The Changchun Palace team travels back in time to Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

In the Hall of Nourishing Heart.

During the time Bai Ruiji came to complain, the tea on the coffee table had gone cold.

Li Yu served a cup of fresh tea at the opportune moment.

After being overwhelmed by Bai Ruiji's tearful complaints, the Emperor felt a surge of protectiveness and summoned Ruyi. However, he later regretted his decision, realizing that Ruyi was his childhood sweetheart who had almost become his primary consort. Now, Ruyi was suffering from undeserved misfortune and being troubled by rumors. Would it make her situation even more precarious if he allowed her to confront him based on the words of a woman who was learning proper etiquette?

He was agitated but could not show it, so he picked up the tea and took a sip. However, the tea was still a bit hot, and the emperor drank too much, so he was burned and spat out the tea.

The empress took out a handkerchief and wiped the tea from the emperor's lips.

The emperor found an outlet for his frustration and roared, "Li Yu! What kind of job have you done! Wang Qin, come in and take this dog of a servant out to kneel!"

The Empress said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Someone, come in quickly and bring in a fresh cup of tea!"

Wang Qin had been waiting for this moment, so he hurriedly came in, glared at Li Yu, and pulled her out. Jin Zhong also quickly came in and took out teacups.

When Jinzhong brought the fresh tea, Li Yu had already been forced to kneel on the broken tiles as punishment.

Wang Qin looked at Jinzhong and said with a forced smile, "You little brat, your master has just set an example for you. If you don't do your job properly and only think about climbing the ranks every day, this is what you'll end up with!"

Jinzhong thought to himself that the emperor only allowed him to kneel, but Wang Qin deliberately increased the punishment. This was clearly because Li Yu had gained favor recently while Wang Qin had been neglected by the emperor, and thus Wang Qin harbored resentment.

He then thought of Wang Qin's petty and narrow-minded nature, and how he had even reported Wang Qin's secret communication to the Emperor and Qin Li. If Wang Qin found out in the future, would he have any chance of survival? He had to find an opportunity as soon as possible to strike decisively and bring Wang Qin down!

He thought for a few moments, then smiled and presented the tray of tea, saying, "Yes, if I have any questions in the future, I will have to ask Eunuch Wang for guidance. Right now, His Majesty is in a bad mood, and Eunuch Wang understands His Majesty's thoughts best, so I'll trouble Eunuch Wang with this tea."

Wang Qin thought with satisfaction: This little brat knows how to give up the opportunity to show his face in front of the Emperor; he's more shrewd than his master. He then served tea and said arrogantly, "You still have much to learn about these delicate tasks! Don't try to show off in front of the Emperor!"

When Ruyi entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation, she saw Li Yu kneeling on broken porcelain shards and stopped to ask, "What happened to Li Yu?"

Li Yu said through gritted teeth, "My lady, I have done something wrong and am being punished."

Su Xin thought to herself, "Why is the punishment so severe? These roof tiles hurt the most."

Ruyi asked, "What exactly happened?"

Li Yu said, "My lady, please don't ask anymore. It's just that Master is punishing this servant. My lady, please go inside. It's too cold here."

Ruyi said, "After you've finished kneeling, come to Yanxi Palace and have Suixin prepare your medicine." With that, she turned and walked towards the gate of Yangxin Hall.

At this moment, Wang Qin came out and saw Ruyi. He hurriedly came up to her and said, "Oh, Consort Xian has arrived. Please come in quickly. Why are you still talking to this servant here?"

Ruyi asked, "Why is Li Yu kneeling there when he's perfectly fine?"

Wang Qin replied with a smile, "He was serving the Emperor and heated up the tea he served, scalding the Emperor. Do you think he can escape punishment?" As he spoke, he stepped aside and said, "Consort Xian, please come inside. You don't need to worry about the affairs of such a lowly person."

Ruyi said, "That's true. We're all servants, so who's any different from the other?"

Wang Qin was rebuked and hesitated for a moment before managing a smile. Ruyi slightly raised the corners of her lips and stepped into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Upon entering the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Ruyi was slightly taken aback to see the Emperor, Empress, and Bai Ruiji all sitting inside. She then bowed to the Emperor and Empress.

The Empress asked her to sit down and said gently, "Miss Bai's facial injuries have recurred. Since you went with her to get medicine, I need to ask you a few questions."

