Bi Bo Pool is not a shallow lotus pond, but a place where imperial concubines can boat and play. How deep the water is, no one can say for sure.

  "But, Your Ladyship, this place is full of five-step snakes!" Lanyi's voice was already trembling. Right next to her foot was a thumb-thick small snake slowly approaching, she gritted her teeth and aimed at the seven-inch spot below her foot, the snake died with a thud.

  Lan Yi let out a sigh of relief and patted her chest. However, just as she had solved one problem, another huge snake slithered over from behind her.

  "Quickly, Concubine! I don't dare guarantee that a kick from me can kill you with one foot!" Lan Yi pulled Lin Yuan to continue running outside.

  Lin Yan was unwilling to budge. After a while, she turned around, pulled Lan Yi to a less crowded area and walked back and forth.

  "Miss, what are you doing?! There are five-step snakes inside!" Lan Yi was frightened.

  "Five-step snake? I don't believe it." Lin Yuanying faced the snake behind her: "You also saw that, I'm pregnant and can't escape safely. If I want to survive, I have no choice but to head into the flower garden."

  In front of her, the long snake was indeed not small in size, but it was only about three fingers thick and a few feet long. Its snake head touched Lin's skirt hem, poked its head out several times, Lin clenched her teeth, stretched out her foot and kicked it away.

  The snake was kicked away several feet, its head shaking back and forth several times before it came to, then fled in the opposite direction with a startled hiss, disappearing from view.

  Lin Yan smiled: "You see, compared to people being afraid of snakes, snakes are even more afraid of people."

  Lan Yi had already somewhat understood. She grew up in the countryside since childhood and knew that real five-step snakes were extremely aggressive, and would rush up to bite people as soon as they were provoked slightly.

  And in front of this one, a cowardly guy who is as timid as a mouse, obviously has no "style" of a poisonous snake.

  Lin Wan and Lan Yi walked towards the center of the flower bed. Chun Xue and Chun Tao had just been dispersed by the crowd, and now they were nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, everyone was rushing outwards, and as they walked further into the center, there were fewer and fewer people.

  Arrived at the place where the silver-white evening primrose was just picked, there is no one left.

  Lin Yan stood still calmly. Although there was no one in this place, there were many snakes, and there were two snakes at her feet, both of which were not small. Lin Yan suppressed her instinctive fear and carefully avoided them.

  One of them bit Lin Yuan's calf. Lan Yi kicked it down, its tail was trampled and rotten, and it struggled to escape in terror.

  "Miss, are you all right?!" Lan Yi asked anxiously. She still couldn't be certain that these snakes were truly non-venomous.

  Lin Yan did not feel uncomfortable. She forced herself to squat down and check the wound, two blood eyes were not small, constantly flowing out of blood, but they were all bright red in color.

  "It looks harmless, I'm just a little hurt." However, Lin Yan still tore off her shirt and tied it around her leg.

  Lan Yixiang let out a breath of relief. Looking at Lin Wan like this, these snakes must not be highly venomous, at most they might have some mild toxicity.

  "Wow, you're amazing! I grew up in the countryside and can't even tell what kind of snakes these are!" Lan Yi praised her master with some delight: "But that woman just now was too pitiful, she stumbled a few steps and fell down, looking like she's been poisoned!"

  Lin Yan smiled slightly: "Although I was born in a humble family, I grew up in the high gates and big yards, where have I seen snakes?" As she looked at her, after this incident, she had already gained some trust in this third-grade palace maid, patted her hand and said: "Don't worry, this won't be a poisonous snake. This is the imperial palace, it's clearly stated that no toxic substances are allowed to enter, have you forgotten?"

  Lan Yi slapped her forehead: "Oh, I said! What kind of place is the imperial palace?!"

  Lin Wan stopped talking, Lan Yi was still too naive, really thinking that the imperial palace was a clean place?

  So what about the poison that Shen Fei hid in the back palace at first?

  Lin Wan was able to determine that these snakes were non-venomous, and it was because of this period of time that Tuoba Hong searched for assassins, the palace was heavily guarded, he absolutely did not allow venomous snakes to sneak in.

  Standing in the flower bed for a while, the people outside had almost dispersed. The imperial concubines gathered around the emperor, with many of them having bruises on their bodies, and several sprained their feet. Even Wang Shu Rong's arm was dislocated.

  Wen Gui Fei was the most miserable, she accidentally fell into the Bi Bo pool and almost drowned. At this time, she was supported by a palace maid to sit on the ground, her wet body wrapped in a blanket, and her disheveled hair still dripping with water.

  Jing Fei stood far away and was not affected by the disaster.

  Tuoba Hong's face turned pale with rage, pointing at the flowerbed he shouted at his attendants: "How could a snake get into the palace?! What kind of work is this?! Who is in charge of cleaning up this garden?!"

  The attendants and guards all knelt down. Tuoba Hong scanned the disheveled concubines, suddenly realizing that Lin Yuan was not among them, and exclaimed: "Where is Concubine Hui? Where is she?"

  "The consorts were all flustered just now and didn't see Consort Hui..." Jing Fei stepped forward, her face full of worry.

  Yao Fu Sheng was quick-witted and hastily ordered his attendants: "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and go find him!"

  Tuoba Hong's eyes searched through the harem again, but it was too dark to see clearly at night. He ordered Jing Fei: "A Miao, you come and check, is Hui Fei here?"

  Jing Fei nodded, checking one by one, and finally said with a sorrowful expression: "Your Majesty, it's not just Hui Bin who is missing, Ye Gui Ji, Zhao Shu Ji and several others are also nowhere to be found."

