Qingxue stared at the note, her eyes wide with mounting terror.
"Baozi, he's trying to poison me!" she gasped. "This is it! He's being overly sweet to cover up the arsenic! He wants to speed up the revenge because I was too difficult last night!"
"[Host, based on the original timeline, Jingyao wouldn't resort to poison. He prefers elaborate emotional torture and public execution. But let's not trust it!]"
Qingxue refused to touch the tea. She rang a small silver bell. A nervous young maid entered the room.
"Who made this tea?" Qingxue demanded, pointing at the innocent-looking cup.
The maid trembled, dropping into a deep curtsy. "Your Majesty, it was… Consort Jingyao. I heard him grinding the spices himself very early this morning. He insisted on placing it by your bedside."
Qingxue's fear spiked. He's a man who brews his own poisons!
"Where is Consort Jingyao now?"
"He said he went out, Your Majesty. He said he had some errand in the main capital before the court session."
