Don't Raise A Black Lotus Flower; Use The Emperor As A Substitute [Transmigration novel] - Chapter 20

The Empress Dowager has passed away?

For an instant, Lin Ruoxuan felt his mind go completely blank. Yet, for some reason, the result felt vaguely within his expectations.

That frail, withered old woman had gripped his wrist tightly, her cloudy eyes filled with intense anxiety, her throat struggling to make a hoarse, rattling sound. What was it she had tried to say back then? Did she know her time was limited? Did she know who the murderer was?

As Lin Ruoxuan was lost in thought, Ji Ruxue grabbed his wrist and pulled him from the bed. “Do not just stand there. We must go immediately!”

Lin Ruoxuan snapped back to reality. He was right; if they arrived too slowly at such a critical moment, it could be interpreted as a grave sign of disrespect.

By the time the two rushed to the Cining Palace, they could hear piercing, heart-wrenching wails from afar. “Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager! Oh, woe is me!”

The heavy curtains of the inner chamber had been drawn back, and the room was ablaze with light. Emperor Chengwu stood in the center of the room with a grim expression. Shattered porcelain littered the floor. Consort Xian was collapsed in her son’s arms, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe. “Empress Dowager, your niece is unfilial!”

Ji Ruhan, while patting Consort Xian’s back, stared blankly at the large bed in the center of the chamber, his face deathly pale.

Beneath the white curtains, the frail old woman lay still. The quilt over her chest showed no signs of movement; she had clearly departed.

Emperor Chengwu threw his sleeve, sending another vase crashing to the ground. “Useless! Useless! Where is that pack of good-for-nothing physicians from the Imperial Academy?!”

Lin Ruoxuan pulled Ji Ruxue’s hand, and the two stood quietly in the corner of the room.

Just then, Noble Consort Li arrived in a panic with her two sons, followed by Head Physician Sun and the other doctors. Seeing the scene before them, the color drained from their faces, and they fell to their knees in a domino effect.

Emperor Chengwu barked, “Sun Chuncheng, how did you treat her?!”

Head Physician Sun prostrated himself, trembling like a leaf, unable to speak clearly. “Your Majesty, this servant, this servant… this is impossible!”

“Useless!” Emperor Chengwu’s chest heaved. He turned his gaze toward Noble Consort Li. “Li Li’e, I heard that it was you who recommended this foster brother of yours to the Imperial Academy of Medicine!”

Noble Consort Li turned pale, her lips trembling. “Your Majesty, I…”

Seeing she could not speak, Emperor Chengwu let out a heavy snort and summoned a young palace maid. “You were the one on duty last night? Tell me exactly what happened, from beginning to end. Speak slowly.”

The maid stammered, “In reply to Your Majesty, at the third watch last night, I followed Head Physician Sun’s instructions and decocted a bowl of medicine using senna leaves, cassia seeds, and six other ingredients. After the Empress Dowager took the medicine, she suddenly began to convulse, vomited and had diarrhea, and then she…”

Emperor Chengwu pointed at Head Physician Sun’s nose and snarled, “Is this the good medicine you prescribed?!”

Head Physician Sun looked as if he were about to faint.

Ji Ruxue turned to look at Lin Ruoxuan, his eyes filled with suspicion and worry. Lin Ruoxuan was also shocked and confused. The Empress Dowager had suffered from heavy metal poisoning; cleaning the stomach with warm water, absorbing toxins with egg whites, and using a mild laxative decoction should have been perfectly fine. How could this happen?

Could it be that someone really poisoned her?

An elderly imperial physician looked coldly at Head Physician Sun and bowed. “Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager was frail and ill. She should have been treated with tonics to strengthen her constitution. How could they use such harsh laxatives as senna and cassia? Head Physician Sun is utterly incompetent!”

Head Physician Sun shivered uncontrollably. “I, I, it was not me!”

Emperor Chengwu’s face darkened. “Do you admit your guilt?!”

Head Physician Sun trembled violently. Suddenly, biting his lip, he pointed squarely at Lin Ruoxuan and roared, “Your Majesty, that prescription was written by Lin Ruoxuan! It has nothing to do with me!”

Everyone looked at Lin Ruoxuan in astonishment.

“It was Superintendent Lin who prescribed the medicine?”

“That cannot be…”

“But yesterday, Head Physician Sun clearly prescribed the medicine.”

“I…” For a moment, Lin Ruoxuan did not know what to say. He only knew that the Empress Dowager’s death was certainly not simple. Both he and Head Physician Sun were merely small leaves caught in the storm of this palace conflict.

Seeing him silent, Head Physician Sun shrieked, “Lin Ruoxuan, was it you? Tell me! Are you trying to frame me?”

Someone whispered, “But yesterday, Head Physician Sun prescribed the medicine, did he not?”

Head Physician Sun yelled, “It was not me! It was Lin Ruoxuan, it was Lin Ruoxuan!”

Emperor Chengwu thundered, “Quiet! How insolent!”

