The queen is sober in the world, and she is winning every step of the palace fight.

Who is it?

Fei Wan saw that Zhishu's face showed no resentment at all, but was only smiling, somewhat playfully. The light in her clear eyes was blazing, so bright it was intimidating, and tinged with a hint of murderous intent.

Who could make Zhishu like this?

"It's Qiu Changzai," she said.

Fei Wan was stunned.

Then he shook his head: "It can't be her."

Zhishu agreed: "I know."

Qiu Changzai would not, nor would she dare, do such a thing. Everyone has their own temperament. Just as Wu Xiangrong finds it difficult to play tricks on others, Qiu Changzai finds it difficult to harm others.

She was cautious, shy, and timid, always retreating to a corner when surrounded by people. But she wasn't dark-minded, the type who would hide in a corner, brooding over her own sorrow and pity, brewing secrets.

If she was that kind of person, Fei Wan would have taken advantage of her initially and then just let her go. The reason they could joke and have a feast together later on was because they saw that she was kind-hearted and someone they could get along with.

Zhishu and Feiwan have similar views on Qiu Changzai.

"Sister, do you know how Concubine Qiu got this pendant?"

"The Ministry of Internal Affairs has been ordered to issue a reward?"

"good."

Fei Wan understood: "It seems that the person behind this has a certain influence in the palace and can make moves in the Ministry of Internal Affairs."

Zhishu then told the whole story.

She usually wore blue and green, so her jewelry rarely had bright pinks. This pair of red coral pendants was a gift from Qiu Changzai, and coincidentally, Wu Xiangrong had also received a string of glass necklace pendants, also bright red and extremely pleasing, so the sisters matched their clothes with matching colors and wore them together for fun.

After playing with them for a day or two, Zhishu returned to her daily attire and dressing, and put the pair of pendants into her dressing table and never took them out again.

"With autumn approaching, I had my boxes and cupboards packed away today, putting away my light summer clothing and any items I rarely use. Coincidentally, when the maid was clearing out the jewelry on my dressing table, she also found this pendant. She loaded everything onto a tray and sent it to the side room. Doctor Chu, who was passing by while checking my pulse, had a sharp nose and immediately sensed something was amiss."

Fei Wan was surprised to hear this.

The scent from the pendant was extremely faint. She could only smell it slightly when she got close to it. How could Chu Qingmu be able to tell it just because the palace maid was passing by with a tray?

"Doctor Chu's sense of smell is truly sharp."

Zhishu nodded. "He's been a pharmacist in the Imperial Pharmacy for a long time. He can tell what any herb is from a distance just by sniffing it with his eyes closed. He can also tell what herbs are in a boiled medicine just by smelling it. He can tell how much of each herb was put in, how much water was added, and how many hours it was boiled for."

"What a skill!" Fei Wan praised sincerely, "You have his loyal support, which gives you an extremely powerful arm in the palace."

"Exactly. If it weren't for him this time, we would have been kept in the dark and had no idea we were being plotted against."

Chu Qingmu sensed something was wrong with the jewelry tray, so he took the tray and immediately picked out the coral pendant.

And from the lighter smell of smoke on the pendant than that of Gelsemium elegans, we can infer that someone soaked the coral pendant in Gelsemium elegans juice in advance, and then smoked it with fire to lock the medicinal smell inside.

Coral is easily damaged by fire, so this is a slow process. It's crucial to ensure the medicinal properties penetrate the coral beads without damaging the beads themselves. The amount of medicinal substance used is also crucial. Too much will have a strong smell and be easily detected, while too little will not be effective.

"The medicinal properties of this pendant are very rare today. Doctor Chu said that if the scent dissipates in ten days or half a month, he wouldn't be able to smell it anymore. Judging from the current scent concentration, the two days I got the pendant were when the medicinal properties were at their highest, perfectly complementing the main ingredients in my diet." Zhishu's smile turned cold. "So whoever's behind this must have put a lot of thought into it!"

A very deep and clever mind!

Fei Wan sighed secretly.

If she were to figure out ways to scheme against others on her own, she might not be able to do it to this extent.

If it weren't for the coincidence that Chu Qingmu noticed something today, who would have thought that the pendant had a role in the fake pregnancy after it was put into the warehouse? Even if it wasn't put into the warehouse, and kept on the dressing table for another half a month, the smell would have dissipated, and it wouldn't count as evidence if it was traced to it.

Fei Wan pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Qiu Chang was accompanying the Emperor during those days, so it was normal for His Majesty to have the Imperial Household Department reward her with clothes. She's close to us, and she didn't want to keep the rewards to herself. She either picked out the best ones to give to you, me, or Sister Wu. I just don't understand how the person behind this scheme could have guaranteed that she would give the coral pendant to you and not to me or Sister Wu. Could it be that someone around her could influence her thoughts and guide her..."

Zhishu took a sip of the warm tea on the table. "I've been wondering the same thing. I visited her before coming here. No matter how I tried to ask her, she just didn't understand what I meant. The palace maids around her are like servants to their masters. I don't think they seem to be people with deep thoughts."

"That……"

Fei Wan suddenly understood in a flash.

"So, among the rewards she received, this pendant is of excellent quality, and she will definitely give it to one of us. As for who she gives it to, it doesn't matter! It depends on who she gives it to. That person's food will definitely be added to it. She happened to give it to you, and you like red water chestnuts and always use it as a main ingredient or a side dish in your daily diet, so it makes it easier for her to get it."

Zhishu nodded, sharing the same view.

The murderous intent in her eyes reappeared, and she sneered, "Sister, the person behind this plot is plotting against us all. No matter who gets caught, when the fake pregnancy is exposed, that will be the day we all die without a burial place!"

The crime of deceiving the emperor is related to his offspring, which is what the emperor cares about most.

At a time when new people are emerging, if the emperor's attention to them fades, he will most likely be furious if he encounters such a thing again and punish them severely before the truth is found.

Maybe the other party has another trick up his sleeve.

Then let them commit suicide out of fear of crime or something...

When Fei Wan thought about it a little more, she felt a chill on her back.

He also sneered: "Fortunately, now the matter is becoming clearer. Not only can they manipulate the rewards from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, but they can also manipulate the food in the kitchen. They can also grasp the timing so accurately. They know that Qiu Changzai is used to giving gifts to us. They can also use the wine at the banquet hosted by Concubine Xian to publicly discover that you are pregnant when the effect of the medicine is almost taking effect on you. The layout is also very meticulous. Even if we find out, we can only trace Qiu Changzai, Concubine Xian and others..."

Zhishu's eyes were sharp: "There are not many people in the palace who have such great ability to influence everywhere, and who have such a complicated mind."

The two looked at each other and had the answer in their hearts.

"Are you scared?" Fei Wan asked.

"Since I followed Lady Zhao that night, when have I ever been afraid?" Zhishu smiled.

From the beginning of the day, she had no intention of retreating. Her bright, intimidating eyes were filled with fighting spirit and murderous intent.