Chapter 63 Pregnancy-related body heat, he actually...
It is said that it is easy to defend against a spear in the open but difficult to guard against an arrow in the dark. Now that Narcissus is in the open, she feels that there are undercurrents surging and her mind is not at peace.
Spring is drawing to a close in tranquility, and the days are getting warmer day by day.
The pregnant Narcissus was particularly sensitive to heat, so ice basins were placed in her bedchamber early on. She could only manage to fall asleep wearing the lightest nightgown.
Even so, I am often awakened by the intense heat.
Both the imperial physician and Xiao Chuanzi said that she was experiencing heat during pregnancy and there was no other way but to endure it on her own.
A rare cool breeze arose that evening, and the carved window was half-open, letting in a gentle breeze.
The narcissus fell into a deep sleep in the rare coolness, and its tense nerves, which had been strained for days, were able to relax a little.
However, this hard-won restful sleep did not last long.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, wake up!"
Narcissus was awakened by Yinzhu's gentle call. Still half asleep, she met Yinzhu's worried face.
"What's the matter that you're so panicked?"
Narcissus felt a pang of anxiety, and her sleepiness vanished almost instantly.
In the dead of night, unless it is something important, Yinzhu would never disturb her.
"It's Eunuch Feng!"
Yinzhu lowered her voice and spoke very quickly, "Eunuch Feng has come in person, right outside the palace. He said... His Majesty urgently summoned the Empress to the Qianqing Palace!"
In the dead of night, Narcissus felt a chill creep into her heart.
Emperor Zhaoheng was always self-disciplined and extremely strict about rules.
Even when the two were deeply in love and fooling around, there was never a time when he would urgently summon her from her sleep in the middle of the night!
This urgent summons in the middle of the night... something must have happened.
Narcissus stood up. "I understand."
Her voice was still slightly hoarse from just waking up, but she had already regained her composure.
"Tell Eunuch Feng to wait a moment, I... need to quickly wash up."
"Yes!" Yinzhu went out to relay the message.
In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Shui Xian, dressed in simple palace attire, arrived at the Qianqing Palace under the stars and moon.
At three-quarters past midnight, the palace was brightly lit, and palace servants stood both inside and outside.
As soon as she stepped into the palace, several pairs of eyes turned to look at her.
Emperor Zhaoheng, dressed in a bright yellow undergarment, sat solemnly on the dragon throne in the hall.
A few steps in front of him knelt a figure. When he turned around, it was none other than Yi Guichun, who had been completely insane just a few days ago.
Now she is dressed in neat coarse cloth clothes, her hair is combed into a high bun, and her face no longer shows the crazy look she had before, only a clear mind remains.
To Yi Guichun's right, from left to right, stood Consort Li, Consort Wen, and a middle-aged man in a long gown with an unfamiliar face.
This person must be the renowned doctor that the Yi family sought out.
This scene... Narcissus's heart sank, but her face showed only confusion.
She stepped forward and bowed gracefully, seemingly puzzled: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
"I wonder why Your Majesty summoned me here so urgently in the middle of the night?"
When Emperor Zhaoheng saw her slightly pale face from rushing over, and her slightly protruding belly hidden under her thin cloak, his anger eased a little.
He recalled how Narcissus had cried because he hadn't believed her, and a feeling of pity welled up in his heart, softening his tone:
"Rise, please take a seat."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
With Yinzhu's help, Shuixian got up and sat down on the embroidered stool next to her.
Her gaze fell once more on Yi Guichun, who was kneeling in the hall, her calm voice carrying a hint of inquiry:
“Commoner Yi... your madness seems to come and go as it pleases.”
"It's astonishing how someone can go mad one moment and be perfectly healthy the next."
As expected, Emperor Zhaoheng frowned again upon hearing this, and his gaze toward Yi Guichun became more scrutinizing, but he did not immediately express his opinion.
"You lowly servant! Even now, are you still going to pretend?!"
Yi Guichun, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly raised his head, his angry voice tinged with a sob, as if he had been wronged to the extreme.
Narcissus met her gaze without flinching: "Yi, I have no idea what you are talking about."
Yi Guichun suddenly turned to Emperor Zhaoheng, kowtowed heavily, and said with great distress, "Your Majesty, please understand! I have been wronged!"
"My previous madness was not caused by a natural disaster, but by human intervention! Someone deliberately poisoned my food!"
"Poisoning?"
Emperor Zhaoheng's voice deepened, as if questioning, "Why didn't the imperial physicians discover this during their previous examinations?"
The renowned physician standing nearby immediately stepped forward, bowed, and reported, "Your Majesty, this poison is extremely rare, originating from a fragment of an ancient, obscure prescription."
"Its symptoms are extremely similar to those of madness, and it is very difficult to detect unless one is an expert in this field. The fact that my colleagues in the Imperial Hospital did not discover it is not due to dereliction of duty, but rather because this poison is too cunning and secretive."
Upon hearing the words "unorthodox ancient prescriptions," Shui Xian unconsciously clenched her right hand.
She had a vague idea of what was going on.
Sure enough, the next moment, Yi Guichun accused:
"Your Majesty!" Yi Guichun cried, tears streaming down her face, her voice filled with sorrow, "When I first awoke, I was in a daze and didn't think much of it. But then..."
