Meeting the Emperor

Inside the Imperial Medical Academy, the bubbling sound of medicine being boiled filled the air, and the rich aroma of herbs drifted quietly through the air, accompanied by lingering bitterness.

The processing of medicinal herbs must not be taken lightly.

Pick, wash, dry, sun-dry, grind...

Every step requires care; improper handling could affect the medicinal properties, making it both busy and tiring. Boiling the medicine is even more troublesome, requiring constant monitoring of the heat and constant supervision.

The maidservant standing by the medicine stove gently fanned herself with a palm-leaf fan, adding another piece of firewood to the stove as needed. While fanning herself, she couldn't help but drift into thought; it had been a long time since such a strong medicinal aroma had filled the Forbidden City.

The blowing wind shook the flames, and sparks burst from the furnace, only to quickly vanish into thin air.

A storm is brewing.

...

Inside the side hall.

With a "thud".

Qi Minghua put down the teacup he had brought to his lips, his expression instantly becoming extremely serious. He glanced around out of the corner of his eye and lowered his voice to a whisper: "Didn't I say earlier that the poison His Majesty was afflicted with was called 'Hidden Moon'?"

"how?"

"But I just thought about it and it doesn't feel quite right."

Why do you say that?

Qi Minghua raised his eyes, his face serious: "I suspect that 'Wangyue San' is 'Cangyue Zeng' with reduced medicinal properties, or that the two medicines use the same raw material."

"..."

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy, the air seemed to freeze, and the two unconsciously lowered their breathing, as if an invisible pair of eyes were watching them from behind.

After a moment of silence, Zhou Yanzhi asked seriously, "Really?"

"Judging from the symptoms of Your Majesty and your cousin, it's highly likely."

“Ce’an.” After thinking for a moment, Qi Minghua replied, “I think you can start by investigating the ‘ice torture’.”

Zhou Yanzhi nodded slightly: "Alright, I understand." Then, as if remembering something, he added: "Minghua, since His Majesty has also been poisoned, do you know how to cure him?"

“This poison is not strong to begin with, but His Majesty is already deeply poisoned, I’m afraid…” Qi Minghua paused for a moment, then lowered his gaze to Zhou Yanzhi and gently shook his head.

Even the most skilled doctor cannot save you.

"..."

There was a moment of silence.

After a long silence, Zhou Yanzhi stood up. His eyes, hidden beneath his wispy hair, revealed no emotion. He simply turned his head and said softly, "Then I'll go report the case to His Majesty first."

Qi Minghua stood up and patted his shoulder heavily.

"Go ahead, I'll do my best."

As Zhou Yanzhi stepped out of the Imperial Medical Academy, a gust of wind blew by, whipping up the dark blue hem of his robe and making it flutter.

Looking up at the sky, I realized that the clear blue sky of the morning was now covered by dark clouds. Within the darkness, flashes of lightning flickered, followed by a deafening clap of thunder.

"Boom—"

Zhou Yanzhi stared at it for a while, and when he felt a slight coolness on his face, he turned and strode towards the Zichen Palace. His dark blue figure walked faster and faster, gradually disappearing into the hazy rain and mist, turning into a deep black in the field of vision.

A light rain begins with the wind; a storm is on its way.

...

Zichen Palace.

The Emperor Zhaowen of the Great Zhao Dynasty sat on a cork couch by the window, slowly reviewing the memorials presented that day, his vermilion characters falling on the paper.

Dark clouds obscured the sun, and candles were lit inside the palace.

The firelight shone on Emperor Zhaowen's face, revealing his increasingly gaunt features. Although he was only in his forties, his hair was already streaked with silver, and a sickly aura lingered between his brows.

Suddenly, he hurriedly put down his pen, picked up a handkerchief from the table, covered his mouth, and coughed. The heart-wrenching cough instantly resounded throughout the Zichen Palace, casting a shadow over everyone's hearts.

Emperor Zhaowen removed the handkerchief and lowered his eyes.

A small pool of scarlet blood had already stained it.

Emperor Zhaowen let out a heavy breath, folded the handkerchief and placed it aside, then picked up his brush again to review the documents. However, the hand holding the wolf-hair brush had begun to tremble almost imperceptibly.

Although he tried his best to control the force of his strokes, the strokes between the lines were no longer as smooth as before, carrying a limp quality.

Seeing that the handwriting was not as good as before, Emperor Zhaowen paused for a moment, then continued writing.

The court and the public are in turmoil; someone actually dared to submit a memorial to establish an heir apparent...

Watching his series of actions, Eunuch Fu, standing to the side, felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. At this moment, His Majesty did not look like the emperor who commanded respect throughout the land, but rather like an old man in his twilight years from an ordinary family.

There were few servants inside the hall; you could hear a pin drop.

"Boom—Boom!"

Another clap of thunder.

Emperor Zhaowen's hand holding the brush trembled violently, and the last dot of the character "杀" (kill) was drawn out unusually long, looking somewhat awkward. After staring at that character for a while, Emperor Zhaowen closed his eyes, and the character he had just written was thus ruined.

The rain outside suddenly intensified.

The drizzle, which had been fine and delicate, now poured down like raindrops, pattering on the green tiles, bricks, and palace paths...

In an instant, the sound of pattering rain filled every corner of the imperial city.

The eunuch who was guarding outside the hall entered the hall. After meeting the gaze of Eunuch Fu, he knelt down and bowed his head to Emperor Zhaowen on the cork couch, saying, "Your Majesty, Minister Zhou of the Court of Judicial Review requests an audience."

After a moment of silence, Emperor Zhaowen put down his pen.

"Let him in."

The eunuch bowed his head and said, "Yes."

...

When Zhou Yanzhi came in, he was half-soaked by the rain, but no water was dripping from his clothes. He just clung to his body, emitting a chill.

