The Soldier King Becomes a Useless Little Girl-Chapter 436 - 433: Palace Intrigue

Noble Lady Shi was startled.

"Yes, I haven’t been sleeping well, but my body doesn’t feel uncomfortable. I think I’m sick, yet I just had Doctor Chen check my pulse this morning."

After Noble Lady Shi and her son returned to the palace, Xin Lin repeatedly reminded them to be cautious with their food and even their clothing needed to be carefully checked.

With Captain Yang and the ghost soldiers guarding them, and Empress Feng not troubling them recently, the mother and son had been living rather peacefully.

"It’s not an illness, nor does it seem like poisoning, but rather a chill has entered your body. This kind of ailment is something the Imperial Physician might not be able to discern. Think about it, have you encountered anything unusual these days?"

Xin Lin had just finished speaking when Little Xinzhuo said,

"The day before yesterday, Consort Zhao from the palace came to visit my mother and also gave her a handkerchief."

"Prince, don’t make wild guesses. Consort Zhao was a close friend from my childhood. She wouldn’t harm me,"

Noble Lady Shi said angrily.

This Consort Zhao is the mother of the Eighth Prince. She and Noble Lady Shi entered the palace together when they were young. Due to her father’s lower status compared to General Shi, she used to have a lower status than Noble Lady Shi.

However, soon after Noble Lady Shi was expelled, Consort Zhao gave birth to the Eighth Prince and soon became a concubine.

After Noble Lady Shi returned to the palace, she hadn’t interacted much with people in the palace. When Emperor Longteng favored her again, Consort Zhao was the first to congratulate her.

"Noble Lady, one must always be cautious. Could you show me that handkerchief?"

After Xin Lin spoke, Noble Lady Shi hesitated but still took out the handkerchief and handed it to Xin Lin.

Xin Lin looked at it a few times, with a hint of playfulness in his eyes.

"There’s nothing wrong with the handkerchief, right?"

Noble Lady Shi anxiously asked.

"The handkerchief has no poison or fragrance, and the embroidery is very exquisite. However, the material is somewhat problematic,"

Xin Lin felt it a few times.

"The silk threads on it shimmer and shine even more brightly at night, dyed with Red Toad Powder, which comes from the Water Spirit Beast. Unfortunately, the base material of this handkerchief is woven from Fire Fox Fur. Water and fire are incompatible; when these two are combined, it causes a clash of Spiritual Energy. If you were strong, the handkerchief would at most cause some restlessness. But Noble Lady, you’ve narrowly escaped death’s door at Ghost Gate, and your body is weak. If you keep this handkerchief on you, it will cause incessant nightmares and lead to anxiety-induced illness,"

Xin Lin said soothingly.

Fu Xi’s Energy can reveal injuries, but it cannot diagnose illnesses.

Had Xin Lin not recently learned the new technique of the Four Examination Method, observing the complexion, checking the pulse, tongue, and breathing of Noble Lady Shi, he wouldn’t have detected the covert scheme laid against her.

The Imperial Physician certainly couldn’t have seen it.

Upon hearing this, Noble Lady Shi turned pale.

"That despicable Consort Zhao, she actually plotted against my mother’s life!"

Upon hearing this, Little Xinzhuo banged the table and rose, his little face flushed with anger.

"How could this be, she and I have been close sisters since childhood."

Noble Lady Shi’s voice trembled slightly, her eyes filled with disbelief.

"Noble Lady, you said yourself she was a friend from childhood, but people change. Back then, General Shi was still around, and you weren’t the Emperor’s new favorite, nor did you have a son who ranked third in the Zixiao Palace Exam,"

Xin Lin explained.

In the harem, it is normal for women to engage in intense rivalries.

Apart from comparing looks and favors, everything from family background to offspring is a target of comparison.

In comparison, Noble Lady Shi is simply a blank slate.

As for whether Consort Zhao was truly motivated by jealousy or was instructed by someone else to harm Noble Lady Shi, that remains unknown.