Chapter 9 Imperial Kitchen II
"Imperial Physician Zhao, you've arrived! Please take a look at our Empress!" In her haste, Lu Li forgot the proper separation between men and women and the rules of hierarchy. She grabbed Imperial Physician Zhao's sleeve and led him to the bedside.
Physician Zhao gently but firmly brushed Lu Li's hand away, put down his medicine box, and said, "I apologize for my rudeness."
Xiao Wuzi hung up the curtains and saw that Consort Shao lying on the bed had a pale face, dark lips that trembled, and although her eyes were open, her consciousness was blurred. She did not know where she was, but tightly clutched the yellow jade ring on her hand and murmured softly.
Physician Zhao probed her pulse with a needle, then inserted several long needles into Consort Shao's body. Instantly, his brows furrowed. "It is indeed poisoning, suspected to be arsenic, but we cannot confirm it yet. How much did Consort Shao ingest? How long ago was it?"
Luli sobbed as she gestured, “Your Majesty… Your Majesty has only eaten one chess piece this big, and it’s been about a quarter of an hour.”
After all, even though the news of the death of the imperial kitchen eunuch was reported quickly enough, it still took a considerable amount of time to summon the imperial physician.
Time was running out. Preparing alum powder and egg white would take at least the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, so it could only be used as a backup plan. Imperial Physician Zhao glanced at the servants and said seriously, "Help Consort Shao up. Eunuch Wu, you will follow my instructions and induce vomiting in Consort Shao."
Xiao Wuzi and Luli were both astonished. At this time, with the Emperor absent, why was Physician Zhao still concerned about the proper separation between men and women and unwilling to take action himself?
"Hurry up," Physician Zhao said coldly.
Having no other choice, they could only follow the instructions of Physician Zhao, making Consort Shao face down and pinching and stimulating the acupoints on her chest and stomach. Although the scene was somewhat filthy and messy, the minced meat was indeed vomited up completely in no time.
After another flurry of activity and much persuasion, Consort Shao's life was ultimately saved.
After giving instructions on what to pay attention to afterward, Physician Zhao had another physician take over. He then took out a handkerchief, wrapped it around the soft pouch containing the needles, put it back in his medicine box, fetched warm water, and washed his hands with soapberry leaves. He then left with Xiao Wuzi's respectful farewell.
Luli, who used to always chase after him to say goodbye, only glanced at Zhao Taiyi's back from afar before looking away. Instead, she held Shaopin's hand and whispered to herself, slightly lost in thought.
When Consort Shao opened her mouth, her voice was hoarse and unpleasant, like a broken bellows, which startled Luli so much that she quickly called for the imperial physician who was left behind.
Another hour passed, and finally the sound of the imperial carriage and the announcement of "The Emperor has arrived" came from the gate of Yicui Palace.
The next day.
Masakatsu had heard some rumors last night, and when he entered the room today, he found that everyone's face was more or less solemn.
Unexpectedly, Uncle Wu still came looking for him happily.
"Xiao Qingzi, come to my place after you finish your work. I've been working on a new dish lately, and the meat is finally marinated today. I've also prepared two kinds of dipping sauces. Come and taste them for me and choose one." Uncle Wu said to Zhen Su, slipping him a piece of golden milk pastry wrapped in oil paper. "Eat more breakfast, so you'll have energy for work."
While Shinjuku was still worrying about how to let him taste the food later, he casually took the golden milk pastry from him, feeling its warmth through the oil paper.
"Thank you, Uncle Wu." Since he had already accepted the gift, Shinju thanked him with a smile.
Uncle Wu was dazzled by Masaki's smiling face and was about to wave his hand and say that he was being too polite when someone suddenly ran up behind him and told Uncle Wu to go to the front of the kitchen.
Uncle Wu whispered to the man for a while, his face showing surprise and astonishment. He hurriedly followed the man, even forgetting to say goodbye to Masakuni.
Shinjuku stared at their departing figures for a while, lost in thought.
The news spread quickly; no sooner had Uncle Wu been imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice than it became common knowledge within the Imperial Kitchen.
"So, is it true that some concubines were poisoned last night?"
"But what does that have to do with Uncle Wu? He returned to his home outside the palace before the palace gates were locked yesterday. Surely Uncle Wu didn't prepare the concubines' supper?"
"I heard that two of the dishes were made by Uncle Wu, and he kept them simmering over a low flame."
"Staying here is like seeing the end of the road! Just last month, so many people were dismissed, and yet another poisoning incident like this still occurs. Who knows when we'll be the ones responsible for some misfortune next time."
"We might not even make it through this time! We just changed people and another disaster has happened. Isn't this a slap in the face to... that person?! Where exactly did things go wrong?! We just want to live a peaceful life!"
"well!"
Just when everyone was on edge, Physician Zhao was respectfully led into the room by the chief eunuch of the Imperial Kitchen.
