An Lingrong is reborn to live for herself.

Broken Yuxuan.

Although charcoal was prepared in the Shinan Pavilion, it was still outdoors. Jinxi was very thoughtful and worried that Zhen Huan and An Lingrong might catch a cold from sitting in the pavilion for too long. As soon as she heard that the two of them had returned, she ordered someone to boil ginger soup and prepared hand warmers for them, just to ward off the cold.

Sure enough, as soon as I entered the room, I was greeted by a wave of warmth.

The contrast between the hot and cold air made An Lingrong shiver.

After the two sat down briefly, a bowl of warm ginger soup was served to them.

An Lingrong took the bowl, blew on it to cool it down, and asked Zhen Huan, "Sister, do you believe what Cao Qinmo just said?"

Zhen Huan shook her head. "I don't know either. Although Cao Qinmo doesn't talk much, she always speaks very succinctly, which shows that she is a very shrewd person."

However, she has always been dependent on Consort Hua. Whether her words now are genuine advice or an attempt to use our services for other purposes remains to be seen, and we must be wary.

After a few sips of ginger soup, she felt warm all over. Zhen Huan then remembered something and asked Jinxi, "Has Liu Zhu returned? Has Imperial Physician Wen been summoned?"

Jinxi replied, "Miss Liuzhu hasn't returned yet, but she just sent someone to tell you that Physician Wen needs to consult a few more ancient books and will be here shortly."

Zhen Huan nodded and said, "Wen Shichu is very meticulous in his work, he must have thought of something." Then she said to An Lingrong, "Since we have nothing to do, why don't we wait?"

An Lingrong nodded.

In truth, anyone with discerning eyes could see that Consort Cao didn't genuinely intend to invite Zhen Huan and An Lingrong for tea. However, the words she spoke were laced with a mixture of truth and falsehood, making it difficult to discern the truth. Therefore, on the way back from the Imperial Garden, Zhen Huan instructed Liu Zhu to quickly go to the Imperial Hospital to fetch Physician Wen.

Before leaving, Zhen Huan specifically instructed Liu Zhu that if Wen Shichu was on duty, he should be summoned to Suiyu Pavilion for a consultation as soon as possible. If Wen Shichu was not on duty, she should simply say that the young lady had caught a cold and needed some herbal medicine to dispel the chill. This matter was far-reaching, so it was best to keep it completely secret.

When Liu Zhu arrived at the Imperial Hospital, he saw that Wen Shichu was on duty. He first told Wen Shichu the important points, and a thought flashed through Wen Shichu's mind. He then said that he would go and check the medical books.

After Zhen Huan and An Lingrong finished drinking the ginger water and eating some snacks, they waited for a while before finally seeing Wen Shichu carrying a medicine box and following Liu Zhu into Suiyu Pavilion.

After helping Wen Shichu to sit down, Zhen Huan recounted in detail what Cao Qinmo had said in the pavilion, and also briefly mentioned her and An Lingrong's speculations. She then waited for Wen Shichu to think it over and give her an answer.

Wen Shichu listened to Zhen Huan's account with an inscrutable expression, sometimes frowning in thought, sometimes relaxing his brows, and sometimes shaking his head and frowning again. It seemed that there were still some unresolved doubts.

In fact, Wen Shichu had already raised doubts in Yanxi Palace that day. Not only did Fucha's illness violate the principles of pharmacology, but he also found it very puzzling how the person who administered the medicine could put the blood-withered vine into Fucha's medicinal soup.

The young lotus seed who was in charge of boiling the medicine died that day. Whether he was the one who did it is unknown, and there is no need to ask how he did it.

If we follow Consort Cao's method, it would be feasible. However, this method also has drawbacks, namely that the dosage is uncontrollable. If the dosage is uncontrollable, the timing and symptoms of the illness will also be uncontrollable.

By this calculation, wouldn't those who plotted against the Fucha clan be leaving themselves with too many uncontrollable problems?

Because the use of medicinal herbs requires attention to both dosage and the cooking time, these two aspects must complement each other to be effective. However, according to Consort Cao, when using the medicinal decoction to moisten the pot lid, one should only pile on the herbs without paying any attention to whether the blood-withered vine would lose its medicinal efficacy due to prolonged cooking. This is where Wen Shichu needs to consult medical classics to find the answer.

The medical classics record the usage of Blood-Withering Vine, saying that Blood-Withering Vine is a plant root and is often used externally. If it must be taken internally, it needs to be chopped, stir-fried with a little honey, and then used as medicine. However, not only does the dosage need to be controlled, but attention also needs to be paid to the heat. It should be added slowly after other medicinal materials have been decocted, and simmered over low heat for half an hour to take effect.

In other words, the method proposed by Consort Cao seemed appropriate, but in reality, it was unreasonable.

Wen Shichu couldn't figure this out, so he voiced his doubts. He knew Zhen Huan was always clever, and perhaps there was another solution.

However, after saying this, An Lingrong's expression darkened slightly, and she blurted out, "Lord Wen, did the medicine I used before contain Blood-Withering Vine?"

In the past, when they discovered that An Lingrong had been drugged in her food, they only thought that the person who drugged her intended to harm her, but they did not consider that perhaps the drugging of An Lingrong was just part of a larger scheme.

I had heard before that Lady Fucha died because she first contracted typhoid fever, then used Bai Ku Cao to relieve the symptoms, and finally used Xue Ku Teng, which led to her death from exhaustion of both qi and blood.

That's why An Lingrong suddenly wondered if the Blood-Withering Vine she had been searching for might be related to her medicine.

Seeing that Wen Shichu did not react, An Lingrong continued to ask, "Imperial Physician Wen, when I had a high fever and palpitations that day, was there any blood-draining vine in the prescription?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Shichu immediately exclaimed in surprise, "That's it! The person who poisoned us is not only ruthless in their methods, but also meticulous in their thinking. They are indeed a ruthless master of medicine."