I practiced medicine in ancient times

Chapter 227 Seaweed and Licorice

"Bai Yan, have you found anything wrong?" After Xu Qingyi finished her inspection, she saw Bai Yan sitting on the official hat chair in the main hall of Kunning Palace, checking the prescriptions that the Empress had taken in the past. She walked up to him and asked.

“I checked the tea, food, and things in the kitchen, and there was nothing wrong with them.

The tea and food were prepared by the Queen's trusted maids, and every dish was tasted and found to be OK. The ingredients in the kitchen are all fresh, and there are no incompatible foods. They are all purchased every morning, and I have checked them, and there is nothing wrong. "Bai Yan reported the results of her inspection one by one.

"Have you seen the residue from the medicine that the Queen took? Have they matched the medicinal ingredients in the prescription?" Xu Qingyi asked when he thought of this.

"Everything has been checked and there is no problem." Bai Yan nodded affirmatively.

"It seems that there is something wrong with the clothing, rouge and incense." Xu Qingyi's heart moved and he immediately had some ideas.

"Qingyi, are you saying that someone poisoned the Queen?" Bai Yan's expression changed slightly, and he lowered his voice and whispered in Xu Qingyi's ear.

"What are you thinking? You want to poison the Queen, do you think the doctors in the Imperial Hospital are all blind? What's more, there are so many maids and eunuchs around the Queen, who are all loyal to her, how could anyone dare to poison her?

Sometimes, if you want to kill someone, you don't need to poison them, just let them weaken and die slowly." Xu Qingyi frowned slightly.

The Queen's condition has not improved since she gave birth to the Fourth Prince, and her body is getting weaker and weaker. Doesn't this indicate a problem?

The imperial doctors at the Imperial Hospital have examined the case almost thoroughly but have not found the cause, which is worth pondering.

"Doctor Xu, the incense formula and incense powder are here.

Besides, the rouge you asked the maid to apply on your body has been soaked through. Do you want to check it now?" At this time, Aunt Zhang held a lacquered tray with a lotus pattern and placed it on the coffee table beside Xu Qingyi and asked.

"Call them up and take a look." Xu Qingyi nodded.

"Is this white mark salty?" Bai Yan also noticed something strange on the palace maid who applied rouge.

"Look at the incense formula again. There are no salty herbs in it? Could it be?" Xu Qingyi checked the formula for fumigating clothes and the formula for the day and night incense in the Queen's bedroom, and found that there were no salty herbs in these formulas. So, what is the source of this white mark?

Xu Qingyi was full of doubts. She frowned slightly and after thinking for a moment, she suddenly thought of something.

The fact that there are no salty herbs in the formula does not mean that there are no salty herbs in the smoked powder.

"It is as expected." After Xu Qingyi opened the box of scented powder and incense, he pinched some scented powder with his fingers, put it between his nose wings and sniffed it gently.

I found that the scented powder indeed contained a hint of saltiness, which was even stronger than the salty smell when smoked on clothes.

"This powder and incense contain one more medicinal ingredient than the recipe says." Xu Qingyi said affirmatively.

Then, Xu Qingyi closed her eyes and kept recalling the taste of all the herbs in her mind. Finally, she locked onto the extra herb.

"It's something from the sea." Xu Qingyi opened his eyes and said lightly.

"There is one more medicinal ingredient in the perfume powder than the original formula. Is this medicinal ingredient harmful to the body?" Upon hearing this, Aunt Zhang at the side asked with a sudden change of expression.

“At present, it seems that there is an extra medicinal ingredient in these incense powders and incenses, which is not poisonous.

However, when non-toxic substances meet other non-toxic substances, harmful substances may be produced. We still need to find out the specific situation.

To avoid..., you can first remove all the incense and powder in the bedroom. In addition, rouge cannot be used.

Wash all the fumigated clothes again." Xu Qingyi instructed Aunt Zhang.

"Okay, I'll give the order right away." Nanny Zhang quickly arranged for the palace maids to remove the incense in the palace, take out all the clothes for washing, and collect the rouge.

"Mammy, is there something wrong with the incense?" The Queen Mother in the bedroom asked with a slightly changed expression after she saw the palace maid remove the incense in the room.

"Your Majesty, when Doctor Xu was checking just now, he found that there was an extra medicinal ingredient mixed into the incense, the scented powder used to fumigate clothes, and the rouge.

In order to prevent any harm to the Empress, they were all withdrawn first." Nanny Zhang replied with her eyebrows lowered and her hands clasped together, looking a little worried.

The Queen frowned upon hearing this, and a sense of uneasiness welled up in her heart. She remembered that she had been making these incense and applying the same rouge for these years, and she often felt dizzy, weak, and sore in the waist and knees. She originally thought it was caused by overwork and childbirth, but now it seems that it has a lot to do with the incense.

"Madam Zhang, please ask Doctor Xu to investigate this matter thoroughly and make sure to find out what was mixed into the incense.

Let Doctor Xu investigate without worry. If there are any problems, I will take care of them.

Also, don't let the news leak out." The Queen ordered in a deep voice, with a hint of unquestionable majesty in her voice.

Nanny Zhang nodded and immediately turned around to make arrangements. She knew very well that this matter was of great importance. If it was discovered that someone had deliberately tampered with the incense, it must be that someone in the palace wanted to harm the Queen.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the palace was tense and solemn. The maids were busy changing their clothes and rouge, while Aunt Zhang personally supervised the entire investigation process.

"Bai Yan, Bai Yan, what's wrong with you? What are you thinking about so intently?" Xu Qingyi found Bai Yan sitting aside with his eyes blank, as if he was lost in some kind of contemplation, so he asked.

Bai Yan was brought back to reality by Xu Qingyi's voice. She shook her head gently. Suddenly, an idea flashed in Bai Yan's mind. She took out a few recipes and tea recipes from among the many prescriptions and recipes and said, "I found the thing in the sea you mentioned. It's this thing."

"Seaweed?" Xu Qingyi looked at the seaweed that Bai Yan was pointing at.

"And this tea." Bai Yan then pointed to another medicinal ingredient in the tea.

"This is licorice." After seeing seaweed and licorice in succession, Xu Qingyi suddenly realized.

"The Empress needs to drink liquorice-soaked water every day, and she also eats seaweed every two or three days. Add to that the amount of seaweed in rouge and incense, and you've got the Empress' current look.

He is weak and sickly, and we can't find the cause." Bai Yan also understood.

Found the final reason.