Starting in Exile: Transmigrated as the Crown Prince's Lucky Little Wife

Chapter 29 Gu Liuli stopped the Empress from drinking porridge in time, and the purple-clad woman

In the midst of this tense atmosphere, Gu Liuli saw a maid suddenly bring a steaming bowl of porridge to Mu Qingling's side and say softly, "Your Highness, you should drink some porridge. I specially went to the kitchen to prepare it for you today." As she spoke, she pretended to be wronged and intentionally or unintentionally revealed several pinch marks on her arm.

Seeing this, Mu Qingling couldn't help but feel pity. She looked at Zilu with tenderness and said, "Ziyi, you've really worked hard!" After saying that, she turned to Ling'er, who was standing behind her, and instructed, "Ling'er, quickly go and get some cooling balm to rub on Zilu."

However, at this moment, Zilu was only hoping that Mu Qingling could drink the bowl of porridge in front of her as soon as possible, and had no time to care about anything else.

"Your Highness, Zilu is alright, don't worry. Hurry up and eat, or the food will get cold!"

Just then, the system in Mu Qingling's mind suddenly issued another urgent warning: "Host, you must speed up the task and stop the Empress from drinking that poisoned porridge! Otherwise, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Upon hearing this voice, Mu Qingling's heart tightened, and she sighed inwardly, "Oh dear, the palace is truly a place fraught with danger and peril! A slight misstep could lead to utter ruin."

Meanwhile, Gu Liuli, dressed in a simple palace maid's outfit, carefully tidied her clothes.

She lowered her head slightly, combed her hair neatly, and tried her best to look no different from a real palace maid.

Hidden in the shadows, Xiao Jingchuan watched the Empress's every move. His handsome yet gloomy face was like a storm, making people tremble with fear!

Suddenly, a soft sobbing reached everyone's ears. The crying sounded rather pitiful.

Mu Qingling, who had just picked up the porridge and was about to put it to her lips, paused for a moment, slowly put it down, and got up to look for the source of the crying. She found a slender woman squatting in the corner of the Cold Palace, dressed in the clothes of other palace maids, with a veil covering her face.

"Who are you? Why are you crying here?" Gu Liuli heard the concerned voice, and a golden light flashed in her eyes. The mission was half completed!

Meanwhile, the woman in purple standing beside the Empress glared at Gu Liuli with a chillingly malevolent light in her beautiful eyes, inwardly grumbling, "It's all that damned Bego person's fault! He ruined her plans!"

Before Gu Liuli could answer the Empress's question, the woman in purple spoke in an unfriendly tone, "Which palace are you from? Don't you know where you are? Get out of here!"

Mu Qingling frowned and glanced at Zi Yi: "Zi Yi!"

The woman in purple was startled but did not kneel down. Instead, she said with an air of righteous indignation, "Your Majesty, this servant thinks she may not be a palace maid from that palace. She might even be from the Noble Consort's palace. This person has ulterior motives! Your Majesty would be better off avoiding her!"

Gu Liuli glanced at the woman in purple. What she saw was astonishing. The maid had a captivating face and alluring peach blossom eyelids, exuding charm and allure. No wonder the original book said that this maid was eventually taken in by Prince Duan as a concubine.

At the same time, the emperor also arrived at the Cold Palace, but he did not show himself. Instead, he looked in another direction and waited!

Upon hearing this, a hint of wariness flashed in Mu Qingling's beautiful eyes. She looked Gu Liuli up and down, then carefully reached out and pulled her into the inner room.

Upon entering the inner room, Gu Liuli knelt down without saying a word, her voice trembling as she said, "Your Majesty, I truly did not intend to offend you. Please forgive me! I am but a lowly maid in the laundry department. I came here today because I had something to report to Your Majesty, but I was so terrified that I lost my composure..." As she spoke, Gu Liuli slightly raised her head, her eyes flickering as she secretly glanced at Mu Qingling's changing expression.

At this moment, Zi Yi, who was standing to the side, saw this scene and couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding.

