Legend of Zhen Huan: Zhen Huan is reborn

195 Feiwen's denunciation, five-petal bamboo leaves

"That day, because Sister Liuzhu had important matters to attend to, she sent me to serve the carefully stewed pork tripe, chicken and ginseng soup to Concubine Xi. Unexpectedly, the moment I stepped into the palace, I ran into Doctor Wen beside me. I was holding the bowl of soup steadily in my hand, and in my haste, I neglected to report to him first." Feiwen recounted, "Unexpectedly, the scene in front of me was Doctor Wen gently holding Concubine Xi's hand, and their eyes were intertwined, full of affection. Seeing this, Concubine Xi showed displeasure and slightly reprimanded me. I quickly put the bowl of soup safely and hurriedly left the scene."

"According to what you said, it was just an ordinary pulse taking procedure, there was nothing unusual about it." Lu Yingfeng responded softly.

"I clearly saw a corner of Doctor Wen's sleeves showing, on which was embroidered an exquisite five-petal bamboo leaf pattern, small and unique." Feiwen paused for a moment and continued: "Although it was only a glimpse, the embroidery was unique and extraordinary, and I remember it clearly, so there is no mistake."

Feiwen's words are clear and her descriptions of the details are so vivid that it is hard to doubt her words.

And her subsequent words were like adding fuel to a raging fire, instantly igniting the barely perceptible dark cloud in Yinzhen's eyes, causing it to burn fiercely.

He subconsciously wanted to touch the string of emerald green beads, but remembered that he had already discarded it. He could only lean lazily against the back of the chair, one hand lightly resting on the armrest, and turned his gaze to Zhen Huan, asking in a deep voice: "Is everything she said true?"

"That day, I was just concerned about Princess Jinghe's health, so I asked Imperial Doctor Wen for advice. Sister Mei was so worried about Jinghe's illness that she lost her appetite, and I was also very anxious." Zhen Huan replied gently.

"That's true. During that period, Imperial Concubine Xi visited me and Jinghe frequently. Fortunately, thanks to the careful care of Imperial Doctor Wen and the company of Longyue, Jinghe gradually recovered." Shen Meizhuang agreed gently.

"Your Majesty, I dare to say something. I am weak and sickly. If it were not for the miraculous healing skills of Imperial Doctor Wen, I would not be in good health today. It is understandable that Imperial Concubine Xi trusts Imperial Doctor Wen's medical skills." Qi Yuebin said slowly, with a hint of gratitude in her tone.

"What you two madams said seems to be biased towards Imperial Concubine Xi. Everyone in the palace knows that you two madams have a deep friendship." Mei Yue interrupted softly with a hint of sarcasm in her words.

"Your Majesty is wise. I never like to get involved in disputes." Qi Yuebin responded calmly, looking composed.

"Could it be that the Imperial Concubine has some hidden secret, or received some kind of favor?" Mei Yue was relentless, and there was a hint of provocation in her words, causing Qi Yuebin's face to change slightly.

Seeing this, Yinzhen's anger gradually became apparent. He pointed directly at Meiyue and said coldly, "That's enough, shut up!"

"Your Majesty..." Mei Yue was unwilling and wanted to say more.

"What Noble Lady Mei said is wrong. Noble Concubine Duan is aloof and unworldly. How could she be easily moved by worldly affairs? Is this remark directed at Noble Concubine Xi, or is it intended to provoke us?" Feng Ruozhao intervened at the right time, speaking with a reproachful tone.

Seeing this, Yixiu tried to smooth things over: "Well, Concubine Mei should be punished for her misspoken words, but the priority now is to find out the truth of this matter, neither wrongly accusing the innocent nor letting the guilty go."

After saying this, she glanced at Zhen Huan calmly, with a confident light flashing in her eyes.

Mei Guiren nodded slightly, with a hint of disdain and doubt in her tone: "Feiwen is just a maid who sweeps the palace. She occasionally has the opportunity to step into the inner hall. She can see such scenes a few times. How can she know that there are not more such things happening quietly when she has not witnessed them?"

Upon hearing this, Yixiu frowned with worry and said slowly, "This matter is complicated and the truth is hard to discern. At present, only Imperial Concubine Xi is here, and since Imperial Doctor Wen is involved, in order to get the truth out, it is better to summon Imperial Doctor Wen to Jingren Palace immediately and ask him in person."

Yinzhen thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

Yixiu then winked at Jiang Fuhai, signaling him to quickly summon Doctor Wen for a confrontation.

-

As night fell completely, the palace maids tiptoed into the hall and lit the candles one by one.

The soft and bright light shuttled through the gorgeous costumes, and the subtle sound of the friction of the fabric seemed particularly clear in this solemn atmosphere, but it failed to dispel the heavy feeling of depression in the air.

When everything was ready, the palace maids retreated quietly outside the hall, leaving only the silence in the room and the flickering light of the candlelight.

Yinzhen leaned on the Nine Dragon Throne, supporting his chin with one hand, his eyes deep, as if examining every subtle change.

