Chu Mingcui felt that her grandfather was worrying too much. She said, "Grandfather, don't worry anymore. Yuan Qingling cannot wash away her crime. The Retired Emperor's condition was already serious to begin with, and now he has been poisoned and is in a coma. Where can he be saved? As long as the Retired Emperor passes away, no matter how he passes away, Yuan Qingling will be accused of secretly treating him and causing the Retired Emperor's condition to deteriorate, let alone being rewarded. "
The inner palace's situation was complicated and unpredictable. She still could not see through it all, let alone Yuan Qingling.
Now that the situation was so complex, Prince Chu was involved and in danger. The Prince's manor was finished.
Thinking of Yuwen Hao, she still felt regretful, but to accomplish great things, one cannot nitpick. That was his fate.
"Don't be so sure. Nothing is certain until the very end. There are always variables," Chief Minister Chu suddenly stared at her. "The Retired Emperor being poisoned was not your doing, was it?"
Chu Mingcui was shocked. "It definitely wasn't us. Even if you gave me the guts of the world, I still wouldn't dare poison the Retired Emperor."
Chief Minister Chu nodded slightly, lowering his aged eyelids. "That's good that it wasn't you. I will investigate why Yuan Qingling knows medicine. You may leave now."
Chu Mingcui bowed and left the study.
Once out of the door, the setting sun spilled across the ground. Thinking of Prince Chu, she still felt all kinds of unwillingness.
She had thought he would always love her, but from their conversation at the Wenchang Tower, she already sensed his indifference and aloofness.
Did he now have feelings for Yuan Qingling? How could that superficial woman be worthy of him?
She guessed that after Yuan Qingling had seen Yuwen Hao's injuries at the Prince's manor, and heard from Prince Qi that Yuan Qingling had controlled Yuwen Hao's injuries, she had pondered and realized that the sudden improvement in the Retired Emperor's condition that day was likely Yuan Qingling's doing.
Back then, she had watched the canopy closely. Yuan Qingling had rushed to the Retired Emperor's side. Based on her usual temperament, if she had not taken action, she would not have approached a dying man.
Getting her aunt to probe had been very dangerous, but now, even at the risk, they had to act. Fortunately, everything she had guessed was right.
She smiled faintly and lightly instructed the palace maid beside her, "Go stop Jinghou. Tell Jinghou to come to the palace to find me."
How could she not understand Jinghou's intentions? She needed Jinghou to arrange people for her. Once the struggle for that position began, Jinghou could also lend a hand.
The palace maid left to pass on the order.
She then instructed the old servant woman, "Go notify Prince Qi to prepare to enter the palace."
The old woman was puzzled. "Didn't you say to return to the manor?"
"When did I ever say to return to the manor?" Chu Mingcui glanced at her lightly.
"Just now, didn't you..."
Chu Mingcui said coldly, "Then tell him to wait. If I'm still not out of the palace by the hour of the night watch, tell him to come back tomorrow, and keep doing this for several days. If he still has the patience, I will see him."
The old woman did not understand. "Why is Consort doing this?"
She smiled coldly. "I want to blunt Jinghou's edge and make Jinghou realize that in front of me, he is just a dog. Only when he realizes this will he be absolutely loyal to me."
After speaking, she gracefully walked down the stone steps, stepping out.
In the palace.
Around the hour of the night watch, Emperor Ming Yuan sent Eunuch Mu to summon Yuan Qingling to Qian Kun Palace.
Yuwen Hao looked at her with a hint of worry in his eyes. "Be careful in everything you do. Don't act rashly."
"I know," Yuan Qingling replied.
She felt rather warm inside. Yuwen Hao was not so bad after all.
Eunuch Mu led Yuan Qingling out through a side door without going past the imperial study.
Arriving at Qian Kun Palace, she saw that Emperor Ming Yuan and Prince Rui were both there.
Empress Dowager, who had been keeping watch at the Retired Emperor's side, was not there, nor was the Empress.
