"Yes, I'm afraid you'll poison me, considering you tried to drown me just the other day," Wu Caiwei admitted frankly.
"You just said you'd forgive me, but it was all a lie. My sincere heart has been fed to the dogs. If you don't believe me, I'll eat it myself for you to see," Bai Shuxue declared, picking up a pastry and popping it into her mouth, chewing and swallowing it down.
"Now you can eat without worry, I've tested the poison for you," Bai Shuxue said, forcing down her panic and looking at Wu Caiwei without blinking. In truth, she regretted it the moment the pastry went down her throat, but it was too late. To avoid making a futile sacrifice, she had to force Wu Caiwei's hand. After all, her wedding was only three days away, and once she entered the palace, it would be as difficult as scaling the heavens to do anything.
Wu Caiwei scrutinized her from head to toe and said meaningfully, "I am the future Empress. Imported goods must be handled with caution. Even if you've tested the poison, what does that prove? Haven't you heard of injuring the enemy while hurting yourself? Especially since you brought it here, I'm even more hesitant to eat it."
Upon hearing this, Bai Shuxue panicked. "You can't slander me like this."
Wu Caiwei didn't want to waste more words. With a look, the mammy and maids behind her immediately stepped forward, flanking Bai Shuxue. Others shoved her maid, gently coaxing as they walked, "Miss isn't feeling well today. Second Miss should come another day."
Before Bai Shuxue could speak, another maid added, "Eldest Miss appreciates Second Miss's intentions and has already forgiven you. There's no need for further entanglement. After all, Eldest Miss just finished lunch and can't eat anything else right now."
By the time they came to their senses, they were at the entrance of Wu Caiwei's courtyard. Their plate of pastries had somehow been thrust into the maid's hand.
Staring at the closed courtyard gate behind them, Bai Shuxue frantically pounded on it, her hands bleeding. Inside, no one stirred.
Seeing the pastries in the maid's hand, Bai Shuxue snatched them away like a madwoman, threw them on the ground, and trampled on them. Then, remembering the pastries she had eaten, she quickly tried to induce vomiting.
Since too much time had passed, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring it up. She hurried back to the old man who had sold her the medicine.
The old man recognized her the moment he saw her and felt a pang of unease. After all, the last time he saw her, she was dressed plainly, and he had assumed she was the wife of a humble merchant or a minor official, someone who wouldn't cause much trouble if something went wrong. But this time, she was dressed exceptionally lavishly, clearly not from an ordinary family. Thinking about the medicine he sold her, he realized he had to move quickly to a new location. After all, if trouble arose with these high-ranking families, he would be the first to suffer.
"Quick, quick, quick! Give me the antidote to the medicine you sold me last time," Bai Shuxue urged him anxiously as soon as she saw him.
"What's the matter? My dear madam, why are you in such a hurry?" the old man asked, seeing her state. He felt that things had taken a turn and wanted to gather more information before fleeing.
"Wouldn't you be in a hurry? The medicine is in my stomach! Hurry and find me the antidote," Bai Shuxue snapped impatiently.
"Don't rush, I have plenty of the medicine, but the price..." the old man said with a smile, looking at them.
"Our Miss is the wife of the National Protector General. Do you think we're short of money for your medicine?" the maid retorted indignantly. It was already a critical moment, and he was still quibbling.
The old man said nothing more this time, hurrying to prepare the medicine. He ruthlessly fleeced them, demanding one hundred taels of silver.
After obtaining the medicine, Bai Shuxue rushed back to the Bai Manor. The maids and servants went to boil the medicine. Unbeknownst to them, as soon as they left, the old man closed his shop, packed a small bundle, took a mule from the back courtyard, and quickly left the capital.
Wu Caiwei's people had been monitoring Bai Shuxue's every move. When they heard she had returned to boil medicine, they couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. Some medicines, once ingested, were beyond saving, no matter how skilled the physician.
But Bai Shuxue didn't know this. She still thought she was fine, as her body didn't ache or itch.
For the past two days, he had tried various methods to approach Bai Yulan again, but all his efforts had failed. He could only stomp his feet in frustration in secret, and ultimately, it came down to the day of the Emperor and Empress's wedding.
This was truly a wedding that would go down in history. The streets were lined with onlookers. The Emperor himself rode a magnificent horse to the Bai Manor to escort the Empress, his smile brimming with joy, showing how pleased he was with her.
The more importance the Emperor placed on her, the more jealous Bai Shuxue became, but she was powerless to do anything. She could only return to the border in bitter resentment.
After the two married, they were exceptionally affectionate. It was only upon receiving the news of the former Emperor's death that Huangfu Xingchen remembered a certain person in the palace. After a moment's hesitation, he held forty-nine days of Buddhist services and buried him simply on the outskirts of the imperial city.
Although Huangfu Xingchen had no feelings for him, in the eyes of outsiders, they were father and son. Some superficial courtesies still had to be observed. On this matter, his thoughts aligned with Wu Caiwei's. Thus, every day they would kneel at a fixed time, feigning sorrow, dressed simply. As long as there were no major faults in their outward appearance, it would suffice.
Perhaps the death of the Grand Emperor had stimulated the various consorts and princes. Clearly, they began to stir, choosing various means to escape. On two occasions, they managed to scale the wall and were almost out of the imperial city when they were apprehended.
Upon hearing this news, Wu Caiwei also felt a headache. Finally, after discussing with Huangfu Xingchen, they decided to let them go. Princesses who had reached marriageable age would be married off.
The marriages of the princesses presented some difficulties. Everyone knew the Emperor's strained relationship with them. In the end, some families of middling status, who were neither here nor there, selected disciples within their clans who were not academically inclined and tentatively proposed marriage to the Emperor. After investigation, apart from his poor academic performance, all other aspects were satisfactory, and the proposal was approved.
With the first family taking the lead, a few other families followed suit. Their thinking was simple: the disciple put forward was not academically gifted but was relatively honest and wouldn't cause any trouble. No matter how bad these princesses' relationship with the Emperor was, they were still not ordinary people who could be trifled with. In their respective regions, they were respected.
Wu Caiwei understood this logic. As long as these princesses did not cause trouble after leaving, she believed they would live good lives.
Wu Caiwei had initially thought that by showing them leniency, they would be grateful and live low-key lives. However, there were always those who were not satisfied.
When she heard that someone was leading troops to attack the imperial palace, Wu Caiwei thought she was hallucinating. The attackers were premeditated and organized, and by the time the Imperial Guards reacted, they had already lost the element of surprise.