Chu Tianxing returned to the case details.
"A weak fanbase won't gain traction; at worst, they'll faint."
" Ye Qingyun tried to push himself up, but the meridians in his left arm were blocked first, then in his chest, and the bamboo slips kept urging him to surge upwards."
"The canal was blocked, and they were still pouring water into it; it's no wonder it collapsed."
"May I see the martial art he's practicing?"
The emperor looked at the bamboo slips.
"Show it to him."
Chen Dehai hesitated.
"Your Majesty, this item is involved in the case..."
The emperor raised his eyes.
Chen Dehai immediately shut up and had the young eunuch place the bamboo slips on the long table, spreading them out through two layers of cloth.
Chu Tianxing closer.
He didn't touch it, but just lowered his head to smell it, then squinted at the engraving.
The candlelight inside the hall burned quietly.
The imperial physicians stood aside, none daring to urge them on.
The emperor's fingertip pressed against the rim of the teacup.
My head is starting to hurt again.
It wasn't a severe pain, but rather a throbbing sensation that radiated to my temples.
I woke up once in the middle of the night last night, but after the pills took effect, I was actually awake until dawn.
The imperial physician once said that elixirs should not be taken for a long time.
But the imperial physicians would only kneel down and plead with them each time.
I can't pinpoint what went wrong, nor can I say exactly how wrong I went.
Chu Tianxing is different.
This quack doctor, when examining Ye Qingyun's corpse, spoke with every word that struck at the heart of the matter.
That's utterly outrageous!
They are capable, truly capable.
Chu Tianxing watched it for a full half-incense stick's time.
He then had a broken needle brought and placed it next to the bamboo slips.
"This technique is definitely not right."
Gu Mochen lowered his gaze slightly.
The emperor asked, "What's wrong?"
Chu Tianxing, "It teaches people to first gather their qi, then press on the pain, and then force the meridians."
"His strength increases quickly, his fists are hard, and he can withstand pain."
"But this goes against the principles of the human body's meridians."
His eyes lit up as he said this.
"I understand, Your Majesty. Ye Qingyun was greedy and got himself killed."
"He practiced this technique, and he also wants to learn traditional martial arts."
"Therefore, his blood and energy flow sometimes forward and sometimes backward."
"If you practice for too long, it'll become a complete mess."
"If it's blocked, you'll experience numbness, headaches, vomiting blood, insomnia, and a drumming sound in your ears."
The emperor's hand, which was resting on the teacup, stopped.
Ear drum sound.
He lay on the dragon bed last night, and the sound echoed in his ears.
It was so loud, it made me want to smash things.
The imperial physician said it was due to mental strain.
The alchemy furnace room says that the dragon's body is too fiery and needs to be harmonized with elixir energy.
Both sides are round.
But if something is too perfectly round, it can actually make people feel uncomfortable.
Chu Tianxing continued, "This method is the same as some elixirs."
"Your Majesty, I can smell it; you must have eaten quite a bit."
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Gu Mochen shuddered.
The movements were very small.
Gu Moran saw it.
The emperor saw it too.
The father and son were separated by a few steps of paved ground.
Gu Mochen's brocade box was placed neatly, and his dedication was recited perfectly.
The word "filial piety" should be absolutely flawless.
But as the emperor sat behind his desk, his mind wasn't filled with thoughts of his dutiful son, but rather with his increasingly drowsy state.
Anger that was becoming increasingly difficult to suppress.
He rubbed his temples.
"Second son."
Gu Mochen immediately stepped forward and knelt down.
"Father."
What kind of elixir did you offer today?
Gu Mochen pressed out the words and phrases he had memorized long ago.
"Your Majesty, I have heard that you have been overworked lately and have been sleeping little at night. I have recently found a remedy to calm your mind and nourish your vital energy."
"The formula aims to calm the mind, protect the vital energy, and regulate sleep. Your Majesty, I only hope that you will wake up less at night."
He kowtowed, his forehead touching the floor tiles.
The emperor picked up the ginseng tea, but did not drink it.
The tea lid touched the rim of the cup with a soft click.