People from the Ministry of Justice were also with him, but judging from their manner, it seemed as if Physician Zhao was in charge, walking at the very front.
Wherever they went, the imperial chefs and palace servants of the Imperial Kitchen all stopped what they were doing and stood aside. Shinjuku was no exception; he stood quietly by the well, staring straight ahead at the ground.
He must be here because of last night's poisoning. He's really stumbled upon a poisoning in this country this year! Mayuzumi thought to himself.
"Excuse me, there's water everywhere behind the kitchen, please watch your step, Lord Zhao." The supervising eunuch noticed that Physician Zhao was lifting his robes and carefully observing where he was going, his expression clearly not good.
However, upon entering the damp food preparation area, Physician Zhao changed his usual demeanor. He stopped rolling up his robes and didn't bother to walk to clean areas. Instead, he took three steps at a time and walked up to a young servant, initiating a conversation with him.
Shinju raised his head, bowed, and said, "This humble one greets Your Excellency."
When Physician Zhao heard that Zhen Su addressed him without his surname, his brow twitched slightly, and he calmly replied, "My surname is Zhao, and my given name is Ke Lin."
Shinju felt that ordinary officials with ranks would not give their names to a lowly servant like him who had no official position. He was unsure whether the other party was unhappy with his incorrect address or for some other reason, so he could only give his name in return, "My surname is Kei, and my given name is Shinju."
Immediately, Zhao Kelin said softly, "Aqing."
"..." Shinju's eyelids twitched, and he suddenly looked at the other party, only to see Zhao Kelin looking completely calm, as if the address was perfectly normal, and that they had a relationship beyond just meeting once.
The other party dared to shout like that, and Zhen Su dared not admit it. However, Zhen Su thought again that the other party was a big shot in the Imperial Medical Academy, and one of his targets was the Imperial Medical Academy. If he could establish a good relationship, even if he could not get the poison, he might be able to learn about the knowledge of drug interactions, which would be of great benefit to his cultivation.
Shinju then brought up the old matter again, taking the blame upon himself in order to break the "rift," saying, "I was in a hurry when I left the outer palace and was unable to have Lord Zhao check my pulse. After entering the palace, I was also unable to find the way to the Imperial Hospital, so I was unable to keep my promise to you."
Shinju slowly pulled up his robe, revealing a section of his wrist that was as white as mutton fat jade, and held it up in front of Lord Zhao.
"I'm still feeling a bit unwell. Could you please take my pulse?"
Suddenly, a beautiful face drew near, captivating eyes slightly upturned, the faint scent of agarwood emanating from her, her clear and sweet pronunciation, her fair and delicate wrists… For a moment, Zhao Kelin almost forgot that he was still assisting in a case, and that a group of colleagues were standing nearby. Zhao Kelin tried his best to suppress his longing, hooked his long fingers around Zhen Su's sleeve, straightened it, and said, "I will come to take your pulse again when I have time later, and I will not break my promise."
He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw that the officials from the Ministry of Justice had finished their questioning and were coming toward him. So he suggested to them, "Gentlemen, let Xiao Qingzi lead the way later."
The Ministry of Justice nodded slightly, while the palace servants in the food preparation area and even the kitchen were all surprised, muttering in unison about who that young man was and why he seemed to know Imperial Physician Zhao so well…
Since he was new to the place, he was not familiar with the inner workings of the Imperial Kitchen. Fortunately, after the previous adjustment, he was no longer easily impaired in his five senses and could see and hear everything around him. So, asking him to lead the way was no problem at all.
Seeing how familiar and skilled Shinjuku was with the place, the others didn't realize anything was wrong and simply followed him.
Later, he arrived at the breeding area, a place that Shinju had never set foot in before. It was then that he learned that the Imperial Kitchen itself raised poultry and wild game, such as the Jade Black-boned Chicken, the Spotted Civet, the Black Pig that was fed only fine bran, and seafood and river delicacies raised in running water, most of which were rare and of high quality.
Looking around, he saw all sorts of livestock in cages of all sizes, many of them emaciated. Their appearance inexplicably made Shinju feel a chill, as if they were very familiar and similar to a scene he had seen somewhere before.
The official from the Ministry of Justice also voiced his doubts, "Why are these people in such poor condition?"
The servant in charge of the livestock area replied, "Some of them are particularly unsuited to the climate of the capital and can only be raised for a very short time before they have to be slaughtered."
Ultimately, this is just temporary rearing to ensure the freshness of the food. For proper breeding, we still have to rely on the Muyuan Mountain Villa outside the palace for supplies.
The Ministry of Justice officials and Zhao Kelin briefly inspected the area for a week, took some water and livestock rations, and then left.
Shinjuku was also preparing to move along, but just as he was about to take a step, he suddenly remembered a certain scene, and a chilling thought crept into his mind.
A note from the author:
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