My father ordered me to kill the emperor, but His Majesty bestowed a princess upon me instead.

Chapter 138 Disease Names

I used to think that as long as a person wasn't stabbed to death, poisoned, or drowned, they could keep struggling.

Later I realized that killing in the capital city doesn't necessarily involve bloodshed.

Sometimes, a single sheet of paper is enough.

If it says you're sick on a piece of paper, then you are sick.

If it says you're crazy on paper, even the truth you tell can be called madness.

If the paper says you were frightened by an evil spirit before your marriage and behaved improperly upon entering the palace, then even if you stand in the golden palace and spread out the account books, someone will still ask you the first question:

Did Lord Shen take his medicine today?

I sat in the duty room of the Censorate, looking at the copy on the table, and the more I looked at it, the less human I felt.

Like a symptom that has been written in advance.

Palpitations.

Fear.

Suspected of being infected by evil wind.

It is not advisable for her to enter the palace after marriage.

These characters are written very neatly, with a gentle and smooth stroke; it's clear they weren't just scribbled on the spot.

A person who would harm someone temporarily wouldn't write it in such a meticulous way.

The fact that they can write about harming others in such a sophisticated way shows that they have practiced a lot.

Ah Liu stood to the side, holding a teacup, and asked cautiously, "Young master, are you feeling tightness in your chest?"

I looked up at him.

He immediately added, "The junior was asking on behalf of the patient's medical records."

"Right now, all I feel like is punching someone."

Ah Liu thought about it carefully: "The medical record doesn't say irritable, so it shouldn't match up yet."

Bai Zhi sat on the other side, holding a copy of the medical records in her hand, flipping through it, her face even more pale than mine.

She doesn't feel sorry for me.

She felt sorry for the piece of paper.

"This paper isn't cheap."

I looked at her.

"Miss Bai, the important thing now is that I've been portrayed as a patient."

Bai Zhi didn't even look up: "You won't die, this paper is expensive."

Ah Liu's eyes widened: "Miss Bai, you can't say that. My young master is still more valuable than paper."

Bai Zhi finally looked up and glanced at me.

"It won't be much more expensive."

I closed my eyes.

well.

At least she is stable.

It takes a certain skill for someone to consistently irritate others during a case.

The physician Song stood in front of the table, holding another copy of a prescription in his hand, his brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a mosquito.

"Lord Shen, this prescription is incorrect."

I immediately looked at him.

The physician pointed to the name of the medicine at the end of the patient's file: "It's not surprising that a calming decoction is used for palpitations and fright. But this herb, Albizia julibrissin, shouldn't be here."

I asked, "Why?"

"Too heavy."

The physician lowered his voice: "For common palpitations, jujube seed, polygala root, and poria cocos are sufficient. Albizia julibrissin and benzoin can calm the nerves, but can also cause drowsiness. If the dosage is light, it will help with sleep. If the dosage is heavy, the person will wake up slowly, speak slowly, and have weak limbs."

Ah Liu's face turned pale when he heard this.

"Isn't that just boiling a person alive?"

The physician looked at him and said, "Not cooked yet."

Ah Liu breathed a sigh of relief.

Physician Song continued, "It just looks like it's been cooked."

Ah Liu's face turned pale again.

I tapped my fingers lightly on the table.

Southern porridge stall.

Free clinic tent.

Medical bill template.

Now it's the Albizia julibrissin and Benzoin.

The accounting committee seems to really enjoy silencing the living.

If you can kill them, kill them; if you can't, feed them medicine.

If you can't give them medicine, write it as an illness first.

I asked Physician Song, "Does this prescription resemble the techniques used by the Imperial Medical Academy?"

The physician hesitated.

I looked at him and said, "Dr. Song, I'm asking whether it looks like it, not whether you dare to say it."

Physician Song sighed.

"picture."

Which part looks like it?

"Square tail".

He pushed the copy in front of me: "Old prescriptions from the Imperial Medical Academy often have the dosage instructions written at the end. Folk doctors often write how many times a day to take it, before or after meals. Some old prescriptions from the Imperial Medical Academy will include 'avoid wind, noise, and light,' meaning to avoid wind, noise, and light after taking the medicine."

I looked down.

really.

The square tail has six small characters:

Shelter from the wind, keep quiet, and dim the lights.

Bai Zhi suddenly said, "It's not just this."

She turned to the second page of the medical record, her fingertip touching the edge of the paper.

