After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

Chapter 104 I refuse to accept this!

Two guards stepped forward, grabbed Xu Sheng, and carried him outside.

Xu Sheng struggled and shouted, "Your Majesty, I am innocent!"

The Hongzhi Emperor asked, "You still have the nerve to claim you're innocent?"

Xu Sheng desperately turned his head, his voice trembling with grief: "Your Majesty! I did indeed accept money from the Medicine King Sect, but I absolutely had no intention of harming Your Majesty!"

The Hongzhi Emperor raised his hand, and the imperial guards stopped in their tracks.

Xu Sheng knelt down with a thud, crawled two steps, and kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty, you are wise! I did indeed carefully examine the samples sent by the Medicine King Sect, and I didn't miss a single one! The pills that Qian Xuzi sent back then were absolutely free of aconite poison! I swear to Heaven!"

Chang Xing quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes! We checked at the time, and there was indeed no problem!"

Wang Pan continued, "When Qian Xuzi later sent the medicine, we considered testing it again, but those pills were sent to the palace one by one. We couldn't possibly crush and test every single one, could we? What would His Majesty eat then?"

Seeing that the emperor remained silent, Xu Sheng grew bolder and continued, "Your Majesty, at the time I thought that with the Medicine King Sect's century-old reputation, if the sample was fine, the subsequent medicines should also be without problems. Moreover, the Medicine King Sect suddenly stopped distributing the pills to the people, saying that they needed to be reconstituted, and the procedure was complicated, so I dared not act rashly."

Chang Xing nodded repeatedly: "That's exactly right! We are only thinking of Your Majesty!"

The Hongzhi Emperor sneered, "According to you, I should thank you?"

Xu Sheng trembled and kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Majesty, I dare not! I only—I only want Your Majesty to know that I have absolutely no intention of harming you!"

The Hongzhi Emperor looked at Xue Xinfu: "Minister Xue, what's your opinion?"

Xue Xinfu frowned and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should."

"Speak freely!"

Xue Xinfu turned to Xu Sheng, his gaze sharp: "Academician Xu, you just said that the dosage of aconite in that pill was small and wouldn't be immediately fatal, is that right?"

Xu Sheng quickly replied, "Exactly! The poison of aconite, though potent and strong, requires a certain dosage to take effect. The human body has its own detoxification abilities, so this dosage is harmless! It will take at least—at least six months—for the effects to become apparent!"

Chang Xing added, "Moreover, aconite can also invigorate the spirit! His Majesty's excellent health these days may well be thanks to that medicine!"

Xue Xinfu angrily retorted, "Are you even speaking human language?"

Xu Sheng and the others frowned, but dared not refute, and could only obediently accept the scolding.

Xue Xinfu, barely suppressing his anger, said, "The 'Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold' states that when using medicine, one must first understand its properties, know its dosage, observe its symptoms, and watch for its changes. The toxicity of aconite lies not in the dosage, but in the cumulative harm! You say it will take more than six months to see results, but have you considered that by the time the symptoms appear after six months, His Majesty's body will have been completely depleted, and even a miracle will be incurable!"

Xu Sheng wanted to refute, but couldn't find a reason for it.

Xue Xinfu continued, "As for your claim that aconite can invigorate the spirit, that's utter nonsense! That claim is nothing more than depleting one's vital energy, like drinking poison to quench thirst! If you invigorate today, you'll deplete your qi tomorrow, and damage your blood the day after. Over time, you'll suffer from both qi and blood deficiency, and damage your heart meridian! At that point, even a god couldn't cure you!"

Chang Xing muttered under his breath, "Physician Xue, you're exaggerating too much—"

Am I exaggerating?

Xue Xinfu interrupted sharply, "In Zhang Zhongjing's Treatise on Febrile Diseases, aconite must be used with dried ginger and licorice, and it must be decocted for a long time beforehand to reduce its toxicity! Qian Xuzi used raw aconite directly as medicine, without any processing or adjuvants. What was he trying to do? Was he trying to cure the disease or hasten death?"

Xu Sheng was speechless and turned pale.

Chang Xing and Wang Pan wished they could bury their heads and not dare to utter another sound.

