Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

Chapter 156 Cracks in the Conspiracy

The nights in the Imperial Hospital were always exceptionally quiet. Apart from the occasional sound of the wind, there was hardly any other sound.

I stood in front of the window, looking at the darkness outside, my heart was in a mess.

Empress Defei's methods are more vicious than I imagined. Doctor Li is just a pawn of hers. In her view, anyone who threatens her plan must be quickly eliminated.

"President Yang, are you still thinking about Doctor Li?" Zhu Yuan walked in from outside with a tired look on his face, but still maintaining that silly smile.

I sighed helplessly. "It's not just Doctor Li. The whole situation is more complicated than we imagined. Concubine De is already starting to panic. She's going to be in increasing danger."

Zhu Yuan sat down and scratched his head: "But we only have this little evidence. If the emperor thinks it's no big deal, then wouldn't our efforts be in vain?"

I nodded, knowing that what he said made sense.

Concubine De's power in the palace is deeply entrenched. Doctor Li's confession and the fact that he was poisoned are probably not enough to make the emperor truly doubt her.

"We must find more evidence, especially evidence that directly points to Consort De," I said, my mind replaying everything that had recently happened in the palace. "She's controlling the Third Prince's illness not just to consolidate her own position, but perhaps there's a bigger conspiracy."

Zhu Yuan was stunned for a moment, then quickly asked, "Then what should we do next? Should we continue to keep an eye on her?"

"Yes, we must keep a close eye on her movements." I nodded. "She obviously knows we're investigating her, so she'll definitely take action next. Her people will most likely reveal their whereabouts. As long as we follow closely, we'll eventually find a breakthrough."

Zhu Yuan slapped his thigh and said, "I understand! Then I'll arrange for someone to keep an eye on the maids and eunuchs in her palace, especially those who have been coming in and out frequently recently!"

I smiled and patted his shoulder: "Don't panic, proceed steadily. Don't let them realize our intentions."

Zhu Yuan scratched his head and said, "Don't worry, Judge Yang, are you still worried about my work?"

I nodded and watched him run out quickly, feeling a little relieved.

Although we are in a dangerous situation now, things are not hopeless yet.

Just give me a little more time and I will definitely find the key evidence.

The next morning, the Imperial Hospital was bustling with activity, and palace affairs were proceeding as usual.

I had just finished dealing with a few patients' prescriptions when Zhu Yuan came running over, his face full of excitement: "President Yang, there's news!"

I immediately put down the file in my hand and asked in a low voice, "What news?"

"Last night we sent people to watch the bedroom of Concubine De, and found that a young palace maid beside her sneaked out of the palace and went to the imperial kitchen." Zhu Yuan said while making a sneaky gesture, which made me almost laugh out loud.

"The imperial kitchen? What is a little palace maid like her doing in the imperial kitchen?" I frowned, feeling something was wrong.

Zhu Yuan approached mysteriously, "That's easy! I had someone follow her, and we found out she was meeting a chef from the imperial kitchen. They exchanged a few furtive words, and then the chef slipped away with some ingredients."

I thought, "Ingredients? Could they be... planning to tamper with the food?"

Zhu Yuan nodded vigorously, "That's right! I guessed the same thing, so I immediately had someone check the cook's background. It turned out that he had been very close to Concubine De's people recently."

My eyes lit up slightly. "It seems that Concubine De has already started to act. She is very likely planning to poison the food."

"Then we have to act quickly! We can't let her succeed!" Zhu Yuan looked nervous.

I stood up, my mind racing. "No rush. We can't alert the enemy. We don't have enough evidence right now. Acting directly will only expose the matter. We have to wait until they take action, so we can catch them red-handed."

"But what if she really poisoned us, we..." Zhu Yuan hesitated.

I smiled and said, "Don't worry, I have my own way. You continue to keep an eye on the cook. If there is anything unusual, come back and report it immediately."

Zhu Yuan nodded: "I understand, I'll arrange it right away!"

A few days later, news came from the palace: Concubine De was going to hold a small family dinner for the third prince and invited the emperor and several other princes to attend.

When I heard the news, my first reaction was: This banquet might be the opportunity for Concubine De to take action.

"President Yang, do you think she will take action at this family dinner?" Zhu Yuan came over and asked in a low voice.

I nodded. "Very likely. In such an important occasion, she has the greatest chance of taking action."

Zhu Yuan frowned: "What should we do then? Are we just going to watch her poison herself?"

I smiled and said, "Of course not. What we have to do is to expose her conspiracy at the critical moment."

"But how do we expose it?" Zhu Yuan looked puzzled.

I smiled mysteriously: "Sometimes, the best way is to let her reveal the truth herself."

Zhu Yuan scratched his head, obviously not understanding, but nodded anyway: "Okay, whatever Judge Yang says is what it is."

On the day of the family banquet, the imperial garden was decorated exquisitely and magnificently, with palace maids and eunuchs coming and going, busy preparing food and drinks for the banquet.

Zhu Yuan and I stood not far away, secretly observing every move at the scene.

Empress Defei seemed particularly calm and generous today, as if there was nothing unusual at all.

"President Yang, do you think she will really do it?" Zhu Yuan asked nervously.

I stared at the banquet and whispered, "Don't be impatient, just wait and see."

Not far away, the chefs from the imperial kitchen began to serve exquisite dishes on the table.

I noticed that the suspicious cook was among them. He looked nervous and his movements were a little stiff. It was obvious that he was trying to hide something.

"Here it comes." I whispered, already having a plan in mind.

At this moment, the emperor and several princes took their seats one after another. Concubine De sat beside them, smiling, as if she was very confident about this family dinner.

"Your Majesty, today I have specially prepared some home-cooked dishes for you and several princes. They were all selected by me personally. I hope you like them." Empress Defei said gently, with a bit of attentiveness in her tone.

The emperor nodded, his eyes swept across the dishes on the table, a gratified smile on his face: "De Fei is thoughtful."

I stood not far away, my mind racing. Then, the crucial moment was about to arrive.

** Halfway through the banquet, Zhu Yuan suddenly came over from the side, looking nervous: "President Yang, that chef seems to be making a move!"

I immediately looked towards the banquet table, and sure enough, the suspicious chef was carrying a dish and slowly walking towards the emperor's seat.

"Now!" I whispered, my eyes as cold as ice.

Just as the cook walked up to the emperor and was about to put the dish down, I suddenly shouted, "Wait a minute!"

My voice was particularly abrupt in the silent banquet. Everyone's eyes were instantly focused on me, and even the emperor frowned.

"President Yang, what do you mean?" Concubine De's face suddenly turned ugly and she asked coldly.

I took my time, stepped forward, and bowed to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, I've noticed something's wrong with this dish. Please allow me to inspect it."

The emperor frowned even more tightly: "Yang Qing, what are you talking about?"

I took a deep breath and looked directly at the chef. "Your Majesty, I suspect someone has tampered with your meal! This is a serious matter. Please allow me to inspect the food on the spot!"

The whole place was silent, everyone was stunned, even Concubine De's face turned pale in an instant.

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