At this moment, Su Yushan's hair was disheveled, and it would take at least half an hour to re-dress it. Hongli was in a hurry to investigate the truth, so Yushan did not stop him and let him go first.
After Hongli left, Su Yushan couldn't sleep either, so she got up and asked someone to help her change her clothes and do her makeup.
Before the truth is cleared up, this matter should not be publicized. Therefore, Hongli did not have Consort Cheng sent back to the palace, but kept her in a side hall near the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
When Hongli arrived, Consort Cheng was still lying in the tent, her cheeks flushed red. She felt like ants were gnawing at her body and was in so much pain that she was about to go crazy!
The imperial physicians could not cure her poison and could only use acupuncture to alleviate her pain. However, acupuncture only provided temporary relief and could not cure the disease.
Once the effects of acupuncture wore off, she began to suffer again.
Upon spotting Hongli's figure, Consort Cheng weakly propped herself up and cried out in a pitiful voice, "Cousin, cousin, I'm about to die! I'm so scared, please save me!"
Hongli glanced at her, his eyes filled with disgust, refusing to acknowledge her, and went directly to ask the imperial physician.
"Physician Yu, where will the medicine come from?"
On the way here, Hongli had guessed where the medicine came from. He thought there was something wrong with the ginseng soup, but he hadn't drunk the soup, so it shouldn't be Chinese medicine. Besides, he only felt uncomfortable after smelling the special fragrance, so the problem must be with that strange fragrance.
The imperial physician investigated for a long time, examining handkerchiefs, hairpins, and jewelry one by one, and finally found something unusual inside Consort Cheng's nail guards!
The problem lies in the nail guards. The nail guards are coated with a special balm. Once someone wears them, their fingertips sweat, and the balm begins to emit a strange fragrance that can make people feel infatuated.
Hongli suddenly remembered that Jin Minjing had drugged him with a handkerchief, but now Consort Cheng had hidden the drug in her nail guards. It was truly impossible to guard against!
Upon learning the truth, Hongli was furious and angrily pointed at her, shouting, "Consort Cheng, how dare you! You actually dared to drug me!"
After silently listening to the imperial physician's words, Consort Cheng's mind went blank, and she cried out in panic, "Your Majesty, please calm down! I really didn't know anything about this medicine!"
Now that the evidence is irrefutable, she still won't admit it? "This medicine came from your armor, and you still dare to deny it?"
Speaking of the armor, Consort Cheng thought carefully and then realized something was wrong. "This armor is not mine. It was a gift from the Empress Dowager. You can ask Su Lan if you don't believe me."
Su Lan was a palace maid serving Consort Cheng. She had always been by her mistress's side and knew best, "Originally, Consort Cheng wore silver nail guards, but the Empress Dowager said that Consort Cheng's nail guards were not beautiful, so she bestowed upon her a pair of cloisonné nail guards. To express her gratitude, Consort Cheng put them on directly."
Suppressing her discomfort, Consort Cheng cried, "Sulan is right. This armor was indeed a gift from the Empress Dowager. How could there be ointment inside? I really didn't know!"
The Empress Dowager inexplicably bestowed upon her nail guards and even ordered her to deliver soup. Soon after, it was discovered that there was something wrong with the nail guards. Could it be that the Empress Dowager really administered the medicine?
The thought of this possibility inevitably shocked Hongli!
Although he and his mother often argued, he was, after all, the Empress Dowager's own son. Surely she wouldn't harm her own son?
However, given the facts, Hongli had no choice but to become suspicious.
At this moment, Consort Cheng could no longer endure it. She curled up in the quilt, and although she was very hot, there was not a drop of sweat on her forehead.
She struggled to raise her hand, wanting to touch Hongli, hoping to be saved.
The imperial physician sighed helplessly, "This humble servant is truly powerless; there is no cure for Consort Cheng's poison! Only Your Majesty can save her."
Hongli slightly raised his finger, signaling the imperial physician to step down.
The imperial physician understood and dared not interfere further, so he took his leave.
Consort Cheng thought the Emperor would save her, but after the imperial physician left, the Emperor coldly ordered, "Someone! Prepare a cold bath for Consort Cheng!"
She was the emperor's concubine, and only the emperor could save her. However, Hongli was unwilling to touch her, so he had to resort to extreme measures.
After all, this concerns the face of the royal family. He wouldn't touch a woman he wouldn't allow other men to lay a finger on. So, a cold water bath was the only solution. As for the consequences, Hongli wouldn't care. She dared to conspire with the Empress Dowager to drug him, so she should bear the consequences!
Upon hearing this, Su Lan was terrified and immediately knelt down to plead, "Your Majesty, it's only April. How can Her Majesty bear being splashed with cold water in this weather? Please, Your Majesty, save Her Majesty!"
Those who harmed him, how could he possibly expect to be saved? "I hate being schemed against the most. I will question the Empress Dowager before determining your guilt!"
After coldly finishing his sentence, Hongli turned and left, leaving Consort Cheng heartbroken and feeling as if the sky had fallen and the earth had collapsed. "It really wasn't me! I didn't drug you! Your Majesty, cousin, I really didn't harm you!"
Consort Cheng thought that entering the palace was a turning point in her life, and that from now on she could live a life of nobility and carefree happiness. She never expected that she would encounter such a thing not long after entering the palace.
Her aunt asked her to deliver soup, and she thought it was because her aunt favored her that she was given such a good opportunity. Who would have thought that there was something fishy about the nail guards!
Why did my aunt do this? Didn't she consider her feelings?
Her cousin is ignoring her right now, and she has no choice but to pour cold water on her. She can't let another man save her, can she? She'd rather die than be bullied by others!
With no other options, Consort Cheng had no choice but to obey the emperor's order, ordering cold water to be prepared and risking her life...
Meanwhile, Hongli had already left the Hall of Mental Cultivation and went straight to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, determined to get to the bottom of things.
The Empress Dowager was still calculating whether her son and Rouzhu had consummated their relationship when, unexpectedly, her son stormed in angrily and directly questioned her.
"Your Majesty, is the armor-protecting medicine one of your methods?"
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager tensed up, immediately sat up straight, and silently looked away. "I don't understand what you're talking about."
Pretending to be ignorant is useless. Today, Hongli is determined to find out the truth. "The armor that Consort Cheng wears was a gift from you, and it contains a drug that bewitches the mind. May I ask Your Majesty for your explanation?"
It seemed her niece had already implicated her. Knowing that denial was useless, the Empress Dowager simply stopped pretending to be ignorant and proudly raised her head, "So what if it is?"
The moment he heard her admit it with his own ears, Hongli's heart turned to ice. He simply couldn't understand his mother's thoughts.
"Your Majesty, I truly did not expect that you would give me such a drug. Don't you know how harmful that kind of drug is?"
In fact, the Empress Dowager had also considered this issue. She even asked him specifically, "That person said it was just for entertainment and wouldn't harm anyone."
The prerequisite for entertainment is mutual affection. "I have absolutely no interest in Consort Cheng, so no matter what tricks you use, it will be useless!"
The Empress Dowager, feeling wronged by the questioning, retorted angrily, "You refuse to favor other concubines, and Su's sons have Han blood; they cannot inherit the throne. What do you think I should do? I have no choice but to resort to this desperate measure!"
He's only thirty, in the prime of his life. What's the Empress Dowager worrying about? "I'm not dead yet! And you're already so anxious about choosing a crown prince. If I don't meet your expectations in the future, are you planning to poison me again so you can install a docile emperor as a puppet?"
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