Chapter 84 Suspected of Poisoning

In the stillness of the night, the Chang Le Palace, where the Consort Xian resided, was brightly lit.

The interior furnishings appear simple and elegant at first glance, but upon closer inspection, they reveal understated luxury. The rosewood carved chairs are covered with phoenix-patterned brocade cushions, and the curio cabinet displays official kiln porcelain and rare books. The air is filled with the rich and precious aroma of sandalwood.

It exudes restraint and majesty in silence.

The Empress Dowager sat gracefully on a warm couch by the window, with a cup of freshly brewed ginseng tea on a small table beside her. The rising steam accentuated her well-maintained appearance.

She was over eighty years old, and her face lacked the usual kindness of an elderly person. Instead, her skin was firm, making her appear quite serious. Her phoenix eyes were slightly upturned at the corners, and her gaze was sharp, revealing the scrutiny and shrewdness of someone who had long held a position of power.

Dou Zhijie, travel-worn and weary, bowed respectfully at the lower end of the table. He had just arrived from Princess Jingfu's residence to report back.

"Your Highness," Dou Zhijie said respectfully and tactfully, "I have personally presented Princess Jingfu's birthday gift. The princess was delighted with it and played with it for a long time. She also specifically instructed me to convey her greetings to Your Highness and wish Her Highness good health and long life."

Upon hearing this, the Consort Xian didn't even lift her eyelids, only letting out a barely audible snort, her tone tinged with sarcasm: "Her princess residence is right at the foot of the capital, so close. All year round, apart from making a show of visiting when she enters the palace to meet the Emperor, when have I ever seen her sincerely inquire about my health? Now she suddenly remembers to care about my health."

She spoke slowly, but her words revealed a coldness and critical nature stemming from years of experience in the imperial court.

Of the late emperor's concubines, only Consort Yu Xian is still alive.

The Emperor was raised by her when he was young, and after ascending the throne, he served her as if she were his own mother, showing her the utmost respect. This is known to everyone in the court and among the people.

However, Princesses Jingfu and Jingzhen never developed a deep affection for this imperial concubine.

In her early years, Consort Xian did not pay much attention to the two princesses. It was only later, when Princess Jingfu saved the emperor at the hunting grounds and gained favor with the emperor, that Consort Xian began to put some effort into maintaining a superficial closeness.

Hearing the displeasure in the Empress Dowager's words, Dou Zhijie quickly put on an even more sincere smile and gently advised, "Your Highness, you are too kind. Princess Jingfu is indeed a bit straightforward and not as good at expressing herself as ordinary people, but her respect for Your Highness is certainly no less."

"Besides, everyone in the palace knows that His Majesty treats the Empress with utmost filial piety and sincerity. How could the Princess not be grateful? It must be that the affairs of the household have been too busy lately, and she has neglected to inquire after her. Your Majesty, please be magnanimous and do not hold it against the juniors."

"Hmph," the coldness on the Empress Dowager's face softened a bit because of his words, "You are better at reading people than your father was back then, and your words are more pleasing to the ear."

"No, no, I was just telling the truth." Seeing that the Empress Dowager's teacup was empty, Dou Zhijie bowed and stepped forward with great tact, picked up the jade pot that was warm beside him, and gently refilled it for her, his posture humble and natural.

The Empress Dowager accepted the teacup he offered with satisfaction, took a sip, and then slowly asked, "How is Mingyuan doing lately? Has his illness improved significantly?"

"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Thanks to your great fortune, the precious medicinal herbs you bestowed were extremely effective in treating the illness. After resting for some time, the young master is now fully recovered and is back to his energetic self."

"That's good." The Empress Dowager nodded slightly, but her tone carried a hint of concern. "That child of his has never suffered much since he was young. This illness will teach him a lesson and help him settle down. He shouldn't spend his days fooling around outside and bringing back unclean and sickly things."

Her words genuinely showed concern for her grandson, but beneath that concern lay an autocratic desire for control, as if only by firmly grasping everything about her children and grandchildren could she soothe her deep-seated anxieties and resentment about the loss of power.

"However," she changed the subject, her sharp gaze sweeping over Dou Zhijie, "I heard that a while ago there was a severe epidemic in the city, and even the palace lost many people. The Imperial Medical Academy was struggling to cope. I heard that Mingyuan's illness... wasn't treated by Ji Yun?"

Dou Zhijie lowered his eyelashes slightly, his eyes flashing rapidly as if he were quickly weighing his options, but his expression remained perfectly submissive as he carefully replied, "Your Highness, the Prince was treated at a clinic in the city. The doctor there seems to have a history with the Prince, and his medical skills are quite remarkable. During the epidemic, he treated many seriously ill patients with great success, so much so that many people later sought him out specifically for treatment."