"Open."
Chen Dehai opened the brocade box.
Three pills lay in the silk, their color light red, their fragrance faint.
The imperial physicians stepped forward and examined the group; some nodded, while others frowned.
But no one spoke.
Chu Tianxing sniffed sharply.
Cao Jin's eyelids twitched.
He spoke first, whispering, " Chu Tianxing."
Chu Tianxing ignored him and stared at the lining of the brocade box.
"Your Majesty, please take a look; the wax has been replaced."
All eyes in the hall were on him.
Gu Mochen looked up.
"Presumptuous."
Chu Tianxing pointed to the brocade box.
"The sealing wax has been changed, and the medicinal fragrance inside the box has been reduced."
Gu Mochen lowered his voice.
"You are a suspect in the case, and the imperial elixir is not something you can speak nonsense about."
Chu Tianxing looked at him.
"I'm telling the truth, and you still don't like hearing it?"
Gu Mochen turned to the emperor.
"Father, this man is just involved in a murder case, and now he's making baseless accusations that I offered him medicine. Does he even respect your authority?"
The emperor did not speak immediately.
He looked at Gu Moran.
Gu Moran lowered his head and pondered for a moment.
The Emperor wanted him to speak.
At this point, it would be better to use Chu Tianxing's words to deal with the second brother.
He stepped forward half a step and knelt properly.
"Father, please forgive me for saying something foolish."
The emperor looked at him.
"You certainly talk a lot of nonsense, so speak up."
Gu Moran said, " Chu Tianxing has quite a few problems."
Chu Tianxing turned his head.
"You're the one with the problem. If you keep staying up late, you'll develop kidney deficiency."
Cao Jin's forehead twitched.
Yuan Shen immediately closed his eyes.
Gu Moran remained unfazed.
"Father saw it too; he even told me."
"He smelled the eunuch's sleeves at the palace gate, and just now he smelled Lord Cao's knees and Lord Yuan's stomach acid."
"They even offended several high-ranking officials in the Imperial Medical Bureau."
The faces of the imperial physicians were not good.
Gu Moran continued, "The imperial physicians are all here, and can serve as witnesses."
"If Chu Tianxing, this will be a good opportunity to punish him for deceiving the emperor."
Gu Mochen stared at him.
Gu Moran lowered his head.
"Of course, Second Brother is right."
" Chu Tianxing is not worthy to touch the imperial medicine."
"Let him smell it through the handkerchief."
"If he is wrong, Father will punish him."
"This will also save me from wrongly accusing my second brother of his filial piety."
As soon as the words "filial piety" were uttered, the emperor stopped covering the cup.
The emperor looked at Gu Mochen.
Gu Mochen knelt very steadily.
That's incredibly stable.
So steady that even his breathing was controlled by a rhythm.
The emperor spoke, "Test it through the handkerchief."
Gu Mochen's hands, hanging by his sides, tightened and then relaxed.
Chen Dehai personally took a handkerchief and covered the pill box.
Chu Tianxing closer.
He first smelled the pills, then the corner of the box, and then the remaining traces of sealing wax.
No one spoke inside the hall.
The wind outside the window blew in the dampness after the rain, diluting the fragrance of the cinnamon, while the lingering scent of the box resurfaced.
Chu Tianxing up.
"Cinnabar, sulfur, lead fumes."
Gu Mochen immediately replied, "Using cinnabar in elixirs to calm the mind is a long-standing practice."
Chu Tianxing nodded.
"That's right."
Just as Gu Mochen was about to reply, Chu Tianxing added another sentence.
"But the lead odor in this box has been reduced, and the incense has been suppressed."
"There's also a musty, bitter smell from the old wax sealing it in."
The emperor's eyes fell on the brocade box.
"A musty, bitter taste?"
Chu Tianxing, "The lingering odor from years of smoking in the alchemy furnace room clings to people's hands, the wax seals, and the box lining."
"These three pills are now milder, so I've replaced them."
Gu Mochen kowtowed.
"Father, before I presented the elixir, I had the alchemist examine it, which may have led to the change of the sealing wax."
