Chapter 206 All the Suspicion Lies with Her
All the resentment and misunderstandings of the Cold War vanished the moment Pei Zhi risked his life to protect her.
Ye Wanning reached out and supported his bleeding back: "How are you? Are you badly hurt?"
Pei Zhi smiled, but his face was pale from blood loss: "I'm fine, as long as you're alright."
The guards quickly rushed forward and subdued the assassin. The emperor, both shocked and frightened, looked at the two men with a conflicted expression: "Pei Zhi, are you alright? Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"
The imperial physician arrived to treat Pei Zhi. His wound was extremely deep, and he had lost a lot of blood; he needed to recuperate in a quiet environment. Ye Wanning stayed by Pei Zhi's side, her heart filled with guilt and gratitude as she looked at his pale face. She knew that Pei Zhi truly loved her and was willing to give everything for her.
The assassins imprisoned in the cold palace quickly confessed. Ye Wanning used "tranquilizing needles" to stimulate their acupoints, making them unable to lie.
The assassins confessed: "We are remnants of Consort Li's faction, acting on her orders to feign an assassination attempt on His Majesty. In reality, we wanted to frame Ye Wanning's palace maid apprentice so that His Majesty would believe she was plotting a rebellion and have her killed." They even produced letters exchanged with Consort Li's family to prove their claims.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor's face darkened further. He hadn't expected Consort Li to be so audacious as to send someone to assassinate him and then try to frame Ye Wanning. However, Consort Li's family still held some influence in the court, so the Emperor couldn't directly harm them. Instead, he demoted Consort Li's title to that of a concubine and ordered her to remain secluded for three months, forbidden from leaving the palace unless summoned.
Consort Li's family was also implicated, questioned by the Empress Dowager, and had some of their power reduced.
Watching all this unfold, Ye Wanning understood that the real power struggles had only just begun. Consort Li had fallen, but her family remained, and they would never give up. She had intended to spend less time in the palace, focusing on managing the Heritage Hall and staying away from these troubles. But just as she was about to leave the palace, the Empress Dowager called out to her, "Wanning, wait a moment."
The Empress Dowager looked at her, her eyes full of trust: "The poisoning in the harem is escalating. I trust your medical skills and character. I want you to investigate secretly and protect the safety of the concubines and the imperial heir. Are you willing?"
Ye Wanning hesitated. She didn't want to get involved in the palace intrigues, but the Empress Dowager had been kind to her, and she couldn't refuse. Finally, she nodded: "This subject is willing."
The autumn rain pattered on the glazed tiles of the palace walls, making Chang Le Palace even more desolate.
"Madam Ye is here? Quickly save me!" The Empress Dowager leaned against the soft couch, her hands tightly covering her temples. Her face was deathly pale, and large beads of sweat streamed down her forehead; all traces of her former kindness were gone.
Ye Wanning quickly stepped forward and took her pulse. She then frowned: "The pulse is erratic, indicating liver qi stagnation and coldness. This is not the Empress Dowager's headache as before, but rather seems like chronic poisoning."
"Empress Dowager, is the medicine you're drinking the same prescription as before?" Ye Wanning asked softly, gesturing towards the medicine bowl on the bed.
The medicine bowl was at a comfortable temperature, with a few dregs at the bottom. Ye Wanning picked up the bowl and smelled it. In addition to the angelica and gastrodia elata she usually used, there was also a faint numbing smell—acupuncture! Acupuncture can relieve pain in small amounts, but long-term use can damage internal organs, worsen headaches, and even lead to death in severe cases.
"It's the same prescription as before." The Empress Dowager's voice trembled with pain. "It's just that the medicine the imperial physicians have been prescribing lately isn't as effective as before. My headaches are coming on more and more frequently, and the pain is so bad that I can't even open my eyes."
Ye Wanning's heart sank. This aconite was definitely not put there by Zhang Yuanpan; someone must have poisoned the medicine.
"Your Majesty, I will first use silver needles to relieve your pain." As she spoke, she took out silver needles and accurately inserted them into the Empress Dowager's temples and Fengchi acupoints.
