As the sky began to lighten, the morning sunlight filtered through the carved window lattice and spilled onto the golden-brick floor of the emperor's bedchamber. Just like every other day, under the attendance of the eunuchs, the emperor took the carefully prepared medicinal potion from the Imperial Hospital. However, only a short while later, he was overcome by a powerful dizziness. Immediately after, his chest felt stuffy, his breathing became rapid, and his forehead was instantly covered with fine beads of sweat. The emperor clutched his chest in pain and let out a faint groan. Seeing this, the eunuchs beside him turned deathly pale with fright and shouted frantically for the imperial physicians. This cry was like a powerful bomb, setting off a great commotion in the originally tranquil imperial palace.
The news spread rapidly throughout the entire court, and for a time, panic reigned within the imperial palace. When Lin Yue heard about this, she immediately had a bad feeling. Agui, a trusted confidant of Li Yi, keenly sensed that this was by no means an ordinary case of improper medication; as a medical woman, Lin Yue was well aware of the importance of the medicine the emperor took, and she suspected that there was a huge conspiracy lurking behind this incident. The two exchanged a glance and understood each other without words, and a covert investigation with undercurrents surging began.
The imperial palace, this magnificent and grand palace complex, with its resplendent and solemn exterior, was a symbol of power. But beneath this glorious facade, countless unknown secrets were hidden. The passages within the palace wound and turned, like a labyrinth, connecting various palaces and courtyards. There were also many hidden corners known only to a very few people. Li Yi and Lin Yue were like two brave explorers, moving through this labyrinthine imperial palace, not missing any place where clues might be hidden.
Relying on the extensive connections he had accumulated in the court over the years, Agui began to secretly inquire about information from the low-ranking officials who had a good relationship with him on a daily basis. Although these low-ranking officials held a low position in the palace, they were well-informed and knew all about the affairs large and small within the palace. They secretly provided clues to Li Yi one after another. After a thorough inquiry, Agui learned that the eunuch Tuo Hanxing's behavior in recent days had been extremely abnormal. Tuo Hanxing was not a law-abiding person on ordinary days, and recently he had been skulking around the pharmacy of the Imperial Hospital frequently. He looked just like a sneaky night cat with ill intentions, waiting for an opportunity to act, and every one of his actions was full of suspicious points.
Lin Yue devoted herself wholeheartedly to the in-depth study of the medicinal potion. She carefully examined and compared the original formula of the emperor's potion with the remaining medicinal herbs one by one. Lin Yue's gaze was focused and determined, like a precise scanner, not missing any tiny detail. She carefully observed the shape and color of each medicinal herb, gently touched their texture with her fingers, and sniffed their smell at the tip of her nose. Finally, she discovered that the smell and texture of one of the key medicinal herbs were completely different from the normal state. This discovery made her heart tighten, and she immediately informed Li Yi, the emperor, of this situation. The two gradually focused their suspicion on Consort Lou and Tuo Hanxing.
Looking back at the beginning of this conspiracy, everything stemmed from the blazing jealousy in Consort Lou's heart. Consort Lou was in her luxurious but somewhat chilly palace chamber. Every day, she watched as Lin Yue's reputation rose steadily in the palace, with various praises and the emperor's favor continuously pouring towards this ordinary-born medical woman. Her heart was filled with unwillingness and resentment. Lin Yue was just a medical woman from an ordinary family, yet she could be so glorious in this palace, while she herself, as a consort, was gradually being neglected by the emperor. This disparity made Consort Lou's jealousy almost out of control.
On this day, Consort Lou secretly summoned her trusted eunuch, Tuo Hanxing, to the chamber. The light in the chamber was dim, and the atmosphere was oppressive. Consort Lou frowned tightly, her face full of resentment, and her eyes shot out a cold and venomous gaze like that of a viper. Gritting her teeth, she said: "That Lin Yue is just a medical woman from an ordinary family. Why on earth can she steal the limelight in this palace? I really can't swallow this anger! You have been serving me for many years. Do you have any way to suppress her arrogance?" Tuo Hanxing rolled his eyes, looking just like a crafty fox. A flattering smile immediately spread across his face as he said: "Your Highness, please don't be angry. It's not worth getting angry and hurting your body. Right now, the Imperial Hospital is busy preparing a new medicinal potion for the emperor. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We just need to tamper with one of the key medicinal herbs a little bit. When the emperor takes the potion and there is a problem with its efficacy, we can then pin the blame on Lin Yue. Even if she had a hundred mouths, she wouldn't be able to defend herself." After hearing this, the corner of Consort Lou's mouth curled up into a sinister arc, as if she could already see Lin Yue in a state of complete disgrace and embarrassment. She nodded in satisfaction, and a vicious frame-up conspiracy was quietly finalized.
Soon, on a day when everyone in the Imperial Hospital was so busy that they had no time to pay attention to other things, Tuo Hanxing began his evil act. He sneaked into the pharmacy on tiptoe like a thieving mouse. The pharmacy was filled with a strong medicinal aroma, and Tuo Hanxing's actions were extremely cautious, like those of a well-trained agent. First, he looked around carefully, with his ears perked up high, not missing any slight sound. His heart was pounding rapidly, and every breath he took seemed particularly heavy, for fear of being discovered. After making sure that there was no one around, he quickly took out the fake medicinal herb that he had carefully prepared in advance from his arms. The fake medicinal herb was wrapped layer by layer in a black cloth, exuding a mysterious and ominous aura. He skillfully opened the medicine cabinet where the key medicinal herbs were stored and replaced the real herb with the fake one at a very fast speed. After finishing all this, he felt secretly proud in his heart and a faint sinister smile appeared on his face. He thought to himself: "Lin Yue, Lin Yue, your good days are completely over now. Let's see how you can still show off in this palace in the future."
