Chapter 340: The disappointing final conclusion (2/2)
“Still not talking?” the empress dowager asked impatiently.
“But it’s just that this official is useless. This official isn’t clear on the negative effects of the Medicine Fan either,” Imperial Physician Lin could only tell the truth.
“A bunch of useless fools! Useless!” Furious, the empress dowager realized she hadn’t gotten any answers out of this pair at all. “Someone come, take them out and give them 50 canings each!”
Both Imperial Physician Lin and Zhu Zhengyang broke into piteous wails for mercy, but the empress dowager didn’t give them another chance. “Who understands pharmacology the best in the Imperial Physician Courtyard?” the empress dowager demanded.
Naturally, the one with the best understanding and skills would be Gu Beiyue, but all of the eunuchs and mama knew that Qin Wangfei had taken him away. Who would dare bring him up now?
Finally, Xu mama stepped forward and said, “Esteemed Empress Dowager, Imperial Physician Huang has consummate medical skills and knowledge of pharmacology. He’s almost on par with the Head Imperial Physician.”
“Then hurry up and call him here!” the empress dowager said unhappily. She knew about Gu Beiyue’s current situation as well.
Imperial Physician Huang arrived quickly in his imperial physician court robes. He was reserved and sober, but neither haughty nor humble. Moreover, he was approaching 50 years old, so he possessed a hefty doctor’s air. After asking a few questions, Imperial Physician Huang revealed his diagnosis.
“The Medicine Fan is indeed something that can’t be used carelessly. Forgive this official for his words, but your body isn’t suited for such a fan.”
The empress dowager suffered a heavy blow at these words! What did it mean when people say suffering followed happiness? After getting a single night’s good sleep, she’d suffered severe insomnia in the following days. After getting the Medicine Fan, she realized she couldn’t even use it. If that was the case, she might as well have never gotten it at all!
“No…” the empress dowager kept shaking her head as she asked urgently, “Imperial Physician Huang, why did I sleep so well the first time, then?”
“It’s the same principle as taking any medicine. The negative side effects won’t show up immediately, but increase in intensity over time. Esteemed Empress Dowager, your second outbreak of itchy scalp wasn’t as severe as the third time, correct?” Imperial Physician Huang asked seriously.
The empress dowager nodded thoughtfully.
“Esteemed Empress Dowager, do you feel itchy on your body occasionally when holding this fan in the daytime? Although the itch can’t be compared to your scalp itching?”
This time, the empress dowager instantly nodded her head. “Yes. My hand’s itching this instant!”
Imperial Physician Huang had a solemn expression on his face. “Then that’s it. Esteemed Empress Dowager, the Medicine Fan was used to put you to sleep, so its negative effects were more pronounced at night. During the day, you only felt occasionally itchy because the symptoms were more mild.”
Imperial Physician Huang’s description exactly matched the empress dowager’s plight. She was hard-pressed to do anything but believe his words. Her face grew worried. “These…these negative side effects, will they get worse?”
Imperial Physician Huang stroked his beard, his face imposing and dignified. “Yes.”
The empress dowager turned agitated. “Then what should I do, Imperial Physician Huang?”
“Esteemed Empress Dowager, your symptoms are rather severe for a negative side effect. You know that there’s only one solution for these types of situations…” He didn’t finish, but the empress dowager already knew what he was going to say. She had to stop using the medicine.
She leaned back heavily, her entire body listless. She had given tremendous effort to obtain this Medicine Fan, but now she couldn’t even use it!
How was she supposed to accept that?!
After blanking out for a while, she slowly shook her head. “No, it’s impossible. Imperial Physician Huang, are you sure I haven’t been poisoned? Perhaps the Medicine Fan was poisoned by someone else?”
Faced with the agitated empress dowager, Imperial Physician Huang was nothing but serious. “To reply Esteemed Empress Dowager, this official isn’t familiar with poisons. However, the possibility of poisoning is low. Esteemed Empress Dowager may ask the poison doctors of the Imperial Physician Courtyard to have a look.
The poisons doctors of the Imperial Physician Courtyard paled in comparison to the likes of Zhu Zhengyang, so it’d be a waste of time for the empress dowager to consult them. “Imperial Physician Huang, is there no other way to relieve the negative effects beyond stopping the medicine?”
Imperial Physician Huang shook his head. “None.”
The empress dowager despaired. She sat dejected for awhile until her eyes grew dark, and didn’t speak for a long time. How could she accept the truth? The thing she’d waited for years and thought over endlessly, the same object she’d accepted with so much joy, was now nothing but wasted efforts! What was she supposed to do now? Hide the Medicine Fan away and stay awake throughout the nights? She could try to find ways to fix the problem if it was something different, but this was her own body’s fault! Her high and mighty self finally understood what it meant to feel helpless.
A long time later, the empress dowager finally spoke. “Imperial Physician Huang, you mustn’t tell any…”
The intelligent Imperial Physician Huang was quick to catch on. “This official understands. This official knows nothing of what happened today. I ask that empress dowager quickly keep your distance from the Medicine Fan before the negative side effects worsen.”
Finally, the empress dowager weakly waved a hand to indicate he could withdraw. Even if she couldn’t cause trouble for Han Yunxi, there was no way she’d let that girl find out the truth. Otherwise, she’d laugh her to death! In the silence of the room, none of the servants dared to speak. The empress dowager simply stared blankly at the Medicine Fan in her hands…