Queen Yixiu sat at the side, her face serious and solemn, and she looked even more majestic under the candlelight.

Qi Yuebin looked a little tired. She closed her eyes and rested, as if she wanted to find a bit of peace from the chaos.

Inside the palace, the concubines exchanged glances or speculated secretly, but no one dared to break the silence. Only the dripping sound of the clepsydra echoed in the empty palace.

Every soft "dong" sound fell on the golden lotus copper plate, stirring up circles of delicate ripples. The lingering sound added a bit of tension and uneasiness.

Wen Shichu hurried over, obviously having heard everything. His usually gentle face now looked particularly gloomy. Although his movements were still standard when he saluted, he could not hide the waves in his heart.

He secretly glanced at Zhen Huan and felt relieved to see that she remained calm and determined.

Seeing this, Mei Yue sneered and said sarcastically, "Doctor Wen is really loyal. As soon as he entered the room, he was concerned about Concubine Xi's health and wanted to feel her pulse and diagnose her right away."

Wen Shichu was unmoved and simply responded, "Mrs. Mei is too impatient and her voice is a little sharp. I guess it's because her internal heat is too strong. I will have someone send some heat-clearing medicine later, hoping to calm her down."

Yixiu gently signaled, and Jiang Fuhai stepped forward and said to Wen Shichu politely but with dignity: "Doctor Wen, I'm sorry."

As he spoke, he turned up his cuffs, and saw that there was indeed a five-petal green bamboo leaf embroidered on it, just as Feiwen described.

Yinzhen's tone was emotionless: "This embroidery is quite unique. Does Doctor Wen always have this habit?"

Although Wen Shichu didn't understand, he still answered truthfully: "My mother loves bamboo, so I always embroider a bamboo leaf on the cuffs of my clothes to express my longing for her."

After these words were spoken, everyone felt more confident.

Yinzhen snorted coldly and said nothing more, while Ye Lanyi leaned aside and watched coldly, her face full of disdain and ridicule.

Feng Ruozhao and Lu Yingfeng also quickly spoke up to defend Wen Shichu, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.

There was a hint of urgency in Feng Ruozhao's words. The beads of sweat on the tip of her nose looked particularly bright in the candlelight. It was obvious that she felt a little nervous about the current situation.

"The pattern embroidered on Doctor Wen's cuffs is no secret. If you pay attention, you can see it every day." She tried to convince people with reason, emphasizing that this detail could not be conclusive evidence. "So, it would be too hasty to conclude anything based on this alone."

Lu Yingfeng followed closely behind and quickly agreed, "Yes, yes, yes, Doctor Wen himself said that all his clothes have such patterns on their cuffs. This is just a personal habit of his. How can it indicate any problem?"

There was a sense of ease and casualness in her words, trying to ease the tense atmosphere in the hall, but the worry in her eyes was difficult to conceal.

Although the two concubines' explanations were reasonable, it was difficult to completely dispel everyone's doubts at this sensitive moment.

Yinzhen remained silent, his brows revealing a thoughtful expression, obviously weighing various possibilities and consequences.

Queen Yixiu maintained a dignified posture, with a barely perceptible flash of complex emotions in her eyes, as if she was secretly observing everyone's reaction.

Wen Shichu stood there, feeling mixed emotions.

Mei Yue glanced at Lu Yingfeng, her tone full of sarcasm and provocation: "This is really strange. A mere imperial physician should have observed etiquette when meeting Concubine Xi, but why is he so casual as if he had entered her own home, turning up his sleeves, sitting down and talking face to face, so comfortable and relaxed, it is really unheard of. If this continues, when imperial physicians enter Yongshou Palace, won't they have to turn up their sleeves and take off their clothes? Are there any rules that cannot be broken!"

Wen Shichu's face changed drastically when he heard this, and he hurriedly explained, "That day, Concubine Xi summoned me to inquire about Princess Jinghe's health. Concubine Xi and Concubine Hui have a deep affection for each other. When they learned that Princess Jinghe was about to recover, they were so happy that they rewarded me with a cup of tea. When I drank the tea, my sleeves were a little long, so I rolled them up a little. It was not intentional to be rude."

Mei Yue sneered, her eyes shot towards Wen Shichu as sharp as a knife, and then turned to sneer: "If Imperial Concubine Xi had not looked at you differently, and if she had not taken you seriously, how could she have trusted you to take care of Concubine Hui, who was like a sister to her? I had never thought of this before, but now it seems that the friendship between Imperial Concubine Xi and you, the Imperial Physician, is really extraordinary."

Mei Yue spoke sharply and pressed forward step by step, not giving Wen Shichu any chance to breathe.

"My lady, you..." Wen Shichu was so angry that his face turned red. He was about to refute, but due to the difference in status, he could only swallow his anger and no longer pay attention to Mei Yue's provocation.

However, Mei Yue refused to give up. She pointed at Wen Shichu and continued to provoke him, "Doctor Wen, why is your face so red? Are you feeling guilty?"