The First Empress - Chapter 18

Chapter 18 Dangerous Musk
“Impossible, right? Concubine Shao has not asked about the matters in the palace for many years. The Azure Lantern Yellow Scroll only cares about the Buddha. Could it be that there is a reason for it to be inside?” Qin’er was a little puzzled as she thought about it and looked at the brilliant flower in the pot.

Bu Linglong’s eyebrows curved into a crescent moon, and her heart was hanging. “It’s said that people who worship Buddhism are wholeheartedly devoted to kindness. In fact, people’s hearts are separated by their bellies, and it’s impossible to see through them even if they can’t guess. Watch out for ideas,” she said. After saying that, he used his hand to support the dark clouds that he had just wrapped up in a bun. He felt that it was extremely beautiful.

Qin’er nodded. She ordered the junior inspector to remove all the flowers from the atrium while placing the small porcelain vase that she had just dug out from another person’s palace. She wrapped it in red cloth and hid it in an inconspicuous place.

It was already dusk, and Bu Linglong was worried. After all, tonight was the first time in her life, and there was still a bit of mixed feelings. Fortunately, he would be able to obtain the protection of Empress Ji Zhuhua from now on. The worry was that if there was a mistake, it would be a great disaster. If he were to blame someone for it, he would naturally have to be even more cautious in the future.

She stood in the last ray of sunlight after dusk. Her entire body was as light as a weak willow breeze. Her slightly slender chin was against the sunset glow. Her muscles were as beautiful as snow, and her graceful figure was like the best favor of the heavens.

“Qin’er?”

Hearing the call, Qin’er hurriedly ran over and said, “Little Lord, what’s the matter?”

“I always feel uneasy in my heart. It’s better to invite two competent imperial physicians from the imperial hospital.” Bu Linglong gently stroked her cheeks, “In the end, these things still make people dizzy. If we find any clues, it will be our good fortune.”

Qin’er looked at Linglong’s beautiful face and smiled as she helped Ying Luo straighten her head. “Lord really forgot. Lord had already instructed that Hu Zongnan and Pei Minghai from the Grand Hospital had already arrived. They had actually forgotten about this matter after being busy just now.” Qin’er waved her hand and a Royal servant came over.

“Go find Imperial Physician Hu and Imperial Physician Pei. Little Lord has something to ask.” The little inspector nodded and bowed.

Not long after, the bead curtains rang. Hu Zongnan and Pei Minghai had already begun to pay their respects. “Master, I don’t know why you called this lowly one over. This lowly one has been waiting for orders outside for a long time, and there hasn’t been any movement …”

Imperial Physician Hu and Imperial Physician Pei were old, so their eyes were naturally higher than the top. Although Bu Linglong had already begun to serve the bedroom, it was not polite to order the two imperial physicians to wait for a long time, so the two imperial physicians were also slightly reproachful.

Linglong’s brows twitched. She thought to herself that the imperial physician of the Grand Hospital was also very good at chasing after the moon. When she saw that she was a sixth-grade talent, she didn’t care at all. Forget it. Who told her that she wasn’t strong enough to argue with these two?

Thinking of this, he smiled broadly and said, “I naturally have something to ask you to come here. Bring it over.” With a charming wave of her hand, Qin’er carefully took the porcelain bottle over and handed it to the imperial physician.

Linglong smiled faintly, not caring about the past grudges. “The two imperial physicians will show you what is inside these porcelain bottles. It’s good to see if it’s a reward or punishment, but it’s also the two of you, isn’t it?”

Linglong clouded her temples and slowly covered her nose. Just now, she still didn’t feel that all these small porcelain bottles had gathered here. It made her want to vomit. First, Hu Zongnan took the bottle and sniffed at the tip of his nose. She couldn’t help but be shocked. Her face was as red as a white melon.

Pei Minghai, on the other hand, was mature. He took the porcelain bottle and took a look. He dug it out with a small silver spoon. He put it on his nose and sniffed. However, he was still unsure. So he used his fingers to break it and looked at it again. His hands trembled violently. Suddenly, a small porcelain bottle had already shattered on the ground.

