Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

The atmosphere in the Imperial Garden froze instantly.

All eyes were on me and the dish.

Empress Defei's face turned pale for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure, a hint of a sneer on her face: "Yang Yuanpan, are you saying that there is something wrong with the meals I prepared for the Emperor and the princes?"

Her voice was not loud, but it carried an invisible pressure.

I knew there was no turning back at this point.

I must expose Concubine De's conspiracy, otherwise, Zhu Yuan and I will probably be punished by her later.

"Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand me." I bowed respectfully, my tone remaining calm. "I simply felt that there might be something wrong with this dish. I'm worried about the health of Your Majesty and the princes, so I've dared to ask for an inspection."

The emperor frowned, clearly displeased with this sudden situation. "Yang Qing, my meals have always been meticulously prepared by the Imperial Kitchen. Why are you suddenly making this request?"

I secretly groaned in my heart. The emperor was indeed extremely sensitive to these little episodes. If I was not careful, I might be regarded as the criminal who disrupted the imperial banquet.

"Your Majesty," I replied, bracing myself, "I have heard some bad news recently, and I'm worried someone might be trying to harm you, so I have to be extra cautious. After all, Your Majesty is in good health, so we must be extremely cautious."

As soon as the words fell, Empress Defei snorted coldly, her eyes like knives: "Yang Yuanpan, what do you mean by this? Is there someone who wants to harm the emperor? Who is it? Just tell me directly!"

There was a clear provocation in her tone, and it was obvious that she wanted to force me to explain myself clearly on the spot.

I smiled slightly and thought to myself: You are anxious, which means there is indeed something wrong with this dish.

"Your Majesty, I naturally dare not doubt you." I continued to smile, but my tone was firm. "However, since this dish happened to be brought by the chef in charge of the imperial kitchen, I can't help but be a little suspicious. After all, I heard a few days ago that the chef was too close to certain people, so I couldn't help but suspect it."

When the emperor heard this, his expression changed slightly and he turned his gaze to the cook.

The cook's face suddenly turned pale and the plate in his hand almost fell to the ground.

"Kneel down!" the emperor ordered coldly.

The cook fell to his knees with a thud, sweat pouring down his forehead. "Your Majesty, I am innocent! I am innocent!"

I sneered in my heart. Whether it was unfair or not would be clear soon.

I stepped forward and said calmly, "Since this chef is so adamant about his innocence, please have Rong Chen inspect the food on the spot to see if there are any problems."

The emperor nodded: "Yes."

Empress Defei's face became even gloomier, but she knew that stopping it now would only make people more suspicious.

She gritted her teeth and finally said, "Since Court Judge Yang is so persistent, let him check. I believe Court Judge Yang will not let me down."

Her tone was cold, as if she had already sentenced me to death in her heart.

Of course I dare not be negligent, after all, this is a matter of life and death.

I carefully examined every detail of this dish.

In addition to the dishes that looked extremely exquisite on the surface, I also took out some medicinal powder and sprinkled it in for testing.

I specially prepared this powder, which can detect some common poison reactions.

After a few seconds, the powder began to slowly change color - from colorless to light blue.

"It's poisonous indeed." I secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The dish was indeed poisoned.

I raised my head and said sternly, "Your Majesty, this dish does contain a deadly poison. If you eat it, your life will be in danger."

The emperor's expression darkened instantly, and his gaze pierced the cook like a knife: "How dare you! How dare you poison my food!"

The cook was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground and couldn't even speak.

He stammered and tried to explain himself, but under the emperor's angry gaze, he dared not speak at all.

Empress Defei's expression was also extremely ugly. She obviously had not expected things to develop to this point.

She took a deep breath and tried to keep her voice calm. "Your Majesty, this must have been a frame-up. You know I have always been loyal and would never do such a heinous thing."

