An Lingrong is reborn to live for herself.

As Qin Fang and An Lingrong were hesitating, they heard someone announce at the door, "Imperial Physician Wen from the Imperial Hospital requests an audience with Consort Jing."

The long-hidden sorrow in Zhen Huan's eyes suddenly vanished, and her voice trembled almost imperceptibly as she said, "Quickly, invite Imperial Physician Wen in."

An Lingrong felt somewhat relieved to see that Qin Fang's sword-like eyebrows had relaxed.

Seeing Wen Shichu lift the curtain and enter, An Lingrong was startled.

When I saw Wen Shichu a while ago, I noticed that he looked much thinner, and today he looked even more haggard.

Wen Shichu, on the other hand, was extremely courteous, bowing and waiting for orders only after performing the proper greetings.

Zhen Huan briefly recounted what had just happened in the palace to Wen Shichu, and also shared some of the important points Qin Fang had mentioned with him before asking Wen Shichu to take Consort Jing's pulse.

If it were any of the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital with whom she didn't usually interact, Zhen Huan would naturally have them take Consort Jing's pulse first to determine whether the physician was hiding anything.

But since it was Wen Shichu who came, things were naturally different. Explaining the whole story clearly would ensure Wen Shichu understood the situation.

After listening to Zhen Huan's account, Wen Shichu took Consort Jing's pulse. He frowned and shook his head slightly. After a long while, he gave Zhen Huan a meaningful look and then said, "Your Highness Consort Jing, Consort Wan, and Consort An, in my humble opinion, Your Highness Consort Jing is currently feeling weak inside. As Physician Qin said, your qi and blood have been depleted by the medicine."

"Her Majesty the Respected Consort's pulse is floating and slippery, and seems to be somewhat stagnant." Having said this, she turned to look at Qin Fang, who nodded slightly, and asked, "It seems Imperial Physician Qin has also noticed this. Does Imperial Physician Qin have any thoughts on this?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Fang seemed to ponder for a moment, then nodded slightly and said, "Indeed, as Physician Wen said, my doubts stem from Consort Jing's pulse."

"I have inquired about Consort Jing's daily life and examined her recent diet and medication. I have traced the source to someone using poison, but I cannot fathom how this person planned it. I'm afraid," Qin Fang said, pointing to the box of sachets on the table, "that I will need to trouble Imperial Physician Wen to examine the other sachets in this box."

Wen Shichu nodded, took a few sachets from the box, and gently smelled them. He then poured the herbal filling from the sachets into his palm, carefully crushed them, and examined them for a long time. After a while, he didn't speak, but only frowned more deeply.

After pondering for a while, Wen Shichu finally bowed and asked, "Your Highness, I'm afraid I'll have to take apart the cloth coverings of these sachets. Would you be so kind as to trouble Aunt Jinxi for help?"

Zhen Huan nodded, her eyes flashing, and Jinxi immediately understood. Hanzhu also understood Zhen Huan's intention and hurriedly went inside to fetch a copper winnowing basket containing needles, thread, and scissors.

Following Wen Shichu's instructions, the two worked together and quickly separated the pieces of fabric. Unexpectedly, when the fabric used to sew the sachets was unfolded, several strands of dark red silk thread tied into knots fell out from the seams, and from a distance, it seemed that there were also a few strands of gold thread inside.

Zhen Huan and An Lingrong exchanged a glance, both understanding each other's intentions.

They all recognized the thread; it was none other than the gold and silver silk thread that the emperor had bestowed upon Yikun Palace when Nian Gengyao's army achieved victory in the northwest earlier.

Not only Zhen Huan and An Lingrong, but even Jinxi, who often accompanied Zhen Huan and served before the Emperor, saw it clearly. The silk thread was the gold and silver silk thread that the Emperor had bestowed upon Consort Hua alone. Therefore, she was also stunned for a moment. Fortunately, Jinxi was always experienced and quickly adjusted her expression, nodded, and retreated behind Zhen Huan.

But how could Jinxi calm down? This matter also involved Consort Hua, which would surely be another difficult knot to untangle.

Wen Shichu, however, did not know what was different about the thread. He simply held the thread in his hand, examined it carefully for a long time, and then bowed, saying, "Your Highness, perhaps this matter is now clear."

Looking at Qin Fang's expression, it seemed that he had calmed down a bit compared to before.

Zhen Huan nodded, signaling Wen Shichu to continue.

Wen Shichu bowed and held the silk thread in his palm, respectfully saying, "Your Highness, Consort Wan and Consort An, someone deliberately used a heavy amount of Lingling incense on this silk thread."

Zhen Huan looked puzzled upon hearing this.

Tonka incense is not rare; many spice shops have tonka bean extract. If someone has a particular preference, the perfumers in the shop will often add a few other spices to create a special tonka incense for that person to wear. Because of its sweet scent and hint of herbal fragrance, tonka incense is especially loved by young women.

It was precisely because this fragrance was so common that Zhen Huan became suspicious, wondering why such a common fragrance would be placed in the seam of the fabric.

However, these gold and silver threads are not commonly seen, so Zhen Huan pondered in her heart that there must be something wrong with them.

As Zhen Huan pondered, she turned to look at An Lingrong again, only to find An Lingrong's eyes were grave. She then asked, "Lingrong, you've always been perceptive; have you noticed something amiss?"

An Lingrong nodded slightly, then turned to ask Wen Shichu, "Does Imperial Physician Wen know how much of this spice is used?"

Wen Shichu frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "If worn normally, about two ounces of Lingling incense beans are needed. If it is pure Lingling incense, only about one qian is enough to make it fragrant for several months. But this fragrance is very strong. In my opinion, this fragrance is purified and infused into the silk thread, so it must be at least one ounce."

An Lingrong's expression grew even more somber. She sighed deeply and turned to Zhen Huan, saying, "Sister Wan, I've heard of this incense before. If worn casually, its sweet fragrance can not only please the mind and body but also relieve depression and soothe the liver. However, if used several times over, it will have the opposite effect."

As she spoke, An Lingrong turned to Wen Shichu for confirmation, "Lord Wen, am I right?"

Wen Shichu bowed and said, "What Consort An said is correct."

Although Linglingxiang is commonly used, it should not be used in excess. Excessive use can lead to liver qi deficiency, and in severe cases, it may even be life-threatening.

Therefore, even private incense shops used measured amounts, and local government offices kept records of all uses of Lingling incense to prevent excessive use that could harm or kill people.

Zhen Huan's face turned deathly pale, and her voice trembled slightly, "Imperial Physician Wen, do you mean that the ling tonka bean on these silk threads might be fatal?"

Wen Shichu nodded slightly and said nothing more.

Qin Fang, standing to the side, relaxed his brow slightly and said, “Your Highness Consort Jing, Noble Lady An, and Noble Lady Wan, this is what I have been puzzled about all along. The toxicity of Peony Drunkenness is contained within, while Linglingxiang is a substance that releases it. The two are mutually antagonistic, which is why Your Highness Consort Jing’s pulse shows both signs of poisoning and a slippery pulse.”

After saying that, Qin Fang's expression changed, and he said to Wen Shichu in a deep voice, "Imperial Physician Wen, don't you think the person who poisoned this person's behavior is a bit too erratic?"