Chapter 114

Yanshu woke up and only then learned about the events of the morning court.

Surprised and angry, she, like Yuwen Lan, immediately guessed that it was the work of the Baihe Taoist.

However, she was still a bit puzzled. Wasn't the Taoist in the Min Yue Region? A few days ago, she had heard that he was chased by the Imperial Guard and jumped off a cliff. How could he suddenly appear in the capital?

Then she heard the system chime in, **Because the one who jumped off the cliff wasn't him. It was a stand-in he had prepared for himself. While the Imperial Guard was chasing the stand-in, he took the opportunity to escape from Min Yue and has already arrived in the capital.**

Yanshu widened her eyes in surprise, **This Taoist can actually find stand-ins?**

The system replied, **Didn't someone build a temple for him? Never underestimate his ability to brainwash people.**

Yanshu thought, **...You're right.**

So, this Taoist is indeed cunning and treacherous. By himself, he has caused so much trouble! Without realizing it, he has caused so many unborn lives to be harmed in the capital!

No, now that she knows, how can she stand by and do nothing?

She immediately asked the system for the location of the Taoist, wrote it down on paper, and had Rendong hurry to deliver it to Qianming Palace.

Thinking about it again, she felt a bit uneasy—knowing about this matter made her so angry, the Empress Dowager would surely be even more furious, right?

But her beloved, who had just finished his treatment yesterday, must not trigger an old illness again.

So she ordered a sedan chair to be prepared. After breakfast, she put on thick clothes and went to the Palace of Benevolent Peace.

Upon arrival, the Empress Dowager was a bit surprised and asked, "Didn't I tell you not to come yesterday? Why are you here?"

Yanshu replied, "The snow from last night has melted, and the ground isn't slippery. I was worried that you might be bored alone, so I came to keep you company."

The Empress Dowager nodded, "It's kind of you to think of me, but I was just about to ask someone. I've just heard that many pregnant women in the capital have had miscarriages. What's going on?"

Yanshu explained, "Yes, there's been such a thing. It's likely the work of that Baihe Taoist. It's said that when he was in Min Yue, he used placenta to refine some kind of elixir. When the Emperor found out, he was furious and ordered the Imperial Guard to arrest him. But the one who jumped off the cliff in Min Yue a few days ago was actually his stand-in. This person has recently escaped to the capital."

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager's brow furrowed, "What? It's that Taoist again?"

Yanshu quickly nodded, "This man is outwardly a Taoist, but in reality, he is a rebel with extremely malicious intentions. He is also very cunning. It's said that a minister mentioned this in the morning court, saying that such an incident happened a few years ago. He must have been in the capital then, so it's unlikely to be anyone else."

The Empress Dowager nodded slightly but didn't say anything more. In her heart, she was seething, **That old scoundrel is still doing such heinous things! Why didn't I kill him back then? That dog man, this is all your fault!**

Hearing this, Yanshu frowned inwardly.

The Empress Dowager used the phrase "still doing."

This means that the Empress Dowager knew about the Taoist's actions back then.

Then, the late Emperor must have known too.

The system chimed in, **Otherwise, what do you think? If the late Emperor hadn't allowed it, how could a Taoist have gotten away with it in the capital?**

Yanshu was stunned and couldn't help but exclaim, **The late Emperor was the ruler of the nation! How could he have allowed that old Taoist to harm his own people?**

She paused and immediately thought of a horrifying possibility, **...Did the late Emperor also eat it?**

The system replied, **Exactly. He was obsessed with eternal life. Knowing it was a "good" thing, how could he not eat it?**

"Ugh..."

Hearing this, Yanshu felt a wave of nausea and almost vomited on the spot.

The Empress Dowager was startled and quickly asked, "What's wrong?"

Yanshu patted her chest and said, "I don't know why, but I suddenly felt unwell."

The Empress Dowager quickly said, "Go back and rest. Call Imperial Physician Xun to check on you right away. Be very careful these days."

Yanshu quickly agreed and also comforted the Empress Dowager, "Please don't be too angry, Your Majesty. It's not a bad thing that the Taoist is nearby. The Emperor is wise and powerful, and the capital is well-guarded. He will surely catch this man."

Oh, it's so hard for the Empress Dowager to have such a reckless and tyrannical emperor. Such a just person must have been very angry back then.

Fortunately, that emperor is already dead. But her beloved must not fall ill again.

