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

Lu Qiu is sixty-two years old.

He was formerly in charge of medicines at the Imperial Pharmacy.

He died in the tent nine years ago.

She is not currently listed in the Imperial Medical Academy's roster.

It's not in the Imperial Tea Room register either.

For nearly three months, she would enter the palace every time the emperor took his third dose of Huiming Decoction.

The palace gate records used three names.

Zhao Qi's wife.

Lu, a servant in the Imperial Pharmacy.

Chen Qiu, an old maid in the Imperial Tea Room.

None of them are exactly her.

She said her name was Lu Qiu.

Remember this name first.

The authenticity needs to be verified.

I asked her, "Where did the medicine card come from?"

"Given by Physician Zhao."

"Which Physician Zhao?"

"Zhao Qi".

"He has been dead for eleven years."

"I know."

How do we give to the dead?

Give it to me before I die.

"when?"

"The fourteenth year of Chengxi."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Preserve the old methods of Changning."

"The exact words."

Lu Qiu closed her eyes.

"The prescription must not be interrupted."

"The Empress needs to be examined when she wakes up."

"Even when His Majesty is ill, he must be examined."

"Medicine prescriptions only recognize old formulas."

I placed the medicine card in front of her.

"What's written on the back?"

"Three prescriptions tested for medicinal efficacy."

Which three parties?

"Fake doctor."

"The medicine master."

"The person who tests drugs next to the patient."

"Who is the physician who will prescribe the medicine today?"

"Zhao Qi".

"He's dead."

"The old formula belongs to him."

"The medicine master?"

"I."

"A drug tester working alongside the patient?"

"Wei Zhi".

"Which one?"

She stopped talking.

Sanfangli.

A dead man.

A dead person was in the tent.

One has at least three.

It appears to be a three-way conflict.

In reality, none of them could be questioned face-to-face.

The late empress left behind a system of mutual verification.

Its appearance has been preserved.

It drained the living dry.

I summoned all the medical officers of the Imperial Medical Academy to the front courtyard.

No formal court session.

Open the medicine account directly.

Seventeen seals of the deceased doctor were placed on the first table.

The file on Zhao Qi's death and the medicine tablets were placed on the second table.

Feng Ying placed twelve portions of dregs of medicine on the third table.

The emperor's prescriptions, the inflow and outflow of medicines from the pharmacy, and the settlement of silver in the imperial treasury over the past three months were arranged on the fourth table.

Angelica dahurica should be opened first.

"Changning Anshen Fang" (a traditional Chinese medicine formula for calming the mind).

"Revolve every five days."

"The first two doses will calm the nerves."

"The third dose restored his vision."

"The prescription contains twelve ingredients."

"Each time, there are actually thirteen to fifteen ingredients."

"Many of the medicinal materials produced do not have fixed names."

"All of them are registered under the name of the late physician Zhao Qi."

"The cost of the medicine will be paid from the inner treasury, cabinet B."

"Handled by Chen Ping, Wei Zhi, and Lin Ping'an."

"These three are now used by multiple people."

Judge Zhao stood before the assembled medical officers.

His face looked terrible.

"The Imperial Medical Academy has never altered prescriptions without authorization."

The young medical officer said, "Patient's prescription."

"Producing more medicinal herbs means making changes."

"That's a medicinal ingredient."

"Who decided on the medicinal ingredient?"

"According to the condition."

Who will treat the patient?

"A messenger has arrived before the Emperor."

"Who reported it?"

"Wei Zhi".

We went back again.

I asked Imperial Physician Zhao, "How many times have you personally taken His Majesty's pulse?"

"The first and fifteenth of each month."

"What about the other medications?"

"The illness was reported by the Emperor."

"What should I report?"

Heart palpitations.

I can't sleep at night.

"Awakening from an old dream."

"Feeling weak."

"Sometimes I get irritable."

"Could these symptoms also be caused by the medication?"

Judge Zhao did not answer immediately.

The young physician spoke again.

"possible."

"Why not investigate?"

"The old prescription has been used for many years."

"Your Majesty must not act rashly."

"Who among you signed their name on the prescription?"

No one answered.

Bai Zhi finished flipping through the medicine booklet for three months.

One hundred and eight prescriptions.

