Upon hearing this, Noble Consort Rong trembled so violently that she was on the verge of fainting! Princess Wuling, Mu Rong Wanlin, had only returned to the palace not long ago. With her gentle and kind personality, she was well - liked by the emperor, the empress dowager, and all the concubines. But now, such a thing had happened after only a few days in the palace!
If Princess Wuling was really harmed by a villain, the emperor would surely fly into a rage. And the first one to bear the brunt would be Noble Consort Rong, who would be accused of poor management of the harem.
Noble Consort Rong's face was as gloomy as water, and cold sweat dripped from her forehead. She waved to the servants beside her and said, "Hurry and report this to the emperor. Also, invite all the respected imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy to see if there's any way to save Princess Wuling! Go quickly!"
"Yes!" The maidservants, seeing the usually dignified and elegant Noble Consort Rong in such a state of panic, also became tense. They rushed out of the door in a hurry.
Suddenly, a female figure rushed in from outside the door. Ignoring Noble Consort Rong and the kneeling servants, she hurriedly rushed to Wei Dongling's side and felt her pulse.
The newcomer was Concubine Shu, who had stood out in last year's imperial consort selection. Usually, she was gentle and quiet, never competing for anything. But today, upon hearing that Princess Wuling was in trouble, she rushed over without even saluting Noble Consort Rong.
Noble Consort Rong didn't have the heart to care about such things at this moment. She suddenly remembered that Concubine Shu knew a bit about medicine, so she quickly stepped forward and asked, "Sister Concubine Shu, how is Princess Wuling?"
Wei Dongling squinted and tilted her mouth, staring at the woman in front of her. This Concubine Shu had never participated in her harem tea - parties. She only sent some small gifts back when receiving the milk tea. Unexpectedly, although they were only on nodding terms, when she heard about the accident, she was the first to come and try to help.
This was a friend worth making!
Concubine Shu carefully felt Wei Dongling's pulse and then replied softly, "Reporting to Noble Consort Rong! It seems that Princess Wuling took a detoxifying pill in time, which is why she's still hanging on! If we can obtain the elixir beside the empress dowager, perhaps she can be saved!"
Noble Consort Rong's face turned pale. The elixir beside the empress dowager was refined by the emperor with great effort and many extinct medicinal herbs to show his filial piety. It was said to have the effect of bringing the dying back to life. As for whether the empress dowager would be willing to take out such a precious thing to save Princess Wuling, that was hard to say.
Soon, the emperor arrived with a group of imperial physicians. Seeing Wei Dongling lying thinly - clad on the couch, her face black and lifeless, the emperor's heart tightened instantly. He was shocked and angry. "This is simply outrageous! There are actually people daring to harm my princess in the palace! Order the Inner Court Department to investigate thoroughly!"
"Yes!" Eunuch Cao quickly ordered the young eunuch to go.
Several elderly imperial physicians surrounded Wei Dongling and took turns feeling her pulse. After discussing for a while, they knelt on the ground and hesitated to speak, "Your Majesty, the poison that Princess Wuling has been poisoned with has entered her internal organs. I'm afraid..."
The emperor stared at the kneeling imperial physicians on the ground and roared, "Afraid of what?"
The imperial physicians looked at each other and didn't dare to say a word.
The emperor glanced at Wei Dongling on the couch, who had lost all her color. Heart - stricken and angry, he shouted, "Speak up!"
A young imperial physician bravely whispered, "Your Majesty, Princess Wuling has been poisoned with arsenic... There is no cure..."
Hearing this, the emperor was furious. "Bold! If you can't save my Princess Wuling, you'll all be buried with her!"
His daughter was such a kind person. She had traveled through Xing Mountain and Hanzhong, and was always willing to help even those who had nothing to do with her! He owed this daughter so much. She had been left alone and wandering outside since childhood. Now, just when she had finally returned to the palace and was living a comfortable life for a few days, she was secretly harmed by someone with ill intentions! The emperor felt as if his heart was bleeding.
Seeing the emperor's rage, everyone knelt on the ground, not daring to even breathe.
Wei Dongling: Oh! Ruan Niang's little pills are really effective! They can even deceive all these imperial physicians! No wonder she's a famous doctor. She's truly amazing! I must thank her heavily when this is over!
"Your Majesty, please calm down!" The soft and delicate voice came from Concubine Shu. She knelt on the ground, looking up at the emperor with concern in her eyes. She said firmly, "Perhaps there's still a way to try! Judging from the pulse, Princess Wuling took a detoxifying pill in time, which temporarily suppressed the toxicity! If we can get an elixir and administer it to her in time, I believe there's a possibility of saving Princess Wuling's life!"
The elixir? The emperor stopped in his tracks.
On the empress dowager's birthday this year, he had spent countless precious medicinal herbs to refine an elixir for his mother, hoping that she would be healthy and live a long life. Some of the medicinal herbs used in this elixir were already extinct, and there was no possibility of refining it again.
But he had already given it to the empress dowager as a birthday gift. How could he ask for it back?
Hearing Concubine Shu say this, a group of imperial physicians quickly nodded in agreement.
The imperial physicians: Could we say no? There was no other way besides this!
The chief eunuchs of the Inner Court Department rushed over and began to interrogate all the servants who had come into contact with the steamed perch one by one.
The emperor had tasted this dish during lunch and thought it tasted good, so he had it given to Princess Wuling intact. On the way from the Taiji Hall to the Yaoguang Pavilion, someone with ill intentions had actually tampered with it.
The chief eunuch of the Inner Court Department took the young eunuch who delivered the dish in front of the emperor, the maid Qiaoyue who received the dish in the Yaoguang Pavilion, and the maids and eunuchs who served Wei Dongling personally to the courtyard for interrogation.
When the empress dowager heard that Princess Wuling was in danger, she rushed over in a hurry with everyone. Seeing Wei Dongling lying haggard on the couch, and a room full of kneeling imperial physicians and servants all looking terrified, the empress dowager's voice trembled as she asked, "How is my granddaughter?"
The emperor's eyes were blood - red. He lowered his head and said, "Mother, it's all my fault. If I hadn't rewarded her with that steamed perch, she wouldn't have been taken advantage of by someone with ill intentions. I tasted the fish in the hall and it was fine. But on the way from the Taiji Hall to her place, someone tampered with it! They even sprinkled highly poisonous arsenic. Poor innocent child of mine! She... "
"Arsenic?" The empress dowager's face turned pale with fright. Fortunately, the emperor was safe. It was obvious that someone was targeting Princess Wuling. But Princess Wuling had only returned to the palace for a few days. Who would be so eager to get rid of her?
The empress dowager was filled with panic. Poisons like arsenic were prohibited in the palace. Who had such a bold nerve to poison someone right under everyone's noses?
The emperor glanced at Noble Consort Rong, who was kneeling on the ground.
Noble Consort Rong understood and said in a deep voice, "Mother, the imperial physicians said that there's still a chance to save Princess Wuling."
The empress dowager was anxious. "Is this true? Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and save my granddaughter!"
The imperial physicians quickly knelt on the ground and kowtowed, not daring to raise their heads.
Noble Consort Rong hesitated for a long time before saying, "The imperial physicians claim that the golden elixir that the emperor gave you on your birthday not long ago to show his filial piety has the effect of bringing the dying back to life." Noble Consort Rong felt a bit embarrassed and looked up at the empress dowager's face while speaking.