After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

Chapter 100 The Truth

Zhu Houzhao came as summoned, followed by Yang Shen.

The Hongzhi Emperor sat behind his desk, his face so gloomy it seemed to drip water.

Inside the hall, Wang Ao, Tu, and several other senior officials sat on brocade stools, gazing longingly at Zhu Houzhao with a hint of resentment in their eyes.

Zhu Houzhao stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty!"

Yang Shen then followed suit, bowing and saying, "Your subject Yang Shen greets Your Majesty!"

The Hongzhi Emperor glared at Zhu Houzhao and immediately berated him: "What are you doing? What right do you have to arrest people without authorization?"

"I—that—Father—"

Zhu Houzhao opened his mouth, but he completely forgot the speech he had prepared earlier.

He stammered and couldn't utter a complete sentence for a long time.

The Hongzhi Emperor became even angrier: "What do you mean, 'what do you mean?' I'm asking you a question!"

Zhu Houzhao was sweating profusely with anxiety. He turned to look at Yang Shen, his eyes full of pleading.

Yang Shen sighed inwardly and had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

The Hongzhi Emperor turned his gaze to him: "Yang Shen, weren't you involved in this as well?"

Yang Shen bowed his head and said, "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince is concerned about Your Majesty. Concern can lead to confusion, which is why he acted without prior notice."

Actually, all of this is for His Majesty's sake; it's all out of His Highness the Crown Prince's filial piety!

The Hongzhi Emperor sneered, "I've just started to feel better after taking the herbal remedy, and he's already arrested someone, claiming it's out of concern for me?"

Yang Shen raised his head and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, that Hundred Herbs Pill is poisonous!"

Upon hearing this, the previously noisy hall suddenly fell silent.

"impossible!"

Wang Ao immediately stepped forward and shouted, "Yang, you dare to spout nonsense! That Hundred Herbs Pill is clearly a miraculous medicine. After taking it, my leg injury was completely healed! How can you say it's poisonous?"

Tu then said, "After taking this medicine, my chronic illness was completely cured. If you say it's poisonous, I'll be the first to disbelieve it!"

Wang Ao added, "His Majesty is also taking that miraculous medicine. Has he shown any symptoms of poisoning?"

The Hongzhi Emperor did not speak, but simply stared at Yang Shen.

Yang Shen remained calm and composed, saying, "Minister Wang, please don't be hasty. Let me finish. There is indeed a problem with this medicine; otherwise, why would the Medicine King Sect suddenly announce a halt to its distribution?"

Wang Ao was taken aback, then retorted, "That's because preparing the medicine is difficult, and it can't be supplied in large quantities to the common people; we can only prioritize supplying the palace!"

Yang Shen shook his head: "Minister Wang, have you ever considered that the reason they stopped distributing the medicine is precisely because they're worried someone might have problems taking it?"

Wang Ao was about to retort, but Yang Shen continued, "Minister Wang, after taking this medicine, do you feel like you've regained your strength?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Ao thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Yes! The pain from my broken bones is gone, and I have more energy to walk."

Yang Shen then asked, "But after a while, do you feel hot and bothered, yet also cold, and unable to sleep at night?"

Wang Ao instinctively pulled his cloak tighter around himself, stubbornly insisting, "Of course it's cold in winter!"

But a hint of unease flashed in his eyes.

Yang Shen did not press further, but turned to the Hongzhi Emperor and said softly, "Your Majesty, if I may be so bold as to ask, after taking this medicine, do you also feel invigorated, but find it difficult to sleep at night?"

The Hongzhi Emperor frowned slightly.

He recalled those days, and it was indeed so.

After taking the medicine, I feel energetic during the day, but at night, I toss and turn in bed, unable to sleep, my mind filled with all sorts of random thoughts.

He thought it was because he was too concerned about national affairs and didn't take it seriously.

