The guard was actually only suspicious, but when he heard Yi Shangyun say that the ointment was also a kind of medicine, and thought about it carefully, it was completely different from what the Empress had said at the time, so he became even more suspicious. So he said, "Actually, just now, regarding His Majesty's daily diet and lifestyle, we missed something?"
Instantly, the three of them stared wide-eyed at the guard's face, exclaiming in surprise, "Something's been missed..."
"Something's missing? Could it be this... the tonic soup you mentioned?" Yi Shangyun realized instantly.
The guard nodded seriously.
Yi Shangyun immediately recalled for a moment, but had no memory of the matter. She then asked him, "When did His Majesty start taking the herbal paste? I have been serving him in Qingxin Palace every step of the way, and I have never heard of His Majesty taking any herbal paste."
The guard then realized something was amiss and said, "Because Her Majesty the Empress specifically instructed that this is a family secret recipe she specially found for the Emperor, and no one is allowed to peek at it, especially not you, Princess. That's why she always sends it to the Emperor when you're not around..."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun stood up abruptly, feeling utterly astonished and incredulous: "Your Majesty the Empress... are you referring to the Empress who was confined to her palace by the Emperor some time ago?"
“That’s right.” The guard nodded emphatically.
Yi Shangyun was furious and raised her voice to rebuke, "You...didn't I tell you that the Emperor has just recovered from a serious illness and should not take any medicine casually? Even his daily food must be inspected by me before it can be given to him, let alone medicine? How could you keep it from me and let the Emperor take other medicines at will?"
Upon hearing this, the guard, who had just realized what had happened, was filled with remorse. In his anxiety, he knelt down with a thud and cried, "Princess, please calm down! Princess, please calm down!"
Yi Shangyun was filled with remorse and self-reproach, so she secretly clenched her fist and sighed heavily.
At this moment, Mei Zhixuan slammed his hand on the table beside him and said, "It was all my carelessness that allowed the Empress to take advantage of me. I never imagined that the Empress would harbor such a vicious thought towards Father Emperor..."
Perhaps due to the many things that have happened recently, which have been quite distressing, he is now forcing himself to hold this meeting while enduring the immense grief of losing his father.
Yi Shangyun suddenly felt weak and her vision went black. She leaned against the table and quickly braced herself with one arm.
Upon seeing this, Young Master Yi stood up, reached out and put his hand on her shoulder, and said with concern, "Girl, are you alright? Cheer up!"
Yi Shangyun slowly came to her senses, glanced at him, and nodded to show that she was alright.
The guard continued, explaining, "Initially, it was delivered personally by the Empress, who said she had prepared it herself. The Empress said that the tonic was a nourishing and conditioning product, not a medicine. It had both preventative and therapeutic effects, and its sweet and smooth taste made it a good product for prolonging life. The Emperor also praised it highly, and we subordinates dared not suspect the Empress at all, so... so..."
Yi Shangyun suppressed his anger and said, "Foolish! This tonic formula may be good, but it's not suitable for everyone."
At this point, it seemed that the whole matter was finally starting to make some progress, but Young Master Yi seemed to find it hard to believe and asked, "Could it be that there was really a problem with the Empress's nourishing soup?"
Yes, it seems that although the possibility of the Empress poisoning him is high, there is still no evidence. Yi Shangyun thought to herself for a moment, then suddenly came to her senses and hurriedly asked the guard, "Has Father Emperor taken this ointment today?"
The guard thought for a moment and said, "Her Majesty the Empress said that this nourishing soup is most effective when taken twice a day, morning and evening. So, the morning dose has already been taken, and the evening dose... is still warming up on the stove!"
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun impatiently ordered, "Quickly bring it up and let us see!"
The guards quickly brought up the remaining tonic soup, and the three of them got up and carefully observed and studied the tonic soup on the tea tray on the table for a long time.
Yi Shangyun couldn't help but marvel at this, saying, "Preparing this tonic requires six hours of soaking, three extractions, four concentrations, twelve hours of gelatinization, three high-heat simmerings, and a low-heat simmering to form the paste. It involves eight intricate steps: selecting authentic ingredients, using secret processing methods, deep cleaning, slow soaking and prolonged steeping, high-heat simmering, low-heat thickening, filtering and extracting the essence, and finally, a secret method for concentrating the paste. It takes about seven days in total to complete. If all of this was truly done by the Empress, then she has really gone to great lengths!"
Mei Zhixuan, however, remained puzzled and asked, "How could this tonic soup be poisonous?"
Young Master Yi said leisurely, "The Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica classifies medicines into three grades: superior, medium, and inferior, based on their toxicity. Superior medicines are for prolonging life and are non-toxic; medium medicines are for preventing disease and replenishing deficiencies, and their toxicity depends on the dosage; inferior medicines are for treating and preventing diseases, and are mostly toxic and should not be taken for a long time. Some medicines, if used improperly, can cause poisoning or even death. Moreover, we all say that 'all medicines have some degree of toxicity,' but we should not mistakenly believe that all Chinese medicines are toxic. The correct interpretation is that medicines have certain properties of cold, heat, warmth, or coolness."
