Chapter 184 Treating the Empress Dowager and Encountering a Scheme [4]
Half a year ago, there was a first-rank palace maid Hongcai, who relied on the trust and affection of the Empress Dowager, to attempt to seduce this dandy Shizi and fly up the branches to become a phoenix.
Even the Empress Dowager had this intention. She had given Hongcai to Shangguan LingRan to be a tongfang yatou.
So, Hongcai grew bold. There was one time when Shangguan LingRan was drunk and she had wanted to kiss him. As a result, she hadn’t even gotten close and hadn’t kissed him, but she was kicked flying by Shangguan LingRan.
The crueler thing was still to come. Shangguan LingRan had smiled wickedly. “You want a man so badly? Okay. Then this Shizi will take you to a place where there are many men.”
Everyone had seen Shangguan LingRan take Hongcai out of the Palace. The Empress Dowager had seen it too, but she saw her precious grandson angry and didn’t even try stopping him. She merely watched as he took Hongcai away.
Later on, when Shangguan LingRan had returned, the Empress Dowager couldn’t help but ask, “You sold Hongcai to a brothel?”
Shangguan LingRan still smiled devilishly charmingly. He said very gently, “No, no. How can I be willing to sell her? I took her to serve the prisoners on death row. Those male prisoners can definitely satisfy her l.u.s.t.”
Hongcai had only wanted to kiss him, but her ending was so miserable. Now that Yurong had betrayed the Empress Dowager, what would he do to her?
Yurong looked at Shangguan LingRan like she was looking at the devil. She was scared into repeatedly kowtowing. She was about to lose control of her bowels.
The night soon pa.s.sed. No, to be exact, before dawn, news came from “Jingyang Palace” that the Empress Dowager’s condition had suddenly taken a turn for the worse.
The Emperor was alerted too. The Empress and all the consorts also came.
Shangguan LingRan just arrived at Jingyang Palace and immediately rushed over. He cried out, “Imperial grandmother vomited and had diarrhea all night after taking medicine in the evening.”
Zi You also seemed to be in a panic. She was at a loss in front of the Empress Dowager’s bed. She immediately knelt when she saw the Emperor.
The Emperor immediately snapped, “Hurry and call the other imperial doctors over for the Empress Dowager.”
Then he looked at Zi You. His face didn’t look like amiable like usual. Instead, he stared coldly at her and asked, “Mu Zi You, you’ve let down Zhen’s trust in you. Zhen trusts you. That’s why Zhen appointed you as the Empress Dowager’s doctor. But now, what is going on?”
Zi You kowtowed and pretended to be panicked as she explained, “Emperor, Chennu doesn’t know how this happened. According to Chennu’s prescribed dosages, these symptoms shouldn’t appear. But the Empress Dowager has symptoms of poisoning. Emperor, the Empress Dowager has been poisoned.”
“You’re speaking nonsense!” Just then, the imperial doctors arrived.
Imperial Doctor Qin was the first one to jump out. He was very proud in his heart, but he pretended to look angry. He pointed to Zi You and shouted, “What poisoning? It’s obviously you who used too much gypsum. The Empress Dowager’s body is already deficient. How can she withstand such a large dosage of cold medicine? Your medical skills are not up to par, but you’re here shirking your responsibility.
“The palace servant who decocted the medicine is someone whom the Empress Dowager trusted. Why would she poison the Empress Dowager?”
At this time, Imperial Doctor Fu, who had taught the female medical team, finally frowned and stood up after a fierce battle with himself. He said fairly, “Emperor, from Chen reading the Empress Dowager’s pulse, her body is indeed deficient. But thirty grams of gypsum will not cause such serious side effects. From the Empress Dowager’s vomiting and diarrhea, it can be seen that the dosage of gypsum is more than thirty grams.”
Although he was displeased that his students were more valued by the Emperor than he was, it was now a matter of life or death. He couldn’t watch as Mu Zi You get killed for this.
Although as a teacher, he was jealous that his student was more outstanding than he was, in reality, he was very impressed with the little yatou Zi You.
Two more imperial doctors stood out to confirm, “Emperor, Imperial Doctor Fu is right. Thirty grams of gypsum will not cause these poisoning symptoms. Unless……. Something has greatly changed in the Empress Dowager’s deficient const.i.tution overnight.
“But this change is unlikely to happen, Emperor. Chen has always been using cold medicinal herbs.”
Second w.a.n.gzi immediately bowed to the Emperor in his wheelchair. “Fuw.a.n.g, Erchen thinks that we should find the palace servants who prepared and decocted the medicine.”
