Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 785 - 0738: The Emperor’s Collapse

Li Yuzhu took the medicine bottle and administered an injection to Empress Cui.

After she was done, she asked, "Empress, think again, is there anyone else who wants to harm you?"

Empress Cui looked at the needle in her hand and furrowed her brow in deep thought.

Li Yuwen waved her hand at this moment, "No need to think further, it must be Princess Consort Yu Wen. If the position of the Empress is vacant, which of the other concubines would be qualified to ascend? It can only be Princess Consort Yu Wen, and coincidentally, she is deeply favored by the Emperor."

Empress Cui’s gaze slightly narrowed, "If it is her, there is indeed some possibility."

Li Yuwen held Empress Cui’s hand, "Ying Lei, you are the Empress. Whoever poisons you, you have the authority as Empress to investigate! Do it openly and without fear!"

Empress Cui looked at her, somewhat hesitant, "Investigate openly? Can this be uncovered?"

"It can, do a sudden inspection, giving no one time to react, check every person in every palace!" Li Yuwen said, "Investigating secretly, how long will it take you to find out? Unless everyone in the palace listens to you! Otherwise, you simply can’t investigate!"

Li Yuzhu also said, "Exactly, an open investigation can also allow everyone to monitor each other, making the culprit afraid to hide anything."

Empress Cui, listening to their suggestions, nodded gently, "I will arrange this carefully."

The Li Family Sisters were right, she did not have many confidants in the palace, and it was impossible to investigate quietly.

The people around her, except for the two she brought from her family, were outwardly respectful but showed disdain in private.

Investigate secretly?

I fear they might collude with each other, and she would never find out, no matter how long the investigation lasts.

Not knowing where the poison came from, nor who was causing harm.

It made Empress Cui anxious.

Li Yuwen comforted her, "From now on, be extremely cautious about everything you eat and drink. Only let trusted people arrange your meals, and do not touch anything sent from other places."

For now, this is the only way to manage it.

Empress Cui sighed, "Alright, I understand."

While waiting for Empress Cui’s medication to take effect, Li Yuwen played chess with Empress Cui to pass the time, while Li Yuzhu observed her surroundings.

Empress Cui seemed to have a fondness for paintings, as many large scrolls hung on the walls of the hall.

Most were intricately detailed paintings with vibrant colors.

One painting, in particular, caught Li Yuzhu’s attention.

The main color of the painting was a vivid green.

A peacock with emerald feathers, its long tail trailing behind, stood on a rock, with peonies in shades of pink and gold blooming around it.

This was a common image of prosperity and good fortune, often hung in the bedrooms of many noblewomen.

However, the color scheme of the painting in Empress Cui’s room was somewhat deeper than others.

As Li Yuzhu stared at the green pigments, an idea suddenly came to her mind.

Could something be wrong with this painting?

In her previous life, while studying toxic metals, she had read an old book that mentioned how people in ancient times used colorful mineral powders as pigments to make the colors in their paintings last longer. These were mixed as wall paints or used in artworks.

And most processed mineral powders were toxic.

Seeing her unblinking gaze fixed on the painting, Empress Cui smiled and said, "San Niang, do you like this painting? I can give it to you."

Li Yuzhu smiled and replied, "Empress, I am merely curious about the colors of this painting, I wouldn’t dare take what the Empress loves."

"It’s no trouble, I have several more paintings like this," Empress Cui said generously.

She called out loudly to the palace maid standing guard outside.

The palace maid who had led the Li Family Sisters earlier came inside.

Empress Cui instructed her to take the painting down and give it to Li Yuzhu.

The palace maid brought over a tall stool and climbed up to remove the painting.

Li Yuzhu thanked her and took the painting to examine it seriously.

She carefully scraped off a small bit of the green pigment with a needle and placed it into a test tube.

In a place where others couldn’t see, Li Yuzhu put the test tube with the pigment into her space and used instruments to analyze the pigment’s components.

Li Yuwen and Empress Cui both knew that she wasn’t keen on studying since she was young, assuming she didn’t understand paintings and was merely curious, so neither paid her actions much mind.

Only the Chief Palace Maid was curious about Li Yuzhu’s actions, not understanding why Li Yuzhu was touching the painting’s pigments.

Li Yuzhu scraped off the peacock’s green pigment, then began scraping off the gold pigment from the peonies.

A short while later, Li Yuzhu’s space instrument detected the pigment’s components.

The green pigment contained a large amount of arsenic trioxide, known by many as arsenic, a poison.

The yellow pigment was orpiment.