The world of film and television starts from the flow of money

Midnight.

The red walls and yellow tiles look particularly solemn in the night, and the beasts on the eaves look down coldly on the deep palace.

In the imperial study room.

The twelve palace lanterns illuminated the gilded dragon pattern in every detail, and memorials on the desk were piled up like a mountain.

Yi Huawei sat upright on the rosewood dragon throne, holding a red brush in his hand, reviewing memorials. His eyes and brows revealed an imperial aura that was majestic without even being angry.

Just after the third drum beat, Yi Huawei's red brush was suspended above the memorial, with a drop of ink about to fall. The ice mirror on the sandalwood table was emitting white mist, which condensed into fine water droplets on the edge of the inkstone.

"Your Majesty, it's three quarters past the hour of Yin. It's time to use the nourishing soup."

Wang Chengen bent his body, carefully holding a bowl of nourishing soup, and walked slowly to Yi Huawei's side, his voice so low as if he was afraid of breaking the silence.

In the celadon bowl, the nourishing soup was clear yellow in color, with wisps of hot steam rising up with a faint bitter smell, just like usual.

Yi Huawei raised his hand to take the celadon bowl. His fingertips touched the temperature of the bowl wall and he paused slightly. Staring at the steam rolling in the bowl, a strange feeling flashed in his deep eyes. He put the bowl close to his nose and sniffed it gently. His brows suddenly frowned. The familiar bitter smell seemed to be mixed with a subtle strange smell. Although it was faint, it could not escape his nose.

Yi Huawei did not drink it, but put the bowl back on the table:

"Who made this soup today?"

Yi Huawei's voice was calm, but it frightened Wang Chengen so much that his whole body trembled.

Wang Chengen's heart tightened, and beads of sweat instantly appeared on his forehead. He forced himself to remain calm and bowed to reply, "Your Majesty, it was still prepared by Li, the chief steward of the Imperial Kitchen, and Professor Zhou of the Imperial Hospital examined it. ... I personally saw that from the kitchen to the Qianqing Palace, only three people handled it."

Yi Huawei glanced at Wang Chengen and said in a deep voice, "Pass it to Li Dequan and Zhou Ji."

"Yes!"

Wang Chengen did not dare to delay for even a second and hurriedly left the imperial study.

A moment later, the eunuch Li Dequan, the chief eunuch of the imperial kitchen, and Zhou Ji, the right judge of the Imperial Medical Bureau, knelt trembling in fear in the hall.

Li De was slightly fat, and usually had a sleek, polished look, but now his face was pale, and beads of sweat kept rolling down his forehead, soaking the blue brick in front of him. Zhou Ji was thin, wearing a plain robe, and now he was holding the hem of his clothes tightly with both hands, his knuckles were white, and his body was shaking slightly.

"What's in this soup?"

Taking in the two people's reactions, Yi Huawei leaned leisurely on the dragon throne. His eyes were calm, but revealed a heart-pounding sense of oppression, like the calm before the storm.

Li Dequan knelt on the ground, his head almost touching the ground, and cried: "Your Majesty, just like before, ginseng, poria, polygala..."

His words were intermittent, and it seemed as if he had used up all his strength to say each word. His eyes were full of fear and panic.

"enough!"

Yi Huawei raised his hand to interrupt, his eyes piercing Zhou Ji: "President Zhou, you go ahead."

Zhou Ji's whole body trembled violently, and he kowtowed heavily, his voice trembling: "Your Majesty, I have checked according to the prescription, and there is absolutely no problem."

His eyes were wandering, and he didn't dare to look Yi Huawei in the face. The blue veins on his forehead throbbed as he spoke.

Yi Huawei looked at the two people kneeling on the ground in front of him with panicked expressions, and a cold smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "In this case, I will reward you two with food."

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly waved.

Wang Chengen immediately understood what he meant, walked forward, poured the liquid from the celadon bowl into two small plates, and brought them to Li Dequan and Zhou Ji.

Li Dequan and Zhou Ji looked at each other, their eyes full of despair and fear. Li Dequan's lips kept trembling, and he picked up the small plate with trembling hands, but he didn't dare to bring it to his mouth. Zhou Ji's face was as pale as paper, and beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and dripped onto his clothes.

"drink!"

Yi Huawei suddenly let out an angry roar, like thunder that shocked the two of them.

