Chapter 177
On the first day of their rest at home, Marquis An Nan came. He first expressed concern about the experiences of the two, then formally met the members of the Liu family. When Liu Jingchen realized that his family’s situation might be related to this uncle, he still maintained a smiling face while entertaining. However, Liu Xiaowei completely disliked this brother-in-law and, driven by instinctive aversion, simply hid in his own cortyard to practice martial arts, avoiding any contact.
In the end, Marquis An Nan also specifically inquired about the condition of the County Princess from Mu Huichun.
Mu Huichun’s status as Chu Lishu’s junior was currently kept confidential. Externally, he was presented as the physician brought back by Lin Qingyang.
Faced with Marquis An Nan’s inquiry, Mu Huichun followed the hints given by Chu Lishu beforehand and said, “Can only be sustained.”
Lin Qingyang and Liu Jingchen understood each other tacitly. They knew that Chu Lishu had orchestrated this response intentionally, so they naturally played along, expressing a hint of regret.
Marquis An Nan naturally put on a show of lamentation, and after seeing the County Princess once, he took his leave.
Due to the recent disasters, the Assistant Minister of Works, Marquis An Nan, was actually quite busy. After all, the nationwide water conservancy issues fell under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Works. Moreover, since the Ministry of Works was originally controlled by the Wang family, and now that the Wang family was in power, they naturally wanted quicker achievements from their people. Though Marquis An Nan was not aligned with the Wang family, in times like these, he had to work even harder to avoid being marginalized from the Ministry of Works. There was also a subtle trend of him trying to please the Wang family. At this rate, it seemed he might soon choose to align himself with them.
In the court, there were naturally many officials who shared similar thoughts, like branches of a river that were once evenly distributed but were now gradually converging into one.
In the early hours of the second day, Lin Qingyang was still sleeping when he was abruptly awakened.
It turned out that Mu Huichun was looking for him. Lin Qingyang, jolted awake, immediately got up, intending to go to his mother’s place. However, he was informed that Mu Huichun had already gone to the pharmacy and was currently sharing it with the old physician.
Lin Qingyang could only rush to the pharmacy to find Mu Huichun.
Upon entering the room, Lin Qingyang saw Mu Huichun, wearing a serious expression, busily working with a substance in a white porcelain bowl that resembled blood.
Seeing how focused Mu Huichun was, Lin Qingyang refrained from interrupting.
It wasn’t until Mu Huichun snapped out of his concentration and noticed Lin Qingyang that he spoke, “What’s the matter? Why did you call me here? Is it about my mother…”
Mu Huichun cut him off directly, “This is your mother’s blood. Can you tell? It’s slightly black, indicating signs of poisoning.”
At first, Lin Qingyang was taken aback. “What… What are you saying? Poisoned? How is that possible?”
“With her frail health, she is indeed poisoned,” Mu Huichun asserted confidently.
The original plot may not explicitly mention poisoning, and perhaps the role of the County Princessis not significant, with much information being concealed. However, considering that several physicians have examined the County Princess’s condition, it seems implausible that none of them would detect poisoning if it were indeed the case.
“Mu Huichun, setting aside other things, with the numerous pulse examinations you conducted earlier and your superb medical skills, how is it possible that you never detected the poisoning?” Lin Qingyang wasn’t doubting Mu Huichun’s abilities; it just didn’t make sense. If it truly was poisoning, Lin Qingyang would actually be relieved, as it would mean the matter of the detoxification pill could be resolved without Mu Huichun’s intervention. But could it really be that simple?
“Previously, there was no poison in her body. It has only surfaced now, allowing us to detect it. However, this toxicity dissipates rapidly. After a while, if you examine her again, you won’t find anything. Nevertheless, her weakened state is indeed a result of the poison, gradually leading to her decline,” Mu Huichun explained.
“Are you suggesting that someone has been continuously poisoning my mother, and the poison disappears quickly, leaving no traces, but her body is already harmed?” Lin Qingyang’s mind was in a whirlwind. Various possibilities flashed through his mind, and a flood of suspicions overwhelmed his brain, making Lin Qingyang feel a bit unsteady, causing him to take a step back.