The emperor asked, "What about the medicinal properties?"
Chu Tianxing did not answer immediately.
He turned to look at the emperor's teacup, then glanced at the ointment on the emperor's forehead.
Cao Jin felt a tightness in his back.
This person is going to discuss the emperor's health.
Chu Tianxing said, "This medicine might not kill someone after just one dose."
"However, for people suffering from qi and blood rushing upwards, headaches, and insomnia, long-term consumption can refresh the mind, relieve pain, and make them more energetic at night."
"I slept even less afterwards, and my temper flared up even more."
"After that, it's similar to Ye Qingyun's method of boosting one's morale."
"People die incredibly quickly."
The imperial physician in the hall moved his lips, but then swallowed his words.
The emperor's hand, holding the teacup, trembled slightly.
The tea swirls along the side of the cup.
Headache.
Insomnia.
A thumping sound in my ears.
The more pills you take, the more energetic you become.
The more energetic I am, the harder it is for me to fall asleep.
People just keep trying and eventually they die.
The imperial physician dared not say these things.
The sorcerer would certainly not say.
The emperor stared at the three light red pills, his mind flashing back to the nights of the past two weeks.
I woke up at midnight.
The memorials were reviewed at the fourth watch of the night.
Unable to contain his anger at daybreak, he smashed the cup twice.
When the pill entered my mouth, my body did feel relaxed.
But after the initial relief comes a longer period of clarity.
Gu Moran Eye of Monitoring.
[Target: Emperor Great Yan ]
[Current status: Headache persists, dependence on elixirs deepens, and suspicion intensifies.]
[Emotional tags: fear of being deceived, body anxiety, father-son suspicion.]
[Risk: Continued use of the pill may worsen insomnia and irritability.]
Gu Moran looked away.
Chu Tianxing knew so much just by smelling it; his medical skills are indeed superior to Shen Ling'er's.
The second prince's move has stepped on his father's Achilles' heel.
The emperor put down his teacup.
The bottom of the cup struck the imperial desk with a deep, resonant sound.
" The Imperial Medical Bureau."
Several imperial physicians knelt down in unison.
"Your subject is present."
"Seale all recently prepared prescriptions."
"This box of pills will be examined by both the Imperial Medical Bureau and Chu Tianxing today."
Gu Mochen pressed his forehead to the ground.
"Father, I was deceived by the sorcerer."
The emperor didn't look at him.
"All alchemists, alchemy shops, and personnel involved in matters within your household shall be handed over to the Imperial City Bureau for investigation."
"I'd like to know what you've been feeding me lately."
Gu Mochen's throat bobbed.
"Your subject obeys the decree."
The emperor then looked at Chu Tianxing.
"If you make a mistake, I will cut off your head."
Chu Tianxing thought for a moment.
"Can we eat first? I'm a little hungry."
The hall fell silent.
Cao Jin closed his eyes.
Gu Moran almost couldn't suppress her laughter.
The emperor stared at Chu Tianxing for a moment.
"Take him away, feed him well, and keep a close watch on him."
As Chu Tianxing being taken away, he turned back to ask Cao Jin a question.
Do you still owe me the noodles?
Cao Jin squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth.
"Calculate."
Just as Chen Dehai was about to announce his departure, the emperor suddenly spoke.
" Prince Yi will remain."
Gu Moran stopped in her tracks.
Gu Mochen glared at him as he passed by.
Gu Moran looked at the floor tiles, pretending not to see them.
The emperor's voice descended from above once more.
"Third brother."
"Lately, you always seem to be on the cusp of opportunity."
Tell me.
"You idiot, how come you've never been swept away by the wind?"
( -_·)?
[I went to the hospital for a check-up today, and my heart is still not feeling well. I can't stay up too late, so I'll only post two chapters for now. I'll definitely make up for the rest later!]
[Thanks to: Xingzhihao for the character summoning, Lin Xin for the update reminder charm x2, Xie Wangye for the update reminder charm, Mo Cang for the flowers, Bingke for the update reminder charm, and all the lovely readers for their support.]
Wishing everyone good health and all the best, bye!