Passing through the beaded curtain, Zhou Yanzhi knelt down two zhang away and performed a kowtow.

"Your subject Zhou Ce'an pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Emperor Zhaowen waved his hand: "Get up."

"yes."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi lowered his eyes, stood up, and stood still, letting the gazes from above sweep over him.

Seeing the stray hairs clinging to his forehead, soaked by the rain, Emperor Zhaowen frowned slightly: "Why are you so wet? Didn't you bring an umbrella?"

Before Zhou Yanzhi could respond, Emperor Zhaowen gave Eunuch Fu a wink: "Little Fu, send someone to the Imperial Wardrobe to fetch a garment, and then take Ce'an down to change."

Grandpa Fu bowed his head and said, "Yes."

Zhou Yanzhi cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

...

The clothes from the Imperial Clothing Bureau were delivered quickly. The fabric used for this outfit was excellent; it was a new set of Yun brocade from the Jiangnan Textile Bureau.

It appears to be white like a pearl, but when unfolded, it reveals faint glimmers of iridescent light. The skilled weavers of the Imperial Clothing Bureau embroidered some understated and elegant cloud patterns on it with gold thread, making it very beautiful.

Holding the clothes in front of Zhou Yanzhi, Eunuch Fu forced a smile on his plump face: "Young Master An, these are clothes made of Yun brocade newly presented as tribute from Jiangnan. Don't disappoint His Majesty's kindness. Please change into them quickly."

Zhou Yanzhi took the clothes and placed them on the screen frame, then smiled back and said, "I am very grateful for Your Majesty's kindness. Don't worry, Eunuch Fu, I will change into them now."

Grandpa Fu smiled and said nothing more.

So, under the watchful eye of Eunuch Fu, Zhou Yanzhi slowly and deliberately took off his wet clothes one by one. The water-soaked robes were quite heavy, and they fell to the ground with a dull thud.

Only when the last piece of clothing was removed, revealing Zhou Yanzhi's naked body covered in wounds, did Eunuch Fu finally withdraw his gaze and say gently to Zhou Yanzhi, who had his back to him, "The wet clothes need to be dealt with, so this servant will take his leave now."

Then, without waiting for Zhou Yanzhi's response, Eunuch Fu picked up the pile of half-wet clothes on the ground and retreated behind the screen.

Hearing the noise, Zhou Yanzhi, who was dressing, paused for a moment, then continued to slowly and methodically put on his clothes, giving the person behind the screen enough time to search his belongings.

Looking down at the elegant and exquisite cloud pattern on his cuff, a hint of gloom flashed in his eyes.

It seems that someone behind the scenes has made a move.

Otherwise, why would His Majesty want to test him?

After mentally calculating the time, Zhou Yanzhi strolled out of the side hall as the last button was fastened. Eunuch Fu was already waiting at the hall entrance. Seeing him come out, he smiled and led him back to the main hall of Zichen Palace.

...

Eunuch Fu led the way into the hall. After passing through the beaded curtain, he gently shook his head at Emperor Zhaowen, who was waiting for the result at the head of the table. Emperor Zhaowen breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief and released the jade pendant he had been holding and playing with.

Looking at Zhou Yanzhi, who had changed into a new outfit and looked as gentle and refined as jade, Emperor Zhaowen's eyes flashed with a hint of warmth. He smiled at Zhou Yanzhi and said, "It's been a month since I last saw you. Ce'an has become even more handsome. No wonder your grandmother likes you the most among the grandchildren."

He then added, “However, what you did on New Year’s Eve really gave your grandmother a fright. She couldn’t eat or drink anything all day, fearing that something might happen to you.”

Meeting Emperor Zhaowen's gaze, Zhou Yanzhi smiled faintly: "It is Ce'an's good fortune to be favored by the Empress Dowager."

He paused, then lowered his long eyelashes and said remorsefully, "It's my fault for making Grandmother worry. I will go to Shou'an Palace to apologize to Grandmother in a while."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhaowen at the head of the table laughed loudly twice, but then suddenly turned his head and coughed. Blood spurted from his throat splashed onto the table, blooming like little red plum blossoms on the pile of memorials.

"His Majesty!"

"His Majesty!"

Two voices rang out simultaneously.

Seeing Emperor Zhaowen coughing so violently, Eunuch Fu, who had been waiting, quickly stepped forward to help him catch his breath, while Zhou Yanzhi anxiously called out, "Summon the Imperial Physician!"

Before he could finish speaking, Emperor Zhaowen interrupted him: "No need to summon the imperial physician!"

Seeing the somber look in his eyes, Zhou Yanzhi paused for a moment, then lowered his head and replied, "Yes."

Taking a deep breath, Emperor Zhaowen sipped his tea to wash away the taste of blood from his mouth and said calmly, "I am deeply poisoned, and no matter what I do, I can't change anything. Ce'an, tell me about the information regarding 'Hidden Moon Monk'."

Upon hearing the first half of the sentence, Zhou Yanzhi's eyes widened slightly.

He then responded with a "Yes," and slowly said, "'Hidden Moon' is a highly poisonous drug from the Northern Barbarians. It is potent and similar to the poison of the Central Plains. One who touches it will die instantly. However, I have investigated and found that because the drug is complicated to make, it has not been introduced to the Great Zhao."

"oh?"

Emperor Zhaowen's eyes were deep: "If it's not 'Hidden Moon's Poison, then what poison have I been given?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanzhi raised his eyes: "Ce'an brought back a packet of medicine powder called 'Wangyue San' from Danzhou. I just discussed it with Chief Qi. He believes that His Majesty should have been poisoned by 'Wangyue San,' a chronic poison with the same origin as 'Cangyue Zeng.'"