In a side room of Emperor Kangping's palace.
Physician Jiang heated a sharp needle over a fire, punctured the large blister on Yang Yaozu's hand, drained the fluid, applied burn ointment, and then turned to get a bandage, saying:
"His Majesty trusted that goddess too much. The medicine we prepared was enough to cure His Majesty, but His Majesty... spilled it again."
Although Physician Jiang was not the most senior among the imperial physicians, his medical skills were the highest. He was primarily responsible for prescribing medicines for Emperor Kangping. Yang Yaozu also knew of his excellent medical skills and specifically sought him out to treat the burns on his hands.
Yang Yaozu said with a wry smile, "His Majesty probably wants to recover as soon as possible to attack Xiping Pass, otherwise why would he issue two secret edicts to the Fifth Prince?"
Although he was Emperor Kangping's trusted eunuch, his duties were limited to daily service; he was not qualified to handle official business.
On the morning of the 27th of the twelfth lunar month, Emperor Kangping summoned him, intending to dictate a secret edict to the fifth prince, Wei Shao.
From a young age, he was playful and lecherous, utterly uneducated, and couldn't even write a complete character, let alone handle the difficult task of drafting imperial edicts. Therefore, the prime minister had to be summoned, and Emperor Kangping dictated the edict, which the prime minister then wrote down.
Because it was a secret edict, he could not be present. Therefore, he knew neither the contents of the edict nor that the Fifth Prince, Wei Shao, had burned it.
Imperial Physician Jiang shook his head, unfolded the cloth strip, and said, "We medical students all know that illness comes like a landslide, but recovery is slow and gradual. It's impossible to get better so quickly. His Majesty was indeed on the verge of death a month ago, but thanks to our careful treatment, His Majesty has improved significantly. As long as he continues to take the medicine, he will be able to sit up soon... Sigh, I'll stop here for now. Eunuch Yang, please raise your hand so I can bandage you."
Just as Yang Yaozu was about to reach out, the sound of armor clanging and clattering came from outside.
"Are they the Imperial Guards?" Yang Yaozu frowned and asked, "Why are they walking so noisily? What if they disturb His Majesty?"
Just as he was about to get up, the door was kicked open with a bang. Several fierce-looking imperial guards rushed into the room, kicked aside the chair blocking their way, and like eagles snatching chicks, grabbed Imperial Physician Jiang by the hair and dragged him out.
Physician Jiang was shocked and struggled to shout, "What are you doing? I'm bandaging Eunuch Yang!"
The soldier ignored him, grabbed his hair and dragged him out the door. Physician Jiang cried out in pain, kicking his legs wildly, and even lost one of his shoes by rubbing against the threshold.
Yang Yaozu was stunned. He stood up and asked a commander of the Imperial Guards standing at the door, "Commander Wang, what happened? Why are you taking Imperial Physician Jiang away?"
Upon seeing him, Commander Wang immediately bowed and said, "Eunuch Yang, Consort Li has plotted to poison His Majesty. His Majesty is furious and has ordered us to immediately detain all those involved. His Majesty intends to conduct an on-site trial."
Yang Yaozu was even more confused and said, "Who said Consort Li wanted to poison His Majesty?"
"I don't know," Commander Wang hurriedly clasped his hands in greeting. "Eunuch Yang, I must escort the criminal to His Majesty as soon as possible. Please excuse me."
Torches lit the courtyard as bright as day. Dozens of imperial guards dragged several imperial physicians out of the courtyard. Some of the physicians cried out for justice, some struggled, and amidst the shouts of the imperial guards, it was utter chaos.
Yang Yaozu stood there, trying to appear calm, but his legs were trembling uncontrollably, and even the pain in the back of his hand seemed insignificant.
Consort Li had mentioned this to him before, and although she hadn't explicitly asked him to poison Emperor Kangping, it had already terrified him so much that he fled in panic. He hadn't expected Consort Li to be in such a hurry, determined to do it even without his help.
He was not entirely loyal to Emperor Kangping; he simply had different ideas from Consort Li.
At first, he thought that Emperor Kangping was so ill that he obviously wouldn't live for more than a few days. He figured it was safer for everyone to just wait for him to die naturally, and there was no need to rush things.
Considering what Imperial Physician Jiang said about Emperor Kangping's condition, could it be that Consort Li also knew that Emperor Kangping's condition had improved and that he was in a hurry to take action because he couldn't hold on any longer?
The problem is that poisoning the emperor is a heinous crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family.
He became increasingly panicked, his legs went weak and he almost collapsed to the ground, so he quickly grabbed the table for support.
Although he didn't have the guts to conspire with Consort Li to poison Emperor Kangping, he did help Consort Li conceal urgent reports from the border, which was also a serious crime.
Emperor Kangping was already a hot-tempered and easily angered man, and now that he was bedridden, his temper had only worsened. Knowing that he had concealed the Southern Chu army's entry into the pass was like adding fuel to the fire; he would definitely have someone chop his head off.
After thinking for a long time, he felt that he had to find a way to protect Consort Li, otherwise if Consort Li wanted to drag someone down with her and expose him, he would be doomed.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, he propped himself up with his hands and left the room, rushing towards the room where Emperor Kangping was.
The path leading to Emperor Kangping's room was lined with imperial guards, their torches held high, the swords and spears gleaming coldly in the firelight. His heart pounded, but he feigned nonchalance and hurried along.
Just as they turned the corner of the long corridor, several burly imperial guards dragged a royal physician surnamed Chai towards them.
The imperial physician, Chai, was ashen-faced, and even his crotch was soaked. To be so terrified, he was either about to be beheaded or facing certain death.
Yang Yaozu's hands trembled, and he quickly hid them in his sleeves and stood aside. He took a few more steps forward, and then several more imperial guards escorted out an imperial physician.
The imperial physician, his feet not touching the ground, was held aloft by soldiers, crying out, "Your Majesty, spare me! The poison was prepared by Imperial Physician Chai, it has nothing to do with me! Your Majesty!"
Yang Yaozu observed this and thought to himself, "Your Majesty doesn't need to interrogate Consort Li personally. Just interrogate the people around her, or which imperial physicians had contact with her. Someone will eventually slip up. Consort Li doesn't have the ability to prepare poison herself, so she had Imperial Physician Chai prepare it. She's doomed now."
After thinking it over, he panicked even more, quickened his pace, and went straight to the door of Emperor Kangping's room.
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