Chapter 20 Imperial Kitchen Thirteen
The tower has three floors, with only thin wooden walls separating the rooms, housing a total of twenty or thirty people.
With the sound barrier lifted, the sounds of the two making love in the quiet night quickly woke up the people inside the building.
Unfortunately, the two involved were unaware that the sound barrier had been lifted and continued to chant in a wanton manner...
A cunning glint flashed in Shinju's golden eyes, and with a leap, he left the rooftop.
The next day.
Before Shinjuku even stepped into the Imperial Kitchen, he heard the servants whispering amongst themselves in a corner, their tone unusually excited. Listening closely—
"Is this true? And they went to such lengths? Wouldn't that have been overheard by the people of Feng Kingdom?"
"Even a liar wouldn't dare to lie like this. In my opinion, it doesn't seem fake."
"That's true. Just hearing about it makes us feel embarrassed. How could they dare to do such a thing?"
"How are those two doing now? Have you found out anything?"
"It's strictly forbidden to have sexual relations in the palace, so it seems the two of them have been sent to the outer palace's prison for punishment."
"I told you so, that guy's promotion was so fast, he couldn't possibly be a decent person. Look, he's hooked up with the head eunuch! Ever since he entered the palace, there's been a constant stream of people flattering him, saying he's the most handsome eunuch in the palace, and anyone who disagrees is considered jealous. That guy has had such a smooth ride for years, but this time he's really made a big mistake!"
"Speaking of which, I just remembered something. Since he entered the palace, the outer residences have indeed not sent many outstanding-looking people. Only Qing Chuanshan recently is an exception."
...
Sure enough, such a romantic affair couldn't be suppressed, and he didn't need to add fuel to the fire. It wouldn't be long before everyone in the palace knew about it.
However, the matter of food is unlikely to completely bring down Eunuch Lin and Steward Chao; they will probably be protected by the forces behind them.
Putting everything else aside, the gossip and backbiting they hurled at him during their leisure time was enough to make them suffer. He had finally avenged the humiliation he suffered while away from home.
Thinking of this, Shinju felt a sense of relief, changed into his dining clothes, and headed to the Scorpion Shadow Palace.
However, as soon as he entered the Scorpion Shadow Palace, the head palace maid Tang Quan came forward and led Masakuni to the west hall.
"Sister, do we not have to taste the dishes in front of His Majesty today?" Shinju asked curiously.
Tang Quan was much colder than the previous head palace maid Zhi Xi, and her words were more direct: "His Majesty specifically instructed me to oversee this. Eunuch Qing, you can now taste the dishes."
Shinjuku could sense the other person's distant attitude and the suspicion in their eyes, so he didn't bother to ask any further questions and started tasting the dishes directly.
Unfortunately, today's food was spotless, without a single ink stain; it was perfectly healthy.
After sitting there for a quarter of an hour, Shinjuku could only leave disappointed.
When he left, Tang Quan did not follow him out, but Zhen Su clearly felt that a gaze was following him closely.
Just as he was about to cross the threshold, Shinju deliberately stopped and turned around abruptly, only to come face to face with a dark mass on the roof beam.
The other party seemed not to have expected Masaya to turn around so quickly. By the time it had the idea of hiding, it was already too late.
The giant scorpion of Tongshan was discovered, but it did not run away. After hesitating for a moment, it simply moved along the beam and lay down on Shinjuku's shoulder.
Shinjuku gazed at its magnificent venomous spines and felt a surge of desire.
This sting should replenish a considerable amount of poison, Shinjuku thought.
Perhaps it was because Shinjuku's gaze was too intense, the Giant Scorpion of Hitomi Mountain shook its tail hook, as if it was about to attack in defense.
Shinjuku opened his five senses, checked around, and finding no one nearby, he swiftly grabbed the giant scorpion, leaving only a blur, and forcibly pressed its stinger into his palm.
The giant scorpion immediately began to struggle violently, and strangely enough, it coiled its tail into a ball, hiding its needles inside, and managed to prevent Shinju from being pricked.
Shinjuku stubbornly straightened the giant scorpion's tail, but the giant scorpion insisted on curling its stinger back and forth, and he was helpless against it no matter how many times he tried.
"That's really strange..."
Could this scorpion have developed sentience? He had never seen such a sentient scorpion before, except for the Demon King Scorpion of the cultivation world.
But that doesn't make sense either. There's no spiritual energy in this little world, so it's impossible for these kinds of insects to develop intelligence.
Seeing that the giant scorpion refused to sting him, Shinju finally chose not to force it. He ran his fingertip along its smooth, shiny black shell, then tapped it lightly as if to say hello, before placing it back on the beam and gracefully stepping over the threshold of the Scorpion Shadow Palace.
The giant scorpion of Tongshan stuck to the beam, its tail stinger pointing in the direction Shinju had left. After a while, it crawled away, touching the beam.
.
It wasn't until the afternoon that Masakatsu learned that a major event had occurred in the early hours of the morning, even more serious than the affair between Eunuch Lin and Master Chao. Unfortunately, the gossip surrounding the affair overshadowed it, and only now has this matter begun to unfold.
It is said that during last night's banquet, a prince and two concubines were poisoned. The poison took effect in the middle of the night, but it was not discovered until late at night. Now, the three lives are in imminent danger. The poison cannot be eliminated, and they can only be kept alive with century-old ginseng.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor flew into a rage in court, not only dismissing another group of attendants and kitchen staff, but also severely punishing several officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review.
Uncle Wu was not among them.
However, Shinju still felt a chill in his heart. He had been too carefree yesterday and hadn't thought to check the food on the other people's tables for poison. But with so many people eating the imperial food at the banquet, only three people were poisoned, which was obviously quite strange.