"None of them were signed by a living physician alone."

"It's not Zhao Qi."

"They are other doctors."

"For living people, only the words 'substitute value' are written."

"On behalf of whom?"

"dead."

"Who should I contact if something goes wrong?"

"Still a dead man."

Judge Zhao said, "The risks associated with imperial medicine are extremely high."

"If the prescription is changed arbitrarily, we, your subjects, cannot bear the consequences."

"So you're not going to take responsibility?"

I asked.

"We are simply following precedent."

"His Majesty's condition varies each time he falls ill."

"Yet you use the same old prescription from the dead."

"They refuse to sign the names of the extra medicinal herbs."

"This is not called following precedent."

"They're asking for a dead person to take the fall."

Judge Zhao's lips turned white.

The emperor did not go to the front yard.

They sat behind the curtain.

Upon hearing this, he spoke:

"It is my permission."

Everyone immediately knelt down.

The emperor's voice was not loud.

"Changning Old Formula".

"I forbid any changes."

"Medicines prescribed under the name of the former physician."

"It is also approved by me."

Judge Zhao seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

The emperor continued:

"But I approve keeping the old prescription."

"It's not about preventing living people from signing their names."

Judge Zhao swallowed his anger again.

"From now on, every dose of imperial medicine..."

The emperor said, "The original plan can be retained."

"Those who make additions or subtractions today must leave their real names."

"Those in charge of medicine and those who test medicine should also remain."

"Who claims to be dead?"

"Then you are not allowed to touch the medicine."

That's simple.

It's actually quite troublesome to implement.

The identities of the dead are found throughout the Imperial Hospital.

Some people don't even know what their original name was.

But we must start by ensuring that no new prescriptions are given to people who have died.

I told Lu Qiu to continue to take responsibility.

"Where is the late Empress's blood-written letter?"

"Wei Zhi took it."

"Which one?"

"have no idea."

"Have you seen the letter written in blood?"

"I've seen it."

"Did you see the late Empress write it with your own eyes?"

"no."

"Then why say it's true?"

"Yinzhen".

"What seal?"

"The Empress's Private Seal"

"Where's the paper?"

"Changning Palace Paper".

"Where are the words?"

"picture."

"So we still need to test it."

The emperor, standing behind the curtain, asked, "Is that the only sentence in the content?"

"Yes."

"When will I hand it over to you?"

"The fourteenth year of Chengxi."

"Who will pay?"

"Zhao Qi".

"Where did Zhao Qi come from?"

"Bai Song".

We circled back to Baisong.

Bai Song refused to clear the debt back then.

It is possible that they did indeed receive the late empress's last letter.

But now he is dead.

Anyone can say that the blood-written letter passed through his hands.

The emperor did not ask any further questions.

I could tell he wanted to watch.

The more I want to see it...

It's best not to bring it out now.

If that blood-written letter had been delivered to the emperor's bedside after the third dose of medicine, the emperor might not have examined it first.

The first thing that comes to mind is the sealing of the account eleven years ago.

Then I saw three more urgent imperial edicts.

When someone feels guilty, they are most likely to use a second attempt to prove that they were not wrong the first time.

Lu Qiu said, "I'm only responsible for delivering the medicine."

"I did not prepare the imperial edict."

"The blood oath is not in my possession either."

"Who gave you permission to deliver a second one today?"

"Medicine card".

"The cards can't speak."

"Someone put the cards in Zhao Qi's file."

"A prescription sheet was also left."

"Who?"

"I didn't see it."

"You'll do as I say?"

"It's been like this for eleven years."

This statement is more terrifying than I expected.

It's not that someone personally gives the orders every time.

The old process has been in place for eleven years.

The card appears.

The dead man's mark is stamped.

Put the medicine dosage sheet inside.

The medicine maker then delivered it.

It is not necessary to know who gave the order.

There's no need to ask the patient if they really need it today.

People can be replaced.

The process will run itself.

I picked up the medicine card.

"The late Empress left this token so that you could test the medicine."

"It's not a case of killing someone when they're close to winning."

Lu Qiu lowered his head.

"I did not intend to kill His Majesty."

"Did you know that Huiming soup could be fatal?"

"Know."

Why give it as a gift?

"Your Majesty needs to wake up."