The Emperor looked deeply at Second w.a.n.gzi and then at the circle of palace servants. “Who was on duty last night? Who prepared the medicine for the Empress Dowager and who boiled it? Stand out for Zhen.”
Eunuch Shihai and palace maids Yurong and Furong stood out. “Nubi (Nucai) decocted and prepared the medicine for the Empress Dowager.”
The Emperor looked at Yurong and Shihai. A monarch’s momentum made Yurong shudder. “Did you decoct the medicine according to what he [Shihai] gave you?”
Yurong had already been frightened to death by Zi You and Shangguan LingRan. She couldn’t wait to quickly give up Imperial Doctor Qin to save her own life.
So, she quickly knelt and kowtowed. She pulled out 100 gold taels. “Nubi deserves to die, Emperor! Nubi shouldn’t have been greedy and agreed with Imperial Doctor Qin. At his order, Nubi added 200 grams of gypsum and dandelion to the Empress Dowager’s medicine.”
Imperial Doctor Qin never thought that Yurong would give him up.
He was scared into a fl.u.s.ter. He knelt down and desperately kowtowed. “Emperor, Chen is innocent! Chen doesn’t know this palace maid. Why would she frame Chen? And why would Chen poison the Empress Dowager? How can Chen not know that this is a capital crime?”
Yurong saw him denying it and kowtowed in a panic to the Emperor. “Emperor, Nubi has no reason to poison the Empress Dowager. Besides, where did Nubi’s gold come from? Nubi has no grudge with Imperial Doctor Qin. Why would Nubi frame him?”
“It’s Mu Zi You.” Imperial Doctor Qin immediately pointed to Zi You and shouted. “Emperor, it must be Mu Xiaojie who bribed this cheap slave to frame Chen.”
At this time, Zi You’s panic was completely gone. She was standing there calmly. She looked at Imperial Doctor Qin with ridicule. “Imperial Doctor Qin’s words are a bit strange. I have no grudges or resentment with you. Why would I risk being beheaded to harm you?”
Imperial Doctor Qin was suddenly speechless. What was he going to say? Was he going to tell everyone that he was having an affair with w.a.n.g Yiping and that he had helped w.a.n.g Yiping harm Zi You before?
But he was not an ordinary person. His brain turned very fast. He immediately said to the Emperor, “It must be because Chen said something that disagreed with her yesterday. Mu Xiaojie resents Chen, so……”
“Aren’t you thinking too highly of yourself?” Third w.a.n.gzi looked mockingly at Imperial Doctor Qin. “Are you saying that just because you said some words that disagreed with Mu Xiaojie’s treatment plan, Mu Xiaojie poisoned imperial grandmother and bribed this palace maid to frame you?
“Fuw.a.n.g, do you think that Mu Xiaojie would be so crazy and stupid?”
Who would believe that? Poisoning the Empress Dowager was a crime that would result in the execution of her whole family. Only if Mu Zi You’s head was filled with water would she be crazy to this extent because of a few contradictory comments by Imperial Doctor Qin yesterday.
But someone believed it. The Emperor’s favored consort Lin Pin, prettily and delicately said, “Emperor, that’s not easy to say! Perhaps Mu Xiaojie really is a small-minded person and can’t hear anything that contradicts her?”
Zi You looked at this sixteen- or seventeen-year-old. She was wearing a light pink brocade crescent moon skirt with silk brocade flowers on it. The silvery red brocade neckline and belt were embroidered with crystal white North Sea pearls. She wore a pair of bright pink embroidered shoes. She had a Flying Moon bun. Her skin was white. Light makeup was on her elegant jade-like face. Her delicate face revealed a charming woman.
Zi You refuted, “Oh, then this consort is a vicious person who will poison an innocent person and put her family at risk because of a few contradictory words? Otherwise, Chennu finds it difficult to imagine why there is such a stupid, petty, and vicious person.”
Regardless of how Lin Pin’s beautiful face was filled with viciousness, Zi You bowed to the Emperor. “Emperor, you can investigate as to what kind of person Chennu is. Also, Chennu did not leave the Empress Dowager last night. The palace maid Furong can testify.
“Chennu wants to ask where the gypsum and dandelion came from. And where did the 100 gold taels come from? Even if Chennu is stupid, ignorant, and petty, would Chennu know ahead of time that Chennu was going to come treat the Empress Dowager and that Imperial Doctor Qin could oppose Chennu?”
Shangguan LingRan then came over and kicked Yurong. “Cheap maid! You’re still not speaking the truth? Otherwise, this Shizi will shred you into a thousand pieces!”
