zChapter 1261 - YeXi] Ruckus (2/2)

Silently, Han Yunxi took out an acupuncture needle and stuck it in an acupoint on Old Madam Zhou’s face. Now the old woman was completely tense. Han Yunxi thought she’d wake up after that, but the woman was still holding on.

This time, Han Yunxi stuck a needle into the woman’s hand. It was extremely painful!

Old Madam Zhou shuddered visibly but still remained with her eyes shut. She knew that as soon as she woke, it’d be difficult to leave the palace again based on the empress’s current attitude. If she could hold out being unconscious, perhaps the empress would get sick of her and order someone to send her away.

Still, after waiting for a while, Old Madam Zhou didn’t feel a third needle. Instead, her entire body began to itch more and more. Pain she could endure, but itchiness…

Although Old Madam Zhou tried her best, she still succumbed to scratching her neck in the end. Han Yunxi simply sat watching without a word.

Old Madam Zhou began scratching with just one hand, but soon enough it turned to two. Before long, she had turned on her side to scratch her back. Unfortunately, that only worsened the itching, making her scratch harder as if addicted. She couldn’t stop at all. Subconsciously, she even sat up because her feet had started to itch as well.

At last, Han Yunxi said, “Old Madam Zhou, so you’ve woken up.”

Old Madam Zhou gave a start before she looked back and realized she was sitting up.

This…

Her expression looked lost as she wondered how to answer the question. She had no idea why she’d sat up out of the blue either. Han Yunxi would never tell the old woman she’d just poisoned her with a toxin that made the victims itch so much they lost awareness of anything except assuaging that itch.

She handed her an antidote and said, “Here, it’ll stop itching after you eat this.”

At this, Old Madam Zhou finally realized what had happened. She looked at Han Yunxi in a mixture of shock and rage, but didn’t dare say anything else. Han Yunxi didn’t know what she was so mad about. So you can fake fainting but you won’t allow others to poison you at the same time?

She stuffed the pill into Old Madam Zhou’s mouth and said, “If there’s nothing else, come down. I said I’d invite you to tea. By now, Zhao mama should be back with the leaves.”

At those words, Zhao mama immediately entered the pavilion.

“Esteemed Empress! Esteemed Empress, this old servant knows her wrongs. I searched the entire palace but couldn’t find the old tea leaves,” Zhao mama said loudly.

“Isn’t there a pile of them in the emperor’s study?” Han Yunxi shot back.

Old Madam Zhou was so frightened by those words that she immediately got off the couch. “Esteemed Empress, this madam is fine with just water, just water!”

Everyone in Cloud Realm Continent knew the emperor loved tea. His old tea were simply collector’s editions! Even if the empress brought them here, Old Madam Zhou wouldn’t dare to drink it! Her previous patience was all but shattered under Han Yunxi’s ruckus. She would rather this mistress hurry up and talk about the empty red packets so she could deny it to the death already.

But how could Han Yunxi ever bring that up?

With the empty red packets sent out under Baili LIxiang’s name, the matter had already become public affairs instead of something related to the inner palace. She had invited Old Madam Zhou here only to talk about palace matters.

“Old Madam Zhou, have a seat. You’ve just woken up, so don’t be so flustered. If you faint away again, I don’t know what methods I’ll have to use to wake you up a second time,” Han Yunxi said seriously.

Old Madam Zhou quickly sat down.

“Zhao mama, it’s getting late isn’t it?” Han Yunxi asked.

“It’s already dark, so it’s not early,” Zhao mama replied truthfully.

“Since you won’t take tea, at least have a meal before you leave?” Han Yunxi smiled. “Go, have Xia He[3] carry over the noodles I made so Old Madam Zhou can have a taste.”

Xia He? Old Madam Zhou’s ghastly complexion turned paler at the name.

Xia He…isn’t that the court lady I took pains to hide in the palace? The empress is ordering Xia He to bring the noodles here, so does this mean…

Old Madam Zhou didn’t dare to continue the thought. She had trained Xia He personally and the girl had only been in the palace for months. She refused to believe that she’d been exposed already. She grasped her hands and told herself to calm down.

While they waited, silence returned to the pavilion once more. Han Yunxi glanced at the nervous old woman and smiled. “Zhao mama, it was Xia He who helped me pack those red packets, right?”

“Exactly so,” Zhao mama replied.

Old Madam Zhou’s heart nearly stopped at those words. She finally knew why Esteemed Empress had called her into the palace…

1. Last chapter said it was two hours, but this one says four so I’m sticking to the longer one for lols.

2. There’s really no clear way to translate Musi besides something like…Shepherd Department which sounds fitting for the nomadic northerners but also kind of silly. I just stuck with the pinyin this time (it’s shorter too, haha).

3. Xia He (夏荷) – her name means “summer lotus.”