Chapter 282: Immortal Pill (1)
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Qin Zhenzhen’s words had a temporary soothing effect on the Empress Dowager’s anger.
“Furthermore, I strongly advise you, the Empress Dowager, to prioritize rest and disregard trivial matters. It would be most beneficial to recline as much as possible and cooperate with your treatment. You may achieve twice the results with half the effort.
Once Qin Zhenzhen departed, a shadow cast over the Empress Dowager’s countenance. Promptly, she summoned the royal physician to inquire further.
She had intentions to heed Qin Zhenzhen’s counsel and recline, but her inherent nature could not be easily subdued.
From her youth, she had been an imposing figure of great authority. Her family’s immense influence solidified her standing within the palace, where her position remained unshaken.
Even when she erred as the Crown Prince Consort and faced neglect from the Crown Prince and the eventual Emperor, it was merely a chilly indifference.
Her ascent to Empress occurred upon the Emperor’s demise and her son’s ascension to the throne, a position she steadfastly maintained.
She had always exercised control over every facet of her life. How could she simply lay supine and dismiss all concerns without withering away?
Foremost on her mind was whether the pill formula provided by Qin Zhenzhen was authentic or counterfeit.
The two chief physicians from the Imperial Physician Court promptly arrived and reverently handed over Qin Zhenzhen’s handwritten formula to the Empress Dowager.
“Empress Dowager, this is the pain relief formula authored by Miss Qin.”
The Empress Dowager feigned a single perusal of the document, her expression faltering upon encountering more than twenty medicinal herbs. In truth, she too struggled to comprehend the intricacies of these herbs.
“Are all these herbs readily available in the Imperial Hospital?”
At that moment, she had already let slip Qin Zhenzhen’s earlier advice from her thoughts.
Qin Zhenzhen had cautioned against excessive use of painkillers, as it might undermine the treatment’s efficacy. Nevertheless, suspicion lingered in her mind that Qin Zhenzhen might be exacting revenge, deliberately withholding pain relief.
In anticipation of any future need, she anxiously beseeched the imperial physicians to prepare the painkillers.
One of the imperial physicians lowered his head respectfully and replied, “Your
Highness, among the 24 medicinal herbs listed, the Imperial Physician
Hospital possesses all but one.”
The Empress Dowager’s gaze turned frosty. “How can it be that there’s a medicinal herb the imperial hospital lacks?”
“What purpose do you imperial physicians serve?”
The trembling imperial physician explained, “This particular herb is known as the ‘Immortal Pill.’ It thrives in remote mountains and forests and is exceedingly rare. While ancient texts document its existence, few have ever laid eyes on it.”
“Consequently, the Imperial Hospital currently has no reserves…”
The Empress Dowager’s glare grew even darker. “If we dispatch someone to locate it, how long would it take to procure?”
The imperial physician began to perspire nervously. “This… I cannot offer a definite timeframe. According to the texts, the discovery of this medicinal herb relies heavily on sheer chance.”
If the Empress Dowager insisted on a search, it would pose a considerable predicament.
Furthermore, the Imperial Hospital’s medical practitioners had collectively debated the omission of this particular herb from the formula with great care. They reached a consensus that Qin Zhenzhen had not omitted it intentionally to complicate matters.
Their conclusion rested upon ancient texts that affirmed the Immortal Pill’s effectiveness in alleviating headaches, along with its benign impact on the human body and its reputed ability to extend one’s lifespan.
Such attributes were the very reason it bore the moniker “Immortal Pill.”
However, he could not rule out the possibility that Qin Zhenzhen had deliberately said that she did not have any stock.
She actually wanted them to beg her.
Qin Zhenzhen undoubtedly possessed a reserve of the Immortal Pill. The key question lay in her willingness to part with them.
To unearth the truth, the physicians of the Imperial Hospital clandestinely dispatched a message to Qin Zhenzhen, inquiring about her conditions for relinquishing the Immortal Pill..