Chapter 139: Showdown

When the gilded soup bowl tilted slightly at Wan Tang's fingertip, a hand with clearly defined knuckles suddenly reached out from the side and steadily supported the bowl's base.

"I recall Tangtang dislikes strong meat." Chu Yunzheng, having risen from his seat at some point, brushed his dragon‑patterned cuff across her trembling hand back, "I'll taste this bowl for you."

The entire hall fell dead silent in an instant.

The Lady of Grace Qi's silver chopsticks fell to the floor, rebounding off the blue bricks before settling, the lingering clatter aching the eardrums.

The Empress sprang to her feet, her phoenix crown's dangling pearls shaking violently, "Your Majesty! This is forbidden, the ancestral edict says we may not eat more than three…"

The Emperor chuckled lightly, the gilt ladle already lifting half a spoonful of thick soup.

"Didn't the Empress just praise this soup as delicious?"

Wan Tang lowered her gaze to the embroidered golden tablecloth's pattern, her heart pounding like a drum.

The Emperor has always limited his meals to three dishes and never asks for others' bowls.

Unless the person beneath the warm pavilion's window is the Emperor himself.

【No one else is like me, starting to hit on both of them. At least Gou Royal Brother is genuine toward Wan Tang.】

【The love‑struck brain upstairs, compared to this, haven't you noticed Xiao Mingshu's subtle moves?】

【I figured it out. At first, Xiao Mingshu intended to replace the pumpkin soup with safflower, causing trouble for Wan Tang and Xu Luoyan. In the end she would shift the blame onto Wan Tang. But Wan Tang was clever, turning passivity into initiative, voluntarily requesting a meeting with Lady of Grace Qi, which made Xiao Mingshu doubt herself and altered the plan. So the Buddha‑Jumps‑Over‑the‑Wall dish is certainly safe now. At this moment, Xiao Mingshu wants Wan Tang to report and expose, framing the Empress for meddling. Yet Xiao Mingshu still won't change her original scheme; the dish is fine, but the handkerchief Lady of Grace Qi uses to wipe her hands now contains a miscarriage‑inducing powder.】

【The upstairs writes a lot; trust the upstairs.】

Wan Tang listened quietly to the barrage, understanding in her heart.

The gilded soup bowl tilted slightly in the Emperor's hand, the amber broth shimmering with an eerie sheen in the candlelight.

At the moment Chu Yunzheng was about to take a sip, Wan Tang stepped forward, her delicate jade hand lightly resting on his wrist.

"Your Majesty, don't eat." she lifted her face, tears welling in her eyes, her voice as light as willow fluff in the wind.

Xiao Mingshu's mouth twitched imperceptibly, a flash of desire flickering in her phoenix eyes.

The look seemed to say, finally hooked.

Wan Tang took in the Empress's expression fully, a cold sneer forming in her mind.

Since she wants to act, she'll play along heartily!

Wan Tang suddenly knelt, her forehead striking the blue bricks hard, "I, the consort, will expose the Empress!"

The whole hall erupted in a clamor.

The Lady of Grace Qi's hand trembled with tension.

Xu Luoyan was first startled, then a gleam of schadenfreude flashed in her eyes, her body involuntarily leaning back, assuming a posture of watching tigers fight from a mountain.

"You!" Xiao Mingshu sprang up, trembling as she pointed at Wan Tang, her face full of shock and anguish, "I, the palace lady, have treated you like a sister; why do you defame me so?"

Turning to the Emperor, tears already brimming in her eyes, she said, "The chef was chosen by Consort Wan, and the ingredients were also arranged by her."

"I, the Empress, truly exist only in name," Xiao Mingshu's voice choked, as if bearing a monumental grievance.

Chu Yunzheng's gaze swept back and forth between the two, finally settling on the bowl of Buddha‑Jumps‑Over‑the‑Wall.

He slowly lifted the soup spoon, "What is the problem?"

"Your Majesty," Wan Tang suddenly looked up, a strange light flashing in her eyes, "The problem lies in the ingredients."

The Empress sneered, "How so? Do you mean to say I used safflower?"

