She had mentioned her a few times.
She was of the same generation as the Empress, a late child of the Former Emperor, born to him and Secondary Consort Yu.
The Empress was very fond of this little girl.
Unlike the Empress’s other peers, this girl held no grudges or resentment toward her; she genuinely loved her sister.
The Empress often said that when she was tired, holding the little girl in her arms and teasing her, listening to her giggle, could instantly revive her exhausted mind and body.
It could be said that amid this court and deep palace, Princess Yulan was the Empress’s only safe harbor where she could let down her guard.
The little girl’s eyes held none of the court’s deceit and scheming.
She only cared whether her sister was happy and well-fed.
She would often wrap a few of her sister’s favorite pastries in her little handkerchief and carry them with her, so she could always pull out something sweet to cheer up the Empress.
Sometimes, when the Empress was busy with state affairs, she would keep the girl by her side.
Though the girl couldn’t understand the memorials the Empress reviewed, her eyes, looking at the Empress, were still full of admiration, as if her sister was the greatest person in the world, the best emperor.
Such a lovely little sister, yet tonight…
The Empress clenched her fists, a flash of ruthlessness passing through her eyes.
“Your Majesty, since Princess Yulan has already passed away, summoning me… there’s nothing I can do either. I can only advise you to accept this loss.”
Shen Yu didn’t know what to say.
She knew the Empress and Princess Yulan had a good relationship, but now that the imperial physicians said there was no hope, what could Shen Yu do?
“Just go take a look. I don’t… know who to trust anymore.”
As the Empress said this, she instinctively glanced at the physicians kneeling before her.
Feeling the Empress’s cold gaze, those old foxes lowered their heads even further.
“Your Majesty! Absolutely not! Princess Yulan’s death is inseparable from that Centennial Vaccine. That vaccine was created by Shen Yu. I humbly advise you—the cause of Her Highness’s death lies in the vaccine Shen Yu recklessly promoted! A person with no medical ethics or底线 like her should be arrested and publicly executed!”
“We beg Your Majesty to reconsider!”
The physicians spoke in unison, their opposition to Shen Yu thundering like an avalanche.
What surprised Shen Yu was that the Empress’s first reaction wasn’t anger, but to instinctively look at her.
What caught her off guard, however, was that Shen Yu’s expression remained calm.
As for the physicians’ attacks, Shen Yu acted as if she hadn’t heard them.
Those physicians had their own confidence.
When the Empress first pushed for the Medical Recruitment Exam, she met opposition from all sides.
To navigate through and gain the opportunity to implement the policy, she had to make certain compromises.
Foremost among them was to treat the imperial physicians leniently, raising the status and salary of the Imperial Academy of Medicine.
Just as the Founding Emperor and Taizong had established the rule against casually executing censors, the Empress, in her push for the Medical Recruitment Exam, had also been forced to establish a rule against casually executing imperial physicians.
As long as the physicians had done their best, the most she could do was dismiss them.
There was no reason to simply drag them out and behead them.
There was no other way.
To promote the Medical Recruitment Exam and gain the support of the Imperial Academy of Medicine, the Empress had to make this compromise.
Previously, the Empress thought the compromise was worth it—after all, she had discovered a talent like Shen Yu.
But now… when the backlash truly landed on her head, the Empress found herself missing the days when she could have physicians dragged out and beheaded at the slightest disagreement.
“Your Majesty, what should we do now?”
The Empress looked at the physicians kneeling on the ground, their矛头 pointed at Shen Yu, her heart churning with turmoil.
Shen Yu, on the other hand, appeared calm.
If it had been anyone else under such a united attack, they would have panicked by now.
Yet she seemed completely unfazed.
She only said these words to the Empress before walking toward Princess Yulan’s bedside.
The physicians behind her started buzzing again, but the Empress shot them a cold glance, and they immediately fell silent.
Shen Yu had already checked the pulse and breathing of Princess Yulan, who lay on the bed.
The girl was truly gone.
But during her examination, Shen Yu also noticed a few irregularities.
She didn’t voice them, however, as they were only suspicions at this point.
To continue investigating, she couldn’t just rely on external observation.
But the Empress would never allow Shen Yu to perform an autopsy on this little princess for further examination.
