Accompanying Su Yan to the palace was Xie Yu.
The two remained silent throughout the journey, allowing the attendant to lead the way.
Upon arriving at the Renshou Palace, where the Empress Dowager resided, the Empress, Imperial Noble Consort Ye Xiangjun, the Tenth Prince Li Yan, and the Crown Prince Li Shen had already been waiting in the main hall for some time.
Su Yan and Xie Yu arrived at the center of the main hall and bowed to everyone in unison.
"Your humble servant Su Yan (Xie Yu) greets Your Highness the Crown Prince, Your Majesty the Empress, Your Highness the Imperial Noble Consort, and Your Highness Prince Rui."
His Majesty was unwell and therefore did not come to the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity.
"No need for formalities..."
The Empress raised her hand, signaling the two to rise.
As soon as Su Yan stood up, she noticed a fervent gaze fixed on her.
Imperial Noble Consort Ye Xiangjun looked at her with a somewhat disdainful expression.
"You're Su Yan?"
Su Yan nodded. "Your Highness, I am Su Yan."
Ye Xiangjun is only twenty-eight years old, three years older than the Crown Prince. She has been spoiled since childhood, so when she saw that Su Yan was younger than herself, she was somewhat skeptical of her abilities.
After all, the Empress Dowager was her great-aunt, and if she really died, she would have no one to rely on in the harem.
Therefore, Ye Xiangjun was the one who least wanted anything to happen to the Empress Dowager.
"Su Yan, although I don't fully trust your abilities, you were chosen by Wenren Yi after all. You must find out who murdered the Empress Dowager within five days. Don't let their evil scheme succeed."
After speaking, Ye Xiangjun glanced at Xiao Guanyin, her intentions subtly implying something.
Although Su Yan was not in the harem, as a woman herself, she knew the intricacies of the harem, and Ye Xiangjun's naming of someone so specifically was surprising.
Who dares to take up the conversation?
Empress Xiao Guanyin could not possibly fail to understand Ye Xiangjun's implied meaning; she merely glanced at her with a cold smile.
He retorted sarcastically, "That's right, Minister Su. The Empress Dowager's poisoning is no small matter. If someone takes the opportunity to frame her, it will endanger the country and the nation of Liang. We must not let it go lightly."
Ye Xiangjun wasn't stupid; she naturally understood Xiao Guanyin's implication. She clenched her fists in anger and gritted her teeth, saying, "Your Majesty is wise! Just like some people who are always accompanied by the ancient Buddha and the lamp, who can know whether they are wearing human skin or ghost skin?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiao Guanyin made no attempt to hide her disgust and glared fiercely at Ye Xiangjun.
The two were unwilling to even put on a show of their grudges and made no attempt to hide them from outsiders.
Fortunately, Xiao Guanyin was magnanimous and did not continue to argue with Ye Xiangjun. She changed her expression and looked at Su Yan.
"Minister Su, I'm entrusting you with the investigation of the Empress Dowager's poisoning. Remember, you must not reveal a single word to outsiders."
"Investigating the case and catching the culprit is my duty. I will do my utmost to uncover the truth and find the real culprit who murdered the Empress Dowager."
Looking at Xiao Guanyin's dignified and regal demeanor, Ye Xiangjun felt a deep disdain and muttered under her breath, "Like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken..."
Although Ye Xiangjun spoke very softly, everyone in the hall could hear her.
As soon as the words were spoken, everyone's gaze fell on the Imperial Noble Consort, but they quickly looked away.
From the moment Ye Xiangjun entered the palace, she never concealed her ambition to seize the position of Empress.
At first, she tried to conceal it, but after giving birth to the tenth prince, Li Yan, she became even more arrogant.
Although Xiao Guanyin had the Xiao family backing her up, Crown Prince Li Shen was not her biological son, and she had no children of her own, so she was practically standing on the edge of a knife.