Linglong couldn’t help but be stunned when she saw the two imperial physicians’ strange descriptions, but the corner of her mouth still maintained a gentle smile. “Imperial Physician Hu, Imperial Physician Pei, if you dare to ask what kind of spices are in here, I’ll help you to know more about them. Tell me and let me know.”

Qin’er was still behind her, fanning herself. Linglong felt that the fragrance was too strong, just like that of some animals. However, she could not remember where she had come in contact with it for a while. She covered her nostrils again with the fan.

“This–this, this is–”

The two imperial physicians simply couldn’t believe their own judgement. They didn’t expect that there would actually be musk in this deep palace’s inner courtyard.

Musk was a forbidden spice since ancient times in the Dali Dynasty. Especially in the palace, there were many concubines in Zi Hua City, three palaces, nine concubines, seventy-two concubines, and countless women-picking beauties. If anyone dared to bring musk into the palace, even a gram and a half of it would be a crime of killing their head.

I didn’t expect that there would be so many, so many that it was almost astonishing.

Qin’er was also a little impatient. “What is it? Could it be some sort of overseas immortal recipe that descended from the sky?”

Seeing that the two imperial physicians were a little afraid, like some poisonous insect or ferocious beast, Linglong also took it over. When she was about to smell it again, she was suddenly stopped by Hu Zongnan. “Little Lord, you can’t smell it.”

Linglong frowned and said, “Is there anything you can’t smell? Could it be that you will die of poison?”

“May I ask where Lord got these things from?” Hu Zongnan knew what to choose. If these things belonged to Yunluan Palace, he would naturally immediately split open the Chu River Han Realm with Bu Linglong. If they belonged to another person or palace, he would naturally have a second choice.

Linglong tilted her head slightly and thought, “Not only do I have it, even Shun Fei De Fei and Lan Zhao Yuan also have it. What exactly are these?”

“Ah!” Hu Zongnan patted his head, as if he had encountered a ghost. “What’s the use of keeping these ominous things? Your Highness, hurry up and throw away these bottles and cans, so as to avoid any calamity.”

Bu Linglong’s eyes were filled with astonishment. She had probably guessed that it was about eight to nine, but she still asked for certainty, “What exactly is it?” The celadon lid bowl in his hand was still faintly scratching the tea leaves on the tea. The tea leaves formed a semi-arc and surged in the water.

“What? It’s just an ominous thing. Since the Little Lord has asked, there’s no reason why I shouldn’t answer. These porcelain bottles are filled with musk fragrance!” After Hu Zongnan finished speaking, he looked at Bu Linglong’s expression. Her hand seemed to have been sucked out of her meridians. With a “pa” sound, the lid of the bowl fell to the ground and shattered.

Even Qin’er, who had a fan behind her, widened her eyes and landed the fan on the ground.

Qin’er picked up the fan and helped clean up the tiles on the floor. Linglong finally recovered from her shock. She looked at Hu Zongnan and Pei Minghai and asked, “Are you sure?” The wet hands took the silk that Qin’er had handed over, and as they wiped the water stains on their hands, their fingers trembled.

“Your head is willing to guarantee that this is indeed musk. Although I haven’t been in contact with musk for a long time, I can still smell it. Just throw it away. This matter is very important. Your Highness needs to think twice before taking action.” Naturally, Hu Zongnan knew that this matter was not something a mere sixth-grade talent could handle. At the appropriate time, he showed a wise and protective attitude.

It was not uncommon for the women in the palace to compete for favor. However, it was unprecedented for them to be poisoned by such a bold move. He was a little afraid that if the woman behind him was someone with a strong political position, not only would she not be able to defeat him, she might also be unlucky with the newly promoted Lord.

Therefore, it was just a kind reminder.

Before he could finish speaking, he did not expect that Eunuch Lu would already report in a shrill voice, “The Emperor has arrived.”

Linglong hurriedly bowed from the chair, “This concubine greets Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!”

Huiqi had already waved her wide-robed sleeves like a peach leaf in the wind. She stood beside her and stretched out her hand to help Linglong up, “Get up.” He turned around and looked at the mess in the room. He didn’t know what was going on, but he frowned and asked, “Hasn’t Li Sheng come over? Why is it so unorthodox? Perhaps these maids and eunuchs are too useless. I’ll help you replace them.”

