Chapter 488: House Fight Turns into Thriller 27
Upon hearing this, the imperial physician had no choice but to retreat. He knew that the poison of "Red Beauty and Withered Bones" was a rare poison in the world, and the antidote was hard to find. He could only do his best to relieve Princess Jing'an's symptoms. As for whether he could find an antidote, it all depended on God's will.
After the imperial physician left, Princess Jing'an sat in front of the bronze mirror, looking at the face covered with red spots in the mirror, her heart filled with fear and despair. She thought of how she had once been as beautiful as a flower, but now she had become so ugly, and she couldn't help but burst into tears.
The news spread quickly in the palace, and people were in a panic. The maids discussed privately, saying that there must be an evil spirit in the palace, which caused Princess Jing'an to be in such a state.
When the Empress heard about this, she was also shocked. She knew very well the position of Princess Jing'an in the Emperor's heart. If anything happened to her, the Emperor would be furious and would implicate many people.
So the Queen Mother ordered her maid to quickly invite the imperial physician to come and inquire about Princess Jing'an's condition.
The imperial physician came to the Empress and reported Princess Jing'an's condition. The Empress was anxious when she heard this. She asked, "Is there really no antidote for this poison?"
The imperial physician shook his head and said, "There is no antidote for this poison. I can only do my best to relieve the symptoms for Your Highness the Princess."
The Queen was silent for a moment after hearing this, and finally said, "Go and find the antidote for me quickly. I will reward you handsomely. But this matter must be kept secret and the Emperor must not be informed."
The imperial physician was secretly glad when he heard this. He knew that the empress wanted to secretly find an antidote for Princess Jing'an so as not to alarm the emperor. He kowtowed to thank her and hurriedly left.
However, the poison of "Red Beauty and Withered Bones" is a rare poison in the world, and the antidote is hard to find. The imperial physician read countless medical books in the palace and consulted many old imperial physicians, but all of them found nothing.
One day, the imperial physician was thinking hard in his room when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the door. He looked up and saw a palace maid hurriedly walking in with an exquisite hairpin in her hand.
The maid walked up to the doctor and said, "My Lord Doctor, this is what Her Royal Highness the Princess asked me to bring. Her Royal Highness the Princess said that this hairpin was what she wore before she was poisoned, and maybe we can find some clues from it."
The imperial physician was delighted when he heard this. He took the hairpin and examined it carefully. It was a novel style, exquisitely carved, and inlaid with several dazzling gems. However, when he looked closely, he found a barely perceptible black mark on the hairpin head.
The imperial physician was moved, and quickly took out a silver needle and gently scratched it on the hairpin. The silver needle turned black instantly, obviously contaminated with poison.
The imperial physician knew that the hairpin must have been coated with the poison "Red Beauty and Withered Bones". He thought to himself: "Who put this poison? And why did they want to harm Princess Jing'an?"
However, he knew that the matter was of great importance and did not dare to act rashly. So he kept the hairpin in a safe place and decided to investigate the matter secretly.
The imperial physician held the poisoned hairpin in his hand, feeling heavy in his heart. He knew that this was not just a simple poisoning incident, but that there might be a more complicated palace conspiracy behind it. He decided to investigate secretly, starting with the source of the hairpin, hoping to find a clue.
He changed into casual clothes, quietly slipped out of the Imperial Hospital, and came to the Treasure Pavilion in the palace. The Treasure Pavilion was where all kinds of rare treasures were stored in the palace. Perhaps he could find a hairpin of similar style here, and thus trace its origin.
Inside the Treasure Pavilion, a dazzling array of treasures sparkled. The imperial physician shuttled between the various treasures, carefully searching for a style similar to the hairpin. While searching, he chatted with the manager of the Treasure Pavilion, trying to extract some useful information from him.
"Sir, I wonder if there is a similar hairpin in this treasure pavilion?" The imperial physician pointed at the hairpin in his hand and asked tentatively.
The steward examined it carefully and shook his head: "This hairpin is of a novel style, I have never seen it before. However, there are many treasures in the palace, perhaps there is a similar style forgotten in a corner."
The imperial physician was disappointed when he heard this. But he did not give up and continued to search in the treasure pavilion. Time passed by, and the imperial physician searched almost the entire treasure pavilion, but still could not find a style similar to the hairpin.
Just as he was about to leave, a palace maid hurried in with a brocade box in her hand. The imperial physician was moved and hurriedly stepped forward to stop the palace maid: "Miss, what's in the brocade box in your hand?"
The maid was slightly startled, then replied: "This is the jewel that the Queen gave to the princess. I was just about to send it to Jing'an Palace."
Upon hearing this, the imperial physician thought to himself: Perhaps the jewels in the brocade box could be related to the hairpin. So, he smiled and said to the palace maid, "I'm going to Jing'an Palace to see the princess again. Why don't you let me take it with me on the way?"
The palace maid hesitated for a moment, but seeing that the imperial physician spoke sincerely, she nodded and handed the brocade box to the imperial physician.
The imperial physician came to Jing'an Palace with a brocade box in his arms, feeling uneasy. Princess Jing'an was still sitting in front of the bronze mirror, looking at her face covered with red spots in the mirror, with a lonely expression.
The imperial physician placed the brocade box on the table and opened it. It was filled with all kinds of jewels, but there was no style similar to the hairpin. He couldn't help but feel a little annoyed, but still said to Princess Jing'an with forced calmness: "Your Highness, I have brought you the jewels given by the Queen Mother. Please take a look and see if you like them."
Princess Jing'an glanced at the jewels on the table, her eyes calm, "I am in this state now, how can I still be in the mood to wear jewels? My Lord Imperial Physician, do you know who poisoned me?"
The imperial physician shook his head, his expression solemn: "I am secretly investigating this matter, but I have no clue so far."
Princess Jing'an heard this and a trace of disappointment flashed in her eyes. She knew her situation very well and understood that this poison was not accidental. But she was more worried that if this poison really had no antidote, she might not live long.
The imperial physician felt sad when he saw Princess Jing'an was in a low mood. He consoled her, "Princess, please rest assured. I will do my best to find an antidote for you."
Princess Jing'an forced a smile and said, "Thank you, Imperial Physician."
After leaving Jing'an Palace, the imperial physician became more determined to get to the bottom of the matter. He returned to the Imperial Hospital, kept the hairpin in safekeeping, and secretly sent his confidant to find out the news.
However, after a few days, the news brought back by his confidants disappointed him greatly. Neither the palace maids and eunuchs nor the merchants and peddlers outside the palace had ever seen a hairpin like this. This hairpin seemed to have fallen from the sky without a trace.
The imperial physician was extremely anxious, but he did not give up. He began to look through the ancient books in the palace, trying to find clues about the poison of "Red Beauty and Dry Bones". However, this poison was too rare and there was no record of it in the ancient books.
Just when the imperial physician was in despair, a palace maid suddenly came to him. The palace maid looked nervous, as if she had something important to say.