Chapter 1586 - 1433: The Fake Commandery Princess 43
Although Ye Shuangshuang provided two solutions, without Blood Ginseng and rhino horn, they could only choose the second solution in the end, as pain matters little in front of life.
Ye Shuangshuang prescribed another medicine formula, instructing the Chief Eunuch to fetch it, and she had just learned the Chief Eunuch’s name, Liao An, known as Eunuch An.
The Blood Ginseng and rhino horn were temporarily unreliable; however, the Emperor’s poison must be removed promptly. After watching the Emperor take the medicine personally, Ye Shuangshuang began acupuncture treatment to extract the poison.
To prevent the Emperor from struggling during the poison extraction, Ye Shuangshuang specifically summoned several strong eunuchs to control the Emperor’s limbs.
These eunuchs initially dared not move, as offending the dragon body could easily cost them their heads.
It was only after the Empress assured them of their innocence that these eunuchs dared to act, though they still hesitated and dared not use force.
Ye Shuangshuang observed the eunuchs’ tentative grip on the Emperor’s arms and legs and frowned: "Use some strength, or who will you catch like this!
Later, when I administer the acupuncture to the Emperor, if you don’t firmly hold him and he breaks free to endure pain again, then you are truly guilty, and who knows how many beatings you might receive then!"
The eunuchs turned pale upon hearing Ye Shuangshuang’s words and instinctively tightened their grip.
Seeing them hold the Emperor firmly, Ye Shuangshuang proceeded to administer acupuncture. This time, unlike the previous normal acupuncture which had a sensation but wasn’t too uncomfortable.
When Ye Shuangshuang inserted the needle this time, the Emperor woke stimulated, and began to struggle as Ye Shuangshuang manipulated the needle.
The eunuchs, recalling Ye Shuangshuang’s earlier words, tightly held the Emperor, not daring to slack, so he wouldn’t disrupt Ye Shuangshuang’s acupuncture.
These actions bewildered and, at the same time, slightly angered the Emperor, who opened his mouth to rebuke them. Ye Shuangshuang, fearing the Emperor’s sudden rebuke might scare the eunuchs into loosening their hold,
quickly reassured ahead of the Emperor: "Your Majesty, this humble girl is extracting poison for you, this process is slightly painful, please endeavor to endure.
These eunuchs assist to control Your Majesty’s limbs to avoid influencing this humble girl’s work; please do not blame them."
Though the Emperor struggled, his mind was clear. After hearing Ye Shuangshuang’s explanation, his anger subsided, and he stopped struggling, managing to endure with sheer willpower.
This process indeed was hard to bear, with the Emperor’s body feeling torn and burnt painfully, the pain gradually increased, causing unbearable agony, soon resulting in him breaking cold sweat.
The Emperor initially ignored the pain, but slowly couldn’t help but begin emitting low groans of pain, and his limbs once again struggled.
Though Ye Shuangshuang’s acupuncture lasted only a quarter of an hour, the Emperor felt he had endured countless hours.
After Ye Shuangshuang finished, the Emperor appeared washed, saturated with sweat soaking his bedclothes, lying powerless on the bed.
Despite the earlier acute pain during treatment, now lying soaked in sweat on the bed, the Emperor clearly felt a long-lost relief in his body.
Ye Shuangshuang had administered one session of acupuncture, ensuring the Emperor wouldn’t fall asleep again for at least an hour, leaving time for the Empress and Liao An to converse with him. Therefore, Ye Shuangshuang tactfully withdrew, citing medicine research as her reason.
Of course, Ye Shuangshuang didn’t stray far, remaining in the nearby side hall, already prepared with many medical books, all arranged by Liao An.
Liao An indeed lived up to being the Emperor’s confidant, handling affairs comprehensively, providing Ye Shuangshuang not only medical books but essentially a comprehensive collection of toxicology from the previous dynasty.
This was exactly what Ye Shuangshuang urgently needed; the Empress Dowager, as a harem woman who schemed against the Emperor, undoubtedly used a venomous secret potion frequently employed in harem disputes.
Among these harmful secret poisons, those handed down from the previous dynasty were the most plentiful. The Founding Emperor of the previous dynasty was no less capable a figure than the current Grand Ancestor, but unfortunately, his descendants were unworthy, indulging in quests for immortality from the second Emperor onward.
It is rumored that the previous dynasty’s Emperor had an eccentric hobby, believing the more women he had, the longer he lived, boasting of his nightly indulgence numbers, believing such indulgence could rejuvenate him.
It was said one Emperor managed to indulge with ten women in one night, becoming an idol among future Emperors, with such ludicrous beliefs, one can imagine how early the previous dynasty’s monarchs perished.
At the height of the previous dynasty, over ten years, they experienced twelve Emperors, among which five Emperors, three Empress Dowagers, and an Empress were confirmed dead due to secret poison conspiracies.
This chaotic and ludicrous dynasty lasted merely one hundred and twenty years, overthrown eventually by the current Grand Ancestor, who eliminated poisonous secret recipes from the previous dynasty’s harem.
However, these recipes were manually transcribed into volumes stored within the Imperial Family’s library, sealed away from external viewing.
But now, for the Emperor’s reassurance, Liao An had brought forth these sealed toxic recipes, as a confidant, he could naturally retrieve items forbidden to others.
Ye Shuangshuang was currently studying these toxic recipes, having previously suspected that the Emperor’s poison might be from the previous dynasty’s secret concoctions.
Poisoning the Emperor is no trivial matter, even the Empress Dowager would be exceedingly cautious to prevent knowledge, and for concealment, no poison was more discreet than those secret formulas.
The Empress Dowager, as the true leading figure of the harem, had easy access to the previous dynasty’s secret formulas, considerably less risky than bribing the Imperial Physician to sabotage the Emperor.
With this thought, after thorough searching, enduring until lamp-lighting time, Ye Shuangshuang finally affirmed her suspicion.
The previous dynasty’s secret poison "Red Beauty" was researched by a favored concubine who aspired to ascend as Empress, specifically plotted against the Empress.
This poison’s characteristic is that ingestion initially invigorates the victim, but later leads them to fall gravely ill from a minor ailment, gradually dying without cure.
"Red Beauty" acts based on a person’s constitution quality; the better the constitution, the later the activation, as the poison exhausts the body first before its onset.
The Emperor’s six-month delay before activation already attests to his excellent pre-existing physical condition.
The current dynasty’s Emperors generally have fine physiques, with few short-lifespan cases, likely related to their lack of indulgence in female company, regular schedules, and aversion to late-night festivities.