Your Majesty is Poisonous – Chapter 65
by Little PandaThe Empress Dowager Refuses
Yao Xi stood frozen in place, unconsciously reaching out to gently tug at the Empress Dowager’s sleeve, as if clutching at a lifeline.
Wan Bi sensed something was wrong. She turned her head to look at her right arm, near the shoulder, where a pale, delicate hand was gripping her clothing tightly. Following that hand upward, she saw Yao Xi, cold sweat beading on her face from terror.
That little castrated donkey was being difficult again…
Wan Bi gently patted Yao Xi’s hand where it clutched her clothes. She knew the little castrated donkey didn’t want anyone to see the injury, but with something as major as a fake eunuch discovered in the palace, the Emperor wouldn’t rest easy until every eunuch was personally verified.
She felt for the little castrated donkey, but she felt even more for the Emperor. The matter with Lady Lin was just the beginning. After this incident, the parentage of every prince and princess in the palace would be called into question. She couldn’t bear to add to the Emperor’s troubles when he was already grieving, so she would just have to let Yao Xi suffer this injustice.
But seeing how terrified Yao Xi was, her heart softened. She said to the eunuch from Qianqing Palace, “Pass on this bereaved one’s command. Have Tang Huaili take Yao Xi into a room and verify her privately.” At least this way, she wouldn’t have to suffer the humiliation in public. It would be over in a glance—just grit your teeth, close your eyes, and it would pass.
To Yao Xi, the Empress Dowager’s words were like a bolt from the blue!
In her moment of despair, a voice came from behind—the eunuch from Qianqing Palace urging cautiously, “Eunuch Yao? Please come with us.” Seeing that Yao Xi wasn’t moving, he had no choice but to step forward and grab her arm to pull her away. The Emperor was watching with displeasure—they couldn’t afford to delay.
Yao Xi resisted with all her might. If Eunuch Tang examined her and discovered she was a woman, she would not only lose her life but suffer the ultimate humiliation. How could a young woman let someone look at her there? But even if she smashed her head against the wall and died right here, the Emperor would only think she had a guilty conscience and was killing herself to escape justice. He would order her corpse examined anyway.
Even death wouldn’t save her from humiliation. She had to find a way to survive!
“Your Majesty.” Yao Xi dropped to her knees, and as she knelt, she smoothly wrapped her arms around the Empress Dowager’s legs, tears streaming down her face as she cried plaintively, “This slave’s life and death belong to Your Majesty. This body will be seen by no one but Your Majesty. If this slave must let others see this body, it would be better for Your Majesty to kill this slave now.”
Noble Lady Lan stood to the side, her heart aching, but she dared not speak up for her brother. The Empress Dowager had seen her and her brother embracing at Longyi Palace—she might still suspect there was something improper between them. Speaking up now would only harm him.
Emperor Ming Cheng was already annoyed, and Yao Xi’s weeping made him even more irritated. “Drag her away!” So she’d rather die than let someone see her body? This eunuch was truly being dramatic. If not for Wan Bi’s sake, he would have ordered this bewitching eunuch beaten to death right now.
“Let go!” Wan Bi said coldly.
“Your Majesty…” Yao Xi slowly released her grip on the Empress Dowager’s robes. Was Her Majesty really abandoning her so easily?
But she couldn’t blame Her Majesty. Anyone would think she was being dramatic. Everyone else could be examined—why was she the only one who couldn’t?
Several eunuchs immediately came forward and grabbed Yao Xi, trying to drag her away.
“This bereaved one told you dogs to let go!” Wan Bi stood up and pulled Yao Xi to her feet, then positioned herself protectively in front of her. She turned to Emperor Ming Cheng. “Your Majesty. Yao Xi doesn’t need to be examined.”
The little castrated donkey had said her life and death belonged to her, that only she could see her. Those words had moved Wan Bi. If she was going to be her male favorite, of course only she could see her. It was rare for the little castrated donkey to have such awareness. Not that a delicate thing like her could possibly still have her parts intact—but even if she did, Wan Bi would protect her.