"Oh? A folk doctor?" The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow, a hint of undisguised contempt flashing across her face. "What real skills could they possibly have? Mingyuan is a place of honor and wealth; how could those quacks treat us so casually? If anything goes wrong, how many heads do they have to pay for it?"

Her tone turned slightly somber as she pressed, "Which clinic? What's the doctor's name?"

Her grandson has always only known how to hang out with a bunch of playboys. Even if they are all ignorant and incompetent people, they are all from high-ranking families. How could he possibly have made friends with a folk doctor who shows his face in public and practices medicine in a private clinic?

The matter seemed suspicious, which instinctively made her a little wary.

Seeing the Empress Dowager's expression harden slightly, Dou Zhijie dared not conceal anything and quickly bowed, replying, "Your Majesty, it is a clinic on Peach Blossom Street called 'Zhaoyutang.' The doctor in charge is a woman, who is said to be a descendant of the Meng family, who run a medicinal herb business in the city, and her name is Meng Yutong."

After he finished speaking, he cautiously raised his eyes, observing the Empress Dowager's reaction.

But then the Empress Dowager's gaze suddenly sharpened, and a hint of fierceness, almost impossible to detect, flashed in her sharp phoenix eyes.

"Is she Jiang Yunshang's granddaughter?" The Dowager's voice suddenly lowered a few degrees.

Dou Zhijie's heart skipped a beat.

As early as when he noticed Li Jing's special attitude towards Meng Yutong, he had already sent people to investigate the woman's background in detail. Naturally, he knew that the "Jiang Yunshang" mentioned by the Dowager Consort was Meng Yutong's grandmother.

The Dowager Consort actually knew the old lady of the Meng family? A cloud of doubt suddenly rose in his heart, but he dared not show it on his face, and only bowed his head respectfully and replied, "That's right."

Upon hearing his affirmative reply, the Dowager Consort said nothing more, but instead extended her well-maintained fingers, adorned with jade nail guards, and began to tap rhythmically on the smooth rosewood table.

"Tap...tap...tap..."

The crisp tapping sound echoed in the silent hall, each sound unhurried yet strangely eerie.

After a long silence, she finally spoke, her tone so calm that it revealed neither joy nor anger:

"Great...very good..."

For some reason, Dou Zhijie felt a chill run down his spine, which gave him goosebumps.

He had served the Dowager Consort for a long time, but he had never seen her show such an expression.

It was a cold, sinister color, buried deep beneath an air of elegance and grandeur, almost bursting forth from the earth.

Having already finished his reply, Dou Zhijie dared not linger and respectfully bowed before taking his leave.

Only after leaving Chang Le Palace and walking along the long street with its dim palace lanterns did his tense mind relax slightly, but his thoughts continued to churn.

He recalled the Dou family's rise to prominence. His father, Dou Ying, was just an unknown physician in the Ministry of Rites. It was only by chance that he assisted Prince Rong, who was in charge of the case at the time, in a sensational case that shocked the court and the public many years ago.

The case was ultimately handled poorly, even drawing considerable criticism, and the emperor was not necessarily pleased.

However, the father somehow grasped the key to success, and from then on, his official career flourished, and the Dou family became completely dependent on the lineage of the Dowager Consort.

When he entered officialdom, he naturally inherited this legacy. With this connection and his own smoothness, he thrived in the officialdom.

However, he remained clear-headed, realizing that following the Empress Dowager was tantamount to seeking help from a tiger. The temptation was immense, but the hidden risks were even more unfathomable.

Perhaps having grasped this point, my father has gradually become interested in retiring in recent years, focusing more on managing the family and enjoying his retirement, while becoming less enthusiastic about the power struggles in the court.

He thought he needed to find an opportunity to ask his father about what happened back then. Knowing more would always be beneficial for his future dealings with the Dowager Princess.

*

On the fifth day of the eighth lunar month, the autumn sky was clear and crisp, with a few wisps of thin clouds dotting the sky.

A gentle breeze carries the faint, sweet fragrance of osmanthus blossoms, signaling the approaching autumn.

Inside Ji'an Hall, Meng Yutong brought Bai Zhi to visit the children. They brought some easy-to-store pastries and snacks, as well as some commonly used medicinal herbs to prevent autumn dryness and colds, which were handed over to the steward, Qiu Niang, for safekeeping in case of emergency.

Since Meng Yutong had visited several times, the children were quite familiar with her. As soon as they saw her, they happily gathered around her. Some of the more lively ones, like Xing'er, even rushed over and hugged her legs, calling out "Sister Yutong" in their clear voices.

Meng Yutong responded with a smile, gently inquiring about their recent well-being. She also made a special trip to check on the recovery of Xiao Hui and Xing'er, who had previously suffered from diarrhea, and carefully reminded them that although they had recovered, they still needed to keep warm and eat a light diet.