Hearing this, Qin’er was extremely scared. If the Emperor changed them, then they would only have one way out, and that would be death.

However, she did not have the right to speak here, so she could only be anxious. At this moment, Bu Linglong lifted the siege and smiled. “Aunt Sheng has already come, including the servants and eunuchs here, all of them are capable, but …” she said with a smile.

Huiqi looked into Bu Linglong’s eyes and hesitated, “If you have something to say, I will make the decision for you.”

Hearing this, Bu Linglong heaved a sigh of relief. She remembered that someone as old and virtuous as Consort Shao could not do anything in her spare time. She might not only not be able to harm her at all, but she would also be bitten back. It seemed that she could not conceal what had happened today.

Linglong had always been kind and gentle. She had never thought of harming anyone. She just casually said, “Since the Emperor can make the decision for me, I will tell you. There is a reason for what happened today.”

“I also know that your father is from the Imperial Academy. Your daughter must have both virtue and appearance, so she won’t lose her manners. Then tell me, if anything happens, there is me here. Don’t be afraid.” Huiqi glanced at the person kneeling on the ground and said coldly.

‘”Your Majesty, if someone in the palace knows something bad and doesn’t report it, then what’s the crime?” Linglong thought for a moment and said, “Your Majesty, if someone in the palace knows something bad, then what’s the crime?”

“This is the great crime of bullying a monarch.” Huiqi frowned, “You know something bad. Could it be that you can’t say it? I would like to know!” Seeing that Huiqi’s expression was very ugly, Linglong sighed and told the whole story.

After he finished speaking, he looked at Huiqi’s expression. Huiqi’s face was already ashen and his palm slammed heavily on the table.

Qin’er brought over a cup of new tea. Linglong caught it and hurriedly sent it to the Emperor’s hand. “Emperor, don’t be angry. The dragon body is important. There may be many reasons for this. The Emperor should take a sip of tea first.” As Linglong spoke, she handed over the teacup. Huiqi held the teacup and suddenly threw the teacup on the ground.

A sharp sound of shattering could be heard on the ground. Linglong suddenly saw the Emperor furious and immediately knelt down. “This concubine knows her crime. This is the most ominous thing. This concubine dares not to hide her selfishness. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”

“It’s not your fault. I will only reward you for what you’ve said. However, this matter is unbearable. Stand up.” As Huiqi spoke, he gently pulled Linglong up. Seeing the sweat on Linglong’s cheeks, he couldn’t help but wipe it away. “What’s so scary? Anyway, I’m still here. Who is he? As long as there are harsh laws in the Chaos Palace, don’t be afraid.”

When Linglong heard this, she was slightly relieved. Seeing that the two imperial physicians hadn’t left yet, she asked the Emperor just to be on the safe side. “The two imperial physicians are still here. If the Emperor doesn’t believe me, it would be good to ask again.”

After Huiqi asked, Hu Zongnan wiped the sweat off his head. “How dare this lowly official hide his selfishness? I ask the Emperor to decide who is right and who is wrong. This is indeed musk, and according to the age, it is probably from the previous dynasty. The so-called musk, regardless of whether it is old or new, can also be harmful.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll let you say a few words. You can drop your bag for me and go down.” The Emperor waved his hand and saw that Hu Zongnan and Pei Minghai were leaving, so he changed his mind and said, “Come back! We’ll leave later.”

Linglong was also the boss’s bore. If only these things had happened tomorrow, or if he hadn’t discovered it, it would have happened at the peak of this storm.

Huiqi grabbed Bu Linglong’s hand and said, “Nothing. My schedule tonight will not change. You are a meritorious hero of the royal family, so I will naturally dote on you even more.” Only then did Bu Linglong feel relieved.

While directing the little eunuch to Shao Taifei’s place, Hui Qi pressed his temples and kneaded them slightly. Seeing this, Bu Linglong hurriedly walked to the Emperor’s back to help him massage and relieve the pressure.