She was afraid the little castrated donkey might try to kill herself, and she’d have to anxiously watch for a chance to steal a look. If the little castrated donkey was really dragged away and had her pants pulled down, the child might actually die of shame. Wan Bi had thought that if the little castrated donkey was willing to be examined, she wouldn’t have made an issue of it with the Emperor. But since the little castrated donkey wasn’t willing, she had to step forward and protect her young.
“Empress Dowager!” Emperor Ming Cheng looked at Wan Bi with ice in his eyes. The examination was no joke. And Wan Bi’s action wasn’t just about protecting a eunuch from being examined—it was undermining the rule he had just established that all eunuchs in the palace must be verified. “Stop this nonsense!”
He could indulge Wan Bi and go along with her wishes, but it depended on the matter. This matter! There was no room for negotiation.
“Is this bereaved one’s male favorite someone for others to look at? Besides, Yao Xi has already served this bereaved one. Who would know better than this bereaved one whether there’s a problem or not?” A faint flush rose on Wan Bi’s face.
Emperor Ming Cheng hadn’t thought there was anything wrong with this eunuch named Yao Xi—after all, the eunuch didn’t seem to have any masculine qualities at all. But Wan Bi making such a scene just to prevent Yao Xi from being examined made him suspicious.
Could this Yao Xi also be a fake eunuch who still had his parts? That would explain why she wouldn’t submit to examination, and why Wan Bi had taken her as a male favorite! He didn’t mind Wan Bi finding a real man to be her male favorite, but only if he was kept at the temporary palace. And how did a fake eunuch get into the palace in the first place? He needed to investigate all of this thoroughly. Otherwise, the next time he heard about a concubine becoming pregnant, he wouldn’t be able to smile.
“All of you, get out!” Emperor Ming Cheng ordered everyone in the room. Wan Bi, this crazy girl, was even talking about her bedroom affairs with a eunuch in front of everyone. If the crazy girl didn’t feel embarrassed, he certainly did!
After everyone had withdrawn, leaving only Wan Bi and the little eunuch behind her, Emperor Ming Cheng said, “We give the Empress Dowager two choices. Either We personally examine that eunuch’s body, or We personally examine the Empress Dowager’s body!”
Yao Xi thought she had misheard. The Emperor would personally examine the Empress Dowager’s body? What did that mean?
Emperor Ming Cheng continued, “Since this eunuch has been completely castrated, even if he has served in your bed, the Empress Dowager’svirginity mark1 should still be there, shouldn’t it?”
Yao Xi didn’t actually understand the Emperor’s logic. The Empress Dowager had served the Late Emperor—wasn’t the virginity mark something only virgins had? Even if Her Majesty was a virgin, could the ancient virginity mark really be smart enough to tell the difference between a little… thing… and a little finger?
“Feng Qian!” Wan Bi shouted, her face flushed with anger.
“Wan Bi!” Emperor Ming Cheng was not to be outdone.
Just as the two were at daggers drawn, Yao Xi, who had been silent all this time, stepped forward and positioned herself in front of the Empress Dowager. She owed Her Majesty too much. Since the Emperor was determined to examine her body, she wouldn’t be able to leave here alive anyway. There was no need for Her Majesty to be humiliated on her account.
“This slave is willing to be examined,” Yao Xi said resolutely.
Wan Bi ignored Yao Xi. She walked straight up to Emperor Ming Cheng, raised her head to meet his gaze, and slowly rolled up her sleeve. Tears of grief and anger streamed down her face as she said, “Your Majesty, look carefully.” This act was no longer just about sparing Yao Xi the humiliation of examination—it was to prove her own innocence.
Even if she handed Yao Xi over, the Emperor would only think she had already been deflowered and was handing her over out of guilt. The Directorate of Palace Records had no record of the Late Emperor ever summoning her. So when had she been deflowered? When had her body been violated? Before or after the Late Emperor’s death?
Too many things couldn’t be explained.
Since they couldn’t be explained, she would have to endure the humiliation and let the Emperor see the truth with his own eyes.
It was the first time Emperor Ming Cheng had ever seen Wan Bi cry.
He had only spoken in anger. He had thought that with such harsh words, someone with Wan Bi’s temperament would have handed over that slave. Looking at the bright red mole on Wan Bi’s snow-white arm, his heart suddenly felt very uncomfortable.
