amaotonovel Chapter 946 Losing his wife and losing his troops
Chapter 946 Losing his wife and losing his troops
Prince Ning had no choice but to continue living in the palace.
Even now, he could no longer restrain himself and wanted to leave the palace. This time, with the Empress Dowager's persuasion, the Emperor did not stop him.
Before leaving the palace, he had a family banquet, but for some reason, he started vomiting blood halfway through the meal. The imperial physician diagnosed that the wound had not healed and that his lungs and internal organs had been damaged.
That's strange. How can it not heal even though I'm taking medicine every day? And why is it even causing internal injuries?
The emperor and empress dowager both frowned.
"check!"
The emperor utters a single word, and his servants run themselves ragged.
This matter is actually quite easy to investigate. Recently, it was Physician Xing who examined and took the pulse of Prince Ning.
The prescriptions he wrote and the pulse diagnosis records he kept were all documented.
Then, checking the medication records of the Imperial Medical Academy revealed that they matched.
However, when they went to check the dregs of the medicine used by Prince Ning, they saw a palace maid sneakily taking the dregs to pour them out, but she was caught by the guards.
"I know nothing, I'm innocent."
The palace maid instinctively cried out; how could anyone not see that there was something wrong with the dregs of the medicine?
After examination by three imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy, it was discovered that two ingredients in the dregs did not match the prescription.
In other words, someone changed the herbs.
The Empress Dowager's expression was stern: "If the medicine is changed, what will happen to Prince Ning after he drinks it?"
"Your Majesty, the two medicines that were changed have conflicting properties. They will stimulate blood supply. At first, the effects will not be noticeable, but over time, not only will the wound not heal, but the strong medicine will also damage the lungs and internal organs."
The Empress Dowager gripped her prayer beads tightly, remaining silent, her stern gaze fixed on the Emperor.
The emperor was also furious, and said righteously, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly."
The Empress Dowager didn't speak, but she had her doubts.
Thinking that if the emperor didn't do his best, she, as the empress dowager, wouldn't be a figurehead.
But to her surprise, the more she investigated, the more suspicious things seemed.
First, they arrested the palace servants who were usually qualified to handle Prince Ning's medicine, including those who brewed the medicine, delivered it, and fed it to him... more than a dozen people were arrested at once.
They interrogated the palace maid who was arrested at the beginning, along with her.
The sounds of slapping, screams, and wails mingled in the Cining Palace.
At first, the Empress Dowager remained unmoved, but later she realized something was amiss.
Since Prince Ning entered the palace to recuperate from his injuries, he has been staying in Cining Palace. Naturally, she arranged for her trusted confidants to serve her own son.
In other words, those arrested now are all her people.
The Empress Dowager felt inexplicably uneasy, but before she could figure it out...
Someone has already confessed that the medicine delivered every day was tested and examined by Aunt Yu, who was in charge of the small kitchen.
Aunt Yu's small kitchen was specifically responsible for the Empress Dowager's meals.
This shows that she enjoyed the Empress Dowager's trust.
Even during this period, the drug trials were hinted at to her by the Empress Dowager.
In fact, the Empress Dowager was worried about the Emperor and had her trusted confidants review the documents again.
did not expect……
Immediately, someone went to arrest Aunt Yu, and that's when they discovered something was wrong in the courtyard where Aunt Yu usually lived.
The small jar, which was supposed to hold osmanthus honey, was filled with a lot of herbs.
It's important to know that the circulation of medicinal herbs within the palace was regulated. Only the Imperial Hospital had access to them, and the Imperial Hospital had to keep records of what medicines were produced, who received them, and when they were delivered.
Outsiders are not allowed to hide medicines.
Where did Aunt Yu get these medicinal herbs?
Physician Xing immediately noticed: "Your Majesty, these two ingredients are the ones that were substituted into Prince Ning's medicine."
And just like that, Aunt Yu was arrested.
She naturally denied the charges; she was genuinely innocent.
