allonlinenovel Chapter 559
Chapter 559
As twilight enveloped the Forbidden City, the glazed tiles reflected a cold, eerie light. In the steaming aroma of medicine from the Imperial Pharmacy, Dongfang Wan'er's hand, holding the pestle, suddenly paused—the licorice, which should have been bitter, had a faint, almost imperceptible, sweet-smelling quality. The female physician, who had come from a medical clinic in Jiangnan, was about to examine him closely when she suddenly heard a piercing scream from the end of the corridor: "Imperial Physician! Eunuch Li is vomiting blood uncontrollably!"
Outside the carved screen, several imperial physicians stood solemnly around the bed. Dongfang Wan'er pushed through the crowd, her fingertips barely touching Eunuch Li's bluish-purple wrist when she felt the pulse like tangled threads. She glanced at the unfinished medicine bowl on the table, tiny black particles settling in the brown liquid, and her pupils constricted sharply—this was clearly a sinister method of grinding the poisonous herb into an extremely fine powder and mixing it into a nourishing prescription.
As the water clock ticked, the candlelight flickered in the imperial study. The Regent, dressed in black robes with wide sleeves, tapped his knuckles on the yellowed map: "The record of the theft from the medicine warehouse three days ago perfectly matches the arrival time of a merchant caravan from a neighboring country." He looked up at Dongfang Wan'er, who was writing at the desk, her dark eyes reflecting the dancing candlelight. "Where do you think we should begin, young lady?"
Dongfang Wan'er gently spread out the silk cloth stained with medicine dregs, her fair fingertips tracing the brown marks: "This poisonous grass is ground into extremely fine powder, requiring extensive experience in grinding medicinal materials. The newly arrived physician Liu at the clinic prepares the medicinal materials alone in the pharmacy every day at dawn..." Before she could finish speaking, the sound of shattering tiles suddenly came from outside the window, and a dark shadow flashed past the palace wall.
Amidst the clanging of armor shattering the night, Dongfang Wan'er, carrying her medicine chest, rushed out after the Regent. In the moonlight, the dark figure was cornered by guards behind the artificial hill in the Imperial Garden, but suddenly drew a poisoned dagger and lunged at the Regent. In the nick of time, Dongfang Wan'er flicked her wrist, throwing golden needles aimed at the assassin's wrist acupoints. The assassin, in pain, released his grip, and a secret letter bearing the emblem of a neighboring country fell from his robes.
Inside the prison, torches cast a blood-red glow on the walls. Dongfang Wan'er stared through the iron bars at the huddled spy, then suddenly produced a porcelain bottle: "This is the antidote made from the herbs you used to poison me. If you confess, I'll save you." The man stared at the bottle, trembling violently, finally screaming, "It's...it's the King of the neighboring country! He said if I could disrupt the court, he'd make me a high-ranking physician..."
In the Golden Palace, the Emperor slammed his fist on the table, sweeping away the memorials on it with the hem of his dragon robe: "This is outrageous! Issue my decree: immediately prepare the army and horses!" The Regent knelt on one knee, the sword at his waist gleaming coldly: "Your subject is willing to lead the army into battle, and I swear I will not return until the neighboring country is completely crushed!" Dongfang Wan'er watched his resolute back and secretly slipped a secret letter into his sleeve—it was the border plague prevention plan that she had prepared overnight.
Three months later, as the triumphant bugles echoed throughout the capital, Dongfang Wan'er was instructing apprentices at the Imperial Medical Academy on identifying medicinal herbs. Suddenly, she heard footsteps approaching, and turning around, she found herself in an embrace still carrying the scent of gunpowder. The Regent removed his helmet, which was covered in the dust of battle, his eyes beaming with a smile brighter than the spring sun: "This time you brought back rare medicinal herbs from a neighboring country. Would you be willing to work with me to develop new medicines?"
