"Hurry up and bring that fruit over here!" Shen Zhizhang roared.
Fu Xia scrambled outside and soon carried all the remaining wild raspberries back with her.
Doctor Li picked up a fruit, examined it carefully, and shook his head in denial, saying, "This fruit looks perfectly normal."
As Fu Xia was about to walk back with the basket of fruit, Doctor Li inadvertently noticed black spots on the surface of a few wild raspberries next to the basket.
"Wait a minute," Doctor Li quickly called out to Fu Xia, "Let me take another look."
Doctor Li used his silver needle to poke the slightly rotten wild raspberry and placed it on a white cloth. He then used the silver needle to break up the pulp inside, and the silver needle instantly turned black.
After the fruit pulp came into contact with air, its originally bright red color slowly turned black.
"These wild raspberries are poisonous!" Upon seeing this, Doctor Li immediately knelt down and said to Shen Zhizhang, "Sir, even rotten wild raspberries wouldn't be black, but the flesh inside is as black as ink. I suspect that someone must have sprinkled a colorless and odorless poison on the surface of the fruit."
"Who gave this to Yun Jiao to eat?!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Zhizhang shouted loudly. His face turned pale, and his eyes widened in anger, making everyone's hearts pound with fear.
Investigate! Investigate thoroughly!
"If this matter is not thoroughly investigated, all of you servants will be dragged away and beaten to death!"
Shen Zhizhang's furious voice echoed throughout the inner room.
Doctor Li trembled with fear and hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, please don't worry. Although we don't know what poison your daughter has been poisoned with, her pulse indicates that the poisoning is still mild. I will immediately arrange for medication to induce vomiting, and the young lady will surely recover!"
Hearing Dr. Li's words, Shen Zhizhang's emotions calmed down a little. He slumped weakly onto the wooden chair next to the bed. "Dr. Li, thank you for your trouble."
Knowing that the Prime Minister loved his daughter dearly, Li Wei quickly took out the silver needles from the medicine box and asked Fu Xia to go to the storeroom to get medicinal herbs such as Changshan and Veratrum.
"Your Excellency, please wait outside. I will have the young lady vomit out the poison and filth from her stomach and intestines before I examine her pulse and treat her."
Shen Zhizhang nodded, struggled to his feet, glanced at Shen Yunjiao with concern, and then walked outside.
Fu Xia brought over the prepared medicine and carefully served it to Shen Yunjiao.
Before long, Shen Yunjiao, in a daze, vomited uncontrollably, vomiting a large basin of black vomit.
"Quickly, pack these things away, I'll give the young lady acupuncture." Doctor Li rolled up his sleeves, picked up the silver needles, and used the method that Shen Yunjiao had taught him before to insert the silver needles into acupoints such as Neiguan and Sanli to regulate qi and stop vomiting.
Fu Xia breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that the girl had vomited up all the poisonous wild raspberries and asked, "Doctor, how is my girl?"
While inserting acupuncture needles, Doctor Li checked her pulse. "Fortunately, Miss Shen did not ingest a large amount of poisonous fruit, and it was discovered early. Now that she has vomited it all out, she will be fine."
Shen Zhizhang paced anxiously outside. Upon hearing what Doctor Li had said, he quickly stepped inside and asked, "May I ask, Doctor, when will my son wake up?"
Doctor Li bowed his head respectfully and replied, "Miss Shen's constitution is weaker than that of ordinary people. I have done my best to use acupuncture to protect her stomach and gallbladder meridians. If nothing unexpected happens, Miss Shen will be able to wake up tonight."
After hearing this, Shen Zhizhang finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
He sat back down in his previous seat, pointed at Fu Xia, and said, "Do you know who delivered the fruit?"
Fu Xia lay prostrate on the ground, crying, and said, "This servant knows, it's that medicine doctor Li Ping."
"Alright, you and Su Qin and the others go and arrest that man and bring him back to the manor." Shen Zhizhang pressed his throbbing eyebrows hard, then coldly ordered his attendant beside him, "Su Qin, interrogate him thoroughly, and report to me immediately afterward, then lock him up in the manor's stables."