Her gaze swept over the children, but she didn't see the little figure who always timidly hid at the back.

She looked up and gazed into the distance, and sure enough, she saw Xiaoxue huddled in the shadow cast by an old spinning wheel, her little hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes, too afraid to approach.

Those clear, large eyes stared at her intently from afar, their appearance heartbreaking.

Meng Yutong's heart softened, and she gestured to Bai Zhi to take good care of the children around her, while she quietly walked towards the corner.

She knelt down in front of Xiaoxue, her gaze level with hers, and gently stroked the little girl's soft hair, her voice extremely gentle: "Xiaoxue, it's been so long, have you missed your sister?"

Xiaoxue's big eyes blinked, and a shy blush rose on her fair face. Then she nodded vigorously, but very slightly.

She even imitated Meng Yutong, timidly reaching out her soft little hand to gently touch Meng Yutong's temples.

Meng Yutong's smile deepened as she took out a butterfly woven from dried grass from her sleeve.

The butterfly's form was simple and even somewhat clumsy, quite different from a truly graceful and lively butterfly. This was a substitute she had reluctantly made from dried grass stems in the yard after several failed attempts to embroider butterflies on sachets.

She handed the grass butterfly to Xiaoxue. Xiaoxue's eyes lit up instantly. She carefully took it with both hands, as if holding some priceless treasure. She held it up to her eyes and examined it carefully and attentively. The corners of her mouth slowly curved upwards, and her eyes narrowed into two crescent moons.

Seeing that she was in a good mood, Meng Yutong whispered in her ear, "Xiaoxue, look, the other children in the yard are playing together. They are all very kind and won't bully anyone. If you're scared, you can watch from the side first, and then slowly walk over when you feel comfortable, okay?"

As she spoke, she deliberately puffed out her cheeks, then let out a long "whoosh," exhaling, "It lets out all the pent-up breath. Even though I can't make a sound, it feels much better. Come on, let's try it together?"

Xiaoxue blinked her big eyes and looked at her hesitantly.

Meng Yutong then demonstrated again, exhaling with an exaggerated expression, which made Xiaoxue's eyes crinkle slightly.

After a short while, perhaps because the action was a bit silly, or perhaps because the other person’s serious expression was so amusing, the two looked at each other and chuckled softly in unison.

Xiaoxue's shoulders shrugged as she laughed. Though silent, the smile radiated from her eyes, warm and bright.

After spending half a day with the children at Ji'an Hall, Meng Yutong got up to say goodbye as it was getting late.

After returning to Zhaoyutang, she continued to immerse herself in the research and development of the fruit and herbal tea that she had previously mentioned to Ji Yun.

Of the several products tested in the past few days, the "Heart-Clearing and Fire-Reducing Tea" made with honeysuckle, mint, and licorice, and the "Digestive and Stomach-Strengthening Drink" made with dried tangerine peel and hawthorn sold the best.

However, as the seasons changed and the autumn winds began to blow and the weather turned cooler, she thought about making some teas that were more suitable for autumn, could moisturize dryness, promote saliva production, and nourish the lungs.

But... she hesitated, writing down "autumn pear" and "lily" on the paper, her pen pausing slightly. Autumn pear is cool in nature, and lily is slightly cold. Although the combination of the two is good for moisturizing dryness, its nature is too cold and not suitable for people with weak spleen and stomach.

Adding a warm-natured almond to balance the flavor might help.

...The key to this lies in the principles of the principal, assistant, adjuvant, and guiding roles of medicinal herbs. If Ji Yun were present, perhaps they could discuss it together...

The moment this thought crossed her mind, she was taken aback. Come to think of it, it seemed that Ji Yun hadn't set foot in Zhaoyu Hall for quite some time since the princess's birthday banquet.

She immediately shook her head, dispelling that inexplicable thought. It was better that he didn't come; the clinic would be quieter, allowing her to focus on studying medicine and managing daily affairs.

Just as she was pondering this, she suddenly heard an unusual commotion and heavy footsteps outside the door, interspersed with panicked gasps. Meng Yutong frowned and looked up at the door, puzzled.

A group of palace guards dressed in black, with standard long swords at their waists, moved with lightning speed and surrounded the small Zhaoyu Hall in the blink of an eye, exuding a chilling aura.

With a loud bang, the lead guard kicked open the half-closed door of the clinic, sending splinters flying. His eyes flashed like lightning as he swept across the room, his voice cold and hard as iron as he shouted:

"The Meng family of Zhaoyutang is suspected of poisoning Princess Jingfu with medicine! By imperial decree, the clinic is to be raided immediately, and all personnel are to be detained on the spot without fail!"