"These medical records are all identical in terms of paper edges, spacing, and the beginning of the illness name. Look at Du Heng's: a cold, three days. Jiang Wen's: a relapse of an old illness, seven days. Wang Gui's: a sudden illness at home, leave granted. Yours: palpitations and fear, not suitable for entering the palace after marriage."

As she spoke, she arranged several copies side by side.

"The illnesses are different, but the format is the same."

I looked at the paper.

She's right.

The first line of each medical record is three fingers' width from the edge of the paper, the blank space below the name is the same, and the placement of the word "nucleic acid" after the name of the disease is also the same.

It looks like it was measured with a ruler.

"A template," I said.

Bai Zhi nodded: "Someone didn't create a separate medical record for you. They first made a medical bill template and then filled in your name in it."

Ah Liu whispered, "Isn't that just like the Ministry of Revenue's fake list of disaster victims? First there are blank spaces, then you fill in the names of the dead and the living."

Bai Zhi glanced at him.

"It's rare for me to be so smart."

Ah Liu was almost moved.

But I couldn't laugh.

The Ministry of Revenue used a roster to create a list of disaster victims.

The free clinic used medical records to exchange for lives.

The Imperial Medical Academy assigns patients disease names from their medical records.

These three sets of things seem to represent disaster relief, medical treatment, and taking leave.

They're all essentially the same thing.

Turn people into grids.

Once a living person is written into the grid, there are rules governing how they die, how they get sick, and how they disappear.

I asked Bai Zhi, "What can we find out from the paper?"

"able."

She turned the paper over and looked at it against the window light.

"This paper is not the kind of paper commonly used in the Imperial Hospital."

Physician Song was taken aback: "No?"

"The Imperial Medical Academy usually uses paper that is whitish with a fine texture. This one is yellowish and contains bamboo pulp in its fibers. The Ministry of Revenue's medical records department often uses this type because it is cheap."

Bai Zhi gently scraped the edge of the paper with her fingernail.

"But this paper isn't the cheapest. The fact that it can be processed through the Ministry of Revenue's medical records and also sent to the Imperial Hospital for verification means that someone sent the Ministry of Revenue paper to the Imperial Hospital, or that someone at the Imperial Hospital specifically collects this kind of paper."

I said, "In other words, the medical records were not created solely by the Imperial Hospital from the very beginning."

"right."

Bai Zhi threw the copy back onto the table.

"This is a calculation."

I raised an eyebrow: "Illnesses also have accounting records?"

"Of course there are," Bai Zhi sneered. "Paper money, medicine money, approval money, filing money, hush money, money for the dead. You scholars always think there's only silver in the accounts, but human life is the most valuable, and also the easiest to fake."

Ah Liu listened with great admiration.

"Miss Bai, you insult people like you're calculating an abacus."

Bai Zhi looked at him and said, "You may also enter the tent."

Ah Liu immediately shut up.

Just then, footsteps were heard outside the duty room.

Zhao Guanlan walked in.

He didn't look well.

"A document has arrived from the Ministry of Revenue."

I took the document and glanced at it.

really.

Zheng Huaien did not disappoint me.

The letter was written in a very polite manner.

It is said that Shen An has been investigating several cases recently, which has caused him excessive mental strain. Furthermore, his recent marriage is not yet settled, and he may suffer from palpitations. The Ministry of Revenue's disaster relief fund case is a matter of great public concern and should not be decided solely by someone who is ill. It is requested that the Censorate temporarily suspend Shen An's authority to transfer funds, pending a medical examination by the Imperial Medical Academy before further discussion.

Every word felt like a gesture of care.

Every word made me want to snatch the knife.

I laughed.

Zhao Guanlan looked at me: "You can still laugh?"

"certainly."

Why?

"Zheng Huaien is getting anxious."

I put the documents down.

"If he weren't in a hurry, he wouldn't have used my medical record so quickly. What he wants now isn't proof that I'm sick, but for the Censorate, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Imperial Medical Academy to all admit that I might be sick."

Zhao Guanlan said in a deep voice, "Once this door is opened, all the testimonies you find later can be claimed by the other party as your diagnosis made while you were ill."

"So we can't let him open his mouth."

Ah Liu's eyes lit up: "Young Master, are you going to retaliate?"

"no."

I picked up the teacup and took a sip.

"I want him to open the opening wider."

Ah Liu was stunned.

