The Empress Dowager was suddenly shocked. The Imperial Physician was barely recognizable, his tattered robe barely concealing the skeletal remains beneath. His body, ravaged by severe torture, exposed bones through decaying flesh. Blood oozed from him incessantly, each drop staining the pristine jade floor of the Dry Bright Hall, gradually coalescing into an odor so foul that even the finest incense couldn’t mask it.
The Empress Dowager hurriedly covered her nose with a handkerchief, casting a sidelong glance at Princess Ankang. “This Imperial Physician spoke some truth, revealing the guilt of the young master. But how could the princess be so ruthless as to use torture to reduce him to this state?” She turned to Zhao Yan, her tone stern and righteous. “Your Majesty, although the princess is your aunt, she cannot be allowed to indulge in such private vengeance and harm loyal subjects.”
To her surprise, Zhao Yan appeared pale, his expression clouded. The Empress Dowager felt a sudden pang of unease. Princess Ankang began to speak slowly, “May I ask, Empress Dowager, on the day of Young Master Yang’s interrogation, you testified that this Imperial Physician and the late Chief Physician Qin Feng had jointly treated the late Emperor’s illness, almost always by his side in the imperial bed-chamber. This enabled the revelation of the coercion by the prince and me to force the late Emperor to pardon Young Master Yang. These are all facts.”
The Empress Dowager’s suspicious gaze darted between the princess and Zhao Yan. Seeing Zhao Yan offering no assistance, she couldn’t discern what the princess intended to say. She responded faintly, “Hmm.”
A sardonic smirk appeared on the princess’s face as she coldly addressed the trembling Imperial Physician on the ground. “Repeat what you said to the Empress Dowager.”
The Imperial Physician trembled on the ground as if he might collapse from blood loss and injury at any moment, but he managed to choke out, “I… I deserve to die. I was just a common court physician. Chief Physician Qin favored me, allowing me to assist him in treating the late Emperor. Later, I discovered that the prescription might be flawed, but I… I didn’t dare to speak. If I said the wrong thing, not only my life would be in danger, but also my family’s…”
“Wait!” The Empress Dowager finally sensed something amiss and questioned, “What prescription was flawed? Explain it clearly to me!”
The Imperial Physician struggled to raise his head to look at the Empress Dowager, then trembled and bowed his head again, saying, “Your Majesty… I once saw Empress Dowager personally transcribe a prescription for Chief Physician Qin, allowing him to use this prescription to prepare medicine for the late Emperor. Then, regardless of brewing or administering the medicine, she served the late Emperor. When I saw that the Emperor’s condition worsened, I suspected that the medicine was not effective. I suggested changing some ingredients, but Chief Physician Qin rejected my proposal. Later…,” he looked terrified as if he had exerted all his strength to say, “Later, I carefully examined the prescription again and found that if Aconite and Pinellia were taken together, their properties would counteract each other. Prolonged use… would be akin to poison!”
He almost shouted the last few words with his remaining strength before collapsing to the ground, sobbing in pain. The hall fell silent, and both Princess Ankang and Zhao Yan tacitly refrained from speaking. The Empress Dowager felt dizzy, taking a moment to regain her senses. She stood up, pointing at the Imperial Physician with a sharp voice, “You’re talking nonsense! Who instructed you to frame me? Was it her? Did she instruct you?” She pointed fiercely at Princess Ankang, then glared, taking a few quick steps to kick the Imperial Physician viciously before turning back to him, shouting, “Even if what you said is true! You were just a minor court physician back then, how could you have the qualifications to discover these imperial secrets? Even if Chief Physician Qin and I had any plans, how could you have possibly discovered them!”
“The Empress Dowager’s words are incorrect!” Princess Ankang suddenly spoke coldly, standing up and walking to the Empress Dowager’s side, staring at her. “But you admitted in public that this Imperial Physician was a trusted aide of Chief Physician Qin, who had treated the late Emperor’s illness together almost every day, how come you’re now denying it and diminishing his role to that of an insignificant minor character? In my opinion, Empress Dowager, you’re probably feeling guilty…” She emphasized the last few words heavily as if resonating through the entire palace.