The imperial physician and Eunuchs Chang and Xi Mama were still attending by the bed. Fubao had been carried onto the luohan bed to recuperate and already looked much more spirited. Seeing Yuan Qingling, it made whining sounds.
Yuan Qingling took a look at Fubao and shushed it. Fubao immediately quieted down.
Seeing this, Prince Rui laughed. "This little beast actually listens to you. How strange."
Yuan Qingling smiled. "Dogs understand human nature."
"That's true. Otherwise, how could it delight the Retired Emperor so? Sometimes this dog sees through more than people," Prince Rui murmured thoughtfully, then gave Emperor Ming Yuan a sideways glance.
Emperor Ming Yuan also glanced back coolly at Prince Rui, as if to say did he think he could not see through things?
He said to Yuan Qingling, "Since you know medicine, go take a look at the Retired Emperor's condition."
Yuan Qingling immediately went over.
Xi Mama and Eunuch Chang moved aside. Looking at the Retired Emperor's complexion, she asked the imperial physician beside her, "The Retired Emperor has been poisoned?"
The imperial physician had just witnessed Yuan Qingling's amazing rescue of Prince Chu, and was now rather respectful. "Yes, Consort. The Retired Emperor does show signs of having been poisoned."
"May I see the diagnosis notes?"
The imperial physician took them out of the medicine box and handed them to her. "Please review them, Consort."
Yuan Qingling flipped open to last night's account of the Retired Emperor. He had vomited blood twice, then lost consciousness. His pulse was weak and feeble, his lips had turned purple. The initial diagnosis was poisoning.
It did not state what poison though.
The prescribed medication formulas were at the bottom - Chinese medicine formulas for detoxification. But it was also noted below that they did not relieve the condition after being taken.
In other words, the antidote was wrong.
She kept flipping up and saw that the Retired Emperor had been continually taking a medicinal pill called Nine Revolutions Elixir.
"What is this Nine Revolutions Elixir made from?" Yuan Qingling asked.
"The Nine Revolutions Elixir was specially formulated for the Empress Dowager. It dispels wind evil, strengthens the foundation and nourishes the essence. The Empress Dowager took it well, so she decreed that the Retired Emperor take it too. The formula for making the Nine Revolutions Elixir is on the first page..." The imperial physician came over to help flip to the first page and pointed it out to Yuan Qingling.
It was made from medicinal ingredients like atractylodes, cinnabar, jujube kernels, arborvitae seeds, angelica etc, which were indeed calming and stabilizing medicines with nothing suspicious about them.
"May I see this Nine Revolutions Elixir?" Yuan Qingling asked.
Eunuch Chang said, "There is some in the palace, as it is medicine the Retired Emperor takes regularly, so we keep it stocked here."
Eunuch Chang went to fetch a box and brought it over to Yuan Qingling. She opened it - there were twelve compartments, meant to hold twelve pills. Ten had already been taken, with two left.
Eunuch Chang was puzzled. "Eh? There should be three pills left. Why is one missing?"
"One is missing?" Yuan Qingling's heart lurched. "Are you certain?"
"Absolutely. I'm the one who attends the Retired Emperor and gives him his medicine every day. I clearly remember there were three pills left the last time."
Yuan Qingling said gravely, "Eunuch Chang, please recall carefully if you are absolutely certain. This is of utmost importance."
Eunuch Chang unhappily said, "How could I get something like this wrong? The last time I administered the medicine, Fubao suddenly barked, startling me and making me drop the pills on the ground. After picking them up and putting them back neatly, I distinctly remember there were three pills left."
"The pills fell on the ground? So the order must have gotten mixed up then?"
"What does it matter if the order got mixed up? The pills are all the same."
Yuan Qingling said, "I'm afraid not necessarily."
She went and placed the pills on the table, spreading out the two pills. Taking a cup, she crushed one pill and looked at the color of the powder. Yuan Qingling breathed a sigh of relief then frowned. "Your Majesty, please take a look."