Outside the palace walls, the people celebrated the peace. The crabapple blossoms in the Imperial Garden were in full bloom, their petals falling onto the medicine books, adding a touch of poetry to the yellowed pages. Dongfang Wan'er picked up her brush and wrote a new prescription; the fragrance of ink mingled with the scent of flowers, as if telling the unfinished legend of this perfect couple.
The air in the Imperial Pharmacy was filled with the scent of sandalwood in late spring. Dongfang Wan'er was carefully sifting the finely ground Purple Snow Pill powder. The powder in the bronze mortar gleamed like pearls. Just as she was about to put it into a celadon bottle, she suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the corridor. The vermilion gate was kicked open with a bang, and a gleaming spear was pointed directly at her throat.
"Hey, Physician Dongfang, His Majesty summons you!" The lead golden-armored guard was expressionless, and the sound of chains falling to the ground startled the white doves perched under the eaves. Clutching a handkerchief stained with medicinal powder, she was shoved through the corridor, the glazed tiles casting dappled shadows overhead, which for a moment resembled the iron bars of a prison cage.
The candlelight flickered in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the sandalwood incense mingling with the suffocating scent of ambergris. The emperor sat regally on his dragon throne, his face shrouded in shadow beneath his dark crown. On the table lay a secret letter, the ink glowing an eerie dark red in the candlelight: "The Regent is secretly raising assassins, plotting treason." The words stung her eyes, making them burn.
"Your Majesty, please investigate! The Prince has been stationed on the frontier for three years and hasn't even had time to write letters home. How could he..." Her voice was interrupted by the Emperor's slamming of the table. The gilded dragon-patterned table shook so much that the teacup tipped over, and the brown tea seeped onto the secret letter, resembling bloodstains.
"Shut up! The evidence is overwhelming, there's no room for your sophistry!" The emperor suddenly stood up, his crown tassels swaying, revealing bloodshot eyes. "He commands an army of 300,000, and now he's privately forging weapons..." Before he could finish speaking, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the hall.
The Regent's black robes were covered in dust, and beads of sweat from his journey clung to his forehead, yet he maintained his upright kneeling posture: "Your subject greets Your Majesty!" As he raised his head, Dongfang Wan'er saw the bloodshot in his eyes. "If I harbor any disloyalty, I am willing to be torn to pieces!"
Dongfang Wan'er gripped the silver needle in her sleeve and pointed to the handwriting on the secret letter: "Your Majesty, please look, the ending stroke of the character '豢' is different from the Prince's usual handwriting, it looks more like..." Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly heard an old cough coming from outside the hall.
The white-haired Grand Tutor, leaning on a dragon-headed cane, shuffled in, holding a yellowed scroll of silk in his hands: "This old minister has taken the liberty of intercepting a secret letter three days ago in a dilapidated temple south of the city." He tremblingly unrolled the scroll, on which was written in bold characters: "Use this secret letter to sow discord between the Regent and His Majesty, and avenge my king!" The signature was marked with the tiger tally emblem unique to neighboring countries.
The emperor's hand trembled slightly as he received the silk scroll. After a long silence, he sighed, "I was confused..." He descended the steps, personally helping the regent to his feet, his gaze sweeping over Dongfang Wan'er's medicine-stained clothes. "Thanks to the two of you, otherwise we would have almost made a grave mistake."
As dusk settled, the Imperial Garden resembled a tranquil and beautiful painting. Late-blooming cherry blossoms fell like snowflakes, adding a touch of melancholy to the scene.
Dongfang Wan'er stood quietly in the garden, her gaze fixed on the petal clinging to the Regent's shoulder. The petal trembled gently in the breeze, as if it too were telling a story. Her thoughts drifted away, recalling the scene from the Hall of Mental Cultivation just moments before.
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the Regent was questioned by the crowd, but he steadfastly protected Dongfang Wan'er behind him, like an unshakeable mountain. His tall and upright figure gave her an endless sense of security.
"This was truly perilous," Dongfang Wan'er said softly, her voice sounding somewhat ethereal in the evening breeze. Her fingertips unconsciously traced the edge of the medicine box, as if trying to calm the turmoil in her heart.