Bai Ruiji then recounted how Ruyi had gone with her to fetch medicine and how they had opened the ointment.

Ruyi said, "Miss Bai, the reason I opened that box of ointment for you that day was because I wanted to help you confirm whether it was a medicine to reduce swelling and remove bruising. Besides, you asked me to keep it for you to check."

Bai Ruiji stood up and said, "May I ask, Consort Xian, besides you, did anyone else have the opportunity to touch this ointment that day? Everyone has jealousy, and I know that. Ever since I gained the Emperor's favor, I have been coveted and framed by others. I never imagined that the person would be Consort Xian!"

Ruyi said, "Miss Bai, you saw clearly what I did and didn't do that day. If you slander me like this, I don't know what to say!"

Bai Ruiji turned to the emperor: "Your Majesty, I have been insulted like this, and Consort Xian is not without fault. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"

The Emperor skimmed the foam from his teacup, pondered for a moment, and said, "We'll find out eventually if we investigate. How about we send Granny Jingqi from the Imperial Prison to question her? Granny Jingqi is skilled at questioning. She can get the information without forcing or harming Consort Xian in the slightest."

Ruyi knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I am willing to go to the Ministry of Justice to prove my innocence, but please, Your Majesty, understand that I have never done such a thing."

Mingyu stood aside, unable to help but roll her eyes inwardly: a few years ago, during the imperial concubine selection, she declined the offer three times and had plenty to say when she asked the emperor to take the Empress Dowager to Cining Palace, but now she doesn't know what to say! Ordinary people know to beat the Dengwen Drum when they are wronged, but you, it's as if you're really not innocent if you just say a few words to defend yourself!

Rongyin said, “Your Majesty, the Shenxing Division is in charge of the criminal cases of the three banners and is responsible for reviewing and proposing crimes. I think that since the matter is still in doubt, it would be better to be more cautious. After listening to what the two of them said, I do have some doubts. If Your Majesty can still trust me, I will ask them first. If it is still unclear, I will investigate further to make up for my mistake.”

The Emperor believed Ruyi, but Ruyi couldn't defend herself, so he thought of having the skilled nanny question her to solidify her innocence. Now that the Empress had offered a way out and said there were still doubts, he immediately took the opportunity and said, "Then the Empress, please ask."

Rongyin said, "The key to this matter lies in how those aconite roots were mixed into the ointment, and whether the recurring injuries on Miss Bai's face are related to this ointment with something added on. Consort Xian, please tell me what happened that day again."

Su Xin said, "Your Majesty, I was by our mistress's side all day. Let me speak."

Rongyin nodded, realizing that even Consort Xian didn't know what to say.

Su Xin said, "Our master and Miss Bai went to the Imperial Pharmacy. Our master and I went to get Consort Hai's medicine. Afterwards, Miss Bai took a box of medicine and asked our master to check if there was anything wrong with it. Our master opened it, smelled it, and said there was nothing wrong with it, so he returned the medicine."

Our medicine was properly packaged; Your Majesty never even touched the aconite inside. With so many people in the Imperial Pharmacy, how could Your Majesty have had the chance to administer the medicine in the short time it took to open the ointment? Please, Your Majesty, understand!

Bai Ruiji said, "Who knows if you and your servants secretly hid some aconite powder when you went to get the medicine, and then sprinkled it in when you opened the box, or if you have these things hidden in your palace?"

Su Xin said, "The medicine was already wrapped when it was delivered to me. How could my mistress and I have had the opportunity to take out the aconite and grind it into powder? Our mistress only helps her maternal family and has never let them send anything in. How could there be any medicine sent from outside the palace! Moreover, the Imperial Household Department has been very stingy and difficult to our mistress before. We don't even have what others have, let alone medicine!"

Rongyin stopped the two of them and said, "Mingyu, go and call the person who gave Miss Bai the medicine at the Imperial Pharmacy that day and ask them."

Mingyu went away for a while and returned with a young eunuch named Manzi.

Manzi was frightened by the scene and heard that there might be a problem with the ointment. He immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress, please be wise! Aconite is poisonous. We are always extremely careful in processing and storing it. It is always stored separately from external ointments. Even if I were careless, I would never have mixed aconite fragments into your ointments!"

After Miss Bai took the ointment, she did show it to Consort Xian, but this servant only saw Consort Xian open the lid and smell it; nothing else was observed.

