The sixteen double-sided embroidered screens with gilded landscapes in the inner hall shone brightly in the morning sun, so bright that it dazzled the eyes. From time to time, eunuchs would come in and out anxiously holding medicine bowls and porcelain cups.
The imperial doctors also looked hurried, and they walked from behind the screen to in front of it, each of them looking nervous as if they were facing a great enemy.
Jiang Zining, together with Qian Shiyun and others, paid their respects to Concubine Peng De behind the curtain.
Concubine Peng De's voice was so thin and weak that it seemed to come from behind the curtain, and she whispered for them to get up.
Jiang Zining then bowed and said, "Excuse me, Madam, what disease did His Majesty have? When he was in the West Garden yesterday evening, His Majesty was fine and there was nothing abnormal..."
Concubine De seemed to be crying, her voice choking with sobs: "I don't know either. According to these servants, His Majesty did not summon the concubines to sleep with him last night. He just rested in his own bedroom. I don't know why, but in the middle of the night, His Majesty suddenly felt unwell. He said that he was drooling... and black blood was coming out of his nose..."
She paused for a moment before insisting, "The eunuchs reported this to me, and I panicked. I quickly summoned the imperial physician for treatment. But who knew that Sun Gongfeng didn't know what disease the emperor had. I asked the people from the imperial hospital to stay, but until now, they haven't been able to wake the emperor up..."
As she spoke she began to cry.
Jiang Zining and the others couldn't help but fall silent. No matter what, it was not appropriate for a concubine to cry in front of ministers like them. It might be recorded in the Emperor Longqing's daily notes, and they would probably be remembered in history.
After waiting for a while, Jiang Zining saw that everyone was looking at him, and then he said, "Don't worry, your Majesty. Your Majesty is the true dragon emperor. With the blessing of God, you will be safe and sound."
But he himself did not believe what she said. He patiently listened to Concubine De nagging about how worried she was and how hard it was for her to hold out all night. He responded perfunctorily for a while, and only stood up when Sun Gongfeng and the judge came out.
Censor Chen and his men also came forward and surrounded them.
The imperial doctors all looked dejected, as if they had something they wanted to say but were afraid to.
When Jiang Zining and the others saw the expressions of the imperial doctors, they felt a pang in their hearts, had bad associations, and hurriedly asked about Emperor Longqing's condition.
When Sun Gongfeng saw that everyone was looking at him, he just said hesitantly: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty's pulse is rapid, his heart is beating too fast, his internal heat is strong, his tongue is jagged, and his body is too damp and hot. I'm afraid that he fainted this time..."
Everyone stared at him nervously.
Concubine Peng De couldn't help but urge anxiously: "What's going on? Tell me quickly!"
Sun Gongfeng replied dryly, "I'm afraid it's because I took too much medicine..."
As soon as he finished speaking, Concubine Peng De cried out sharply inside and howled, "I knew it! I knew it was because of those Taoist priests! Quick! Come quickly, arrest them all and torture them severely!"
Jiang Zining and the others couldn't help but frown.
Although Emperor Longqing was a devout Taoist, the pills he had taken recently had already restrained his symptoms much more than before. How could he suddenly become so ill and faint
It's not impossible, but it's too sudden.
Concubine Peng De cried even harder, and her crying could be heard even through the curtain, which was very annoying.
Jiang Zining had no choice but to tactfully persuade her to calm down.
Concubine Peng De stopped crying and sobbed, "The emperor has suddenly become like this. I am a woman in the deep palace. I can only rely on you gentlemen to do your best to help with state affairs."
She paused and then asked, "Are the Marquis of Pingxi and the Prince of Linjiang here?"
Shen Chen and Chu Jingwu responded quickly.
Concubine Peng De paused for a moment before she sighed, "The Crown Prince is still young, and the Sixth Prince is still an ignorant child. His Majesty usually treats you two nephews as his own children, so he has no choice but to rely on you."
Shen Chen and Chu Jingwu both hurriedly expressed their feelings.
Concubine Peng De smiled with relief: "If that's the case, it's the best. You two are good and obedient children, I know it all, you can stay in the palace, and when the emperor wakes up, he will see your intentions."
As expected, they were going to stay in the palace. Chu Jingwu hesitated and looked at Shen Chen's expression.
Shen Chen had already agreed calmly, as if he was really just worried about the health of Emperor Longqing, and didn't think about other things at all. He also didn't forget to ask for leave from Concubine Peng De: "There are still some things outside that I haven't explained..." He scratched his head a little embarrassedly: "Your Majesty, I was originally planning to ask the emperor for a marriage decree, but now I still have to explain it first..."
Everyone couldn't help but feel a little strange when looking at his expression. Even at this time, he still hadn't forgotten about proposing marriage.
It is hard to believe that he is the imperial envoy who came from Fujian to kill people everywhere.
Concubine Peng De was also apparently stunned. After a while, she nodded with a smile behind the curtain: "Achen is so thoughtful. When His Majesty gets better, I will definitely fulfill your wish."
Then Concubine Peng De said, "I don't know how to arrange the care for the sick. The adults will naturally make arrangements, and the concubines in the harem have also tried their best. Why don't we still put up the screen? In this way, if the emperor wakes up, the adults can get the news as soon as possible."
Of course Jiang Zining and the others had no objection, so the matter was settled.
After leaving the palace, Censor Chen looked at Shen Chen from a distance before turning around and getting into his sedan chair.
Chu Jingwu was enduring it extremely hard, and he could not bear it any longer, so he turned to look at Shen Chen and said hesitantly: "Second brother, what is going on?"
Shen Chen pulled him into the carriage and told him everything about Kong Gongfeng's visit to the Wei family last night. He then said, "We suspect that His Majesty is not in this state because of the elixir he took, but because of poisoning."
Chu Jingwu's face became even uglier. He leaned against the wall of the car for a long time before asking, "Is there any evidence? It's impossible to conclude that His Majesty was poisoned based on speculation. You know, the difference between these two situations is worlds apart..."
Shen Chen hummed and said, "I know what you mean. The imperial doctors said it was caused by an overdose of elixirs, but Consecrator Kong said that the amount His Majesty has been using has been very stable, and it shouldn't be like this now. I have to ask those real people first to confirm."
Shen Chen knew all the Taoist priests who supplied the elixirs. Although he had never had direct contact with them, he had ways to contact them privately.
Concubine Peng De was now so excited that she was shouting that she wanted to kill these Taoists to vent her anger. He already had some guesses in his mind. Things might not be as bad as he imagined. Concubine Peng De might have really taken action.