Chapter 24 The old servant devises a poisonous dragon plan; the system issues a death warrant.

The next day, early morning. Emperor Liu Sheng arrived at the Cining Palace early.

As soon as he stepped into the bedchamber, a notification sound from the system rang in his mind.

[Ding! Detected that Head Eunuch Wang Defu is about to harm the Empress Dowager and intends to frame the host. Please resolve this crisis.]

[Task complete: Reward, thirty years of Martial Arts Cultivation!]

Thirty years of Martial Arts Cultivation!

Emperor Liu Sheng's heart skipped a beat.

He was currently at the seventh stage of the Xiantian realm; if he gained another thirty years of internal energy, wouldn't he be able to break through the Xiantian realm in one go and enter the Grandmaster realm?

A Grandmaster cannot be insulted. Once he became a Grandmaster, he would truly have the capital to establish himself within this imperial palace.

He was ecstatic inside, but his face remained calm.

Head Eunuch Wang Defu wanted to harm the Empress Dowager? And frame him?

A cold glint of killing intent flashed in Emperor Liu Sheng's eyes.

"You old thing, there is a path to heaven but you choose not to take it; there is no door to hell, yet you insist on breaking in."

He walked into the bedchamber. The Empress Dowager had just risen and was being attended to by palace maids for her morning wash.

Emperor Liu Sheng's gaze immediately fell upon the bronze incense burner shaped like a qilin in the corner. Wisps of blue smoke curled upward, emitting the unique, elegant scent of calming incense.

Relying on his keen senses, which far exceeded those of an ordinary person, he carefully distinguished the smells in the air. Just as expected. Beneath that familiar scent of sandalwood, he also detected a faint, bitter odor similar to almonds. The scent was very weak; if one didn't intentionally try to smell it, it would be impossible to detect. That was it.

Just then, Head Eunuch Wang Defu walked in, carrying a steaming bowl of soup, his face full of fawning smiles.

"Your Majesty, it is time for your tonic."

"Today's bowl of 'Deer-Grass and Lily Soup' was brewed under my personal supervision at the Imperial Kitchen for two hours; it is the most nourishing."

He placed the soup bowl on the table in front of the Empress Dowager, then sniffed as if unintentionally, frowned, and said with feigned surprise, "Eh? Why does the scent of the calming incense smell a bit off today?"

He was trying to strike first.

Head Eunuch Wang Defu's acting skills were truly masterful. He first walked to the incense burner, sniffed it pretentiously, and then his expression changed drastically, appearing panicked and flustered.

"Your Majesty! This incense... it seems someone has tampered with this incense!"

He fell to his knees with a thud, pointed at Emperor Liu Sheng, who was standing to the side, and rebuked him sternly.

"Emperor Liu Sheng! You have such audacity!"

"The Empress Dowager trusts you so much that she handed the authority of managing the bedchamber's internal affairs to you, and this is how you serve Her Majesty?"

"You are responsible for checking this calming incense every day, and now that a problem has arisen, what crime do you have to answer for!"

He placed a heavy accusation upon him, clearly intending to shift all the responsibility onto Emperor Liu Sheng.

The palace maids and eunuchs in the bedchamber were instantly terrified into silence, all lowering their heads, not daring to even breathe loudly.

The Empress Dowager's face, which had been somewhat languid just a moment ago, instantly turned cold. Her gaze swept back and forth between Head Eunuch Wang Defu and Emperor Liu Sheng, her eyes filled with scrutiny and suspicion.

Emperor Liu Sheng sneered in his heart. Old fox, truly insidious. He was just about to open his mouth to deliver the explanation he had already prepared. But at that moment, an unexpected accident occurred.

A young palace maid, responsible for sweeping the hall and usually the most reticent, suddenly rushed out from the crowd and also fell to her knees with a thud.

"Your Majesty! This servant... this servant has something to say!"

This young palace maid was named Xiao Cui, about fifteen or sixteen years old. She was pretty, though she appeared somewhat frail from years of doing hard labor.