Yi Shangyun further explained: "'Slightly toxic' refers to drugs with a certain degree of toxicity. The therapeutic dose and the toxic dose of these drugs are quite different. Side effects may only occur when the dosage is excessive or when the drugs are used improperly. Examples include bitter almonds, which are commonly used to stop coughs and relieve asthma, and mugwort leaves, which are used to dispel cold and dampness."
Young Master Yi continued, “'Poisonous' is also called common poison. The therapeutic dose and the toxic dose of this type of medicine are close. Attention should be paid to the usage and dosage, such as processed Aconitum carmichaelii, processed Aconitum carmichaelii, Xanthium sibiricum, and cinnabar.”
Yi Shangyun thought for a moment, his expression gradually darkening, and slowly said, "'Highly poisonous' refers to drugs with extremely strong toxicity. The therapeutic dose of such drugs is close to the toxic dose, and they must be used strictly according to the doctor's instructions, such as Tripterygium wilfordii and Strychnos nux-vomica."
Young Master Yi's face was also gloomy. He said, "'Extremely poisonous' is also called highly toxic. These kinds of drugs are extremely toxic. The dosage of the raw product is usually very small or not suitable for internal use, such as arsenic, raw aconite, and raw aconite root."
After listening to the two men's detailed explanation, Mei Zhixuan was immediately taken aback. He realized that there was so much knowledge behind such an inconspicuous little herb. But then he wondered, "If it were a good medicine to cure diseases and save lives, that would be fine. But what's the use of studying these poisonous herbs?"
Yi Shangyun exhaled a breath of stale air and said, "Since ancient times, many doctors have believed that 'medicine cures disease because of its toxicity.' Research has also confirmed that some toxic, highly toxic, or extremely toxic drugs can indeed overcome some difficult and serious illnesses. For example, extracts of arsenic can treat certain types of blood diseases, and 'Si Ni Tang,' made from aconite and other drugs, can dispel cold and relieve pain. However, despite this, in order to avoid serious toxic side effects, we must be very careful when using toxic drugs."
Mei Zhixuan asked doubtfully, "Do we have to be extremely careful?"
Yi Shangyun glanced at him and said, “First, it is not recommended to make your own medicinal wine or pills/powders using toxic Chinese herbs. Second, try not to overdose on medication, and avoid prolonged use. Some people have suffered severe poisoning from long-term misuse of 3 grams of processed aconite. Third, you must choose processed herbs rationally, and it is strictly forbidden to use raw herbs. Finally, for aconite-type herbs, such as Sichuan aconite, cassia aconite, and prepared aconite root, you should follow your doctor's instructions to decoct them first and for a long time, some even for more than 2 hours.”
Young Master Yi had been staring intently at Yi Shangyun's face the whole time. He raised an eyebrow, seemingly impressed by her remarkable medical skills at such a young age, and praised, "What you said is absolutely right. For example, cinnabar, with its vibrant color, is often used by women to enhance their beauty, and it's also a major ingredient in rouge. Cinnabar is also a very common Chinese medicinal herb; its main function is to calm the nerves and aid sleep. If you're troubled by insomnia, you can take some appropriately. However, you should know that cinnabar cannot be taken in large quantities or for a long time, otherwise it can cause serious damage to the liver."
Mei Zhixuan suddenly realized: "So that's how it is."
Once she came to her senses, she looked at the nourishing soup in front of her and asked, "Is there any poison in this soup?"
At this moment, the guard hurriedly spoke up: "The imperial physician has already carefully examined this bowl of medicine several times with silver needles and found no abnormalities."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shangyun turned her gaze back to him and examined him more carefully.
A moment later, she slowly reached up and took a clean silver spoon from the tea tray, scooped a spoonful of the medicinal soup from the bowl, and brought it to her nose to smell it.
Just as Yi Sanshao and Mei Zhixuan stood silently to the side, watching her every move and wondering what her intentions were, Yi Shangyun suddenly poured the entire spoonful of medicine into her mouth.
Instantly, Young Master Yi, Mei Zhixuan, and the three guards shouted almost in unison:
"Girl, what are you doing?"
"Royal sister, what are you doing?"
"Princess, you absolutely mustn't!"
Just as the three of them were all taken aback by her actions and stared at her in disbelief, Yi Shangyun suddenly smiled, a beautiful curve appearing on her lips: "That's right, the problem really is in this bowl of medicinal soup!"
Upon hearing this, Young Master Yi hurriedly snatched the silver spoon from his hand, stepped forward without hesitation, scooped up a spoonful, and put it in his mouth. After a moment, he also looked at Yi Shangyun's face. The two seemed to have tasted the same flavor and said in unison, "That's right, that's it!"
Yi Shangyun smiled and nodded affirmatively at him.
Suddenly, a look of worry appeared on Yi Sanshao's face. He said, "But how can such a small dose be extracted? If we can't produce conclusive evidence, we certainly won't be able to punish the Empress."
Even Young Master Yi shook his head as if it were impossible, but Yi Shangyun suddenly raised his voice and said, "I have a way!"
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