As the sun sets, the light gradually fades.
"My lord, someone from the palace has arrived. They say His Majesty wishes to see you," a servant ran in and whispered in Shen Zhizhang's ear.
Shen Zhizhang gazed at the fading light outside the window, his dark eyes as unfathomable as the deep sea, concealing turbulent undercurrents.
After gently tucking Shen Yunjiao's blanket in, he stood up and turned to Lin Mama, instructing, "Mama, take good care of the young lady. I'll be right back."
Lin Mama bowed and replied respectfully, "My lord, please rest assured, the doctor and this old servant will take good care of the young lady here."
"good."
Shen Zhizhang nodded and followed the palace servant who had come to deliver the message back to the palace.
Inside the Golden Palace, the floor was a mess, and wisps of smoke rose from the ground.
A strange fragrance filled the air.
The palace servants all stood with their hands at their sides, not daring to raise their heads.
Emperor Zhaowu sat on the steps in front of the dragon throne, his face ashen.
He still wears a dragon robe, but his face is withered and emaciated, like a dried-up corpse that has been drained of its blood; his handsome features are gone.
Consort Shu sat beside him, gently offering some words of comfort.
But his eyes were already unfocused, and he kept clutching Consort Shu's sleeve, asking, "Am I still alive?"
"I feel lightheaded."
"I'm so afraid he'll come and kill me with his sword."
When Shen Zhizhang arrived at the Golden Palace, he witnessed such an unbelievable scene. He hurriedly knelt down and bowed, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
Upon hearing Shen Zhizhang's voice, Emperor Zhaowu seemed to come back to life, and he stood up awkwardly from the steps.
"My beloved subject! My beloved subject!"
Shen Zhizhang's hand was suddenly grasped by Emperor Zhaowu.
He paused for a moment, then looked at Consort Shu.
A glint flashed in the concubine's eyes, and she mouthed to him, "He's gone mad."
Shen Zhizhang was startled and bowed his head to Emperor Zhaowu, replying, "Your Majesty, I am here."
"My dear minister, your arrival is just in time. I have a premonition that I will ascend to immortality tonight. But I have things I haven't finished yet." After laughing heartily, Emperor Zhaowu began to mutter to himself again. He suddenly looked at Consort Shu's belly, "The child in Consort Shu's belly will be yours from now on."
Shen Zhizhang broke out in a cold sweat. "Your Majesty, what did you say?"
"Why don't you be the emperor then!" Emperor Zhaowu laughed maniacally. "I'm going to be an immortal! I'm going to be an immortal tonight!"
"Your Majesty, you cannot leave yet!"
Consort Shu stood up and cried out in a mournful voice behind Emperor Zhaowu, "If you leave, I will be all alone. What if the Crown Prince harbors evil intentions and seeks revenge on me?"
Oh right, Your Highness!
Emperor Zhaowu's expression was stiff, yet he still wore a smile, which looked very strange.
He wants to become an immortal, but he must first eliminate that jinx before he leaves.
"Consort Shu, is your medicine ready?"
Emperor Zhaowu's eyes flashed with murderous intent. "That jinx is blocking my path to immortality. I will surely kill him tonight! Guards, take the Imperial Concubine to the Eastern Palace and give the Crown Prince poisoned wine."
Upon receiving the Emperor's decree, Eunuch Gao immediately entered from outside the palace.
“Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is highly skilled in martial arts. I’m afraid we eunuchs alone cannot subdue him,” said Eunuch Gao, bowing his head.
"Eunuchs won't do, but the Imperial Guards will surely suffice! Hand over command of the Imperial Guards to the Consort and the Prime Minister, and immediately have men deal with that jinx!"
After saying this, Emperor Zhaowu staggered towards his dragon throne, muttering repeatedly, "I'm going to become an immortal, I'm going to become an immortal."
Consort Shu received the decree and said to Shen Zhizhang with a smile, "Let's go, Prime Minister, it's time to get down to business."
They all withdrew from the hall, dismissing everyone else, leaving the already insane and weakened Emperor Zhaowu alone inside.
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