Chapter 161 Mercury Poisoning
Du Zhengming asked a few more questions, and then the princess prepared to get up and leave.
As he was leaving, he suddenly turned to look at Madam Wan and said:
"My younger brother, Prince Rui, has always loved lotus flowers, hibiscus cake, and playing the zither."
After saying this, the eldest princess gave a mocking laugh and added:
"And he hates worshipping Buddha the most."
After that, the eldest princess ignored the surprise, astonishment, and disbelief in Wan's eyes and turned to leave.
She had no interest in the affair between the adulterous couple; she simply wanted to tell the truth and let Lady Wan see the true face of Prince Rui.
Sure enough, after the princess left, Lady Wan cried and laughed in prison, and finally stood there dumbfounded.
In the afternoon, the people from the Dali Temple took Wan Huaixing, Pei Zhuo, and Pei Ying and transferred them to the Xuan-class prison next door.
When he was leaving the prison, he saw Wan again.
Looking at the three of them, tears streaming down her face, Wan kept shouting loudly behind them:
"I'm sorry. It was my fault, I've dragged you all into this."
Pei Zhuo and Pei Ying wanted to turn around, but they were being held back by the jailers and were unable to do so.
"Big brother, please take good care of my two children."
Wan's mournful voice came again.
Wan Huaixing answered loudly, "Yes."
Only then did Wan feel relieved.
The eldest princess returned to the palace to report to the emperor, who was also frowning upon hearing the news.
"So that's how it is. They're actually a group of women from the inner quarters."
The eldest princess asked anxiously, "How is Mother?"
Wang Defa, the chief eunuch serving the emperor, seeing the princess's anxiety, stepped forward to report:
"Your Highness, Imperial Physician Ren has already examined the Empress Dowager. He said she has been poisoned with a kind of poison that weakens the organs."
"Organ weakness?"
"Yes, the Empress Dowager's pulse indicates organ damage."
The imperial physician said that the amount of this poison was small, but it had strong penetrability, like grains of sand accumulating and eventually forming a tower, which would kill the person.
According to the imperial physician, the Empress Dowager has been poisoned for several years.
"Can it be lifted?" the princess pressed.
"Imperial Physician Ren is discussing countermeasures with the other imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital..."
Upon hearing this, the eldest princess looked distressed and walked towards the Empress Dowager's bedside.
Turning around the screen, one could see the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and the Third Prince.
The Fifth Prince was trying his best to tell jokes to amuse the Empress Dowager.
The eldest princess composed herself, then came in, stood to the side for a while, and asked softly:
Where is Ling'er?
The second prince turned to look at the eldest princess and answered:
"Grandmother said she wanted to see Yuanzheng and Yuanxi, so Ling'er went back to fetch them."
The eldest princess nodded, then looked down at her sickly mother lying on the bed.
Suddenly, tears welled up in my eyes.
But fearing that the Empress Dowager would see, she quickly turned her back and wiped away her tears.
After a while, he said to the Crown Prince, "Chen'er, you and the Second Prince go to the East Palace first to continue handling state affairs."
I'm here.
The Crown Prince and the Second Prince took their leave together, while the Third Prince stood to the side and said:
"Aunt, I'll stay here and keep Grandmother company."
The eldest princess nodded absentmindedly.
Upon returning to his residence, Xiao Ling instructed Xie Yunyu to prepare the child for their journey to the palace.
Seeing his gloomy expression, Xie Yunyu knew that something had happened again.
So he asked, "What's wrong? Has something happened in the palace again?"
Xiao Ling nodded: "Yes, the Empress Dowager was also poisoned."
Xie Yunyu frowned deeply after hearing this: "It seems there's a master of poison in the palace?"
"Grandmother said she wanted to see Yuanzheng and Yuanxi, and I was thinking that you should go with them. Maybe you can be of some help."
Xie Yunyu nodded.
He quickly directed everyone to pack their things and prepare to enter the palace.
The two arrived at the palace with the child, but the Empress Dowager had already fallen asleep.
As the two entered, they saw the Third Prince preparing to leave. They exchanged greetings and passed each other. In the instant they brushed past each other, Xie Yunyu smelled a faint lotus fragrance emanating from the Third Prince.
The two approached and bowed to the princess.
The princess waved wearily, indicating that there was no need for formalities.
"Have you gone to pay your respects to His Majesty and the Empress?"
