Chapter 935
is too polite, isn't it?
"What a coincidence! I didn't expect to run into you here. Don't you remember me? We're actually distant relatives!"
Persistence pays off, and Xu Yunna finally met the chef on the street and quickly struck up a conversation with him.
"Oh, I remember now, that's true."
The chef quickly recognized Xu Yunna as a distant relative, and felt that their relationship had become even closer.
He never expected that Xu Yunna intended to poison Yang Xia; something most people wouldn't even dare to imagine was about to happen.
To win the chef's favor, Xu Yunna was very willing to spend a lot of money, buying him expensive gifts from time to time.
"You're too kind. Why do you always buy me such expensive things? I can't accept them."
The chef was embarrassed, but he looked overjoyed.
"What's the big deal? These little things aren't worth much, it's fine."
Xu Yunna acted very generously and quickly won the chef's trust, and the two became closer and closer.
Naturally, Xu Yunna was then able to freely enter the kitchen where Yang Xia cooked.
"As expected of the king's kitchen, it's really different. It looks so grand."
Xu Yunna pretended to be very curious and wandered around Yang Xia's kitchen, looking for an opportunity to poison him.
"According to the rules, outsiders are not allowed to enter this kitchen, but you are an exception. Just don't let others know."
The chef knew that his actions were somewhat inappropriate, but he didn't take it seriously. He had long regarded Xu Yunna as his closest person and would never suspect that he had ill intentions.
"Don't worry, of course I won't tell anyone."
Xu Yunna kept assuring everyone that she was just obediently watching the excitement.
At this point, the chef completely lowered his guard and didn't even consider any other possibilities.
Over time, the two became quite familiar with each other. However, the chef felt that it was inappropriate to frequently allow an outsider into the king's kitchen, as it would lead to gossip if the outsider saw it.
"You'd better not come here so often in the future, it will be very troublesome if the King finds out."
The chef quickly reminded him, though he felt a little embarrassed, he still had to follow the rules here.
"Don't worry, I understand." Xu Yunna agreed verbally, but she had already thought out her next plan.
After spending these few days with the kitchen, he has become very familiar with it.
Because it was difficult to do so when the chef was around, there was never a chance to put the poison into Yang Xia's food.
That day, Xu Yunna went to the kitchen again to find the chef, intending to invite him out for dinner so that she could take advantage of the opportunity to make her move.
"Why are you here again?" The chef looked at Xu Yunna with some embarrassment and couldn't help but ask.
"I've made a reservation at a restaurant outside and would like to treat you to a meal. I have to go out and take care of some things soon, and I might not be back for a while."
Xu Yunna's sincerity made the chef feel a little embarrassed, but also warmed his heart.
"Oh, I see. I'll get ready and go with you right away."
"I'll find two more helpers to cook here, and then we can go out."
The chef enthusiastically turned around and went out to find a helper to temporarily cook a meal for him.
The opportunity finally arrived, and Xu Yunna quickly put the poison she had brought with her into the salt shaker in the kitchen.
All of this was done so secretly that the chef had no idea that poison had been added to the salt.
After doing all this, Xu Yunna pretended to drink and chat with the chef, acting very intimately.
Everything went smoothly, and he returned to Yan Kingdom, fearing that if this matter were discovered, he would be doomed.
"Your Majesty, I have already put the poison in the salt jar in that kitchen. No one will be able to detect it. Yang Xia will surely die in two months."
"But this matter is too serious. The emperor of a country has been poisoned. It will definitely be investigated thoroughly, and it might even lead back to me."
Although Xu Yunna was overjoyed, knowing that Yang Xia was doomed, she was also aware that the consequences would be severe.
"Don't worry, even if this matter is traced back to you, it doesn't matter if they come to Yan Kingdom. I will protect you."
Tong Gao made a promise on the surface, but in his heart he sneered. He would not protect Xu Yunna.
If the Great Zhou Dynasty were to investigate this matter, Tong Gao would distance himself completely and have no connection whatsoever with Xu Yunna.
As for Xu Yunna in front of me, it's just a relationship of using him; I don't take him seriously at all.
