Allure of a Country Maiden-Chapter 240 - 238

Sea buckthorn fruit is rich in nutrients, containing a variety of vitamins and amino acids required by the human body.

Of these, its Vitamin C content is extremely high, earning it the title of being the "King of Vitamin C."

Xiao’er gazed at the lovely-looking juice in front of her, her brow faintly furrowing.

As plates of fruits and desserts were served, Xiao’er’s brow relaxed, but her countenance grew more serious.

Fresh dates, tangerines, kiwis, prickly pears, pomelos, oranges... all shared one characteristic - they were high in Vitamin C!

The desserts also included sour jujube cake and hawthorn cake, both of which were high in Vitamin C!

Most of the fruits and desserts on the table were rich in Vitamin C. If this was unintentional, she would never believe it even if it killed her!

In modern times, there was a lot of research on the nutrition and health benefits of food, and the internet was full of information about food synergies and antipathies.

Moreover, many internet rumors claimed:

One should not consume large amounts of Vitamin C along with crustaceans like shrimp and crab, as derivatives of arsenic trioxide, also known as arsenic, could be formed, leading to poisoning.

If there were only one or two foods high in Vitamin C, it could be considered an accident! However, if over half of them were, it was certainly intentional!

The person behind this must have been aware that different individuals had different preferences and had prepared accordingly!

However, it was unknown whether the person behind the scenes intended to commit murder or frame their family!

After all, apart from the cup of sea buckthorn, all the food at the palace banquet came from their family’s high-quality range in the supermarket.

If everyone were to be poisoned, their whole family wouldn’t be able to explain away the incident, even if they had mouths all over their bodies!

Xiao’er beckoned to Aunt Rong and whispered something in her ear.

Then, she seemingly casually observed the people at the table, wanting to observe who among them dared not eat the "arsenic"!

After a while, Xiao Fuzi came over and said a few things to the Empress’s most trusted palace maid.

The maid’s face changed slightly, but she soon regained her composure. She nodded lightly, then walked over to the Empress and softly related what Xiao Fuzi had said in a volume only the two of them could hear.

The smile on the Empress’s face did not change, the anger rising in her eyes hidden behind her lowered eyelids.

The Empress quietly gave a few orders and let the maid go.

Arsenic? Heh... The Empress looked at everyone at the table and invited them more enthusiastically to eat.

"Everyone, please enjoy your meal. This hawthorn cake is very appetizing."

The others also knew about the digestive benefits of hawthorns and began to eat small pieces of the cake.

Everyone felt too full from the meal, and without some digestion, indigestion was sure to follow.

Consort Yang took a small sip of the sea buckthorn juice and set it down, then gently peeled a glittering, lucid, purple grape with her slender and delicate fingers to enjoy.

Xiao’er watched as Consort Yang, aside from the small sip of sea buckthorn juice at the beginning, did not touch any of the other "arsenic" on the table. Things became clear in her heart.

If it was said that Consort Yang wanted to revenge for her own family, poison the Emperor and Empress, and seize the throne, it would not make sense. The poison of arsenic could be detoxified by physicians, and it certainly would not kill anyone.

Of course, there was a possibility that she wanted to cause them a bit of discomfort, a small retaliation, which was not surprising.

But her main intent must have been to harm her family!

If she wasn’t aware that these foods, when consumed together, could cause poisoning, then the Emperor, the Empress, the ministers, and the noblewomen would all have collectively suffered from food poisoning tonight!

Poisoning the royal family and officials of the Imperial Court was a crime that merited death beyond a hundred times over!

"Why isn’t Consort Yang drinking the fruit juice? Didn’t she say the sea buckthorn juice was delicious, suggesting everyone have a taste during the banquet?"

"I’ve been drinking it for the past few days, I’m rather tired of it now," Consort Yang casually giggled in response.

"Well, try the sour jujube cake and the hawthorn cake. They are also well-thought-out by Consort Yang, who was concerned that everyone would overeat and specifically requested the Imperial Chef to prepare these. You should all thank her for her delicate care and thorough consideration," said the Empress, personally handing two pieces of sour jujube cake to Consort Yang.

Everyone rushed to thank Consort Yang after hearing this comment.

Consort Yang, unable to force her smile anymore, weakly curled up the corners of her mouth, displaying a sad smile and said, "You’re welcome" to everyone.

Then she lowered her head, taking tiny bites of the sour jujube cake from her bowl. Every bite was as small as an ant’s.

Meanwhile, a sense of unease was mounting in her heart.

Has the Empress figured it out? She silently shook her head.

No way, even the head of the Imperial Hospital doesn’t know. It was an accidental discovery by a doctor from Xiyue Country, who concluded it after multiple tests. The Empress couldn’t possibly know!

Men often finished their meals much quicker, soon some of them started to feel nauseous, vomiting, and suffering abdominal pain...

At this point, the First Prince stood up and loudly shouted, "Guards! Arrest the family of Marquis Shengping!"

"Hold on! No one should move until we understand what’s going on!" Shangguan Xuanyi immediately shouted to interrupt, then turned to Xiao Fuzi and said, "Call the imperial doctor!"

Shangguan Xuanhao quickly diagnosed Marquis Zhongyong and grimly said the words, "Poisoned."

The officials who hadn’t been poisoned turned pale at this news. Which dish was poisoned? They had tasted all the dishes! Could they too be poisoned and just not showing symptoms yet?!

"Audacious! Who dares to poison at the imperial banquet!"

Xuan Jun, the Fourth Prince — a martial arts fanatic who spent half of every year stationed at the frontier with General Di — was enraged. He hadn’t returned to the palace for a long time, yet now he was confronted with a poisoning at a palace banquet. Currently, he was seething, steel-eyed as he glared at the First Prince, his voice was sharp as a knife.

"Why are you looking at me, Fourth Prince! All the food for the banquet was bought from the upscale shop run by the family of Shengping Marquis. Now that everyone’s been poisoned, if it wasn’t him who poisoned the food, who could it be!" The First Prince was terrified by the Fourth Prince’s gaze, but having been through so much, he stayed composed.

Once the Fourth Prince heard this, his piercing gaze turned toward Shen Chengyao.

"The Emperor has been misled! Fourth Prince, you’ve been misled! I guarantee with the lives of my entire family that there is absolutely no problem with the food from our shop!" Shen Chengyao promptly knelt.

A few eunuchs on scene tried to detect the poison with silver needles, all of them came out clear after testing the foods.

"Your Majesty, none of the food is poisoned," reported the general manager of the inner court.

The imperial doctor confirmed the poisoning after taking pulses. The head of the Imperial Hospital reported, "Your Majesty, it’s true that the officials have been poisoned."

"Administer the antidote immediately!" The Emperor could hardly contain his rage. Suppressing the urge to personally take his son’s life, he ordered loudly.

The head of the Imperial Hospital promptly walked out.

Then bowls of herbal soup were brought in. ƒгeewebnovёl.com

...

Two or three ladies from Xiao’er’s group started to show signs of poisoning.

Reports of disturbance from the other banquet had reached them as well.

"Summon the Imperial Doctor! And check for poison again!" The Empress calmly instructed.

The maids immediately started testing for poison using silver needles.

Xiao’er presented a jar of antidote pills to the Empress, "Your Majesty, these are antidote pills."