Even the imperial physicians couldn't figure out what poison the Empress Dowager had been poisoned by, let alone themselves.
After speaking with Xu Xingjian, Su Yan went to the inner hall.
Because of the Empress Dowager's noble status, and because Su Yan was an outsider official, and most importantly, because she had once been a coroner, she could not enter the Empress Dowager's inner chambers and could only stand outside the door behind the screen.
A short while later, an elderly nanny came out, followed by a group of palace maids, each carrying a container of items that the Empress Dowager had touched.
The imperial physicians have already examined the items the Empress Dowager had come into contact with, and there was nothing unusual about them, meaning the source of the poisoning has not been identified.
"Your Excellencies, these are all things that the Empress Dowager has come into contact with."
The one speaking was Granny Sun, the Empress Dowager's personal maid.
Su Yan looked around at the things the Empress Dowager had touched, and most of them were clothes and food.
Finally, Su Yan turned her attention to the food, which was mostly medicinal cuisine that nourished yin and replenished qi. It would be beneficial for a woman's health to eat more of it.
For the time being, Su Yan was still unable to identify what had caused the Empress Dowager's poisoning.
However, Su Yan still focused on what she was eating. She turned around, looked at Granny Sun, and asked, "Who made this medicinal meal?"
Granny Sun: "It was made by Xu Xingjian of the Imperial Hospital. The Empress Dowager likes it very much and has been eating it for a long time."
Su Yan was quite surprised to hear that it was Xu Xingjian who made it, because her mother was in poor health and her father often made medicinal meals for her to nourish her body.
Unexpectedly, his father also entrusted this to Xu Xingjian.
Su Yan poured out the remaining medicinal food, smelled it, and continued to ask, "Does the Empress Dowager eat this often?"
Granny Sun shook her head. "It's not often, just occasionally. Physician Xu said that too much supplementation can cause discomfort, so we only have medicinal meals every ten days."
After listening, Su Yan didn't pay too much attention.
She believed in Xu Xingjian's abilities; after all, he was her father's chosen apprentice, so how could his medical skills be lacking?
Moreover, it's estimated that only a fool would choose to poison food. High-ranking officials in the palace always had someone taste their food before they ate.
Therefore, it's impossible to tamper with the food.
Su Yan looked around but found nothing unusual, so she had no choice but to walk over to Granny Sun.
"Granny Sun, could you please let me see the Empress Dowager? I would like to see her current condition."
Granny Sun frowned, looking very troubled, because Su Yan had been a coroner before joining the Bureau of Investigation.
In addition, the Empress Dowager was getting old, and the palace was most wary of people like the coroner who were considered unlucky.
This is why Su Yan and Xie Yu could only stand at the door and could not enter the Empress Dowager's inner chamber.
Ordinary people would not be bothered by these things.
But in the palace, there are so many rules that they can be overwhelming. Even if Su Yan had the greatest courage, she would still have to behave herself.
Granny Sun had been serving the Empress Dowager for decades, so she naturally understood the meaning behind Su Yan's words and quickly relented.
"This old servant dares not make the decision on his own. Please inform His Majesty."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Shen's voice came from the doorway.
"No need..."
Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to Li Shen as he strode over.
"Now that the Empress Dowager has been murdered by a villain, the most urgent task is to find out the source of the poison as soon as possible. There is no need to follow the palace's formalities. Minister Su, I grant you permission to go in and see the Empress Dowager."
With the Crown Prince's permission, Su Yan felt more confident. "Thank you, Your Highness."
Granny Sun was sensible enough not to press the matter further after the Crown Prince agreed, and led Su Yan into the bedchamber.
The Empress Dowager's room had three courtyards and three entrances. Behind the screen, there was a couch, which was where she entertained guests during the day. The innermost room was where she slept.
As soon as Su Yan walked in, there was a strong sandalwood scent mixed with a faint stench.
Although it was very faint, it still didn't escape Su Yan's sensitive nose.
Upon smelling the sandalwood scent, Su Yan couldn't help but frown. She had smelled this sandalwood scent at the Empress's place before.
However, apart from the Empress, Su Yan had never heard of anyone else in the palace who believed in Buddhism, so she found it strange that there was a sandalwood scent in the Empress Dowager's room.
Su Yan looked at Granny Sun beside her and asked, "Does the Empress Dowager also worship Buddha?"
Granny Sun shook her head, "The Empress Dowager has never believed in Buddhism..."
Su Yan looked at the layout of the room and knew that Granny Sun was not lying; there was nothing in the room related to Buddhism.
Exquisite and beautiful jadeite, agate, gold, and other precious and rare items were casually displayed.
The Empress Dowager's daily style is somewhat at odds with the Empress's simple and unpretentious style.
After the palace maid lifted the bed curtains, Su Yan's gaze fell on the bed.
Seeing the gray hair on the bed, but with an unusually youthful face, Su Yan was somewhat surprised.
Having served three emperors, the Empress Dowager was over seventy years old, but she looked very young, only in her forties, and not at all like an elderly woman.
Su Yan knew that women from noble families would take care of themselves, but she had never seen anyone look as young as the Empress Dowager, who looked more than thirty years younger.
It should be noted that for a woman from the Great Liang Dynasty to live to sixty is already considered a long life, not to mention that she looks so much younger.
When Su Yan was a child, she had seen the Empress Dowager from afar, but she never expected that more than ten years would have passed.
Even though the Empress Dowager was lying in bed, looking exactly the same as she remembered, without the slightest change, Su Yan felt a sense of temporal and spatial distortion at this moment.
Su Yan has read countless books, but she has never seen one that can make one stay young forever.
Feeling curious, he wanted to reach out and check the Empress Dowager's pulse, but was stopped by Granny Sun beside him.
"Your Excellency, please have some self-respect. The Empress Dowager is of noble birth and should not be touched."
Unable to detect her pulse, Su Yan couldn't help but complain inwardly.
How can we continue the investigation if we don't even want to touch it...?
Although she thought this way, Su Yan did not overstep the bounds and withdrew her hand.
Although Su Yan entered the inner hall, she keenly sensed that everyone in the room was watching her every move.
An inexplicable sense of oppression washed over Su Yan, making her feel very uneasy.
Su Yan could understand not being allowed to have her pulse checked, but why did she always feel a vague unease in her heart?
Since taking the pulse was not permitted, Su Yan made a compromise, bending down to carefully examine the Empress Dowager's face. She noticed faint purplish-red lines behind her ears on her neck, very faint, which seemed rather strange.
Su Yan rubbed her eyes, preparing to see more clearly, when she discovered that the purplish-red pattern had suddenly disappeared, as if it had suddenly come back to life.
This happened so fast that no one noticed.
But Su Yan knew that she had indeed seen the purplish-red pattern suddenly move like a worm.
Su Yan wanted to clarify things again, so she glanced at Xie Yu behind her and secretly looked at Granny Sun out of the corner of her eye.
Xie Yu immediately understood Su Yan's intention and stepped forward to distract Granny Sun.
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