Chapter 24: Remaining in the Palace-Depois de renascer, ela não reconhece ninguém, toda a família vai para o crematório(Xiao Lin voltou para casa para jantar.)

Fortunately, after the Empress Dowager drank the medicine, her complexion lost its deathly pallor and finally regained some color. The Emperor breathed a sigh of relief, and the anxiety in Wen Qiao’s heart began to ebb as well.

"Miss Qiao, you have truly worked hard today. However, your presence is still needed here by the Empress Dowager’s side. If you are willing, I shall inform the Marquis of Yongning that you are to stay in the Empress Dowager’s palace tonight. That way, you can keep a close watch on her, and I can rest assured."

Even had the Emperor not requested it, Wen Qiao had already been considering it. She would not have felt at ease leaving the Empress Dowager in the care of anyone else. Furthermore, there was no pressing reason for her to return to the Marquis’s estate; she had only mentioned wanting to go back earlier to avoid potential disparagement from Wen Congqing. Now that the Empress Dowager’s health had reached such a critical state, she felt it would be foolish to insist on leaving, and so she readily agreed.

News travels fast in the inner palace. While the Empress Dowager had eyes and ears everywhere, other concubines also had their own spies planted within the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility. While those of lower status could only manage to place people in outer areas like the courtyards, the Empress had directly installed a maid right by the Empress Dowager’s side. She was currently fully apprised of every detail happening within the palace walls.

"What? I thought that by arranging for Physician Zhang to be there, everything would be foolproof. I never expected that some sixth daughter of the Marquis’s estate would appear! This is a disaster. If the Emperor finds out what I have done, he will surely be furious with me again."

Feeling panicked, the Empress decided to have a bowl of soup prepared in the small kitchen to send to the Emperor’s study. She failed to realize that the Emperor was currently in a state of great rage; he was hardly in the mood to entertain the Empress’s gesture. It was, in every sense, a monumentally foolish move.

Initially, the Emperor had not been certain that the Empress was involved. After all, she had only been released from house arrest for less than half a year after a two-year confinement. He had not expected her to be bold enough to commit such a deed so soon. Yet, the moment he saw the soup arrive, his suspicions deepened. Was it not enough that she had attempted to harm the Empress Dowager? Was she now coming for him? Sitting upon his dragon throne, the Emperor’s face grew terrifyingly dark.

Physician Zhang was still kneeling on the floor, trembling, alongside the other physicians from the Imperial Medical Institute—the very ones who had exposed him back in the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility. Physician Zhao, in particular, knelt beside him, waiting for his moment to report Physician Zhang’s years of misconduct to the Emperor.

Physician Zhang had been promoted by the Empress long ago, back when she had not yet been confined and her maternal family held immense power, dominating the court. It was only through Xiao Zheng’s tireless efforts that their power had been curtailed, allowing him to consolidate authority and leaving the Empress far less influential than before. Still, he had not imagined that the Empress would not only plant her own people in the medical institute but reach all the way into the Empress Dowager’s chambers.

It was common knowledge that the women of the inner palace kept their own doctors; no one wanted to entrust their life to a stranger who might be working for an enemy. The Emperor had always turned a blind eye to this, considering it a natural precaution. But if the Empress Dowager herself was now being targeted, was he next? The thought made Xiao Zheng’s fury mount.

"Your Majesty! I am innocent! For all these years, I have served the Empress Dowager with the utmost dedication, never once slacking! Perhaps my medical skills are lacking, which is why I could not fully restore her health, but I have never harbored any intention to harm her! I beg Your Majesty to look into this!"

Physician Zhang finally spoke, attempting to defend himself. To an outsider, his tear-streaked face might have seemed convincing. However, Physician Zhao, kneeling nearby, performed a deep kowtow and looked up to address the Emperor firmly: "Your Majesty, the medical records of the Empress Dowager have always been kept solely by Physician Zhang. We were never permitted to see them. Had he allowed us access, even if our skills did not match those of Miss Wen, we could have at least mitigated the situation and kept her condition stable until Miss Wen’s arrival. If not for Miss Wen’s intervention today, we would have remained in the dark about the true state of the Empress Dowager’s health. For years, Physician Zhang has acted like a tyrant in the institute, monopolizing all resources. He replaced the medicinal suppliers and filled the ranks with his own relatives. He has committed countless acts of substituting poor-quality herbs for profit. I beg Your Majesty to investigate him and the entire Imperial Medical Institute to ensure the safety of the Emperor and the noble ladies of the palace."

Indeed, while the Emperor had ordered Physician Zhang to take primary charge, the other physicians had a duty to supervise. If something went wrong, they were all liable. Many of them lived in constant fear, knowing that the Emperor’s displeasure could cost them their heads. They had been trapped; they received no benefits yet bore the risk of execution for crimes they didn't commit. Physician Zhang had never consulted them, and now that things were falling apart, he sought to drag them down with him. While others feared the Empress’s power, Physician Zhao was a commoner with no family ties, and he spoke with the boldness of a man with nothing left to lose.

The Emperor ordered an investigation, and it was soon clear that the truth was easy to uncover. He had been too confident, assuming that while the medical institute might have petty squabbles, no one would dare treat it as their own personal fiefdom. Because he had not relied on Physician Zhang for his own health, he had paid little attention, allowing the man to hold the position of Head Physician for years.

Xiao Zheng was a man who valued his reputation and refused to admit his own oversight. Hearing Physician Zhang’s desperate excuses, he felt not only anger but the stinging humiliation of having been deceived.

At that moment, Jiang Cong’an returned, carrying a thick stack of papers. He entered and handed the documents to Xiao Zheng. "Your Majesty, these are the testimonies from the servants in the Empress’s household who were involved in Physician Zhang’s affairs. Please, have a look."

As soon as Jiang Cong’an spoke, Physician Zhang’s face turned ash-gray. Even his superior, the Empress, was now being investigated by the Emperor without a shred of mercy. What hope was there for a mere pawn like him? The Empress could barely save herself; she had no energy left to spare for him.

Physician Zhang felt a deep sense of regret for how he had spoken to Wen Qiao earlier. Had he shown even a modicum of humility, she might have truly believed it was merely a case of poor medical skill, and the others would never have had the chance to expose him. But it was too late now.