Chapter 14

Li Chengqian only felt a slight fever on his body, and even a light sweat on his palms. He didn't pay much attention to it, thinking it was because of the wine that warmed his body. After Lin Nanjie said this, he realized that something was wrong.

The hidden heat did not subside for a long time, but instead seemed to be getting stronger and stronger. It felt like there was a fire in my internal organs, burning all the way down to my lower abdomen.

The wine glass in Li Chenghuan's hand was already empty, but Concubine Duan promptly poured him another glass. If he had not been interrupted by the two eunuchs, he would have already finished the glass of wine.

Li Chengqian thought it was ridiculous.

He was an emperor, and he was drugged in the imperial palace?

Lin Nanqi was grabbed by the arm by Qian Wanli, and he also felt it was ridiculous. He was just following the emperor's orders and cleaning quietly, but could this cause trouble?

It's really unfortunate that even drinking cold water can get stuck in your teeth.

Originally, he was unwilling to be Qian Wanli's apprentice, and he had offended the Imperial Concubine last time. Qian Wanli, who had some connections in the palace, actually sought a job in Concubine Duan's palace, and he did not change his old ways and repeated his old tricks.

The addition of new grudges and old hatreds has led to the current situation.

Lin Nanjie felt that he was wronged.

Concubine Duan was a little unhappy: "How dare you! Didn't you see that I was having dinner with the Emperor? What on earth are you two doing?"

Qian Wanli stepped forward, bowed and apologized, grabbing Lin Nanjie and not letting go: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty! This servant harbored evil intentions, please punish him severely."

Li Chengqian put down the cup: "Is that true?"

Lin Nanqi said loudly: "It's unfair. I dare not do that."

Concubine Duan looked at Lin Nanjie unhappily. She had finally had the chance to dine with the Emperor, but such an incident happened.

"Then what were you doing secretly in Duanyang Palace? Why don't you tell the truth?"

Lin Nanqi said innocently, "I was ordered by the emperor to clean the harem. While I was cleaning, Eunuch Qian grabbed me without any explanation."

[Wow! People are so evil! This is a blatant slander!]

[Empress Duan actually trusts Qian Wanli so much. The last person who trusted him is now in the cold palace! ]

Li Chengqian frowned slightly, realizing that something was not right.

Is this matter related to Concubine Duan?

Could it be that Concubine Duan did it on purpose?

[It's a pity. If the emperor continues to investigate along the line of Qian Wanli, he will find that Concubine Duan's second brother gave him a lot of benefits, and the trick of drugging was done by Qian Wanli and Peng Er. ]

[And this trick is very secretive! ]

[The aphrodisiac made from the same ingredients as ambergris and a few other herbs is put into food and wine. Even if it is checked, nothing can be found. After all, ambergris is lit in the Purple Palace. But ambergris actually has the function of an aphrodisiac. ]

[Although ambergris is a spice, it can actually enhance male sexual function, not to mention that it is also made from several other herbs.]

[It looks like the dog emperor drank a lot. If he uses too much, he will die of exhaustion! ]

[Also, although ambergris is considered to be dragon saliva, it is actually the intestinal secretions of sperm whales! In other words, isn’t it the excrement of sperm whales? ]

[! Too bad, I've taken the aphrodisiac, but it's still this way. ]

Lin Nanjie couldn't stop beeping in his heart. Li Chengqian's face became more and more distorted until he heard the word "excretion". His stomach was churning. He covered his mouth with his hands and almost vomited. He shouted in a hurry: "Wang Dehai! Call the imperial physician!"

No one in the Duanyang Palace knew what was going on. The emperor actually urgently summoned the imperial physician, and the atmosphere instantly became tense.

Wang Dehai's face also changed drastically, and he immediately asked someone to summon the imperial physician.

Only Lin Nanqi looked confused.

[Ah? Did the Dog Emperor find out?]

[Yes, it is impossible for me not to notice the body's reaction. ]

【Oh, by the way, I haven’t finished what I just said. 】

[This ambergris is very valuable, produced from the South Pacific Islands, and is not so easy to obtain. The palace has a fixed source, but it is not necessarily the case for the public. Due to the huge profits, counterfeit ambergris is also emerging in an endless stream. ]

[Although Peng Er had prepared the prescription in advance, Qian Wanli was too greedy. In order to fill his own pockets, he directly replaced the high-quality ambergris with ordinary wax.]

