You expect me to serve your mistress? The mistress is driving this scumbag and his entire family cra

Chapter 209 The Empress Dowager is Poisoned

Master Li deliberately mystified the situation: "Honest advice is hard to hear, and good medicine tastes bitter. The Duke of Liang died on the battlefield because he was countered by Princess Heya. After she countered the Empress Dowager, the next one might be you, Madam."

Lady Liang was so angry that her hands trembled: "Nonsense! The Empress Dowager's headache is clearly a real illness caused by her physical condition, yet you insist on fabricating something out of nothing to slander my daughter. What are your true intentions?"

Master Li retorted, "Madam, you are mistaken. I have no grudge against your daughter, so what ulterior motives could I possibly have? Besides, how would I know your daughter's birth date and time?"

"My daughter was born on the battlefield, and her birth date is no secret; everyone knows it. As for this so-called clash or incompatibility, isn't that just your own opinion?"

If what you say is true, there must be many people in Chang'an born at the same time as my daughter. Does that mean they all have to become Taoist nuns?

The two refused to back down, each sticking to their own version of events.

The emperor said in a deep voice, "I can understand Lady Liang's love for her daughter. But if you think that Master Li is making things up, are you confident that you can cure the Empress Dowager's headache?"

Lady Liang said confidently, "I am confident that I can cure the Empress Dowager's illness completely and prevent it from recurring."

The Empress Dowager was very impatient: "I will give you three days. If things do not improve, then you must do as Master Li said and have Princess Heya convert to Buddhism. You must not disobey."

Lady Liang nodded: "I will now prescribe and prepare medicine for Your Majesty, and combine it with acupuncture. It will be effective in three days, and the symptoms will completely disappear in seven days. However, to fully recover, it will require further treatment."

The Empress Dowager waved her hand, and Lady Liang withdrew.

Liang Jiang had been guarding outside the palace the whole time, and she had seen everything that happened inside.

He vaguely understood why Madam Liang had acted so unusually and insisted on taking the lead today.

From the moment Li the Taoist mentioned the so-called Golden Tiger destiny, she sensed his conspiracy and knew that he had come prepared to target her.

The emperor had complete faith in Taoist Li, and the only way to refute his nonsense was to cure the Empress Dowager's illness.

That's why she stepped forward to treat the Empress Dowager.

Fortunately, she used a buzzing needle to stop the Empress Dowager's headache; otherwise, she would have had no right to refute Li the Taoist priest at this moment.

Liang Jiang stepped forward, but before she could speak, Madam Liang immediately asked with concern, "Did Master Li say anything to you just now?"

Liang Jiang shook her head: "They only said I had a good face, and then asked me for my birth date and time."

Madam Liang breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank goodness."

The palace maids brought over writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

Lady Liang pondered for a moment, wrote out the prescription, and Yu Zhu sent a palace maid to the Imperial Pharmacy to get the medicine.

The mother and daughter had a brief opportunity to speak.

"Mother, is what this Taoist priest Li said true? Am I really destined for a tough life?" Liangjiang asked in surprise.

Madam Liang said in a deep voice, "What do you mean by 'clashing birth charts'? He's just trying to harm you. Don't listen to his nonsense and take it to heart."

“I have no grudge against him, and I have never even met him before.”

Madam Liang looked around to make sure no one was watching before whispering, "What outsiders know about your birth date is false. Yet he insists you have a strong destiny. Isn't that deliberately targeting you? Don't overthink it."

"Then why bother Mother with all this trouble? Why didn't you just tell the Emperor the truth and expose his tricks?"

“No,” Madam Liang shook her head solemnly, “Your true birth date and time cannot be known to outsiders.”

Liang Jiang wondered, "Why go through all this trouble?"

"This is not the place to talk. I will tell you the truth when we get back to the manor. Right now, I will do my best to cure the Empress Dowager's illness, and Master Li's lies will naturally fall apart."

What caused the Empress Dowager's illness?

Lady Liang frowned: "I suspect that the Empress Dowager is not ill, but poisoned." "Poisoned?" Liang Jiang almost exclaimed, glancing around nervously.

Madam Liang nodded: "Her symptoms of insomnia, headache, swollen gums, and eyelid twitching are very similar to poisoning."

I can detoxify her, but if I can't stop the root cause of the poisoning, then it's completely useless.

"Who dares to poison the Empress Dowager? Why didn't you tell her this earlier?"

Lady Liang shook her head: "This was not the time to speak. I need a chance to speak with Her Majesty the Empress Dowager alone before I can tell you the truth."

"What kind of poisoning was it?"

"If I'm not mistaken, it should be mercury ore. But to confirm whether it is, we need to ask the Empress Dowager about her daily diet and other details to determine the cause of the poisoning."

"Garcinia sappan?" Liang Jiang asked doubtfully. "I think I've heard of it before."

"Some of the medicinal materials we use every day contain trace amounts of this kind of toxicity, more or less. For example, cinnabar can calm the nerves and relieve fright, but taking too much can cause poisoning. This is the reason why every medicine has some degree of toxicity."

Liang Jiang recalled what Yu Zhu had just said: "Yu Zhu said that the Empress Dowager often takes some kind of pills from Taoist Li. Could it be that his pills contain this mercury sand?"

"Pills?" Madam Liang pondered for a moment: "Your Master Wen once told me that many pills made by wandering sorcerers contain cinnabar, which makes the pills blood red and of excellent quality. What you said is not impossible."

"But the Empress Dowager and the Emperor are so convinced of Li Daoshi's nonsense about prolonging life, even if we tell them, I'm afraid the Empress Dowager won't believe us."

Lady Liang asked, "Whose jade bead is this?"

Liang Jiang then recounted her connection with the jade bead.

After hesitating for a moment, Lady Liang said, "If the Empress Dowager does not stop taking this medicine, even if my mother's prescription can cure the poison, it will be of no use. But today, Master Li is here, so this is not the time to expose him."

"My mother wants to try and see if she can stay in the palace. She asks this girl, Yuzhu, to help her cut off the Empress Dowager's access to the elixir. Then she'll find a suitable opportunity to tell the Empress Dowager the truth."

Liang Jiang was very uneasy and objected outright.

Lady Liang had made up her mind: "I will act cautiously myself. You should go back to the Duke's mansion first, and don't go to the palace unless necessary."

There is no other way to treat this with galangal.

Lady Liang personally prepared the medicinal soup for the Empress Dowager, went inside to ask for permission, and received the Empress Dowager's approval. Lady Liang then obediently left the palace.

The emperor summoned Master Li to a side hall, sat him down on a chair, and dismissed the palace servants who were attending to him.

Only then did he ask, "When did Master Li return to the capital?"

"Your Majesty, I just arrived in the capital this morning. After bathing and changing, I came to pay my respects immediately."

"You must have entered through the west gate, right? Did you see Minister Jian?"

Li Daoshi immediately felt an invisible pressure and honestly replied, "I saw him."

The emperor nodded slightly, but did not ask anything further. Instead, he changed the subject: "What did you gain from this trip?"

"I am fairly certain that the dragon vein is located in the west of Wei."

"Can't find the exact location?"

“Wei Xichen personally measured almost every inch of the land, and even explored the mountains. He could feel the feng shui energy of the dragon vein, but he could not find the treasure land.”

The emperor tapped the table lightly with his finger: "Perhaps your skills are not yet refined enough, and your judgment is not sharp enough?"

(End of this chapter)