Sure enough, after the emperor took the medicinal potion, he soon showed symptoms of discomfort. Consort Lou and Tuo Hanxing hid in the dark and watched as the palace was in chaos because of the emperor's illness. They secretly rejoiced in their hearts. Smiles of triumph appeared on their faces, as if everything was under their control. Subsequently, they were like two messengers spreading evil rumors, starting to spread rumors everywhere in the palace. They exaggerated the suspicion and pointed it at Lin Yue, claiming that she had malicious intentions and deliberately tampered with the medicinal potion, attempting to murder the emperor. These rumors spread rapidly in the palace like a plague. For a time, Lin Yue became the target of public criticism, surrounded by the accusations and suspicions of everyone, and fell into the abyss of a trust crisis.
After a long and arduous investigation, Agui and Lin Yue finally obtained enough evidence. They then brought Consort Lou and Tuo Hanxing before Li Yi, the emperor, for interrogation. Li Yi wanted to conduct the interrogation personally. The atmosphere in the interrogation room was solemn, and the light was dim, with only a few faint palace lanterns emitting a dim yellow light. As soon as Tuo Hanxing stepped into the interrogation room, he began to display his "superb acting skills". He directly collapsed to the ground, waving his hands wildly in the air, and shouting loudly: "Your Majesty, this servant is innocent! What on earth is going on? This servant really knows nothing! Someone must have deliberately framed me. This servant is absolutely loyal to Your Majesty, and the sun and the moon can bear witness!" Li Yi's expression was cold and stern, like ice in the cold night, and his eyes revealed an undeniable majesty. Without haste, he placed the fake medicinal herb found and the evidence that recorded Tuo Hanxing's whereabouts in detail in front of him one by one and said word by word with a sonorous voice: "The evidence is conclusive and right in front of you. Do you still want to deny it?" But Tuo Hanxing was like a rascally scoundrel who was trying to cheat. He suddenly raised his voice and shouted frantically: "Someone must be jealous of me and deliberately forged these things to frame this servant. All this evidence is fake, fake!"
Consort Lou, on the other hand, put on a pitiful appearance. Her eyes instantly filled with tears, and the tears rolled down like beads off a broken string. She sobbed: "Your Majesty, since I entered the palace, I have always been loyal to you and have never had the slightest bit of disloyalty. How could I possibly do such a heinous thing? Someone must be jealous of my position in the palace and deliberately set up this vicious trap to frame me. Your Majesty must see through this clearly!" As she spoke, she also gently wiped her tears with a handkerchief from time to time. The delicate patterns embroidered on the handkerchief looked particularly ironic in this false scene. She was trying to win the emperor's sympathy with this pitiful appearance.
The interrogation reached a deadlock, and the air in the entire interrogation room seemed to have solidified, making it extremely oppressive and difficult to breathe. Li Yi and Lin Yue exchanged a glance and understood each other. They decided to break through by targeting Tuo Hanxing's weakness. Lin Yue walked forward slowly with gentle steps, and her voice was mild but carried a hint of irresistible power: "Eunuch Tuo, you also know in your heart that the evidence is now irrefutable. If you confess truthfully and explain the cause and effect of the matter clearly, perhaps His Majesty will consider that this is your first offense and give you a lighter punishment. But if you are stubborn and continue to delay, what awaits you will surely be severe punishment, and then it will be too late to regret." Tuo Hanxing, however, just gave a cold laugh. There was a hint of stubbornness and unwillingness in his laugh. He still clung to the hope of getting away with it and chose to continue delaying. Just at this critical moment when the stalemate persisted, a small and timid eunuch stood up tremblingly. His legs were trembling slightly, and his voice carried a hint of a sob: "Your Majesty, this servant is willing to testify. When this servant was on duty in the palace before, I once saw with my own eyes Eunuch Tuo and Consort Lou having a secret meeting in the chamber. At that time, their expressions were very mysterious. Not long after that, something happened in the pharmacy. This servant has always been afraid of retaliation, so I didn't dare to say anything. Now I really can't bear to see an innocent person being wronged." When Consort Lou and Tuo Hanxing heard these words, their faces, which had originally been pretending to be calm, instantly turned as pale as paper, as if all their strength had been drained away, and their bodies also began to tremble slightly.
Under the continuous questioning and powerful psychological offensive of everyone, Tuo Hanxing finally could no longer withstand the pressure. His legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground. Like a deflated ball, he confessed the entire process of planning and implementing the conspiracy without reservation, with every detail clear and distinct. Seeing that the situation was hopeless and all her pretenses were meaningless, Consort Lou no longer tried to hold on. She slumped to the ground, her eyes empty and devoid of any luster, as if she had lost all her radiance, and the whole person fell into a deep abyss of despair.
After the truth came to light, when the emperor learned that he had been calculated by these two people, he was immediately enraged and furious. His face was filled with anger and majesty, and his voice revealed endless anger: "How dare they be so audacious as to frame me and a loyal and good person! I will never let them off lightly!" According to the law, he severely punished Consort Lou and Tuo Hanxing as a warning to others. The reputation of the Imperial Hospital was finally restored, and the imperial physicians who had been kept in the dark all this time expressed their gratitude to Li Yi and Lin Yue one after another. Their eyes were filled with admiration and gratitude. Lin Yue and Li Yi were well aware that the struggles in this palace were like an endless storm and would not stop because of this temporary victory. But they were not afraid at all. The
two joined hands and stood side by side, continuing to firmly safeguard justice and peace. In this complex and labyrinthine court, they strived to hold up a peaceful sky for the country and the people, becoming a ray of hope in the dark court.