Now, hearing Yang Shen say this—

Seeing that he remained silent, Yang Shen knew he had hit the nail on the head and continued, "Your Majesty, that Hundred Herbs Pill contains aconite. Aconite is pungent, sweet, warm, and extremely hot in nature, and it is highly toxic. In small amounts, it is a medicine, but in excessive or improper use, it becomes extremely poisonous. Short-term use can cause mental excitement, but long-term use will inevitably damage one's vital energy and destroy one's foundation."

He then looked at Wang Ao and said slowly, "Minister Wang, judging from your reaction, you've become addicted."

Wang Ao was taken aback: "Addiction? What do you mean?"

Yang Shen explained, "You can't live without this medicine. Once you stop taking it, you'll feel terrible all over, even more painful than before you started taking it. This medicine doesn't cure the illness; it's draining your body. You feel like your leg injury is healed and you have strength now, but that's just a temporary feeling. You're trading your future health for present pleasure."

Wang Ao's expression changed, but he retorted stubbornly, "Nonsense! I've lived for over sixty years, what haven't I seen? You're clearly just trying to make a fool of yourself!"

Yang Shen did not argue with him, but simply looked at the Hongzhi Emperor.

The Hongzhi Emperor sat behind his desk, his expression conflicted and unpredictable.

He recalled the unusual events of the past few days.

The euphoria after taking the medication, and the sleepless nights—

Thinking back to the panic I felt when I heard Qian Xuzi had been arrested today.

It's not that I'm worried about the case, but that I'm worried about running out of medicine.

That feeling was indeed just as Yang Shen had described—

A young eunuch took small, quick steps into the main hall and knelt down.

"Your Majesty, Li Chun, the Commander of the Eastern Palace Guards, requests an audience!"

The Hongzhi Emperor raised an eyebrow: "His arrival is just in time, summon him!"

A moment later, Li Chun strode into the hall, knelt on one knee, and bowed: "Your subject Li Chun pays his respects to Your Majesty."

The Hongzhi Emperor stared at him: "I heard that you arrested the people of the Medicine King Sect."

Li Chun said, "I have received a clue: the Medicine King Sect—"

"Alright!"

The Hongzhi Emperor interrupted impatiently, saying, "I don't want to hear your explanation. Just tell me the result. What was found during the investigation?"

Li Chun clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, those disciples of the Medicine King Sect have confessed that they did indeed add aconite during the production of the Hundred Herbs Pill, and they deliberately concealed it, which is suspected of deceiving the emperor!"

Wang Ao stood up abruptly, his old face flushed red: "Impossible! If aconite was added, why didn't the Imperial Hospital detect it? Commander Li, did you use torture to extract a confession?"

Li Chun glanced at him, his expression unchanged: "Those few brats, let alone torture them, they all confessed on the way. They're currently at the Northern Garrison Command. If Vice Minister Wang doesn't believe me, I'll bring them here for a face-to-face confrontation."

Wang Ao opened his mouth, but was speechless for a moment.

Yang Shen spoke up at the opportune moment: "Your Majesty, the Imperial Hospital has also discovered the problem."

The Hongzhi Emperor looked at him and asked, "When did this happen?"

Yang Shen replied, "After Imperial Physician Xue Xinfu identified aconite in the Hundred Herbs Pill, he reported it to the Imperial Medical Academy. I suspect that the Imperial Medical Academy is currently investigating this matter, and will certainly report back once they have a result."

The Hongzhi Emperor's face grew increasingly gloomy.

Judging from this situation, could there really be something wrong with that medicine?

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly stood up.

"Let's go to the Imperial Hospital!"

Xiao Jing was taken aback: "Your Majesty, please wait a moment, this old servant will go and inform them—"

"No need, let's go now!"

The Hongzhi Emperor had already lost patience and walked away.

Zhu Houzhao quickly followed, with Yang Shen and Li Chun close behind.

Wang Ao and Tu and the others looked at each other, and could only follow behind, trembling.

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