An Lingrong is reborn to live for herself.

Zhen Huan was somewhat confused by what Wen Shichu and An Lingrong were saying. Wen Shichu immediately explained his and An Lingrong's guesses.

When An Lingrong suddenly fell ill in Yanxi Palace, Wen Shichu examined her pulse and deduced that the person who poisoned An Lingrong had used a large amount of hallucinogenic black jade grass and yin-damaging and fire-inducing epimedium, which caused An Lingrong to develop a high fever and convulsions overnight, triggering palpitations.

At that time, An Lingrong's condition was life-threatening, and she urgently needed to reduce her fever, cool her blood, and stabilize her mind. Seeing that the situation was really critical, Wen Shichu thought that perhaps taking a risky approach would be effective, so he took the plunge and added blood-drying vine, which is rarely used in traditional Chinese medicine, to An Lingrong's medicine.

Because the fruit of the blood-dampening vine is a potent medicine with extremely cold properties, Wen Shichu used it with extreme caution.

Wen Shichu recalled that Liu Zhu and Bao Juan were both present at the time. He repeatedly instructed them on how to prepare the decoction and to be careful. He himself was also worried until An Lingrong's condition improved after several days, at which point he was able to relax a little.

"So, it seems that we overlooked the matter of Lady Fucha. In fact, the crucial dregs of the medicine are actually in two places: one is in Lady Fucha's medicine, and the other is in the medicine I used before."

At the time, we found the medicine residue that Baojuan had hidden. We suspected that Baojuan had tampered with my food and were worried that she might mess with my medicine in the future. In reality, we were just worrying for nothing, because making me sick was just a way to lure us into the trap.

Later, my condition was taken care of by Physician Wen, and I took medicine every day. This medicine happened to contain another ingredient they needed.

Moreover, Consort Fucha and I were each cared for by two imperial physicians. No one would easily suspect that it was the prescriptions of those two physicians that led to this outcome. An Lingrong pondered as she clarified the matter further.

Zhen Huan nodded. "So, even when we moved Baojuan away from you, it didn't provoke any action from them. It wasn't because we were particularly careful, but because every step we took was within their calculations." As Zhen Huan spoke, she felt a chill run down her spine and a slight coldness in her back.

“I’m afraid that’s the case. However, the person who could even factor in Physician Wen’s prescription must know him very well,” An Lingrong pondered. “But I’ve heard that Chang Wenyu is aloof and doesn’t like to socialize. Physician Wen, did Chang Wenyu behave any unusually during that period?”

In fact, even without An Lingrong asking, Wen Shichu was already pondering it. Chang Wenyu was indeed as rumored, extremely aloof, and usually kept to himself in the Imperial Hospital. Occasionally, when someone had a difficult or complicated illness and asked him for advice, he would patiently answer their questions, but aside from that, he almost never spoke to anyone else.

In fact, it was no accident that Wen Shichu thought of the Blood-Withering Vine. This Blood-Withering Vine was a commonly kept medicine in the military camp.

A while ago, General Nian sent someone back to the capital to report on the military situation. After hearing the report, the emperor was overjoyed and not only rewarded him with a lot of gold and silver, but also specifically instructed the Imperial Hospital that there were many fierce bandits on the Sichuan-Shaanxi border, and that some high-quality medicines for treating external injuries should be prepared and sent to the messenger.

Because the emperor needed it urgently and the Imperial Medical Academy had limited manpower, all the imperial physicians who did not need to see patients had to help prepare it during those days. It was during that time that he came into contact with the Blood-Withering Vine almost every day, and only then did he pay attention to check the classics and learn about the rarely used internal administration method of the Blood-Withering Vine.

Wen Shichu told Zhen Huan and An Lingrong about these things.

Zhen Huan's expression darkened slightly upon hearing this.

An Lingrong glanced at Zhen Huan's expression, and another thought suddenly popped into her mind. She couldn't help but ask, "Imperial Physician Wen, is this Bai Ku Cao produced in Sichuan and Shaanxi?"

Zhen Huan was also thinking about this matter, but she felt that it was more complicated than she had imagined, and she didn't know how to ask it. Unexpectedly, An Lingrong was also very thoughtful and thought of this.

Wen Shichu nodded. "Medical texts record that this herb grows in Sichuan and Miao areas. I have heard that western Sichuan is full of mountains and forests, some of which are shrouded in miasma all year round. It is in such forests that Bai Ku Cao (百枯草) can grow. However, it is not recorded much in traditional Chinese medicine texts. I have only seen it by chance in a few handwritten Miao prescriptions."