The Empress Dowager nodded slightly and said, "Don't worry about me. You are the most important now. That Taoist is very cunning. Even though we are in the palace, we must not let our guard down."

Yanshu quickly agreed and then took her leave, returning to Ganlu Palace.

Thinking about what the late Emperor and the Taoist had done, Yanshu felt sick to her stomach, which affected her appetite at noon. She only had some porridge and then went to sleep.

When she woke up from her nap, it was already dark outside, and it was almost time for dinner.

She was still concerned about the matter and quickly asked the system, **Has the Taoist been caught yet?**

To her surprise, the system replied, **Not yet.**

Yanshu frowned, **What happened? Didn't I tell the Imperial Guard it was near Sajin Lane at the Binzhi Inn? Even the room number was given. How could they not catch him?**

The system replied, **I told you that Taoist is very cunning. He changed locations before the Imperial Guard arrived.**

Yanshu was almost exasperated. In this era, there were no communication tools, so she couldn't direct the Imperial Guard in real-time. Now that she was heavily pregnant, she couldn't go to the scene herself like last time when they caught the human trafficker. Time is of the essence now. How can they catch that Taoist immediately?

Just then, the system said, **Maybe he can be caught now.**

Yanshu was puzzled, "What?"

But then the system said, **But first, check if your windows and doors are closed.**

Yanshu, **???**

Before she could ask another question, she suddenly heard the hurried voice of Imperial Physician Xun outside the door, "Please ask Consort Yanshu to close all windows and doors immediately and not allow anyone to enter or exit for the time being."

Yanshu was puzzled again. Why was another person telling her to close the windows?

But the next second, she heard Imperial Physician Xun say, "I smell a medicinal odor outside, which could be harmful to pregnant women."

What?

Hearing this, everyone in the hall was shocked.

Fortunately, it was cold outside, so the windows and doors were already closed. Only Rendong had planned to go out to order food for her mistress, but now she didn't dare move.

Just then, another voice came from outside the door. It was Yuwen Lan asking, "What happened?"

Yanshu didn't dare open the door, but fortunately, Imperial Physician Xun was outside to report, "Your Majesty, I smelled a strong smoke with a medicinal odor in the palace. It should contain something harmful to pregnant women. I was afraid the Consort would be in danger, so I hurried to report."

In fact, Yuwen Lan had already smelled the medicinal odor in the air as he walked over. Hearing this, he realized the seriousness of the situation and immediately told Yanshu, "Don't go in or out for now. Close all windows and doors."

Then he asked Imperial Physician Xun, "Do you know where the smoke is coming from?"

Imperial Physician Xun replied, "I walked from the duty room to here, and the smell became stronger as I approached the inner palace. It should be nearby."

Yuwen Lan immediately ordered Fu Hai, "Immediately have the guards follow Imperial Physician Xun to search. No one is allowed to stop them."

Fu Hai agreed and quickly called over a dozen guards to follow Imperial Physician Xun to search the palace.

Since there were few people in the inner palace, they soon found the source of the medicinal odor.

It was the Cuiwei Palace where Consort Wang lived.

Upon hearing the report, Yuwen Lan was furious and immediately interrogated her personally.

However, Consort Wang denied it, saying, "Please investigate, Your Majesty. I was just unwell and asked my family outside the palace to buy some moxa sticks to fumigate. I absolutely didn't intend to harm Consort Yanshu!"

In her heart, she thought, **This Consort Yanshu is really ruthless! She framed and slandered me like this!**

Hearing this, Yuwen Lan did not easily believe her and ordered the guards, "Bring out the item she was burning and let Imperial Physician Xun examine it."

The guards agreed and immediately brought out the "moxa stick" seized from Cuiwei Palace for Imperial Physician Xun to inspect on the spot.

Imperial Physician Xun peeled open the moxa stick and immediately saw a pile of medicinal powder fall out.

After a thorough inspection, Xun the Imperial Physician quickly determined, "Your Majesty, this contains red peony, salvia, safflower, musk, turmeric, and other blood-activating herbs. Even if not ingested, merely inhaling the scent poses a risk of miscarriage. Although it is cold now, during dinner time, people coming and going in the hall will still allow the smell to enter, which is certainly detrimental to Consort Yi and the royal offspring."

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked, and Yuwen Lan immediately turned to Consort Wang, coldly asking, "Where did this item come from? Who instructed you to do this?"

