Originally cradled in his arms, Jiang Xinyue was released when he fell, as he worried about dragging her down with him.
But at such a crucial moment, how could she let the Emperor fall?
Moreover, right behind the Emperor was the sharpest corner of the stone table. If his head were to hit it, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Just as the Xuanwu Emperor had resigned himself to a bloody head injury, a gentle force grabbed his hand. Though unable to stop his rapidly falling body, it managed to push him sideways, causing him to collide with Tang Shiliang, who had rushed over to catch him.
He watched helplessly as Jiang Xinyue fell hard to the ground after saving him.
He raised his hand, wanting to call out her name, but instead coughed up a mouthful of black blood.
The Imperial Noble Consort, who always maintained perfect makeup, panicked like a child. Without even getting up, she crawled quickly to the Emperor's side on all fours, tears rolling down her face as she shouted, "Doctor! Where is the Imperial Physician? Summon them immediately!"
Jiang Xinyue, who had remained composed even in the face of the Phoenix Firebird that terrified the Emperor himself, now shouted until her voice cracked from urgency.
She was genuinely anxious - the Emperor's death at this moment would be far from ideal.
Consort Zhang had already been apprehended by the guards. Her beautiful face twisted with malice as she spoke, "Jiang Xinyue, why did you interfere? If not for you, it would be Zhang Ronghua who'd been caught now. I was eliminating your enemy - shouldn't you be grateful?"
She laughed and cried hysterically, "I've waited five years for this chance, do you know that? The troupe leader and I were in love, but the county magistrate saw my beauty and tore us apart, forcing me to enter the imperial selection. He threatened to kill everyone in our acrobatic troupe if I refused. We common folk, despite our talents, can't fight against people of power like you. The dog emperor bedded me once and then forgot about me - so why couldn't they just let me be with my troupe leader?"
"But His Majesty didn't know about your..."
"Exactly!"
Consort Zhang glared at Noble Lady Jiang who had spoken up: "He can absolve himself with one claim of ignorance, but my beloved was wrongly beaten to death because of him, never to return!"
She had stopped struggling and quieted down through her tears: "The performing troupe His Majesty invited to entertain the Noble Consort at the temporary palace was the one I led with my beloved. But killing the dog emperor was my doing alone, using Miao Borderlands secret arts. I'm not really an orphan. The Miao arts can only be undone by Miao people, and in this lifetime... you'll never find them."
With those words, black poisoned blood darker than the Xuanwu Emperor's flowed from her mouth. Her gaze drifted to beyond the palace walls, as if seeing a young man in coarse clothing reaching out to her: "A'Yuan, let go of your hatred, come with me!"
"How can I... not hate..."
That high and mighty Emperor had killed her love but hadn't given her another beautiful romance in return. Instead, he had left her forgotten in this lonely palace for five years.
If she didn't save herself, she would have been trapped for another five years, ten years, twenty years...
The light on the horizon dimmed.
Consort Zhang's raised hand fell to the ground.
Jiang Xinyue handed the still-conscious Emperor to Tang Shiliang, then pushed past everyone blocking her way to rush to Consort Zhang's body, searching through her clothes.
Consort Zhang should have directed her hatred at the county magistrate who separated her from her lover. Her hatred for the Emperor was understandable as displacement since she couldn't exact revenge on the magistrate while in the palace, but it was completely unnecessary!
All the Emperor did was enjoy the beauties sent from various regions, states, and prefectures. Investigating backgrounds was the job of his subordinates - did they expect the Emperor to do it personally?
Under the feudal dynasty and patriarchal system, the Emperor had too many women, and now it had caused problems.
After searching Consort Zhang thoroughly and finding no medicine bottles, it was clear she truly intended to kill the Emperor and hadn't brought any antidote.
Jiang Xinyue collapsed to the ground but quickly got up again to run to the Emperor.
The Xuanwu Emperor had already passed out from pain. Several imperial physicians came running with their medical boxes, too rushed for formal courtesies.
Jiang Xinyue proactively laid her thin cloak on the ground for Tang Shiliang to place the Emperor on, making it easier for the physicians to examine him.
Previously, when Jiang Xinyue was poisoned in the Cold Palace, the Emperor had sent Yan the Imperial Physician, who specialized in treating poison, to save her.
Now Yan the Imperial Physician was sweating profusely, indicating the severity of the Emperor's poisoning.
"Bring the silver needles!"
This was only the second time Jiang Xinyue had seen Yan the Imperial Physician use silver needles.
After inserting a dense row of silver needles, Yan the Imperial Physician began dismissing people: "Noble Consort, please send away the other consorts. Their constant chatter makes it difficult for this old servant to concentrate."
Jiang Xinyue turned and gave a meaningful look, and Xiao Xiangzi and Tang Shiliang together issued dismissal orders to all the palace ladies.
"This is a Gan gu from the Miao Borderlands. It didn't take effect immediately after consumption because Consort Zhang had divided the gu worms into several portions. From what Frost Maiden brought earlier, she had ground the gu's body into powder and placed it on both the black cat and butterfly. The trigger for the gu was the fragrance that Concubine Ye had smelled - when it lingered on her lips, it activated the poison in His Majesty's body through conversation."
The fireworks trick earlier and the flower fragrance that touched Concubine Ye were what they thought to be aphrodisiacs, but the seeds used in the fireworks display were from datura flowers.
The datura cultivated in the Miao Borderlands was poisonous and could cause hallucinations.
This datura flower was the catalyst that triggered the real gu poison.
Consort Zhang had planned for six years to kill the Emperor, waiting for just such an opportunity.
An inescapable death trap for the Emperor.
The news that the Emperor had been poisoned by a Miao woman shocked the entire court. The county official who had recommended Consort Zhang to enter the palace was immediately executed, and everyone in the acrobatic troupe was imprisoned.
Jiang Yankun was tasked with handling the crisis. The Emperor ordered the Ministry of Punishment to determine the whereabouts of the Miao poison masters within four days.
From what Jiang Xinyue knew, the broader Miao Borderlands of later times centered on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau, including the surrounding southwestern mountainous areas inhabited by ethnic minorities.
The narrower definition of the Miao Borderlands mainly referred to the later Miao people's settlements, including the Qiandongnan Miao and Dong Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou Province and the area where northeastern Guizhou bordered Western Hunan.
In this alternate Great Yan Dynasty, their location in Qin Province, based on topography and climate analysis, should correspond to the later Guizhou.
Jiang Yankun stood outside the Emperor's chambers, his eyes full of anxiety. Though he had thousands of books in his collection, most were rare editions by famous authors, with very few geographical journals.
While she knew where the Miao Borderlands were located, finding the reclusive Miao poison masters would be truly difficult.
At least he had never encountered them before.