Seeing the Emperor’s fury, everyone fell silent. The room became deathly quiet, save for Consort Xian’s sobbing.

Ji Ruxue bit his lip and finally spoke in a timid voice, “I believe, perhaps, that the Empress Dowager’s passing may not be Head Physician Sun’s fault. Head Physician Sun, do not be afraid and do not frame others. Think carefully, was there anything wrong with the prescription yesterday?”

Lin Ruoxuan couldn’t help but look at Ji Ruxue. The words seemed gentle and reasonable, even comforting to Head Physician Sun, but they carried a hidden barb, implying that Head Physician Sun had something to hide and was lashing out randomly. It was a cold-hearted tactic. Truly, he was a black lotus.

As he thought this, Lin Ruoxuan felt a mix of emotions and a touch of sentimentality. Was Ji Ruxue protecting him?

Emperor Chengwu’s expression was inscrutable. Ignoring Ji Ruxue, he merely snorted.

Head Physician Sun’s sallow face turned beet red. He shrieked again, “Bah! Lin Ruoxuan wrote the prescription, do not try to deny it! Yes, Liu Jiang and Qian Yixin can testify for me; Lin Ruoxuan wrote the medicine!”

The two junior physicians who had been on duty in the inner chamber knelt on the ground, trembling so hard they could barely speak.

Ji Ruxue narrowed his eyes. Before he could speak further, Ji Ruhan spoke coldly, “Those two junior physicians are your disciples, Head Physician Sun. Naturally, they would testify for you. If the Empress Dowager’s spirit is watching, she will not spare the murderer who harmed her.”

Consort Xian wailed even louder, “Empress Dowager…”

“It is not so! Your Majesty, please listen to this servant…” Head Physician Sun was panicked, crawling toward Emperor Chengwu and attempting to grab the hem of his robe.

“Insolent!” Emperor Chengwu kicked him away.

Consort Xian sobbed inconsolably. Ji Ruhan stared gloomily at Noble Consort Li and Ji Ruyuan, his expression unreadable.

Ji Ruxue watched it all, sneering inwardly, though his voice was filled with trembling sobs. “During the New Year, the Empress Dowager told me that I read too little and should learn more from Second Imperial Brother and study the classics. Who knew she would pass away so soon…”

He burst into tears as he spoke.

Consort Xian suddenly looked up and shrieked, “That is it! The Empress Dowager always favored Han’er and praised him before the Emperor. It must be that poisonous woman, Li Li’e! She feared the Emperor would take the Empress Dowager’s advice and replace the heir with Han’er, so she colluded with the physician to poison the Empress Dowager!”

Screaming, she lunged at Noble Consort Li. The Noble Consort was so stunned she forgot to defend herself, and in a moment, she was left disheveled and bleeding.

“Insolent! What kind of behavior is this? Pull them apart!” Emperor Chengwu roared.

Several eunuchs rushed forward, struggling to separate them, but Consort Xian would not let go of the Noble Consort’s hair. The Cining Palace was in total disarray.

Ji Ruyuan, eyes bloodshot, lunged forward to attack Consort Xian. “Vile woman, let go of my mother!”

Ji Ruhan made no move to help Consort Xian but prostrated himself on the ground, crying aloud, “Empress Dowager, you have left us! What will your grandson do now?”

Emperor Chengwu’s face was utterly grim. “Nonsense! Utter nonsense!”

This intense royal drama left Lin Ruoxuan stunned, forgetting even his own fear. Ji Ruxue tugged on his sleeve, and Lin Ruoxuan snapped out of it, hurriedly lowering his head to play the part of a silent servant.

After a long time, the eunuchs finally managed to pull Consort Xian away. Noble Consort Li collapsed to the floor in tears. “Your Majesty, this servant is wronged!”

Consort Xian wailed even louder. “Your Majesty, you must seek justice for the Empress Dowager! Empress Dowager…”

“I beg Father Emperor to investigate!” Ji Ruhan prostrated himself, slamming his head against the bricks until blood seeped out.

“Father Emperor, how could Mother do such a thing? It must be the work of villains framing her!” Ji Ruyuan was frantic, his lips trembling, his usual arrogance vanished.

Ji Ruxue bit his lip and whispered through tears, “How could this happen? The Empress Dowager was fine just the other day. One bowl of medicine, and then, then…”

Ji Ruyuan leaped up and pointed viciously at Ji Ruxue’s nose. “Shut your mouth, little beast!”

Ji Ruxue stepped back twice, looking devastated. “Eldest Brother, you can insult me however you like, but the Empress Dowager’s body is not yet cold. How can you be so disrespectful here in the Cining Palace?”

Ji Ruyuan was so angry his face turned red and his fingers shook, wanting nothing more than to tear the boy to shreds. “You, you…”

“Crown Prince.” Lin Ruoxuan frowned, quietly shielding Ji Ruxue.

Emperor Chengwu had a splitting headache. Rubbing his temples, he deliberated for a long time before speaking. “Take Sun Chuncheng to the Ministry of Justice for interrogation. Noble Consort Li is demoted to Consort Li for failing to oversee her subordinates. The Crown Prince is to be confined to his quarters to reflect on his lack of decorum before the Emperor.”

