Chapter 14 The Stone Monkey Startles the Emperor's Arrival, Dark Clues Reveal Deadly Intent

Arriving at Cining Palace once again, Emperor Liu Sheng was no longer the pushover novice he had been.

The palace maids and eunuchs bowed respectfully when they saw him, addressing him as "Eunuch Liu."

Emperor Liu Sheng nodded slightly and walked straight into the sleeping quarters.

Inside the sleeping quarters, there was only the Empress Dowager and a woman in martial attire.

The Empress Dowager had been reclining on the soft couch, waiting for a long time.

"You've arrived?"

"This servant pays his respects to the Empress Dowager."

"Rise."

The Empress Dowager waved her hand, a trace of imperceptible anticipation in her eyes.

"What fresh story do you have for today?"

Emperor Liu Sheng smiled and cleared his throat.

"Replying to Your Highness, today I will tell you a story about a monkey."

What he was about to tell was none other than the household classic from his past life, "Journey to the West."

"It is said that in the Eastern Continent of Superior Body, there was a Mountain of Flowers and Fruit. On the peak, there was a divine stone that had been nurtured by the essence of the sun and moon, eventually conceiving a divine fetus. One day, the stone cracked open and produced a stone egg, which transformed into a stone monkey upon meeting the wind..."

Emperor Liu Sheng's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, yet it possessed a peculiar magnetism.

He recounted the stone monkey's birth, his apprenticeship to learn skills, his mastery of the seventy-two transformations, and his ability to somersault one hundred and eight thousand li, all with vivid detail.

At first, the Empress Dowager listened casually, but gradually, her mind was completely drawn into the story.

When Emperor Liu Sheng spoke of the stone monkey storming the Dragon Palace, seizing the Sea-Calming Needle, wreaking havoc in the Underworld, and striking names from the Book of Life and Death, the Empress Dowager's breathing became somewhat rapid.

That stone monkey feared neither heaven nor earth, regarding rules as nothing, and threw the four seas and the Underworld into chaos.

This unbridled, unrestrained way of living, where one could act on one's own terms and settle grudges freely, deeply touched the Empress Dowager's repressed heart.

As the Empress Dowager, she appeared infinitely noble, but in reality, she was a prisoner trapped in the massive cage of the imperial palace.

Her every word and action had to conform to rules and status; she could not overstep the boundaries in the slightest.

How long had it been since she had lived for herself?

Emperor Liu Sheng took in every change in the Empress Dowager's expression, knowing the timing was right.

He shifted the tone of his story, his voice becoming high-pitched and impassioned.

"The Monkey King, finding the title of Protector of the Horses too lowly, fought his way out of the Southern Heaven Gate, returned to the Mountain of Flowers and Fruit, and declared himself the 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven'!"

"The old Jade Emperor was furious and dispatched one hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals to capture him. But the Monkey King was completely unafraid! Holding his golden cudgel, wearing golden armor, stepping on cloud-walking boots, and donning a purple-gold crown, he fought the one hundred thousand heavenly soldiers with just one man and one staff, sending them fleeing in disarray, crying for their fathers and mothers!"

"He fought his way up to the High Heaven Hall, pointing at that old Jade Emperor, who had scurried under the table..."

Just as the story reached its most exciting point, Emperor Liu Sheng stopped.

Inside the sleeping quarters, there was absolute silence.

Everyone was stunned and dumbfounded by this lawless story that dared to challenge the supreme imperial power.

"Pfft."

A soft laugh broke the silence.

It was the Empress Dowager.

She laughed, her eyes and brows filled with joyful relief, as if the pent-up frustration of many years was released with this single laugh.

But as she laughed, her expression suddenly changed.

The Empress Dowager's brows knit tightly together, one hand clutching her chest, her face instantly turning deathly pale.

"Ugh..."

She let out a pained groan.

At that moment, a system notification sounded in Emperor Liu Sheng's mind.

[Ding!]

[Poison detected on the Empress Dowager's sole. Host, please assist the Empress Dowager in resolving this. Upon completion, you will be rewarded with twenty years of Martial Arts Cultivation.]

Emperor Liu Sheng felt a jolt in his heart, but kept his face composed. He immediately stepped forward and asked with concern.

"Empress Dowager, are you suffering from abdominal cramps?"

The Empress Dowager was enduring severe pain; hearing this, she opened her eyes abruptly and looked at him in surprise.

"How did you know?"

"This servant has some knowledge of medicine passed down through my family. May I examine you?"

Without waiting for the Empress Dowager's consent, Emperor Liu Sheng hurried forward, grabbed the Empress Dowager's right arm resting on the armrest of the soft couch, and placed his fingers on her pulse.

"How bold!"

A cold, crisp voice rang out.

A woman in martial attire, who had been standing silently by the Empress Dowager's side, flickered into motion and blocked Emperor Liu Sheng's path.

She was the Empress Dowager's personal guard, Qin Shuang.

Emperor Liu Sheng, pretending to check the pulse, ignored her entirely. The next moment, he performed an action that caused everyone to lose their wits in terror.

He actually bent down in public, whipped off the thin quilt covering the Empress Dowager's feet, and reached out to remove the shoe she was wearing—a bright yellow phoenix-embroidered slipper.