Bai Wei could no longer hold back the corner of her mouth.

Having been suppressed by Wan Tang for so long, she finally saw how Wan Tang fell step by step into the trap.

"No," Wan Tang gently shook her head, a meaningful smile curling her lips, "The mistake is that you didn't use safflower."

Xiao Mingshu's complexion changed abruptly.

She looked around, her voice suddenly rising, "The Empress, meticulous as a hair, considered those of us who are pregnant, replacing the deer antler that should have been used with plain broth; that is, of course, correct."

Then she added, "But the Emperor is the true Dragon Son of Heaven; how can he dine with us? Isn't that overstepping?"

The Lady of Grace Qi heard this and seemed struck by lightning; the handkerchief in her hand was twisted beyond shape.

She slowly turned to the Empress, the Buddha‑Jumps‑Over‑the‑Wall had no issue, and wasn't it explained that the Empress had always been doubting herself?

Was the one playing the clown role still herself?

Xu Luoyan's smile froze, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes.

And the Emperor's gaze turned completely cold.

Xiao Mingshu's face went deathly pale in an instant.

She finally understood what kind of trap she had fallen into.

This is not a debate over safflower, but a matter of ruler and subject!

The candlelight in the hall flickered sharply, deepening the shadow beneath the Emperor's brow.

He slowly set the spoon down; the clink of jade against the gilt bowl startled Xiao Mingshu's shoulder.

"Empress." Chu Yunzheng's voice was neither light nor heavy, yet it caused all the palace staff in the hall to kneel in unison, "You have become even more out of line."

"Each bite was arranged by Consort Wan; I observed, and you are even clearer than Consort Wan."

Xiao Mingshu's phoenix crown's dangling pearls swung wildly, casting fragmented light across her face.

She opened her mouth, "I, the palace lady, am merely uneasy…"

"It is you, frail in body, plagued by headaches; I have Consort Wan relieve your worries and solve your troubles."

"Since I have already entrusted the affairs of the Six Palaces to Consort Wan," the ruler raised his hand to interrupt, his fingertips drumming a heavy rhythm on the table, "you should not overstep your duties."

He suddenly leaned forward, "Or do you think my edict can be altered at will?"

The final words sliced out like an ice blade, and Xiao Mingshu staggered back half a step.

"The banquet continues."

Chu Yunzheng brushed his sleeve and returned to his seat, as if the thunderous anger moments ago had been an illusion.

When he turned to Wan Tang, a hint of softness appeared in his brows and eyes, "The chef you chose is good; this Buddha‑Jumps‑Over‑the‑Wall is truly delicious."

Wan Tang lifted the jade chopsticks, about to taste the bowl before her, but saw Xiao Mingshu already straightening her back.

The Empress's face of panic cleared entirely, and a dignified smile even appeared: "Lady of Grace, I see that Xu Da Ying really likes this dish."

She personally lifted her own bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, and the golden armor lightly tapped the rim, "A reward for her."

The candles in the hall flickered, casting a chill of frost in Wan Tang's eyes.

She watched Lady of Grace's trembling hands take the bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. The crumpled handkerchief was still clenched tightly in her palm.

"Thank you for the Empress's grace," Xu Luoyan's voice was crisp as she lifted the soup bowl and drank it down in one gulp.

As her throat rolled, she provocatively glanced at Wan Tang.

Wan Tang, however, pretended not to see.

One breath, two breaths…

The hall's water clock ticked louder, yet Xu Luoyan remained perfectly seated, not even frowning.

The Empress brushed her hair side, a strange smile flashing in her phoenix eyes: "It seems the chef Consort Wan chose is indeed good."

When the banquet dispersed, Chu Yunzheng rose.

Before leaving, he looked deeply at Wan Tang, his gaze lingering a moment on her slightly swollen abdomen, but said nothing in the end.

"Lady of Grace." Xiao Mingshu suddenly turned, the wet nurse already holding the First Prince waiting in Langxia, "The wind is strong tonight; the child will return with me to Kunning Palace."

Her golden armor lightly brushed the infant's cheek, "You, go directly to Jingxin Hall."

