Concubine Liu was always itchy all over. She had nails, and scratching left bloody marks on her skin.
Gu Qilan frowned upon seeing this. He stepped forward and restrained Concubine Liu's hands: "Qing Ruo, stop grabbing. You're bleeding."
Concubine Liu also knew that she couldn't scratch, but she really couldn't help it. The emperor held her hands, and she couldn't help twisting her body and rubbing it against the bed in an attempt to relieve the itch.
"Your Majesty, I feel so uncomfortable, Your Majesty."
Gu Qilan pursed his lips and looked at her, not knowing what he was thinking.
After a while, the imperial physician arrived. By then, Concubine Liu's body was covered with bloodstains, including her face.
Gu Qilan covered her with a quilt, lowered the bed curtain, and only exposed one hand to take her pulse.
Doctor Wang took her pulse and looked at the scratches on her arm, and his facial features wrinkled together.
Gu Qilan said, "Doctor Wang, how is your pulse?"
Imperial Physician Wang's brows were furrowed so tightly that they could pinch a fly to death. He looked extremely troubled. "Your Majesty, I am incompetent and cannot diagnose the Imperial Concubine's condition. However, I see that your entire body is extremely itchy. Perhaps you have eaten something unclean?"
Gu Qilan's face was cold, and he called out in a low voice: "Song Qu!"
Song Qu knew what the emperor meant, so he bowed and went back to check today's meal in the imperial kitchen.
Not long after, Song Qu returned to report, "Your Majesty, I asked the imperial physician to examine today's meal, and there is nothing wrong with it."
Gu Qilan was not surprised to hear this. His meals would be checked by eunuchs for poison testing before being served, and he and the imperial concubine ate the same food, but he was fine.
Gu Qilan also asked someone to check what Concubine Liu wore and used, but after a whole night, they still found nothing.
The next morning, when Ruyi went to serve the meal, she heard the palace servants talking about this matter. She didn't show it on her face, but she was very happy in her heart. When she entered Shuqing Palace, an excited smile appeared on her face.
"Master, guess what good news I heard outside?"
Her eyes were shining, and she was obviously happy about something.
Luoying helped set the table and glanced at her with a smile, as if to ask her to stop keeping her in suspense.
Ning Yuxi probably knew what the news was, and she slightly curled the corners of her lips, but smiled without saying anything.
Ruyi was extremely anxious. Why didn't anyone come to ask her? She couldn't help but excitedly said, "Master, I just went to deliver the meal and met some palace maids on the way. They said that Concubine Liu had an itch all over her body yesterday for some reason. She scratched it so hard that it broke out, and the imperial physician couldn't find the cause."
"This must be her retribution. She framed her master, and even God couldn't stand it. She deserves it!"
Ning Yuxi picked up a dish and put it into her mouth: "Ruyi, be careful, there are ears on the other side of the wall."
Although there are only three of them, the master and the servant, in Shuqing Palace now, Ruyi still needs to change her outspokenness.
Ruyi also felt that she had gotten carried away and quickly covered her mouth: "Yes, yes, yes, it was just that this servant was too excited at the moment."
She noticed that her master and Luoying were not surprised at all, so she asked, "Why aren't you surprised at all?"
Ning Yuxi and Luoying looked at each other quietly, without answering her.
Luoying said helplessly: "Alright, alright, let the master have a good meal. The master is now a double body."
Ruyi no longer hesitated: "Yes, Master, you should eat more."
Concubine Liu's itching lasted for seven days. The Imperial Hospital had been busy researching it for these days but could not find out the cause, and Song Qu also did not find anything wrong.
Fortunately, after seven days, Concubine Liu's itching gradually improved, but when she returned home, her entire body was scratched beyond recognition due to the itching for several days. Later, the emperor simply tied her up.
But it was too late. She was scratched too many times and too deeply, and even if she healed, she would probably still have scars.
Unable to find the cause, the imperial physician finally attributed it to an allergy to various spring pollens.
Ning Yuxi smiled lightly when she learned the result. The imperial physician was indeed a blind cat that caught a dead mouse, but he was only half right.
The main cause of Concubine Liu's itching was her medicinal powders, several of which were mixed together and then diluted with clean water. They were colorless and odorless.
Everyone in the palace knew that Concubine Liu liked to use rare purple rose petals to bathe and wash her face, so the emperor specially ordered people to clear a large area in a corner of the imperial garden and planted it with purple roses.
After it rained that day, Ning Yuxi asked Luoying to quietly sprinkle the diluted medicine on the roses. It was normal for water to accumulate on the roses after the rain.
Everyone in the palace knew that Concubine Liu loved to eat the Jade Milk Braised Pigeon Soup. The imperial kitchen would definitely make it on her birthday. One of the ingredients in the braised pigeon sauce, combined with her potion, was not completely effective.
But combined with the pollen of many cold moon stars planted in Concubine Liu's palace, the combination of these three things produced such an effect.
The last time she was summoned by Concubine Liu to her Changle Palace for punishment, she saw the cold moon stars planted in her palace, which were now in full bloom in spring.
The marinade ingredients, the cold moon star pollen, are all non-toxic and harmless. As for the potion she sprinkled, it is colorless and odorless and cannot be detected.
The potions on the flowers in the imperial garden were washed away by the intermittent spring rains.
This method will make people's whole body itchy and they can't help scratching. The wounds after scratching are difficult to heal, and even if they heal, they will leave scars. These scars will cause unbearable itching on every rainy day thereafter.
She didn't want to be so ruthless, but Liu Qingruo should never hurt her children and family.
If no one offends me, I will not offend anyone!
Only she and Luoying knew about this matter. She didn't tell Ruyi because she was afraid that she would lose her patience and reveal something.
…
In mid-March, the war in the north was finally settled, Xianzhou City was recaptured, and the enemy leader of this battle, General Liefeng, was pursued and fled, and his whereabouts disappeared, and the Wuhuan troops withdrew.
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