She stepped forward, bowed to Mu Qingling, and said, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, this palace maid is wearing a veil, which is quite suspicious. She is clearly a person with ill intentions! It would be better if we stayed here to protect Your Majesty!" After saying this, she glared fiercely at Gu Liuli, who was kneeling on the ground.

However, Gu Liuli was not afraid of Zi Yi's angry glare at all. Instead, she curled her lips and muttered to herself, "Hmph, you think you can protect the Empress? I think you're lucky you didn't poison her!"

Just then, Mu Qingling gave a soft shout: "Get out!" Although the reprimand wasn't loud, the authority it carried was undeniable. In an instant, the entire inner room seemed to be enveloped by this invisible aura, making everyone afraid to disobey.

Faced with Mu Qingling's imposing aura, which was like that of an empress, Ziyi, despite her resentment, had no choice but to obediently reply, "Yes, Your Majesty." She then led the other two maids out of the inner room.

Seeing Zi Yi and the others leave, Gu Liuli secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She looked up at Mu Qingling, her eyes revealing a hint of expectation and trepidation. "Your Majesty, do you believe me?" she asked softly.

Mu Qingling stared intently at her: "How can I know whether it's true or false if you don't tell me? And how can I believe you?"

Gu Liuli then took out a silver needle from her sleeve and placed it in the bowl of leftover porridge.

Within seconds, the silver needles turned black at a speed visible to the naked eye. Gu Liuli, standing to the side, said with certainty, "Your Majesty, the maidservant named Ziyi beside you has been urging you to drink your porridge..."

She left the question unanswered, leaving the Queen to ponder it herself.

Mu Qingling's face turned deathly pale instantly, her wide eyes filled with terror, her lips trembling uncontrollably, and her voice quivering noticeably: "This...this porridge, Purple Robe? How is that possible?"

Gu Liuli looked at the Empress and suddenly felt a little fortunate that she did not live in the harem.

She continued, “Your Majesty, you must believe me. I am not speaking without reason. This silver needle has been specially treated. It will change color immediately if any poisonous substance is present.”

Mu Qingling forced herself to calm down and tried hard to recall Ziyi's usual behavior.

The maid always obeyed her every word, yet she always seemed to inadvertently reveal a strange expression.

“But…but Ziyi has always been loyal, how could she…” Mu Qingling murmured to herself, a hint of hesitation flashing in her eyes.

“Your Majesty,” Gu Liuli interrupted her thoughts, “you should know that no one in the palace can be completely trusted. Even those closest to you may betray you for personal gain. We must always be vigilant!” With that, she slowly walked towards the bowl of porridge, her gaze resolute.

The woman in purple outside the door was filled with tension and fear. She pressed herself tightly against the door, her body trembling slightly involuntarily. Her eyes were wide open as she listened intently to any sounds coming from inside the room, but there was not a sound at all.

"Ziyi, what's wrong with you lately? You're usually so quick and efficient in Ninghe Palace, but now that you're in the Cold Palace, you're always absent-minded and arrogant," Lan Yi said softly.

“Yes, look, I don’t know what she’s doing, crawling at the master’s door, what is she trying to hear? Her eyes are always darting around,” Bai Ling chimed in, her brows furrowed and a hint of unease flashing in her eyes.

Zi Yi, who was eavesdropping, heard the two maids whispering and her heart tightened. She tugged at her sleeves to hide her unease. "What are you whispering about? I'm not absent-minded at all. It's just that this place is so empty and there's nothing here. Can't I find something to do?"

Three maids stood outside, with Bai Ling and Lan Yi looking at Zi Yi with scrutinizing eyes.

Before Ziyi could continue her rebuttal, a voice came from inside the room: "Ziyi, come in!"

Mu Qingling looked at the three maids kneeling on the ground. If she had believed them 100% before, now she was 50%.

The three palace maids were puzzled as to why the Empress hadn't responded to their kneeling orders today. Only Ziyi was terrified, believing that the Empress couldn't possibly know her plans.

"Purple Robe, considering how hard you've worked, I'll reward you with this bowl of porridge," Mu Qingling said calmly, without a trace of emotion.