Consort Wang was stunned and immediately cried out, "Your Majesty, please believe me, I truly didn't know there were such things inside. I was suffering from a long-term illness and had no other choice but to ask my family to buy some moxibustion outside the palace. I really didn't know there were so many toxic substances..."

【Goodness, what is going on? How could there be such things in moxibustion? Could it be that Consort Yi is instructing this imperial physician to deliberately frame me?】

Yuwen Lan, however, had lost all patience and coldly ordered the guards, "Immediately control the Wang family, prohibit anyone from entering or leaving, and ensure the source of this poison is uncovered!"

The guards immediately complied and rushed to Consort Wang's family outside the palace.

Meanwhile, Yanshu had already learned about the developments through the system.

She pondered, 【Could it be that Consort Wang was also exploited by that Taoist?】

The system replied, 【Indeed, those moxibustion sticks actually came from that Taoist. Since arriving in the capital, he has disguised himself as a physician. A few days ago, he just happened to cure the Wang family patriarch's stomach ailment, who then regarded him as a divine doctor. That's why he bought these moxibustion sticks from him and had them sent into the palace for his daughter.】

Yanshu nodded but still felt some confusion, 【But why didn't Consort Wang see an imperial physician when she was sick? Just relying on moxibustion won't cure her!】

The system explained, 【Because she is now very afraid of you, thinking that the imperial physicians are in cahoots with you, wanting to take her life, so she has been too scared to see them.】

Yanshu, 【...】

Alright, since that's the case, she won't force it. She should focus on the issue of the Taoist instead.

【In that case, could the previous miscarriages of pregnant women in the capital also be the work of that Taoist?】

The system said, 【Not necessarily. After all, this method is costly and quite expensive. He only uses it specifically against you. For other pregnant women, he usually first investigates, then secretly sprinkles the drug powder into their well water, and bribes the nearby midwives in advance to obtain fresh placenta after the women miscarry.】

Hearing this, Yanshu couldn't help but feel nauseous.

Heh, that damned Taoist actually targeted her! This time, she must capture him!

The system then said, 【This time, it's easier. The person is currently in the second room of the west wing at the Xingyuan Pharmacy by Yongding Bridge, with freshly dyed black hair, estimated to be around forty to fifty years old.】

Freshly dyed hair?

Yanshu raised an eyebrow. As she knew, the current hair dyeing technique involved boiling black beans in vinegar juice until a black paste was formed, which was then applied to the hair. Of course, some reinforcement methods were needed afterward, but since this person dyed his hair this afternoon, there probably wasn't enough time for reinforcement...

She immediately came up with an idea, quickly wrote another letter, and had it sent to Qianming Palace.

In the Palace of Benevolent Peace.

As the sky darkened, the Empress Dowager was waiting for news.

Only when she heard that the source of the poison, Consort Wang, had been captured and Yanshu was unaffected, did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Dan Shuang quickly stepped forward to persuade, "Your Majesty, you haven't had dinner yet. Since Consort Yi is unaffected, please have some food."

The Empress Dowager sighed, "I have no appetite. The Baihe Taoist has not been captured yet."

After all, as long as the Taoist is not caught, it means that pregnant women in the city are still at risk.

Even unborn children are lives! How can she eat in peace?

Come to think of it, it's also her fault.

If she had eliminated that Taoist along with the person back then, how could there be such a hidden danger now?

Fortunately, not long after, the eunuch Qiao Fushun, who had gone to inquire about the news, came in to report, "Your Majesty, I just received news from Qianming Palace that the Baihe Taoist has been captured!"

The Empress Dowager paused and quickly asked, "Truly captured? No mistake?"

Qiao Fushun nodded vigorously, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, the identity has been verified. It is said that the Taoist dyed his hair black this afternoon and disguised himself as a physician, hiding in the area around Yongding Bridge. The Imperial Guards followed the smell of vinegar directly to Yongding Bridge, surrounded the residential and commercial areas there, and conducted a thorough search. They quickly found a man in black, wearing a black hat, with a head full of vinegar smell. When hot water was poured on his head, the black hair all turned white. After confirmation, it is indeed the Taoist."

What?

The Empress Dowager was stunned. This method seemed a bit... cunning?

But anyway, capturing this person is good.

The heavy stone in her heart finally fell, and she clasped her hands together, chanting "Amitabha."

