Yanshu woke up and learned of the events that had transpired in the court that morning.

Surprised and angered, she, like Yuwen Lan, immediately suspected that the White Crane Immortal was behind it all.

However, she was still puzzled—wasn't that sorcerer in Minyue? She had heard just a few days ago that he had been pursued by the Jin Yi Wei and jumped off a cliff. How could he have suddenly arrived in the capital?

Just then, she heard the system's voice, [Because the person who jumped off the cliff wasn’t him—it was a substitute he had arranged for himself. When the Jin Yi Wei chased the substitute, he took the opportunity to escape Minyue, and he’s already arrived in the capital.]

Yanshu widened her eyes, [That sorcerer managed to find a substitute?]

The system replied, [Well, didn’t someone even build a Taoist temple for him? Don’t underestimate his brainwashing abilities.]

Yanshu muttered, […That’s true.]

So, this sorcerer was indeed full of tricks. To think that, all on his own, he had caused so much havoc! Without anyone noticing, he had come to the capital and wreaked havoc on so many lives that hadn’t even had the chance to be born!

No, now that she knew, how could she stand by idly?

She immediately asked the system for his location, then walked to her desk, wrote a message, and had Rendi deliver it to Qianming Palace at once.

She then thought for a moment—she had to be careful. Since she was so angry about this, the Empress Dowager would surely be even more upset.

But her big shot had only just completed his treatment yesterday. She didn’t want to trigger any old ailments.

So, she instructed them to prepare a palanquin. After breakfast, she wrapped herself in thick clothing and went to Ci'an Palace.

When she arrived, the Empress Dowager seemed surprised and asked, “Didn’t I tell you not to come yesterday? Why are you here again?”

Yanshu replied, “The snow from last night has melted, and the ground doesn’t seem slippery. I was worried you might feel lonely, so I came to keep you company.”

The Empress Dowager nodded, “You’re thoughtful. But I was just thinking about something. I heard that many pregnant women in the capital have miscarried recently. Do you know what’s going on?”

Yanshu replied, “Yes, there has been such a thing. It’s likely the work of that White Crane sorcerer. I heard that while he was in Minyue, he used human placentas to make some kind of pills. When His Majesty found out, he was furious and ordered the Jin Yi Wei to arrest him. But the person who jumped off the cliff in Minyue was actually a substitute he had arranged for himself. This man has now escaped to the capital.”

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager frowned, “What? That sorcerer is involved again?”

Yanshu nodded, “Yes. He appears to be a Taoist, but in truth, he is a rebel, with a very vicious heart. He’s also very cunning. I heard that during the court meeting this morning, some ministers mentioned similar incidents that occurred a few years ago. Back then, he should have already been in the capital, so I believe it can only be him.”

The Empress Dowager nodded, but her heart was already boiling with rage. She silently cursed, [That old thief is still doing such heinous things! How could I have not killed him back then! Damn man, this is all because of you!]

At this moment, Yanshu’s mind raced—The Empress Dowager used the words “still doing.” This meant she had already known about the sorcerer’s actions back then.

So, the late Emperor must have known as well.

The system then chimed in, [What did you expect? Such despicable acts wouldn’t have been allowed without the late Emperor’s tacit approval. A mere Taoist wouldn’t have been able to do as he pleased in the capital without the Emperor’s consent.]

Yanshu was stunned and couldn’t help but exclaim, [The late Emperor was the ruler of the country! How could he have allowed this wicked sorcerer to harm his people?]

A chill ran down her spine as another terrifying possibility arose in her mind, […Could it be that the late Emperor also consumed these pills?]

The system responded, [Of course, he did. He was obsessed with immortality, and once he knew these pills were “good,” how could he not have eaten them?]

“Ugh…”

Upon hearing this, Yanshu felt an overwhelming sense of disgust and nearly threw up on the spot.

The Empress Dowager was startled and immediately asked, “What’s wrong?”

Yanshu patted her chest and said, “I’m not sure, I just suddenly feel a bit unwell.”

The Empress Dowager immediately ordered, “You should go rest. Have Imperial Physician Jiang check on you. You must be careful in the next few days.”

Yanshu quickly agreed, then tried to reassure the Empress Dowager, “Don’t be too upset, Your Majesty. It’s not a bad thing that the sorcerer is close by. His Majesty is wise and powerful, and the capital has plenty of personnel. He will certainly capture this man and bring him to justice.”

Sigh, dealing with such a ridiculous and wicked emperor must have been tough on the Empress Dowager. A person with so much sense of justice must have been terribly frustrated back then.

Fortunately, that damn emperor was dead now, but her big shot mustn’t fall ill again.

