Chapter 266: Suspected Poisoning
As dusk fell, it was time for dinner in the palace.
Gong Changan and Ying Bai were looking at paintings together; they were either other people’s works or paintings of horses by Ying Bai.
“The Heir Apparent’s painting skills are truly improving, and what’s especially rare is the spirit captured,” Gong Changan said, pointing to a horse in the painting. “I feel as if this horse is about to leap out of the painting.”
“You little monkey, stop trying to flatter me. My brushstrokes are merely for my own amusement. If I were to show them to someone who truly understands art, they’d laugh their heads off,” Ying Bai said modestly.
At that moment, a servant brought in dinner. “Heir Apparent, this is wild chicken congee specially prepared for you by the Imperial Kitchen, served with a few side dishes.”
“Changan, why don’t you stay and have dinner with me before you go back?” Ying Bai said to Gong Changan. “I can’t possibly finish it all by myself.”
“My mother told me she’s making shrimp wontons tonight, and I’ve been craving them for a long time,” Gong Changan said with a smile. “Why don’t you come with me to have wontons, Heir Apparent?”
Ying Bai liked shrimp, and hearing this, he couldn’t help but be tempted. Looking at the wild chicken congee on the table, he said to the little eunuch serving them, “Chun Bao, you all can share this! Changan and I are going for wontons.”
The little eunuchs were naturally delighted; they often ate leftovers from their masters.
Ying Bai and Gong Changan left the room. By then, snow had begun to fall sporadically in the sky.
As they walked, Ying Bai suddenly asked Gong Changan, “Changan, who do you think you are closer to: Prince Zhao’s Heir Apparent, or me?”
“Both heirs apparent hold noble positions; how could I presume to speak of closeness?” Gong Changan smiled. “However, when I’m with Prince Zhao’s Heir Apparent, we only engage in horse riding games, and we part ways when we’re done.
With you, Heir Apparent, I can look at paintings, play chess, or even just be in the same room, each doing our own thing. Even without talking, it doesn’t feel awkward.”
“When did you become such a clever child who can speak without offending anyone?” Ying Bai chuckled and patted his head. “Let’s go, I think I can already smell the shrimp wontons.”
Princess Duanmin asked the attendant beside her, “Has it started snowing outside yet?”
The attendant replied, “The first snowflakes have begun to fall.”
“Then we can go hunting tomorrow,” Duanmin said to the King of Fenye with apparent enthusiasm. “Perhaps I’ve stayed on the grasslands for too long; now that I’m back in the palace, I feel stifled. Why don’t we all go hunting tomorrow! Let’s invite more people to make it lively. My aunt was telling me just a few days ago that she hasn’t seen anyone hunt in a long time.”
“It’s rare for the Princess to be in such high spirits. I will go and ask His Majesty for permission. If tomorrow is too soon, the day after tomorrow will be just as good,” Qi Sihe said. He doted on the Princess now and couldn’t bear to dampen her mood.
Qi Sihe was a guest here, and the Emperor would naturally not refuse his request.
Considering that tomorrow might be a bit rushed, it was decided for the day after tomorrow.
That evening, several palace servants in Ying Bai’s quarters all came down with diarrhea.
At first, they didn’t pay it much mind, attributing it to the change in weather.
To their surprise, by morning, these individuals were so weak and exhausted from the ordeal that they could barely get up. They were all bent over, unable to serve Ying Bai as they normally would.
“What’s wrong with you all? Have an Imperial Physician come to examine you,” Ying Bai said, telling them not to serve him in their condition.
The servants thanked him and withdrew, asking someone to fetch an Imperial Physician.
They dared not invite the more senior physicians, so they called for Su Qingyun.
Su Qingyun had already been in contact with Wen Mingqian, who had instructed him to pay special attention to the movements around Prince Chu’s Heir Apparent.
Upon hearing that several servants here had contracted diarrhea, and with such rapid onset, he naturally had to be more vigilant.
The symptoms of these individuals, at first glance, were no different from typical acute diarrhea, but there was an underlying abnormality.
It was already winter, and two snowfalls had occurred, making the weather very cold. Unlike in summer or autumn, when diarrhea is often caused by unclean food and insects, this was different.
The fact that these people fell ill almost simultaneously made it even more unusual.
Normally, there would be a staggered onset; such a concentrated outbreak could only indicate poisoning.
Imperial Physician Su asked them what they had eaten.
Chun Bao said, “We didn’t eat anything unclean. It was just the Heir Apparent’s dinner from last night that wasn’t touched, and it was divided among us. We started feeling unwell in the middle of the night.”
“Is there any of last night’s food left? Or perhaps unwashed bowls and chopsticks can be given to me,” Su Qingyun said.
“I have some,” another little eunuch said. “I was called away to do some work halfway through my meal. I covered my bowl with a plate, thinking it would be a shame to throw away such good food. I was planning to mix it with hot water and eat it again this morning!”
This little eunuch, Chun Ming, had the mildest symptoms among them.
Su Qingyun first prescribed some medicine for them, instructing them to boil and drink it quickly. Then, he took the remaining half-bowl of congee to another room for further examination.
Chen Feng, the Chief Eunuch of Prince Chu’s Heir Apparent’s quarters, walked over and asked, “Imperial Physician Su, are those few people going to be alright?”
Su Qingyun’s expression was grave. “Chief Steward Chen, I fear it is not looking good.”
“What? It’s just diarrhea, could there be something else?” Chen Feng asked, concerned.
“Chief Steward Chen, you are the steward of this palace. If something goes wrong, you will undoubtedly bear great responsibility,” Su Qingyun said solemnly. “Since this incident occurred, haven’t you found it suspicious? After eating the food the Heir Apparent gave them yesterday, these people all fell ill together. This season is precisely when diarrhea is least likely to occur, yet their symptoms are so severe.”
“Imperial Physician Su, are you suggesting that the food… was not right?” Chen Feng understood, but he still found it hard to believe.
“I have carefully examined the remaining congee. Although a silver needle couldn’t detect any poison, the smell is off upon closer inspection. Furthermore, I suggest we find a chicken or a dog to test it again,” Su Qingyun said.
Chen Feng immediately said, “I will have someone bring a dog right away.”
If the Heir Apparent’s food truly contained poison, it would be a grave matter, and he, as the steward, would have to lose his head along with it.
His subordinates quickly found a dog, and Su Qingyun fed it a spoonful of the remaining congee from the bowl.
He then said, “Have someone watch it carefully and observe its reaction in an hour or two.”
“Imperial Physician Su, those few people, although they took the medicine, are still suffering from incessant diarrhea, and they’ve all lost their strength,” a managing eunuch came to find Su Qingyun.
“Make more hot rice soup for them to drink, with a little salt added. Otherwise, they might faint if it goes on for too long,” Su Qingyun said. “You should also try to find Imperial Physician Zhang Wenyang. He is skilled in acupuncture and might be able to provide some relief.”
Su Qingyun was also skilled in acupuncture, but he felt that in this situation, one Imperial Physician alone would not be enough. It would be best to involve another. Two people’s opinions would be more convincing than one.
