Zhao Fen was brought over half an hour later.
She was wearing a pink vest that was neither new nor old. After entering the hall, she knelt down and respectfully kowtowed to Song Xibai.
"This servant greets Your Highness."
Since Song Xibai doesn't have a formal title yet, calling her anything feels strange, so she simply calls her "Master".
This can also be considered a way to show loyalty.
Song Xibai asked Fengchun to help her up and even brought her a stool to sit down.
"You don't need to be so formal with me. I was very grateful for the message you sent earlier."
Song Xibai said with a smile, her first words affirming the achievements she had made.
"However, it's not convenient for you to come over right now; you'll have to work harder for a while longer."
Zhao Fen pursed her lips and gave a very faint smile.
“Your Highness is being too kind. I know that with the Crown Princess still alive, Your Highness cannot ask for me. I am of even greater use to the Crown Princess.”
Since she had brought up the Crown Princess herself, Song Xibai didn't beat around the bush and directly asked if the Crown Princess had been acting strangely lately.
Zhao Fen thought for a moment and picked a few things to mention. It was nothing more than her unpredictable temper; even small things could make her angry. When Granny Ding was alive, she could still persuade her, but after Granny Ding passed away, very few people could persuade her.
After pondering for a long time, Song Xibai asked again, "Who is the most loyal person around the Crown Princess? Who is most likely to harm her?"
"The most loyal one is definitely Yao Huang. Who would do it... this servant really doesn't know. Your Highness, you don't know, the Crown Princess is strict with her subordinates. In private, the little palace maids and eunuchs are all afraid of her. Even Lin Mama and Hu Mama are very afraid of her."
"What about Wei Zi?"
Song Xibai thought of her.
Zhao Fen was stunned for a moment: "Wei Zi? Wei Zi has been disliked by the Crown Princess for a long time. Recently, she has not been able to enter the room to serve her personally. Instead, she has been pushed by others to do things like tending the fire and watching the stove."
Song Xibai's heart stirred.
"Watch the stove?"
"Yes!"
A flash of inspiration struck Song Xibai, and she abruptly stood up.
"The Crown Princess's medical records and prescriptions from the past few months are all there, right? Dingxiang, quickly go and tell the imperial physicians to check them!"
Dingxiang looked surprised: "You suspect someone tampered with the Crown Princess's medicine? Really?"
"Didn't you ask earlier if there was any poison that could cause the Crown Princess's current illness?" Song Xibai didn't answer her question, but instead asked the same question she had asked earlier.
"Yes! You said no."
“But what if it’s not poison, but a medicinal herb that was already there?” Song Xibai’s eyes gleamed. “Every medicine has some degree of toxicity. No matter what kind of herb it is, a slight difference in the amount will affect the efficacy, and may even drastically change the medicinal properties. It doesn’t need to be changed too much; just a slight increase or decrease in the amount of herb could lead to unforeseen consequences in the long run.”
Dingxiang was startled: "My God! This person is incredibly patient!"
Song Xibai took a deep breath and called out towards the door.
"Tell His Majesty to thoroughly investigate the Imperial Pharmacy."
Someone outside answered and hurriedly ran away.
Zhao Fen looked puzzled, but after listening to the two of them finish speaking, she suddenly understood.
"Is there something wrong with the Crown Princess's medicine?"
Song Xibai nodded: "By the way, do you still have the prescriptions for the Crown Princess? They're usually kept there."
The prescriptions written by imperial physicians were usually in duplicate.
The imperial physician had one copy for filing, and the Crown Princess should also have one for retrieving medicine from the Imperial Pharmacy.
"This servant will go back and find it right away."
Zhao Fen reacted quickly, immediately leaving Changqing Palace and returning to the East Palace.
At first, Zhao Fen searched the Crown Princess's room but couldn't find her. After consulting with Yuan Shen, she led a search party to the entire Eastern Palace.
Finally, traces of burnt paper were found in the charcoal brazier.
It was obvious that those prescriptions had been burned.
Zhao Fen returned dejectedly to apologize.
Song Xibai comforted her, saying, "The disciplinary department is still interrogating people; they should have some results."
While the two were talking, Physician Huang came to see them from outside. Song Xibai didn't try to hide it from anyone and waved for a palace maid to invite him in.
"His Majesty returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to handle state affairs. Before leaving, he instructed me to follow the Empress's orders in all matters. Therefore, I would like to ask whether the medicine was prepared and delivered from the Imperial Pharmacy or from Changqing Palace?"
Physician Huang stood with his eyes lowered and asked respectfully.
Song Xibai thought for a moment and replied, "Let's fry it here! Let's have two more people watch over it."
That's how it's usually done in the palace. After all, who knows if someone might tamper with the medicine if it's being decocted in the Imperial Pharmacy? Most people take it back to their own residence so they can check it again before decocting it to avoid any oversights.
It's just a bit troublesome to deal with the dregs...
Thinking of this, Song Xibai had an idea and turned to ask Zhao Fen.
"The medicine the Crown Princess drinks is all taken back to the Eastern Palace to be decocted, right? What about the dregs? How are they disposed of?"
Zhao Fen nodded first, then frowned: "The dregs of medicine can't be thrown away casually in the palace. They used to be handed over to the Imperial Pharmacy for unified disposal. But the East Palace was sealed off for a period of time, so we couldn't go to the Imperial Pharmacy. So, Granny Hu told us to pour all the dregs into the toilet. Later, to save trouble, everyone continued to do it."
During the period when the Crown Prince's Palace was sealed off, it was under strict guard. The gates were only opened twice a day, in the morning and evening, to deliver food and to send out night soil.
"This is going to be difficult..."
Song Xibai lowered his head and frowned.
Huang, the imperial physician standing to the side, understood what they were saying and suddenly mustered up his courage to speak up.
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