The Empress Dowager nodded and said, “Don’t worry about me. Right now, you are the most important. That sorcerer is crafty, so even though he’s in the palace, we can’t afford to let our guard down.”

Yanshu hurriedly agreed and then took her leave, returning to Ganlu Palace.

~~

Yanshu thought about the things the late Emperor and that sorcerer had done, and she felt utterly disgusted. She was so sickened by it that she lost her appetite for lunch, only having some porridge before going back to sleep.

When she woke up, the sky had darkened, and it was almost time for the evening meal to be served.

She was still preoccupied with the matter at hand, so she hurriedly asked the system, “Has the sorcerer been caught?”

To her surprise, the system replied, “Not yet.”

Yanshu furrowed her brows. “What’s going on? Didn’t we tell the Jin Yi Wei that the sorcerer was near the Binzhi Inn in Shaojin Alley? We even gave them the room number. Why haven’t they caught him yet?”

The system responded, “I’ve already told you, that sorcerer is crafty. Before the Jin Yi Wei arrived, he had already switched locations.”

Yanshu was nearly going to vomit blood. There were no communication tools in this era, so she couldn’t give real-time instructions to the Jin Yi Wei. Now, with her big belly, she couldn’t go to the scene and catch him like she did with the human trafficker before. Time was of the essence, how could she possibly catch that sorcerer now?

Just then, the system said, “Maybe he can still be caught right now.”

Yanshu was stunned. “What?”

The system replied, “But first, check if your windows and doors are properly closed.”

Yanshu, “???”

Before she could ask another question, she suddenly heard the hurried voice of Imperial Physician Xun from outside the door, “Please, Consort Yi, have someone close the windows and doors, and do not allow anyone to enter or exit for now.”

Yanshu was again stunned—why was someone telling her to close the windows?

But before she could say anything, Imperial Physician Xun continued, “I smell medicine outside. It may be harmful to the pregnant women.”

What?

At this, everyone in the hall was shocked.

Fortunately, the weather was cold, so the windows and doors were already closed. Rendi had originally planned to go out and deliver the meal, but at this moment, she didn’t dare to move.

Just then, a voice came from outside the door. It was Yuwen Lan asking, “What’s happening?”

Yanshu didn’t dare to open the door, but fortunately, Imperial Physician Xun replied from outside, “Your Majesty, I just smelled a strong smoke from the palace. It seems to contain substances harmful to pregnant women. I was worried about the consort, so I hurried here to report it.”

In fact, Yuwen Lan had already smelled the medicinal odor as he walked in. Hearing this, he realized how serious the situation was. He immediately said to Yanshu, “Do not go in or out. Close the doors and windows.”

Then, he asked Imperial Physician Xun, “Do you know where the smoke is coming from?”

Imperial Physician Xun answered, “As I came through the palace, the smell became stronger the closer I got to the inner palace. It should be nearby.”

Yuwen Lan immediately ordered Fu Hai, “Have the guards follow Imperial Physician Xun and search the area. No one is allowed to stop them.”

Fu Hai quickly responded, calling a dozen guards to follow Imperial Physician Xun as they searched the palace.

Since the inner palace wasn’t very crowded at the moment, it didn’t take long before they found the source of the medicinal odor.

It came from the Cuiwei Hall, where Consort Wang was staying.

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Lan was enraged and immediately went to personally interrogate her.

However, Consort Wang vehemently denied, “Your Majesty, please see clearly, I am ill and had my family buy some moxibustion sticks from outside the palace to help me. I absolutely did not intend to harm Consort Yi.”

In her heart, she thought, “This Consort Yi really did it! She’s so cruel, framing me like this!”

Yuwen Lan listened to this but remained unmoved. He ordered the guards, “Bring the item she was burning and show it to Imperial Physician Xun.”

The guards quickly brought out the “moxibustion stick” that had been found in Cuiwei Hall and presented it to Imperial Physician Xun for examination.

When Imperial Physician Xun peeled the moxibustion stick open, it immediately revealed a pile of medicinal powder.

After a quick inspection, Imperial Physician Xun confirmed, “Your Majesty, this contains substances like Red Peony, Salvia, Safflower, Musk, Turmeric, and other blood-activating herbs. Even without ingesting it, just inhaling the fumes poses a risk of miscarriage. While it’s cold outside, it is still evening, and people are coming in and out of the hall. The odor will inevitably enter the room, which is detrimental to Consort Yi and the unborn child.”

Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned, and Yuwen Lan turned coldly toward Consort Wang, saying, “Where did this come from? Who instructed you to do this?”

