Chapter 114: Investigation

"Yi-qi?"

"Yes." The imperial physician nodded. "Yi-qi is non-toxic in itself. It is primarily used to catalyze medicinal properties and amplify their effects. When common folk cannot afford expensive medicine, they often add Yi-qi to lower-grade prescriptions to achieve the desired result, provided the dosage is controlled."

"Yi-qi can also be added to nourishing medicinal meals to produce a potent restorative effect once it catalyzes the ingredients."

Shen Fuyu understood now. Yi-qi was essentially a buff—whoever received it would get a critical hit!

"So, you're saying that consuming this substance on its own is non-toxic?" Shen Fuyu asked. "That is interesting. Why, then, would Yi-qi appear in my meals? Physician, does this Yi-qi have any effect on ordinary food?"

"Naturally, though there would be no significant effect," the physician continued. "As for this young lady who has been poisoned, in my humble opinion, she must have come into contact with something previously, which was then catalyzed by the Yi-qi, resulting in these symptoms of poisoning."

"Physician! Physician! I beg you, save my daughter!" Madam Gu dragged herself forward, pleading.

The physician was distressed; whether or not to treat her depended on the Emperor's command!

"Treat her and find out exactly what she was poisoned with," Qin Zhiyi's gaze darkened. "Consort Shu."

Consort Shu, unexpectedly called out, froze for a moment before rising hurriedly. "Your Majesty."

"The birthday banquet for Consort Xian was managed entirely by you," Qin Zhiyi looked at her. "Why was Yi-qi mixed into Consort Xian’s meals?"

"Is Your Majesty implying... that I tampered with Consort Xian's food?" Consort Shu’s heart skipped a beat. "Your Majesty, please discern the truth. If I were to poison her, why would I use something as trivial and ineffective as Yi-qi instead of a lethal toxin that kills on contact? I am not so foolish!"

"Your Majesty, this servant dares to speak!"

Shen Fuyu had been wondering whether she should give Consort Shu a little push, but then she saw Yinling suddenly rush out and kneel!

*Good heavens! What is this girl trying to do?*

"Your Majesty, our Consort’s appetite during her pregnancy has always been good. Whether it was from the small kitchen or the meals sent by the main kitchen after she was confined, they were all prepared with great care to stimulate her appetite. Moreover, since our Consort became pregnant, her tonics have never ceased. When I was young, I once saw a pregnant woman with a voracious appetite, and we thought eating more was good for the child, but when it came time to give birth, the baby was far too large..." Yinling knelt on the ground, her eyes filled with resentment. "The result was the death of both mother and child!"

Shen Fuyu was startled.

The person behind this wanted to feed her until she was the size of a pig!

It was true; whether in the modern world or here, one should not stop eating during pregnancy just because of nausea, but one also shouldn't eat recklessly just because of a good appetite. With advanced modern medicine, the situation might be manageable, but in this ancient era, a woman had to give birth on her own. If a difficult labor occurred, wouldn't it be a death sentence?

Qin Zhiyi gripped his hands tightly, his gaze toward Consort Shu becoming increasingly hostile.

"No! I did not!" Consort Shu panicked. "Your Majesty, please look into this! Anyone who touched Consort Xian’s food, from the kitchen staff to the servants in the Crescent Palace, could be responsible! Your Majesty cannot blame me simply because I am currently in charge of these affairs. I am being wronged!"

The situation was suddenly spiraling into a serious crisis!

Shen Fuyu was momentarily stunned. She reached out and tugged at Qin Zhiyi’s sleeve. *Brother, don't get so worked up. Don't forget, there’s nothing in her belly to begin with!*

"Your Majesty, since Consort Shu says so, let us investigate," Shen Fuyu said, appearing to be the calmest person present. "We must find evidence to truly convict Consort Shu, must we not?"

Her tone had started off normal, but the latter part of her sentence turned the spearhead directly at Consort Shu!

Consort Shu: "?"

"Chang Fu," Qin Zhiyi called out. "Take your men and investigate personally."

The side hall remained in a state of chaos. Shen Tangyu’s sounds of agony were mixed with Madam Gu’s weeping and the intermittent, muffled words of the physician. Before long, the physician finally emerged from the side hall.

"Finished fussing?" Shen Fuyu blinked. "Is she dead or not?"

The physician wiped the sweat from his brow. What was he supposed to say? Why did Consort Xian look so disappointed that the girl hadn't died?

"Report the situation exactly as it is," Qin Zhiyi commanded.

"Yes." The physician felt a sense of relief but regained his solemnity. "The young lady is not in any grave danger. I have already administered acupuncture and prescribed medicine; her life is not at risk. However, she will need to rest and recuperate for some time, and she must be careful in the future. She must strictly avoid anything cold, or it may affect her fertility!"

"I took blood from the young lady and discovered that before consuming the Yi-qi, she must have come into contact with a toxic substance that harms women. The dosage was small, or perhaps it was slow-acting, but it was catalyzed by the Yi-qi, leading to the symptoms of poisoning." The physician felt a surge of panic as he spoke; that toxic substance surely wasn't meant for the girl lying inside...

"If it were a pregnant woman..." Qin Zhiyi glanced at the physician.

The physician pressed his head to the ground. "At best, a miscarriage; at worst, it could cost her her life!"

"In other words... no matter what these drugs were intended for, they were ultimately aimed at me," Shen Fuyu toyed with the tea leaves in her cup, scanning the people around her nonchalantly. "Your Majesty, someone is trying to harm our child."

Qin Zhiyi glanced at her. She didn't look like someone who had just escaped death.

"Investigate!" Qin Zhiyi was far more invested in the drama than Shen Fuyu. He threw the teacup in his hand to the floor; after the crisp sound of shattering, everyone knelt. Chang Fu’s men were bustling about, having just brought in everyone who had handled the food; they hadn't even had a moment to rest before diving back into the work!

Although the toxic substance was aimed at Shen Fuyu, it was Shen Tangyu who suffered. Chang Fu rushed in to interrogate her. Shen Tangyu had just regained consciousness, and upon learning that if she didn't recuperate properly, she might never have children, she burst into uncontrollable sobs.

"Miss Tang, tell me the truth. Before you ate that dish, what did you eat, drink, or touch?" Chang Fu looked at the woman crying inconsolably on the bed, feeling deeply annoyed. *Could you please cooperate? If we find out where the poison was planted sooner, won't we be able to give you an answer, too?*

After much questioning, Shen Tangyu stopped crying and struggled to recall. "Before that... I didn't touch anything. I had no chance to eat or drink anything all day. At the banquet, I was serving by the side of Consort... Consort Xian... If I did touch anything, it would be the things the Consort touched while I was serving her food. Aside from that, there was the 'Guanyin of Fertility' that Talent Lady Jiang gifted the Consort. I held that statue for quite a while, and I personally carried it into the inner chamber of the Consort’s residence..."