Leyou took a small bite.
As the warm and bitter medicine entered her mouth, Le You suddenly frowned and stuck out her tongue: "Grandmother, today's medicine seems to be more bitter than yesterday's... Madam Qian, go get some candied fruit for Grandmother. Mother made it yesterday. It's especially sweet."
Madam Qian smiled kindly and said, "I will do it right away."
At this time, the eunuch from the Cining Palace came to report: "Empress Dowager, Aunt Liu from the Kunning Palace wants to see you. She has reported to you on the arrangements for the Queen's birthday in the next two days."
The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes and said, "Let her in."
Nanny Liu hurried into the main hall of the Cining Palace and was about to pay her respects respectfully when she suddenly saw Princess Leyou beside the empress dowager. Le You was holding the medicine bowl, preparing to take another sip of the medicine.
Madam Liu immediately sensed something was wrong and asked without bothering to greet her, "Did Princess Leyou taste the Queen Mother's health-preserving soup?"
Leyou tilted her head and said sweetly, "Yes."
Aunt Liu was shocked and shouted, "No! Absolutely not! Queen Mother, there is something wrong with this medicine!"
As soon as Madam Liu finished speaking, the Queen Mother reacted almost immediately. She snatched the bowl of medicine from Le You's hand and said in panic, "Someone, call the imperial physician! Le You, dear boy, spit out the medicine you drank!"
The palace servants got busy.
Some palace maids went to ask for the imperial physician, some went to get a small basin for inducing vomiting, and some went to heat milk and boil honeysuckle and mung bean water.
The Queen Mother's hands were shaking with nervousness and her heart was beating violently. She held Leyou in her arms. Leyou's throat was delicate and he was unable to spit out the medicine, so the empress dowager personally pressed the back of Leyou's tongue with a small spoon.
Le You spat out two mouthfuls of medicine, covered his throat with his hands, and frowned uncomfortably: "Grandmother, what's wrong?"
The little girl had an innocent look on her face, her cheeks red from vomiting, and she looked at the Queen Mother with clear eyes. The Queen Mother felt a pang of pain in her heart and gently patted Le You's back: "Children can't drink this medicine - Le You, are you feeling unwell?"
Le You shook his head obediently: "No."
The Queen Mother was still worried, so she asked the palace maid to bring some hot milk. Milk can reduce toxicity. Although Leyou didn't understand what was happening, he still drank half a bowl of milk obediently.
After drinking the milk, the Queen Mother asked Le You to lie down on the small couch next to her to rest, and asked the old nanny in the palace to take care of the child and observe his condition.
"Tell me everything exactly as it happened and don't lie!" The Queen Mother was furious and her eyes were as sharp as knives.
Nanny Liu fell to her knees and confessed everything about how the Queen had treated Li Wan'er harshly, given her strong medicines, and poisoned the medicines given to Concubine Chen and the Queen Mother.
There was dead silence in the Cining Palace.
The Queen Mother's face was gloomy and a low pressure atmosphere permeated her body.
The Queen Mother asked: "You are the Queen's dowry nanny, why are you willing to expose this matter?"
Madam Liu knelt on the ground and said, "The queen is stubborn and has dug her own grave. I have repeatedly advised her but it is useless. I can only protect myself. Also, Concubine Chen promised me a stable home for my old age."
The Queen Mother nodded and said, "After some time, find an excuse to leave the palace, and I will reward you with another hundred taels of gold."
Madam Liu was overjoyed and kowtowed again to express her gratitude: "Thank you very much, Your Majesty, for your reward. I will keep my mouth shut and will not reveal a single word."
Nanny Liu went to receive the reward happily.
She knew that she was finally going to escape from the quagmire of the harem and gain a brief period of peace for the rest of her life.
...
Not long after, the eunuchs from the Cining Palace returned to the palace with six imperial doctors.
The imperial doctors examined Le You.
"Your Majesty, Princess Leyou induced vomiting in time, so she is fine." An elderly imperial physician reported with a bow.
