Chapter 141: The Wrong Medicine
A grape was pressed against Lan Wu’s lips. She instinctively opened her mouth and ate it, savoring the sweet and tangy fruit. When she glanced down and saw the crowd kneeling below, she froze for a moment. Slowly chewing the grape pulp, she lowered her gaze and tugged lightly at Chu Mingheng’s sleeve.
Why ask her such a thing in front of so many people?
Chu Mingheng remained oblivious. Feeling Lan Wu’s gentle tug on his sleeve, he leaned closer, his deep eyes fixed on the glistening moisture on her lips. He truly wanted to taste whether the grape was sweet.
But he also knew Lan Wu was shy.
So he merely leaned in and asked again in a low voice, “Is it sweet?”
As if unwilling to accept anything less than a definite answer, his tone was heavy and bewitching.
Lan Wu quickly nodded and replied softly, “Sweet, sweet, so sweet it’s to die for.”
“Don’t say the word ‘die,’” Chu Mingheng frowned, dissatisfied again.
At this moment, Lan Wu had no choice but to agree with everything he said. She replied repeatedly, “I won’t say it anymore. I take it back.”
Chu Mingheng was still not satisfied, but Lan Wu squeezed his hand, urging him to focus on what truly mattered.
The imperial concubines below had been kneeling for a while now. Although they couldn’t hear the hushed whispers between the two above, Lan Wu still felt uneasy.
“All rise,” Chu Mingheng commanded.
The imperial concubines scrambled to their feet, none daring to provoke Your Majesty’s displeasure, and returned to their seats.
Zhaoyi Wen glanced at Consort Shu, noticing her unusually grim expression. Without a word, she retreated to her own seat.
Once seated, she instinctively glanced back at Xiuyi Bai’s position.
At that moment, Xiuyi Bai happened to look up and meet her gaze. Their eyes locked, and Zhaoyi Wen saw Xiuyi Bai offer her a reassuring smile.
By the time the Imperial Physician arrived, Consort Shu still hadn’t spoken another word. Her face was slightly cold and tinged with gloom, yet she dared not defy the Emperor’s command. When the Imperial Physician arrived, she glanced toward Zhaoyi Wen’s position at the back.
More than one Imperial Physician had come.
The two Imperial Physicians paid their respects and were led to Zhaoyi Wen’s side.
“Please extend your hand, Your Highness, so that I may take your pulse,” one of the Imperial Physicians said, listening as Zhaoyi Wen coughed lightly a few times, her voice hoarse and raspy—clearly, she was seriously ill.
“Thank you for your trouble,” Zhaoyi Wen replied, extending her hand.
While the Imperial Physician examined Zhaoyi Wen’s pulse, palace attendants brought more dishes.
Lan Wu ate two grapes before shaking her head at Chu Mingheng and saying she didn’t want any more.
Looking at it this way, the Chu Mingheng of her previous life and the Chu Mingheng of this life weren’t all that different. Although she could distinguish between them, at their core, they were the same person, sharing many of the same habits.
But the Chu Mingheng of her previous life should already know how she died. Did he avenge her in that lifetime?
Lan Wu had many questions she wanted to ask, but now was not the time. Moreover, Chu Mingheng’s situation was more complicated. Previously, he had said he would dream, so she had assumed he had dreamed of everything from her previous life. But the current Chu Mingheng gave her the feeling that, like her, his soul had been reborn from a certain point in his previous life into the Chu Mingheng of this life.
So, had he pushed aside the Chu Mingheng of this life?
Where had he pushed him to?
Could he be brought back?
If there was truly no other way, perhaps she should ask Master Huifan…
Lan Wu was staring blankly at Chu Mingheng’s face when his sudden question, “Who are you thinking about?” interrupted her thoughts.
She withdrew her gaze and said with a sullen expression that there was nothing.
She wasn’t foolish—if she told the truth, a barrage of questions would surely follow.
Chu Mingheng was about to ask when he heard faint murmurs from below.
Though the voices were soft, together they created a clamor.
Consort Shu raised her voice slightly to silence the imperial concubines’ discussions. “This is Taiqing Palace. Each of you must restrain your voices.”
Chu Mingheng interrupted her and called for the Imperial Physician. “What have you diagnosed?”
The Imperial Physician hurriedly knelt forward and reported, “Your Majesty, when I examined Her Ladyship’s pulse, I detected an abnormality, but I am uncertain. I humbly request that Your Majesty allow Imperial Physician Hu to also examine the pulse. If my findings align with his, we can draw a conclusion.”
It was precisely because the Imperial Physician had said this that the surrounding concubines began to murmur, wondering if Zhaoyi Wen had indeed fallen victim to some scheme, perhaps poisoned to cause such a severe illness.
Even Zhaoyi Wen herself was frightened, sitting dazed in her seat. Overwhelmed with emotion, the itch in her throat grew worse, and she couldn’t help but cough violently.
The concubines sitting near her covered their faces with handkerchiefs, fearing they might catch the illness.
Consort Shu, however, grew increasingly anxious, especially when she heard the Emperor above utter a faint “Granted.”
Imperial Physician Hu re-examined Zhaoyi Wen’s pulse.
After a moment, Imperial Physician Hu withdrew his hand and exchanged a glance with Imperial Physician Fang, who had examined the pulse earlier. After a brief, hushed discussion, they stepped forward and knelt in the center of the hall to report:
“Your Majesty, we have confirmed that the prolonged illness of Zhaoyi Wen is not due to her own constitution but rather an anomaly in the tonic medicine she consumes daily.”
“Oh?” Chu Mingheng’s voice rose slightly, indifferent and sharp, his gaze piercingly cold as it swept over those below. “What anomaly?”
Imperial Physician Fang replied, “Your Majesty, one of the herbs in the daily tonic medicine taken by Zhaoyi Wen conflicts with her own constitution. Some individuals simply cannot tolerate certain herbs, and if forced to take them, they will only grow weaker and more gravely ill. Such is the case with Zhaoyi Wen.”
Consort Shu steadied herself in her seat, finally realizing who this was targeting—it was meticulously aimed at her!
Who was it—?
Noble Consort Li or… Lan Wu!
“Your Majesty, we request that the Imperial Physician who prescribed the medicine for Zhaoyi Wen be summoned. To prescribe such an herb, this physician must either lack medical expertise or have deliberately used it to… prevent Zhaoyi Wen from recovering.”
As soon as Imperial Physician Fang finished speaking, Consort Shu stepped forward and knelt in the hall.
She pleaded urgently, “Your Majesty, please understand. Although I requested Imperial Physician Qi to treat Zhaoyi Wen, I never imagined he would dare to harm her.”
“If I had known Imperial Physician Qi harbored such malicious intent, I would never have allowed him to treat Zhaoyi Wen.”
“My relationship with Zhaoyi Wen has always been good, as she herself knows. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may ask Zhaoyi Wen.”
After speaking, Consort Shu quickly turned her head to glance at Zhaoyi Wen, who remained seated.
Zhaoyi Wen appeared utterly silent, as if stunned by the physician’s words. She showed no reaction, not even acknowledging Consort Shu’s glance.
It was only after a moment that she heard Chu Mingheng speak from above.
“Summon Imperial Physician Qi from the Imperial Medical Academy.”