Consort Wang was stunned for a moment and then cried out, “Your Majesty, please see clearly. I really didn’t know there was anything harmful in it. I’ve been ill for a long time and could not recover. I had no choice but to ask my family to buy some moxibustion for me. I had no idea it contained so many poisonous substances.”

“What’s going on? How could there be such things in moxibustion? Could Consort Yi have instructed the physician to frame me?”

Yuwen Lan’s patience ran out. He coldly ordered, “Immediately control the Wang family. No one is allowed to enter or leave. Investigate the source of this poisonous substance!”

The guards immediately complied, rushing to the Wang family’s residence outside the palace.

~~

At this moment, Yanshu had already learned of the developments from the system.

She pondered, “Could it be that Consort Wang was also being used by that sorcerer?”

The system replied, “Exactly. The moxibustion stick actually came from the sorcerer. Since he arrived in the capital, he adopted the identity of a physician. A few days ago, he used his medical skills to treat the Wang family’s elder’s stomach ailment. The Wang family’s elder regarded him as a divine physician, and this time, he bought the moxibustion stick from him and had someone send it to his daughter in the palace.”

Yanshu nodded, though she was still confused, “But why didn’t Consort Wang see a real Imperial Physician if she was sick? Just relying on moxibustion alone isn’t enough!”

The system responded, “Because she’s very afraid of you now. She thinks the Imperial Physicians are aligned with you and that you want her dead, so she’s been too afraid to see an Imperial Physician.”

Yanshu, “…”

Well, if that was the case, she wouldn’t force the matter. She decided to focus on the sorcerer instead.

“So, does this mean that the miscarriages of pregnant women in the capital were also caused by that sorcerer?”

The system replied, “Not necessarily. After all, this method is quite expensive, and it’s mainly meant to target you. For other pregnant women, he usually gathers information first, then waits for an opportunity to poison the water in their wells. He also bribes the local midwives, and once the women miscarry, he obtains the fresh placentas.”

Upon hearing this, Yanshu almost felt like vomiting.

“This damn sorcerer has been scheming against me all along! I must catch him this time!”

Then the system said, “This time, it’s easy. He’s currently at the second room in the west wing of the Xingyuan Apothecary shop at Yongding Bridge. He just dyed his hair black this afternoon. He looks to be about forty to fifty years old.”

“Dyed his hair just this afternoon?”

Yanshu raised an eyebrow. From what she knew, the current hair-dyeing technique involved boiling black beans with vinegar to create a thick paste, which was then applied to the hair. Of course, some reinforcement was needed afterward, but since this person had dyed his hair only this afternoon, it seemed unlikely that the reinforcement was fully done...

An idea immediately came to her. She quickly grabbed her pen and wrote another letter, instructing someone to send it to Qianming Palace.

~~

Ci'an Palace.

As the sky gradually darkened, the Empress Dowager had been waiting anxiously for news.

Only when she heard that the source of the poison, Consort Wang, had been caught and that Yanshu had not been affected, did she finally let out a sigh of relief.

Dan Shuang quickly stepped forward and advised, “Your Majesty, you haven’t had dinner yet. Since Consort Yi hasn’t been affected, please eat something.”

The Empress Dowager sighed, “I have no appetite. The White Crane Immortal hasn’t been caught yet.”

— After all, as long as that sorcerer was still at large, pregnant women in the city were still at risk.

Even though the children had not yet been born, they were still lives at stake! How could she bring herself to eat?

Thinking back, it was her fault.

If, when that person died, the sorcerer had been eliminated too, how would they still have this hidden danger now?

Fortunately, not long after, the eunuch Qiao Fushun, who had gone out to gather news, entered and reported, “Your Majesty, we just received news from Qianming Palace. The White Crane Immortal has been caught!”

The Empress Dowager paused, quickly asking, “Has he really been caught? It’s not a mistake, is it?”

Qiao Fushun nodded vigorously. “Your Majesty, please rest assured. The identity has been verified. It is said that the sorcerer dyed his hair black just this afternoon and disguised himself as a physician. He was hiding near Yongding Bridge. The Jin Yi Wei followed the scent of the poison directly to the area near the bridge. They surrounded the nearby houses and shops and searched one by one. They found a man dressed in black, wearing a black hat, with a pungent odor around him. They poured hot water over his head, and his black hair turned white, confirming it was the White Crane Immortal.”

What?

The Empress Dowager was stunned for a moment—this method seemed a bit... devious.

But no matter what, catching him was the most important thing.

The heavy weight on her heart finally lifted. She pressed her palms together and murmured, “Amitabha.”

Seeing this, everyone else felt relieved as well. Dan Shuang stepped forward again, “Your Majesty, you can now have your meal. You’ve just recovered, you mustn’t skip your food.”

