"However, there is a way that might allow His Majesty to more intuitively distinguish between the two pulse patterns."
Emperor Xuanwu looked on with admiration: "Tell me about it."
“I once heard my master say that there is a flower whose petals, when mixed with its juice, can be used in medicine. If a pregnant woman takes it, it will not cause any harm, but if a woman who is not pregnant takes it, she will vomit uncontrollably.”
What kind of flower is it?
"The Tingyu Orchid, unique to Yongzhou."
While the others remained silent upon hearing this, Qin Li's expression suddenly froze.
Tingyulan was a new flower variety that the prefect of Yongzhou specially commissioned florists to cultivate to celebrate the coming-of-age ceremony of a young woman.
Its flowers are brightly colored and delicately shaped, which were deeply loved by His Majesty and the ladies of the palace, and were later selected for use in the palace.
But unlike Yongzhou, which has a mild and humid climate with spring-like weather all year round, Shangjing has distinct seasons. Therefore, once autumn arrives, the orchids wither away completely.
Although it can be reversed by human effort, Emperor Xuanwu believed that the changes of all things have their own reasons, and there is no need to waste a lot of manpower and resources for a single scene. Therefore, at this time of year, it is difficult to find this flower again.
But—
He has some in his house!
Qin Li's eyes were filled with melancholy.
This flower was originally presented to the emperor and later selected for imperial use. Although there was no explicit prohibition against its cultivation elsewhere, it was generally unthinkable for anyone to plant it.
He secretly planted just one plant in the greenhouse.
The Thousand Eagle Guard, under the command of Prince Xiao, oversees various parts of the court for His Majesty. His Majesty is likely aware of the situation in his own residence, but he hasn't publicized it extensively. It's likely that His Majesty wouldn't punish him for such a trivial matter, and therefore turns a blind eye.
The problem is that His Majesty needs that flower for medicine. If he were to take it out directly, it would be an open declaration to the world what he had done. If anyone wanted to make things difficult for him, they would be sure to succeed.
But if I don't take it...
Will His Majesty spare him in the future?
Either way, it's a death sentence.
Qin Li was sweating profusely with anxiety, and couldn't help but wonder how this girl knew about Ting Yulan in his household!
Or is it all just a coincidence?
While Qin Li was lost in thought, he heard Emperor Xuanwu say, "There are some of these flowers in the palace, but they have all withered and died after autumn. If we send someone to Yongzhou immediately, it will take at least a month to return."
“But with such a long journey, I’m afraid the flowers will no longer be fresh, which would affect the medicinal effect.” Shen Qiyin said thoughtfully, “If only there were readily available flowers in the capital.”
“It’s unlikely,” Xiao Yan suddenly said, his voice cold and deep. “That flower was originally offered exclusively to the Empress, and later it was chosen for imperial use. I’m afraid no one would dare to do such a disrespectful thing.”
Finally, he said to Emperor Xuanwu, "However, this matter concerns the imperial heir and cannot be taken lightly. I request that the entire city be searched; perhaps we will find something."
Upon hearing this, Qin Li nearly lost his mind.
He didn't care for the "great disrespect" charge Xiao Yan had just given him, and immediately knelt down on the ground, trembling as he begged for forgiveness: "This servant is guilty, please forgive me, Your Majesty."
"What crime have you committed?"
"...Your Majesty, I have a Tingyulan in my home." Qin Li knelt on the ground with his buttocks sticking out, his head banging loudly. "Your Majesty is wise. I had no intention of disrespect. I just happened to find a broken plant and thought it would be a waste to throw it away directly in the flower room. So, I was blinded by greed and brought it back to my residence to plant."
"Unexpectedly, he actually survived."
"This matter was not reported to the Imperial Noble Consort and His Majesty in time. I beg Your Majesty to spare my life."
Upon hearing this, the Imperial Noble Consort hurriedly rose to apologize: "Your Majesty is wise. I was unaware of this matter. Otherwise, I would never have allowed him to do such a thing."
Emperor Xuanwu did not blame her, but simply waved his hand, telling her to sit down first.
He did not punish Qin Li, but said, "First, send someone to fetch Ting Yulan."
A young eunuch received the order and hurried away.
Shen Qiyin stood there expressionless, and no one could tell that she had deceived the emperor!
The idea that you can use *Tingyulan* (a type of orchid) as a medicine to test if you are pregnant is completely fabricated.
Actually, we don't need those flowers at all.
All you need is a herb called "Cloud Arrow Grass," which can be found in abundance on any mountain.
The reason she said that was because in the dream she had of Sanwa being in the Qin mansion, she had dreamt that the old man kept a Listening Rain Orchid because the flower could be used to concoct a medicine that would arouse passion in people.
The medicine was all used on her junior brother!
She will settle this score with Qin Li, one by one!
As for deceiving the emperor...
She wasn't afraid at all.
After all, the person standing next to her was someone who dared to kill even a prince, so what's wrong with her telling a lie?
Just make it round again.
Emperor Xuanwu dispatched two groups of people in total.
One group went to the Qin residence to retrieve the Listening Rain Orchid.
Another group went to Guangrentang to retrieve Shen Qiyin's medicine chest and the medicinal materials she had written down.
She wrote a lot.
But apart from the cloud arrow grass, which is useful, everything else is just a smokescreen.
Having received direct instruction from her master, she deliberately wrote her prescriptions in a way that resembled scribbles, ensuring that others couldn't understand them, but her fellow disciples could recognize them at a glance.
With everything prepared, she pretended to concoct two bowls of medicine and gave them to the two women respectively. Sure enough, the pregnant woman was fine, while the woman who was not pregnant kept vomiting.
Emperor Xuanwu was overjoyed.
Although Shen Qiyin was incredibly audacious to deceive the emperor, she was not without courage and wisdom. Afterwards, she immediately tried to justify herself, saying, "Your Majesty, this method was passed down by my master. Without his permission, it is really inconvenient to make it public."
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