Aphrodisiac

"This is merely a family banquet. Esteemed Consorts, please be seated; there is no need for formality." Wei Ming Xi calmly ordered, and the eunuchs and palace maids swiftly arranged seats for the imperial concubines according to their ranks.

"We thank Your Imperial Majesty the Empress!" All the imperial concubines responded in unison. The new Noble Consort and Zhaoyi were specially seated closest to the Empress, both on her right side.

Rong Yu Ge naturally sat to Wei Ming Xi's left. She casually surveyed the imperial concubines eligible to attend this family banquet; there were indeed quite a few. There were about forty to fifty high-ranking consorts, and countless others who had received imperial favor but no official title. Her maternal uncle was truly a man of many passions. Rong Yu Ge looked at Wei Ming Xi, whose demeanor was dignified and natural. In the eyes of the world, she was the epitome of a virtuous wife and loving mother. This perfect facade also created a barrier that made it difficult for anyone to approach her. Rong Yu Ge gazed at Wei Ming Xi's face, lost in thought.

Rong Yu Ge finally withdrew her infatuated gaze and bestowed a little attention on the women below. Comparing them to the famous women of the imperial harem by her own standards, the result was that this group of richly endowed women all turned into a mere collection of common painted faces in Rong Yu Ge's eyes. The conclusion was that this group of women was truly a world apart from Wei Ming Xi; her maternal uncle's taste was far too low.

"This younger sister respectfully offers a toast to Your Imperial Majesty and Noble Consort Dong..." Huo Lian Xin rose to toast Wei Ming Xi and Dong Yun Ru, her intention to flatter and curry favor abundantly clear.

Wei Ming Xi nodded slightly and smiled at Huo Lian Xin, seemingly in approval.

"A fawning vixen," though inwardly disdainful, Dong Yun Ru still nodded slightly at Huo Lian Xin. Huo Lian Xin's actions prompted other concubines to imitate her, taking turns to offer toasts or proactively serve food, each vying for favor.

Rong Yu Ge lightly sipped her wine, then subtly smiled at the concubines. Huo Lian Xin dared to drug Dong Yun Ru at the Empress's family banquet. Should one call her foolish or clever? When Huo Lian Xin toasted Wei Ming Xi and Dong Yun Ru, she had subtly dropped a bit of powder into Dong Yun Ru's cup. The angle of the drugging was such that an experienced person of the jianghu could have seen it, but ordinary people would not. Huo Lian Xin was clever enough not to dare to drug Wei Ming Xi's cup, so Rong Yu Ge, though witnessing the scene, remained calmly indifferent.

Rong Yu Ge looked up and glanced at Jing Ying. With Jing Ying's skill, she must have seen it. She would surely tell Wei Ming Xi. Would Wei Ming Xi indifferently watch Dong Yun Ru and Huo Lian Xin clash? What kind of drug did Huo Lian Xin use on Dong Yun Ru? She surely wouldn't dare to use a fatal poison to frame Wei Ming Xi; after all, Wei Ming Xi's reputation was excellent, and such a framing attempt, if used carelessly, could easily backfire. But if it wasn't poison, then what kind of drug was it?

Clearly, Huo Lian Xin was targeting Dong Yun Ru at this moment. What kind of drug could achieve her purpose against her? A flash of insight, and Rong Yu Ge had the answer: an aphrodisiac. All it would take was a man and the right moment to utterly ruin Dong Yun Ru. Huo Lian Xin resorting to such a lowly tactic truly made her a venomous serpent.

As Rong Yu Ge predicted, Jing Ying immediately approached Wei Ming Xi and whispered a few words into her ear. However, no unusual expression appeared on Wei Ming Xi's face. She merely glanced at Dong Yun Ru, then withdrew her gaze, continuing to chat with the other concubines.

Unaware, Dong Yun Ru raised her cup and drained it, a sight that made Huo Lian Xin smile even more radiantly. Rong Yu Ge subtly curved her lips. Wei Ming Xi maintained her calm composure throughout, showing no reaction to what she now knew.

