Chapter 186 Exposed
Huo Taoer is now a favorite in the imperial court. After all, Kangxi has not abandoned her for such a long time, and he is even favoring her more and more. Now everyone is wondering when Kangxi will give her the title of a noble lady and let her officially live in the six palaces in the east and west.

Only Huo Tao'er became more and more frightened day by day. Now Kangxi doted on her and almost never did that. He just liked to drink the tea she made. She had known that the medicine powder that person gave her was problematic, but Kangxi seemed to be in good health. She was very confused as to what kind of medicine it was.

She once wanted to ask the imperial physician to take a look, but she didn't dare, and could only suffer day after day.

That day Liang Jiugong came to call her to serve in the imperial court again. The way this eunuch looked at people was really uncomfortable. Huo Taoer looked calm on the surface, but she always felt in her heart that he had discovered her secret.

"Tao'er is here. Today's Junshan Yinzhen tea doesn't taste good. I think it may not be the tea that's wrong, but the person. You come and try it." Kangxi leaned back in his chair and stared at Huo Tao'er, with a fierce light flashing in his eyes.

Huo Taoer kept her head down and did not notice anything unusual in the palace. She was repeating the work she had been doing during this period. She was a little worried about whether she should give Kangxi some extra tips under his nose.

In the end, the thought of revenge for his sister prevailed. After all, when he entered the palace, that person told him that once the powder was taken, he should try not to stop taking it, and delay it as long as possible.

So Huo Taoer flicked her nails lightly at the beginning and end. Because of her skill, Liang Jiugong would have thought he had made a mistake if he hadn't been watching closely. So he acted as fast as lightning and grabbed Huo Taoer's arm: "How dare you!"

Huo Taoer suddenly realized that she had been exposed. She did not feel that she was in danger but instead felt relieved: "Eunuch Liang, you hurt me."

Liang Jiugong was a little surprised. This Mrs. Huo was indeed a courageous person who dared to drug the emperor.

Kangxi looked at the tea that had been spiked with ingredients and resisted the urge to drink it all up: "Call the imperial physician!"

Mrs. Huo knelt obediently at Kangxi's feet and said nothing to Eunuch Liang's questions. Her residence had already been searched thoroughly by Liang Jiugong's apprentice.

In addition to daily necessities, they found a porcelain bottle that required both hands to hold. Inside the bottle were ordinary soil debris, but the bottle was hidden tightly, so it was presented to the emperor.

The imperial physician tried the flavor of the tea and fiddled with the silver needle for a while. Suddenly, his face turned pale. He glanced at the person dressed in palace clothes kneeling on the ground and felt that he was trapped in a deep whirlpool.

"Doctor Liu, have you found out anything?" Liang Jiugong asked, seeing that Doctor Liu should have figured out something.

Doctor Liu gritted his teeth and said, "I am not very skilled. Maybe the dosage is too small to tell the difference. Doctor Jiang is the most skilled doctor. Why don't we ask him to tell the difference?"

Kangxi glanced at Liang Jiugong.

"In reply to the emperor, Imperial Physician Jiang is not on duty today. I have conveyed your oral order. However, his carriage went crazy on the road, causing him to fall out of the carriage. Not only did his legs break, but his head was also hit on a stone. He is now unconscious and is said to be looking for a doctor all over the capital." Liang Jiugong replied.

Kangxi smiled when he heard this and said, "Doctor Jiang is unlucky. Send someone to check him out. Report back when he wakes up."

Liang Jiugong's heart moved. Was the emperor going to keep an eye on Imperial Doctor Jiang's whereabouts? Did he suspect that he was involved in this matter?
Yes, the timing of this carriage going crazy was too coincidental.

Doctor Liu trembled even more when he heard this. Kangxi suddenly said, "Doctor Liu, I vaguely remember that you asked for leave a few days ago. I think you got a grandson. I think he will be blessed in the future."

"Your son's medical skills are mediocre, but he opened a clinic in the capital. It's not too much to make a fortune by relying on the reputation of the imperial physician. It would be better to have a grandson. You can train him from a young age, and your skills won't be wasted."

Doctor Liu kowtowed several times and said, "I beg Your Majesty to spare the life of my grandson. He is only a few months old." "Hurry up and speak!" Liang Jiugong scolded.

"Your Majesty, you know more about the banned drug opium cream from the previous dynasty than I do. This tea contains the purified powder of that harmful substance." Imperial Doctor Liu spoke slowly at first, then gradually increased his speaking speed. "According to this dosage, it will take a month to become addictive. Medical records show that quitting requires great willpower and consumes a lot of essence and blood."

"Opium cream. I remember that at the beginning of the country, all these things were destroyed. The recipe might still be kept in the palace." Kangxi laughed so hard that tears were about to come out. Then he suddenly stood up, drew out a decorative sword, and cut off Doctor Liu's neck with force.

"Punish all nine clans, and leave his grandson alive and send him to a charity." Kangxi said calmly, and the blood calmed his violent mood.

"Tao'er, make another cup of tea."

Huo Tao'er was kneeling very close to Doctor Liu. His blood sprayed on half of Huo Tao'er's clothes, and some splashed on her face. She dared not move, and listened to Kangxi's instructions and mechanically repeated the action of making tea.

After Kangxi drank most of the wine, he took a few deep breaths and motioned Huo Taoer to come to him. He took out a handkerchief from his arms and gently wiped the stains off Huo Taoer's face.

Kangxi's hand moved lower and lower, and finally got stuck on Huo Taoer's neck. He slowly tightened his grip until Huo Taoer was unable to breathe smoothly and was about to roll her eyes, then he let go.

When Liang Jiugong saw Kangxi waving his hand, he quickly ordered someone to drag Huo away.

"Don't alert the enemy. I want to see who is behind her." Kangxi's somewhat tired voice came, and Liang Jiugong responded.

Huo Taoer returned to her residence in a very embarrassed manner. The concubines who lived under the same roof pointed fingers at her and were gloating over her misfortune. After all, she was blocking so many people's way.

She closed and locked the door to block out the noise, and leaned against the door frame to calm her heartbeat for a long time.

After feeling that her legs were not so weak anymore, Huo Taoer sat in front of the dressing table and looked at herself in the bronze mirror. Half of her face was still stained with blood, her clothes were messy, and the most shocking thing was the five finger marks on her neck.

Huo Taoer knew clearly that she would not survive.

"Don't worry, sister. I'll be downstairs with you soon. But before I go downstairs, I have one more important thing to do."

Huo Taoer murmured to herself. Just as she was about to turn over the porcelain vase, she suddenly realized that it had been confiscated. She sat on the chair, not knowing whether to cry or not.

Kangxi also realized that he had forgotten to ask what was in the porcelain bottle. Liang Jiugong hesitated for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I thought it was just ordinary soil at first, but the more I looked at it, the more I felt it was burnt... ashes."

"Let it go." There was a clear murderous intent in Kangxi's eyes, and Liang Jiugong didn't dare to say anything more.

"Send the imperial physician again!"

"Yes."

Liang Jiugong was silent. He came out of the Palace of Tranquil Longevity and looked at the half-open door, as if he saw a beast with its mouth half open waiting for food.