“Therefore, the two ingredients in this medicine are not common, and they both point to…” An Lingrong looked at Zhen Huan.

"Yes, indeed, this clue points to Consort Hua, née Nian, and her brother, Governor-General of Sichuan and Shaanxi, Nian Gengyao." Reaching this conclusion, Zhen Huan's thoughts calmed considerably.

"By the way, His Majesty later sentenced Chang Wenyu to serve as a military physician in Sichuan and Shaanxi. Do you know how Chang Wenyu is doing now?" Zhen Huan asked.

Wen Shichu shook his head, his eyes filled with regret. "I heard that the group that returned to Sichuan and Shaanxi was captured by a band of bandits as soon as they reached the Sichuan border. Later, General Nian sent troops to wipe out the bandits and recovered the Emperor's reward, but Imperial Physician Chang had already been killed by the bandits."

Zhen Huan nodded slightly and sighed deeply.

The siblings in the Nian family really do have similar styles of doing things; they are both impatient.

Little did they know, the emperor could think of this as well. The emperor's decision to send Chang Wenyu to Sichuan and Shaanxi as a military physician was likely not simply a matter of punishing Chang Wenyu.

An Lingrong exclaimed, "What impressive methods!"

In her previous life, An Lingrong only knew how to rely on the most powerful figure in the harem to protect herself. In her eyes, there was only the emperor and the empress, and everyone else was a rival vying for her favor. She couldn't see anyone else.

I never intended to be involved in the power struggles of the harem in this life, but I have actually witnessed such profound methods within the harem.

In retrospect, this person behind the scenes was truly meticulous in his planning, not only manipulating the harem but also influencing the imperial court.

Since this matter could affect the previous dynasty, it's no wonder that the emperor's approach was to focus on appeasement rather than a serious investigation. After all, once these layers of relationships were peeled back, who else would be implicated, and whether it would shake the political situation was truly unknown.

However, upon closer examination of the clues, it becomes quite clear who is profiting from this matter.

Now that most of her doubts had been answered, Zhen Huan instructed Liu Zhu to escort Wen Shichu back first, since the Imperial Hospital kept records of his medical visits. Wen Shichu staying too long at Suiyu Pavilion would easily give others cause for gossip.

After Wen Shichu left, Zhen Huan dismissed everyone around her.

"What do you think of what happened today, sister?" Zhen Huan asked.

An Lingrong roughly knew what Zhen Huan was about to say, so she said directly, "Although this scheme was grand, the only one who ultimately benefited was her," and nodded her chin towards Jingren Palace.

"Actually, I had my doubts about Ying'er earlier, but I always thought that with her current status and favor, why would she hurt or kill someone?" Zhen Huan sighed softly.

"When we first entered the palace, Xia was just the daughter of a bondservant left commander. What kind of prestigious family was she in the harem? Yet she could bully me because of my humble origins. Back then, before my elder sister was favored by the emperor, even though she was the only one to receive a title when she entered the palace, she was often neglected by the servants because of her long-term illness and lack of favor. In this harem, everyone fawns on the powerful and bullies the weak. If you don't take a step forward, you'll be trampled underfoot."

Although I fear her methods, I can understand some of her fears. She fears that one day she will lose the emperor's favor, that she will become an empty shell, and that someone will... take her place. Speaking of taking her place, An Lingrong deliberately paused. After experiencing so much, An Lingrong really wanted to know what Zhen Huan was thinking now. Would she let herself be manipulated, face the danger head-on, or... be immersed in her "marital" relationship with the emperor and blindly entrust herself to him?

Zhen Huan nodded, "I understand everything you're saying. I just wanted to live a peaceful life in the harem, but I didn't expect it to be so difficult."

An Lingrong sighed, "It seems that there has never been a peaceful day in this harem."

Since we entered the palace, we have known that Consort Hua is the only one who holds great power in the harem, rivaling the Empress. However, Consort Fucha, Consort Xia, and Consort Yuan have never been disrespectful to the Empress, yet they too could not escape their tragic fate.

I once heard my sister say, "The people of Chu are innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime." Now, my sister is receiving imperial favor, which is a "crime," and if she were to bear an heir in the future, it would be an even more intolerable "crime."