The hairpins and ornaments that Ling Meiren had just put on fell to the ground again, and she knelt down in a disheveled state.
"That damned slut! One rotten apple spoils the whole bunch! Because of you, the harem has been in turmoil these past few days!" She pointed at Consort Ling's nose and cursed, slamming her fist on the table in anger.
"The little princess is so young, how could you be so heartless? How could you bring yourself to harm an infant?!" Empress Zhaoyuan's hand trembled slightly as she pointed at Consort Ling.
"Oh, harm the little princess? Your Majesty, I don't understand what you mean!" Consort Ling, Zheng Ling'er, stared at the Empress with her innocent big eyes.
Zheng Ling'er was trembling with fear.
[Didn't my sister say the Empress was an idiot? How did she know they started the fire?]
Could it be that she discovered something?
My sister once said that the Empress Dowager disliked the daughters of the Zheng family, and that once that old woman died, their future would be secure.
[If they couldn't kill the old woman, killing her most beloved granddaughter would also cause the old woman unbearable grief, which is why she set fire to the house to burn the little princess alive.]
The eunuch who set the fire is dead, and it wasn't someone from her palace who did it, so how did the investigation lead back to her?
[Impossible. The Empress couldn't have discovered anything. She certainly has no evidence. As long as she insists that she has nothing to do with it, that's enough.]
Thinking of this, Zheng Ling'er steadied herself and burst into tears, crying loudly, "Your Majesty, you can't wrong me!"
"You stubborn mule, still so defiant!" Empress Zhaoyuan cursed angrily, hands on her hips.
"There are laws and regulations in the palace too. Your Majesty cannot falsely accuse someone without reason!" Zheng Ling'er cried with great grievance, which was heartbreaking to see. Anyone who didn't know the situation would think that the Empress was abusing her power.
"Hey, you're quite the talker, aren't you!" The Empress was surprised that this petite Consort Ling could put on such a show.
"Your Majesty the Empress," Zhao Zhongquan called softly from the side.
Only then did the Empress notice Zhao Zhongquan behind her.
"Your Majesty, you let this old servant in. Did the medicine cause Consort Ling to be imprisoned in the inner prison?" Zhao Zhongquan was somewhat excited. The straw that had been weighing on his shoulders could finally be loosened. It seemed that the arsonist's case was about to be solved. As for the sack culprit, it would take some more time to find out.
"Ah, yes, Eunuch Zhao, look at this." She snapped out of her daze and handed Zhao Zhongquan the sleeve that had been torn by the little white dog from the ground. As soon as Zhao Zhongquan saw the bead on the cuff, he immediately understood and exclaimed in a shrill voice, "Isn't this the one from the well?!"
The Queen nodded.
"Guards, take Consort Ling away!" Zhao Zhongquan waved his hand, and several eunuchs lowered their heads and dragged Consort Ling away.
"Who dares?! I am the daughter of the Zheng family!" Consort Ling shouted, baring her teeth, looking at the Empress in disbelief.
"The Zheng family has produced three emperors and veterans; who dares to touch me?!"
"Tsk tsk tsk." The Empress rubbed her forehead. "You really won't shed a tear until you see the coffin!"
"I want to see His Majesty!" Consort Ling continued to shout.
"Don't worry, this old servant will report back to His Majesty." Zhao Zhongquan glanced at her disdainfully.
"take away!"
"Your Majesty, leave things here to this old servant. It's already broad daylight, and you haven't slept all night. This old servant will report today's events to His Majesty."
Empress Zhaoyuan nodded. At this moment, she felt dizzy and her body felt very heavy and weak.
"Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Zhao. I'll head back now."
"Your Majesty, you flatter this old servant. This is all I should do." Zhao Zhongquan bowed and watched the Empress leave.
...
Several palace maids helped Empress Zhaoyuan walk towards Zhaoyang Palace, and Cuiling also brought the imperial physician to treat the little white dog.
The eunuch held the little white dog, which was much quieter now than it had been when it was jumping around in Fanghua Palace.
"This should be a typical rabies attack," the imperial physician said uncertainly. He examined the little white dog's mouth and eyes, and it was indeed strange.
However, he had never learned how to treat animals and didn't know how to examine them, so he examined them in a seemingly professional manner, just like he would examine people.
"Should?!" Empress Zhaoyuan snorted coldly, rubbing her temples, looking extremely tired.
"Are the people in your Imperial Medical Academy any good? They can't even take care of a puppy?!" Empress Zhaoyuan looked at the imperial physicians with dissatisfaction.
"Your Majesty, humans and animals are fundamentally different, so we can't treat them the same way!" The imperial physician wiped the sweat from his brow.
Oh no, the reputation of the Imperial Medical Academy is probably going to be ruined by him.
Hearing the imperial physician's words, Yun Yibo was furious. "Who are you calling a beast?!"
[Little White is his best friend!]
"Never mind, just prescribe some medicine for my cold instead," Empress Zhaoyuan shook her head.
"May I take your pulse?" the imperial physician asked tentatively.
"No need," Empress Zhaoyuan said. "I just caught a chill last night and got a bit cold." She dared not let this quack doctor take her pulse, lest he discover something bad.
"Yes, then I will prescribe a remedy for your cold." The imperial physician wrote down a remedy for a cold and handed it to Cuiling, a palace maid behind the Empress.
"Oh, right, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, Lord Xu Zheng, can treat cats and dogs, right? Have Lord Xu come over!" Empress Zhaoyuan suddenly thought of something.
"Your Majesty, it's truly unfortunate. Lord Xu's daughter is getting married today, and he has gone back to his hometown," the imperial physician replied awkwardly.
"Oh dear, they all seem to have come to this one place at once, what bad luck!"
"I have heard that His Highness Prince Ning has returned to the capital. His Highness is proficient in pharmacology and medicine. Why don't we invite His Highness to come and take a look?" The imperial physician suggested. Prince Ning's medical skills are very famous throughout Nanyang. If it weren't for the fact that Prince Ning spends most of his time in Shu, the Imperial Medical Bureau and the Imperial Pharmacy in Nanyang would definitely be under His Highness's control.
"Never mind, it's just a dog, it's not good to disturb too many people." Empress Zhaoyuan sighed. "The dog has calmed down a lot now, it seems there's nothing serious."
"Cui Ling, see the master out!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Your Majesty, I take my leave." The imperial physician bowed, picked up his medicine chest, and followed behind Cuiling.
"My lord, this way please." Cui Ling led the imperial physician outside.
"Why are you still here?" Empress Zhaoyuan rubbed her sore eyes and glanced at Yun Yibo standing in the corner.
"After a whole night of running around, I need to go back to sleep."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will return now." Yun Yibo bowed to Empress Zhaoyuan.
Yun Yibo carried the little white dog towards his side hall. The little white dog seemed to be tired from playing and had fallen asleep in Yun Yibo's arms.
...?
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