  Tuoba Hong's face turned even more worried. At this time, a captain of the Imperial Forest Army rushed over and knelt down, saying that Princess Hui had been found.

  Several palace maids supported Lin Yu over. Lin Yu didn't look too good, her hair was disheveled and there were faint bloodstains on the hem of her skirt.

  Tuoba Hong took a look at her bulging belly and was still able to move around, let out a sigh of relief, and quickly stepped forward to support her: "You scared me to death! How is it, is the child okay?"

  Lin Yan's expression was still good, she shook her head and said: "The concubine is fine, worrying the emperor is the concubine's fault."

  Compared to others who either sprained their ankle or scraped their arm, Lin Wan's situation was much better. However, at this moment, Tuoba Hong only had eyes for Lin Wan.

  Lin Wan ignored the jealous glances from the concubines and leaned against Emperor Taizong's shoulder. Taizong was even more doting on her, repeatedly ordering the imperial physician to be summoned, saying "As long as you're fine, that's all that matters."

  Chu Xue and Chu Tao rushed over, they had just gotten separated from Lin Wan but fortunately hadn't been hurt. They were quickly pulled out of the flowerbed by the attendants. Chu Xue's face was covered in tears as she grabbed onto Lin Wan's hand, looking at her to make sure she was okay, but couldn't speak due to sobs. Lan Yi spoke hastily, worried about Master's leg injury, and blurted out: "My master has been bitten by a snake..."

  Tuoba Hong was startled again, and Lin Yu hastily said: "The concubine is fine! These snakes are not venomous at all." As she spoke, she pressed on her leg through her clothes: "See, the blood has dried up, and there are only two small holes. It's nothing serious."

  "Kong Yiniang, let Hui Bin take a look at your leg." Tuoba Hong ordered.

  Gong Yini, the imperial maid, squatted down and lifted Lin Wan's skirt to examine her wound. After a glance, she reported back: "The wound is dark red in color and can scab quickly, which means that Concubine Hui has not been poisoned." A guard with a sword approached from the side, holding a dead snake in both hands. Gong Yini took it calmly and examined it carefully before saying: "It's a common snake found in the countryside, a cauliflower snake."

  Tuoba Hong's expression slightly cleared, and then he furrowed his brow in thought again. He narrowed his eyes to scan the group of consorts: "Who just shouted 'five-step snake'?"

  Lin Yan fell silent and retreated two steps back. Indeed worthy of being an emperor, he instantly saw the crux of the problem.

  The concubines looked at each other in dismay, many still hadn't recovered from their fright and remained silent.

  Tuoba Hong sneered and pointed at the snake, saying: "Women are timid and may panic and forget etiquette in a moment of chaos, so it's not entirely your fault. However, from what I've seen, it seems that someone deliberately plotted to harm the pregnant Hui Pin by placing a snake in the flower garden and shouting 'five-step snake' to create chaos!"

  He glared at Yao Fu Sheng: "You are the general manager of the palace, you tell me, this flower bed is swept by people every day, it's fine, why would there be a snake!"

  Yao Fusheng immediately knelt down, and a group of palace servants beside him followed suit, kowtowing repeatedly. Yao Fusheng, who had served the emperor for over ten years, was also extremely frightened at this moment, and trembled as he spoke: "This...this peony garden is usually cleaned by those rough palace servants, but tonight when the peonies were in full bloom, they deliberately swept it several more times so that your noble lordships could come to admire the flowers..."

  Tuoba Hong's face was cold and calm, clearly Yao Fusheng also knew nothing. He frowned and said: "You go down first! Go to the Shanggong Bureau to investigate those miscellaneous palace people, and then go to the Changxin Palace to inform the Empress, let her thoroughly investigate!"

  Yao Fu Sheng was overjoyed as if he had been granted a great amnesty and hastily retreated.

  Tuoba Hong's face turned stern, his gaze sweeping across the consorts. Everyone held their breath, not daring to make a sound. Only Qingfei stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, compared to the terrifying snake, human hearts are even more terrifying. In my humble opinion, there must be someone who used the snake as a means to cause the consorts to rush about in panic, and in the chaos, the pregnant Huihuan was inevitably pushed and fell. The person who shouted 'five-step snake' is undoubtedly the culprit."

  Tuoba Hong nodded and said: "Awei, I remember you were just standing at the outermost edge of the flower bed."

  Jing Fei couldn't help but feel complacent in her heart, and indeed she was the most farsighted. From the beginning, she had a feeling that something would go wrong, so she refused to play with the other consorts. She had never set foot in the central flower garden, so it was naturally impossible for her to be the one who released the snake. The emperor had already cleared her of suspicion first.

  "I have always loved narcissus, and I'm not particularly interested in hibiscus." Jing Fei said calmly: "However, I was standing far away and didn't see clearly who shouted the three words 'five-step snake'."

  "Your Majesty, at that time it was extremely chaotic. The woman who shouted 'five-step snake' fell to the ground on the spot, and then somehow disappeared. Lin Yuanshu said calmly: "The night was dark, and all the concubines only saw her fall, but couldn't see her face clearly. Later, everyone ran away, and there were many people who fell down, nor did anyone care about others. Now it's hard to investigate."

  "This is also possible." Tuoba Hong's expression was stern, his eyebrows furrowed: "The snake is non-venomous, that woman pretended to be poisoned and fainted, but she will definitely get up after the event and mix in with the crowd to run out together."

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