At this time, Lin Wan also completely ignored Yun Xiurong. She stared at the little palace maid who spoke for two eyes, and then stretched out her hand to put the entire plate in front of her, picked up the chopsticks and carefully picked the golden delicious food into her mouth one by one, and soon ate it clean. She raised her head and smiled brightly at Sheng Fei: "Your Highness is really generous, giving such precious melons to the concubine... Ah, it's really too delicious!"

  Lin Wan ate the mango in just a short time, and during the whole process, Xiang Fei wanted to speak out to stop her, but was afraid that others would say she was being petty, so in the end she could only watch as Lin Wan finished eating it all.

  Xiang Fei was already stunned. Just now, she said that she would reward Lin Wan, but the meaning was only to reward a few pieces, and did not think of giving her the whole plate. As for Lin Wan who accepted the reward, she should have sat elegantly waiting for the palace maid to pick out a few pieces and put them in her bowl, instead of snatching the whole plate away... Xiang Fei covered her forehead with her hand, resentfully looking at the empty plate in front of Lin Wan - You damn woman! The emperor only gave me this one plate of mango, and I haven't even had a single piece yet!

  Besides, she just mocked her for not getting any mangoes, shouldn't her most reasonable reaction be to refuse your "charity"?! Damn it, damn it, this palace's mangoes!!!!!

  Fortunately, after everyone arrived, the emperor ordered the banquet to begin and held Princess Xiang's hand, sitting together at the top seat. Princess Xiang gave Lin a big white eye and then devotedly served the emperor.

  Soft music, crisp drums, the beauties of the harem sat around the emperor's side, chatting and laughing on one side, enjoying fine food on the other, it was a scene of rising songs and dances. It has to be said that Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei was an emperor who excelled at indulging in pleasures.

  The imperial concubines frequently came forward to toast the emperor and also did not forget to flatter Xiang Fei. Shangguan Li initially felt displeased due to Lin's presence, but now looking at the cups clinking in front of her, her face gradually lit up with joy, laughing: "Shu Yu, drink some more! Bai Shi, isn't it your turn to recite a poem? Don't think you can get away with it... Shu Ji, quickly come up with a couplet to counter theirs..."

  Because it's her own turf, this usually arrogant woman is even more unscrupulous now, laughing loudly and disregarding decorum.

  Zhaoshuwen was forced to drink two cups by her, and her face turned bright red as she laughed and begged for mercy. Baixiuwei had always been afraid of her, and the poem she wrote did not meet her expectations, so she could only punish herself with a cup. Chuhuaqiong was very strict with herself, after drinking two cups, she refused to continue, saying that she feared losing her dignity. Empress Sheng frowned at her for being uninteresting, but fortunately didn't force her again. Apart from them, even the emperor on the throne was forced by Empress Sheng to drink quite a bit.

  Enjoying good wine and food, Lin Wan and several concubines were very satisfied. Xiang Fei was also quite pleasant to be with at times.

  Xiang Fei was extravagant, a small banquet wouldn't end until they spent over 100 taels of silver. All kinds of delicacies and seafood were constantly being brought to the table, Lin Wan's dislike for Xiang Fei decreased by one or two points as she ate. At this time, the palace servants brought up a soup and announced: "Xiang Fei has ordered Snowflake Jade Bamboo Shoot Soup from the Emperor..."

  The emperor stroked his palm and laughed: "Indeed, the Inviting Moon Building will never lack snowy scallops."

  Xiang Fei also smiled, and the palace maid beside her had already brought a pair of white agate small bowls wrapped in silk threads, each containing a spoonful, which she presented to the Emperor and Xiang Fei. Snow clams are precious ingredients produced from Changbai Mountain, and the imperial rules are strict, so some dishes cannot be enjoyed by concubines below the rank of fei, therefore this snow clam soup is only for Xiang Fei and the Emperor.

  Several concubines watched as the emperor and Xiang Fei ate together with joy, then looked at the golden-colored abalone and white jade-like bamboo shoots floating in the soup, feeling envious but could only sit there.

  The emperor took the lead, eating a spoonful of the golden spoon and praising its deliciousness. Xiang Fei also followed suit, picking up a small bowl to eat. At this time, a serving palace maid standing beside Xiang Fei suddenly let out an "ah" and knelt down in fear, saying: "Today's dish is too greasy, Your Highness is pregnant and should not be eating such things..."

  Xiang Fei's face changed as she listened, and the spoon in her hand immediately fell. Then a look of anger appeared on her face, and she frowned: "How does this small kitchen do things? Knowing that today is serving the emperor's meal, the presented soup dish is actually..."

  "Alright, don't be angry." The emperor knew that Xiang Fei was upset because the food wasn't perfect and felt she had lost face in front of the other consorts. He comforted her: "It's just a minor flaw, you're pregnant and your taste buds are becoming more finicky, the soup doesn't suit your stomach, but it's fine with me. That chef who didn't meet Lian'er's expectations will be demoted, and tomorrow I'll reward you with some skilled ones."

  Xiang Fei pursed her lips and stopped arguing.

  Tuoba Hong continued to drink the snow clam soup, and after a while, he smiled again: "This soup is also delicious enough, Lian'er can't eat it, but it's a pity to waste it." As he said this, he swept his eyes over several concubines, saw Bai Xiuyi staring at the soup in his hand with eager eyes, and smiled: "Give the portion of Xiangfei to Rongji."