The moment the silver needle entered the acupuncture point, the Empress Dowager's body trembled slightly, and the pain on her face lessened somewhat.
"I feel much better... Madam Ye, your medical skills truly saved my life."
"Your Majesty flatters me." Ye Wanning twirled the silver needle, her gaze secretly sweeping over the palace servants in the hall.
Qinghe was in charge of decocting the medicine and had been watching her the whole time. When she saw Qinghe pouting at her, she quickly lowered her eyes, twisting the hem of her clothes with both hands, her forehead covered in sweat—even though it wasn't hot inside the hall.
All suspicions point to her.
After the acupuncture was administered, the Empress Dowager fell into a deep sleep. Ye Wanning closed the door and said to Chief Steward Li, "Chief Steward Li, take me to the medicine preparation room."
"Yes." Steward Li dared not delay and hurriedly led her to the back hall.
In the medicine preparation room, the medicine pot was still on the stove, next to which were chopped medicinal herbs. Ye Wanning examined each item one by one. The angelica and chuanxiong were all fine, until the last package of ingredients wrapped in kraft paper—it contained a few slices of aconite, cut as thin as gastrodia elata, so thin that they were indistinguishable without careful inspection.
"Who gave you this aconite?" Ye Wanning asked, holding up the paper package.
The eunuch in charge of preparing the medicine changed his expression and stammered, "It was brought by Qinghe, the palace maid. She said the Empress Dowager wanted to add it specially because it has a good analgesic effect."
"Qinghe has been in the palace for three years. She previously served in Consort Li's Chang Le Palace and was only transferred to Ci Ning Palace three months ago," the eunuch answered truthfully.
"Former subordinates of Consort Li?" Ye Wanning recalled that when she investigated Consort Li's family last time, she vaguely discovered that they had connections with remnants of the previous dynasty. It seems that this aconite is most likely related to the remnants of the previous dynasty—they want to poison the Empress Dowager, shake the Emperor's mind, and then take the opportunity to cause trouble.
"Put these medicinal herbs away for now; they can't be used anymore," Ye Wanning said. "Steward Li, this matter is of great importance. Let's not make a fuss about it for now, lest we alert the enemy."
Steward Li was a smart man and naturally understood the importance of the matter. He quickly nodded and said, "Don't worry, Madam Ye, this old servant knows what to do."
Ye Wanning returned to the inner room and looked at the Empress Dowager, who was fast asleep, and secretly pondered a solution.
We can't touch Qinghe right now, otherwise we'll alert her and we won't be able to find out who's behind her. We can only quietly adjust the Empress Dowager's prescription, adding more antidotes like licorice and mung beans to neutralize the toxicity of aconite, while secretly gathering evidence.
"Miss, how is it?" Xiao Lian, a palace maid apprentice, sneaked in furtively. She was Ye Wanning's spy planted in the harem, specializing in gathering information.
"The Empress Dowager was poisoned with aconite. It was Qinghe who did it. She was a former subordinate of Consort Li." Ye Wanning lowered her voice. "Keep a close eye on Qinghe and see who she contacts, especially Consort Li's family."
Xiao Lian was startled, then nodded, a cold glint in her eyes, and quietly retreated.
Ye Wanning wrote another prescription and handed it to Steward Li: "Make the medicine according to this prescription. You must personally supervise the decoction process and no one is allowed to approach. Once it is ready, you must personally deliver it to me."
"This old servant obeys the decree." Steward Li quickly took the prescription.
The rain is still falling.
Leaving the Cining Palace, Ye Wanning walked along the palace path, holding an oil-paper umbrella, her heart heavy with unease. The power struggles within the harem had now drawn in remnants of the previous dynasty, making matters increasingly complex.
She wanted to ask Pei Zhi for help, but hesitated when she remembered his previous intentional distancing.
Just as he was hesitating, he saw Pei Zhi walking towards him from the direction of the Imperial Study. He was wearing a dark blue court robe, the edges of which were slightly damp from the rain, and his complexion seemed rather unwell.
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