After becoming rich overnight, I handed over the system.

Chapter 485 Coercion

Consort Liu stared intently at Shen Qinghe, her gaze carrying a hint of provocation and coercion.

Shen Qinghe knew that this was a strategic retreat; if she firmly refused, it would make her seem guilty or deliberately concealing something.

She hesitated for a moment before finally accepting it, saying calmly, "In that case, thank you for your kindness, Your Highness."

Consort Liu's smile widened, and she personally instructed the accompanying nanny: "Go quickly, cut this ginseng and immediately stew ginseng soup for Lady Shen. Make sure to watch her take it with your own eyes."

The old woman must have been a confidante of Consort Liu. She nodded obediently and took the ginseng to the simple kitchen.

As she moved, Shen Qinghe keenly noticed that the old woman's wide sleeves seemed to move very slightly, almost imperceptible to her if she hadn't been fully focused.

The ginseng soup was quickly cooked and served steaming hot.

A rich aroma of herbs filled the cool air.

Consort Liu smiled and personally handed the white jade bowl to Shen Qinghe, her voice so gentle it could melt your heart: "Sister, drink it while it's hot, the medicine won't be as effective if it gets cold."

All eyes were on Shen Qinghe.

Consort Liu's gaze carried an undeniable pressure, while the palace servants she brought held their breath, creating a momentary stagnation in the atmosphere.

Looking at the bowl of ginseng soup with its rich color, Shen Qinghe felt alarm bells ringing in her heart.

Consort Liu's actions were too hasty and deliberate; the soup could not possibly be clean. If she drinks it, I'm afraid…

In a flash, her mind raced.

Just as Consort Liu's barely suppressed smugness was about to rise from the corners of her mouth, Shen Qinghe suddenly raised her hand to take the bowl, but her wrist trembled violently as if she were weak and powerless—

"Clap!"

The white jade bowl fell to the ground and shattered instantly, splashing scalding ginseng soup everywhere. Most of it spilled onto Consort Liu's magnificent skirt embroidered with golden phoenixes, leaving a dark stain.

"Ah!" Consort Liu was so shocked that she took a step back, and her face turned ashen as she looked at her beloved dress.

"Your Highness, please forgive me!" Shen Qinghe immediately covered her mouth and nose, feigning weakness and nausea, and said in a weak voice, "This concubine... this concubine suddenly suffered from severe morning sickness, and her hands were too weak... I have soiled Your Highness's clothes, I deserve to die..."

As she spoke, she actually bent down and began to dry heave, her face pale and tears welling up in her eyes. She looked extremely uncomfortable, and her appearance was so realistic that Consort Liu couldn't tell if it was real or not.

Consort Liu's chest heaved violently; she was clearly furious. Her carefully planned scheme had been unexpectedly disrupted, and her valuable palace attire had been damaged.

She stared intently at Shen Qinghe, who was bent over retching, her eyes so sinister they seemed to drip with water, her nails digging deep into her palms.

After a long pause, she managed to squeeze out a voice through gritted teeth, trying to maintain a facade of tolerance: "It's...no problem. Your health is the most important thing, sister. It seems you're not fit to enjoy these tonics right now. I'll send someone to deliver them another day."

She practically gritted her teeth as she finished speaking, unable to maintain her fake smile any longer. She glanced coldly at the mess of ginseng soup and broken pieces on the ground, snorted, and turned away with a flick of her sleeve.

"Let's go!"

The entourage escorted the furious Consort Liu away, and the dilapidated gates of the Cold Palace slammed shut once more, the sound of the locks clicking louder than ever before.

Once the footsteps outside the door had faded away, Shen Qinghe slowly straightened up, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and the weakness on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold and sharp expression.

She crouched down and carefully used the tip of her silver hairpin to pick up a little bit of ginseng soup residue that hadn't seeped into the soil. She sniffed it carefully and then observed the color of the silver hairpin.

Although there was no obvious change in color, a very faint, strange smell that did not belong to ginseng made her heart sink.

Consort Liu was indeed up to no good; this ginseng must have been tampered with. If she hadn't been alert, she probably would have already fallen into her trap.

She stared at the tightly closed palace gates, her gaze deep and unfathomable.

Consort Liu has failed today, and she will certainly not let this go easily. The days ahead will likely be even more difficult and dangerous.

She gently stroked her lower abdomen, her gaze growing increasingly resolute.

Consort Liu stormed back to her Zhaoyang Palace, smashing a glass cup on the table. The crisp sound of the cup shattering did little to quell her anger.

"You, Shen Qinghe! How dare you mock me like this!" Her beautiful face was slightly distorted with anger. "Pretending! I'd like to see how many times you can defend yourself!"

The personal maidservant quickly stepped forward and whispered, "Your Highness, please calm down. It's not worth getting sick over that slut from the Cold Palace. She got lucky this time, but we won't let her escape next time."

Consort Liu took a few deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down, her eyes flashing with a calculating glint: "That's right... How's the placement of our people in the Cold Palace going?"

"Your Majesty, the old eunuch who delivered the meals has been taken care of. Of the two newly assigned maids, one is one of ours, named Xiao Cui, who is very clever," the nanny reported in a low voice. "But if His Majesty finds out about this..."

“Then by the time His Majesty finds out, there will be no way to prove it. If force doesn’t work, we’ll try softer methods; if close proximity doesn’t work, we’ll try more distant ones.” Consort Liu strolled to the window, looking at the courtyard outside with its blooming flowers, a cold smile curling at the corner of her lips. “Doesn’t Shen Qinghe like peace and quiet? I’ll let her have her fill of ‘peace and quiet’.”

From that day on, every night when all was quiet, the area outside the Cold Palace where Shen Qinghe lived would be haunted.

Sometimes it was a mournful cry, sometimes a sharp, eerie laugh, sometimes the screeching sound of heavy objects being dragged, and even the occasional sound of stones hitting the roof or windows.

It doesn't ring very often, but it always sounds suddenly when Shen Qinghe is about to fall asleep or is in the deepest sleep, making it impossible to guard against.

The guards on duty searched several times, but could not catch the person—the eunuchs sent by Consort Liu were all agile and skilled, extremely familiar with the palace's secret passages, and could retreat after a single strike, making them difficult to track.

Shen Qinghe knew that this was Consort Liu's psychological manipulation, intended to prevent her from sleeping and to make her mentally confused. Over time, this would inevitably weaken her constitution and affect the fetus.

She forced herself to remain calm and tried to catch up on sleep during the day, but the disturbances of the past few days still left her with dark circles under her eyes and an expression that betrayed her exhaustion.

Seeing that Shen Qinghe seemed to have withstood the disturbance at night, Consort Liu devised another plan.

Consort Liu bribed a minor steward in the imperial kitchen who was in charge of purchasing.

As a result, the ingredients sent to the cold palace began to become "subtle".

Occasionally, the dishes delivered may contain ingredients that are cold in nature or promote blood circulation. The portions may be small and seemingly unintentional, but long-term consumption can be extremely harmful to pregnant women.

Shen Qinghe is an expert in medicinal cuisine and has a deep understanding of the properties of ingredients.

Every time food was delivered, she would carefully inspect it. If she found any food that was cold in nature or had blood-activating properties, she would immediately pick it out and refuse to eat it, preferring to eat only plain rice and steamed buns.

She deliberately picked out the suspicious dishes and fed them to a stray cat that happened to run by, saying indifferently, "These things are cold in nature. I'm too heavy to eat them now, but they're a good deal for you, you little beast."

These words quickly reached Consort Liu's ears. She knew that her plan had been exposed again, and she was so angry that she smashed another set of tea utensils.