Huo Tao'er is now a favorite of the Emperor. After all, Kangxi has not grown tired of her for so long, and his favor towards her is only increasing. Now everyone is speculating when Kangxi will give her the title of Noble Lady and officially let her live in the East and West Six Palaces.
Huo Tao'er grew more and more fearful each day. Now that Kangxi favored her, he almost never did that kind of thing, but he liked to drink the tea she brewed. She had known for a long time that the powder that person gave her was problematic, but Kangxi still seemed to be in good health. She was very puzzled as to what kind of medicine it was.
She once wanted to see the imperial physician, but she didn't dare, and could only suffer day after day.
That day, Liang Jiugong came to summon her to serve the emperor again. The way this eunuch looked at people was really uncomfortable. Huo Tao'er remained calm on the surface, but in her heart she felt that he had already discovered her secret.
"Tao'er is here. The Junshan Silver Needle tea doesn't taste good today. I think it might not be the tea that's wrong, but the person who brought it. You try it." Kangxi leaned back in his chair, glanced at Huo Tao'er, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.
Huo Tao'er kept her head down and didn't notice anything unusual in the hall. She continued with her work, wondering whether she should add something to Kangxi's agenda under his watchful eye.
In the end, the idea of avenging his sister prevailed. After all, the person who told him when he entered the palace had said that once the powder was administered, he should not stop it as long as possible.
So Huo Tao'er lightly flicked her fingernail at the beginning and end. Because of her skillful technique, Liang Jiugong would have thought he had made a mistake if he hadn't been watching closely. So he acted swiftly and grabbed Huo Tao'er's arm: "How dare you!"
Huo Tao'er suddenly realized that she had been exposed. Instead of feeling like she was about to be in big trouble, she felt a sense of relief: "Eunuch Liang, you're hurting me."
Liang Jiugong was somewhat surprised. This Consort Huo was indeed a person who dared to drug the Emperor; she had guts.
Looking at the tea that had been spiked, Kangxi resisted the urge to drink it all in one gulp: "Summon the imperial physician!"
Huo Ying knelt obediently at Kangxi's feet, remaining silent in the face of Liang Gonggong's questions. Her residence had already been thoroughly searched by Liang Jiugong's apprentice and his men.
Besides daily necessities, they discovered a porcelain bottle that required two hands to encircle. The bottle contained ordinary dirt, but it was hidden very well, so it was presented to the emperor.
The imperial physician tasted the tea and fiddled with it for a while with his silver needles. Suddenly, his face turned ashen. He glanced at the person in palace attire kneeling on the ground and felt as if he had fallen into a deep vortex.
"Doctor Liu, have you found anything?" Liang Jiugong asked, seeing that Doctor Liu seemed to have figured something out.
Physician Liu gritted his teeth: "My skills are not good enough. Perhaps the dosage is too small to be able to tell. Physician Jiang's medical skills are the most superb. Why don't we ask him to make a diagnosis?"
Kangxi glanced at Liang Jiugong.
"Your Majesty, Imperial Physician Jiang was not on duty today. This servant relayed your imperial decree, but his carriage went mad on the road, causing him to fall out. Not only was his leg broken, but his head was also smashed against a stone. He is now delirious and is said to be searching the entire capital for a doctor," Liang Jiugong replied.
Emperor Kangxi smiled upon hearing this: "Imperial Physician Jiang is out of luck. Send someone to check on him and let him know when he wakes up."
Liang Jiugong's heart skipped a beat. Was the Emperor trying to keep an eye on Physician Jiang's whereabouts? Did he suspect that Physician Jiang was involved in this matter?
Indeed, the timing of the carriage going mad was too coincidental.
Upon hearing this, Physician Liu trembled even more violently. Emperor Kangxi suddenly spoke up: "Physician Liu, I vaguely remember that you took leave a few days ago. Was it because you had a grandson? It seems he is destined for good fortune."
“Your son’s medical skills are mediocre. He runs a clinic in the capital and makes a fortune every day by using his status as an imperial physician. It’s good to have a grandson now. You can train him from a young age and not let your skills go to waste.”
Physician Liu hurriedly kowtowed several times: "This servant begs Your Majesty to spare the life of my lowly grandson, who is only a few months old."
"Speak up now!" Liang Jiugong snapped.
“Your Majesty, you know more about the forbidden drug from the previous dynasty, Opioide, than I do. This tea contains purified powder of that harmful substance.” Physician Liu spoke slowly at first, then gradually quickened his pace. “At this dosage, one can become addicted in a month. Medical records show that withdrawal requires great willpower and is extremely taxing on one’s vital essence.”
"Ointment? I remember that all that stuff was destroyed at the beginning of the dynasty. Only the imperial palace might still have the prescription." Kangxi laughed until tears almost came out. Then he suddenly stood up, drew a decorative sword, and forcefully chopped off the neck of Imperial Physician Liu.
"Execute his entire family, but spare his grandson and send him to a charitable institution," Kangxi said calmly, the blood calming his rage.
"Peach, brew another cup of tea."
Huo Tao'er was kneeling very close to Physician Liu. His blood splattered on half of Huo Tao'er's clothes, and some even splashed onto her face. She dared not move, mechanically repeating the tea-making actions as she listened to Kangxi's instructions.
After drinking most of the wine, Kangxi took a few deep breaths and gestured for Huo Tao'er to come to his side. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the dirt off Huo Tao'er's face.
Kangxi's hand moved lower and lower until it finally landed on Huo Tao'er's neck. He slowly tightened his grip until Huo Tao'er was suffocating and about to roll her eyes before he released her.
Seeing Kangxi wave his hand in signal, Liang Jiugong immediately ordered his men to drag Huo Yingying away.
"Don't alert her. I want to see who's behind her," came Kangxi's somewhat weary voice, and Liang Jiugong responded.
Huo Tao'er returned to her residence in a very disheveled state. The other women living under the same roof pointed and whispered about her appearance, all gloating, since she had blocked the way for so many people.
She closed and locked the door, shutting out all the noise, and leaned against the door frame to calm her racing heart.
After feeling her legs were no longer so weak, Huo Tao'er sat in front of the dressing table and looked at herself in the bronze mirror. Half of her face was still covered in blood, her clothes were disheveled, and most shockingly, there were five fingers with marks on her neck.
Huo Tao'er knew clearly that she was not going to survive.
"Little sister, don't worry, I'll be down to join you soon. But before I go down, there's one more important thing I need to do."
Huo Tao'er muttered to herself. She was about to rummage through the porcelain bottle when she suddenly realized that it had been confiscated. She sat on the chair, on the verge of tears.
At this moment, Kangxi realized that he had forgotten to ask what was in the porcelain bottle. Liang Jiugong hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, at first I thought there was ordinary soil in this porcelain bottle, but the more I looked at it, the more I felt that it looked like burnt... ashes."
"Let it go." A clear killing intent flashed in Kangxi's eyes, and Liang Jiugong dared not say another word.
"Summon the imperial physician again!"
"yes."
Liang Jiugong remained silent. As he emerged from the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he gazed at the half-open doorway, as if he could see a wild beast with its mouth half-open, awaiting its prey.
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