Chapter 81: Sealing the Palace

The two walked aside, both silent.

After a while, Chu Zhenxuan spoke slowly, "Although I don't have a close relationship with Lord Zuo on weekdays, Lord Zuo's character has always been obvious to all. He left overnight tonight, and his true self really cannot be associated with Lord Zuo's image."

Doctor Zuo sighed, "You can see, Prime Minister, that I am a clean-handed person. Even if I leave, I won't have anything valuable. But I have served the court for so many years, and my greatest wish is for my family to be safe."

"Who or what has caused Lord Zuo to worry about his life?" Chu Zhenxuan's face was solemn, and the situation seemed to be getting worse.

"Do you know what happened to your wife?" Lord Zuo suddenly looked at Chu Zhenxuan and asked.

Chu Zhenxuan shook his head and waited for him to continue.

"If I am not mistaken, your wife must have been bitten by a snake."

"Gu?" Chu Zhenxuan's eyes seemed to be sparkling.

"Just like many other ladies in the palace, I went to the palace for a consultation a few days ago and happened to see the concubines admiring flowers in the Yu Garden. Jiang Xiaoyi and Lady Xia were closest to me at the time, and I smelled a very strange fragrance. Out of my instinct as a doctor, I held my breath and took a red pill passed down from the Zuo family. After that, I could no longer smell the fragrance."

The left imperial physician paused for a moment, then continued, "I think Concubine Xia also smelled the same fragrance as me. I wonder if Lord Xia also gave Concubine Xia something like anti-poison pills. Concubine Xia felt very uncomfortable when she smelled that smell that day, and she also had signs of dry nausea. At that time, the other concubines joked that she might be pregnant."

"What happens next?" Chu Zhenxuan's voice became increasingly deep.

"Afterwards, I took Lady Xia's pulse and found nothing wrong. Lady Ying said it was a rare occasion that all the sisters were present, so she asked me to take everyone's pulse to see if any of them could surprise her. The result was..."

"What was the result?"

"After I took the pulses, I found that except for Concubine Xia and Concubine Ying, the pulses of the other ladies were the same as your madam's." Lord Zuo looked even worse.

"Then who did you tell this to?" Chu Zhenxuan asked.

"No one said it. I dare not say it." Doctor Zuo replied.

"Then why is Lady Xia under house arrest and why is there no news?"

"I don't know about this, but after I left, I heard that Wei Chongyuan was not feeling well that evening, and she invited another imperial physician, Doctor Fu, who had just joined the Imperial Medical Hospital. Doctor Fu said that Wei Chongyuan was pregnant and reported it to the emperor. In the next few days, I deliberately avoided asking for pulses in the palace. As a result, I heard that many ladies were pregnant. The emperor found it unbelievable, so he invited Lord Xia into the palace. It was almost the same time that the Prime Minister asked me to see your wife. So after I took your wife's pulse, I felt that the matter was serious and was about to develop into an epidemic. It's nothing for me to do, but I'm the only one who can do this!" After the Left Imperial Physician finished speaking, he glanced at his little son who was not far away.

Chu Zhenxuan thought for a while, and then spoke, "Lord Zuo has concerns, and I understand, but the situation in the palace is unclear. We don't know whether it is a snake, poison, or plague, where it came from, whether it was man-made or something else. As an official appointed by the court, you should have contributed to the country, but you ran away, which is a crime in itself. Now the matter is serious and no one is investigating. If the epidemic is brought under control one day, will the emperor not investigate? You have been clear-minded all your life, do you want to ruin it like this?"

Doctor Zuo shuddered, tears streaming down his face. "I have thought about this before, but this is the first time I have seen such a situation. Once you are infected, you will die. What reputation do you have?"

"So you don't care about your son's future? He's still so young. If he is accused of treason against his family, won't his life be over?"

Doctor Zuo was shaking even more violently, "I am getting old and confused, really confused."

"Everyone can understand the love for one's children. I did not see what happened tonight. No one saw it either. I will send someone to escort Lord Zuo's family to a safe place and send someone to protect them. But Lord Zuo, you cannot leave."

Doctor Zuo nodded repeatedly and wanted to kneel down to Chu Zhenxuan, who quickly helped him up.

Chu Zhenxuan was very efficient. He sent Doctor Zuo's family out of the city in half an hour and sent ten people to follow them.

Imperial Physician Zuo also packed up all his belongings and went to the Prime Minister's residence.

At this time, Xia Xue was burning with fever again, even hotter than before.

Doctor Zuo prescribed some fever-reducing medicine and asked him to prepare some. He then asked the servants to put out the charcoal fire in the room, took out some needles, and inserted them into several of Xia Xue's major acupuncture points.

After the simple treatment, Xia Xue still showed no signs of fever going down.

"It's harder to treat than expected, and the condition is progressing very quickly. Mrs. Chu's pulse is much weaker than it was at noon. And she has a persistent high fever. Even if the poison is eliminated, her organs may be damaged."

"So the temperature must be lowered?"

Doctor Zuo nodded.

Chu Zhenxuan looked outside and immediately began to undress.

"What is this, Prime Minister?"

"Use me to cool you down!"

"Mrs. Chu's condition may be contagious."

"I don't care!"

......

That night, the first snow fell since the beginning of winter.

That night, Chu Zhenxuan went in and out of the bedroom naked more than ten times.

That night, almost everyone in the prime minister's residence stayed awake all night.

That night, two tears fell from the corners of the unconscious Xia Xue's eyes.

Finally, when the Yin hour arrived, Xia Xue's fever subsided.

Imperial Physician Zuo also spent a night reading a medical book about insect poison and speculated that this insect might be a mother and baby.

If you want to detoxify everyone, you must kill the mother pigeon. However, the mother pigeon lives in the human body. Not to mention that it is extremely difficult to find the mother pigeon, even if you find it, you may not be able to kill the mother pigeon. The mother pigeon must leave the human body and be killed outside the human body before the other chicks can be killed. If the mother pigeon is found, even if the person who fostered her is killed, the mother pigeon will still be reborn through one of her chicks.

Who on earth used such a vicious thing?

Imperial Physician Zuo closed the medical book and hurried to find Chu Zhenxuan.

Chu Zhenxuan in the inner room had just put on his clothes when he saw the imperial physician Zuo and hurriedly asked him to check Xia Xue's pulse.

After Xia Xue's fever subsided, her pulse felt much better, but she still showed no signs of waking up.

Doctor Zuo sighed and told Chu Zhenxuan about last night's research.

Chu Zhenxuan thought for a while, "If I want to find the female pig, I must enter the palace."

"I will go with you, Mr. Xiang."

"No! You are the only one left in the Imperial Hospital now. Please stay in the Prime Minister's Residence for the time being. Don't go back to the Imperial Hospital. I will go to the palace to check the situation later."

Doctor Zuo looked at Xia Xue, whose face had regained some color, then looked at Chu Zhenxuan and took out a pill from his waist.

"This is a red pill. It is poisonous in itself, but it can suppress most poisons. Please use it as self-defense, Mr. Prime Minister."

"Thank you!"

Chu Zhenxuan changed into his official uniform and went out.

In less than an hour, he came back.

"The palace is sealed!"