Li Chengqian: …

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, and for a moment he didn't know whether to be angry or relieved.

Less than half an incense stick of time later, the imperial physician arrived breathlessly and took Li Chenghuan's pulse. Soon his face became serious and he said, "Your Majesty has been poisoned by an aphrodisiac."

The atmosphere in Duanyang Palace suddenly turned cold.

In the harem of concubines, people actually blatantly drugged the emperor. This would be intolerable in any dynasty. Today it was an aphrodisiac, what if it was poison tomorrow?

Li Chengqian's face turned livid.

Concubine Duan turned pale and immediately knelt down: "Your Majesty, it's all my fault for not disciplining you strictly. That's why such a big mistake happened. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

The people in Duanyang Palace knelt on the ground. Qian Wanli suddenly jumped up and pointed at Lin Nanjie: "It must have been this servant who did it!"

Concubine Duan hesitated for a moment and said, "This servant is not from the Duanyang Palace. He may be someone with ulterior motives. I hope the emperor can investigate it clearly."

Under the watchful eyes of the public, Concubine Duan and Qian Wanli both pointed the finger at Lin Nanjie.

Li Chenghuan looked at Lin Nanjie: "What do you want to say?"

Lin Nanjie thought to himself, you asked me to say this, so I said it.

"I heard that there is an aphrodisiac that is made in a very similar way to ambergris. If this drug is mixed in food or wine, it is very likely to be confused with ambergris."

The old doctor nodded and said, "The one burning in Duanyang Palace is indeed ambergris. I have also heard of this method. We can tell by testing the food and wine."

After testing it, it was exactly as Lin Nanjie said.

Qian Wanli's face changed slightly, and he said, "Your Majesty, this servant is full of lies. He was hanging around the small kitchen before, and he is the only outsider in Duanyang Palace. He is also so familiar with this medicine. This person must have taken advantage of everyone's carelessness to give the medicine."

Lin Nanqi smiled slightly and said, "I just heard about this from a storyteller when I was a child, so I wrote it down."

Wang Dehai said solemnly: "Think carefully before you speak."

At this point, Lin Nanqi was no longer panicked: "Your Majesty, I actually saw Eunuch Qian accepting money from the second son of the Shanglin Garden Supervisor Peng, a full five hundred taels."

Qian Wanli was shocked at first, and looked at Lin Nanjie as if he had seen a ghost, then he knelt down with a thump: "Absolutely not, absolutely not!"

Li Chenghuan was shocked when he was given an aphrodisiac, but it turned out that it was an eunuch colluding with the in-laws?

He suppressed the effects of the medicine, his face looked a little ugly, and he looked at Concubine Duan with a pair of sharp eyes.

Concubine Duan's face turned pale, a hint of disbelief flashed across her eyes, and she quickly said, "Second brother would never be so foolish."

Lin Nanjie sighed: [It's so unfortunate for Concubine Duan to have to deal with such a family.]

[The father, Marquis of Xiangyang, relied on his daughter's title of Marquis, but favored his concubine over his wife. The eldest brother spent his days in debauchery. The second brother passed the imperial examination and became the supervisor of Shanglin Garden with the help of his sister, who was a concubine in the palace. He wanted to go further, but was rejected several times by Concubine Duan, who thought that as long as Concubine Duan gave birth to a prince, he would be the uncle of the emperor of Daqi in the future.]

【Knowing that Concubine Duan would not agree, he contacted Qian Wanli privately. 】

Wang Dehai hesitated for a moment and said, "Lin Nanjie is Yu's former friend. If he is suspicious, just search him directly."

After hearing what Wang Dehai said, Lin Nanjie stole a glance at Li Chenghuan and saw that Li Chenghuan was also looking at him but did not say anything. For some reason, he suddenly became bolder.

Yes, he is the one who is in front of us.

If someone in front of you wants to drug someone, do you need to go to the concubine's palace to do something tricky?

Lin Nanjie immediately became bolder: "Master likes to set up gambling games in the outer room on weekdays. He loves money like his life. I just happened to see Eunuch Qian and Shanglinyuan Supervisor meeting secretly not far outside the inner room. He also stuffed a small bottle and a silver note of 500 taels into his hand."

Lin Nanjie knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times: "I am telling the truth. Your Majesty will know once you investigate."