The room erupted in whispers. Given the severity of the Empress Dowager’s death, the punishment was light, hardly touching Noble Consort Li’s foundation, as Ji Ruyuan’s position as heir remained intact.

It was clear Emperor Chengwu did not want to blow the matter up and was trying to resolve it quietly. However, Noble Consort Li, who had never suffered such humiliation, swayed and collapsed.

Ji Ruyuan caught her, crying, “I beg Father Emperor to investigate. Mother is wronged!”

Emperor Chengwu, weary, waved his hand. “Enough. Go back and reflect with your mother.”

“Your son obeys.”

Ji Ruyuan bowed, his fingers clawing so hard into the bricks that his fingernails bled. Why? Why is it like this?

It is because Consort Xian and Ji Ruhan are villains, but all of this stems from the little beast Ji Ruxue and that eunuch dog Lin Ruoxuan.

If not for them working against me, why would Mother have tried to discipline them? Why would I be dragged into this mess and lose the Emperor’s favor? That little beast, playing the victim while stabbing me in the back.

As he lay on the floor, he slowly raised his eyes and caught Ji Ruxue’s mocking gaze.

The little beast who usually looked so submissive was looking down at him with utter contempt, as if he were looking at a dog or a pile of mud. Then, the boy curled his lips and mouthed slowly, “You are finished.”

In that moment, Ji Ruyuan felt his blood surge to his head. He had only one thought: he would kill this little beast.

After the long night, when Lin Ruoxuan and Ji Ruxue returned to the Cold Palace, the sun had fully risen. They ate a little and both felt utterly drained.

Lin Ruoxuan put down his bowl, deliberated, and told Ji Ruxue everything: the medical check, the suspicion of poisoning, and the events that followed.

“Your Highness, what do you make of this?”

Ji Ruxue nodded thoughtfully. “I guessed as much yesterday. It was you who saved the Empress Dowager, not Head Physician Sun. I believe her death has nothing to do with that decoction. Someone poisoned her a second time.”

“I think so too.” Lin Ruoxuan fell silent for a moment before murmuring, “The Cining Palace is heavily guarded. Who could be the murderer? Is it the same person who did it the first time?”

“I cannot fathom that yet.” Ji Ruxue looked at the swaying tree shadows outside the window, his gaze darkening. “However, looking at the outcome, the Empress Dowager is gone, and Consort Li and Ji Ruyuan are the ones in trouble. Think about it: in this inner palace, who would most want to replace them?”

Lin Ruoxuan hesitated. “Consort Xian and the Second Prince. But the Empress Dowager was their backer.”

A backer, indeed, Ji Ruxue thought coldly. The Empress Dowager was a great backer when she could speak to the Emperor, but when she was too ill to speak, she was better off being used for one final, lethal blow to their opponents.

He thought this, but said, “I also do not believe Second Imperial Brother would be so ruthless. Furthermore, the Emperor seems reluctant to escalate this, so the matter will likely be buried.”

Lin Ruoxuan rubbed his weary brow. “Sigh, there is a mountain of work at the Eastern Depot. I must return. Your Highness, the palace is unstable. Please, be careful.”

“Mm, I know.” Ji Ruxue nodded submissively.

Ji Ruxue watched Lin Ruoxuan leave, his gaze turning cold. The sudden death of the Empress Dowager was unexpected, but it was an excellent opportunity.

He replayed the vicious, hateful gaze Ji Ruyuan had given him. Perfect. That fool is exactly as I thought—stupid and impulsive. He will walk right into my trap.

Ji Ruxue mused over his plans while gently stroking his left leg. The leg had healed long ago; he had merely pretended it had not, and he had even allowed Lin Ruoxuan to worry and brew him bone soup for days.

He had not wanted to hide it from Lin Ruoxuan, but to deceive his enemies, he first had to deceive those around him. And, the feeling of being worried over by that man felt truly good.

With this thought, Ji Ruxue squinted like a cat, rubbing the white bandage on his leg while savoring the memory of that man carefully wrapping it. A light, warm feeling bloomed in his chest.

He could feel that the man truly cared for him.

Though he still harbored doubts and could not trust him unconditionally, this was the first time in his life he was willing to try trusting someone. From the tangyuan to the military strategy, then to the acupuncture, he was carefully accepting the man’s kindness step by step, and the man had never let him down.

If one day the man failed him, he would not be soft-hearted.

Ji Ruxue thought coldly and clearly. While that warmth felt good, making him, a child raised in darkness, feel like he was living in gentle sunlight, he must not indulge or rely on it. He must not be weak. Otherwise, he would be like a clam, peeled open to reveal his undefended flesh, ready to be slaughtered.

He would not allow that.

Ji Ruxue shook his head, pushing away distant thoughts. Everything was good for now, but his next move was too dangerous; it was best not to involve that man. He had to ensure it was foolproof.