Zhao Guanlan also frowned.

I looked at Physician Song and said, "Physician Song, could you please write me a diagnosis?"

Physician Song immediately took a half step back.

"My lord, I dare not write anything carelessly."

"Don't write nonsense."

I said very seriously, "Just write: Shen An is conscious and his pulse is still stable, but he has been overworked recently and definitely needs a follow-up visit."

Upon hearing this, Physician Song breathed a sigh of relief.

"That would be acceptable."

"Add one more sentence."

"What?"

I put down my teacup.

"If anyone suspects that Shen An has acted improperly during his illness, please have Imperial Physician Liu of the Imperial Hospital verify this in public."

The physician's hand trembled.

"Judge Liu?"

I nodded.

"Isn't there someone impersonating Judge Liu on Daci Bridge? Since the fake Judge Liu has come out, the real Judge Liu should also come out and bask in the sun."

Zhao Guanlan's eyes flickered.

"You want to force the Imperial Hospital to take a stand?"

"Not just the Imperial Hospital."

I passed the document from the Ministry of Revenue to him.

"Please have Lord Zhao reply to the Ministry of Revenue, saying that the Censorate understands the Ministry of Revenue's concern and wishes to request the Imperial Medical Academy to review the case. However, on the day of the review, the person from the Ministry of Revenue who delivers the document, the person from the Imperial Medical Academy who reviews and signs the document, and the person from the Bureau of Imperial Wardrobes who delivers the message must all be present."

Bai Zhi finally raised her head.

"You want to tie the three lines together?"

"They wrote about my illness with such care; it wouldn't be appropriate for me not to reciprocate."

Ah Liu whispered, "Young master, this doesn't look like a return gift, it looks like setting up a mourning hall."

I look at him.

"Can't you say something auspicious?"

Ah Liu thought for a moment: "Does that look like a banquet?"

Even more unlucky.

Zhao Guanlan picked up the document, remained silent for a moment, and said, "Zheng Huaien may not come."

"Of course he won't come."

I smiled.

"But he'll send someone to relay his message. As long as someone comes, there's a connection."

Suddenly, another messenger came to report from outside the door.

"Lord Shen, someone from the palace has arrived."

Zhao Guanlan and I exchanged a glance.

They arrived from the palace very quickly.

The one who arrived was a junior female official from the Imperial Wardrobe.

She stood outside the gate of the Censorate, head bowed, holding a vermilion lacquered box in her hands.

The box has a seal on it:

The wedding dress worn by Princess Zhaoning at her residence in gratitude for her new marriage.

Supervised by the Imperial Clothing Bureau.

Qin Shangyi escorted.

Ah Liu relaxed a little when he saw the words "formal dress".

"Young master, you're not sick this time, are you?"

I looked at the vermilion lacquered box.

I don't know why, but I didn't feel relieved at all.

The medical records had just arrived when the formal attire followed.

The prescription says to avoid wind, keep quiet, and turn off the lights.

The formal attire for Xie En was sent by the Imperial Wardrobe.

This is no coincidence.

Someone has already paved the way.

The young lady-in-waiting whispered, "Lady Qin said that Lord Shen is about to express his gratitude for his wedding, and he has recently been frightened. His wedding attire has been altered according to the traditional etiquette for avoiding the wind. Please have Lord Shen try it on before entering the palace tomorrow."

Sheltering from the wind.

When I heard those four words, I suddenly laughed.

When Ah Liu saw me smile, he immediately shrank back.

He understands now.

My smile usually means someone is about to have bad luck.

Of course, it's also possible that we'll be the ones who suffer first.

I reached out and took the vermilion lacquer box.

The box is not heavy.

But I felt like I had been buried in a small coffin.

I asked the young lady-in-waiting, "What else did Lady Qin say?"

The young female official lowered her head.

"The Imperial Attendant said that if Lord Shen feels uneasy, he can go to the side hall to drink some calming tea after entering the palace tomorrow, and then express his gratitude to His Majesty and the Empress Dowager."

Side hall.

Calming Tea.

I looked at her.

Which side hall?

The young lady's voice was even lower.

"Changning Side Hall".

Physician Song's expression changed.

Zhao Guanlan's expression also changed.

Instead, I calmed down.

Changning Side Hall.

This is the place where the late Empress met with the female relatives of officials for the last time before her body was laid to rest last year.

This is also the place Princess Zhaoning least wants to mention.