Rongyin then asked Qi Ru, "Imperial Physician Qi, besides the one prescribed for Consort Hai, which other palace has aconite?"

Qi Ru said, "Your Majesty, recently only Imperial Physician Wu has prescribed a prescription for Aconite and Cinnamon Twig Decoction for Consort Hai. There is also a prescription for Green Salt and Aconite Powder from Shou Kang Palace."

The Emperor suddenly interjected, "And what is this salt and aconite powder?"

Qi Ru said, "Your Majesty, this salt and aconite powder is made by grinding salt and aconite into powder and mixing them together. It is a good medicine for strengthening teeth and tonifying the kidneys. The Empress Dowager often smokes water pipes, and over time, her periodontium is bound to suffer. Salt and aconite powder tonifies the kidney qi, eliminates wind evil, and has a soothing effect. Therefore, the Imperial Pharmacy has always provided the Empress Dowager with salt and aconite."

Upon hearing that the Empress Dowager was also involved, and seeing the Emperor's displeasure upon hearing about Shou Kang Palace, Bai Ruiji panicked. While she racked her brains trying to find something to say in defense, the Empress spoke up: "Your Majesty, the aconite powder from Shou Kang Palace is presumably unrelated to this ointment. Since this matter is difficult to clarify, I will investigate further later. Now, may I inquire with Imperial Physician Qi about this matter?"

The emperor said, "Ask away."

Rongyin asked, "Imperial Physician Qi, I still have a question. Since aconite can be made into tooth powder, will it cause symptoms like the redness, swelling, and ulceration that Miss Bai experienced when it comes into contact with the skin?"

Qi Ru said, "If a wound comes into contact with powder, it will indeed affect the healing of the wound and may even lead to redness, swelling and ulceration; but if more than a certain amount of aconite comes into contact with the wound, the effect will not only be the same, but it will also cause numbness of the face and the tip of the tongue. If the amount is too large, it may even cause palpitations. In severe cases, it can lead to death."

Upon hearing this, Rongyin said, "Miss Bai, do you have these symptoms? Since aconite is so toxic, and you have been applying the medicine for so many days, if you feel any discomfort, you must tell us as soon as possible so that the imperial physician can examine your pulse and see if there is any remedy."

Seeing the Empress's concerned expression and the Emperor's cold gaze, Bai Ruiji was filled with panic. Her mind went blank, and she answered in a trembling voice, "No...no need...this servant doesn't have these symptoms yet..."

She didn't know whose people this imperial physician worked for. If he examined her pulse and found nothing wrong, her crime of framing him would be confirmed!

How could this be! Shouldn't Her Majesty the Empress be like what the Empress Dowager said, harboring deep resentment towards Consort Xian because of the selection of concubines back then, yet having no other schemes? Why didn't she simply join in framing Consort Xian, instead of actually investigating the case?

Moreover, she investigated the case to such an extent in just a few words, pointing the finger at the Empress Dowager and directly confronting the truth. Was she setting a trap for me all along, so that she could legitimately investigate the Empress Dowager?

Is aconite really such a highly poisonous substance? The Empress Dowager instructed me to apply the medicine to my face when necessary. If I were to do that, wouldn't I possibly die?

Her mind raced, and she gritted her teeth, kneeling down and saying, "This servant, this servant suddenly remembered something! The ointment has a slightly sweet taste, I wonder if it contains honey. I get a rash whenever I touch honey. I think, I think it's because I didn't explain this to the imperial physician, so the wrong medicine was used, which caused my injury to worsen. I offended Consort Xian because of a little suspicion, I deserve to die!"

Qi Ru said, “Your Majesty, honey has the effect of clearing heat and cooling blood, and it is indeed used to reduce swelling and remove blood stasis. The ointment does indeed have the taste of honey. Since everyone’s constitution is different, since Miss Bai said that she would get a rash after touching honey, applying an ointment containing honey to the wound would indeed cause the wound to become red, swollen and ulcerated.”

Rongyin also said, "That's right, Miss Bai also mentioned that day that she doesn't eat Sachima because it contains honey, which is something she avoids."

The Emperor said, "So, this is all a misunderstanding. Ruyi, please get up and sit down."

Before she could finish speaking, Hailan suddenly stumbled into the Hall of Mental Cultivation, knelt down, and said, "Your Majesty, my sister did not harm anyone! I beg Your Majesty to see the truth!" Zezhi followed her in and knelt down.