When the banquet was halfway through, Dong Yun Ru felt a slight discomfort within her. Her body began to feel hot and dry. She thought perhaps the charcoal brazier in the room was too large, and combined with drinking a lot of wine, made her feel even more uneasy.

"Your Imperial Majesty, Yun Ru's alcohol tolerance is limited, and my head feels a bit dizzy. I beg to be excused first." Dong Yun Ru's face was flushed, which to others looked like the effect of alcohol, making her appear even more charming and seductive. Huo Lian Xin had long anticipated that Dong Yun Ru would proactively ask to leave, and the smile in her eyes deepened.

Wei Ming Xi nodded: "Noble Consort Dong's alcohol tolerance is limited, so you should quickly return to Yunfang Palace to rest."

Dong Yun Ru's two close palace maids came to assist her in leaving Feng Yi Palace and returning to Yunfang Palace. But halfway there, they were stopped by several eunuchs.

"His Imperial Majesty has decreed that Noble Consort Dong shall attend to him tonight. His Imperial Majesty is currently in the Jingyuan Garden's side chambers."

Dong Yun Ru secretly wondered, Jingyuan Garden was so remote, why would His Imperial Majesty want her to attend to him there? Moreover, this eunuch looked unfamiliar; he wasn't one of the Emperor's personal attendants. Just as Dong Yun Ru was about to question them, her head suddenly felt dizzy, making it impossible for her to focus: "His Imperial Majesty... why... suddenly want to go to Jingyuan Garden... such a remote place?" Dong Yun Ru struggled to concentrate and ask.

The eunuchs exchanged glances. The leader replied, "His Imperial Majesty suddenly wished to go to Jingyuan Garden today. Your Imperial Consort, just go. Where His Imperial Majesty goes is not for us servants to question!" The leading eunuch spoke with a somewhat stern tone.

Having said that, they directed the Noble Consort's palanquin towards the secluded Jingyuan Garden. Dong Yun Ru's mind was already hazy, her senses growing more chaotic. Moreover, despite the cold weather, she felt incredibly hot, and her face gradually flushed with fever.

"His Imperial Majesty prefers tranquility and dislikes being disturbed. You may withdraw." The two eunuchs guarding Jingyuan Garden said.

After the grand banquet concluded, all the imperial concubines had returned, leaving only Rong Yu Ge in Feng Yi Palace.

"Does Imperial Mother also know that Dong Yun Ru was drugged by Huo Lian Xin?" Rong Yu Ge asked.

Wei Ming Xi glanced at Rong Yu Ge: "There's no evidence, Crown Princess, you shouldn't speak carelessly." She said indifferently, clearly not wanting to continue the topic.

"Then did Jing Ying tell Imperial Mother that it might be an aphrodisiac? In less than an hour, Huo Lian Xin will probably come to Imperial Mother to catch the adulterers. Does Imperial Mother believe it or not?" Rong Yu Ge spoke her thoughts.

"Aphrodisiac?" Wei Ming Xi frowned, clearly unable to accept Huo Lian Xin using such a lowly tactic: "Jing Ying, was it an aphrodisiac?" Wei Ming Xi turned to ask Jing Ying.

"Although this servant saw Huo Lian Xin administer the drug, whether it was an aphrodisiac or not, this servant does not know. This is the Crown Princess's conjecture!" Jing Ying replied expressionlessly.

"Didn't Imperial Mother notice that when Dong Yun Ru stood up, her flushed face looked a bit unnatural?" Rong Yu Ge felt she hadn't guessed wrong and continued. After all, Dong Yun Ru had such a seductive appearance, so framing her with an aphrodisiac was indeed very convincing.

"Jing Ying, go and see what exactly has happened!" Wei Ming Xi said with a frown. If Rong Yu Ge's guess was correct, then Huo Lian Xin was truly like a venomous serpent and could not be kept around in the future.