“We were wrong!” Emperor Ming Cheng pulled down Wan Bi’s sleeve for her and pulled her into his arms, saying guiltily, “We were wrong! No examination, then. We believe you, Empress Dowager.”
Wan Bi coldly pushed Emperor Ming Cheng away, turned around, and took Yao Xi’s hand. “Let’s go. Back to the palace.”
Lady Lin’s death had nothing to do with her. Emperor Ming Cheng’s child not being his own had nothing to do with her. After all, Emperor Ming Cheng wasn’t her biological son either. All the messy affairs in this palace had nothing to do with her!
As Yao Xi was led away by the Empress Dowager, she felt surprised—surprised that the Empress Dowager was still a virgin. But what she felt even more was a heartache she had never experienced before. Her heart ached that the Empress Dowager would suffer such humiliation for her sake. Her Majesty knew that if she was examined, she would seek death. Her Majesty couldn’t bear for her to die—so much so that someone as proud as she was would rather suffer the humiliation herself.
After returning from Lady Lin’s palace, Wan Bi locked herself in the main hall with all doors and windows shut, no lamps lit. She didn’t let anyone serve her, including Yao Xi.
Yao Xi waited on the stone steps outside the hall, afraid to leave in case Her Majesty needed something. Her mind kept returning to what had happened in Lady Lin’s chambers.
Her Majesty rising to protect her…
Her Majesty rolling up her sleeve with tears streaming down her face before the Emperor…
Her Majesty taking her hand and leading her away…
She couldn’t help but look back at the tightly closed hall doors. Her Majesty must have been deeply hurt by the Emperor’s words. Perhaps she was hiding inside, crying secretly. She had never seen Her Majesty cry, never seen Her Majesty suffer such humiliation. Was it true that once someone had something they cared about, they had a vulnerable point? Was she that point for Her Majesty?
She thought again of that panicked, inexperienced kiss in Lanye Pool. Her Majesty’s virginity mark was still there—did that mean she had never been intimate with anyone? Was that why she was so inexperienced, like a child?
Yao Xi hugged her knees, buried her head, and suddenly thought: If only she were a real eunuch, then she wouldn’t have to leave Her Majesty.
After Wan Bi left, Emperor Ming Cheng sat alone in the room, facing the already cold body of Lady Lin.
He often felt that as a ruler, he was barely adequate, but as a person, he was a complete failure.
As a child, he had not been favored by his imperial father. His mother had only seen him as a tool for her own advancement. As a son, he had failed.
His marriage to Empress Zhu, and many of the women in his harem he had to pay some attention to, were all products of political entanglements. The only one he had truly loved was Noble Lady Lan, but what she wanted was a lifetime of devotion to one person—and as an Emperor, he truly could not give her that. As a husband, he had also failed.
Now Lady Lin had been involved with a eunuch. This investigation would likely uncover countless sordid affairs. He didn’t even know if his children were biologically his. As a father, he had failed even more.
Though born into the imperial family, his life had not been happy. From childhood to adulthood, there were very few people who had treated him with genuine sincerity. But even Wan Bi, who had always stood by him through all the storms, he had spoken such harsh words to in a moment of anger.
Since entering the palace, Wan Bi had always been carefree and unconcerned, paying back any grievance twofold, never once crying. Yet that girl had been bullied to tears by him.
As Emperor Ming Cheng sat alone, reviewing his failed half-life, Tang Huaili entered.
“Your Majesty, all the eunuchs here have been examined. No problems.”
Emperor Ming Cheng nodded. There were no problems here, but that might not be the case in other palaces. He couldn’t help but think of his son Feng Xin—Feng Xin really didn’t look like him at all. He had never thought about it before, but now he couldn’t help but be suspicious.
“The matter of Lady Lin’s poisoning has also been investigated. The Lady consumed some lychees before her afternoon nap. The lychees had been injected with poison,” Tang Huaili reported truthfully, according to what the imperial physician had said.
Emperor Ming Cheng closed his eyes. “Arrest everyone who handled them. Interrogate them one by one.”
Lady Lin had wanted to couple with a eunuch—being poisoned to death was letting her off easy. But the poisoning could not be overlooked. Today it was Lady Lin who was poisoned; tomorrow it might be him or the Empress Dowager.
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