in2ebook Chapter 278: The Secret of the Fragrance of Medicine Dispels Doubts
Chapter 278: The Secret of the Fragrance of Medicine Dispels Doubts
Zhen Huan frowned and said worriedly, "The loss of a large amount of these precious medicinal herbs is definitely not a trivial matter. If they fall into the hands of treacherous people or are used maliciously, the safety of everyone in the harem will be in jeopardy."
An Lingrong nodded in agreement, "Huan'er is absolutely right. This matter should have been investigated from the Imperial Hospital first. Those responsible for the management and supervision of the medicinal materials are highly suspicious."
Concubine Hua's eyes were filled with sternness: "Hmph! I want to see who are the desperate bastards who dare to make trouble under my nose!"
The three of them then went to the Imperial Hospital. Inside, all the doctors were in a state of panic. Seeing the three ladies coming, they hurriedly bowed and greeted them.
Zhen Huan said coldly, "I'm asking you, what's going on with the medicinal herbs? Has anyone noticed anything unusual?"
The judge stepped forward and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, we have been monitoring the situation day and night, and we have noticed that the amount of medicinal herbs used has increased recently, but we have not been able to find the reason. It was not until we took inventory that we realized that many of the precious herbs were missing. We have failed in our duty. Please forgive us, Your Majesty."
An Lingrong asked, "Have you carefully checked the records of the medicinal materials leaving the warehouse?"
The judge replied, "Her Majesty, the records are all there, and there seem to be no errors. I'm just afraid someone may have tampered with them."
Concubine Hua shouted angrily: "Waste! A bunch of waste! You can't even take care of the herbs, what use are you!"
Zhen Huan raised her hand to signal Concubine Hua to calm down, and then said, "Don't worry, first call the eunuch and the palace maid who are responsible for the daily management of the medicinal materials. I want to ask them personally."
After a while, several young eunuchs and palace maids were brought forward, all of them trembling and their faces ashen.
Zhen Huan's eyes were as sharp as a torch as she surveyed everyone. "Tell the truth, do you know anything about the medicinal herbs?"
A palace maid fell to her knees and cried, "Your Majesty, I am innocent! I was only following orders and had no idea that the herbs were being smuggled."
A eunuch also hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, we servants follow the routine every day, I really don't know where the problem lies."
An Lingrong squatted down and said softly, "Don't be afraid. If you are merely an accomplice and tell the truth, the Emperor and I will go easy on you. But if you tell even a single lie, we will not let you off lightly."
At this moment, the eyes of the usually taciturn eunuch flickered, as if he had something to hide.
Zhen Huan saw this and walked straight towards him: "You, do you know something?"
The young eunuch sank to his knees, cold sweat dripping from his forehead. "Your Majesty, this servant... this servant dares not speak. If he does, he will be silenced."
Hua Fei said sternly: "If you don't tell me, I will take your life right now!"
The young eunuch was so frightened that he trembled all over and stammered, "Your Majesty, it's... it's Eunuch Zhao from the Imperial Household Department. He often comes to the Imperial Hospital and has dealings with a mysterious person. I once saw him secretly take some medicinal herbs and hide them in his sleeves."
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong looked at each other and both felt that this matter was not simple.
Zhen Huan asked, "Where is Eunuch Zhao now?"
The young eunuch said, "I don't know, I only know that he didn't come to the Imperial Hospital today."
An Lingrong said, "First, send someone to the Imperial Household Department to look for him, and then investigate the identity of that mysterious person."
Hua Fei immediately ordered her attendants: "Go, find Eunuch Zhao for me!"
Everyone returned to Zhen Huan's palace, awaiting news. Not long after, the person who had gone to look for him returned with a report: "Your Majesty, Eunuch Zhao is not in the Imperial Household Department. He appears to have left the palace. His residence is in disarray, as if he fled in a hurry."
Zhen Huan raised her eyebrows. "This Eunuch Zhao must have fled out of guilt, but who is behind him? What is that mysterious person's motive?"
An Lingrong pondered for a moment, "Perhaps that mysterious person is connected to the one who previously attempted to disrupt the harem, and wants to use the medicinal herbs incident to stir up trouble again."