"Do I need to intervene?" Jing Ying asked.

"No need. Let nature take its course. That is Dong Yun Ru's fate." Wei Ming Xi closed her eyes and took a soft breath. She considered herself heartless long ago, but a faint ache still lingered in her heart.

Jing Ying remained silent, accepting the order and leaving. Rong Yu Ge took Wei Ming Xi's hand: "You should just ignore this matter. The one harming others is not you; you don't need to blame yourself." Rong Yu Ge said gently. The imperial harem was inherently such a dirty place; Wei Ming Xi didn't need to be responsible for other lives.

"Isn't acting as if I don't see it the same thing? It's like someone falling into water, and I pretend not to see, not reaching out to save them. That's no different from murder!" Wei Ming Xi chuckled self-deprecatingly.

"The prerequisite is that the person to be saved must be harmless, and we cannot determine if Dong Yun Ru is harmless. We are merely being overly cautious. Imperial Mother surely knows better than Yu Ge that the imperial palace is absolutely no place to perform good deeds and accumulate virtue." Rong Yu Ge embraced Wei Ming Xi to comfort her. She never felt that Wei Ming Xi had done anything wrong. Wei Ming Xi didn't need to feel sorrow or guilt for unrelated people.

"Why do you always like to hug me?" Wei Ming Xi pushed Rong Yu Ge away. She didn't need Rong Yu Ge's comfort; she wasn't a weak person. But a voice in her heart told her that the feeling of being understood and comforted wasn't so bad.

"I just thought Imperial Mother needed comforting!" Rong Yu Ge pouted. She hadn't even hugged her in *that* way. Besides, in that fleeting embrace just now, apart from wishing Wei Ming Xi would let go of this matter, there were truly no impure thoughts.

"Do you think everyone is like you, still a child!" Wei Ming Xi would never admit she needed comfort; it was clearly Rong Yu Ge being overly sentimental.

"I just hope Imperial Mother can be like a child. Every day you're so stressed, you must be exhausted. Sometimes you need to relax a little." Rong Yu Ge smiled brightly at Wei Ming Xi.

Truly a femme fatale, Wei Ming Xi thought to herself, looking at Rong Yu Ge's captivating smile.

"Life is hard; death will be peaceful!" Wei Ming Xi retorted. Rong Yu Ge could act on a whim, but she could not. She didn't have Rong Yu Ge's good fortune to act impulsively since childhood.

Following the palanquin was another person, Xiao Hua. After fully recovering from her injuries, Xiao Hua still harbored resentment over being accused of theft. She felt she had to find Noble Consort Dong to clear her name, but every time she went to Yunfang Palace, she was turned away. Those people wouldn't let her in, so she couldn't meet Noble Consort Dong at all. Knowing she couldn't openly seek Noble Consort Dong, she secretly waited, intending to confront her upon her return and demand justice.

From the start of the grand banquet, she had been observing Noble Consort Dong, so she followed her to Jingyuan Garden. She discovered that only two eunuchs were guarding the place, which was much better than the crowd of eunuchs at Yunfang Palace. A glimmer of hope arose in Xiao Hua's heart; could this be a stroke of luck? Because Xiao Hua had been to Yunfang Palace many times, the palace maids and eunuchs there recognized her and would not give her a chance to speak before driving her away. Therefore, at this moment, Xiao Hua was wearing a eunuch's uniform, which was also the uniform she was responsible for washing.

Xiao Hua strutted confidently to Jingyuan Garden, looking at the two eunuchs guarding the door. Before Xiao Hua could even open her mouth, the two eunuchs spoke first.

"Are you the man the Consort arranged?" The eunuch saw a eunuch with the appearance of a pale-faced young man and immediately thought of the illicit lover Huo Lian Xin had arranged.

Xiao Hua quickly nodded upon hearing this, not paying attention to what they were saying. She only needed to know if she could go in and meet that foxy-looking Noble Consort to clear her name.