Generals of the Great Song Dynasty.

Summary

The chapter revolves around the investigation of the poisoning of the Empress, who consumed a deadly poison through a Zi Su brew. The poison was a result of combining two recipes, one from the Sima Mei and the other from the Zi Su brew. Qian Yi, a doctor, discovered that the recipes were deliberately combined to create a lethal poison. The investigation led to the discovery that the target was not the Empress, but Emperor Zhao Zhen. The Empress was just a scapegoat, and the real target was the Emperor. The poison was meant for the Emperor, but he gave the Zi Su brew to the Empress instead. The investigation further revealed that Miao, the Esteemed Consort, was behind the poisoning. However, she claimed that she did not intend to harm the Empress and that she was framed by Xiu Lan, a maid from the Empress's palace. Xiu Lan was brought in for questioning and revealed that she was the mastermind behind the poisoning. She gave the recipes to Miao and the young eunuch, knowing that they would be combined to create a deadly poison. Her motive was to assassinate the Emperor and help her nephew, a member of the Cao family, ascend to the throne. Xiu Lan also revealed that she had been manipulating events from behind the scenes, using Miao as a pawn in her game. She claimed that the Empress was a snake-hearted woman who would do anything to ensure her son inherited the throne sooner. The chapter ends with the revelation of Xiu Lan's true intentions and her role in the poisoning.

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