The Empress Dowager was stunned by her words, then revealed a frightened expression, turning to Zhao Yan, “Is all of this planned?” She then turned sharply, pointing at Princess Ankang, shouting with a trembling voice, “It’s her! She plotted to harm me with poison! Yan, you must uphold justice for your mother! With Heavens as a witness, I could never harm your father!”
Zhao Yan sighed deeply, a pained expression on his face. Slowly picking up the parchment from the dragon case, he said tremulously, “Even I don’t want to believe it, but this prescription was transcribed by you, Mother. Now with both testimonies and evidence, even if I want to protect you, I don’t know how!” The Empress Dowager looked incredulously at the piece of parchment, finally remembering the prescription she once transcribed at the late Emperor’s instigation. She had trusted Chief Physician Qin, her longtime confidant, how could she have anticipated that the prescription would have flaws? She couldn’t have imagined that her longtime confidant would resort to such decisive measures to endanger her!
She felt as though her head was stuffed with countless things, almost bursting with pain. Staggering backward, she finally collapsed to the ground. Amidst the chaos, she grasped onto one last thought: “Where is my elder brother? I want to see my elder brother!”
Zhao Yan had never seen his mother so despairing and helpless. A fleeting trace of pity crossed his eyes before he hurried to her side, supporting her with a pained expression. “Father is currently outside the city on official business. He might not return within a day. Mother, if you have any grievances, just tell me!”
“Your Majesty,” Princess Ankang spoke coldly as she watched the scene unfold before her. “The Empress Dowager conspired with Qin Feng to poison the Crown Prince when he was seriously ill, causing his death. Her heart is terrifying, her crime deserves execution! Although she is your mother, she killed not only your father but also the rightful heir to the throne! If Your Majesty still wishes to protect her, I will be the first to refuse.”
Zhao Yan’s body stiffened, his hand trembling as he held onto the Empress Dowager’s. Then, with a pained and reluctant expression, he bowed his head heavily, silently acknowledging the Crown Princess’s accusation. The Empress Dowager slowly raised her head, tears blurring her vision as she witnessed the confrontation between the two.
Suddenly, everything became clear to her. She felt as if she were plummeting into an abyss, her nails digging deeply into Zhao Yan’s flesh as she whispered weakly, “This was all your doing, wasn’t it?” Deliberately manipulating Zhou Jihan to report to Xia Mingyuan, then intentionally provoking her by bringing up past events, arranging for a pawn destined to be sacrificed to enter, and pushing the beloved son of the princess to his death.
The princess, humiliated and almost destroyed, couldn’t help but hate her. If the princess happened to discover evidence that could lead to her demise at this moment, naturally, she would settle the score with her. With Qin Feng, the only one who knew the truth, long dead, the Imperial Physician she had confessed to became the most important witness to the events of that year. This scheme was intricately woven, essentially leading her to a dead end.
The Empress Dowager looked at her son, whom she had always thought was obedient and weak, feeling an unprecedented fear. She widened her eyes and stumbled backward, but Zhao Yan embraced her. To onlookers, his face was filled with tears of pain and reluctance, but only the Empress Dowager heard as Zhao Yan whispered in her ear, “I’m sorry, Mother!”
The Empress Dowager let out a cry of agony from the depths of her throat. She could never have imagined that it would be her husband and son who would ultimately push her to this point. She cried hysterically for a long time, finally taking a deep breath and holding back her tears as she said to Zhao Yan, word by word, “You truly are the son of him and me. Cruel enough. You have indeed become a qualified emperor!” Even at the last moment, he wanted to uphold his gentle and virtuous reputation, never wanting to bear the stigma of matricide. That’s why he involved the princess in this matter, and he didn’t mind sacrificing the princess’s beloved son for it.
Zhao Yan sighed almost inaudibly, softly saying, “This is what you taught me. This is my empire, and I will not allow anyone to meddle with it.” Then, he raised his head and issued a decree loudly, “The Empress Dowager conspired with the former Chief Physician to murder the late Emperor. She is hereby stripped of her title and banished to the cold palace awaiting further punishment.”
The Empress Dowager’s eyes filled with despair. She would never go to the cold palace. She was of the Xia family. Even if she died, she would die with the title of Empress Dowager! So she took off the golden hairpin from her head, about to plunge it into her throat, but Zhao Yan knocked it away, crying as he hugged her tightly, whispering in her ear, “Mother, you cannot die yet. If you die, the following scenes cannot be played out!”