Following that, he removed her silk stocking.

A tender foot, white as jade and petite, was thus exposed to the air.

"You are courting death!"

Qin Shuang was furious, murderous intent erupting in her eyes as she struck a palm toward the top of Emperor Liu Sheng's head.

The Empress Dowager was also stunned. She had never suffered such a great humiliation; a mere servant actually dared to touch her feet!

But just as Qin Shuang's palm wind was about to strike his body.

Emperor Liu Sheng suddenly grabbed the Empress Dowager's ankle. The moment he touched it, the Empress Dowager screamed as if she had been stung by a scorpion.

"Ah!"

Qin Shuang was so angry her face turned livid, and she increased the force of her palm strike.

"Stop!"

Emperor Liu Sheng suddenly shouted, pointing at the sole of the Empress Dowager's foot, and urged Qin Shuang anxiously.

"Look at Her Highness's sole!"

Qin Shuang's movement stalled.

Emperor Liu Sheng's voice was full of anxiety, without a hint of lewdness.

"There is a black mark on the Yongquan acupoint on the sole! This acupoint connects directly to the abdominal cavity. Her Highness has been poisoned, which is why she is suffering from constant abdominal pain!"

Upon hearing this, both the Empress Dowager and Qin Shuang were shocked.

The two of them subconsciously looked toward the Empress Dowager's sole.

They saw that on the snow-white, delicate sole, there was indeed an extremely thin black line extending from the sole to the toes, as if drawn with an ink brush—it was incredibly eerie.

Qin Shuang immediately understood that she had misunderstood Emperor Liu Sheng.

But the more she realized this, the more intense the fury in her heart became.

The Empress Dowager was the same. Looking at the black line on her sole, her face, which had been deathly pale, was now covered in frost.

To think someone dared to poison her.

And using such an insidious, vicious, and imperceptible method.

How truly audacious!

"Your Highness!"

Qin Shuang knelt down with a thud, her voice filled with self-reproach and killing intent.

"It is this servant's failure to protect you! Please, Your Highness, issue an order, and I will immediately seal off Cining Palace, arrest everyone, and interrogate them under torture to ferret out the mastermind!"

"No!"

Emperor Liu Sheng spoke up to stop her.

Qin Shuang looked up abruptly, glaring at him.

Meeting her gaze, Emperor Liu Sheng said in a deep voice.

"A strict investigation now will only alert the enemy."

"Since the person who poisoned the Empress Dowager dared to make a move, they must have planned it meticulously and would not easily leave evidence behind. If we make a scene now, the other party will only go into hiding immediately, and it will be difficult to drag them out again."

He turned to the Empress Dowager and analyzed calmly.

"The current plan is to first detoxify Her Highness. Then, we will pretend that nothing has happened; Your Highness, you should continue as usual, and I will come to tell you stories every day as normal."

"As long as we do not act, the poisoner will definitely strike again. At that time, it will be the best opportunity for us to catch them like a turtle in a jar."

Listening to Emperor Liu Sheng's words, the fury in the Empress Dowager's eyes was gradually replaced by calmness.

Having lived in the deep palace for a long time, she naturally understood these underhanded tricks.

Emperor Liu Sheng was right; investigating with great fanfare now would likely yield nothing and would only make the enemy vigilant.

Luring the snake out of its hole was the best strategy.

She looked at Emperor Liu Sheng, a touch of scrutiny and appreciation appearing in her eyes.

This young eunuch was not only audacious but also so meticulous in his thinking.

"Are you confident that you can fish out that venomous snake?"

"I am."

Emperor Liu Sheng answered decisively.

"Very well."

The Empress Dowager nodded and asked again.

"You know how to detoxify it?"

"I do."

Emperor Liu Sheng nodded again.

"However, the method I use to detoxify is somewhat special and cannot be seen by outsiders."

The Empress Dowager understood and waved her hand at Qin Shuang.

"You may withdraw for now. Guard the palace entrance and do not allow anyone to approach."

"Your Highness..."

Qin Shuang was somewhat uneasy.

"Withdraw."

The Empress Dowager's tone was indisputable.

"Yes."

Qin Shuang could only accept the order, rise, exit the sleeping quarters, and close the palace doors.

In the vast sleeping quarters, only Emperor Liu Sheng and the Empress Dowager remained.

The atmosphere was, for a moment, somewhat subtle.

The Empress Dowager looked at this audacious person, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

She leaned back on the soft couch and extended the foot that Emperor Liu Sheng had grasped once again.

"Begin."

Emperor Liu Sheng acknowledged and pulled a silver hairpin from his head.

The Empress Dowager looked at the silver hairpin in his hand and frowned.

"You..."

She was just about to ask what he intended to do.

But Emperor Liu Sheng said nothing; with a movement of his hand, the hairpin fell, and he pierced the skin of her sole without hesitation.

"Ah!"

The sudden stinging pain caused the Empress Dowager to scream again, her body tensing up from the pain.

"How dare you!"

She was furious, about to erupt.

But the next moment, the scene before her eyes caused all her words to be stuck in her throat.

She saw Emperor Liu Sheng throw away the silver hairpin,