Suddenly, a pair of arms appeared behind him, supporting him.
Lin Qingyang turned around to see Chu Lishu.
“Cousin, Mu Huichun says my mother…”
“I heard some of it,” Chu Lishu nodded. “Don’t worry, everything will be fine.”
Chu Lishu’s soothing tone reassured Lin Qingyang. Then, turning to Mu Huichun, he asked a series of questions, helping to clarify the entire situation.
In the end, a detailed conclusion was reached.
There should be some kind of poison near the County Princess, something she has been in contact with for the longest time. This poison has been present for at least as long as her health began to deteriorate. It’s a custom-made poison, so Mu Huichun couldn’t identify it by name, but its characteristics were now clear.
The toxicity is mild, easily absorbed by the human body, and is automatically expelled after a certain period through bodily fluids like sweat. This prevents it from lingering in the body for an extended period. Apart from most physicians being unable to identify this poison, even skilled ones wouldn’t coincidentally be examining her pulse when she was poisoned. Hence, it remained undetected.
While inside the body, this poison doesn’t manifest any noticeable symptoms. However, like an invisible steel blade, it gradually scrapes away the vitality, causing the person to weaken each time they are poisoned. For those with better health, they can endure a bit longer, but for those with weaker constitutions, death will come swiftly. It appears as if the body is naturally deteriorating, but, in reality, it’s the poison stealing away their lifespan.
The trouble with this type of poison is its difficulty to detect. Once identified, eliminating the toxin and gradually restoring the deteriorated body is feasible. However, for someone like the County Princess, it’s already challenging to recover, as the damage has been extensive. According to Mu Huichun, the poisoning has been ongoing for at least three years, but he confidently claimed that he could help her readjust. With the addition of Lin Qingyang’s ginseng pills, there was no need to worry about the County Princess’s safety.
Thinking about this, at least Lin Qingyang could breathe a sigh of relief.
As for finding the poison, it’s quite manageable. Giving Mu Huichun the opportunity to carefully examine and sniff around, he would undoubtedly be able to locate it.
“You didn’t tell my mother, did you? I think it’s better not to let her know until we identify the toxin. She would worry too much,” Lin Qingyang immediately asked.
Mu Huichun blinked but looked at Chu Lishu before saying, “Senior Brother indeed foresaw everything. He told me before that once we determine the issue, don’t reveal it. Only inform you privately. So when I found out, I kept quiet and waited to come back to tell you.”
Lin Qingyang looked at Chu Lishu with some surprise, and Chu Lishu explained, “I tend to overthink. To handle potential complications, it’s better if aunt doesn’t know until we have a clearer plan.”
“Thank you,” Lin Qingyang sighed in relief. “I think I’ll temporarily send my mother to the Liu residence, saying we’re renovating her room to facilitate her recovery. This way, we can thoroughly investigate what this toxin is.”
Both Chu Lishu and Mu Huichun agreed with his idea. So, as soon as it was dawn, after everyone got up, Lin Qingyang called his cousin and uncle from the Liu family, who had already moved to the opposite residence, to discuss the matter.
Upon hearing about the poisoning, the two were also startled. Liu Jingchen’s expression changed slightly, as if he had thought of something. He couldn’t help but glance at Chu Lishu, who remained expressionless. Liu Jingchen had no choice but to cooperate and assist in finding the poison.
After finishing breakfast, all the women in the residednce were sent to the Liu residence, leaving only Nanny Ding who had personally taken care of Lin Qingyang’s mother.
Since they said they were going to renovate her room, keeping Nanny Ding didn’t raise suspicions.
When Nanny Ding was informed of the truth, she almost collapsed, her anger causing her to abandon her usual manners and start cursing vehemently. She was eager to quickly identify the poison and find out who was trying to harm the County Princess.
Chu Lishu informed Nanny Ding that since Mu Huichun only diagnosed the poisoning during the last and current pulse examinations, it indicated that between these two instances, the County Princess must have done something to get poisoned.