"Then I suddenly remembered! That eunuch named Xiao Chuanzi who served Consort Jin! He... he spent his days studying all sorts of medical books, and he especially liked collecting those unorthodox and unorthodox remedies and ancient books!"
"It must have been at Consort Jin's behest that he used that unorthodox poison formula to concoct poison and secretly put it in my food, causing me to lose my mind and do such crazy and outrageous things!"
"Your Majesty! I have served you for three years. Don't you know my character? How could I possibly commit murder and ruin my future? This is clearly a frame-up, Your Majesty!"
Emperor Zhaoheng looked at the tearful Yi Guichun and recalled her gentle and graceful demeanor over the past three years.
His face was somber, and his long, slender fingers tapped silently on the armrest of the dragon throne.
Shui Xian observed his movements and knew that this was Emperor Zhaoheng's habitual gesture when he was thinking.
He... wavered.
Shui Xian's gaze deepened slightly, and she was about to stand up and refute when Consort Li suddenly launched an attack.
Consort Li suddenly stepped forward, took out a booklet from her sleeve, and had Feng Shunxiang present it to Emperor Zhaoheng.
She said loudly, "This is the Imperial Medical Academy's register of rare ancient books borrowed over the past three months. After hearing about this, I had someone check it."
"Your Majesty, please look. The book that records such bizarre poison formulas, 'Study of Strange Poisons,' was only borrowed by Xiao Chuanzi two months ago! This... isn't it too much of a coincidence?"
Emperor Zhaoheng flipped through the register, his expression growing increasingly grim.
He looked up at the narcissus, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
Emperor Zhaoheng slammed the register onto the table beside him with a thud.
"Consort Jin, do you have anything else to explain?"
Shui Xian looked aggrieved, and without hesitation, she got up and knelt down in front of Emperor Zhaoheng.
"Your Majesty! Your concubine begs Your Majesty to investigate this matter thoroughly!"
"It is true that Xiao Chuanzi is devoted to medicine and studies folk remedies and ancient books, but he only studies medicine to improve his skills and has no intention of harming anyone!"
Even when suddenly falsely accused, the newly emerged Narcissus was able to remain calm and refute the accusations logically and clearly.
"This borrowing record is just a piece of paper; how easy is it to forge? How can it be considered irrefutable evidence? Who knows if someone is deliberately framing me and using Xiao Chuanzi to falsely accuse me?"
As Shui Xian spoke, she became more and more aggrieved, tears welling up in her eyes. She turned to look at Yi Guichun, who was kneeling on the ground.
"Furthermore, Lady Yi keeps claiming that she was poisoned and that's why she's delirious! Very well! I'll ask her..."
"Back then, she repeatedly threatened me with the lives of my parents and sister, forcing me to regain her favor and humiliating me. Was it because she was given this unorthodox poison that she became so vicious?!"
She looked at Emperor Zhaoheng pleadingly, as if she were somewhat uncomfortable, and raised her hand to gently touch her slightly protruding belly.
At this distance, Emperor Zhaoheng could clearly see the injustice and sorrow in Shui Xian's eyes.
He sighed softly; ultimately, pity for the narcissus prevailed.
"Xian'er, get up first. I... it's not that I don't trust you. I know you have a pure and kind heart."
Narcissus felt a little more at ease, then heard Emperor Zhaoheng say in a low voice:
"But this Xiao Chuanzi... his obsession with such insidious remedies is suspicious!"
"In order to find out the truth and to clear your name, I think... it would be better to hand him over to the Censorate for a thorough interrogation so that he can prove his innocence."
The Department of Cautious Punishment!
Narcissus's heart sank to the bottom!
Emperor Zhaoheng's words seemed fair, but in reality, under the constant pressure from Consort Li and Yi Guichun, he chose to sacrifice Xiao Chuanzi to temporarily protect her!
Once Xiao Chuanzi enters the Shenxing Division, under those cruel tortures, will he have any chance of survival? Even if he doesn't die, he'll definitely be a cripple!
What Yi Guichun and her group wanted was to sever her trusted confidants and arms!
Narcissus's mind raced as she searched for a way to break the deadlock.
However, before she could speak, Consort Li sneered.
"Pure-hearted?"
Consort Li seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world. She stepped forward and said in a coquettish voice:
"Your Majesty! Please don't be fooled by Consort Jin's pitiful appearance! If she were truly without guile, how was the forged rare stone presented by the Yi family exposed back then?!"
Consort Li added insult to injury, saying, "It was Consort Jin who secretly sent someone to deliver a secret letter to me, implying that the auspicious stone presented by the Yi family was unusual!"
She pointed at the daffodils, her eyes filled with disdain:
"It was her! She used my Ruan family to bring down the Yi family! She herself hid behind the scenes, pretending to be as innocent as a white rabbit!"
"Such cunning methods of using others to do one's dirty work reveal a mind as deep as the ocean! Your Majesty! Do you still think she...is pure and kind-hearted?"
Standing beside her, Consort Wen covered her mouth in disbelief. "Consort Jin...you are a servant of the Yi family, and the Yi family has raised you for many years. How could you...how could you secretly frame me and commit such a vicious act!"
Consort Li... has actually joined forces with the Yi family!
Shui Xian felt a chill in her heart, and then she heard Emperor Zhaoheng question her in a cold voice, his deep voice tinged with disappointment, as he said hoarsely:
"Consort Jin... is what they said true?!"
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