The Self-cultivation of a Salted Fish Concubine

Chapter 313 The Queen Vomits Blood

As soon as the emperor said this, everyone in Showa Palace was frightened and knelt down.

After a while, someone in the corridor came with a message: "Your Majesty, the maidservant beside Hua Chongyi wants to see you. She said that Hua Chongyi is dying and begs Your Majesty to save her!"

The emperor just frowned and asked, "Has the imperial physician come yet?"

"Your Majesty, I'm going. But I heard that Hua Chongyi has been in a coma and vomiting blood. I'm afraid she's not doing well."

At this time, the person delivering the message would not dare to add or subtract anything.

The emperor glanced at Bai Yuanpan, who stroked his beard and said, "When I came here, I also heard the news about Hua Chongyi."

"Hua Chongyi didn't come into contact with the poisonous spider insect. She simply drank milk soup that contained venom, which damaged her stomach and intestines, causing her to vomit blood."

"Doctor Yue should have already detoxified Hua Chongyi. She'll be fine once the vomited blood turns red."

After hearing Bai Yuanpan's words, Hua Chongyi's people had no choice but to go back.

The emperor spent some time with Xie Run at the Zhaohe Palace and was about to go see Hua Chongyi when he suddenly received news: "The Empress vomited blood in the Cining Palace."

Xie Run subconsciously looked up at the emperor's face, and it was indeed pitch black.

She asked, "What happened?!"

The palace servant who delivered the message lowered his head, trembling with fear at the emperor's imposing aura. "I don't know anything. I only know that the Empress was serving the Empress Dowager a meal when she suddenly vomited blood and fainted."

By the time the palace maid finished speaking, the emperor had already strode out.

A group of people followed behind him, all heading towards the Cining Palace.

Xie Run saluted behind him and said, "Farewell, Your Majesty."

After the emperor left, Lady Lu quietly stepped forward and asked, "Sister Xie, what's going on?"

"Could it be that someone has reached into the Cining Palace? Is this someone trying to harm the Empress Dowager or the Empress?"

Xie Run: "...Maybe neither."

Thinking of this, Xie Run's brows showed a hint of worry.

She was afraid that the Queen had been serving the Queen Mother day and night and had exhausted herself to the point of vomiting blood.

Xie Jiang had told her last time that the queen had undergone a major operation and the damage to her health was irreversible.

She looks healthy now, but she is actually suffering from severe damage inside.

The Queen has been serving the Queen Mother personally these days. Given the Queen Mother's personality, she won't be at all understanding and might even take the opportunity to make trouble for the Queen.

Given the Queen's physical condition, if she vomited blood, it would easily lead to the development of the disease in her body.

Xie Run didn't know medicine, but she had a hunch that this was not a good thing.

There were incidents everywhere in the palace, but after Jing Wu took charge of the Ministry of Punishment, he handled things more efficiently and effectively, and delivered news before sunset.

"Your Majesty, Lord Jing has uncovered a lot of information."

"A new batch of porcelain arrived recently from Ganzhou, and some of it was sent to the imperial kitchen to be made into soups."

Xie Run's eyebrows twitched slightly: "Master Jing is saying that these porcelains were infected with poisonous spider insects before they were sent to the palace?"

"Yes. After the porcelain entered the palace, there were people watching every step of the way. There was absolutely no possibility of tampering."

Xie Run: "Is this batch of porcelain all contaminated with the spider poison, or is it just the milk soup in my and Hua Chongyi's yards?"

Jing Wu: "Only the porcelain sent to the Showa Palace and Fanghua Palace was infected with the poisonous spider poison."

"Wait, you're not talking about Chanyunxuan, but Fanghua Palace?"

"That bowl of milk soup was originally intended for Gong Xiurong, but it was taken away by Hua Chongyi's men. When Hua Chongyi was poisoned, the imperial kitchen staff were still preparing to cook a new bowl of milk soup so they could apologize to Gong Xiurong."

Xie Run was stunned.

The person who cast the curse was targeting her and Fang Yuaner!

She couldn't help but shudder, and a person suddenly popped up in her mind - Wan Linlang!

Jing Wu continued, "The porcelain was probably marked. When it was sent to the imperial kitchen, the steward in charge of preparing the food picked these two for the Showa Palace and the Fanghua Palace."

"After the incident, I sent someone to look for the eunuch who prepared the food, and found that he had committed suicide by taking poison. He had taken the powder of broken intestines."

Xie Run's mind suddenly became a little confused again.

If it was really Wan Linlang, how could she have the ability to interfere in the affairs of the imperial kitchen after she faked her death and left the palace?

This is the imperial palace!

Not to mention that Wan Linlang had not entered the palace, even with Xie Run's current status, he was not allowed to enter the imperial kitchen because he had only been in the palace for a short time.

Not to mention someone loyal enough to die for her.

Xie Run: "Have you found out who ordered him to do this?!"

Jing Wu: "I am incompetent and have not been able to find out yet."

