Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty
Chapter 129 The truth emerges: the conspiracy of the person behind the scenes
Ever since I discovered the traces of the Soul-Breaking Grass, I feel like I'm walking on the edge of a knife every day.
Although I have already identified several suspects, the palace is very dangerous. If I am not careful, I may lose my life here.
The scary thing is that although I feel somewhat confident, the current situation prevents me from acting rashly.
Early that morning, before I had time to drink a sip of hot tea, Zhu Yuan rushed in again in a hurry, followed by a gust of cold wind.
"President Yang! Something terrible has happened!" He rushed over while shouting, with an expression on his face as if he had just seen some huge secret.
I reflexively tightened my grip on the teacup. "Can you please not give me that look every time you see me? You said the same thing last time, but it turned out the imperial kitchen just didn't have any fresh eggs."
Zhu Yuan panted heavily, waving his hands and saying anxiously, "This time is different! It's really different! I just saw Eunuch Li being taken away at the door of the imperial kitchen!"
I almost dropped the cup in my hand. "What? Someone took him away? Who?"
"They're from the Imperial Guards!" Zhu Yuan's voice was trembling even more than my teacup. "And they also searched the imperial kitchen, as if they were looking for something."
Countless possibilities flashed through my mind instantly.
The sudden intervention of the Imperial Guards indicated that the storm in the palace had come to light.
Eunuch Li was taken away, either because he revealed something or someone deliberately put the blame on him.
"Zhu Yuan, are you sure?" I asked tentatively while thinking.
Zhu Yuan nodded vigorously, "It's absolutely true! Everyone in the imperial kitchen was trembling with fear. I saw it with my own eyes!"
I rubbed my temples, feeling a little uneasy.
The involvement of the Imperial Guards meant that things had become complicated, but it also gave me an opportunity.
If I can seize this opportunity to find more evidence, perhaps I can uncover the truth behind this conspiracy.
"Zhu Yuan, you continue to keep an eye on the movements in the imperial kitchen to see what the Jinyiwei are looking for. On my side... I have to find a way to check the meals of the emperor, the empress dowager, and the concubine." I said in a deep voice, having made up my mind.
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuan frowned again: "President Yang, this matter is becoming increasingly dangerous. If our Imperial Hospital is implicated, it will be a huge problem."
I shrugged helplessly. "Do you think I want to? But the arrow is on the string and must be released. Our duty as the Imperial Hospital is to save lives. Now that we know the truth, we can't just sit back and do nothing."
Zhu Yuan sighed, obviously knowing that this matter was no trivial matter, so he nodded reluctantly: "Okay, I'll go ask around. We have to be careful."
In the next few days, the atmosphere in the palace became even more tense.
Ever since Eunuch Li was taken away by the Embroidered Uniform Guards, everyone in the imperial kitchen has been feeling as if they were facing a great enemy and everyone is in danger.
The conditions of the Empress Dowager and Concubine Shu have not improved, and although the Emperor's complexion has recovered, he still seems to be worried.
I know in my heart that the emperor must have noticed something unusual in the palace, but due to the lack of solid evidence, he can only wait and see what happens.
That day, I was ordered to treat the emperor again. As soon as I arrived at the bedroom, I found that the atmosphere was a little wrong.
"President Yang, the emperor has ordered that he will summon you after today's diagnosis." A eunuch whispered to me.
My heart suddenly tightened. The Emperor wanted to see me alone? This was not a good sign.
My heart started beating wildly, all kinds of possibilities raced through my mind, and I even began to recall whether I had said anything I shouldn't have said or done anything I shouldn't have done recently.
But then I thought, I'm just a minor imperial physician after all, and the Emperor wouldn't set his sights on me so quickly. Now I can only take it one step at a time.
After giving the emperor acupuncture, I was led into the imperial study.
The room was empty, with only the emperor sitting behind the desk. His face was calm, but his eyes revealed unfathomable majesty.
My heart tightened, and I quickly knelt down and saluted: "Your Majesty."
"President Yang, please get up." The emperor's voice was as low as ever, but with a hint of fatigue.
I stood up and looked up at him cautiously, and found that he was staring at a memorial on the table, as if thinking about something.
"President Yang, what do you think of my recent illness?" The emperor suddenly spoke in a calm tone.
My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly replied, "Your Majesty, your qi and blood deficiency has gradually improved, but I still recommend that you rest and rest, and avoid overexerting yourself."