"Let's visit the Empress Dowager first," Xiao Ling replied.
Then, looking at the Empress Dowager on the couch with great concern, he stepped forward and asked:
"Mother, is this the poison from the Empress Dowager?"
"The imperial physicians have not yet come up with a solution."
The eldest princess was in a very low mood at the moment.
"Then let Yu'er take a look at the Empress Dowager?"
The princess was surprised to hear this; her daughter-in-law knew medicine?
Oh, I remember now, she was the one who dealt with Yongning's poison on the spot.
So he nodded.
Xie Yun stepped forward, sat on the couch, took the Empress Dowager's pulse, and then looked at her eyelids, fingertips, and lip color.
Holy crap, the Empress Dowager took some kind of elixir?
It looks like mercury poisoning.
Emergency room doctors are not specialists, but they are generalists.
Xie Yunyu was able to recognize the signs of mercury poisoning.
So she turned to the eldest princess and asked, "Mother, does the Empress Dowager... take any elixirs regularly?"
The eldest princess frowned upon hearing this, then looked at the palace maid who served the Empress Dowager closely.
A palace maid stepped forward and replied, "Your Highness, the Empress Dowager has never used any elixirs."
That's strange, how could it be heavy metal poisoning?
Xie Yunyu was also quite puzzled.
It was only when ancient people took elixirs that the levels of lead and mercury in their bodies exceeded the standard.
If you don't take any elixirs, where do the heavy metals come from?
Could it be that commonly used utensils were contaminated with mercury?
The eldest princess looked at Xie Yunyu's expression and asked, "Have you found the cause of the illness?"
"Yes, Mother, Grandmother suffered from mercury poisoning."
However, he had never taken any elixirs; it was because his commonly used utensils had been coated with mercury.
The initial amounts were small, but accumulated over time, they led to the situation we have today.
Xiao Ling replied, "Mercury and silver are very similar, so it must have been mixed with silver before it was used."
"That's most likely the case," Xie Yunyu nodded.
"However, it cannot be ruled out that mixing it into the ground or pillars can both repel insects and allow it to penetrate."
The eldest princess said, "Only your grandmother was poisoned in the entire palace; none of the other palace maids have this condition."
That means that only your grandmother could come into contact with the place where the mercury was located.
Or perhaps it's because they had limited contact with others.
Xie Yunyu nodded in agreement, then looked around the main hall again, finally fixing her gaze on the Empress Dowager's bed.
Xiao Ling's gaze remained fixed on Xie Yunyu, but suddenly...
"Could it be in this bed?"
Xie Yunyu looked at the eldest princess and said, "Mother, let's change the Empress Dowager's residence and thoroughly investigate the entire Ning Shou Palace."
Especially everyday items used in the mouth or worn close to the body, including hairpins, bracelets, and various accessories.
The eldest princess took a deep breath, steadied herself, and called out:
"Someone, please summon Imperial Physician Ren."
Xie Yunyu knew that the Empress Dowager's illness ultimately depended on the opinions of the imperial physicians.
"Mother, let's invite Doctor Fang from our Xie family shop, the one who treated His Majesty last time, to come as well."
The eldest princess nodded: "Someone, go and invite Doctor Fang."
"Your Highness, His Majesty has just issued an edict summoning Physician Fang to the palace."
Wang Cheng, the chief eunuch of the Empress Dowager's palace, returned and stepped forward to report.
"Alright, let's call them all over then."
"Here you go."
Wang Cheng responded softly.
Soon the emperor, along with Imperial Physician Ren and Doctor Fang, arrived together.
Seeing the Empress Dowager lying on the soft couch by the window, the eldest princess sat on a stool next to the couch.
After the imperial physician entered, he began communicating with the eldest princess and the emperor.
As soon as Dr. Fang saw Xie Yunyu, he quickly and quietly went over and stood behind her.
Xie Yunyu smiled faintly as she observed Doctor Fang's reaction and said in a low voice:
"It looks like mercury poisoning. Go and take a look, but don't be afraid."
Upon hearing this, Doctor Fang frowned and peered into the Empress Dowager's bedside.
After Physician Ren finished speaking, he turned to look at Doctor Fang.
Doctor Fang then moved toward the Empress Dowager's bed, and the two examined her carefully and discussed it for a long time.
Finally, Doctor Fang took out a book from his medicine box, turned to a certain page, and handed it to Imperial Physician Ren.
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