Poisonous Goddess: I'm just lazing around in the mortal realm.

Pei Zhiheng glanced at him, then turned and sat down in the seat that Gu Changzhe usually sat in.

At that moment, the first rays of morning sunlight streamed in through the window, softly bathing Pei Zhiheng in their light. He appeared like a radiant saint.

Sitting upright in the round chair

The aloofness emanating from him made him seem like a completely different person.

"You haven't changed after all these years; you're still as muddle-headed as ever. When I left the capital, I happened to meet an old friend who chatted with me and said he knew a secret from the Imperial Medical Academy back then. Would you like to hear it?"

"A secret?"

Gu Changzhe secretly thought something was wrong upon hearing this.

"It's quite a coincidence. Ever since those three imperial physicians almost caused your wife's death in childbirth that day, they were all secretly promoted and given higher salaries. At the time, I knew they had done a good job saving Lady Gu and should have been rewarded, but later I learned that they didn't go for some reason, and instead almost caused your wife's death..."

"Who told you such outrageous things!"

Gu Changzhe slammed his hand on the table.

Yao knew that he and his wife had a very deep relationship. If he hadn't almost lost his life in childbirth, he probably would have followed her in death if she had passed away.

Seeing his impatience, Pei Zhiheng suppressed his temper and said...

"I'll tell you who said that later. I just want to ask you, is it really true?"

The look he gave Gu Changzhe was genuine, not feigned.

Gu Changzhe's gaze darted away. He deliberately slapped Pei Zhiheng's hand away from his grasp, then turned his body away, intentionally avoiding looking at him.

Seeing this, Pei Zhiheng's tone became somewhat impatient.

"Tell me quickly, is it true or not, now..."

Gu Changzhe turned his head to look back at him, and seeing his friend's eagerness, he nodded heavily.

"Yes, His Majesty told me to keep it a secret, saying that he was afraid someone would use this matter to stir up trouble in the court and impeach His Majesty, saying that his foundation was unstable and he was not fit to take on the great responsibility."

He turned around, his eyes ashen, which was quite frightening.

Only now does Gu Changzhe seem to understand that the accident back then might not have been an accident at all!

If that's the case, then the Emperor must have started plotting against him long ago.

Pei Zhiheng gasped upon hearing this, and slowly sat down, unfolding the memorial in his hand.

"Before the lady gave birth, did someone send her any tonics, saying they would be good for the baby?"

Gu Changzhe frowned. After more than a decade, he naturally couldn't remember such a trivial matter. He could only shake his head and say...

"This happened a long time ago. I only remember that Consort An sent some tonics to calm the mind and nourish the fetus, saying they were good for the baby. Because they were so expensive, and my wife was afraid of wasting them, she ate them all."

He vaguely remembered only this one thing: at the height of his fame, many people offered him gifts, but he refused them all.

He only reluctantly accepted Consort An's portion, as it represented the Emperor's sentiments.

Upon hearing this, Pei Zhiheng gripped the memorial in his hand, and after much deliberation, finally spoke.

“I have a maidservant named Miss Shi who told me that if a pregnant woman overdoes her supplements, the fetus will grow too large and labor will be difficult, making childbirth very challenging…”

"You mean there's something behind this..."

Gu Changzhe's eyes widened in disbelief.

Pei Zhiheng quickly got up and suppressed his emotions, which were about to spiral out of control.

"So many years have passed since then, and the root cause—whether it was Consort An or the Imperial Physician… I think you should already have your own answer. However, as you yourself said, it's been so long, and some things are best left unexamined."

"You mean An Jia is behind this?"

Gu Changzhe's face immediately turned angry. Considering that the An family and the Pei family were already at odds, this was clearly a case of disregarding everyone.

Although the An family did not have the strength to contend with the Pei family at that time, the Gu family was a newly powerful family and had some influence with the emperor.

So much so that when the imperial physicians insisted on not coming, he never imagined that someone had interfered.

Pei Zhiheng pursed his lips, interrupting him with a hint of helplessness.

"Back then, Consort An wasn't in her current position. She wouldn't dare offend a rising star in the court. Think about it carefully: if you suddenly followed the lady in death, who would benefit the most?"

Gu Changzhe frowned, following Pei Zhiheng's gaze as it fell directly on the memorial in his hand.

Suddenly, he slammed his hand down on the table.

"You're saying it was the Emperor's doing? Why would he do this to my Pei family? He knows how deep my wife's love is for me, and if she were to pass away..."

“You will surely go with her, and at that time, the truth about the Crown Prince’s Hongmen Banquet will be revealed along with the fall of your Gu family, and no one will know it.”

"A trap? The Emperor actually had such thoughts?"

Gu Changzhe sneered and slumped down on the soft couch beside him.

He never imagined that he, a loyal minister, would be secretly plotted against by the emperor.

Thinking of this, he still asked, somewhat unwilling to give up.

"Do you have any evidence to prove that this was ordered by the Emperor? You should know that this is a capital offense!"

“Shen Mu, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, is on good terms with me. He handed this secret to me when he left the capital. He was afraid that if you and the Crown Prince had a falling out in Philadelphia, someone would take advantage of the situation.”

Pei Zhiheng pulled out a handkerchief hidden in his bosom. The bloodstains on it were dark and black, but still faintly recognizable.

Gu Changzhe took the handkerchief. It was only hastily written with a few strokes, clearly indicating that the person who wrote the final words did not have enough time. However, even these few strokes were enough to show that the author had been instructed by the Imperial Concubine.

They tampered with the tonics sent to the Gu family mansion.

"Where did you get this from?"

"Naturally, it came from the palace maid who was silenced by An Ruyi back then. You don't need to delve into its origin. However, this matter is enough to prove that the tonic given to the madam was indeed problematic."

Gu Changzhe instinctively clenched the handkerchief in his hand; at this moment, he was filled with boundless rage.

Seeing this, Pei Zhiheng couldn't help but sigh.

“I once had the same thought as you: why didn’t An Ruyi directly target the Gu family? After all, you should know that back then, Consort An’s influence couldn’t reach the Imperial Hospital.”

"The Imperial Medical Academy? Haha—yes, those old fogies in the Imperial Medical Academy, how could I be so stupid! To believe the Emperor's words!"

Gu Changzhe gritted his teeth, wishing he could crush them to pieces.

He felt sorry for the emperor when he first ascended the throne, as his power base was unstable, even though he himself had almost lost his wife.

However, at the emperor's repeated pleas, he finally agreed to suppress the matter to avoid causing turmoil in the court.

original

This is nothing but crocodile tears of feigned compassion!

He was furious, but then suddenly let out a bitter laugh.

"So you attacked the Crown Prince just to stand up for me?"

He slowly raised his head, as if finally remembering what the two of them had just discussed.

Pei Zhiheng deliberately went through all this trouble just to prove that his actions were appropriate.