Chapter 161 Good Medicine
The next day, after leaving court, Ji Changqing asked to see the emperor.
The emperor met him in the imperial study.
"What else do you want to report, Mr. Ji?"
Ji Changqing took off the sandalwood bracelet that the emperor had given him yesterday from his left hand and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, after receiving your reward, I put the bracelet on my hand and even placed it on the headboard of my bed when I slept at night."
"Agarwood is supposed to soothe the mind and nourish the heart, but for some reason, after I wore this agarwood, I felt dazed and irritable."
The emperor paused.
Ji Changqing continued, "At first I thought it was because I was unlucky and could not bear the grace of heaven. But after sniffing carefully, I found that the fragrance of the bracelet was different."
"Ordinary agarwood bracelets only have a clear woody scent, but this bracelet has an additional sweet and unique fragrance, quite similar to the fragrance of hibiscus cream that I heard from southwestern merchants."
"I heard that the Hibiscus Cream has the effects of relieving pain, cough, and diarrhea. Your Majesty, have you been feeling unwell recently?"
"I wonder if the Imperial Physician has reminded Your Majesty that, while Hibiscus Ointment is effective, prolonged use can lead to addiction and emaciation, and should not be used frequently."
The emperor's face suddenly darkened.
He had recently been suffering from a headache and had difficulty sleeping. He accidentally discovered that if he went to rest with Yu Meiren, who had just entered the palace, his headache would subside, so he stayed with her for several days in a row.
The incense burning in her room had a sweet aroma that he found pungent at first, but soon ignored it as his headache eased.
If you can't smell that fragrance, you will feel restless and irritable.
Knowing that the fragrance came from the tranquilizing pills that Yu Meiren brought from home, he asked for a few more and would use them when resting in the bedroom.
Just think of it as a rare and effective medicine.
Unexpectedly...
"Ji Qing is saying that this Hibiscus Cream, like the Five Stones Powder, is detrimental to the human body and can be addictive?"
The emperor asked in a deep voice.
Ji Changqing nodded and said, "When I was serving in the local government, a southwestern businessman I met said so. Whether the medicine is really effective or not still needs to be verified by the imperial physician."
The emperor nodded slightly.
"Since Ji Qing is feeling unwell while wearing this bracelet, I will give you two new ones."
After saying that, he ordered the eunuch to take out an agate bracelet and a sandalwood bracelet for Ji Changqing.
Ji Changqing thanked him respectfully.
After he left, the emperor immediately summoned the imperial physician and gave him the tranquilizing pills obtained from Yu Meiren.
"My dear, please test the efficacy of this pill and the consequences of long-term use."
"I obey the order."
Half a day later, the Imperial Hospital envoy reported, "Your Majesty, this pill contains an ingredient added to the commonly used tranquilizing pill formula. It seems to be the opium, which I have seen in local pharmacological records. The aroma descriptions of the two are consistent, but opium is extremely rare and is not included in the Imperial Hospital's catalog. We have not yet studied its medicinal effects."
"This pill can invigorate the mind, stop chronic coughs and diarrhea, and relieve pain, but taking too much can damage the body's fluids and cause marrow depletion and bone dryness."
The emperor said sternly, "All medicines brought into the palace by concubines must be registered and inspected. Why didn't the Imperial Hospital identify this medicine beforehand, allowing it to enter the palace with Concubine Yu?"
The Imperial Hospital envoy prostrated himself and kowtowed, "Your Majesty, the tranquilizing pills that the Imperial Hospital had previously examined did not contain this additional ingredient."
That was what happened after I entered the palace.
The emperor immediately ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to conduct a thorough investigation.
As soon as the Ministry of Internal Affairs ordered the seal-off of the palace where Concubine Yu was staying, the first-class maid serving Concubine Yu committed suicide by taking poison.
Yu Meiren cried out in injustice: "I have never tampered with the medicine."
The emperor took this opportunity to search the entire harem.
No excess drugs were found.