The Empress Dowager replied, “Just have them prepare a bowl of plain porridge.”

Dan Shuang quickly left to arrange for the meal.

The Empress Dowager was about to sit on the warm couch for a while when Qiao Fushun spoke again, “By the way, Your Majesty, on my way back, I happened to meet a guard who was delivering a message, saying that Mrs. Zhang Shengkang, Xu Shi, passed away today.”

The Empress Dowager’s expression cooled, “Let her die then. Her husband and son have committed so many evil deeds. His Majesty didn’t even make her endure punishment while ill, that’s already mercy.”

Qiao Fushun quickly agreed but then added, “When Xu Shi passed away, she had someone deliver a letter to the palace gates. She requested that you review it.”

He presented the letter.

The Empress Dowager paused, finally reaching out to take the letter. She opened it and read through it quickly.

To her surprise, she froze.

It turned out the letter was not from Xu Shi, but from Zhang Shengkang.

— After all, Zhang Shengkang had written many prescriptions for her over the years, and she was quite familiar with his handwriting.

At this moment, she saw that Zhang Shengkang had written, “Regarding the matter of the late Emperor’s Kombu soup being mixed with Moonlight Powder, I have already informed Imperial Physician Xun before my death. Please be cautious, Your Majesty.”

The Empress Dowager paused.

Heh, Zhang Shengkang!

~~

After confirming the identity of the White Crane Immortal, the Jin Yi Wei immediately dragged him into the dungeons.

By now, it was late at night, and Yuwen Lan finally let out a sigh of relief. He intended to go back to Ganlu Palace and rest.

— With that fool, Consort Wang, caught, the immediate danger had passed, and for now, Ganlu Palace was accessible again.

However, just as he was about to get up, the Jin Yi Wei came to report, “Your Majesty, the sorcerer says he has a secret about the late Emperor that he wishes to report to you.”

Yuwen Lan paused.

After a moment, he nodded, “I will see him.”

It was just as well; he had been wanting to see what the sorcerer who had harmed the late Emperor looked like now.

After speaking, he stood up and left the room.

It wasn’t long before Yuwen Lan found himself in the dungeons, facing the sorcerer.

The man’s face was indeed relatively free of wrinkles. Aside from the absurdly faded hair, his face seemed considerably younger compared to before.

But all Yuwen Lan could feel was disgust.

Why had the late Emperor ever trusted such a person?

Before he could speak, the sorcerer smiled and said, “Your Majesty, you’ve finally come. Since you’ve honored me with your presence, I will share a secret with you.”

Yuwen Lan remained expressionless and asked, “What secret?”

The White Crane Immortal smiled and said, “Your Majesty, do not think that the late Emperor died because of me. At that time, I ate and lived with the late Emperor, and we shared our meals. Except for one thing—he drank a bowl of Kombu soup every day. Afterward, I was fine, but the Emperor vomited blood and died. Do you know why? The person who poisoned the late Emperor was someone from within the palace!”

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Lan did not react immediately. Instead, he asked coldly, “You lived with the late Emperor and ate together. So, you’re saying that the pills you made from human placentas, the late Emperor also consumed?”

The White Crane Immortal was momentarily stunned, then smiled and replied, “Your Majesty, you’re as clever as they say. Indeed, I was wholeheartedly devoted to the late Emperor. Such a precious substance naturally should be offered to him first.”

Yuwen Lan narrowed his eyes.

Just then, a voice came from behind, “Enough.”

Everyone turned to see the Empress Dowager standing in the doorway.

Before anyone could bow, the Empress Dowager walked up to Yuwen Lan and looked at him for a moment before turning to the White Crane Immortal, saying, “You lured the late Emperor into persecuting the common people, committing heinous acts. Now, with death looming over you, you still wish to slander others?”

The White Crane Immortal froze, then turned to Yuwen Lan and said, “Your Majesty, can you bear to let the late Emperor die without knowing the truth?”

“Enough.”

Yuwen Lan’s cold voice rang out, “You speak nonsense even with death before you. Guards, cut out his tongue and disable his hands and feet. Announce to the public that tomorrow at noon, he will be executed in public.”

He then turned to the Empress Dowager, saying, “This is a gruesome matter. Please return to the palace, Mother.”

The Empress Dowager paused but nodded, agreeing to leave with him.

The cold winter night’s chill pierced the lungs.

The Empress Dowager did not board the carriage, instead saying to Yuwen Lan, “Your Majesty, I have something to tell you.”

Yuwen Lan replied softly, “It’s late, Mother. Please go back and rest. Whatever it is, we can discuss it tomorrow.”