Accidentally dressed as an empress

Yun Se was still waiting for Cui Ti to come over and ask questions, but saw Zhou Jin standing quietly by the side.

What Zhou Jin didn't know was that at this time, in the Imperial Hospital, the garrison troops had already turned the medicine cabinet upside down, and all the female doctors who were pounding the medicine had been arrested.

Yun Se sat on the couch and asked, "Zhou Jin, have you ever heard of the poison, orchid miasma?"

"It is recorded in the Book of Poisonous Herbs that orchid miasma is made by drying the poisonous orchid grass produced by Guifang. However, I have never seen it."

Yun Se threw the sachet to Zhou Jin and said, "Why haven't you seen it? It's right here."

"How could this happen?" Zhou Jin exclaimed, but he was a little slow to react and failed to catch the sachet, and it fell to the ground.

Zhou Jin knelt down on his knees, picked up the sachet from the ground with both hands, opened it, pinched a handful of spices and sniffed it, his face suddenly changed, and said, "Someone replaced the Strelitzia with the Ghost Orchid!"

Yun Se looked at Zhou Jin with a calm expression, "You have followed me for twenty years, so I naturally trust you. Until you are cleared of suspicion, you should return to the mansion first."

"Your Majesty, I have never done anything I have never done, and even if you investigate me ten thousand times, I will remain innocent."

"I know."

"But Your Majesty... you no longer trust me and refuse to use the medicine I prescribe. My remaining in the palace is unnecessary. I humbly resign."

"I will allow you to go home and rest. I will find out the truth and clear your name."

Tears glistened in Zhou Jin's eyes. "Your Majesty, take care. I'll take my leave." After saying this, he performed the ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows and left.

The Zhou family has been practicing medicine for generations and has the integrity of a doctor. Yun Se found that she still couldn't push Zhou Jin too far.

Zhou Jin walked out of Juanshu Palace, and Cui Ti and Lin Hong walked in.

Yun Se looked at Cui Ti and started to challenge her. Pointing at two potted plants with red fruits, she asked, "Cui Ti, who put these two pots of Nandina domestica?"

Cui Ti said, "Your Majesty, this Nandina domestica was discovered by General Zhong Rong while he was stationed in Nanling in the tenth year of the Xuanyuan reign. It was presented as a gift. Your Majesty was delighted to see it and ordered me to personally arrange it in the bedroom."

"But it's giving me headaches," Yun Se said. "I found a record of this plant in the ancient books compiled by Yun Xiu. It says it's poisonous and shouldn't be kept indoors. Cui Ti, do you admit your mistake?"

Cui Ti knelt down and said, "I know I was wrong. I failed to supervise. I will leave it to your majesty to decide."

Wu Han walked in with the garrison troops. "Your Majesty, the female doctor has confessed. It was Noble Servant Zhang who asked her to replace the bird of prey orchid with the bird of prey orchid."

Cui Ti lowered her head silently and did not look at Wu Han.

"Zhang Fan? Why is it him again? Hahahaha... Killing him early would be too easy for him. If I don't torture him to death by slow slicing, it won't be enough to relieve the hatred in my heart."

"As for the female doctor who poisoned the patient, she shall be whipped three hundred times and her body chopped up and fed to the dogs."

Wu Han shuddered and said, "I obey your command."

What was Zhang Fan's motive for murdering her? She had forced him to kill six of his cousins. At the time, the Zhang family had fallen from power, yet they had sent seven men to the palace to curry her favor. Disgusted by the men sent by the Zhang family, she told them only one would survive and become her maid. They began to kill each other, but Zhang Fan survived.

She did not like the child she had with Zhang Fan, as Zhang Fan had used some trickery to make her pregnant. However, in order to keep a check on Lin Hong, she later had to support Zhang Fan as a noble maid.

Cui Ti's back was already covered in cold sweat, and she said, "I will move these two pots of poisonous weeds away right away."

Yun Se pulled himself away from his memories, looked at Cui Ti who was kneeling down, and smiled slightly, "Wait."

"Cui Ti, please go to the Taimiao to ask Aunt Fang to come back on my behalf. The Shaofu will be under the management of Emperor Lin for the time being." Yun Se planned to take Yi Yuan's younger brother and sister and have them raised by Aunt Fang Ru. This was her promise to Yi Yuan.

Cui Ti stiffened, "Your Majesty, obey your command."

Yun Se looked at Cui Ti and said, "There is no time to lose, let's set off immediately."

"Yes." Cui Ti stepped out.

"Lin Hong, are you looking for me?" Yun Se turned his gaze to Lin Hong.

Lin Hong had been standing there for a while. When Yi Yuan saw him, he pressed his body against Yun Se's arm, as if to show off his intimacy with His Majesty and protest to him. Lin Hong sneered in his heart but did not show it on his face.

"Your Majesty, I have something important to report."

Lin Hong said nothing, staring at Yi Yuan, and Yi Yuan looked back boldly.

Yun Se didn't seem to notice Yi Yuan's abnormality and said to Lin Hong, "Just say it."

Could such a male favorite even be involved in government affairs? Lin Hong finally spoke, "Now the West Ridge is short of 800,000 dan of grain, and the South Ridge is short of 200,000 dan of grain. After much deliberation, I can only mobilize the national treasury and the Ministry of Personnel. I beg Your Majesty for your approval."

"One million stones?" Yun Se frowned.

Yi Yuan was silent. He had no idea. His aunt's family only consumed a dou of rice a day. How much was one million dan of grain? Anyway, it must be a lot.

Lin Hong waited for His Majesty's reply. Yun Se said very straightforwardly, "Send the relevant bamboo slips over and I will review them."

On the other side, Cui Ti walked back to the ear room where she lived.

His Majesty ordered her to go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to ask for Aunt Fang, who was His Majesty's wet nurse and was over sixty years old. After retiring from her position as Minister of the Imperial Household, Aunt Fang took the initiative to go to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to pray for the late emperor.

Now, Her Majesty's intention is to warn me. The power of the Minister of the Imperial Household comes from Her Majesty, and Her Majesty can take it back anytime and anywhere if she wants.

What exactly made His Majesty suspicious? The matter of the Guifang poisonous orchid can only be traced back to a female doctor. That female doctor will claim to be a member of the Guifang tribe because all her family members are in her hands.

However, Wu Han changed his confession, which is another variable.

Lin Hong took the initiative to walk to Cui Ti's ear room, and saw a withered lotus on the windowsill. He was stunned for a moment.

Cui Ti looked worried and asked, "Lin Hong, are you here to laugh at me?"

Lin Hong smiled, "Really? I'm just standing by and watching how you deal with His Majesty."

Cui Ti said something without thinking, "It's almost noon."

At noon, it was time to behead the three princesses.

Lin Hong said, "It's noon, time for lunch. Now that we are facing a great disaster, the palace should cut back on expenses."

"The Imperial Household is under the jurisdiction of His Royal Highness, so naturally you have the final say."

Lin Hong stretched out his hand, palm facing up, "Seal."

Cui Ti gritted her teeth, opened the cabinet, took out the seal and put it in his hand.

Lin Hong held the seal in his hand, smiling like a white lotus swaying in the wind, and said, "Master Cui, the journey to the Imperial Ancestral Temple is long and arduous, but I wish you a safe journey."

Cui Ti stared into his eyes and laughed at herself, "Very good, you win."

Yunse sent Cui Ti to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to ask Aunt Fang Ru to return to Lingyun City. After sending Cui Ti away, Yunse asked Lin Hong to carry out a major reshuffle of the palace servants. He issued severance pay, replaced all the palace servants, and carried out a grand selection.