Nanny Ding quickly recalled the events. The County Princess usually woke up early, after which she would go to the small Buddha hall separated from the room to pay respects to Guanyin. Then, she would eat some snacks and drink tonic. She had basically not left the inner room and had no contact with anyone except Nanny Ding.
This made things easier. Mu Huichun started circling around the inner room, even scrutinizing Nanny Ding. After ensuring there was no poison, he continued sniffing, resembling a drug-sniffing dog in action.
It wasn’t until Mu Huichun reached the Buddha hall, stopped in front of the Guanyin painting, and couldn’t resist reaching out to touch it.
“This painting…” Nanny Ding was about to say it was precious when she saw Mu Huichun suddenly take down the Guanyin painting. “It’s this!”
Everyone was bewildered. The painting was poisonous?
Mu Huichun quickly rolled it up, saying, “Take it to a well-ventilated place and examine it. Don’t get too close to smell it, or you might get poisoned. Although it’s mild, it can still harm the body.”
When everyone arrived in the courtyard, Mu Huichun unfolded the painting and observed it closely. He exclaimed, “Such a clever design.”
Mu Huichun explained that the issue lay in the paper used for this painting. The raw material used to make this paper was the source of the poison. It emitted a faint paper fragrance as it hung there, and people who worshipped in front of it would stay for a long time, naturally getting poisoned. If they touched it for an extended period, the poisoning would accumulate.
The reason only the County Princess was affected was that most of the time she worshipped in quiet, and even Nanny Ding wouldn’t stay by her side, merely observing from a distance. Additionally, as it was the younger sister’s relic, the County Princess usually took care of it alone, leading to her being the most severely affected.
So, every time the County Princess worshipped, she got poisoned, weakening her body a bit more each time. This morning, the worship concluded, and the diagnosis revealed the poisoning.
Now, after Mu Huichun’s explanation, everyone understood. However, Chu Lishu frowned slightly, as it reminded him of a assassin in the Blood Abyss Pavilion, Ghost Paper.
The first to have a strong reaction was Nanny Ding, who had always accompanied the County Princess. Being an elderly member of the Prince’s residence, she naturally knew many things.
“It’s impossible. This Guanyin painting wasn’t a gift from someone else; it was personally painted by the emperor and given to Consort Liu, who later passed it on to the County Princess before her death,” Nanny Ding said in surprise.
“My younger aunt also died from the same kind of physical decline,” Liu Jingchen said in a deep voice. “The emperor is the prime suspect.”
“How… could it be?” Nanny Ding’s eyes turned red. “Concubine Liu was frail from birth, she’s always in poor health. How could it be…”
“How long after the emperor gave the painting to Concubine Liu did she pass away?” Lin Qingyang asked.
Nanny Ding replied, “It seems… a little over three months.”
Mu Huichun added, “That makes sense. Someone frail wouldn’t last as long with this poison as the County Princess did.”
Nanny Ding couldn’t stand steady; tears streamed down her face. She was greatly disturbed and, pulling Lin Qingyang aside, began recounting the events of that time. She truly couldn’t believe it.
When the Zhen Bei Prince’s mansion was confiscated by imperial order, Concubine Liu was still alive. Whether it was the prince’s mansion or the imperial palace, she enjoyed the emperor’s favor the most, almost to the extent of being the only one. At that time, people often said that if Concubine Liu didn’t monopolize so much of the emperor’s favor, there wouldn’t be so few imperial heirs.
After the incident with the prince’s mansion, people also speculated that if Concubine Liu had been present, the emperor would have shown leniency and spared them. Even if he was ruthless to others, he wouldn’t have been harsh on Concubine Liu.
Because Nanny Ding had truly witnessed how much the emperor loved Concubine Liu before he ascended the throne, she couldn’t believe this new revelation. In the memories of Lin Qingyang and Cousin Liu as well, their uncle (emperor) had indeed shown genuine affection for Concubine Liu.
