The emperor was amused by his beloved's fake smile and shook his head. "If you don't like it, why bring it here? Just throw it out."
He was about to command a servant to take the plate of cakes away when Concubine Chen grumbled, "I never said I don't like it. Since Concubine Li sent the cakes to my place, she should be ready to accept my criticism if the cake isn't good."
She picked up a small cake and put it into her mouth, her eyes widening with surprise. "This... tastes alright!" she said begrudgingly, though her eyes brightened as she continued to eat more while not forgetting to feed the emperor.
The emperor watched helplessly as her expression changed from annoyance to delight, and he followed her lead, taking a bite of the cake she offered.
He watched her eat several pieces in a row, and before he could scold her for being greedy, a sharp pain shot through his chest.
With a loud thud, he suddenly fell to the floor.
"Your Majesty!" Concubine Chen was startled and hurried to his side.
She saw the emperor clutching his chest, gasping for breath. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, and saliva dripped from his mouth.
Her eyes filled with tears as she held him close. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! What is happening to you? Please don't scare your concubine!"
Turning sharply to the emperor's eunuchs, she shouted, "What are you waiting for? Go quickly and bring the imperial physician! Hurry!"
The eunuchs exchanged glances and hurried away to fetch the imperial physician. Concubine Chen gave orders to the remaining eunuchs and maids, directing them to carefully help the emperor to his bed.
But before she could do more, dizziness overcame her, and she suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood, startling everyone present.
"Th-the cake is poisoned," Concubine Chen stammered, trembling as she pointed to the unfinished plate of cakes on the tea table before closing her eyes.
"Ahhh! Empress!!" The maids screamed in shock as they watched their mistress collapse beside the emperor.
The room instantly erupted into chaos.
The guards at the door were stunned by the sudden commotion and quickly sealed the gate of the palace as the maids and eunuchs carried the emperor and Concubine Chen onto the bed.
Concubine Chen lay beside the emperor, trying to hold his hand. Though pain gripped her chest, she struggled to speak her final words. "Yo-your Majesty, d-don't worry. The imperial physician will arrive soon. You will not di-e."
The maids and eunuchs who heard her were deeply moved by her words and cried out in despair, "Empress! Please refrain from speaking. Save your strength!"
The emperor's heart ached with immense pain. He wanted to respond to his beloved concubine's words, but he could not even utter a sound.
Concubine Chen shifted her aching body, moving as close to the emperor as she could. She weakly rested her head in the crook of his neck.
A faint, relieved smile appeared on her pale face, though her eyes were cold and hard as frost.
She whispered so softly that only the emperor could hear, "Emperor, do you know this concubine has a secret?"
The emperor's mind was hazy and confusion stirred within him.
Did his beloved concubine harbor a secret he had never known? He tried to speak, but no voice came out. All he could manage was a hoarse breath, ragged and shallow.
"The emperor must be curious about this concubine's secret. It's alright, I shall tell you." Concubine Chen's voice was soft and gentle as usual, but she said next was unlike it. "Since you are going to die soon anyway..."
The emperor was stunned, uncertain if he had heard correctly.
Concubine Chen slowly traced her fingernails across his pale cheeks, her voice barely above a whisper. "Emperor, do you know that this concubine has longed to meet you for a very long time?"
She stared at his fair neck, her fingertips slowly moving down from his face. "I have longed to meet the emperor since I was nine years old."
The emperor's brows furrowed in pain; he felt his neck itch, followed by unbearable pain. He wasn't sure if he was hallucinating, but wherever his concubine touched him, it brought him sharp, intense pain.
He tried to follow his beloved concubine's words, but the memory did not come to him clearly—he only remembered meeting her when she was sixteen, at a remote village while escaping from assassins.
Concubine Chen stared at the blood trailing from his fair neck and spoke slowly, "Your Majesty might not remember, but you once bestowed a great favor upon my family. This concubine has returned to repay that kindness."
Just then, the panicked screams of maids and eunuchs pierced the room.
"Fi-Fire! There is a fire!!"
Unknowingly, amidst the chaos, a fire lamp had fallen to the ground and rolled into the corner of the room. Kerosene spilled out before the flames caught hold, quickly igniting a small fire.
By the time the servants realized the danger, the flames had already licked onto the curtains and wooden furniture, spreading with fierce speed that made it impossible to stop.
"Help the Emperor and the Empress!!"
A quick witted maid ordered while she ran to seek help. But horror gripped her when she tried to open the door—and found it locked tight, refusing to budge.
The fire spread quickly from the side room to the main room, growing larger and more violent. Servants frantically tried to break down the door and windows, crying and screaming to attract the attention of the guards outside.
Yet no one came.