The only option was to banish Concubine Yu to the cold palace, and send the rest of the palace ladies to the Yunting.
In Fengyi Palace, the Queen couldn't help but feel relieved.
Fortunately, she gave the remaining hibiscus cream to Yongning and asked her to take it to the marriage.
Otherwise, if it were discovered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, I would have to choose between three feet of white silk and a cup of crane's beak red.
The prince had brought this lotus cream into the palace for her with great difficulty.
She added it to the tranquilizing pills and secretly exchanged it with the tranquilizing pills that Yu Meiren brought into the palace.
Poppy Yu was the emperor's new favorite, and he would stay with her for several days a month.
With just a few reminders from the palace maids, Concubine Yu would definitely fumigate the emperor with tranquilizing pills so that he could calm down and stay with her for a while longer.
In time, the emperor will become addicted to hibiscus.
He became a pawn in the hands of her and the prince.
Who knew...
She slammed the table.
Ji Changqing messed up the situation again.
No, it’s not just Ji Changqing. Ji Changqing probably couldn’t recognize the scent of the hibiscus cream. It must have been Feng who reminded him.
She planned to put Feng aside for the time being and plan how to seize power.
But Feng seemed to be a jinx to her, preventing her from accomplishing anything.
"We still have to get rid of her..."
She muttered to herself.
In the evening, another carrier pigeon flew out of the palace.
"Sanhuang, don't always go to the next yard."
Feng Qingsui teaches a peregrine falcon a lesson.
She only learned these two days that the peregrine falcon is called "Sanhuang". Ji Changqing said that it was named so because its eyes, beak and claws are yellow, and it looks like a chicken when it is young.
"Those pigeons can't eat because of you staring at them."
The peregrine falcon tilted its head.
“Ga ga~”
——I just went over to take a look and didn’t eat them.
Feng Qingsui looked at its innocent and cute face and couldn't bear to hit it, so he just rubbed its fur.
"Be good, I'll bring you a duck tomorrow."
“Ga ga~”
——Okay, I’ll just take one less look at it.
The next afternoon, Feng Qingsui took Wuhua out for a walk as usual.
As a steady old dog, Mo Bao always keeps his eyes straight ahead when he walks.
Curly is still young and very active. He will bark at the slightest sound, and when he sees children playing, he can't help but come over out of curiosity.
Because Feng Qingsui had been buying vegetables frequently recently, street vendors would smile and shout at her when they saw her.
"Madam, would you like to buy two pounds of freshly picked wild vegetables to make soup?"
"Madam, these are freshly dug bamboo shoots from the mountain. They are so tender!"
"Ma'am, would you like some river shrimp? The fried chives are so delicious~"
…
Feng Qingsui smiled and waved his hand: "There are vegetables in the house today, I will buy more tomorrow."
It’s not good to ask Ji Changqing to cook every day.
“Bang!”
Suddenly there was a knocking sound on the tree above my head.
He put his arm around her waist and took her back a few meters.
More than a dozen black and red spiders of various sizes hung from the tree, scaring Curly so much that he screamed.
Feng Qingsui's face darkened.
“Bang!”
Another soft sound.
More spiders fell.
Feng Qingsui turned his head and saw a group of half-grown children playing with slingshots not far away.
After instructing Wuhua to deal with the poisonous spiders, she walked towards the group of children.
"Who taught you to shoot the branches of that tree as I passed by it?"
She asked with a smile.
Several children looked at the fat boy standing in the front.
A trace of embarrassment passed across the little fat boy's face.
"Someone gave me a tael of silver and asked me to do this. They only asked me to shoot the branches, not the people, so I agreed..."
"Do you remember what that person looked like?"
"A tall, thin man, probably in his twenties."
Feng Qingsui pointed at the poisonous spider that Wuhua had crushed to death and said, "Those spiders can kill people with just one bite. If we hadn't been alert just now, we would have been dead by now."
The little fat boy's face turned pale.
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