Chapter 113: Drag Him Out and Give Him Twenty Strokes

Could it really be that their past negligence was the reason Shen Fuyu hated them so deeply? Shen Shucheng felt uneasy, but seeing Shen Tangyu’s tear-streaked face, his heart ached even more.

“Ugh…”

Just as Qin Zhiyi thought it was time to end this farce, a muffled groan came from behind him, followed by the sound of vomiting. At the same time, several palace maids nearby screamed in alarm.

“Your Majesty!” Noble Consort Shu exclaimed, standing abruptly and pointing at Shen Tangyu. “Miss Shen Tangyu is vomiting blood!”

Disbelief filled Shen Shucheng’s eyes as he looked at Shen Tangyu with suspicion and anger. Shen Tangyu’s dizziness overwhelmed her, and she collapsed to the ground.

The agonizing pain in her internal organs caused her to tremble violently, her complexion turning pale. Madam Gu cried out Shen Tangyu’s name bitterly and rushed forward, clutching her daughter tightly. “Tang’er! Tang’er! Mother is here, no one will harm you!”

“Mother… it hurts…” Shen Tangyu’s eyes welled with tears, her lips and clothes stained with blood. Her pitiful expression seemed ready to drive anyone to madness. She weakly pointed at the dish that had fallen to the floor before fainting.

“Tang’er!” Madam Gu nearly fainted as well.

“Quickly, summon the imperial physician!” Noble Consort Shu called out urgently. Without hesitation, she stepped forward to examine Shen Tangyu and said, “Fortunately, she has only fainted. It seems there is still hope!”

Hearing this, Madam Gu clung to the faint hope like a lifeline. After glancing at the fallen dish, she glared furiously at Shen Fuyu. “Was it you? You must have poisoned the dish! That’s why Tang’er is like this! Today, she ate nothing but the food she received from you!”

Shen Fuyu blinked slowly, noting the blood on Shen Tangyu and thought to herself that if this were a game, Shen Tangyu’s vomit would be either green bile or oil...

She barely heard Madam Gu’s words clearly.

But it wasn’t intentional. Coming back to herself, she smiled faintly and said, “Mother, what did you say just now? I was distracted and didn’t hear clearly. Could you please repeat it?”

She truly hadn’t paid attention.

However, to Madam Gu, Shen Fuyu’s attitude was tantamount to not caring about Shen Tangyu’s life at all. Unable to control her fury, she wildly accused her, “That is your sister! You heartless wretch! You are the one who harmed her!”

“Enough!” Qin Zhiyi shouted sharply. Chang Fu and his men immediately blocked Madam Gu, and Shen Fuyu stood close to Qin Zhiyi. His gaze turned cold. “Take her away!”

“Your Majesty, please calm down!” Shen Shucheng knelt on the ground. “My wife was only anxious for her daughter and lost her composure. She did not intend any offense. I beg Your Majesty to forgive her!”

Noble Consort Shu hesitated but stepped forward. “Your Majesty, since this concerns Miss Shen’s life, perhaps it is best to move her to a side chamber first. We can decide after the imperial physician examines her.”

“Regardless of intent, the offense stands. Mother, please kneel until the physician arrives,” Shen Fuyu said haughtily, looking down on Madam Gu. “As a noble consort, I cannot tolerate your insolence!”

Shen Shucheng wanted to protest, but Madam Gu was already being pressed to the ground by eunuchs. As a member of the imperial family, offending royalty was a grave crime. Punishment by kneeling was lenient enough. Hesitating briefly, he decided to hold his tongue. “Your Highness is correct, but Tang’er…”

“After the physician’s diagnosis, we shall discuss it,” Qin Zhiyi interrupted, pulling Shen Fuyu to sit beside him. His gaze darkened. “Shen Qing, consider yourself fortunate. This dish was barely touched by the noble consort. Whoever this poison was meant for, you surely know.”

Shen Fuyu lightly patted Qin Zhiyi’s head. This boy must have faced many prejudices growing up; every time this happened, Qin Zhiyi would get angry at others. “Your Majesty, please don’t be angry.”

If anyone should be angry, it should be her! What good would it do him to be angry with Shen Shucheng?

Truly!

“Your Majesty is right. I have been narrow-minded,” Shen Shucheng said belatedly, sweating coldly. Although he disliked Shen Fuyu, this daughter was carrying the imperial heir. If she bore the crown prince, at least the rank of noble consort was assured, and the Shen family’s status would rise. Yet sacrificing his eldest daughter, whom he had raised with care, was a painful thought.

“Father, stop looking so sneaky and guilty. You’re scared and reluctant, but both your daughters are still alive. Why make such a fuss?” Shen Fuyu said disdainfully, thinking that such worry hardly resembled the Shen family’s usual scheming nature.

Just as she was about to flare up, Shen Shucheng remained quiet. In the past, noble families had wielded power rivaling the throne, but since his daughter entered the palace and gained favor, the Shen family’s rise had severed those old ties. Qin Zhiyi was no longer the useless little emperor from three years ago.

Meanwhile, Madam Gu struggled fiercely on the ground—her daughter was the one in trouble, not that wretched woman! How could she calm down?

“Your Majesty, look how fierce Mother is! She keeps glaring at me!” Shen Fuyu blinked innocently, feigning fear as she snuggled close to Qin Zhiyi.

“Madam Gu, your disrespect and insubordination towards the noble consort will not be tolerated. Take her out and give her twenty lashes,” Qin Zhiyi said without a trace of mercy, plunging deeper into despotism.

Chang Fu immediately called over the young eunuchs to carry out the order.

When the noble consort and the emperor give orders simultaneously, the more efficient the better! This was the lesson Chang Fu had learned over the past months.

Madam Gu was dragged away, struggling and shouting Shen Fuyu’s name. Then the sharp crack of the lashes mixed with her screams echoed madly through Crescent Moon Palace. The onlookers exchanged uneasy glances, but Shen Fuyu alone smiled gleefully.

It was chilling. Despite being her stepmother, she was whipped without hesitation! Truly a heart of a serpent and scorpion!

It was enough to delight Shen Fuyu, who was already lost in a sea of fury. She had heard that whipping involved pulling down trousers; perhaps she would find time later to humiliate Madam Gu further.

While plotting this, the imperial physician arrived leisurely. Noble Consort Shu hurriedly said, “She is in the side chamber and likely poisoned. Please examine her.”

Though Madam Gu’s sore bottom throbbed from the lashes, she gritted her teeth and followed into the side chamber. Her daughter was barely clinging to life, which was unbearable to witness.

The physician examined Shen Tangyu’s pulse carefully, then tested the fallen dish with a silver needle, bringing it to his nose for a sniff. Frowning deeply, he pondered and finally said, “Your Majesty, noble consorts, this young lady appears to have been poisoned, but the toxin does not match what was found in this meal.”

“Continue,” Qin Zhiyi commanded.

“Yes,” the physician said after careful thought, “if I am not mistaken, the meal was laced with a substance called Yiqi powder.”