In Chu Lishu’s recollections too, during that time, when the emperor was still a prince and Concubine Liu was one of the princesses (wives), there was a rare occasion when she became pregnant. However, due to Concubine Liu’s frail health and the fetus being in an unfavorable position, the late emperor dispatched many imperial physicians to the prince, all of whom informed him that this pregnancy was precarious. If he chose to keep it, he would need potent and aggressive medicine, which might worsen Concubine Liu’s condition, essentially exchanging her remaining lifespan for the child. At that time, for the imperial family, securing an heir was of utmost importance.
The emperor, without a second thought, directly ordered the termination of the pregnancy. He could do without the child, but he was determined to ensure Concubine Liu’s safety. Even without a child, he continued to favor Concubine Liu exclusively. Following that incident, the emperor didn’t allow Concubine Liu to conceive again, and she lived several years longer than what the court physicians had predicted.
This loving husband persona took a dark turn after ascending the throne, plotting to harm his beloved with a poisonous painting. This twist in character was indeed hard for people to accept.
However, one thing was certain – the County Princess was an innocent victim. After all, the emperor didn’t wipe out the entire Liu family, and there was no reason for him to target the County Princess specifically.
This turn of events left both Lin Qingyang and Liu Jingchen in a sour mood.
Silently brooding, Liu Xiaowei’s face was now filled with a menacing aura. Seeing his potential for rash actions, Liu Jingchen expressed concern and warned him, “Uncle, don’t act recklessly, alright? We don’t have a complete understanding yet.”
However, Liu Xiaowei countered, “What else is there to understand?”
Seeing Liu Jingchen at a loss for words, it was clear that he was already harboring strong suspicions against the Emperor.
Lin Qingyang pondered for a moment and suggested tentatively, “The incident with Concubine Liu happened before the turmoil at the prince’s residence. There’s no logical reason to kill Concubine Liu first. She was a frail woman who couldn’t have posed a threat. Perhaps the person who supplied the drawing paper wanted to harm someone else, and it was unintentionally used for Concubine Liu’s painting. So…”
Drawing on his extensive reading of novels, Lin Qingyang naturally explored various possibilities. This speculative explanation gave a glimmer of hope to the incredulous Nanny Ding.
But the next moment, this layer of hope was shattered by Chu Lishu.
“How was the Emperor’s health during the time when Concubine Liu fell ill? And where is the imperial physician who treated Concubine Liu now?” Chu Lishu asked.
At this moment, everyone in the Liu family remembered that when Concubine Liu’s health deteriorated, the Emperor accompanied her day and night. Rumors circulated that the Emperor, in caring for Concubine Liu, neglected his own health and fell ill as well. The palace physicians were undoubtedly around them, but there was no news of poisoning. After Concubine Liu’s death, the Emperor also suffered a serious illness. In his anger, all the physicians who participated in the treatment were ordered to be executed. However, for everyone, this was merely the Emperor’s extreme reaction to the grief of losing his beloved, and they did not consider looking into other possibilities.
But now, upon closer consideration, it appears highly suspicious. Concubine Liu gave the painting to the County Princess before her death, and it’s impossible for someone to tamper with it. Therefore, there is only one possibility: the Emperor knew the paper was poisoned, painted on the poisoned paper, and caused Concubine Liu’s death.
As the realization dawned, Liu Xiaowei, in anger, smashed a nearby stone table with his fist. Liu Jingchen could only grit his teeth and restrain Liu Xiaowei to prevent him from acting recklessly. Nanny Ding cried uncontrollably.
Watching this scene of grief, Mu Huichun couldn’t help but ask Chu Lishu, “Why would he kill his beloved woman? It’s not like she committed a crime, right?”
Lin Qingyang’s expression also became serious, unable to comprehend. “Could the favor and love be fake as well?”
Chu Lishu’s eyes flickered, eventually turning to Lin Qingyang. “Perhaps it’s because he truly loved Concubine Liu.”
Everyone looked at Chu Lishu in disbelief.
“What kind of love is this?” Liu Xiaowei exclaimed in anger.
Liu Jingchen also disagreed and even suspected that everything was fake. He believed that the Emperor married the frail and sickly Concubine Liu years ago just to gain the support of the Zhen Bei Prince’s residence. However, he felt that something was amiss because when the Emperor ascended to the throne, Prince Zhen Bei had been engaged in battles at the northern border and hadn’t returned to the capital for years, making it impossible for him to influence internal affairs or provide any support.
