My Lady Always Lacks Ambition

Chapter 1122 - 1092: I Need to Examine You

Don’t be afraid, I’m here!

When Empress Mu heard these words, her nose tingled, and tears flowed even faster, her heart growing more sour and aggrieved.

How could she not know that Five Stone Powder is not a good thing, that it’s a hallucinogenic poison, but she really couldn’t endure the pain that illness brought, that feeling as if someone was drilling a needle into her head, that icy coldness throughout the body, even if wrapped with a scalding Mrs. Tang, covered with several thick cotton quilts, there was not a bit of warmth, who could understand that?

In the sleepless nights, when the pain struck, she wished she could die, but she knew she couldn’t; she had responsibilities to bear, so she endured it until she came into contact with Five Stone Powder.

Knowing it was poison, she still took it, because it could relieve her headaches, make her body warm instead of cold.

Over time, she became dependent on it. She felt both fearful and guilty, but more so, terrified that people would discover that a dignified empress was using forbidden medicine. If this got out, not only would she be abolished, her only daughter would also suffer greatly, as would her maternal family.

The immense pressure weighed down on her like a massive mountain, suffocating her.

At this moment, Empress Mu cried like a child, Madam Mu’s heart ached terribly, rushing over, saying, "You shouldn’t have borne this alone; you should have told us."

Cuizhu had long sent the extra people out, saying, "The fewer people know about this, the safer the Empress is, that’s why..."

"Not necessarily, the Imperial Physician prescribed this medicine, so he’s already in the know. If he lets it out, then the Empress’s position, well..." Qin Liuxi said mercilessly.

Everyone stiffened.

Empress Mu stopped crying too, hoarsely saying, "No way, Doctor Lin has always been responsible for my pulse, he’s trustworthy."

"From the moment he gave you Five Stone Powder, he became untrustworthy," Qin Liuxi said. "Five Stone Powder can relieve pain, but long-term use will definitely create dependency. Once addicted, no matter your reason for taking it, it’s a grave problem. In the eyes of the world, a national empress with such a big problem, how could they tolerate it? By then, you wouldn’t be able to keep your position."

Empress Mu finally had a change of expression.

"That’s one aspect. The other is, once addicted, chronic poisoning forms, whether or not people criticize you, one day your body will be unable to withstand the toxin’s backlash, and sooner or later it will result in death. Taking this medicine only treats the symptoms but not the root cause. It won’t cure your illness but push you into the abyss. So, how could you still think he’s trustworthy?"

Empress Mu’s pupils contracted.

Even Madam Mu was extremely shocked, a coldness piercing to the bone shot from the soles of her feet to her entire body, making her shiver.

Indeed, they used to trust Doctor Lin, but who knows if he has changed? He gave the mistress Five Stone Powder but never informed Marquis, keeping it hidden.

If he betrayed Empress Mu, could she still be fine, and could the Mu Family avoid being implicated?

Madam Mu’s legs went weak.

Qin Liuxi said, "From now on, you must not take Five Stone Powder anymore. Bring all the Five Stone Powder you have to me."

Cuizhu looked at Empress Mu, who nodded.

Empress Mu’s mouth felt dry, saying, "Will I be able to quit this addiction to Five Stone Powder? And can my headaches be cured?"

"How do you feel now?" Qin Liuxi asked in return.

Empress Mu was stunned. She seemed not to feel as unbearably cold as before, and even the headache wasn’t unbearable. Qin Liuxi didn’t ask, and she really hadn’t realized that she had just had another episode earlier.

"This... seems not so unbearable now." Empress Mu was a bit amazed, instinctively looking at the silver needle in her body, asking, "In the past, the Imperial Physician also did acupuncture for me, but it wasn’t as effective as this, what kind of acupuncture is this?"

"Just now, when you had a seizure, appearing frenzied, I could only use the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles to calm you down. On top of this, I added the Mountain Fire Burning technique, which could draw out the cold from you, so you wouldn’t feel bone-chilling cold."

Empress Mu really felt a bit of warmth in her body and was moved to tears, saying, "I don’t even know how long it’s been since I felt warm, does this mean I can be cured?"

"As long as it’s an illness, it can naturally be treated. You said your body is cold, with headaches, for how long?" Qin Liuxi said, "I see your pulse is very chaotic. It’s due to the Five Stone Powder, but your body’s foundation is inherently cold. After childbirth, you didn’t receive careful nurturing and even used extremely cold things; the foundation is damaged, and no amount of supplements will help."

Empress Mu was dumbfounded, her eyes wide: "What do you mean, I used extremely cold things?"

Qin Liuxi nodded: "It’s been a long time. The damage was done to the palace and yin yuan, so..."

"So I can’t have more children, right?" Empress Mu finished her sentence.

Qin Liuxi nodded.

Empress Mu’s face suddenly turned pale, even Madam Mu was ashen. This, this news was more shocking than her use of Five Stone Powder!

"Can you know what kind of medicine I used?"

Qin Liuxi said lightly, "Empress, your cold body didn’t happen overnight; it’s been established for a long time. Even if I calculated with my fingers, I wouldn’t know what it was, but it must have been something extremely cold. Your palace body isn’t strong."

Empress Mu was agitated, her heart trembled, a metallic taste rose in her throat, almost making her spit out blood.

Qin Liuxi held her wrist, saying, "Don’t be agitated. The past is hard to retrieve, focus on the present. Your foundation is cold; though you say your body is cold, I don’t think you took something cold."

"But I really feel cold. Ever since I caught a cold, I took medicine for a while and got a bit better, but after winter set in, I felt increasingly cold and had headaches. Later on, the headaches felt like my head would split, excruciatingly painful. If not for this, how could I use such poison?" Empress Mu said with a bitter smile, "I am the Empress of a nation; how could I not know what’s good or bad? If I could bear it, I wouldn’t..."

Madam Mu said, "Why not look at the prescription the Imperial Physician gave?"

"The Imperial Physician wouldn’t prescribe something cold; he would likely prescribe medicine to boost qi and blood and balance yin and yang. Let me see, I’ll compare." Qin Liuxi said, "Empress, this cold body is strange. If it were a mere cold, body temperature wouldn’t be so low; it seems caused by an external force."

Empress Mu’s eyes flashed with sharpness: "Are you saying someone used a Suppression Technique on me?"

Qin Liuxi said: "It’s hard to say because I haven’t seen anything exuding yin energy from you, but this cold body is strange, and you keep saying you have headaches?"

Empress Mu nodded: "Yes, it’s not an ordinary headache from a cold, it feels like needles stabbing and cutting, both cold and sharp."

Qin Liuxi pondered slightly, saying, "I need to examine the Empress further!"