Xie Run sighed, "Forget it, Master Jing has worked hard all day today, and it would be embarrassing for me to pester you with more questions."

Jing Wu bowed and said, "Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty. I still need to report to the Emperor, so I won't bother you any more."

Xie Run had someone deliver a gift to Jing Wu, then leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples.

Jing Wu went to report to the emperor, giving the same reply, but with a few more words at the end.

"Your Majesty, although the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Kitchen is dead, I have discovered the process of his transfer to the kitchen and traced it back to the Governor of Yunzhou."

The governor of Yunzhou is Xian Zhaoyuan's biological father.

"This man was originally recommended by the Yunzhou Governor and entered the palace kitchen. Later, he was noticed by the chief eunuch and assigned to take care of soups."

The imperial kitchen is responsible for the meals of the six palaces. The division of labor is very detailed, and there must be no mistakes in who is in charge of which area.

The emperor stroked the ring on his thumb, his face expressing an expression that was difficult to discern.

"I understand."

By the evening, what happened during the day had spread throughout the six palaces.

Many people came to Showa Palace to visit the fifth prince to express their love.

Xie Run sent people to Fengyi Palace, and the news she got was the same as she guessed.

The queen vomited blood because she was overworked in serving the empress dowager, which triggered an old illness in her body.

The people in the six palaces didn't know how the Empress Dowager tortured the Queen in the Cining Palace, but they were secretly shocked when they saw the Queen vomiting blood because of the Empress Dowager's torture.

I just thought the Queen Mother was so mean that she wanted to kill the Queen.

Xie Run glanced at the sleeping Tao Tao and said, "Madam Xu, pick up Tao Tao and let's go to Fengyi Palace."

"If it weren't for the Tianqiao Blood Jade Bracelet given by the Queen, Taotao would have been in trouble today."

"The Queen saved his life, so he should go see her and return the favor."

Seeing Xie Run's serious expression, the others did not dare to refute him and just went about their business quietly.

When they arrived at Fengyi Palace, Xie Run personally carried Taotao into the bedroom.

Fortunately, it is summer now, so Taotao is wearing light clothes.

If it were winter, Xie Run might not be able to hold him up.

As soon as he reached the door, Xie Run met the emperor.

She was a little surprised and was about to hug Taotao to salute, but was stopped by the emperor.

Even the person who wanted to report at the door was stopped by Eunuch Shi'an.

This surprised Xie Run a little.

It was not until he entered the main hall of Fengyi Palace that Xie Run realized there were many unfamiliar faces inside.

The first reaction of these unfamiliar faces when they saw the emperor was to bow, but they were all stopped by Eunuch Shi'an.

For a moment, the main hall was full of people, but it was silent, so quiet that it was a little scary.

Xie Run followed the emperor through the main hall and walked towards the bedroom.

Across the curtain, a slightly harsh and arrogant voice reached my ears.

"The Empress Dowager specifically sent this old servant to bring a few words to the Empress. I hope the Empress will not blame this old servant for causing any offense."

The Queen's voice was soft and gentle, "How dare you? Your Majesty Queen Mother has something to say, and I, your daughter-in-law, must follow your instructions."

"The Empress Dowager said that if she had known how precious the Empress was, she would not have dared to let the Empress serve an old woman like her, and she would not have hurt your body."

"It seems the Empress didn't suffer any hardship or fatigue in the Cining Palace, but she suddenly vomited blood and fainted."

"Now, rumors are spreading throughout the palaces that the Empress Dowager tortured the Empress to the point of fainting. How cruel and ruthless! The Empress Dowager's lifelong reputation has been ruined by the Empress Dowager."

"How disgruntled is Her Majesty the Queen with Her Majesty the Queen Mother to have resorted to such a cruel scheme?!"

"If I had known this earlier, even if the Empress Dowager died of illness, I would never have dared to trouble the Empress to serve her!"

"You are presumptuous!"

I don't know who shouted, but it was full of anger and indignation for the queen.

The emperor then raised his hand and opened the curtain, looking coldly at the person standing beside the queen's bed, who was about to scold the person who had just shouted "insolent" with a smug look on his face.

She caught sight of the emperor from the corner of her eye, and her expression changed instantly. She quickly knelt on the ground and saluted: "Your servant greets the emperor."

That respectful attitude was completely different from the tone she had used when she lectured the Queen in the bedroom just now.

The emperor would not question an old servant why he spoke rudely to the queen.

He simply said in a calm voice: "Drag him out and beat him to death."

If the emperor had not been concerned about his reputation, he would definitely have dragged the man to the Cining Palace and beaten him to death in front of everyone.

Now that I have been labeled as filial, I have also suffered the burden of being filial.

After dealing with the old nanny sent by the empress dowager, the emperor took Xie Run into the bedroom.

The queen stood up to salute, but the emperor stopped her: "You continue to lie down and take good care of yourself."

The queen did not struggle to get up.

The emperor said in a deep voice, "You have worked hard in serving the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother is old, and visiting her every day is making her unable to sleep well. From now on, you can visit her only on the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month."

