The Legend of Zhen Huan: Year after year, we share the spring breeze

When Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong came out of the Fahua Hall, it was already dusk.

When they returned to Yonghe Palace, Wen Shichu had been waiting for a long time. Seeing them return, he quickly stepped forward and whispered, "Your Majesties, I have something important to report."

An Lingrong noticed that he looked uneasy, and her heart tightened. She quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

Wen Shichu looked around and confirmed that no one was around before lowering his voice and saying, "Just after dinner, I took the emperor's pulse and found that his body was weak. It wasn't due to aging, but... it seemed that some kind of drug had eroded his foundation, causing kidney qi to be depleted and his vital energy to be insufficient."

An Lingrong's pupils shrank slightly, and her voice was almost tense: "You mean... someone poisoned the emperor?"

Shen Meizhuang frowned and said, "The Emperor's meals are prepared by someone in charge. It's unlikely that he could have poisoned him!"

Wen Shichu thought for a moment, finding it difficult to speak, but still said, "It's not necessarily that they're poisoning the emperor. Over the years, I've heard some secret stories—some women in brothels mix a special perfume and apply it on their bodies. While it's harmless to them, it can stimulate men's sexual desire and prevent them from getting pregnant. Over time, it can damage the root of the woman."

An Lingrong got goosebumps all over her body. How could such a secret spice appear in the palace?

But I have to say, it's beautifully done.

"Don't worry about it, just pretend you don't know anything!"

Wen Shichu lowered his head and replied, "I understand."

After saying this, An Lingrong asked a few more questions about the promotion of penicillin and cowpox. Although there were some difficulties, they were progressing steadily.

After he left, An Lingrong thought for a moment, then turned to look at Shen Meizhuang and asked, "Sister, who has the Emperor summoned to his bed the most recently?"

Shen Meizhuang answered simply: "I don't know!"

She has never cared about these things. The emperor favors whoever he wants.

She called Xiao Shi and asked him to go to the Jingshifang to get the emperor's hotel records.

Xiao Shi quickly took out the history book, opened it and saw that there was no need to count carefully - the three words "Sun Heyin" appeared the most frequently.

An Lingrong sneered, "It really is her."

I just don’t know where Sun Heyin found this medicine?

An Lingrong's eyes shifted slightly, and she asked Xiao Shi again, "Have you made any progress on the matter I asked you to investigate last time?"

Xiao Shi whispered, "Your Majesty, the scope has been narrowed down a lot. We can confirm it in the next two days."

"it is good!"

After a few days, the concubines in the harem gathered in Yongshou Palace to pay their respects.

Although Zhen Huan was not in good spirits, she still forced a smile and exchanged a few words with everyone. After the formalities were completed, Shen Meizhuang slowly stood up, her eyes like frost sweeping over the people in the hall, and said lightly: "Sister Duan Fei and Sister Sun will stay, the rest of you can go back and rest first."

Although everyone was confused, they did not dare to ask too many questions and bowed and left.

When there were only a few people left in the hall, Shen Meizhuang signaled the palace servants to close the door. The room suddenly became quiet, and only the slight crackling sound of the charcoal fire in the incense burner could be heard.

Qi Yuebin smiled, but her eyes were as cold as a pond. "I wonder if the Imperial Concubine has left me here with you, and what advice do you have for me?"

Although she was talking to Zhen Huan, her eyes were looking straight at An Lingrong with a hint of provocation.

An Lingrong didn't beat around the bush. She stepped forward and said in a cold voice, "Concubine Duan, let's be frank—what do you want?"

"what do you mean?"

"The Queen's death has something to do with you, right?"

Qi Yuebin chuckled softly, her fingertips casually fiddling with the jade bracelet on her wrist. "Concubine Wen, what you said is really unfair. Wasn't it Concubine Shun who killed the Empress? Why are you bringing this upon me now?"

An Lingrong slowly pulled out a piece of paper from her sleeve and sneered, "The Queen's cause of death was poisoning from Gelsemium elegans. I have sent people to check the records of all the medical clinics in the capital for the past six months."

She unfolded the paper, which contained detailed records of sales at various pharmacies. "Gelsemium elegans is highly toxic, so doctors use it with caution. All sales are recorded. In the end, only one transaction was unsuccessful."

She looked sharply at Bai Zhi, who was standing behind Sun Heyin. "The shop assistant said that the woman was thin, with an extraordinary temperament, and had an inch-long scar on her right index finger."

Before she finished speaking, she suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Bai Zhi's right hand and raised it high - there was a hideous scar across the thumb!

"So, do you need me to summon that fellow into the palace to confront you?"

Bai Zhi's face turned pale and she fell to her knees with a thud.

Sun Heyin saw that the truth had been revealed, and she hurried forward and knelt in front of Bai Zhi: "Your Majesty, I instructed Bai Zhi to do this, and I accept the blame!"

An Lingrong remained unmoved and continued to press her, "You bought the Heartbreak Grass, but what about the Queen's death? Did it have anything to do with you?"

Sun Heyin turned to look at Qi Yuebin and betrayed her directly: "Didn't you say she didn't dare to investigate?"

Upon hearing this, Qi Yuebin not only did not panic, but instead sneered: "Empress Wen is indeed very clever. But... so what if it was me who did it!"

"The Queen is already imprisoned. It makes no difference whether she lives or dies. Why would you risk her life?"

"As long as she holds the title of Queen, she will remain Queen. She has done so much, yet she still lives a life of luxury. Is that fair? Besides, she is more useful dead than alive."

"how did you do it?"

Qi Yuebin's smile remained unchanged, but his eyes gradually deepened. "Then I have to thank you. The Gelsemium elegans you chose is a good one. It's colorless and odorless, and its medicinal properties are very strong. Two bites can be fatal. Even the Queen, who knows medicine, didn't notice it."

"You..." An Lingrong was speechless: "Have you bribed all the palace maids in Jingren Palace?"

Qi Yuebin looked at Sun Heyin calmly.

"Lady Sun has plenty of money!"

Sun Heyin's eyes seemed to be spitting fire.

Qi Yuebin sneered, "But I didn't expect that you would rather risk interfering in government affairs than push Mu Jingqiu out."

After saying this, she laughed at herself and said, "No, I should have expected that you would be such an unscrupulous person."

An Lingrong took a step back, her eyes filled with disappointment. "Concubine Duan, I've already made it very clear what happened back then. We've accomplished so much together. I thought, even if we can't be friends, we should at least keep our distance." Her voice grew colder. "I never thought that after dealing with the Queen Mother and the Empress, you'd now attack us?"

Qi Yuebin stroked his temples and smiled calmly, "Who in this harem shouldn't pay the price for their actions? Karma is a cycle, retribution is inevitable, this is an eternal truth."