The harem is too complicated; the empress, a lazy bum, wins by doing nothing.

Chapter 127 Hangover Relief Soup

Shen Qingwan's heart skipped a beat.

Despite the fact that Prince Rui was assassinated in the palace, Emperor Yuanwu still managed to have her brought to his bed.

She was finding it increasingly difficult to fathom Emperor Yuanwu's thoughts.

However, since Emperor Yuanwu did not want him to be involved in this matter, she should pretend that she knew nothing. If she went there rashly at this time, she was afraid that it would only make Emperor Yuanwu more unhappy.

Shen Qingwan felt that there were too many things happening in the palace lately. Consort Lan suffered a miscarriage, and Prince Rui was assassinated. She felt that nothing was as simple as it seemed.

"Your Majesty, I have removed the knife from Prince Rui's chest. The dagger did not pierce any vital organs, and the bleeding was minimal. However, the knife was contaminated with a potent poison. I will do my utmost to help Prince Rui detoxify." Imperial Physician Zhang wiped the bloodstains from his hands.

Highly poisonous?

Such a small dagger is unlikely to kill someone unless it pierces the heart directly.

This is an old trick in the martial arts world. As long as you coat a dagger with deadly poison, no matter which part of the body it pierces, the poison on the dagger will flow through the blood of the person being stabbed, killing them with the poison even if the stab doesn't kill them.

"Is there an antidote for this poison?" Emperor Yuanwu asked solemnly.

"Your Majesty, when I was young, I encountered a similar situation when I accompanied my grandfather to practice medicine in the army. At this moment, Prince Rui's cheeks are purple, but his lips are very red, which is quite similar to the poison of a certain plant from back then. I am not quite sure yet, but I have already sealed Prince Rui's acupoints with silver needles, so the poison will not take effect immediately. Please allow me to return to the Imperial Hospital to consult ancient books and then come back to report to Your Majesty."

Just as Physician Zhang turned to leave, Prince Rui coughed lightly.

Emperor Yuanwu strode to the bedside: "What exactly happened?"

"After the palace banquet ended, I thought my elder brother would come to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to rest, so I specially brought a pot of fine wine, wanting to have another drink with him. But I didn't expect my elder brother to go to the Empress's palace. I was bored waiting alone, and unexpectedly fell asleep on this couch. When I heard a noise, I thought my elder brother had returned, but I didn't expect it to be a highly skilled assassin." Prince Rui's face was pale, and he held one hand to his chest.

"How many people?" Emperor Yuanwu's eyes darkened.

“One person.” Prince Rui coughed lightly. “It’s all my fault for neglecting my sword practice. That’s why I couldn’t even handle an assassin. If the Imperial Guards hadn’t arrived in time, I’m afraid I would have died here today.”

"Your Majesty, please don't say that. We drank quite a bit of wine at the Lantern Festival banquet, and many opera troupes came from outside the palace. It seems that someone deliberately sabotaged things. I will definitely have someone investigate this matter thoroughly." Emperor Yuanwu said, calling Wu Jixiang in after he had just finished making arrangements.

The Empress Dowager entered with Consort Xian, Consort Shu, and Consort De.

"Having heard that Prince Rui was assassinated, I came here specifically to see what happened to Your Majesty." The Empress Dowager asked in a reproachful tone, and Emperor Yuanwu had no choice but to recount the events that had just occurred to her.

"This matter must be thoroughly investigated. Just now, when I had the Emperor escorted to Kunning Palace, everyone around him left. I fear that Prince Rui inadvertently took the knife for the Emperor. In fact, those people really wanted to assassinate the Emperor. Prince Rui rarely moves around in the palace and has long been uninvolved in state affairs, living outside the palace year-round. If these people were truly after Prince Rui, why bother to carry out the assassination in the palace? They could have done it outside the palace, where the chances of success would have been much greater." The Empress Dowager's expression was solemn, and what she said made perfect sense.

Emperor Yuanwu's expression grew even more serious upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words: "What Your Majesty says is very true. Your son will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly and have people trace it to the end to find the real culprit who wanted to assassinate Prince Rui."

The Empress Dowager noticed that Prince Rui looked unwell and only stood by the bedside for a short while. Consort Xian glanced into the hall and couldn't help but ask, "Prince Rui has been assassinated! Such a serious matter, why hasn't Her Majesty the Empress come?"

"After the palace banquet, His Majesty went to the Empress's palace to rest. His Majesty just came from Kunning Palace. Although this matter is significant, it is ultimately a matter of the Imperial Prince's residence. Whether or not the Empress needs to personally intervene is naturally up to His Majesty to decide. So, Consort De, who are you standing up for?" Consort De said resentfully.

"Does Consort De mean it that we're meddling in other people's business?" Consort Xian sneered.

"My sister Consort Shu and I manage the six palaces together. Since this matter occurred in the palace, I came to take a look so that I could report back to Her Majesty the Empress. I wonder what Consort Gui's purpose is in making this trip despite the cold?"

Consort Xian pursed her lips: "Of course I came here with the Empress Dowager. Consort De, stop spreading rumors."

"Very well, it's all my fault. I was disrespectful to the Noble Consort. I am willing to be punished. It was only because the Noble Consort mentioned the Empress's faults that I had to say something." Consort De said resentfully.

Consort Xian's face turned pale: "You sharp-tongued Consort De, when did I ever say anything bad about Her Majesty the Empress? Don't slander me behind my back."

Consort De remained silent, but raised an eyebrow at Consort Xian.

Consort Xian moved her lips but before she could speak, she was interrupted by the Empress Dowager: "What time is it? You all still have the mind to bicker here. Get back to the palace and reflect on your mistakes."

Consort Xian, Consort Shu, and Consort De: "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is right. I know I was wrong."

The three of them walked out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation together and returned to their respective palaces.

About an hour after returning to the Imperial Hospital, Physician Zhang returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation with a bowl of herbal medicine he had prepared himself.

"Your Majesty, this poison is extracted from some poisonous fungi. Not only is it fatal, it can also cause mental confusion and hallucinations. Many soldiers captured on the frontier were poisoned with this to extract our military intelligence. My grandfather found the antidote back then. Based on Prince Rui's condition, I have added a few more medicinal herbs. I will do my best to cure him."

Emperor Yuanwu nodded and watched as Prince Rui drank the bowl of medicine.

at dusk.

When Emperor Yuanwu went to Kunning Palace, Shen Qingwan prepared a table full of food and had someone prepare a bowl of hangover soup in advance.

"Did the Empress know I was coming?" Emperor Yuanwu stared at the bowl of hangover soup, momentarily lost in thought.

"I guessed." Shen Qingwan placed the hangover soup in front of Emperor Yuanwu: "Your Majesty drank quite a bit of wine at noon. Drink it while it's hot so you won't have a headache when you wake up tomorrow morning."

"This hangover soup looks different from what the Imperial Hospital usually makes." Emperor Yuanwu wiped his hands clean and sat down in front of the food tray.

"The hangover soup His Majesty used to drink was made with medicinal herbs, but this hangover soup is made with ingredients such as lotus seeds, ginkgo nuts, lily bulbs, orange segments, walnuts, red dates, green plums, white sugar, rock sugar, white vinegar, osmanthus juice, cornstarch, and salt."

(End of this chapter)