to follow them, the Empress Dowager stopped him and asked, "Where was His Majesty stung?"

Zhou Dahai replied, "The Imperial Garden."

The Empress Dowager looked suspicious. "This mourner just came back from the Imperial Garden and didn't see His Majesty at all?"

Zhou Dahai was momentarily speechless. He stammered, "He probably saw that you were with the Princess Consort, Your Highness, and didn't dare to approach?"

The Empress Dowager frowned. They had just been eating at the same table—would the Emperor avoid her to that extent?

She looked at Zhou Dahai and said with displeasure, "Did you not follow His Majesty?"

Zhou Dahai wore a mournful face. "His Majesty wouldn't let me."

The Empress Dowager sneered, "If His Majesty doesn't let you, couldn't you have followed secretly to ensure His Majesty's safety at all times? If there is a next time, I will deal with you and all of His Majesty's hidden guards together."

Zhou Dahai shivered and shrank his neck, feeling deeply aggrieved.

Soon, Lin Yue had prepared the miraculous medicine.

Worried that the nutrient solution might not work, she had spent a staggering thirty thousand merit points to redeem a single Hundred-Toxin-Resistant Pill. It genuinely hurt her to part with those merit points, but she was even more afraid that if she failed to save the Emperor, Murong Lixin might seize the opportunity to launch a rebellion, which would be disastrous.

For safety's sake, Lin Yue even wrapped the pill in a ball of dough. Yet, even so, an alluringly sweet fragrance still drifted out from time to time, tempting one's appetite.

The Empress poked her head over, sniffed, and said, "Sister-in-law, this pill smells so good."

Lin Yue nodded. "It's bitter on the inside, so I wrapped it in dough to make sure His Majesty can swallow it easily."

*[It smells this strong even when wrapped; if it weren't, wouldn't the person delivering the medicine just eat it halfway there?]*

*[Ordinary nutrient solution is one thing, but this is a Hundred-Toxin-Resistant Pill. After eating this, you could chug a bowl of arsenic and be completely fine!]*

The Empress's eyes watered even more with greed. She wanted...

Swallowing hard against the temptation, the Empress said, "Sister-in-law, who knows if this medicine will work? Why don't I test it on behalf of His Majesty?"

Lin Yue gave her a look that clearly said she thought she was an idiot. "Elder sister-in-law, this is a detox pill. You aren't poisoned?"

The Empress: "..." *I forgot about that part!*

Where was she supposed to find a hornet to sting her right now?

Where were the hornets?!

The Empress looked at the warm sunlight filtering through the window, feeling a sudden, inexplicable wave of sorrow.

"Or else..."

Lin Yue quickly interrupted her. "Let's not waste any time. Let's go save His Imperial Brother."

*[Fine, I'm not bringing any of you along. What if you end up eating it? That's thirty thousand merit points! I'd have to redeem another one, and it hurts so much.]*

*[The nutrient solution I originally prepared for the elder sister-in-law is ruined now too. I'll just have to wait until I save up enough merit points to redeem it again.]*

The Empress: "..."

Oh, how the northern wind blows, how heavy the torrential rain falls, oh, those poisoned needles in the sky...

*Wuwuwuwu, this hurts more than being stung by a hornet!*

*Your Majesty!!! From this day forward, I am irreconcilable with you!*

...

In the Hall of Diligent Government, Zhou Dahai rushed in with an expression like he was desperately holding in a bowel movement, and said in agony, "Your Majesty, they're coming! They're coming!"

"If they're coming, why aren't you feeding it to me yet?"

Zhou Dahai said, "No, it's the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the Princess Consort—they're all here."

"Her Highness the Princess Consort personally prepared the medicine, but she wouldn't let anyone else handle it. This slave couldn't get hold of it."

The Emperor hurriedly pulled his veil up to cover his face and said irritably, "You scoundrel, why didn't you say so earlier?"

Zhou Dahai wore a wronged expression. "This slave..."

"Imperial Son, how are you?" The Empress Dowager stepped in quickly, her face full of worry.

The Emperor hurriedly said, "This son is fine, Mother Empress need not worry."

The Empress rushed to the bedside in grief, crying, "Your Majesty, you are breaking this concubine's heart!"

*That's right, because of you, this concubine didn't get to drink the nutrient solution! This concubine hates you so much it hurts, I'm almost tempted to beat you to death and be done with it!*

The Emperor squeezed his eyes into slits, trying desperately to peer through the veil at Lin Yue—she was his great savior.

Yet he could only vaguely make out a figure, accompanied by a wave of rich, sweet fragrance. The sensation was all too familiar, and the Emperor excitedly tore off his veil.

Lin Yue was stunned into a state of shock!

Why was the pig-headed face before her so achingly familiar?

"Imperial... Imperial Brother??"

The Emperor struggled to contort his face, trying to flash a kind and amiable smile, but the result was hideously distorted. "Mm, it is Zhen!"

Lin Yue: "..."???

*[He is indeed the Emperor, but why does this face look exactly like the one I just beat up in the Imperial Garden?]*

The Empress Dowager: "..."???

The Empress: "..."???

The Emperor: "..." *My dear sister-in-law, show some mercy in this life!*