Everyone's eyes were focused on her. Head Eunuch Wang Defu's brows furrowed imperceptibly.

"You are just a sweeping maid, what do you have to say? Get back, do not disturb Her Majesty!" He scolded sternly, trying to drive Xiao Cui away.

"Let her speak." The Empress Dowager spoke coldly, her voice devoid of emotion.

Xiao Cui trembled all over from fear, but she mustered all the courage of her life, raised her head, and said in a trembling voice.

"Replying... replying to Your Majesty, just now, before Head Eunuch Wang Defu came in, this servant saw... saw Wang Xiaoan acting suspiciously near the incense burner, not knowing what he was doing."

"This servant didn't pay attention at the time, but thinking about it now, this matter... this matter must be related to him!"

Wang Xiaoan? Head Eunuch Wang Defu's complexion changed instantly. He never expected that his foster son's little actions would actually be seen by an inconspicuous sweeping maid.

"Nonsense!" He immediately retorted. "You lowly servant, how dare you spout blood and slander a Chief Eunuch here! Someone, drag her out and slap her mouth!"

"Wait." The Empress Dowager spoke again, her eyes becoming increasingly sharp.

She glanced at Head Eunuch Wang Defu, whose face was clearly flustered, and then at Xiao Cui, who was kneeling on the ground, looking stubborn despite her fear. She said nothing, just coldly ordered toward the outside of the hall.

"Someone, go bring Wang Xiaoan to me."

Soon, Wang Xiaoan was brought into the hall. As soon as he entered, seeing the tense, sword-drawing atmosphere in the hall, his heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad premonition. When he saw Xiao Cui kneeling on the ground, his face turned pale in an instant.

"Wang Xiaoan." The Empress Dowager's voice was as cold as a blade. "I ask you, were you lingering near the incense burner just now?"

"I... this servant..." Wang Xiaoan's brain spun rapidly, and he flatly denied it. "This servant did not! This servant is innocent! This lowly maid must have mistaken someone else!"

"Is that so?" The Empress Dowager sneered. "Qin Shuang."

Qin Shuang, who had been standing by the side, immediately understood. Her figure flickered, and she arrived in front of Wang Xiaoan. Before he could react, her hands were already searching his body rapidly.

Wang Xiaoan was scared out of his wits and wanted to struggle, but was subdued by Qin Shuang in one move, unable to move. The next moment, Qin Shuang searched out a small package wrapped in oil paper from Wang Xiaoan's sleeve. She opened the paper package, and inside was some pale yellow powder.

"Your Majesty, please look."

Seeing that package of medicinal powder, Head Eunuch Wang Defu felt the world go black before his eyes, and all his strength was drained away. It was over. Everything was over. The culprit and the stolen goods were caught together; there was no room for any sophistry. Wang Xiaoan collapsed on the ground, his crotch wet and warm.

"Speak." There was monstrous rage in the Empress Dowager's voice. "Who instigated you?"

How could Wang Xiaoan dare to hide anything? Like beans spilling from a bamboo tube, he confessed everything, crying and shouting that it was Head Eunuch Wang Defu who had instigated him to do it.

"Good, a very good Head Eunuch Wang Defu." The Empress Dowager was trembling with rage, pointing at Head Eunuch Wang Defu, saying each word clearly.

"This servant... this servant..." Head Eunuch Wang Defu knelt on the ground, kowtowing like pounding garlic, but could not explain a single word.

"Wang Xiaoan, intending to harm me, drag him out and beat him to death!" The Empress Dowager ordered sternly.

Immediately, guards stepped forward and dragged the terrified Wang Xiaoan out. Soon, shrill screams and dull thuds of beating came from outside the hall.

The Empress Dowager turned her gaze back to Head Eunuch Wang Defu, the killing intent in her eyes undisguised. But in the end, she held back. Head Eunuch Wang Defu had served her for over a decade and was the only old person left from the late Emperor's era; for a moment, she softened, unable to bear it.