"boom!"

"Your Majesty, spare your life!"

"Your Majesty, please spare my life!!"

The two men could not stand steadily on their knees, so they crawled on the ground and begged for mercy.

"Somebody come!"

Yi Huawei stood up suddenly, his dragon robe fluttering behind him, his eyes full of murderous intent.

Two guards immediately appeared from the shadows, rushed forward quickly, and pinned down Li Dequan and Zhou Ji who were kneeling on the ground.

Yi Huawei walked slowly in front of the two men, looked down at them, and sneered: "You are so bold!... Why don't you just confess the truth!"

Li Dequan's Adam's apple rolled up and down, and his teeth knocked against the edge of the plate. Zhou Ji's neck was covered with dark sweat, his knuckles were clenched, his fingernails were blue-white, his whole body was shaking like a sieve, and his forehead hit the cracks of the bricks, oozing dark red blood.

"Your Majesty, spare your life!"

Li Dequan's forehead was rubbed with two bloody marks on the blue bricks, and the brown medicine in the small dish splashed on his clothes. Zhou Ji collapsed on the ground, his trouser legs were wet, and the smell of urine mixed with the smell of medicine spread in the hall.

"Wang Chengen!"

Yi Huawei looked at the two of them with disdain, then turned and walked back to the dragon throne.

"The servant is here."

"Bring people to seal the imperial kitchen and the imperial hospital. All those on duty today will be sent to prison."

.........

In the duty room of the Imperial Hospital, a dozen imperial doctors were sorting out their medicine boxes. Suddenly, the East Factory guards kicked open the door, and the iron chain rattled.

"According to the imperial decree, all the people in the Imperial Hospital are to be sent to prison immediately!"

Judge Zhang Jingyue dropped the medicinal materials in his hand with a clang, his face pale. The young imperial physician Xu Chunfu's legs went weak, and he was dragged up by the guard. In the corner, the medicine boy was so scared that he knocked over the mortar, and the powder spilled all over the floor.

As they were being escorted out of the palace, they saw Li Dequan and Zhou Ji being dragged to the imperial prison. Li Dequan's fingers were bloody and left long bloody marks on the bluestone slabs. Zhou Ji's official robe was torn, revealing the whip marks on his back.

"Your Excellency the Judge!" an imperial physician could not help but shout.

Zhou Ji looked up, his eyes full of despair, his lips moved twice, but in the end no sound came out.

...............

In the prison's torture chamber, the brazier was burning brightly, and the iron tongs were burning red in the charcoal fire. Li Dequan was tied to the torture rack, and the head of the East Factory took the handcuffs and put them on his ten fingers.

"Tell me! ...Who ordered this?"

"Ahhh-"

"Who ordered this?"

Li Dequan screamed, his nails all turned up, blood dripping on the brick surface. After being tortured three times, he finally broke down: "It was the Shanxi merchant Wang Dengku! He promised... to give my nephew a salt permit after the matter was accomplished..."

On the rack next door, Zhou Ji was awakened by being splashed with cold water, and the guards were nailing bamboo sticks into the cracks between his fingernails.

"I am innocent! It was Wang Dengku who held my mother hostage..."

In the Yangxin Palace, after listening to the confession, Yi Huawei picked up a pen and dipped it in ink, and wrote in red on the yellow silk: "Arrest Wang Dengku and his nine clans and put them in prison. Zhou Ji and Li Dequan will be given a Yangshen Pill."

"According to the order!"

Wang Chengen's hands trembled slightly when he took the imperial edict.

…………Three quarters past the hour of Mao, in the dungeon of the imperial prison.

Water droplets condensed on the blue brick walls, sliding down the cracks in the bricks. The torches on both sides of the corridor stretched the shadows of people and cast them on the wet ground. The iron fence was rusty, and the straw pile deep in the cell smelled musty.

Li Dequan was chained to the rack, the shackles on his wrists had rubbed blood marks. Zhou Ji was imprisoned in the next cell, his official robes were stripped off, leaving him only in a white undershirt, with dried blood stains on his collar.

Zhang Jingyue and three imperial doctors stood outside the prison door, holding a record book in their hands. The four of them looked pale, and Zhang Jingyue's beard trembled slightly.

"Envoy Zhang, this 'Spirit-nourishing Pill'..."