The emperor nodded slightly upon hearing this, then raised his eyes to look at me, his gaze as sharp as a blade: "Then do you know why my illness keeps recurring?"
My heart suddenly sank and I almost didn't dare to look him in the eyes.
The emperor's words were clearly hinting to me that he had noticed something!
How should I answer?
Should I tell the truth or pretend to be ignorant?
If I am not careful, I might be asked to get a glass of "poisoned wine".
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty dare not speak nonsense." I said with my head down, quickly weighing the pros and cons in my mind.
The Emperor snorted, seemingly unimpressed by my caution. "Yang Yuanpan, you are the chief judge of the Imperial Hospital. It is your duty to cure illnesses and save lives. If I ask you a question, you can speak frankly."
I took a deep breath, knowing that refusing at this time would only put myself in greater danger.
So, I mustered my courage and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, I recently reviewed the meals you, the Empress Dowager, and Consort Shu had prepared, and I discovered that the combination of herbs was somewhat unusual."
The emperor frowned slightly: "Abnormal?"
I quickly continued, "Yes, I suspect that someone may have tampered with the food you, the Empress Dowager, and the Consort Shu, adding some medicinal herbs that shouldn't be there."
The emperor's expression suddenly changed, and the coldness in his eyes became even stronger: "Go on."
Seeing that he wasn't angry, I breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "I discovered a medicinal herb called 'Soul-Breaking Grass' in the food. This herb is colorless and odorless. If taken in small amounts, it won't be fatal in the short term, but it will gradually damage your Qi and blood, leading to weakness and coma."
The emperor slowly stood up, his gaze becoming even sharper. "Soul-breaking Grass? Are you sure?"
I quickly bowed and replied, "I dare not speak rashly, but I did find traces of this medicinal herb in the food. I suspect someone is behind this, intending to harm the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and the Consort through the food."
The emperor's face was terribly gloomy, and for a moment, the entire imperial study was silent.
My heart was pounding, afraid that what I had just said would be the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Suddenly, the emperor said coldly: "Do you have any evidence?"
My heart sank. Evidence... Although I found traces of the Soul-Breaking Grass, there was no conclusive evidence that could directly point to the person behind it.
"I'm still investigating and haven't found any conclusive evidence yet..." I answered honestly, but in my mind I was thinking quickly about how to protect myself.
The emperor didn't say anything, but just stared at me, as if he could see through me.
After a long while, he slowly said, "Yang Yuanpan, you are a smart man. I hope you can distinguish between what you should know and what you shouldn't know about the affairs of the palace."
My heart trembled, and I quickly lowered my head and replied, "I understand."
The emperor waved his hand and said, "Go down and continue investigating this matter. If you make any progress, report to me immediately."
"I obey your command." I felt relieved and quickly bowed and retreated, but my heart was still in turmoil.
The emperor's words were obviously a warning to me. Although he had not yet had an attack, the storm was clearly far from over.
After returning to the Imperial Hospital, I breathed a sigh of relief and felt as if I had walked through the gates of hell.
When Zhu Yuan saw me come back, he immediately came up to me and said, "Yang Yuanpan, how's everything? Did the emperor give you any trouble?"
I shook my head, my expression solemn. "The Emperor already knows there's trouble in the palace, but he hasn't yet decided who's behind it. I have to speed up and find evidence as soon as possible."
Zhu Yuan frowned: "Then what should we do next?"
I pondered for a moment, and suddenly my eyes lit up. "Didn't the Imperial Kitchen get searched by the Imperial Guards? They must have found something. We must find a way to find out what they've done."
Zhu Yuan nodded immediately after hearing this: "Okay, I'll go and ask around to see what they found out."
I warned, "Be careful, the Jinyiwei can't move, don't bring trouble upon yourself."
Zhu Yuan looked nervous: "Don't worry, I will be careful!"
In the next few days, Zhu Yuan and I secretly collected more clues.
Although the actions of the Embroidered Uniform Guards made the atmosphere in the palace more tense, they also gave us more opportunities.
I discovered that there was indeed a problem with the palace's food supply chain, especially the source of medicinal materials, which seemed to have an unusual connection with a certain merchant outside.
After Eunuch Li was taken away, the commotion in the palace became increasingly louder. Obviously, the person behind the scenes had already sensed the crisis.
However, I know that we are only one step away from uncovering the truth.
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