The female anchor turned into the dean of an ancient academy

Chapter 273 Chronic Poison

"This operation is indeed quite difficult. Empress Dowager Li and Concubine Shu are in collusion with each other and disrupting the government. This is also a rare opportunity for us." Cen Jiexiao said in a firm tone, with wisdom in her eyes.

Xiaozhi suddenly interrupted, "Dean, I heard that Empress Dowager Li has recently become obsessed with a theatre troupe and wants to go to opera every day. But strangely, I heard from Eunuch Li Dehai that the Empress Dowager didn't like opera much before. Perhaps we can start from this aspect."

Cen Jiexiao's eyes lit up and she looked at Xiaozhi with admiration.

"Good idea! Xiaozhi, go find out the details of this troupe and see if you can find any clues. Especially the troupe owner, the actors, and those who frequent the troupe. Investigate them carefully. Where they are from, who their teachers are, and what their backgrounds are. Find out everything."

"What's the name of the troupe?" Cen Jiexiao asked.

Xiaozhi replied, "It's called the 'Nishang Troupe.' I heard they perform very well, especially the actress named 'Wan'er.' Her voice is melodious and her figure is graceful, making her very popular with Empress Dowager Li."

"'Nishangban', 'Wan'er'." Cen Jiexiao murmured to herself. These two names left a deep impression in her mind.

"Xiaozhi, you need to focus on investigating this 'Wan'er' and find out her background."

"Yes, Dean," Xiaozhi took the order and left.

Yu Lan continued to investigate the people around Empress Dowager Li. She disguised herself as a palace maid and lingered around the Empress Dowager Li's bedroom, observing her every move. She noticed that Empress Dowager Li's mental state seemed to be not so good recently. She often suffered from insomnia and had a poor appetite. It seemed that something was bothering her.

A few days later, Xiaozhi brought back shocking news: "Dean, I heard that the owner of this opera troupe is actually Nanny Lan, who was by the Empress Dowager's side!"

Cen Jiexiao's heart moved, and she immediately realized that there might be a huge secret hidden in this. "Looks like we have to go and watch this drama."

At night, as the lights came on, the bustling streets gradually quieted. Only the street where the opera troupe was located remained brightly lit and bustling with people. Cen Jiexiao, Yulan, and Xiaozhi disguised themselves and blended into the bustling crowd, heading towards the troupe. Cen Jiexiao, dressed in men's clothing, looked handsome and heroic. Xiaozhi, dressed as a clever servant, followed closely behind Cen Jiexiao, while Yulan changed into the clothes of a maid and followed Xiaozhi closely.

Upon entering the troupe, the deafening sound of gongs and drums and the clamor of voices washed over me. On the stage, actors, heavily made up and dressed in gorgeous costumes, were performing with all their might. The audience, seated in a packed house, watched with rapt attention, occasionally erupting in cheers and applause. The air was filled with the scent of cosmetics and sweat, and the atmosphere was bustling and lively.

However, Cen Jiexiao's gaze remained fixed on one woman: Aunt Lan. She was dressed in dark clothes and sat in an inconspicuous corner, her expression serious. She seemed uninterested in the opera on the stage, but instead kept looking around as if she was waiting for someone.

Cen Jiexiao observed Nanny Lan's every move calmly, trying to catch a clue from her subtle changes in expression. Suddenly, Nanny Lan seemed to receive some signal. She stood up suddenly, quietly left her seat, and walked towards the backyard of the troupe.

Seeing this, Sister Cen Xiao immediately signaled Yu Lan to follow. Yu Lan understood and nimbly followed Nanny Lan through the winding corridor to a secluded room.

The door of the wing room was ajar, and low voices of conversation could be heard from inside. Yu Lan held her breath, carefully hiding under the window frame, and listened attentively to the conversation inside.

"Is everything done?" asked a deep and hoarse male voice.

"It's all done. All the herbs have been replaced. No one will notice." Nanny Lan replied with a hint of pride in her tone.

"Very good. After the matter is done, you will definitely benefit from it." The man's voice was full of satisfaction.

Yu Lan was shocked when she heard this, realizing the seriousness of the matter. Not wanting to delay any longer, she hurried back to the theater and told Cen Jie Xiao everything she had heard. After hearing Yu Lan's report, Cen Jie Xiao's face was grim, her brow furrowed. It seemed that the conspiracy of Empress Dowager Li and Concubine Shu was even deeper than she had imagined...

"Replace the medicinal materials...chronic poison..." Cen Jiexiao muttered to herself, her slender fingers tapping on the table again and again, making a rhythmic "thump thump" sound, like uneasy notes dancing in the air.

Her eyebrows were tightly furrowed, forming a deep "chuan" character between her eyebrows, as if they were a tangled mess that could not be untied, and her thoughts were in a tangle.

"What exactly do Empress Dowager Li and Consort Shu want to do? Could it be... could it be that they want to slowly poison the Emperor to death with a chronic poison?"

"Dean, in my opinion, they definitely have bad intentions!" Xiaozhi interrupted angrily, her round face full of indignation, like a kitten with its fur standing on end.

"That Concubine Shu, she pretends to be so gentle and weak all day long, like a little white rabbit, but I didn't expect that she actually does all sorts of dirty things behind the scenes! You can't judge a person by his appearance, and you can't measure the depth of the sea!"

She paused, then added, "And that Nanny Lan, she looks like a decent person, but I didn't expect she's such a vicious woman with a ruthless heart! You can't judge a person by their appearance!"

Yu Lan calmly analyzed, "Dean, I don't think their goal is necessarily to take the Emperor's life. The Emperor is in his prime, full of vigor and vitality. Even with this dose of chronic poison, even if taken long-term, it wouldn't kill him immediately. At most, his body would gradually give way, and he would experience some discomfort, such as fatigue, dizziness, and loss of appetite."

Yu Lan paused and continued, "Moreover, the symptoms of this chronic poison are not obvious, and it is easy for the imperial physician to misdiagnose it as other diseases, such as a cold, indigestion, etc. Therefore, I believe that they may have other purposes in doing this."

"Another purpose?" Cen Jiexiao repeated Yu Lan's words and fell into deep thought. Her eyes fell on the flickering candlelight. Her thoughts were erratic, like a wisp of smoke lingering in the air.

"Yu Lan, what you said makes sense." After a moment, Cen Jiexiao raised her head, a glimmer of understanding in her eyes.

"If they wanted to poison the emperor, they could have used a more potent poison to kill him in one blow. There was no need to go to so much trouble and torture him slowly with a chronic poison. Moreover, once this chronic poison was discovered, it would be easy to trace it back to them, which is too risky. So, is their purpose... to control the emperor?" Cen Jiexiao's voice became lower and lower, with a hint of disbelief in her tone.

"Control the emperor? Dean, you mean they want to turn the emperor into a puppet and let them manipulate him?" Xiaozhi asked with wide eyes in disbelief, his tone full of shock and confusion.

"This possibility cannot be ruled out." Cen Jiexiao's tone became more affirmative, and a cold light flashed in her eyes.