Chapter 191 Poisons
"Oh no, Princess Chang Le doesn't look drunk, she looks more like... she looks like..."
The old nanny sent by the Princess of Runing was an experienced woman. When she saw the girl's pale face, she realized something was wrong.
"What does it look like? Granny, please tell me quickly!"
Lanxin and the others were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.
"It's like poisoning..."
"What?!"
These words surprised not only the eldest princess and others, but also the emperor, empress and imperial concubine at the head of the table.
"How could that be? Everyone has eaten and drunk the food and wine I arranged. Why is it only Princess Chang Le who has these symptoms? Perhaps she ate something bad and is blaming me for it!"
The imperial concubine hurriedly stood up, but then remembered that the emperor was beside her, so she weakly swayed and leaned against him:
"Your Majesty, you know me well. Apart from that time with Zou Ping, where I misjudged people, I handle everything else perfectly and never make such a mistake..."
The emperor patted her fair hand reassuringly, but his gaze was fixed on the empress.
The Empress had long since looked away, her gaze now fixed on the guests and relatives below, who were all on edge because of the poisoning symptoms described by the old woman.
"Please be patient, everyone. The imperial physician has already sent someone to fetch him. All the wine and food you have consumed will be sealed and re-examined by a specialist and the imperial physician."
At this point, the difference between the empress and the concubines becomes immediately apparent.
One offered a flustered explanation, the other remained dignified and composed. The emperor straightened the concubine who was supporting him, his tone somewhat cold:
"It was just a question from someone below. Why are you so flustered? You are, after all, a noble consort. You should have the composure and dignity befitting someone in a high position."
The Imperial Concubine pouted, looking aggrieved. "Your Majesty was just worried that you would suspect me, which is why I was so eager to explain. Doesn't Your Majesty already know me?"
Before long, the imperial physician arrived late; it was none other than Physician Wei, an acquaintance of Qi Yuxuan.
After the previous epidemic, Imperial Physician Wei's status in the Imperial Hospital rose significantly. Apart from a few hospital directors and judges, all the other imperial physicians followed Imperial Physician Wei's lead.
"Your humble servant pays respects to Your Majesty, Empress, and Imperial Concubine..."
"Stop with the formalities, come quickly and let me examine the princess!"
The eldest princess interrupted Physician Wei's bowing in a hurry, almost dragging him over.
"yes--"
Upon hearing the princess's name, Physician Wei was startled and hurriedly ran to Qi Yuxuan's side.
This is the benefactor who helped him get to his current position, so he should take good care of him, right?
As he examined the patient's health, the expression on Physician Wei's face grew increasingly grave.
"Princess, what's wrong?" He tentatively checked Qi Yuxuan's pulse again, his brow furrow so tight it could almost trap a fly.
"The princess has a mother-child Gu worm inside her body, which is clashing with the poison. That's why the poison immediately attacked her heart. She probably needs to induce vomiting immediately to expel the poison!"
Upon hearing the word "poison," the eldest princess almost fainted.
She knew about the Mother-Child Gu. Yu Xuan had informed her when she brought the guard named Ren Shun back to the Princess's residence.
With trembling hand, she pointed to the wine cup on Qi Yuxuan's long table, gritting her teeth as she said:
"I would like to trouble Physician Wei to take a look and see if the poison is in the wine in this cup!"
"Lanxin, take the princess away!"
Physician Wei hurriedly picked up the remaining wine in the cup with his fingers, sniffed it lightly, tasted it with the tip of his tongue, and then quickly rinsed his mouth.
He repeated this several times, but he still looked troubled.
"Your Highness, please forgive my incompetence, but I cannot confirm whether this wine is poisoned."
The medicinal wine contained several Chinese medicinal herbs, including cinnabar, realgar, and calamus, with mixed and difficult-to-distinguish flavors. Doctor Wei was not very skilled at identifying poisons; he had already exhausted all his knowledge by confirming that Qi Yuxuan was suffering from a combination of Gu and poison through pulse diagnosis. At this moment, he was truly at his wit's end.
The eldest princess didn't make things difficult for him. She immediately rose, knelt down, and earnestly addressed the emperor at the head of the table:
"Your Majesty, Your Highness, Yu Xuan is still so young. She has already suffered so much in the past, and now that she's by my side, she hasn't even had a few good days before encountering poisonous creatures..."
She gritted her teeth, her gaze barely passing over the Imperial Concubine.
"Please, both of you, have mercy on my son and do everything you can to find the poisoner and bring justice to him!"
Inside the guest room.
Qi Yuxuan vomited up all the wine and drank a lot of calming soup, which finally made her feel much better.
"Xing'er, come and take a look."
She beckoned, and one of the maids who followed her in immediately moved at the sound and looked up.
Lanxin and Bihui were both startled. "I was wondering why there was such a young maidservant who kept her head down. So the princess brought you here!"
"So what happened today wasn't an accident, but rather..."
"Shh-"
Pei Xing'er put her finger to her lips, signaling them to be quiet so she could concentrate on taking the pulse.
Bi Sui immediately covered her mouth, and also covered Lan Xin's mouth.
Qi Yuxuan and Pei Xing'er exchanged a smile. After checking their pulses and finding them to be safe and sound, the master and servants finally felt completely relieved.
"Luckily, I had the pills you gave me. Otherwise, even if I drank a whole pot of them, I wouldn't have achieved the same effect as before."
Qi Yuxuan sighed.
“Your Highness, you know our Pei family. We’re so-so when it comes to healing the sick, but our ancestors have studied quite a few of these strange and ingenious tricks. If some of our books weren’t just incomplete pages, I would have many more tricks up my sleeve.”
Pei Xing'er was a little proud, but she had only been boasting for a few minutes when a soft knock came at the door, followed by a somewhat familiar voice:
“Princess Chang Le, this servant is Sun Miao, who serves the Crown Prince. I have come to deliver something to you on the Crown Prince’s orders.”
"Please come in!"
Sun Miao personally carried in a tray with a bowl of warm and nourishing eight-treasure sweet soup. As soon as the lid was lifted, the room was filled with a steaming, sweet aroma.
"His Highness said that the Princess made a great sacrifice. This Eight Treasure Sweet Soup was simmered early this morning and kept warm in a water tank all the way from the palace. It's just the right time to use it. I hope the Princess will do you the honor of trying it. It would be good to sweeten your mouth."
Qi Yuxuan was taken aback and gestured for Lanxin to take it.
She had just vomited, and her stomach was now empty. If things continued like this, she probably wouldn't be able to eat anything all day. The Crown Prince was so meticulous that he had even thought of this.
"Thank you, Cousin Crown Prince. By the way, I'm afraid Mother isn't in the mood for anything. Is there any sweet soup left?"
This matter was discussed privately between her and the Crown Prince, and initially, there was no intention to put her in danger. It was only after she informed the Crown Prince of the existence of the Mother-Child Gu and consulted Pei Xing'er that she was able to persuade him.
Sun Miao grinned so wide his eyes disappeared, his plump, white face radiating joy.
"The Crown Prince had already instructed that it be kept and sent up as soon as things were settled over there!"
"That's good. Thank you for your hard work, Eunuch Sun."
"It is my duty as a servant. Your Highness, please rest. If there is any news from over there, I will immediately send someone to inform you."
"Please take care, Eunuch Sun."
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