She was the Empress Dowager's person, and by all accounts, she was also one of Prince Ning's people. Why would she harm Prince Ning?
As for the herbs she secretly kept, they were all bought outside the palace and prepared with the Empress Dowager's oral decree sealed in secret.
But can she say this? If she does, she'll be keeping it a secret.
So if Aunt Yu doesn't confess and refuses to reveal the origin of the herbs, who else should be tortured if not her?
The Empress Dowager finally realized something was wrong; she trusted her aunt too much.
"Your Majesty, this matter..."
"Mother, I know that Aunt Yu is an old servant of yours, but she harbors evil intentions. Today she dares to harm Prince Ning, and tomorrow she may harm you. Such a treacherous servant must be thoroughly investigated."
The emperor was adamant, even using the pretext of doing what was best for his younger brother and mother.
The Empress Dowager swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
Aunt Yu won't confess? That's fine, we'll interrogate her from among her close friends and family.
So, many more people were arrested in Cining Palace. This time, most of those arrested were nannies or palace maids who could serve the Empress Dowager closely.
In other words, they were all the Empress Dowager's confidants.
The emperor, in a fit of anger, arrested the man, only then seemingly realizing that it was inappropriate.
“These past few days, I’m afraid there aren’t enough servants to attend to the Empress Dowager. I’ll have the Imperial Household Department send some more people over.”
This is openly and legitimately sending in informants.
The Empress Dowager's gaze was as cold as a snake, yet she still had to put on a gentle smile, which was incredibly eerie.
"The emperor has a heart."
Even now, there's still something she doesn't understand.
The whole plan to change the medicine was orchestrated by the emperor, and it was aimed at her, the Empress Dowager, from the very beginning.
She was too concerned about Prince Ning and became careless, falling into the trap step by step.
The Empress Dowager's hands, which were gripping the prayer beads, turned white. It was astonishing how much willpower she must have used to suppress her anger.
"But with Cining Palace in such a mess, I feel it's really not suitable for Prince Ning to recuperate. Let him go back to his residence."
The Emperor was somewhat worried: "If Prince Ning's wound reopens due to the back-and-forth travel, it will be the Empress Dowager who will be heartbroken. The Empress Dowager is frail, and if she falls ill from worry... It would be better to let the Empress Dowager see Prince Ning every day, so that she can be at ease."
Listen to this, what a filial son!
He was wholeheartedly devoted to the Empress Dowager, and out of filial piety, he disregarded palace rules.
According to palace rules, married princes are not allowed to stay overnight in the palace at will.
"It's alright. I feel much better after nearly half a month, so Your Majesty need not worry," the Empress Dowager said, almost through gritted teeth.
Since the emperor was filial and the empress dowager said so, of course they agreed.
Prince Ning had just coughed up blood when he was about to leave the palace. Although he was carried out in a sedan chair, the ride was still bumpy, and he coughed up blood several more times.
Upon returning to the Prince of Ning's residence, he fainted due to excessive blood loss or severe injuries, and the imperial physicians who accompanied him were extremely busy treating him.
Oh, by the way, Physician Xing didn't come. Although he wasn't involved in the plot to murder Prince Ning, he took Prince Ning's pulse every day but failed to find any clues, which angered the emperor.
Physician Xing was fined three months' salary, and the emperor also assigned another physician to treat Prince Ning.
Physician Xing: ...
He knew perfectly well that he was innocent, and the emperor probably knew even better than he did. But as a subject, wasn't it normal for him to take the blame occasionally?
Although he was mentally prepared, he still couldn't help but visit the Zhou residence after leaving the palace.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not going there to complain.
He had the audacity to reveal what happened in the palace.
He suddenly realized that it must have been tough for Old Zhou to be the head of the Imperial Medical Academy. Now, he felt a sense of shared suffering with his former rival.
Old Zhou did not turn people away.
The charcoal fire was burning brightly inside, and a pot was set on the table for hot pot. This way of eating was something I learned from my youngest apprentice.