Chapter 61

Tu Shanjin immediately rose to his feet, worry written across his face as he seized Yun Yaoyao’s hand. “Your Majesty!”

In reality, he merely leaned close to her ear and whispered, “Is this your brilliant plan?”

“Don’t overdo it. You’ll give us away.”

Yun Yaoyao gave Tu Shanjin’s hand a pat, communicating with him through her gaze.

Don’t worry. With the eight hundred schemes running through her head, how could she possibly have overlooked this?

Yun Yaoyao quickly composed herself, her eyes once again dark and impassive. “Ridiculous. Everything that enters My mouth is inspected at every level. How could you have gotten one over on Me?”

Her voice was icy and devoid of emotion. “Take him away and execute him.”

The Imperial Guards immediately dragged the man away.

The ministers exchanged glances, all sensing that something was amiss.

Faced with such a situation, Her Majesty was actually this calm.

Something was wrong. Very wrong!

That could only mean Her Majesty had truly ingested the heir-extinguishing powder. To conceal the matter, secure her rule, and make plans for the future, she had deliberately moved to put an end to the matter as quickly as possible!

The resourceful Tushan Ze naturally arrived at the same conclusion. Without showing anything on his face, he glanced toward Du Guanliu.

Their gazes met, and Du Guanliu had already made up his mind.

Your Majesty, Your Majesty… I had originally begun wavering after seeing how powerful your momentum was. But unfortunately, you fell into the enemy’s trap and were rendered infertile.

In ​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‍that case, I have no choice but to throw my full support behind Prince Ze!

Du Guanliu strode forward and dropped to one knee, his expression earnest. “Your Majesty, your health concerns the fate of the entire realm. This matter cannot be taken lightly. I humbly beseech Your Majesty to summon an imperial physician for an examination, so that Your Majesty’s ministers may set their minds at ease!”

The moment Du Guanliu stepped forward, many of his faction’s supporters followed suit.

“This minister requests that Your Majesty summon an imperial physician!”

Even the neutral ministers, who usually refused to get involved in such matters, fell to their knees as one.

“This minister requests that Your Majesty summon an imperial physician for an examination!”

As for the imperial censors, they glanced around. Some rushed over to hug a rockery, while others ran to the pond and made as if to jump in. A few even tore strips of cloth from their colleagues’ robes and tied them around their necks, threatening to take their own lives.

“Your Majesty, this minister begs you at the cost of his life!”

After all, the matter was of immense importance. How could the empire of Yan Chi pass on its legacy if its emperor was incapable of having children?

Yun Yaoyao shot to her feet and pointed at the ministers, murderous hostility radiating from her entire body. “You…”

Zhou Siren and the others immediately shielded Yun Yaoyao, launching into a furious verbal assault.

Unfortunately, the ministers’ combat abilities were simply too formidable this time, and the two sides fought to a draw.

Gao Chongguang arrogantly pointed a finger at the ministers. “How dare you! Anyone who takes even one step closer to offend His Majesty will have to step over my dead body!”

The next second, one particularly bold minister punched Gao Chongguang unconscious. Several others took advantage of the chaos to kick him a few times for good measure.

At that moment, Imperial Physician Shan appeared. No one knew which minister had secretly summoned him. He solemnly cupped his hands and bowed. “Your Majesty, I heard that a criminal has poisoned you. Please extend your hand. This humble physician will know the truth with one examination of your pulse!”

Under the pressure of the ministers, Yun Yaoyao had no choice but to be examined.

Sitting alone in his place, Tushan Ze cheerfully took another sip of chrysanthemum wine.

Tu Shanjin, I never imagined you would fall into Yun Liang’s trap as well. The heavens are truly on my side!

Hahaha…

“Your Majesty’s pulse is steady and rhythmic, broad and powerful, full of vitality. Your dragon body is in perfect health, and your spirit is vigorous. Truly worthy of being Your Majesty!”

Tushan Ze’s hand faltered, spilling wine across the table.

After Imperial Physician Shan’s sincere and envious stream of praise, the ministers nearly mistook him for an actor hired by the emperor.

Suddenly, Xiao Wuzi seemed to think of something. He exclaimed in delight, “Your Majesty, you just rewarded this servant with a jug of chrysanthemum wine. Could it be that the heir-extinguishing powder was added to the jug this servant drank from?”