A young imperial physician asked in a low voice, his voice tense.

Zhang Jingyue did not answer, but stared at the two people in the cell. The old imperial physician behind him suddenly retched, covered his mouth and retreated to the corner.

"Crack!"

Two Dongchang guards pushed open the cell door, and the clanging sound of the iron locks was particularly harsh in the quiet dungeon. The leading guard took out a brocade box from his arms, and inside the box lay two scarlet pills.

When Li Dequan saw the pill, his pupils suddenly shrank and he struggled violently, his chains rattling: "No! I don't want to eat it! Please... Your Majesty, spare my life~~"

The guard held his chin expressionlessly and pressed his teeth with his thumb. Li Dequan's mouth was forced open and the pill was stuffed into his throat. Another guard picked up the water bowl and took a big gulp.

Seeing this, Zhou Ji suddenly rushed to the prison door, holding the bars tightly with his fingers: "I was forced! They threatened me..."

"boom!"

The guard kicked the cell door open, and the three men pinned him to the ground. Zhou Ji's forehead hit the brick floor, and blood flowed down his brow. When the pill was put into his mouth, he bit the guard's finger, and in return he was hit hard. The pill was swallowed mixed with blood.

Half an hour later, Li Dequan began to scratch his chest. His nails left bloody marks on his skin, and the front of his official uniform was torn into pieces. His breathing became rapid, and a hoarse sound came from his throat.

Zhou Ji curled up in the corner, holding his head with both hands, and suddenly began to bang his head against the wall. The muffled sound of "dong, dong" echoed in the cell, and his forehead was soon bloody.

Zhang Jingyue trembled as he took up his pen to record: The person who took the drug began to scratch his skin, and after three quarters of an hour, he began to self-harm, and his pain response became slow... his pupils dilated..."

“Ugh~~”

An imperial physician suddenly fell to his knees, vomit splattering on his boots.

At noon, Li Dequan's wailing became hoarse. He rolled on the ground, knocking over the toilet bowl, and his whole body was covered with filth. His fingers had already torn the flesh on his chest, exposing his ribs.

Zhou Ji continued to bang his head against the wall until 11:00 p.m., when he suddenly changed to biting his own arm. As his teeth bit through his flesh, blood dripped from the corners of his mouth, and his eyeballs were bloodshot as he stared straight at the cell ceiling.

The captain of the Jinyiwei on duty stood in the aisle, his right hand on the hilt of his knife. The new jailer ran to the corner and retched for the third time, and was kicked in the knee by the captain: "Stand up straight! This is the fate of betraying His Majesty!"

At midnight the next day, Li Dequan's howling turned into a low whimper. His fingers had been worn to the point of exposing the bones, but he was still scratching the ground unconsciously.

At 3 p.m. on the third day, Zhang Jingyue led the coroner into the cell. Li Dequan's body was twisted into a bow shape, with all ten fingers broken. Zhou Ji's skull was completely shattered, with grayish-white brain matter stained on the wall.

The guards wrapped the body in a straw mat and dragged it out of the cell, leaving two bloody streaks on the ground. The jailer carried a bucket to flush the cell, and the blood flowed down the drain.

When Zhang Jingyue walked out of the prison, the sun pierced his eyes. He looked down at the record book in his hand and found that his nails had dug into his palms at some point, leaving four bloody crescent-shaped wounds.

...............

In the duty room outside the imperial prison, Yi Huawei sat in front of a rosewood desk with dozens of yellowed files from the Imperial Hospital in front of him. The flickering candlelight illuminated his stern face.

Wang Chengen stood by and carefully handed over a booklet: "Your Majesty, this is a record from the Hongzhi period."

Yi Huawei took it and flipped open the thick pages. The paper had become brittle and hard due to its age, but the ink was still clear. His eyes stopped at one of the pages:
"In March of the eleventh year of the Hongzhi reign, Liu Wentai, the Imperial Hospital Director, ordered Concubine Wan Guifei to add two cents of arsenic to Emperor Xianzong's medicine. After taking the medicine, Emperor Xianzong vomited blood and died three days later."

Yi Huawei pressed his finger heavily on the word "arsenic" and looked up at Wang Chengen:
"What benefits did Concubine Wan give Liu Wentai?"

