148: Chapter 148 Remnants Attempt Poisoning? Instantly Killed in Counterattack

Just as the hall fell silent, Lin Zhe's gaze landed on the Dragon Letter in Chi Lie's hand outside the door.

He calmly spoke: "Now, tell me about your Dragon Domain."

The next second, a flurry of urgent footsteps suddenly came from outside the side hall.

"Your Majesty! Lord Prince Regent! Something is wrong!"

A female official, her face deathly pale, practically stumbled inside, her voice trembling. "Something happened at the Imperial Kitchen! The little eunuch brewing the fetal protection medicine for Her Majesty suddenly died from a violent poison!"

Boom!

Su Ninghua's eyes turned cold, and she stood up instantly.

Chi Lie was also startled, and the Dragon Letter in his hand shook.

Lin Zhe's eyes darkened slightly, and he already started walking out.

"Let's go take a look."

The group moved extremely fast, arriving at the inner court pharmacy in the blink of an eye.

The entrance to the pharmacy was already filled with people kneeling on the ground; imperial physicians, female officials, and Royal Guards were all pale-faced. On the floor inside lay a young eunuch about seventeen or eighteen years old, his body curled into a ball, his face blackened, bleeding from his seven orifices, and his eyes nearly bulging out. His death was miserable beyond description.

Beside him, an overturned medicine bowl was still steaming.

Within the fragrance of the medicine, there was a faint, fishy-sweet scent mixed in.

Su Ninghua glanced at the corpse on the floor, her voice as cold as ice: "What happened?"

An old imperial physician fell to his knees, trembling all over: "Reporting to Your Majesty, this little eunuch was originally responsible for delivering the medicine. Just now, while no one was paying attention, he sprinkled a packet of black powder into the fetal protection medicine. But as soon as the powder hit the bowl, the Light Pregnancy Blessing and the Rule Shield on Your Majesty's person lit up simultaneously. That poison... that poison was reflected right back!"

He swallowed hard, his face white.

"The powder poured entirely into his own mouth. He didn't even have time to scream before he died on the spot!"

Only then did everyone notice that un-dissolved black poisonous liquid still clung to the corners of the little eunuch's mouth and chin.

Above that medicine bowl, a very faint layer of golden-white light patterns had not yet completely dissipated.

Clearly, the moment the poison touched the bowl, it triggered the Rule protection Lin Zhe had previously layered on Su Ninghua, combined with the Light Pregnancy Blessing sent by Saintess Yun Qingwan. The double shockback wasn't wasted at all.

It was all reflected back onto the poisoner himself.

Su Ninghua's expression was unsightly to the extreme.

If Lin Zhe hadn't given her the Rule pendant and shield early on, and if not for the fetal protection blessing from the Heavens, she might have already drunk this bowl of medicine.

A chronic poison.

It wasn't intended to kill her.

It was aimed at the future child in her womb.

Cruel, too cruel.

Lin Zhe squatted down, and with a slight lift of his fingertip, a wisp of pale-gold Power of Rules swept over the corpse.

Buzz—

A fragmented memory image immediately emerged.

A dark alleyway.

A masked old man stuffed a packet of black poisonous powder into the little eunuch's robes, his voice sinister: "Put this medicine into the Queen's fetal protection medicine. Don't take her life; make her give birth to a useless cripple. After it's done, I'll give you a hundred thousand gold coins and send you out of the Imperial Capital."

The image flashed, revealing an old clan emblem on the corner of the old man's sleeve.

The Remnants of the Three Clans!

And it was the last branch that had slipped through the net!

Lin Zhe stood up, his eyes turning cold.

"There really are those who aren't afraid of death."

Su Ninghua's fingers slowly clenched, her knuckles turning white. She stared at the corpse on the ground, her chest heaving slightly, her killing intent almost uncontrollable.

"Zhao Feng."

"Your servant is here!"

"Follow the clues found by the Teacher and dig these people out for me."

"Do not let a single one escape!"

"Yes!"

Lin Zhe waved his hand, and the locations of the alley, secret door, and cellar from the memory image all turned into pale-gold points of light, falling directly into the arrest warrant in Zhao Feng's hand.

The locations were crystal clear.

They were right beneath the old salt warehouse in the southwest of the Imperial Capital.

The Royal Guards were deployed instantly.

Half an hour later, a thunderous explosion erupted in the southwest of the Imperial Capital.

Outside the old salt warehouse, the last dozen or so remnants were still hiding, waiting for the little eunuch to return with news. As a result, the moment the secret door opened, they were met with rows of Royal Guards.

"Kill our way out!"

Someone had just roared when a rain of arrows fell upon them.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Three remnants were pinned to the doorway on the spot.

The remaining people tried to ignite the kerosene in the cellar to destroy evidence, but the trap locations Lin Zhe had marked in advance were already crushed by Zhao Feng's foot. The cellar, secret storehouse, and hidden passages—not one was missed, all were sealed off.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the last hiding spot was completely leveled.

The mastermind was captured alive, and the remaining remnants were dragged out, kneeling in a row with faces full of despair.

They never imagined in their wildest dreams that after hiding for so long, they would end up exposing themselves completely because of a bowl of poison.

Soon, a server-wide announcement popped up.

[Server-wide Announcement: The last remaining forces of the Remnants of the Three Clans bribed a palace eunuch with the intent to put chronic poison into Queen Su Ninghua's fetal protection medicine to sabotage the foundation of the future heir. This triggered a Rule shockback, and the perpetrator died of poisoning on the spot! The last stronghold of the remnants behind the scenes has been completely eradicated, and all hidden dangers of rebellion have been cleared!]

As soon as the announcement came out, the world channel exploded.

"Holy crap! They actually dared to poison the Queen?"

"And it was aimed at the future prince? These beasts really deserve to die!"

"Fortunately, Big Boss Lin Zhe's Rule Shield was there, otherwise it would have been real trouble!"

"The last nest is gone too? Satisfying! Now the interior of the Empire is finally clean!"

Inside and outside Holy Light City, there was a wave of cursing as players constantly flooded the screen.

In the pharmacy, Su Ninghua stood still, looking down at the medicine bowl that was almost delivered to her, then at the miserably dead eunuch on the floor, and finally, her gaze landed on Lin Zhe's face.

From the first assassination attempt outside Luofeng Village to this bowl of fetal protection medicine.

Every time, during her most dangerous moments, the one standing in front was Lin Zhe.

It wasn't empty promises.

It was, time and again, a solid protection of her and her future.

The coldness in her eyes dissipated bit by bit, replaced by an uncontrollable softness and dependence.

The cold system notification sounds also rang out one after another at this moment.

[Ding! Detected that the top-tier female NPC Su Ninghua's Favorability toward the host has increased to 100!]

[Ding! The third bond trigger progress has increased!]

[Current Progress: 98%!]

Lin Zhe's eyes flickered slightly.

Only one final step remained.

Su Ninghua looked at him deeply, her voice much lower than usual: "Teacher, if not for you, I might not have been able to avoid today's plot."

Lin Zhe simply raised his hand to brush away a bit of medicine ash that had caught on her sleeve, his tone calm.

"With me here, no one can touch you."

Outside the pharmacy, the night grew deeper.

And at the palace gate, the crimson Dragon Letter in Chi Lie's hand saw its Dragon Qi churning more and more restlessly, as if it could no longer be suppressed.