"Who said it's necessary?"

"Something big has happened in the palace."

"Who told you that?"

"Dosage sheet".

I placed the paper in front of her.

The above only states:

Before Mao hour.

Your Majesty must make a clear and personal decision.

They didn't say anything.

There was no signature.

Lu Qiu still felt that was enough.

Because for eleven years, it has always been enough.

I had the clerk record it:

Lu Qiu, alive.

He considered himself to be a former head of the Imperial Pharmacy.

They took the medicine token and returned it to Mingtang.

Forcibly waking someone up is dangerous.

The patient's condition was not verified, the physician who prescribed the medicine was not seen, and the person who tested the medicine was not seen in person.

Proceed according to the old procedures.

Whether he was involved in the murder remains to be investigated.

Her shoulders trembled when she heard the word "alive".

"My accountant is dead."

"So let's change it first."

"I don't need it."

"need."

I said, "Otherwise, all the medicine today will be wrong."

"It can all be attributed to the two dead men, Zhao Qi and Chen Ping."

"So you did nothing at all."

Lu Qiu looked up.

"I was just delivering medicine."

"That's something I've done before."

"Recognize a short passage."

"Just because you only did a small part doesn't mean you didn't touch it."

She remained silent for a long time.

Finally, they pressed their fingerprints onto the statement.

The Imperial Medical Academy has completed the first round of prescription reimbursements.

The conclusion did not state "the emperor was poisoned".

The evidence is insufficient.

Write only:

For the past three months, Changning Jiufang has been using alternating calming and stimulating medications.

The medicinal materials contain unsigned additions or subtractions.

The actual effects may include drowsiness, fatigue, short-term arousal, and damage to the heart.

Whether the illness was intentionally controlled remains to be determined after each batch of dregs of medicine is examined by Physician Song.

We shouldn't write our assumptions as facts just for the sake of convenience.

The accounts must be made public.

We must also be able to stand firm.

Han Feng sent new information from the Imperial Clan Court.

The ceremonial seal on the future death notice comes from the second key of the ceremonial office.

The 52-year-old Lin Ping'an, who held the key, has been found.

The person is lying in the mortuary.

He died three months ago.

Zongzhengji always had someone else use his key to open his cabinet.

Another dead man is still on duty.

After listening, Bai Zhi only said one sentence:

"Monthly routine checks will begin tomorrow."

Why?

"Dead people don't eat."

"The person who collects his monthly allowance should eat."

Silver is more honest than his face.

Names can be shared.

A salary will eventually end up in the hands of a living person.

I put the medicine card into the six-sided certificate box.

The Censorate sealed one of the responsibilities.

The Princess's residence.

One of the inner guards.

The Imperial Medical Academy was sealed off by that young physician who dared to sign his name.

Feng Ying's medicinal residue was witnessed by Feng Yidao.

For the last step, Lu Qiu pressed his own seal.

Judge Zhao asked, "Where should it be sent?"

"Yong'an".

"Your Majesty still requires the old prescription."

"You can copy the license plate."

I said, "A real card isn't medicine."

"Stay here."

"It will only allow the next unmarked dosage sheet to continue masquerading as an order."

The emperor, speaking from behind the curtain, said, "Send it off."

Judge Zhao dared not stop him any longer.

I was just about to send someone out of the palace.

Wei Zhijia suddenly spoke.

"After learning the basics of medicine cards."

"The old prescription from Changning will lack one piece of mutual verification."

"What do you mean?"

"The six signs do not only open Yong'an Shimen."

He said.

"It can also open the six old boxes left by the late empress."

Which six?

"Medicine, clothing, doors, food, water, and army."

"Where is the medicine box?"

"Changning Palace".

"Has it already been driven?"

"no."

Why?

"I still can't find the medicine card."

I looked at the medicine card in my hand.

The herb wall has opened.

Inside the wall were only a list of fallen soldiers, medicine bottles, and a draft edict of self-reproach.

The real medicine box may be elsewhere.

"Does anyone know the location?"

Wei Zhijia said, "Your Majesty."

There was no sound from inside the curtain.

I looked in the direction where the emperor was.

"His Majesty?"

After a while.

The Emperor said:

"Under the Emperor's desk."

"There's more than one box there."