The Emperor narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Of course I know Concubine De's loyalty, but this matter is of great importance and I must investigate thoroughly. Come! Drag this cook away and interrogate him strictly. Make sure to find out who is behind this!"

The guards immediately stepped forward and dragged the limp cook out. I breathed a sigh of relief. Things were moving in the direction we had hoped for, but it was clear that Concubine De would not give up easily.

"Your Majesty," Empress Defei suddenly spoke, a look of sadness and innocence on her face. "I truly do not understand why something like this could have happened today. I have worked so hard for the Third Prince and His Majesty, and yet someone took the opportunity to poison our food. Could it be that someone is trying to frame me?"

As she spoke, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes.

This acting is really first-rate.

I secretly admired her skills in my heart, but I still kept calm on my face.

At this time, the emperor's expression was also a little shaken. It was obvious that Concubine De's "affectionate interpretation" had a certain impact on him.

"Don't worry, Concubine De. I will get to the bottom of this matter." The emperor sighed, and his tone softened a little.

My heart tightened. It was obvious that Concubine De's trick was effective. The Emperor began to soften his heart!

"Your Majesty," I quickly stepped forward, my tone firm. "I believe this matter must not be let off lightly. After all, the Imperial Kitchen is a vital area. If even the Emperor's meals are questionable, then the rules of the palace are completely broken. I implore Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this matter and severely punish the person behind this!"

The Emperor nodded. "President Yang's words are quite reasonable. I will investigate this matter thoroughly. However, Concubine De has worked so hard, and I believe she would not do such a thing."

Although I felt a little regretful that I couldn't overthrow Concubine De immediately, I also knew that things could not be rushed.

The emperor's trust in her has not been completely shaken, and the evidence we have is not yet fatal enough.

After the banquet, Concubine De gave me a cold look and turned away.

Her eyes were full of warnings. It was obvious that she had already regarded me as a thorn in her side. She would never let me go easily.

"President Yang, what should we do next?" Zhu Yuan came over with a nervous look on his face, obviously not yet recovered from the tense atmosphere.

I patted his shoulder and said with a smile: "Don't be afraid, this is just the beginning."

Zhu Yuan scratched his head. "But Concubine De doesn't seem easy to deal with. She almost convinced the Emperor just now."

I nodded, knowing this in my heart. "Of course she's difficult to deal with, but we've already opened a crack in her scheme. Next, she'll definitely reveal more flaws."

Zhu Yuan nodded, not quite understanding: "Then we have to keep an eye on her, right?"

"Yes." I smiled, "And, be more careful."

A few days later, Doctor Li finally woke up.

I immediately went to see him. Although Doctor Li still looked weak, he was conscious. When he saw me come in, he struggled to stand up and greet me.

"Don't move." I quickly held him down. "You still need to rest."

Doctor Li forced a smile and said, "Thank you, Court Judge Yang, for saving my life. You saved my life."

I waved my hand. "Doctor Li, there's no need to be so polite. You risked your life to provide us with the clues that allowed us to uncover Concubine De's conspiracy."

Doctor Li sighed, a look of helplessness on his face. "Alas, I never imagined that Concubine De's methods would be so cruel. This old man is truly terrified."

I sat by his bed, feeling mixed emotions. "Although there has been some progress, Consort De's influence remains strong. We need more evidence to fully expose her conspiracy."

Doctor Li nodded, thought for a moment, and then said, "President Yang, I have one more thing to tell you."

My heart tightened and I quickly asked, "What's the matter?"

Imperial Physician Li's expression grew serious. "In fact, Consort De not only tampered with the Third Prince's prescription, she also secretly contacted some court officials, seemingly plotting a larger conspiracy."

My heart suddenly trembled. "Planning a bigger conspiracy? What exactly does she want to do?"

Imperial Physician Li shook his head. "I'm not entirely sure, but I'm certain her target isn't just the Third Prince. She's most likely paving the way for others."

I frowned, my mind racing: What is the real purpose of Concubine De?