The Queen Mother felt a little relieved.
Nanny Qian took out another unopened package of medicinal materials from today and asked the imperial physician to check the dosage of the herbs according to the prescription. The imperial doctors opened the packages of medicinal materials and weighed and checked the amount of each ingredient with a small scale.
After half an hour, the Queen Mother asked coldly, "Are the ingredients of the health-preserving soup correct?"
The imperial doctors looked at each other in bewilderment.
Everyone in the Imperial Medical Service knew that Doctor Shen and others who were in charge of purchasing medicinal materials and distributing them were once retainers of the Tan Tai family and were highly regarded by the Queen.
The medicinal ingredients for the health-preserving soup that the Empress Dowager took were naturally packed by Doctor Shen and others.
The imperial doctors in the palace were all smart and had already guessed the game between the Queen Mother and the Empress. The imperial doctors all lowered their heads, not daring to speak nonsense or get involved.
The handsome doctor Mo bowed slowly and said, "Your Majesty, the dosage of two herbs in your health-preserving soup has been increased. If you take it for a long time, your internal organs will fail and you will die within three years."
Doctor Mo, of course, is Mo Xun.
Mo Xun was never afraid of causing trouble, and added, "Princess Leyou only drank a mouthful of medicine, and she induced vomiting in time, so it's fine. If she had been induced to vomit half an hour later, Princess Leyou would have suffered vomiting and diarrhea at best, or even internal organ damage at worst."
The Queen Mother looked at Mo Xun deeply with a look of approval.
All the other imperial doctors were sent away, leaving only Mo Xun.
After a while, the old nanny brought Li Wan'er to the Cining Palace. Li Wan'er lowered her head timidly, her little face nervous.
She did not have a close relationship with the Empress Dowager, and the affection between the two was very weak.
Li Wan'er timidly paid her respects to the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother asked Mo Xun to take Li Wan'er's pulse.
After a moment, Mo Xun bowed and answered truthfully: "My Queen Mother, the young master has not yet recovered from the cold. He has used an excessive amount of strong medicine to catalyze and cover it up, and the cold symptoms have been temporarily cured. The young master is young, so the medicine should be mainly mild, otherwise it will harm his body."
The Queen Mother closed her eyes and it was true.
The queen was so vicious that she attacked poor Li Wan'er for her own selfish reasons.
The Queen Mother held Li Wan'er's hand. The little girl is already thirteen years old, but she hasn't grown up yet, and her face is fair and pretty. His eyes are like the late Crown Prince Li Yuanchang, and his nose and lips are like the late Crown Princess.
The Queen Mother's eyes were sore and her heart was invaded by guilt.
She said in a gentle voice: "Good boy, I am sorry for making you suffer. From now on, you will live in the West Garden of the Cining Palace. The Empress Dowager will protect you and won't let bad people bully you."
Li Wan'er lowered her head, tears falling like pearls from a broken string.
The palace maids and nannies who served Li Wan'er were all beaten with the stick thirty times and then banished to the imperial palace. Nanny Qian led the palace servants to Baozhu Palace and brought Li Wan'er's clothes and belongings back to Cining Palace.
...
Shen Wei was well-informed. When she learned that Le You had accidentally drunk the empress dowager's medicine, she was so scared that she broke out in a cold sweat and hurried to the Cining Palace.
Arriving at the Cining Palace, Le You's clear and loud voice reached Shen Wei's ears.
Leyou is fine.
She was enthusiastically holding Li Wan'er's hand and taking her to familiarize herself with the environment of the Cining Palace. Li Wan'er has a gentle temper and a smile on her lips. It is obvious that she likes this little sister very much.
"Mother!" Le You saw Chen Wei and ran over happily.
Shen Wei half squatted down and held Leyou in her arms. Leyou has a chubby face, which turns red after basking in the sun. He looks very healthy, without any sign of sickness.
Shen Wei was immediately relieved.
She pinched Leyou's chubby face and said, "I heard that you ate something wrong and scared your mother."
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