Outside the Kunning Palace, ministers and their families stood in two rows. The Empress was still unconscious, and no one was allowed to leave the palace; they were all waiting to be summoned.
Eunuch Su signaled to the eunuch at the door that the person had arrived, and the anxious Meng Zhelan was led into the hall. "Your Majesty, Doctor Meng has arrived."
"This commoner, Meng Zhelan, greets Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!" Meng Zhelan knelt on the ground, her head bowed so low it almost touched the ground.
"Rise. I did not expect Doctor Meng to be a woman, so young and accomplished." Emperor Wenyuan nodded in acknowledgment, his expression calm.
Meng Zhelan was embarrassed. "This commoner thanks Your Majesty for your praise." She didn't know who had recommended her to the Emperor; her father was definitely out of the question.
"I've heard that Doctor Meng is skilled in detoxification. The Empress is still unconscious after being poisoned, so why don't you give it a try?" The Emperor was also just trying his luck.
"Yes, ma'am," Meng Zhelan replied, following the maid's directions to the Empress's bedside.
The Empress's eyes were tightly closed, her face was pale, her pulse was erratic, and her heart meridian had been sealed with needles. Her life was temporarily out of danger, but without an antidote, she feared she would perish within a month.
"Your Majesty, the Empress has been poisoned by the Flower Vine. This poison originates from the Southern Frontier Kingdom. I had previously encountered it while traveling. This poison is colorless and odorless. If you add a little to your tea every day, you will die from the poison after a month. Fortunately, someone sealed the Empress's heart meridian beforehand..."
Emperor Wenyuan was greatly surprised upon hearing this and hurriedly asked, "Is there any medicine that can cure this poison?"
Although Emperor Wenyuan disliked the Empress, they had been husband and wife for over twenty years, so he still cared about her to some extent.
"Your Majesty, I need to prepare some medicinal herbs, combine them with acupuncture, and then take a medicinal bath. It should be effective in three days."
It wasn't that Meng Zhelan was overconfident; this kind of poison was not difficult for her to obtain.
"Alright, Su Yu, take Doctor Meng to the Imperial Medical Bureau and let her discuss it with Chief Physician Meng," Emperor Wenyuan waved his hand to dismiss the imperial physicians in the hall.
The imperial physician originally wanted to advise Emperor Wenyuan not to blindly trust folk doctors, but then he realized that he had no way to treat the illness.
When Meng Zhelan heard the Emperor mention Physician Meng, her tense heart immediately relaxed. It was good that her father was alright.
"Lan'er, what brings you to the palace?" Meng Zhong was greatly surprised to see his daughter.
"It was the Emperor who summoned me to the palace to treat the Empress. By the way, Father, do you have any ideas about the Empress's poison? I discussed the treatment method with the Emperor, and His Majesty asked me to come and discuss it with you."
Although Meng Zhelan did not want to show off her medical talent in front of others, she was afraid of arousing their jealousy.
But under the Emperor's stern gaze, he couldn't help but feel a little scared and dared not lie. If he saved the Empress, perhaps he would be rewarded.
It was her first time visiting the palace, and she was stunned by its ornate carvings and magnificent splendor.
"Once you get to the palace, don't look around aimlessly. Tell me your diagnosis results."
Meng Zhong couldn't help but feel worried. The palace was a dangerous place, and he didn't want his daughter to get involved.
The palace maids and eunuchs in Kunning Palace were filled with anxiety, and the princes and princesses in the side halls were also somewhat uneasy.
"Guards, search every inch of Kunning Palace and interrogate everyone in this hall thoroughly!" The emperor's wrath filled the crowd with fear and unease.
The Empress's palace was filled with cries of anguish; the sounds of interrogation and the thud of boards falling echoed everywhere.
Palace guards found a palace maid who had committed suicide by drinking poison in her quarters, leaving behind a suicide note.
She said she resented the Empress for not letting her leave the palace, which prevented her from seeing her grandmother one last time. Therefore, she hated the Empress and bought poison from the black market to poison her every day.
It seems reasonable, but it is actually full of flaws.
