An Lingrong is reborn to live for herself.

Consort Duan suggested inviting a renowned pediatrician to make a diagnosis, which naturally took some time. By the time Su Peisheng finally brought the doctor back, the tea in the hall had already been changed twice.

Madam Cao remained kneeling in the hall, but this time she no longer wiped away her tears. Instead, like everyone else, she eagerly awaited the arrival of the imperial physician so that she could learn the cause of her young son's death as soon as possible.

Su Peisheng reported back, and Wen Shichu and Qin Fang also paid their respects to the Emperor, Empress, and all the concubines.

At this moment, An Lingrong also noticed that the other person who came in was none other than the Qin Imperial Physician who had spoken in a very refined manner. It turned out that the Qin Imperial Physician's name was Qin Fang, a name that sounded quite robust. Judging from his accent, he seemed to be from the Northwest, so he should be a straightforward person. Looking at his appearance, he seemed to be about the same age as Wen Shichu, but his speech was quite rigid, and his description inevitably made people feel amused.

When the emperor saw that the imperial physician had arrived, he remained calm and simply indicated to Consort Duan that she could make arrangements as she wished.

Consort Duan had originally wanted to invite the imperial physicians to make a diagnosis, and now that she had received the emperor's permission, she readily accepted the order and had no more reservations.

The maidservant accompanying Consort Duan was Jixiang, who had served Consort Duan for many years. Therefore, Consort Duan only needed to give a slight nod to her to understand.

Jixiang took the tray supporting the evidence from the guard and handed it to Wen Shichu and Qin Fang. Qin Fang had already looked at it once before, but Wen Shichu had only heard Su Peisheng talk about it briefly. This was the first time he had seen these items, so he carefully examined everything on the tray.

After Wen Shichu finished inspecting the tray, Jixiang returned it to the guard.

An Lingrong couldn't help but sigh, "As expected of someone from Consort Duan's side, they are so meticulous in their work." The tray contained extremely important evidence. If it were handled by someone else, who knew if someone with malicious intent would tamper with it? If it were in her own hands, it would inevitably arouse suspicion. Since even the palace servants were so cautious, it was clear how careful and thoughtful Consort Duan was in her daily life.

At this moment, Wen Shichu was frowning in thought. Consort Duan spoke up, "Two imperial physicians, Madam Cao just mentioned that her youngest son, born last year, died young. I find this situation somewhat unusual, so I invited you two to come and take a look. If you find anything, please feel free to speak."

Wen Shichu and Qin Fang quickly responded.

Then, Consort Duan had Cao recount in detail the things she had mentioned earlier, such as seeking medicine, giving birth, and the child's early death. Whenever Cao's account was incomplete, Consort Duan would personally inquire about it. It took about half a cup of tea for her to fully explain the matter.

After listening, both Wen Shichu and Qin Fang frowned deeply.

Consort Duan did not urge them, but simply had someone bring them a cup of tea.

The two thanked Consort Duan and accepted the teacups, but only Wen Shichu took a small sip. Qin Fang held his teacup but did not drink, merely pausing in one spot, his brows furrowed, seemingly lost in thought.

Consort Duan looked at the two and said gently, "Physicians, if you feel there is anything amiss, please speak freely. If you feel there is anything that needs to be discussed, you may do so here without any restraint."

Wen Shichu and Qin Fang did have some thoughts in mind, but at this point they were only making inferences. Even if they were 70-80% sure, they still lacked empirical evidence.

Therefore, both of them hoped to get a chance to catch their breath. If they could have some time to discuss things privately, they might be able to make things more amicable.

After all, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. This matter involves the royal offspring and the face of the royal family. If it is not handled properly, it will inevitably harm oneself.

However, Consort Duan was extremely shrewd; with her gentle words, she completely blocked their paths.

Not only Wen Shichu and Qin Fang, but even Zhen Huan, who was sitting to the side, knew Duan Fei's intentions upon hearing this and couldn't help but worry about Wen Shichu.

Wen Shichu and Qin Fang exchanged a glance, and roughly understood each other's deductions; they seemed to have reached the same conclusion.

Wen Shichu then put the teacup aside and respectfully replied, "Your Highness Consort Duan, in my humble opinion, this matter is far too meticulous and is truly rare. My esteemed teacher is skilled in pediatrics, so I have also studied it to some extent, but my skills are ultimately insufficient, and I fear there may be a misjudgment. I humbly request Your Highness Consort Duan to heed my humble opinion, and if there is anything inappropriate, I also request Physician Qin to point it out."

Consort Duan nodded, signaling Wen Shichu to continue.

