In the blink of an eye, Qingyu pushed the girl away at once, looking disdainful and sneering, "Who do you think you are? How can you be the one to serve Her Majesty the Queen? Put down the things quickly and get out of here!"
Scolded by Qingyu, the maid quickly put down the things and left the palace.
Tang Youyou said with a mischievous smile, "What's this girl's name?"
Qingyu replied, "Your Majesty, this girl is called Qing'er. She was just transferred from the Imperial Household Department to serve you."
Hearing the sneering tone in Qingyu's words, Tang Youyou could tell that she didn't like Qing'er.
At this moment, she looked like someone who had just recovered from a serious illness. Even the corners of her mouth were pale. On closer look, she had a pitiful and delicate beauty of a sickly woman.
However, all this was thanks to her makeup skills.
This was her tactic of "luring the snake out of its hole". She used herself as bait to see how many people were behind this incident.
Qingyu picked up the medicine bowl on the table. Looking at the black and disgusting stuff inside, which also gave off a pungent smell of herbs.
She looked at Tang Youyou with a grim expression. "Your Majesty, there's something wrong with this medicine. How about pouring it out today?"
Hearing this, Tang Youyou nodded. "Just pour it out. But be careful not to let anyone see when you dispose of it."
This was already the seventh time the medicine had been tampered with.
Then, Qingyu brought another bowl of clear medicinal soup. "Your Majesty, Doctor Li from the Imperial Hospital adjusted the medicinal effects yesterday. It should work in about two days."
Two days would be enough for her to find out the mastermind behind this.
"Alright, I understand."
As soon as she finished speaking, there was another knock on the door. A eunuch named Xiaodengzi came in a hurry. With a tense look on his face, he said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to Your Majesty the Queen. May Your Majesty live in peace and prosperity."
Seeing him coming, Tang Youyou wondered, "Eunuch, what's the matter you've come to tell me?"
Xiaodengzi then slowly said, "His Majesty asked me to inform all the ladies in the harem that there will be a grand ceremony in the palace the day after tomorrow. He hopes Your Majesty the Queen will definitely attend."
Tang Youyou coughed softly and pretended to be weak. "Eunuch, I've been feeling worse recently. If I can recover a bit by then, I will surely go."
Hearing this, Xiaodengzi said a few polite words and left.
Qingyu frowned and said casually, "Your Majesty, you should know that in the harem, the most important thing is the Emperor's favor. By now, there are already seven ladies in the palace. You must be careful."
But Tang Youyou didn't seem to care. Before long, it started to drizzle outside the window. In the sound of the rain, a wave of drowsiness came over her.
Seeing this, Qingyu quietly left.
The next day, the morning sun shone in. Tang Youyou was woken up by the knock on the door.
"Your Majesty, it's time."
When the girl came in, Tang Youyou coughed violently again and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. She looked like she was at the end of her life.
Qing'er looked panicked and rushed to her side. Although she was flustered, her eyes kept wandering over Tang Youyou.
The next moment, Tang Youyou suddenly grabbed Qing'er's wrist. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her scarlet eyes stared at her, making her shiver all over.
Tang Youyou tightened her grip even more. She coughed again, and the blood splashed on Qing'er's arm, making her slightly stunned.
The visible disgust was revealed. Qing'er subconsciously pushed Tang Youyou away, and then realizing her inappropriate behavior, she quickly leaned in again.
"Your Majesty, this servant... this servant just saw a little bug here. Please don't be angry, Your Majesty."
Hearing this, Tang Youyou had to suppress her anger. She looked up into the girl's eyes and said gently, "Qing'er, I remember you weren't a maid in the Qingliang Palace before, right?"
At the same time, Tang Youyou shivered all over and weakly lay back on the couch. Looking at Tang Youyou at this moment, Qing'er gradually showed a smile.
Looking at Tang Youyou gasping for breath, her eyes darkened. "Indeed, I'm not a maid in Your Majesty's palace. But now that the task is completed, Your Majesty might as well just wait for the day of your death peacefully!"
Hearing this, Tang Youyou's eyes were filled with tears, looking on the verge of collapse. "Qing'er, I've always treated you well. Why are you doing this! Who on earth instigated you to do this!"
Qing'er sneered. Her face was full of mockery, and there was no more respect in her words. And at this moment, Tang Youyou pretended to be extremely frightened.
Qing'er said coldly, "Do you think you wonder why you're half - dead now? It's just because our mistress has used a little trick on you."
Hearing this, there was a hint of coldness in Tang Youyou's eyes, but she still pretended to be weak. "Who is your mistress! Why does she have to take my life!"
The maid's smile became even more arrogant. "Our mistress is, of course, the mistress of the Xianfu Palace!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the palace door was suddenly pushed open, and many people walked in. At the head of them was Qingyu with wide - open angry eyes.
It could be seen that Qingyu was extremely angry. She had been listening at the door for a long time, just waiting for this girl to say this sentence. At the same time, Tang Youyou on the bed slowly sat up and casually glanced at Qingyu.
"Alright, since the truth has come to light, leave the rest to you."
After saying this, Tang Youyou easily got up from the bed and slowly walked out of the main hall.
As for the subsequent arrangements, Kang Fuhai would surely give her a satisfactory answer. And now she just wanted to take a stroll outside. After pretending to be ill for so many days, she even had the illusion that she had just recovered from a serious illness.
As soon as she walked into the imperial garden, she saw Wen Ruxue and Su Nian'e admiring the red peonies in the courtyard.
When the two saw Tang Youyou, their expressions changed suddenly. Su Nian'e was even panicked, and her voice became a few pitches higher.
"How come you..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Wen Ruxue beside her nudged her. Although Wen Ruxue's expression remained unchanged, the strength of her nudge was quite strong.
Wen Ruxue said with a gentle smile, "Your servant pays respects to Your Majesty the Queen. May Your Majesty live in peace and prosperity."
Tang Youyou raised her head haughtily and glanced disdainfully at Su Nian'e who was sulking beside her.
She smiled and said, "It seems that Noble Consort Su has quite a fiery temper."
Su Nian'e sneered and said indifferently, "Your servant sprained her leg not long ago, so it's inconvenient for me to move around. Please forgive me, Your Majesty the Queen."