Another imperial physician said, "I heard that Concubine Jiang sent a bowl of ginseng soup to Your Majesty before the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. The Queen Mother is now imprisoning Concubine Jiang at Yuhuatai for interrogation."
Concubine Jiang was the former Lady Jiang. After Lady Jiang was weak and had a miscarriage, the Queen Mother took pity on her and promoted her to Concubine Jiang.
…
On a warm autumn afternoon, the empress dowager summoned her younger brother, Shangshu Ling Lu Jin, into the palace.
"Your Majesty the Queen Mother, I pay my respects to you." Minister Lu Jin bowed.
The Queen Mother said, "Ah Jin, there's no need to be so polite."
The Minister of the Chancellery replied to Empress Dowager Lu in a serious tone, "Rituals cannot be abolished."
The Queen Mother sensed the coldness and distance in her brother's words and said helplessly, "Ah Jin, I am your biological sister. For Yun'er, don't you consider me your sister anymore?"
"I dare not..."
The Minister of Chancellery realized what he had said and changed his words, "I didn't. Your Majesty, you will always be my sister."
The Queen Mother knew she was in the wrong, so she said nothing more. She dismissed her attendants and said in a serious voice, "Ah Jin, I have something important to tell you."
The Minister of the Chancellery looked at the Queen Mother and saw her sister's brows furrowed, her face solemn. He knew that what she was about to say was extraordinary. She had the same expression on her face when she asked him to marry his second daughter to a foreign country in place of the princess.
"Sister, please speak."
The Queen Mother told the Minister of Chancellery that Zhao Zixu had been poisoned.
The Shangshu Ling was shocked when he heard this, "Then how is His Majesty?"
Zhao Zixu was the Shangshu Ling's nephew and son-in-law, but also the child he had watched grow up and his monarch.
"Your Majesty is fine for now. He just needs to take a few more doses of medicine to clear the remaining toxins from his body," said the Queen Mother.
After hearing what the Queen Mother said, the Minister of the Chancellery felt a little relieved.
He thought that he must go to Xiangning Palace to see His Majesty later. He would not feel at ease if he did not see His Majesty.
The Minister of the Chancellery asked, "Sister, why was His Majesty poisoned? Who poisoned His Majesty?"
"I have thoroughly searched everyone in the imperial kitchen and found nothing. I have also searched those around Your Majesty and found nothing suspicious. The food at the family banquet and the tea Your Majesty drank were all inspected and no poison was found. Before the family banquet, Concubine Jiang brought Your Majesty ginseng soup. I have also confined Concubine Jiang to Yuhua Terrace."
The Minister of the Chancellery asked suspiciously, "Sister, do you suspect someone is using Concubine Jiang to poison His Majesty?"
Concubine Jiang was of humble origins, her father was but a minor official. Concubine Jiang did not have the courage to murder His Majesty, unless someone used Concubine Jiang to poison His Majesty.
"Jiang Jieyu naturally did not dare to murder Your Majesty. It was useless for her to fail to detect it in time, which led to Your Majesty being poisoned." The Queen Mother was certain that Jiang Jieyu was an accomplice in the poisoning of His Majesty. Even though there was no evidence pointing to Jiang Jieyu, she believed in her heart that His Majesty was poisoned because he drank the bowl of ginseng soup that Jiang Jieyu had given him.
She was used by the murderer without knowing it, and even though Concubine Jiang did not realize it, the Queen Mother determined that Concubine Jiang's crime was unforgivable.
The Queen Mother only confined Concubine Jiang to her quarters because she hadn't yet decided what to do with her. Furthermore, the most important thing now was to find the person who had poisoned His Majesty. The news of His Majesty's poisoning would inevitably reach the court, and that would inevitably cause unrest. The Queen Mother summoned the Minister of the Chancellery to the palace to stabilize the situation.