Lady of Grace listened to the baby's cries, her heart as if cut by a knife.

Mother and child separated, truly a pain that pierces the heart.

Yet, there was nothing she could do!

When the bell of the phoenix‑driven ceremonial guards faded, Lady of Grace suddenly seized Wan Tang's sleeve: "How could it be all right?"

Her voice was pressed extremely low, yet it could not suppress the tremor within, "The Empress herself told me the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall has a problem."

"I saw her with my own eyes, she gave the order."

Wan Tang's gaze fell on the crumpled handkerchief, and she suddenly reached out and pulled it out.

Under the moonlight, the lotus pattern on the handkerchief's corner was faintly visible: "This embroidery is the latest style from the Department of Attire, isn't it?"

Lady of Grace's pupils contracted sharply: "It was a gift from the Empress."

"Perhaps the Empress changed her mind at the last minute." Wan Tang slipped the handkerchief back into her hand, "But the younger sister should still be careful."

She looked toward Kunning Palace with intent, "After all, the First Prince is still over there."

Lady of Grace suddenly shivered, as if icy water ran down her spine: "I… what should I do?"

"Caution is best!"

On the blue‑stone slabs outside the hall a thin frost clung; the old eunuch, lantern in hand, stood at the steps, the dim light reflecting Lady of Grace's pallid face: "Lady of Grace, Jingxin Hall is this way."

Lady of Grace glanced back at Wan Tang, her lips moving as if to say something, but finally she only lowered her head and staggered away.

Her thin figure vanished at the corner, and a silhouette emerged behind the vermillion corridor column.

"Tsk tsk," Xu Luoyan leaned against the white marble railing, a strand of broken hair twirling around her temple, "I never imagined you would start courting a fool like Lady of Grace?"

Her newly dyed rouge shone painfully red under the lamp, "Truly gluttonous."

Wan Tang gathered her fox fur, exhaling white vapor that swirled before her eyes: "I recall once helping a fool like you."

She deliberately stressed the last two words.

Xu Luoyan's face stiffened, then she lifted her chin: "Don't get ahead of yourself."

She stepped half a pace closer, "A parentless orphan who rises too fast courts her own ruin!"

"Is that so?" Wan Tang suddenly laughed lightly, the golden Step Shake pattern on her hair unmoving, "But I see Master Xu's official seal cannot even protect his daughter."

"You!" Xu Luoyan snapped, clutching the handkerchief tightly, then forced herself to release, "Fool, didn't you see the Empress just now showing favor to me?"

She proudly placed her hand on her belly: "The enemy's enemy is a friend; that principle I still understand."

"I once clashed with the Empress, but now I don't mind teaming up with her against you."

"But your appearance now disgusts us."

Flames of anger burned in her eyes: "At this moment, I don't mind joining the Empress to eliminate you!"

"I guarantee, within three days you will be dead without doubt."

"Xu Da Ying." Wan Tang suddenly interrupted, her gaze falling on her protruding abdomen, "You are right."

A strange smile curled at the corner of her lips, "You and her truly should get along well."

"Only…" Wan Tang smiled meaningfully, "Can your mind truly become a match for the Empress?"

She turned to the little eunuch in the shadows and said, "Send Xu Da Ying back to the palace."

She paused then added, "Remember, the Cold Palace must stay clean; from today onward, the Cold Palace will no longer keep people in service."

Xu Luoyan's complexion changed sharply, she seemed about to speak, but Wan Tang had already taken Li Ping'er'er'er's hand and turned away.

The night wind swept fragmented snow across the palace path, scattering Xu Luoyan's furious curses into the darkness.

Wan Tang rose gracefully, returning to the Xitang Courtyard.

"Master, I have untied your cloak, have I?" Li Ping'er'er'er, just as she touched the fox fur's tie, was held down by Wan Tang.

"No need." Wan Tang looked toward the Cold Palace, where lights burned bright, "In a moment, we'll have to go out again."

In less than half a cup of tea's time.

A young eunuch had already stumbled in.

His face was all panic: "Consort Wan."

"It's bad!"

"Xu Da Ying, something happened!"

"Blood… she bled a lot!"