As the ruler of a nation, how could a mere imperial physician possibly catch his eye?
In critical moments, only by sacrificing such insignificant individuals can one achieve their goals. Seeing the poisoning attempt succeed, if Yang Xia could truly be poisoned to death, that would be the most satisfying thing for Tong Gao.
"Thank you for your protection, Your Majesty. With your words, I can rest easy. Now I can just wait for news of Yang Xia's death."
Xu Yunna smiled smugly and began to daydream.
The cook continued to cook for Yang Xia as usual every day, unaware that some poison had been added to the salt.
Yang Xia ate his meal as usual, enjoying a sweet time with Shaoyao.
Before eating, some people still use silver needles to test for poison.
Everything seemed normal, and no one noticed anything unusual.
Strangely, during the process of testing for poison with silver needles, no trace of poison was found in the food.
It turns out that Xu Yunna used a slow-acting poison that could not be detected even if tested on the spot.
Thus, Yang Xia ate the food containing a slow-acting poison. Because the amount was so small, his body did not experience any abnormal reactions.
The chef was completely unaware that the salt had been tampered with, and continued cooking as usual, showing no sign of guilt.
The chef has been cooking for them for a long time, and the taste has been well-received, so he is unlikely to be replaced.
In other words, even if the chef is replaced, no one will be able to detect that there is a problem with that large jar of salt, and Yang Xia will still ingest a little bit of slow-acting poison every day.
Days passed by like this, and this continued for several days in a row.
If Xu Yunna's plan continues, Yang Xia and Shaoyao will both die from the poison in two months.
They already have a small amount of slow-acting poison in their bodies, but the dosage is too small to cause any abnormal symptoms yet.
Over time, the problem becomes extremely serious, and by the time it is discovered, it is already too late to reverse the situation.
On this day, Yang Xia and Shaoyao dined together sweetly as usual.
"These are your favorite dishes, eat more..." Although Yang Xia was the ruler of a country, he doted on Shaoyao and would personally serve her some food every time they ate.
"Your Majesty, you should eat too, ugh..."
Peony responded sweetly, but suddenly began to vomit violently.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Yang Xia was startled, having never seen peony behave so unusually before, and quickly inquired about it with concern.
"Your Majesty, I am fine, you don't need to worry."
Peony comforted him while vomiting, not wanting Yang Xia to worry about her, and didn't take the matter to heart at all.
"No, immediately summon the imperial physician." Yang Xia dared not take this lightly and immediately sent someone to fetch the imperial physician. In his heart, the peony was more important than anything else.
Soon, the imperial physician rushed to the two of them and took Shaoyao's pulse.
The imperial physician frowned slightly, as if he had noticed something unusual about the peony, which startled Yang Xia.
"Imperial Physician, how is the Empress Dowager's health? Is she seriously ill?"
Yang Xia looked very nervous, fearing that Shaoyao might have some serious illness, which would break his heart.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! The Queen Consort is pregnant; she is not ill."
The imperial physician suddenly knelt down and excitedly reported the situation to Yang Xia.
"Are you sure you're not mistaken? Is this real? Is the Queen Consort really pregnant?"
Yang Xia was more excited than anyone else. He never expected that Shaoyao was pregnant and that he was going to be a father. He was so excited that he could hardly contain himself.
Even in front of his subordinates, Yang Xia was so excited that he was somewhat at a loss for words; he had never shown such a reaction in front of others before.
"Your Majesty, I have examined it carefully and there is absolutely no mistake. The Queen Consort is indeed pregnant."
The imperial physician quickly assured him. He certainly wouldn't dare make a wrong judgment in such a matter, and with his years of medical experience, he was unlikely to err.
"My dear wife, you've worked so hard. We're going to have our own baby soon."
Yang Xia immediately hugged Shaoyao excitedly, wanting to express his excitement even in front of everyone.
Peony blushed deeply with embarrassment, after all, so many people were watching.
The men under Yang Xia were also touched by the sweet affection between Yang Xia and Shaoyao; they could clearly feel the happiness of the two.