The Queen would never pretend to be polite at such a time, so she said, "I obey your command."

The emperor asked again, "What did the imperial physician say about your health?"

Mother Li stepped forward, her voice still hoarse, "The imperial physician said that the Empress was overworked, which triggered an old illness, causing her to vomit blood and faint."

The emperor nodded slightly, "Is this illness serious?"

When Mother Li heard this, her eyes immediately turned red. "The imperial physician said that the Empress's last miscarriage injured her body, and her life span was already affected. Now that her old illness has relapsed, I'm afraid she won't live long."

The fact that the imperial physician dared to say this showed that the queen's health was significantly affected.

The emperor's face darkened. He asked the queen a few more questions before leaving.

Mother Li felt disappointed when she saw that the emperor asked so many questions but did not mention the empress dowager's fault at all.

After the emperor left, Mother Li fell into self-pity and felt sorry for the queen.

Xie Run carried Taotao to the queen's bed and slowly told her what happened today.

"If it weren't for the Tianqiao Blood Jade Bracelet bestowed by the Empress, Taotao might have faced the same fate as Hua Chongyi!"

Xie Run squatted down and saluted the Queen: "Your Majesty, you saved Taotao and my life. I brought Taotao here to thank you!"

Xie Run's eyes were calm. "I am so grateful that I cannot express it in words. I only hope that Your Majesty will accept Tao Tao and I's greetings."

The Empress' eyes were moved, and she said to Mama Li and Tinghe, "Help Concubine Zhao Shu up!"

Tinghe and Mother Li hurried forward to help Xie Run up.

Someone placed a stool behind Xie Run and helped her sit down.

The Empress said, "If you hadn't asked Divine Doctor Xie to save my life, how could I have rewarded you with the Blood Jade Bracelet? This Blood Jade Bracelet is now protecting the Fifth Prince... All of this can only be attributed to karma, and it has its own reason."

"Isn't it too polite to thank you now? When the time comes and we can talk about it later, I'm afraid I'll have to thank you again."

The queen was always calm and composed, and her emotions did not fluctuate much at this moment, but her attitude was much gentler.

"You are a blessed person. Take good care of the Fifth Prince and enjoy your blessing. Don't be like me..." As the Queen spoke, her eyes suddenly turned red.

But she is stubborn by nature and doesn't like to show her emotions in front of others, so she just turns her face away.

Xie Run: "Your Majesty is also the mother of the Fifth Prince. She has received Your Majesty's kindness, so naturally she must be filial to You."

"My only wish in life is for a peaceful and healthy life. I also hope that Your Majesty will be as healthy and happy as Tao Tao."

Queen: "I know what you mean."

She glanced at the plump and fair Taotao, thought of her aborted child, and believed that she would never have children in this life.

Now, I have formed a good relationship with the fifth prince.

I just hope that he will treat Duan Jing well in the future because of this good relationship.

Xie Run said a few more greetings before taking Taotao away.

When the queen went out, she asked Tinghe to see her off.

Xie Run handed Tao Tao to Zi Hu, then took Ting He's hand and asked carefully, "How is your Majesty's health now? Tell me the truth."

Xie Run was not afraid of He He's overthinking, so he lowered his voice and said, "No matter how much pain or suffering you experienced in the past, your Majesty never frowned, but now your eyes are red. Don't try to fool me by saying that nothing happened."

Ting He couldn't hold it in any longer, tears welling up in her eyes. "The Majesty's health is a small matter, but... Xia Chao sent a letter a few days ago."

Ting He smiled bitterly, "I'll know sooner or later, so there's no need to hide it from you, Your Majesty Zhao Shufei."

"The Xia Dynasty sent a letter saying that the Empress was in poor health and had been unable to give birth to a child for the Emperor. To maintain peace between the two countries, they specially selected two women from the Xia Dynasty to be given to the Emperor. They hoped that the Empress would take good care of them and give birth to a prince with Xia Dynasty blood as soon as possible..." Ting He said in a tearful voice, "The Empress was heartbroken, and coupled with the long days of fatigue, she suddenly vomited blood."

It turned out to be the case.

Xie Run's expression was complicated for a moment, and he didn't know what to say to persuade others.

She patted Ting He's hand and said, "Please persuade the Empress. As long as the Empress trusts the Emperor, everything will be fine."

Ting He was slightly stunned. Although she did not agree, she still said, "This servant will definitely convey Concubine Zhao Shu's words to Her Majesty the Queen."

After returning to Showa Palace, Xie Run had a nightmare all night.

When she woke up, it was already dawn. She didn't even have time to put on any clothes, so she walked barefoot to the next room and looked at Taotao who was sleeping soundly.

Xie Run couldn't help but put his hand on Taotao's nose and probed it gently.

Fortunately, I'm still breathing.

Fortunately, it was just a dream.

Xie Run let out a long sigh, and his tense nerves relaxed a little.

After breakfast, Chunjuan brought someone back to tell Xie Run: "Your Majesty, the Emperor is having breakfast in the Empress Dowager's Palace today."