Dugu Jingyao is reborn as Li Chu's beloved

After discussion, everyone began to suspect that Consort Du had an inside agent, and that agent was none other than Li Fuguo. Therefore, in order to verify this idea, Emperor Suzong decided to personally enter the fray.

After all, Li Chu is currently in a "coma" in the eyes of outsiders, so they have no right to purge the court of corrupt officials. In terms of military strength, they are far inferior to the Dugu family army. Therefore, the most legitimate way is for the Li family to succeed to the throne after Emperor Suzong's death.

Although Li Tan was the eldest son, he lacked a strong foundation, experience, and the title of prince. Considering both merit and primogeniture, the Li lineage was the most suitable.

Of course, there are exceptions, such as when Li Chu awakens. In that case, whether it's choosing the most virtuous or the eldest son, Li Chu would be the most suitable candidate. If the Li faction wants to ascend to that position, they would have to force a coup.

In the following days, Emperor Sujong had his trained secret guards record his daily meals and the objects he came into contact with, especially those that had passed through the hands of Li Fuguo.

Emperor Suzong reviewed the records and found that the items he had been in contact with almost every day in the past few days were the teacups and tea leaves he used for drinking tea. Because Li Fuguo knew Emperor Suzong's tea preferences best, he had been personally preparing the tea for him.

As for his meals, he mostly ate in the Empress's Phoenix Palace and rarely used Li Fuguo's hands, so there was probably no opportunity for him to take advantage of the situation.

When Dugu Jingyao came to pay his respects again, Emperor Suzong specially asked Li Fuguo to brew tea for him, using the same tea set and tea leaves as usual.

However, just like before, after Li Shi and Li Ying were taken out to play, Emperor Suzong and the others still sent everyone away.

Emperor Suzong then shared his conjecture with the Empress, Li Chu, Dugu Jingyao, and Murong Linzhi.

Upon hearing this, Murong Linzhi first stepped forward, sniffed and examined the tea, then took out a silver needle to test it; the needle did not turn black. Emperor Suzong thought his guess was wrong, but then Murong Linzhi took out a small pill and put it in the tea, and the tea turned black.

Emperor Sukjong was relatively calm, as he had already suspected something. The Empress, however, was different. Although Sukjong had previously shared his suspicions with her, he was still somewhat shocked when he actually saw it.

After testing and finding it to be poisonous, Murong Linzhi examined Emperor Suzong's pulse and discovered that although Suzong took the antidote on time every day, there were still new toxins in his body.

Murong Linzhi carefully put away the silver needles and pulse pillow, returned to her original seat, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, after examining it, I found that the poison is colorless and odorless, and cannot be detected by ordinary silver needles. Moreover, the poison was not put into the tea leaves, but into the teacup."

Emperor Suzong narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Heh, what a clever scheme. This teacup is for my exclusive use, but if anyone is with me, they will drink the same tea."

Upon hearing this, the Empress said with some concern, "Even so, I am still a little worried. After all, if they are preparing to carry out their plan, they might want to eliminate us as well. Otherwise, Miss Murong, would you please take a look at our tea?"

Emperor Suzong nodded and said, "What the Empress said makes sense. Thank you for your help, Miss Murong."

Murong Linzhi agreed and checked them one by one, but the final result was that only Emperor Suzong's tea had a problem.

Li Chu said to Emperor Suzong above him, "Father, you must be careful of Li Fuguo in the future. If there is a palace coup, Li Fuguo may be a key figure."

Emperor Suzong nodded and said, "Yes, Chu'er, don't worry. Now that we know, I will definitely be more vigilant. However, we must not let them notice anything, otherwise they will abandon this pawn that we have finally found."

Dugu Jingyao stood up, took out a small box, and bowed to Emperor Suzong, saying, "Father, when I married into the family, my dowry included some medicines unique to Yunnan. This box contains a pill that can cure all poisons. I offer this medicine to you in the hope that it will help you escape danger in times of crisis."

Although Dugu Jingyao was already favored by Emperor Suzong and the Empress, Li Chu still helped Dugu Jingyao gain favor: "Your Majesty, there are three pills of this medicine with Ayao. One was given to me by Ayao when I went to provide disaster relief, and the other is the one I am presenting to Your Majesty now. Originally, Ayao wanted to give both of them to Your Majesty, but I suggested keeping one for emergencies. After thinking for a long time, Ayao decided to keep one."

Emperor Suzong was very pleased, and he and the Empress looked at Dugu Jingyao with even more admiration and affection. Emperor Suzong said, "Jingyao is indeed a good child. Thank you for your gift. I like it very much."

Although Dugu Jingyao was also very happy, she would not be arrogant. Instead, she bowed and said, "It is good that Father Emperor likes it. That is the blessing of this medicine."

Emperor Suzong quickly said, "You are pregnant, so don't keep bowing. Please sit down." He then gave Li Chu a wink.

Li Chu understood, helped Dugu Jingyao sit down, then presented the small box to Emperor Suzong before returning to his seat. They then discussed further strategies for dealing with the Li faction and Consort Du before Li Chu and his group left.

In the Zilan Palace, Consort Du was experiencing some symptoms of morning sickness, and only eating sour foods made her feel better. However, in order to avoid being discovered, she could only have Yu'er secretly steal some dried sour apricots from the imperial kitchen at night when no one was around.

Of course, this action was discovered by the people the Empress had sent to keep an eye on Consort Du. The Empress, having given birth to three children, naturally had her suspicions, so she secretly sent someone to check Consort Du's menstrual records. Although someone was sent to collect menstrual pads every month, no blood-stained pads were ever seen being sent out, which further confirmed her suspicions.

According to this calculation, the Empress discovered that Consort Du was nearly three months pregnant. However, she was under house arrest during that time and had not served the Emperor in bed. Furthermore, Emperor Suzong was unable to have children due to the poison, so the child in her womb must be someone else's illegitimate child.

Thinking of this, the Empress felt a chill run down her spine. Could it be that, as Chu'er and Jingyao suspected, this Lady Du did not only want to kill His Majesty and help the Li family ascend the throne, but also intended to completely overthrow the Li family's rule?

That evening, the Empress decided it would be better to tell Emperor Suzong about the matter. She told him about it when she was about to go to bed. Emperor Suzong was so angry that he coughed violently. Fortunately, the poison was no longer so severe, and he only coughed a few times without coughing up blood.

Emperor Suzong couldn't help but laugh at himself, "Am I really that incapable of satisfying them? They all want to find other men?"

The Empress quickly reassured him, "Your Majesty, you mustn't be so self-deprecating. Consort Du may indeed have ulterior motives, as Chu'er and Jingyao suspect, which is why she deliberately sought out Prince Yehu. Consort Xiao is simply ungrateful; His Majesty has shown her great favor, yet..."

Emperor Suzong said angrily, "Stop talking! Go to sleep!" After saying that, he lay down on his own.

The empress was somewhat stunned, but it was understandable. After all, most men would find it unbearable to be cuckolded, let alone an emperor, especially when the cuckolds were his favorite concubines.

The Empress could only slowly lie down beside Emperor Suzong, embracing him from behind and saying, "But no matter what, I will always be with you."

Emperor Suzong was preoccupied with the fact that his two favorite concubines had cheated on him, but the Empress's words still moved him somewhat. He turned around, hugged the Empress, and said in a gentler tone, "I'm sorry, Jiawan, I shouldn't have been so harsh with you. Alright, go to sleep."

The Empress smiled slightly and said, "Alright, as Your Majesty wishes, go to sleep."