“Wonderful! This servant was already incapable of having children, so the powder is completely useless against me!”

Yun Yaoyao let out a sigh of relief. “That must be it.”

She then shot the ministers a sharp, intimidating look. The officials shrank back, instantly behaving themselves, traces of embarrassment flashing across their faces.

Ha-ha, what ill intentions could they possibly have? They were merely too concerned about Her Majesty…

When one cared too much, one was bound to act rashly. Please be merciful, Your Majesty!

Before Yun Yaoyao could pass judgment, the man broke free from the Imperial Guards’ grasp once again and pointed arrogantly toward the ministers.

“Despot! You actually managed to escape this time!”

“But it doesn’t matter. In addition to the wine specially prepared for you, you filthy tyrant, I also added the heir-extinguishing powder to the wine served to the ministers!”

“Hahaha! I wonder which lucky bastard drank from that jug. My master Yun Liang suffered because of you. Now you pack of vile schemers can suffer as well!”

The moment those words fell, the ministers’ faces went deathly pale, and their footsteps staggered.

That bastard! He had included them too!

Yun Yaoyao gave them a knowing smile. “Imperial Physician Shan, My beloved ministers were so concerned about Me just now that I am deeply worried about them as well. Now that they may be in danger, hurry and examine them.”

The ministers were caught in a terrible dilemma.

They were terrified that they had drunk the wine laced with the heir-extinguishing powder and desperately wanted to have their pulses checked. Yet they were equally terrified that, if they truly had been rendered infertile, they would be publicly humiliated in front of everyone.

But they had just pressured the emperor into submitting to an examination. Who among them would dare refuse now?

All they could do was leave it to fate.

Ancestors, please bless the person who drank the heir-extinguishing powder with being my mortal enemy!

The ministers shut their eyes in despair and allowed Imperial Physician Shan to examine them one by one.

At this point, Tu Shanjin had naturally guessed Yun Yaoyao’s plan.

First, she had used herself as bait, endured the ministers’ attempt to pressure the emperor, and then used the poisoner’s own words to turn the situation around.

The emperor had been forced to have her pulse examined. A minister who tried to hide would have no chance of getting away with it.

Every step had led perfectly into the next. Brilliant.

Admiration appeared on Tu Shanjin’s face. He felt as though he had been swept into the matter as well, and secretly resolved that he would make a flawless job of the papermaking workshop, the printing workshop, the library, and the literacy school.

“Your pulse is steady, and your kidney qi is abundant… Congratulations, my lord. You did not drink from that jug.”

The ministers who heard this felt as though they had been reborn. They immediately followed behind Imperial Physician Shan, eager to watch the spectacle.

Hahaha, let’s see which unlucky bastards drank the infertility wine!

Seeing this, Tu Shanjin tilted his head and asked Yun Yaoyao in a low voice, “You didn’t actually give them any heir-extinguishing powder, did you?”

Yun Yaoyao shook her head. “Of course not. I’m not that wicked.”

“Kidney yin deficiency, kidney yang deficiency… These are symptoms of male infertility. My lord, please accept my condolences.”

The ministers who heard this covered their faces and burst into tears. Humiliated and furious, they slapped their thighs repeatedly and cursed, “Yun Liang, you damned, heaven-cursed rat!”

Tu Shanjin raised an eyebrow and silently questioned her.

Yun Yaoyao’s eyes widened. “I really didn’t drug them. They’re simply inadequate on their own, and now they’re blaming it on the heir-extinguishing powder.”

By the time Imperial Physician Shan reached the end of the line, he was exhausted. He had become an emotionless pulse-checking machine, and his pronouncements had grown increasingly concise.

When he examined Du Guanliu, he simply shook his head. “My lord, please accept my condolences.”

Du Guanliu’s face immediately turned deathly pale.

Seeing this, Yun Yaoyao added, “Oh, right. I did give Du Guanliu a dose. His clan is so enormous, and he’s so skilled at spreading his branches. He ought to have been rendered infertile sooner.”

Tu Shanjin smiled. “Nicely done.”

After examining one person after another, Imperial Physician Shan finally reached Tushan Ze.

By then, Tushan Ze’s mind was in complete turmoil. He had never imagined that the matter would ultimately be aimed at him!

With a fierce resolve, he bit down on the tip of his tongue. Blood trickled from his mouth as he collapsed to the ground.

“There’s… poison… in the wine!”