“Emperor.”Yurong was so scared that she started kowtowing again. She cried out, “Emperor, Nubi swears to the heavens that if Nubi spoke one false word, Nubi and Nubi’s family will die miserable deaths.
“Nubi added the medicine that Imperial Doctor Qin gave Nubi when Nubi was decocting. But the Empress Dowager seemed so uncomfortable that Nubi couldn’t bear it and really didn’t dare to hide it anymore.
“Please hand out the punishment, Emperor and quickly detoxify for the Empress Dowager!”
The Emperor looked at Imperial Doctor Qin as if he wanted to sentence him to death by a thousand cuts. He asked coldly, “Who told you to murder the Empress Dowager? You’re still not speaking the truth?”
Imperial Doctor Qin shook his head and shouted his injustice. “Chen is innocent! Why would Chen do this?”
“Fuw.a.n.g, if he isn’t tortured, he won’t confess,” Second w.a.n.gzi slowly advised.
Shangguan LingRan suddenly ran over and punched Imperial Doctor Qin twice. “This Shizi will kill this b*stard!”
“Someone!” The Emperor called out, “Drag Imperial Doctor Qin down and start the torture.”
“Wait.” At that moment, the Empress Dowager clearly called out. “Start the torture here. Aijia wants to see who ordered him to murder Aijia.”
Everyone was stunned. They looked at the refreshed Empress Dowager sit up. She didn’t look like her illness had worsened.
“Muhou!” The Emperor went over in shock. He asked in disbelief, “You…… You’re better?”
The Empress Dowager nodded. “Aijia is a lot better after Mu Xiaojie’s careful treatment. But if Mu Xiaojie didn’t smell that there was something wrong with the medicine and wouldn’t let Aijia drink the medicine that this cheap maid Yurong had decocted, Aijia would have died.
“He is just a small imperial doctor. Where did he get the courage to murder Aijia? And where did he get so much gold to bribe a palace maid? There must be someone behind him.
“Tell Aijia who ordered you and Aijia will spare your life. Otherwise, Aijia will let your whole family follow you in death!”
The Empress Dowager’s phoenix eyes were deep when she spoke these words. She kept looking at the Emperor and the Empress.
She had woken up last night to use the latrine. She had felt a lot more comfortable.
But she had seen that there was only Zi You there and asked in surprise, “Why is it only you here serving Aijia? Where are the palace maids?”
At that time, Shangguan LingRan had ran over and told her seriously, “Imperial grandmother, if Mu Xiaojie wasn’t vigilant, you would have been harmed by someone.”
The Empress Dowager was stunned! She had immediately asked, “What happened? Why would you say that?”
Shangguan LingRan had immediately brought Yurong over. He snapped, “Why aren’t you explaining things to imperial grandmother?”
After Yurong explained the matter with Imperial Doctor Qin, the Empress Dowager had immediately realized that Imperial Doctor Qin was being instructed by someone else. The reason was just like the one that she had said. A mere imperial doctor wouldn’t have so much courage and money.
So, the Empress Dowager didn’t need Zi You and Shangguan LingRan to fan the flames, before she said to Zi You, “Yatou, you’ve suffered grievances to enact this play with Aijia. Aijia wants to see who wants to harm Aijia.”
She had originally wanted to keep on pretending, but her good son actually wanted to take Imperial Doctor Qin away to torture him. If he was beaten to death, then wouldn’t he never speak again?
So, she couldn’t help it and quickly woke up to stop him.
The Emperor saw that the Empress Dowager suspected even him. He was so angry that his chest felt stuffy. He gnashed his teeth in hatred at Imperial Doctor Qin!
Who ordered you to harm Muhou? Although Zhen is annoyed that she’s partial, Zhen didn’t say that Zhen wants her to die. If she dies, not only will brother get strong, but even Duke Anguo would not agree!
Although Duke Anguo gave Zhen military power at the request of Muhou, Duke Anguo has ruled the army for more than twenty years. If something happens, these people might still listen to Duke Anguo.
The Emperor thought of everyone who would want to harm his Muhou. He immediately looked at the Empress.
Could it be her? Muhou had never liked her. Although she gave the power of the harem to her, Muhou reprimanded her from time to time. Could she have wanted to harm Muhou?
The Emperor glared at the Empress.
How could the Empress not detect the Emperor and Empress Dowager’s a.s.sessing and inquiring gazes?
She was scared, but her expression didn’t change. She stood there without emotion. This matter was indeed something that she had sent Darong Ka to do.