  Xiang Fei had not yet spoken, when Bai Xiuyi's personal palace maid brought the dish in front of her master. Bai Xiuyi was overjoyed, thanking and eating at the same time. Although she came from a prominent family and didn't take food seriously, she understood that this simple meal was actually a symbol of status. Snow abalone was extremely precious, if she couldn't be promoted to the position of imperial consort, she would never get to eat it in her lifetime... The emperor's gift to herself, although Xiang Fei had rejected it, was still better than what others could obtain.

  Xiang Fei didn't look at her, but instead picked up a piece of venison and fed it into the Emperor's mouth.

  At this moment, a loud "bang" was heard, and Bai Xiuzhen fell to the ground with a thud, holding onto the table, while the bowl containing the snowflake soup had shattered on the floor.

  A bright red, warm liquid flowed down from the corner of her lips.

  All four were shocked. The emperor shouted and ordered the imperial physician to come over, someone pointed at the big patch of blood on Bai Xiuyi's white shirt collar and exclaimed in horror: "The blood has turned black, it's poisoning..."

  The imperial physician arrived quickly, because today happened to be the day when Ping'an pulse was invited. In Huayang Palace, which is closest to Linji Palace, there were several imperial physicians who came to diagnose Wei Zhaoyi, who was bedridden and unconscious. After hearing the news, they hurried over from nearby. The leader was Li Taisheng, followed by two medical officers, Feng and Du. That Doctor Feng was the one who often took Ping'an pulse for Lin Huan.

  Lin Wan didn't pay much attention to Doctor Feng. Although she understood that the imperial physician was a subtle and important connection, due to her weak position in the palace, she hadn't been able to win over even one useful person. Doctor Feng never spoke more than a few words to Lin Wan, and every time he reported after taking her pulse, it was always something like "The young mistress is slightly weak" or "I hope you will calm your mind and rest", but he would never mention anything specific about where the disease was or how to take care of herself.

  Lin Yan gained a lot of favor in the palace, and she knew that someone would put pressure on Doctor Feng if they didn't get along with her. Doctor Feng's behavior was quite normal. Fortunately, apart from not taking responsibility for Lin Yan, he did not use any other means such as acupuncture, poisoning, or physical violence, so Lin Yan didn't bother to make a fuss about it.

  At this time, Bai Xiuzhen, who had already fainted, was carried into the side hall. Several imperial physicians rushed over, and Lin Xuan and a group of consorts all looked frightened and silently shrank away. The emperor did not follow them in to take a look, but only ordered that they should do their best to treat her, and also issued an edict ordering Yao Fusheng to lead people to test for poison in the food.

  Bai Xiuzhen fell while holding the snowflake soup bowl. As expected, when a small eunuch inserted a silver needle into the spilled soup on the ground, a layer of black rust quickly stained the silver needle. When he tested the remaining snowflake soup in the red gold double-eared pot on the dining table, the silver needle showed no abnormalities, and the bowl used by the emperor was also the same. It can be seen that only the bowl in Bai Xiuzhen's hand contained poison.

  Everyone present saw clearly. The emperor let out a cold snort, his eyes scanning the imperial consorts in attendance, and everyone shrank back even more.

  The atmosphere in the house was very cold, and Lin Yu and others all understood why the emperor did not order everyone to return to the palace at this chaotic moment, nor did anyone dare to say a word of retreat.

  Lin Wan couldn't help but glance at Xiang Fei, who was now sitting with her eyes half-closed and her hand on her belly, not saying a word. Behind her stood a palace maid, the same one who had just spoken out to stop Xiang Fei from drinking the snow frog soup, citing that it was too greasy, and Xiang Fei had listened to her and put down her bowl...

  If I'm not mistaken, this palace maid's name is Rui'er, and she's only about 13 or 14 years old. She's a second-class palace maid by the side of Empress Xiang, not particularly dignified or noticeable... But whenever Empress Xiang goes anywhere, she'll always be part of the entourage; when Empress Xiang has her meals, Rui'er will also stand by and do some rough work... At this moment, Rui'er is standing right behind Empress Xiang, fanning her, while another palace maid with a higher status, Mu Shuang, is also standing by, but not as close to the empress as Rui'er.

  Lin Yan lowered her head and didn't dare look again.

  After a while, Imperial Physician Li came out, his face full of fear, and knelt on the ground saying: "Your Majesty, Young Mistress...".

  "What's wrong? Is her life not guaranteed?" The emperor said this with a slightly angry face, but without much concern. Apparently, whether Bai Rongji's life could be saved was not a very important issue.

  Li Taizhen still trembled: "Rong Ji Xiao Zhuang took a large dose of arsenic, whether she can survive depends on heaven's will. Moreover... the young mistress is already one month pregnant, and the fetus has just been miscarried..."

  The emperor slapped his palm on the dinner table.

  The entire room of consorts and palace maids all knelt down. Xiang Fei also knelt down, holding onto her waist, stretched out her hand to grab the Emperor's palm, and tearfully said: "In the past, I had many disagreements with Bai Mei Mei, but now it seems that it was all my fault... That bowl of snow clam soup was originally meant for me to drink, but instead, I had Bai Mei Mei drink it. This time, it was Bai Mei Mei who helped me ward off disaster, and I owe her an apology..."

  The emperor looked at her, one wall streaming with tears and the other holding her right hand tightly over her abdomen. In his heart, he couldn't help but feel a lot of sympathy for her. He stretched out his hand to support her and said: "Those poisonous powders were aimed at you, I will naturally give you justice, and also give Madame Bai justice. You don't have to blame yourself like this, it's not your fault."