Since the Emperor fell ill, Ye Xiangjun had long since stopped paying attention to Xiao Guanyin and Li Shen, and was just short of kicking them out and making Li Yan the Crown Prince.
At this moment, the atmosphere in Renshou Hall was incredibly suffocating. Everyone's face was as calm as still water, and no one could tell what they were thinking.
Being in such an atmosphere, Su Yan felt like she could hardly breathe.
Soon, the Queen was the first to break the suffocating silence.
"Minister Su, I hereby grant you a token that allows you free access to the palace gates. You must solve the case as soon as possible."
After saying this, Xiao Guanyin glanced at the female official beside her.
The female official immediately understood and walked up to Su Yan with the tray containing the token.
Since Su Yan's current identity is that of a man, it is indeed inappropriate for him to appear in the harem. Having a token that allows him to enter and leave freely will make investigating cases much easier.
Ye Xiangjun was somewhat displeased to see that Xiao Guanyin had actually allowed Su Yan to leave the palace freely, but she still held back her displeasure.
After all, they couldn't stop Su Yan from investigating the case.
Furthermore, she didn't have the power to manage the six palaces like the Empress, so she was incredibly jealous.
Su Yan took the token from the plate and knelt down, saying, "Your humble servant obeys the decree."
After leaving the main hall, Su Yan went to the Empress Dowager's bedroom.
Many imperial physicians stood outside the bedchamber, each with a worried expression.
Su Yan walked to Xu Xingjian's side.
Speaking of Xu Xingjian, Su Yan has a significant connection with him.
At that time, Xu Xingjian was just a junior pharmacist in the Imperial Medical Academy, and a newly accepted apprentice of his father, Su Cixin.
Su Yan remembered that she was only eighteen years old. In the two months before her marriage, she had only met Xu Xingjian a few times. In addition, she was busy with autopsies at that time.
Therefore, Su Yan did not know when Xu Xingjian left Chang'an to travel the world.
After the Su family was wiped out, she was reborn and came to Chang'an, but she never saw Xu Xingjian again.
When they met again, Su Yan almost didn't recognize her.
A month ago, the Crown Prince sent people from the Imperial Medical Academy to treat Wang Ruofu. When Su Yan saw Xu Xingjian, she felt that he looked familiar, but she didn't immediately remember him.
It wasn't until she pressed Xu Xingjian about his master that she learned he was actually her own father's apprentice.
It's like the flood washed away the Dragon King's temple; family members don't even recognize each other.
Su Yan walked up to Xu Xingjian, glanced into the room, and asked, "How is the Empress Dowager?"
Xu Xingjian sighed softly and shook his head, saying, "The Empress Dowager is getting old, and it's estimated that she will have a hard time getting through this."
Upon hearing this, Su Yan frowned deeply, as if she could already foresee the bloody storm that was about to engulf her.
Once the Empress Dowager passes away, regardless of the truth, the Xiao and Ye families will surely fight to the death.
Thinking of this, Su Yan couldn't help but worry, "Brother Xu, do you know what kind of poison the Empress Dowager has been poisoned with?"
Xu Xingjian shook his head helplessly, "I am of limited knowledge and cannot diagnose what poison the Empress Dowager has been poisoned with."
Upon hearing this, Su Yan looked at the other imperial physicians behind Xu Xingjian.
The other imperial physicians all shook their heads.
Since Su Ci's death, there have been very few outstanding physicians in the Imperial Medical Academy who are proficient in medicine and poisons. Even the capable imperial physicians have resigned and returned to their hometowns to travel the world.
Therefore, the average age of medical staff in the Imperial Medical Academy is currently around 45.
Treating diseases is a given, but detoxification is like a skilled cook trying to make a meal without ingredients.
After all, only one in a thousand doctors is a genius like Su Ci, who is proficient in both medicine and poisons.
Seeing that even the imperial physicians were helpless, Su Yan felt that her future was bleak.
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