"The little princess suddenly had stomach pain, which may be due to her delicate stomach or something she ate that upset her stomach," Xu Zheng speculated.
"What did the little princess eat just now?" Xu Zheng asked Ah Xiang, who was standing anxiously to the side.
"I only drank this bowl of corn porridge." Ah Xiang handed the empty bowl on the table to Doctor Xu.
Physician Xu tasted the leftover soup on the empty bowl and spoon. He didn't like sweets, so he didn't eat the corn soup on his own table.
He brought the bowl to his nose and smelled it again, and immediately a knowing smile appeared on his aged face.
Xu Zheng placed the bowl on the table, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Yun Beiye, and said, "This old minister believes there is something wrong with this corn soup. Perhaps we should have the eunuchs from the Imperial Kitchen examine it together."
Xu Zheng felt that something else had been added to the corn soup, but neither of these two things were native to Nanyang. To ensure an accurate judgment, it was necessary to have someone in the imperial kitchen with a sensitive palate and knowledge of food make the identification.
"Quickly, summon the eunuchs from the Imperial Kitchen to prepare my meal!" Yun Beiye's face was very unpleasant.
"This servant greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, Your Majesty, the Empress, and all the ladies." The eunuch from the Imperial Kitchen knelt on the ground, observing the scene at the banquet, and knew in his heart that something big had happened.
"Go and try this corn soup!" Empress Zhaoyuan said, her face full of worry as she looked at Yun Duoduo with heartache.
Consort De and Consort Chen stood behind Empress Zhaoyuan. Consort De looked terrified and confused. This incident had happened at the banquet she had organized, and she was definitely not immune to it.
【What happened? She tasted all these dishes beforehand, and there were no problems!】
Consort Chen, on the other hand, wore a gloating expression. She knew that something bad would happen if she entrusted such an important matter as organizing the first birthday banquet to Consort De, who was incompetent.
The eunuch from the imperial kitchen brought over a bowl of corn porridge. Just then, Xu Zheng's attendant brought over a medicine box from the Imperial Medical Bureau. Xu Zheng took out a silver needle and tested it. "This porridge is not poisonous."
The eunuch from the imperial kitchen scooped up a spoonful of sweet soup and savored it. Then he scooped up another spoonful, and suddenly his eyes lit up. “Your Majesty and Your Highness, this corn sweet soup not only contains corn, but also yellow fruit powder.”
"Yellow fruit powder?" Empress Zhaoyuan looked puzzled. "I don't think I've ever heard of this before."
"You mean someone poisoned her?!" Empress Zhaoyuan covered her mouth, and Consort De almost fell over because she lost her balance.
"Your Majesty, what the Empress said is exactly what this old minister guessed."
"If there are yellow fruits in here, then that's right. Both corn and yellow fruits were brought in from Beiliang. Yellow fruit powder and corn are not poisonous, but if they are not cooked properly, they can cause poisoning."
“The little princess has a delicate stomach. Yellow fruit irritates the stomach and intestines, and the roots and leaves are poisonous. If she eats too much, she will experience stomach discomfort, and over time, she will become weak and die,” Xu Zheng explained from the side. He carefully smelled the bowl of sweet corn soup, took a few big sips, and nodded slightly. “There is indeed the taste of yellow fruit in it, but the amount used is very small. Yellow fruit and corn have similar color and smell, no wonder I couldn’t tell the difference before.”
When the ministers present heard Xu Zhenghe's words, they were terrified, especially the ministers and their families who had drunk the corn soup, who pretended to vomit.
Some of the young women were tearful and sobbing, as if they were about to die in the palace that very day.
"Will there be any problems with the other dishes?"
"Oh dear, I shouldn't have been so greedy and drunk that. What am I going to do? I'm not even married yet, and I've already been poisoned. Will I be left without a husband?!"
For a moment, whether they had eaten corn porridge or not, everyone regretted eating so much.
"My lords, please do not panic. The dosage of this yellow fruit is very small. It will only irritate the baby's stomach and intestines, and will not affect adults," Xu Zheng said, reassuring the crowd.
The ministers present finally breathed a sigh of relief and began drinking water frantically.
"What's wrong with your imperial kitchen? Don't you even know how to taste the food and sweet soup beforehand?!" Yun Beiye's face was ashen, and his sinister eyes glared fiercely at the head of the imperial kitchen.
"Can't you even tell the difference between corn and yellow fruit?! Why would you mix yellow fruit into perfectly good corn soup?!"
"If anything happens to the young princess, I will have you all buried with her!"
"Your Majesty, please calm down." The ministers all knelt down.
"Brother! Brother! How is my niece?"
"Who the hell is this? What's going on?!" Prince Ning, Yun Beiming, shouted as he ran into the main hall. When he reached the group, he looked at Yun Duoduo's tear-streaked face and felt extremely distressed.
"Oh dear, my dear, Third Imperial Uncle is here." Yun Duoduo touched Yun Duoduo's forehead with her hand. "Luckily, he doesn't have a fever."
"Quick, eat this." Yun Beiming took out a small porcelain bottle from his waist, took out a pill from it, and put it in Yun Duoduo's mouth.
“Your Highness Prince Ning…” Xu Zheng looked at him hesitantly, wanting to tell him that the little princess was not poisoned, but had eaten something that infants should not eat.
"Don't worry, Lord Xu. I heard everything outside the palace. This is a medicine I made myself to strengthen the stomach and spleen. Once Duoduo eats it, the toxicity and cooling properties of the yellow fruit will dissipate." Yun Beiming nodded to Xu Zheng and gently patted Yun Duoduo's shoulder.
"Alright, alright, Ah Xiang, Jin Zhi, you two should take Duo Duo back to rest." The Empress Dowager patted her chest, relieved that her precious granddaughter was alright.
After A Xiang and Jin Jinzhi exchanged greetings, they took Yun Duoduo back to Fu Shuang Palace.
"Summon the head chef and maids of the imperial kitchen. You cook every day, how could you mix up corn soup and hawthorn powder?!"
“Your Majesty, in my opinion, the Imperial Kitchen is skilled in this, so perhaps someone did this on purpose.” Consort Chen said, glancing at Consort De.
"Where is Consort De?!" Yun Beiye roared. Consort De was startled and immediately knelt down in front of Yun Beiye.
"You hosted this first birthday party, what exactly happened?!"
"Was this intentional or unintentional? Give me an explanation!"
"How cruel you are! Duoduo is not even a year old, how could you do this?!" Yun Beiye was so angry that his chest hurt. He sat down in a chair, and Empress Zhaoyuan hurriedly handed him a cup of tea.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you are innocent! I knew nothing of this. I tasted all the dishes before they were served in the imperial kitchen!" Consort De was at a loss, unable to defend herself. Today's events were sudden, and it happened at the first birthday banquet. She was in charge of preparing the food and drinks; if something went wrong, she would surely be blamed.
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