Qian Wanli was not panicked at all: "Your Majesty, why don't you send someone to search Lin Nanjie's house? We will know if there is anything there."

Lin Nanjie's heart skipped a beat. Why was Qian Wanli so sure?

He suddenly felt that something was wrong. Qian Wanli was so confident that it didn't seem like he had done it on impulse, but rather that he had been well prepared.

His face turned pale and he looked at Li Chenghuan subconsciously.

Li Chenghuan drank the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician and temporarily suppressed the effects of the medicine.

He put down the medicine bowl and glanced at Lin Nanjie who was kneeling on the ground racking his brains.

I sighed inwardly.

This little eunuch is a great gossipmonger, but he is completely oblivious to the danger around him.

The other party was clearly setting a trap for him, but he was still outwitted.

The searchers returned soon.

Reporting to the Emperor: "Your Majesty, a porcelain bottle of unknown origin was found in Lin Nanjie's place."

The doctor took it and smelled it, his eyes lit up: "This is it."

Qian Wanli showed a hint of pride without a trace on his face.

Lin Nanjie's face turned pale.

Li Chengqian half-closed his eyes: "What else do you have to say?"

Lin Nanjie was in a state of panic and hugged Li Chengqian's thighs: "The sincerity of my servant to the emperor is evident to all! I am wronged, the emperor must clear my name!"

"Your Majesty is a wise ruler, wise and powerful, he must be able to see everything clearly!"

Li Chengqian was suddenly hugged by the thighs. He was already hot, and now he was even more anxious. The corners of Li Chengqian's mouth twitched. The hug was so sudden.

Wang Dehai was surprised. This boy was really brave. He even dared to flatter at this time.

Lin Nanjie was extremely flustered, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes: [I am so wronged! ]

[What if the emperor is a tyrant? I'm doomed, right?]

Li Chengqian: …

If I hadn't been able to hear my heartbeat, I would have really been fooled by this little eunuch.

Concubine Duan also breathed a sigh of relief: "Now that we have found out who it is, we can no longer keep this little eunuch."

The man who replied spoke again: "Your Majesty, I found something else."

Lin Nan's eyes were blurry with tears: [Ah? What else? ]

Li Chenghuan motioned for the man to continue speaking.

The man said, "We also found a five-hundred-liang silver note with the name of Jubao Bank printed on it from Eunuch Qian's place. We questioned other eunuchs in Eunuch Qian's room, and found that someone saw Qian Wanli and Mr. Peng in contact. We also found that Eunuch Qian was setting up a gambling house privately."

Qian Wanli's legs were shaking like chaff, and he knelt down tremblingly: "Your Majesty is wise, I dare not."

Qian Wanli knelt on the ground and kowtowed, shouting, "My Goddess, save me! My Goddess, save me!"

Lin Nanjie was caught off guard by this turn of events and looked at Li Chenghuan with his mouth wide open.

[The Emperor actually ordered a search of Qian Wanli's residence? ]

【This saved my life? 】

Li Chengqian thought to himself, at least you know the difference between good and bad.

Li Chenghuan looked at Qian Wanli lying on the ground and felt annoyed: "Someone, drag him away and punish him according to palace rules!"

Concubine Duan looked at Li Chengqian with a pale face: "Your Majesty, I was unaware of this. My second brother must have been confused for a moment. I beg Your Majesty to spare his life."

Li Chenghuan looked at her deeply and said, "Keep her under house arrest. I will take care of the matter as the warden of Shanglinyuan."

Li Chenghuan went straight back to the Zichen Palace, and Lin Nanqi followed him happily.

Back in the Purple Palace, Lin Nanjie knelt down and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for saving my life."

Unexpectedly, the dog emperor actually saved him. He thought he was going to be sacrificed. How treacherous! He actually turned the tables and slandered him. Fortunately, the dog emperor was not a tyrant.

Li Chengqian snorted lightly: "I punished you before, do you have any complaints?"

Lin Nanqie said politely, "How dare I? Your Majesty is right in everything he says. He punished me to correct my attitude and reflect on myself. Your Majesty has put in a lot of effort. I am grateful to you."

Li Chenghuan listened carefully, but did not hear anyone cursing at him, and he could not help but feel somewhat satisfied.

This kid knows appearance.

But he didn't expect the harem to be so dangerous. Li Chenghuan felt that he had some psychological trauma.