Yang Xia already doted on Shaoyao, and this only intensified after she became pregnant, treating her like a giant panda.
They were also exceptionally attentive to her diet and daily life, instructing the kitchen to prepare all the dishes that Peony liked.
"Your Majesty, I prefer very light meals now. Please have the kitchen prepare two portions. I'm sure Your Majesty will find it difficult to swallow this kind of food."
Peony was extremely embarrassed. Her own tastes had completely changed; she didn't even like to put salt in her food anymore.
"It's alright, I also prefer light food. Tell the kitchen immediately not to put salt in the food from now on."
Yang Xia was practically spoiling Shaoyao rotten. To make sure Shaoyao was satisfied with her meal, he even ate the bland food with her.
The chef stopped adding salt to the food, so the slow-acting poisons couldn't enter their bodies.
Yang Xia never dreamed that because Shaoyao was pregnant, they were incredibly lucky to escape a murder.
That's how some things are; they happen unexpectedly, without the people even realizing it.
Tonggao paid special attention to this matter, hoping that Yang Xia would be successfully poisoned two months later.
To ensure the plan went perfectly, he even planted a spy next to Yang Xia to make sure that Yang Xia ate the food every day.
However, the informant noticed that Yang Xia had stopped putting salt in his food recently, and the plan was thus thwarted.
The informant quickly sent a message to Tonggao, telling him that the plan had completely failed and that no more salt had been added to Yang Xia's food.
"Damn it! Yang Xia escaped again. I'm not satisfied. I must kill that Yang Xia!" Tong Gao was so angry he was about to vomit blood, and he kept going crazy.
"Go and find Xu Yunna right now!" Tong Gao planned to vent all his anger on Xu Yunna.
"What kind of lousy idea did you come up with? Yang Xia has already stopped adding salt to his food, so this plan has failed."
As soon as Xu Yunna arrived, Tong Gao berated him mercilessly.
"Your Majesty, I never expected things to turn out this way. Yang Xia has escaped death again. How is this possible?"
Xu Yunna was also very surprised when she heard the news.
"You need to think of another way quickly; we must put Yang Xia to death."
Tong Gao was particularly unwilling to accept this, and he was determined to get Xu Yunna to come up with another way to kill Yang Xia before his wish would be fulfilled.
"Your Majesty, I have many ways. If we can't directly target Yang Xia, we can also deal with the pregnant Queen Consort."
“Pregnant women will definitely make all sorts of nourishing soups. All you need to do is smear poison on the lid of the soup pot, and once the soup boils, the poison will enter the soup without anyone noticing.”
Xu Yunna proudly announced a new plan. Killing Peony would be tantamount to Yang Xia losing half his life.
Then, while Yang Xia is overwhelmed with grief, they will have even more opportunities to strike.
Seeing Xu Yunna's smug look, Tonggao couldn't feel happy at all.
He had already witnessed firsthand just how formidable Yang Xia was; whether intentionally or unintentionally, he always managed to evade their traps.
"Stop bragging to me. This plan can only succeed, it cannot fail, or don't blame me for being impolite."
Tong Gao had completely lost patience and issued an ultimatum to Xu Yunna.
"Your Majesty, I know what to do next."
Xu Yunna knew that what was about to happen was extremely serious. If they failed, they might not be able to kill Yang Xia, but they would also lose their own lives.
The observant Kao Dong noticed that Xu Yunna had been frequently entering and leaving Tong Gao's room recently, which aroused his suspicion.
"Your Majesty, why does Xu Yunna frequently appear in your room? Does he have some ulterior motive?"
Kao Dong was afraid that Tong Gao would be misled by villains again, which would be very disadvantageous to Yan Kingdom.
They all understood that Tonggao did not genuinely want to cooperate with the Great Zhou Dynasty; he was merely being manipulated by Yang Xia.
"He's my personal bodyguard and also the imperial physician. Is there anything wrong with that? You're overthinking it!"
Tong Gao, feeling guilty after all, became particularly impatient upon hearing Kao Dong's words. (End of Chapter)