Since the source of the poison was from the livestock area, then Eunuch Lin and the others couldn't have controlled whose food the poison appeared in. Therefore, there's only one possibility: these three were the only ones who didn't receive the antidote.
It may have been an accident, or it may have been premeditated.
But now is not the time to investigate this matter. Shinju gazed at the Imperial Hospital not far away, occasionally glancing at the busy Imperial Physician Zhao, a hint of worry flashing in his golden eyes.
He's not good at saving lives.
He was familiar with the poisoning incident.
He had no means of detoxification.
But the technique of stealing someone else's poison and appropriating it for oneself is mostly found in the "Five Ultimate Classics". After all, in his impression, the evil path takes an unconventional and unreasonable route, and seizing other people's resources is the most common method.
Taking poison from someone is no different from healing them.
The more Zhen Su thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, but the Five Principles Scripture had a realm restriction that prevented people from accessing the later parts of the text.
"..." It seems we still need to mention the level of poison, otherwise we will be unable to make any progress.
Time waits for no one, so Shinju returned to the servants' quarters, took out the remaining realgar powder, and burned it as before.
Judging from the amount it produces, that handful of white poison should be enough to reach the mid-stage of poison cultivation. However, the problem lies precisely in the fact that the amount of poison is unusually large.
Previously, just a fingernail's worth was enough to nearly drive him to the brink of madness, but this time the amount of poison was more than six or seven times that.
It's not impossible to endure it through sheer willpower, but it could easily damage one's sanity, and the danger of falling into demonic possession cannot be ignored. The real fear is that indulging in momentary pleasure could ultimately lead to the destruction of countless lives.
Although this is just a small world created by history books, he has already met many living people through his experiences here, such as Yuanbao, Uncle Wu, Imperial Physician Zhao, Chief Clerk Shan, and... the Emperor.
Even though the world will eventually perish, Shinjuku sincerely hopes that that moment will come later.
After pondering for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Shinju came up with a plan, concealed his fist, and immediately put it to the test.
He used a membrane-forming technique to encapsulate the arsenic poison stored in his root chakra, which had just entered his body, and then transported it all the way to the root chakra for refining and storage.
This method avoids direct contact between the true immortal body and the toxins. The amount of toxins originally stored in the root chakra has already been refined, so there is no fear of poisoning, and it can serve as an outer shell. However, when refining at the root chakra, it must be done through a poison membrane, otherwise it will all be in vain, and one will still face the terror of poisoning.
This was an extremely difficult task, but Masakatsu had no choice but to try.
The refining process is akin to thousands of trials and errors. To transform all the toxins into a yin-yang balance that harmonizes with one's true essence and spiritual root, a single mistake can lead to a significant setback, while a single correct choice can lead to a significant advancement. However, with the toxin membrane in between, even the very step of choosing the right or wrong option each time can be flawed. This makes the process even more difficult.
However, doing so is far less costly than being tormented by the poison and driven to madness. No matter how difficult it is, it is merely a test of patience. The key is to persevere.
Shinjuku has never been very patient, but with guilt, fear, and pressure, he finally managed to refine the arsenic before nightfall after two hours.
Shinju placed his hand on his lower abdomen, feeling the astonishing heat in his palm, and a look of satisfaction appeared in his clear eyes.
"Finally, I've reached the mid-stage of the Poisonous Realm."
.
Xuanyuan Palace.
"Your Majesty... I hope Your Majesty can take good care of them for me. Lang'er is still young, and Zhen'er is frail... cough cough, please arrange a reliable marriage for her. As for my wife, if she wants to remarry, please do not make things difficult for her. Just as she wishes, it would be best to find her a simple and honest family. Please help me choose one... My family truly has no ulterior motives. We never associate with officials of the court in private, nor do we easily enter the capital. You can see all of this, Your Majesty..."
Lying on the bed, the Cold King's face was purple, his features distorted, unable to make a normal expression. He reached out his hand to the edge of the bed, not daring to reach the bright yellow hem of the robe, but he did not put it down either. Despite his extremely weak breathing, he kept it raised, just like the firmness revealed in his heartfelt words.
"Then do you believe that this was not poisoned by me?" the Emperor asked, looking directly at Prince Han.
"...Whether it is or not, I can only believe that my wife and children are no obstacle to my brother, and that my brother is willing to let them go." After saying this, blood trickled from the corner of the Cold King's mouth. He trembled as he withdrew his hand, trying to wipe the blood from his mouth.
Unfortunately, he was powerless to stop the violent trembling of his hands, which instead smeared his chin with thick blood, making it a shocking sight.
The servants wanted to step forward to help, but the emperor hesitated to move, and the servants did not dare to cross the emperor who was standing on the edge of the bed.
The Emperor's eyes turned slightly cold, and his tone, though calm, carried a hint of melancholy as he said, "What you said, I will do."
A short while later, as the emperor was about to leave, the old imperial physician and the imperial physician Zhao stepped forward together.
"Is there no way to reverse the situation?" the Emperor asked.
The old imperial physician hesitated and remained silent until Zhao Kelin spoke up, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Hospital's stock of detoxification pills has inexplicably disappeared. While these pills may not be effective against this unknown poison, we can at least give them a try. In short... this matter is too much of a coincidence."
"I will investigate this matter. It's useless to say these things now, so the acupuncture will also be ineffective?"
"It was discovered too late; the poison had already spread throughout the body, and it was impossible to stop it."
"Should we re-formulate the detoxifying pills?"
"...Today happens to be the time to purchase medicinal herbs in the latter part of the month. The purchasing agent will not return until tomorrow. Three herbs are missing, and there are no supplies in the capital. Your humble servant has already checked them."
"It seems that's his fate."
Everyone fell silent, and no one dared to utter a word.
A somber atmosphere enveloped the Xuanyuan Palace.
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