"Investigate the truth of what she said in her letter," ordered Wu Yong, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
After the ministers returned from their duties, the concubines, princes, and princesses in the side hall all said they wanted to stay by the Empress's side and serve her.
"Father, Mother is unconscious. Please allow me to stay here until she wakes up." The Crown Prince's concern was genuine.
"Father, please allow your son to stay here with the Crown Prince to attend to the sick!" King Liang was unwilling to be overshadowed by the Crown Prince.
Others also vied to stay.
"Alright, Prince An, stay here. The rest of you, return to your respective palaces." Emperor Wenyuan looked at the group of people and felt a headache coming on.
Before long, the rest of the people left, leaving only Emperor Wenyuan and Prince An.
"Yu'er, tell me in detail about your poisoning. Can you find the person who poisoned you?"
Although Emperor Wenyuan was angry at their lack of ambition, they were still his bloodline. The fact that someone had poisoned a member of the royal family was a challenge to his authority.
"Father, a few months ago I went to Yunnan and Sichuan to investigate bribery among officials on your behalf. On my way back to the capital, I was attacked and drugged. Last time..."
"Father, is the medicine ready? I've prepared the herbs for the medicinal bath. Have someone go to the Empress's palace to boil water." Meng Zhelan had already sterilized the silver needles.
It was past midnight when Li Xi, who was waiting outside the palace gates, saw people coming out one after another. He was extremely anxious because he hadn't seen Meng Zhelan and her father by the time the palace gates were locked.
"Brother Li, what are you doing here?" Qin Xiaolin, who was about to leave, suddenly saw Li Xi and felt puzzled.
"It's Brother Qin! That's great! Have you seen Lan'er? The Emperor sent people to bring her into the palace, but she hasn't come out yet, and the gates are about to close."
"So it turns out that the person Eunuch Su brought in is Miss Meng. The Emperor asked her to examine the Empress, so she won't be able to go back for a while. She'll probably have to wait until tomorrow. You should go back first. My grandfather is going to court tomorrow, and I'll ask him to inquire about it."
Qin Xiaolin was also getting tired. He had been in the palace for most of the day and hadn't eaten much before the accident happened.
"Alright, thank you very much, Brother Qin. I'll take you back." If I hadn't run into him, I don't know how long I would have had to wait.
Qin Xiaolin did not refuse and stepped into the carriage.
On a cold winter night, snowflakes danced in the sky, the earth was covered in white, the trees were bare, the houses were brightly lit, and the streets were deserted.
Inside the carriage, Qin Xiaolin listened to Li Xi urging the horses and fell into deep thought.
She remained as sincere as ever, seemingly without any weaknesses.
Being with her, she seemed to be very considerate and sophisticated in her dealings with people. But there was always a slight sense of distance between her and others, as if she had some secrets.
Li Xi had no idea what he was thinking. If she did, she would probably say that they were in the same boat, and that they were just nodding acquaintances.
"Brother Qin, we've arrived." Li Xi politely invited him to get out of the car.
The man is going to a banquet at the palace today, dressed in particularly fine attire.
Today he was dressed in a moon-white straight-collar long robe, with a moon-white auspicious cloud patterned belt around his waist. His jet-black hair was tied up, and he wore a simple white jade and silver crown. He was handsome and elegant, yet exuded a noble and aloof air.
Li Xi couldn't help but become somewhat engrossed in watching. In her previous life, she also enjoyed watching short videos featuring beautiful women and handsome men that were pleasing to the eye.
It turns out that in ancient times, men with long, flowing hair were considered extremely handsome, but they could only be admired from afar and not touched.
Qin Xiaolin noticed Li Xi's gaze and inadvertently took a step forward in her direction.
"Brother Li, don't worry, I'll let you know as soon as I get the news tomorrow," he said, patting his sleeves, which seemed a little dirty.
In Li Xi's eyes, it was like a man in a suit adjusting his cuffs in her past life—yes, he had a certain charm.
"Alright, I'll save you a pot of braised duck and tofu skin tomorrow," Li Xi waved his hand and drove the carriage back.
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