Seeing this, everyone also relaxed. Dan Shuang stepped forward again, "Your Majesty, can we now serve dinner? Your illness has just improved; you can't go hungry."

The Empress Dowager said, "Just prepare a bowl of plain porridge."

Dan Shuang complied and hurried out to arrange for dinner.

The Empress Dowager was about to sit on the warm couch when she heard Qiao Fushun say, "By the way, Your Majesty, on my way back, I just happened to meet the guards at the palace gate who came to deliver a message, saying that Madam Xu, the wife of Zhang Shengkang, passed away today."

The Empress Dowager's expression turned cold and said, "Let her die. Her husband and son committed so many evil deeds. The Emperor did not sentence her to suffer while sick, which is already lenient."

Qiao Fushun quickly complied, then added, "Madam Xu had someone send a letter to the palace gate before her death, requesting Your Majesty to read it."

Saying this, he presented a letter.

The Empress Dowager paused, finally reached out to take it, and quickly scanned it.

To her surprise, she was stunned.

The letter was not written by Madam Xu but by Zhang Shengkang.

After all, Zhang Shengkang had written her prescriptions for so many years, and she was very familiar with his handwriting.

At this moment, Zhang Shengkang wrote in the letter, "The matter of mixing menstrual blood into the emperor's kelp soup, I have already informed Xun the Imperial Physician before my death. I sincerely hope Your Majesty will be cautious."

The Empress Dowager paused.

Heh, what a Zhang Shengkang!

...

After confirming the identity of the Baihe Taoist, the Imperial Guards immediately took him to the prison.

It was already late at night, and Yuwen Lan also breathed a sigh of relief, preparing to rest in Ganlu Palace.

After capturing the foolish Consort Wang, the crisis had been resolved, and Ganlu Palace could now be entered and exited.

Before he could get up, the Imperial Guards reported, "Your Majesty, the Taoist says he has a secret about the late emperor that he wants to report to you."

Yuwen Lan paused.

After a moment, he nodded, "I will see him."

Just as he had always wanted to see what the Taoist who harmed the late emperor looked like now.

With that, he got up and left.

Not long after, Yuwen Lan met the Taoist in the prison.

The man's face showed no signs of aging, and apart from the slightly ridiculous hair after losing its color, his appearance was indeed much younger than before.

But he only felt disgust.

Why did the late emperor trust such a person?

At this moment, before he could speak, the Taoist smiled first, "Your Majesty has finally come. Since you are so gracious, I will offer a secret to you."

Yuwen Lan remained expressionless and said, "What secret?"

The Baihe Taoist smiled and said, "Your Majesty, don't think that the late emperor was killed by me. At that time, I lived and ate with the late emperor, and our diets were the same. Except for one thing, the late emperor drank a bowl of kelp soup every day. Later, I was fine, but the late emperor vomited blood and died. Do you know why? The one who poisoned the late emperor was someone from the palace!"

Yuwen Lan did not show any reaction but coldly asked, "You lived and ate with the late emperor. So, did the late emperor also eat the pills you refined from human placenta?"

The Baihe Taoist was stunned and then smiled, "Your Majesty is indeed smart. Yes, I was loyal to the late emperor. Such a precious thing should naturally be offered to the late emperor first."

Yuwen Lan narrowed his eyes.

Just at this moment, he heard a voice from behind, "Enough."

All eyes turned to the door, where they saw the Empress Dowager standing.

Before anyone could bow, the Empress Dowager had already approached Yuwen Lan, glanced at him, and then addressed the Baihe Taoist, "You, who once lured the late Emperor into persecuting civilians, committing such heinous acts, now on the brink of death, still seek to frame others?"

The Baihe Taoist paused, then said to Yuwen Lan, "Does Your Majesty really bear to see the late Emperor die without knowing the truth?"

"Silence," Yuwen Lan coldly commanded. "On the brink of death, you still spout lies. Guards, cut out his tongue and sever his tendons. Announce to the world, execution at noon tomorrow, in public."

Then, bowing his head to the Empress Dowager, he said, "This place is bloody, please return to the palace, Mother."

The Empress Dowager hesitated but had to agree, and they left the prison together.

In the deep winter night, the biting cold air stung the lungs.

The Empress Dowager did not get into the carriage but said to Yuwen Lan, "I have something I wish to tell Your Majesty."

Yuwen Lan, however, gently replied, "It's late, Mother. Please go back and rest. Whatever it is, we can discuss it tomorrow."