It wasn’t until after the Emperor’s enthronement that Prince Zhen Bei returned.
Chu Lishu spoke slowly, “I believe that within his harem, he genuinely loved only Concubine Liu. However, his greater love lies with power.”
When the Emperor had just ascended to the throne, he lacked direct control over the military. Most of the military power was in the hands of others. In order to secure his position on the throne and stabilize the volatile situation both inside and outside the court, it was difficult for him to manipulate others. Therefore, he started by targeting the recently returned Prince Zhen Bei, seizing the military power he held. It was the Emperor’s only option at the time to consolidate his rule.
When an emperor decides to convict a prince, he has various options regarding his beloved concubine. He can choose to spare her by finding a pretext or, at worst, punish her by demoting her or confining her to the cold palace. However, the Emperor went a step further and acted preemptively by killing Concubine Liu before taking any action against the entire Liu family.
“What does this imply?” Lin Qingyang was even more puzzled.
Chu Lishu explained, “It indicates that he didn’t want his beloved woman to witness him dealing with her maternal family, couldn’t face her disappointed gaze, and didn’t want her to hate him. So, he sent the Guanyin painting, first causing the death of Concubine Liu. He wanted her to leave with unchanged feelings towards him before taking action against the prince’s residence. He could have been more ruthless, completely eradicating the prince’s residence, but he didn’t. He only killed those who could take control of the military and spared you, leaving some care for the County Princess still in the capital. All of this is his mercy as an emperor that he didn’t need to show.”
After Chu Lishu’s explanation, everyone seemed to have some realization, as if only this possibility could explain the contradictory actions of the Emperor. However, it was even more difficult for them to accept in their hearts. What kind of madman, what kind of twisted love was this?
“We absolutely cannot let mother know about this. Let’s focus on treating her illness first,” Lin Qingyang immediately decided.
The painting was taken away by Chu Lishu, as he was quite interested in studying it. The others went to Lin Qingyang’s study to discuss the matter. They realized that the revelation of the poisonous painting must not be made public, as it could arouse suspicion from the Emperor. Some things needed to continue unfolding discreetly.
Lin Qingyang and Chu Lishu walked ahead, Lin Qingyang remained silent, and Chu Lishu was a bit worried. He spoke, “Are you still feeling sad? Aunt won’t be in danger.”
“I know, I’m just thinking about what you said earlier about the Emperor’s love… it feels a bit ridiculous,” Lin Qingyang said with bitterness.
“Yeah… very ridiculous. He’s a madman,” Chu Lishu replied.
Lin Qingyang couldn’t help but turn to look at Chu Lishu. In the original plot, Yuan Ran was ultimately more ruthless towards his own women than this Emperor, but he had never genuinely cared. It was unclear whether he could be considered more cruel than the Emperor.
“If it were you… would you choose to kill Concubine Liu?” Lin Qingyang couldn’t help but ask.
Chu Lishu’s eyes flickered. “I wouldn’t.”
Chu Lishu withdrew his gaze, reminiscing in a melancholic manner.
There were several instances in the past when Lin Qingyang was on the brink of death before him. At that time, he had only one thought: if he couldn’t protect Lin Qingyang properly, he might as well take matters into his own hands from the beginning.
So, he could understand the Emperor’s mindset. If Concubine Liu knew about the troubles with her family, her fate wouldn’t be much better, especially considering her frail health. The idea of her demise seemed inevitable. Therefore, the Emperor chose to take matters into his own hands, causing the death of his beloved.
However, the fleeting thought only lasted for a moment, and Chu Lishu knew it was impossible. Even when speculating that Lin Qingyang might be on the verge of death, the deep-seated fear that surged within him was intolerable.
So, even if he were insane, he couldn’t bring himself to act on it, and he couldn’t bear the idea of causing his death. Otherwise, he would have already declared his feelings and fulfilled Lin Qingyang’s wishes long ago.
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