Wen Shichu bowed respectfully and continued, "I just heard from Madam Cao that she took this pill for more than a month before this pregnancy. I have just examined it and found that this pill is not an ordinary medical prescription. It contains a large amount of cinnabar. In addition, this pill may also contain a small amount of mercury."

As he spoke, Wen Shichu turned to Jixiang behind Consort Duan, bowed humbly, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I am being presumptuous. May I ask Aunt Jixiang to lend me her handkerchief? After I try it, I will know whether this pill really contains mercury. Also, I would like to ask Your Majesty to grant me a bowl of water."

Upon hearing this, Jixiang blushed. Although she usually served Consort Duan, she was still much younger than Jianqiu by the Empress's side and Jinxi by Zhen Huan's side. Therefore, even though the servants in the palace respected her, they usually addressed her as "elder sister." Now, being suddenly called "aunt" by Wen Shichu, she naturally blushed. But she quickly composed herself, took off her handkerchief, and handed it to Wen Shichu.

Wen Shichu was so nervous that he was only focused on confirming the ingredients of the pills and did not notice the change in Jixiang's expression. He quickly bowed his head to thank her and respectfully accepted the pills.

Jixiang handed over a white brocade handkerchief made of satin, the satin threads fine and dense, with a soft sheen.

At the same time, a young eunuch brought in a bowl of water and placed it next to Su Peisheng.

Wen Shichu wrapped the broken half of the pill in satin, and then crushed the half of the pill into powder using a copper gourd through the handkerchief.

Seeing that the powder was already very fine, Wen Shichu wrapped it in a handkerchief, placed the part containing the powder into water, and gently swirled it. After a short while, Wen Shichu looked up and said, "Your Highness, this medicine contains mercury. Judging from the weight of the pill, the mercury content is quite high. This medicine is not a good one."

Consort Duan's expression shifted slightly. She glanced at the Emperor sitting at the head of the table, who seemed unchanged, and then said to Wen Shichu, "Imperial Physician Wen, I have always heard that alchemists need to use mercury to activate the effects of medicines. In your opinion, is there anything wrong with this medicine containing mercury?"

Wen Shichu nodded and said, "Your Majesty is quite right. Mercury is refined from highly concentrated cinnabar. Moreover, this pill also contains a large amount of cinnabar and purified vermilion that can be used in medicine. These three ingredients together have the effect of enhancing vitality. The effects can be seen shortly after taking it. The person who takes it will have a rosy and full complexion, a strong breath and a very vigorous energy. It can be said to be effective immediately. I have heard that some people in the Western Regions use these three medicines to help women delay the aging of their appearance."

Hearing of the medicine's miraculous effects, one couldn't help but feel a longing for it. Consort Qi straightened her back, seemingly quite interested. However, Consort Xin spoke out bluntly, "If this medicine is so good, why hasn't it been circulated more widely? Why is it being kept so secret?"

Wen Shichu hurriedly replied, "What Changzai is saying is that this formula is only passed down, but not widely used. One reason is that all three medicinal materials come from minerals, making them difficult to refine and therefore expensive. Another reason is that it is rumored that using this formula to maintain youthfulness has some side effects, such as damaging the mother's body, making it difficult to conceive, or harming offspring."

Upon hearing this, Consort Qi's expression changed, and she couldn't help but mutter softly, "They're really courting death..."

Consort Hua glanced at Consort Qi, her face full of disdain.

Consort Duan asked gently, "From this, it seems that this prescription mainly treats the symptoms rather than the root cause, and it sounds like long-term use could harm the mother's body. Then, how is it possible that Lady Cao is still pregnant?"

Wen Shichu respectfully replied, "Your Majesty is wise; your question is exactly what this place is trying to achieve."

I just crushed this pill not only to check its mercury content, but also to determine the proportions of various other medications used in it.

Your humble servant has discovered that, besides cinnabar, vermilion, and mercury, this pill does indeed contain many rare and nourishing medicinal herbs. Even a cursory glance reveals several precious ingredients such as snow lotus seeds, purple dragon bone, and cardamom. Judging from the aroma, these herbs have mostly undergone repeated refining, with the medicinal components being their essence. These herbs are excellent for nourishing the mother's body, and if used in appropriate dosages, they can balance the side effects of cinnabar and other ingredients.

Judging from the weight of this medicine, it contains a considerable amount of precious medicinal materials, accounting for about six or seven-tenths of the pill's weight. The remainder consists of ingredients used by alchemists in alchemy, amounting to about three or four-tenths of the total weight.

This ratio is merely a rough estimate by your humble servant. It is likely that the person administering the medicine was extremely skilled in dosage calculation to achieve the perfect balance—ensuring the mother can conceive while also preventing harm to the offspring.

Everyone was taken aback by Wen Shichu's words.