The Duke of Cheng'en had just recovered from a stomachache, and the time was the same as the previous two days.
His face immediately began to twitch.
"Imperial physicians, please take another look. Have I been poisoned?"
The imperial physicians had considered the possibility of poisoning, but the key issue was that they couldn't identify the type of poison. None of the poisons they knew of had such a predictable pattern of onset and such precise timing.
It's almost as if an hourglass of time was placed inside the body of the Duke of Chengen.
Lan Lin, the imperial physician in charge of detoxification at the Imperial Hospital, examined Cheng En Gong and said, "Your Excellency, the poison you have been afflicted with is likely a combination of 'Qianji Liugou' and other toxins, which is why you experience regular poisoning without it being fatal."
The Duke of Cheng'en was furious, his face dark and gloomy. His first thought was that His Majesty had poisoned him.
But they couldn't figure out how His Majesty had poisoned them.
Lan Lin added, "This kind of poison is extremely rare in the world. In my entire life, I have only seen it in some unofficial histories about poisons, but I have never actually encountered it."
The Duke of Cheng'en felt that this was not His Majesty's doing. If His Majesty poisoned him, it would not only cause him abdominal pain, but would also kill him.
So, who exactly poisoned this?
However, now is not the time to think about these things, because he went to the palace to discuss the Empress Dowager's funeral.
He insisted on opening the coffin.
The Empress Dowager's funeral is in three days. If he doesn't bring it up quickly, then perhaps the Empress Dowager's remains will really be replaced.
Shi Jiepu said that if the Empress Dowager's body were replaced, the Wei family's "phoenix destiny" would truly be over.
He quickly summoned Zhu Tou and had him change out of his underwear, which had been soaked with sweat from the pain. Just as he finished putting on his official robes, Hua Zisheng called everyone to court for a meeting.
As for diarrhea, he was not afraid. In order to ensure that he would not have diarrhea when he went to court today, he stopped eating and drinking after receiving the notice last night. When he got up this morning, he endured his hunger and thirst and did not eat or drink.
Even if you have diarrhea, there's nothing to expel.
He took a deep breath and went to court.
The Director of the Imperial Observatory and Shi Jiepu were already standing in the court.
Shi Jiepu's face turned deathly pale.
Yesterday, the Duke of Chengen suddenly had diarrhea in the main hall. He was extremely relieved. The Duke of Chengen had been expelled from the palace for his disrespectful behavior in front of the palace, so he would definitely not force him to lie again.
The supervisor also noticed something was wrong and reminded him meaningfully: "You are paid by the emperor, so you should be loyal to him. Don't risk your life and family because of momentary greed."
Shi Jiepu thought the matter was over and done with, but to his surprise, in the middle of the night, the Duke of Chengen came to invite him again.
He said that His Majesty, understanding his advanced age, did not hold his breach of etiquette in court against him and allowed him to attend court again the next day to discuss the funeral arrangements.
Shi Jiepu was filled with hatred. He hated the Duke of Cheng'en for pressing him at every turn, and he hated the Emperor for being incompetent. If he could forgive such a thing, what kind of emperor was he? He might as well just hand over the imperial seal to the Duke of Cheng'en.
Therefore, he was prepared to die today, saying that fate was unavoidable and that he needed to be re-encoffined.
After greeting the officials, Duke Cheng'en stood in his original position with a sorrowful expression.
Gu Shaoyu heard Xie Zhaozhao say that the Duke of Chengen would suffer from the poison again today. The Duke of Chengen had already suffered from abdominal pain before entering the palace, and if nothing unexpected happens, the floodgates will be opened again soon.
So he remained vigilant, making sure that this unlucky person didn't splash any filth on him.
There is nothing unusual about Cheng'en Gong's stomach right now.
Emperor Hui and his ministers discussed other state affairs as usual. His eyes glanced at the water clock in the corner of the wall. Seeing that it was almost time for the Duke of Cheng'en to perform the ritual, he cleared his throat.
"The Empress Dowager's burial is in three days. It seems that the Duke of Cheng'en had something to say yesterday, but he didn't have time to finish it?"
Emperor Hui said calmly, "Tell me what else you want me to do? As long as it's not too outrageous, I will grant it."
The Duke of Cheng'en immediately said, "The Empress Dowager's funeral was conducted in accordance with all the proper rites, and I originally had nothing to say about it. However, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau observed unusual celestial phenomena at night, which are related to the fate of the nation and we must take precautions."
"Imperial Observatory, report the truth."
Just as Shi Jiepu was about to speak, the supervisor solemnly reminded him: "Lord Shi, you must be truthful. This is the imperial court, before the emperor. This matter is of great importance. You must not speak recklessly."
Shi Jiepu, facing death without flinching, said, "Your Majesty, I observed the celestial phenomena last night. The Heavenly Palace is declining, and a new star is gradually shining brightly nearby, showing signs of overtaking and replacing it..."
Emperor Hui leaned back in his chair, listening quietly to him, his expression unchanged.
Shi Jiepu talked about the celestial phenomena for a while, but Emperor Hui interrupted him calmly: "What exactly are you trying to say? Isn't it normal for the Heavenly Palace to decline? The Empress Dowager is gone! It's also normal for a new star to shine brightly. The Empress can finally make decisions!"
Shi Jiepu and the supervisor both knew that His Majesty was making far-fetched connections.
His Majesty guessed what they wanted to say, and he stopped them.
The Imperial Astronomical Bureau looked at Shi Jiepu again and said sternly, "The Imperial Astronomical Bureau has rules about what it should and shouldn't do. Lord Shi, you must be careful."
Shi Jiepu had already agreed to Cheng'en Gong's request and had no choice but to reveal the matter of opening the coffin, but unexpectedly, he had only said one sentence: "The Empress Dowager's coffin is in the way..."
Then I heard a "bang!"
The familiar voice came again, and Gu Shaoyu and Xie Anfeng, who were closest to Duke Chengen, quickly moved away.
Grand Secretary Liu was old and never expected that the Duke of Cheng'en would have diarrhea today. When the sound rang out again, his face was full of disbelief.
"Lord Cheng'en, you haven't lost control of your bladder again, have you?" Grand Secretary Liu asked in surprise. "How could you lose control of your bladder in front of the palace three times in a row? This is outrageous!"
In a fit of anger, he flung his sleeves and walked away.
Emperor Hui's face visibly darkened, and he said coldly, "Issue the decree: The Duke of Cheng'en has repeatedly behaved improperly before the palace, which is intolerable to Heaven. From this day forward, he shall be relieved of all his posts, stripped of his title and privileges, and expelled from the palace. During the Empress Dowager's funeral, no member of the Wei clan shall be allowed to approach."
Not only were they forbidden from exhuming the body for examination, but they were also forbidden from attending the Empress Dowager's funeral.
Cheng En Gong's mind went completely blank.
He didn't understand why, even though he had been fasting, his stomach was still full of feces and urine.
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