"I have temporarily suppressed the news of His Majesty's poisoning. There's no guarantee it won't spread to the court. Those with the best information are probably already aware of His Majesty's poisoning. I'm worried that someone with ulterior motives will take advantage of the situation to cause chaos and disrupt the government. Ah Jin, you are the Minister of the Chancellery, the head of the civil officials. His Majesty is still recovering from the poison, so you shouldn't be burdened with court affairs. After all, I'm a woman in the harem, so you need to spend more time on His Majesty's affairs."
The Minister of the Chancellery bowed and said, "Yes, sister."
If the news of His Majesty's poisoning were to reach the court, it would inevitably cause a sensation, and it was extremely necessary to stabilize the court.
This is an important task, and the Queen Mother and Zhao Zixu have absolute trust in the Shangshu Ling.
The Empress Dowager poisoned Lu Tianyun, and Shangshu Ling had some grudges against his sister in his heart, but now it concerns His Majesty and the court, and Shangshu Ling's concern for his sister is no greater than his concern for the court.
The Empress Dowager kept Shangshu Ling Lu Jin and talked to him for a long time before letting him go.
Zhao Zixu ordered the eunuch Luo to summon the imperial physician Liu to Xiangning Palace.
Doctor Liu waited in the Imperial Hospital for two days and two nights, and was finally summoned by Zhao Zixu.
He had too many doubts and confusions in his mind about His Majesty's poisoning.
Imperial Physician Liu greeted him and said, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May your Majesty be well and well."
Zhao Zixu was wearing a red silk nightgown and a thin cloak with dark blue cloud patterns draped over his shoulders. "No need to be polite."
Doctor Liu stood up and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Zhao Zixu put down the memorial in his hand and placed it on the red sandalwood table. He gathered his cloak and sat on the cushioned wooden chair behind him.
All the eunuchs and palace maids serving in Xiangning Palace were sent away. Zhao Zixu did not like to have many people serving him when he was handling court affairs. This was something everyone in the palace knew.
"cough…"
Zhao Zixu felt unwell and couldn't help coughing twice.
"Your Majesty." Imperial Physician Liu stepped forward and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell? I'll take a look at you."
Zhao Zixu stretched out a hand.
Doctor Liu put down the medicine box and took out a pillowcase from the second layer. He placed the pillowcase on the red sandalwood table. "Your Majesty, please."
Zhao Zixu put his hands on the pillow.
Doctor Liu bent his body slightly and took Zhao Zixu's pulse with his right hand. The moment he felt Zhao Zixu's pulse, Doctor Liu's facial expression was exactly the same as that day, with shock, surprise, confusion, incomprehension and helplessness intertwined on his face.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."
Doctor Liu tremblingly withdrew his hand from Zhao Zixu's pulse, calling out the word "Your Majesty" intermittently. He looked at Zhao Zixu with eyes full of fear.
The poison in His Majesty's body is extremely toxic, the kind that he cannot cure!
Moreover, he confirmed from the pulse that His Majesty was definitely not poisoned in the past few days!
Your Majesty has been poisoned for at least half a year!
Zhao Zixu looked up and down at the drastic changes on Doctor Liu's face. Suddenly, he felt like teasing her and said with a half-smile, "Doctor Liu, if you can't cure my poison, I'll chop off your head."
Doctor Liu's mind buzzed, and he quickly knelt down and kowtowed, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I am incompetent and cannot remove the poison from your body."
Zhao Zixu raised the hem of his wide robe and said in a calm tone, revealing an attitude of indifference, "I was just joking. Doctor Liu, please stand up."
Doctor Liu didn't dare. He couldn't figure out what the emperor meant. One moment he said that the emperor couldn't detoxify him and chopped off his head, and the next second he said that the emperor was joking again.
Your Majesty has always been kind and merciful, but Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and the heart of an emperor is as unfathomable as the sea. Don't even think it's a joke, even if it's really a joke, an old man in his prime can't help but be scared.
Zhao Zixu: "I knew long ago that there was no cure for my poison."
Doctor Liu raised his head and looked at Zhao Zixu in confusion. What did His Majesty say?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