Wang Chengen replied in a low voice: "Liu Wentai's son was later promoted to a captain of the Imperial Guard, and his nephew was given thirty salt permits."

Yi Huawei sneered and turned to the records from the Zhengde period:
"In May of the seventh year of Zhengde, Wang Lian, the judge of the court, received a thousand taels of gold from Ning Wang Zhu Chenhao and mixed the slow-acting drug "Hundred Days of Withering" into Wuzong's food. Wuzong became thinner and thinner, and eventually died."

Turning to the back, we find the record of the Jiajing Dynasty:

"In October of the 21st year of Jiajing, palace maid Yang Jinying and others attempted to assassinate Emperor Shizong, but the imperial physician Xu Shen saved him with the 'Resurrection Soup'. However, when the Imperial Hospital was searched afterwards, three bottles of Crane's Beak Red were found in the secret compartment of the medicine store."

Yi Huawei slammed the file shut, his eyes flashing coldly: "What a great Imperial Hospital!!"

The next morning at the court session, the atmosphere in the Hall of Supreme Harmony was solemn.

Yi Huawei sat high on the dragon throne and glanced at the ministers: "Yesterday, I looked through the old files of the Imperial Hospital and found that since the Hongzhi period, seven imperial doctors were involved in the murder of the emperor."

There was an uproar in the hall.

Li Daodeng stepped out and said, "Your Majesty, this is the work of a few treacherous people. The Imperial Hospital has also had famous doctors throughout the ages..."

"Famous doctor?"

Yi Huawei interrupted him and said coldly: "Would a famous doctor secretly hide Hedinghong in the medicine storehouse?"

As he said this, he threw several files into the hall and said, "Look for yourself!"

All officials were silent and no one dared to pick up the case.

Zhao Nanxing stepped out of the line and said, "Your Majesty, the Imperial Hospital is an ancestral institution. If we abolish it hastily..."

"ancestral system?"

Yi Huawei sneered, "The ancestral rules don't say that the imperial physician can poison the emperor!"

As he spoke, Yi Huawei stood up and said in a voice as hard as iron: "From today on, the Imperial Hospital will be dissolved and the Ministry of Medicine will be established. I have issued an edict to recruit Ping Yizhi and Lan Fenghuang to the capital to take charge."

...............

When the news reached the Imperial Hospital, the doctors were discussing matters. Zhang Jingyue, the director of the hospital, sat at the head of the group, holding a teacup in his hand, and was discussing with several judges the distribution of the income of the Imperial Pharmacy next month.

After all, the thing has happened, those who should have died are dead, and the living have to live their lives.

Suddenly, a pharmacist rushed in in a panic and knelt on the ground: "Master, this is bad! The Emperor... The Emperor wants to disband the Imperial Hospital!"

"Snapped!"

Zhang Jingyue's teacup fell to the ground, porcelain pieces splattered, tea spilled all over the floor, his face turned pale instantly, lips trembled: "You...what did you say?"

The medicine boy lay on the ground, not daring to look up. "Just now, the news came from the Qianqing Palace that the emperor looked through the old files of the Imperial Hospital and was furious. He ordered the abolition of the Imperial Hospital and the establishment of the Ministry of Medicine, which will be led by the quack doctor Ping Yizhi and the Five Poison Sect's Lan Fenghuang."

The hall suddenly became dead silent.

Pang Xian, the disciple of the judge Li Sizhen, slammed the table and stood up, causing the pulse pillow on the table to jump. "Ridiculous! The Imperial Hospital was established during the Hongwu reign, and the imperial doctors of all dynasties have been children of aristocratic families. How can we let a wandering doctor and a witch from the Miao border run it?"

As he said this, he turned to look at Zhang Jingyue, his voice trembling with anger: "Sir, we cannot sit idly by and watch this happen!"

In the corner, the medicine boys huddled together and whispered:

"I heard that Lan Fenghuang is good at using poison to kill people without anyone noticing..."

"Ping Yizhi is even more eccentric. He heals one person and kills another..."

"Will we be bewitched?"

"..."

In the corner, the young imperial physician Wu Youxing stood by the window, holding an old copy of "Zhi Xia Jue" in his hand, his knuckles slightly white from exerting force. Hearing this, he was not surprised at all, but his eyes sparkled with a strange light, and he muttered to himself: "Finally... I can meet Mr. Ping."

(End of this chapter)