The Hongzhi Emperor's face was terribly grim. Just as he was about to speak, Xu Sheng suddenly crawled two steps on his knees, weeping bitterly, and said, "Your Majesty! I am guilty, I confess my guilt! My ancestors were physicians for generations, and my ancestor served the Taizu Emperor. They were loyal and virtuous for generations, and had absolutely no intention of harming Your Majesty!"

Chang Xing also wept, saying, "We have served in the Imperial Medical Academy for over twenty years, working diligently and conscientiously, never daring to slack off in the slightest!"

Xu Sheng kowtowed repeatedly and continued, "Your Majesty, we were momentarily confused and accepted Qian Xuzi's money, but we truly did not know that the medicine was problematic! I am willing to hand over all the money I received to the national treasury! I only beg Your Majesty to grant me a chance, considering the generations of service my ancestors have provided to the royal family!"

Chang Xing and Wang Pan also kowtowed repeatedly.

The Hongzhi Emperor looked at the three people kneeling on the ground, his brows furrowed.

He was kind-hearted by nature, and he would often turn a blind eye to such old ministers.

Xu Shengchang and others came from medical families, with their ancestors serving in the Imperial Medical Academy for generations. Even if they hadn't made any great contributions, they had certainly put in a lot of hard work.

Wouldn't it be a bit much to really throw them in jail?

Zhu Houzhao, watching anxiously from the side, whispered, "Yang, it seems Father is softening. Think of something!"

Yang Shen also noticed it.

He knew the Hongzhi Emperor well; he was kind, benevolent, and cherished old friendships.

But we absolutely cannot be soft-hearted about this!

The Medicine King Sect clearly came prepared. Qian Xuzi offered medicine and silver, and they were trying to win over the Imperial Medical Academy. They were taking steps carefully.

If it were only Xu Sheng and a few others who accepted bribes, that would be fine.

What's truly frightening is that this is just the tip of the iceberg!

The Hongzhi Emperor died at the young age of thirty-six.

History records say it was due to overwork, but who knows if there are other hidden reasons?

Could these pills, these inexplicable tonics, be the culprit?

If we let Xu Sheng go today, there will be Zhang Sheng and Li Sheng in the future.

Thinking of this, Yang Shen took a deep breath, braced himself, stepped forward, and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Majesty, I have something to say, but I don't know if I should."

The Hongzhi Emperor looked at him and said, "Speak!"

Yang Shen said solemnly, "As the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, Xu is responsible for His Majesty's health. His private contact with people of unknown origin and acceptance of bribes is already a serious crime. If this precedent is set, who in the palace will dare to take any medicine prescribed by the Imperial Medical Academy?"

Xu Sheng suddenly looked up, glaring at Yang Shen: "Yang, my study companion! When have I ever offended you? I even have some connections with your father, Yang Tinghe. Why are you trying to kill me?"

Yang Shen asked, puzzled, "I have no grudge against Dean Xu; I was just stating the facts."

Xu Sheng gritted his teeth and said, "So, you're just stating the facts! You've harmed me today, aren't you afraid of retribution tomorrow?"

Yang Shen said calmly, "If we're talking about retribution, then Chief Minister Xu deserves even more retribution for accepting bribes and neglecting his duties, almost harming His Majesty."

Xu Sheng was speechless, choked by the words.

The Hongzhi Emperor remained silent for a moment, then looked at Xu Sheng and said in an icy tone, "Send Xu Sheng and the others to the imperial prison for a thorough interrogation! Once the interrogation is complete, transfer them to the Ministry of Justice."

Xu Sheng's face turned deathly pale, and his whole body trembled.

Sending them to the Ministry of Justice might allow them to pull some strings, but the Imperial Prison—

He struggled desperately, shouting, "Your Majesty! I'm innocent! I truly had no intention of harming Your Majesty!"

The guards remained unmoved and dragged him outside.

In despair, Xu Sheng suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahaha! If Your Majesty wants to punish us, I have nothing to say! But does Your Majesty think that only a few of us accepted bribes?"

The Hongzhi Emperor frowned: "Halt!"

The guards stopped and put Xu Sheng down.

Xu Sheng shouted almost frantically, "Your Majesty! The Medicine King Sect didn't just contact the Imperial Hospital! In the court, among the civil and military officials, how many more than just a few of us have taken bribes? Arrest them all, or we will not stand in your way!"

The Hongzhi Emperor slowly said, "Write down a list now, and I'll show it to you!"