As they were talking, Xiao Yunzi came to report: "Your Majesty, a package was found in the corner of the Imperial Garden. It seems to contain the medicinal herbs that were lost from the Imperial Hospital."
Zhen Huan stood up: "Let's go and take a look."
When they arrived at the Imperial Garden, they saw the package quietly placed in a corner. An Lingrong opened the package and examined it, and it was indeed a precious medicinal herb.
Zhen Huan looked around and said, "Someone must have done this on purpose to lure us here, but I don't know what their intention is."
Hua Fei said, "No matter what their intentions are, I will not let them succeed."
At this time, a guard came to report: "Your Majesty, a suspicious person was found at the palace gate trying to force his way out. He was stopped by the guards, and a small amount of precious medicinal herbs were found on him."
Zhen Huan said, "Bring him here."
The suspicious person was brought in and was terrified when he saw Zhen Huan and others.
Zhen Huan asked, "Who are you? Why are you smuggling medicinal herbs out of the palace?"
The man trembled and said, "Your Majesty, I was instructed by a merchant. He gave me silver and asked me to take the herbs out of the palace. I don't know what the herbs are used for, I just want the money. Please spare my life, Your Majesty."
An Lingrong asked, "What's the merchant's name? Where does he live?"
The man said, "I only know his last name is Qian and that he lives in a small alley east of the capital, but I don't know his exact address."
Zhen Huan said, "Sister Hua Fei, please take some people to the alley to the east to investigate and find the person behind this."
Hua Fei took the order and left.
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong continue to search for clues in the palace. They come to Eunuch Zhao's residence and search carefully. An Lingrong finds an account book in a secret compartment in the corner, which seems to have some obscure records.
An Lingrong flipped open the account book. "Huan'er, look, this account book records the loss and purchase of some medicinal herbs. Although the purpose is not stated, the amount is close to the amount of herbs lost. There are also some strange symbols, which may be code words."
Zhen Huan took the account book and said, "This must be the key clue, but the code will take some effort to decipher."
While the two were studying the account books, Concubine Hua returned to the palace with an unhappy look on her face.
Hua Fei said, "We didn't find the merchant named Qian in the alley to the east. I'm afraid someone tipped him off in advance, allowing him to escape."
Zhen Huan said, "It doesn't matter. Even though the merchant has escaped, we have this account book. We can definitely follow the clues and find the mastermind behind this."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er, I think the person behind this is not only looking for money, but also wants to use these herbs to harm the people in the harem. For example, they might tamper with the herbs to make people sick and cause panic in the harem."
Zhen Huan's eyes glared. "If that's the case, he deserves death! We must decipher the code in this account book as soon as possible and put a stop to his conspiracy."
Zhen Huan and An Lingrong then pored over the account books day and night, and finally, through their tireless efforts, they cracked the code. It turned out that the mastermind behind this was a high-ranking official in the imperial court, who was plotting to use the issue of the imperial harem's medicinal herbs to stir up chaos in the palace and thereby control the government. Eunuch Zhao and the merchant Qian were both his pawns.
After Zhen Huan learned the truth, she discussed countermeasures with An Lingrong and Concubine Hua.
Zhen Huan said, "This matter is of great importance. We must present the evidence to the Emperor and let him make the final decision."
An Lingrong said, "Huan'er is quite right, but that important official in the court is quite powerful. We must be careful not to be bitten back by him."
Concubine Hua said, "Humph! As long as I'm here, he won't be able to escape his guilt!"
The three of them then went to the Yangxin Palace with evidence and witnesses and told the emperor everything.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor was furious. "I never thought someone would be so audacious! I will not forgive anyone who dares to disrupt the harem and the court!"
The emperor immediately ordered the arrest of the important official and his accomplices. Eunuch Zhao was captured and severely punished along with the person who smuggled the medicinal herbs.
After this incident, the crisis of medicinal materials in the harem was resolved, and Zhen Huan and others once again successfully protected the peace of the harem. However, they knew that in this palace, conspiracies and intrigues would never stop, and they still had to be cautious in the future and stick to kindness and justice, so that they could continue to write their legend in this ever-changing place.