Besides, Shen Yu had no experience in that area and dared not volunteer.
Nevertheless, the seed of suspicion had been planted.
Shen Yu was well aware of the Imperial Academy of Medicine’s track record.
Shen Yu had personally administered the Centennial Vaccine to Princess Yulan.
Back then, the little girl had sweetly called her “Big Sister,” and Shen Yu still remembered her big, curious, sparkling eyes.
She was truly an endearing girl who made your heart ache.
But now…
she lay cold and stiff on the bed, never to open those beautiful, watery eyes again.
The vaccination site showed no problems—no sign of infection, no allergic reaction.
Before examining her personally, Shen Yu had thought the girl might be allergic to the vaccine.
Although Shen Yu had repeatedly tested it on the border, making that possibility extremely remote…
there was still a probability.
Now that she had examined her, Shen Yu could completely rule out an allergic reaction.
The vaccine had no issues.
Shen Yu’s confidence came from her own hard work day and night, countless solid experimental results—a stark contrast to those arrogant physicians who were no better than charlatans, relying only on smooth talk and shouting “exotic tricks” and “heresy and evil!”
Since it wasn’t an allergy…
then what could it be?
Realizing this, Shen Yu subconsciously paused her movements.
She slowly turned around to look at the physicians kneeling on the ground.
At that moment, those physicians also met Shen Yu’s gaze.
Whether it was because they had guilty consciences or because Shen Yu’s stare was too cold, some of them showed obvious fear on their faces.
Almost every physician dared not meet Shen Yu’s eyes.
When her cold gaze fell on them, they hurriedly looked away.
“Your Majesty, I am ashamed. I have failed your trust in my abilities… but the vaccine has no issues.”
The moment Shen Yu spoke these words, the Empress understood.
The last glimmer of hope in her eyes was completely extinguished.
The Empress’s face was ashen.
She let out a long sigh, her body going limp, nearly collapsing to the ground.
At that moment, the Empress’s eyes were full of desolation and despair.
In her view, what she had learned was not merely that her most beloved little sister had passed away.
“Your Majesty! Do not listen to heresy!”
“Your Majesty, we unanimously believe that Princess Yulan’s death is inseparable from that vaccine. Otherwise, how could Her Highness, who was in good health, suddenly die?”
“Your Majesty, reconsider!”
“Your Majesty, think carefully!”
Seeing that the Empress showed no intention of punishing Shen Yu, several physicians began to add fuel to the fire.
“Your Majesty! Even if I have to take off this official robe today, I will impeach Shen Yu! She is bringing disaster to the nation and its people! I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!”
“We second the motion!”
Relying on the new policies the Empress had enacted, the physicians spoke fiercely, as if they were not imperial physicians but censors on the court, carrying their coffins, ready to die in remonstration with the Emperor.
Some of them even fantasized that if they succeeded in this, they might just earn a place in the history books.
The physicians were busy impeaching Shen Yu, but Shen Yu was busy attending to the Empress, who had gone limp with weakness and was nearly furious to death.
“Your Majesty, calm yourself. Deep breaths. Whatever you do, don’t let anger get the better of you.”
Shen Yu gently supported the Empress’s shoulders, softly rubbing her back to help her smooth the breath caught in her chest.
The Empress was already overworked on ordinary days.
If these physicians angered her into falling ill, some people would certainly be celebrating.
With Shen Yu by her side to support her, the resentment and frustration in the Empress’s heart were actually soothed, little by little.
She regained her usual cold seriousness, but her eyes when looking at Shen Yu beside her held more gratitude.
Those physicians who screamed that Shen Yu was a treacherous minister had never cared about the Empress’s feelings.
They knelt on the ground, adding fuel to the fire.
But Shen Yu, who was being called a treacherous minister, had been worrying about the Empress’s health.
She turned a deaf ear to her colleagues’ accusations and instead helped the Empress calm down…
One was a vassal, the other a treacherous minister.
The difference was clear.
“All of you, withdraw. I am tired. We will decide in a few days.”
The Empress no longer had the strength to deal with those physicians.
Looking at her little sister lying on the bed, only endless pain remained in her heart.
“Your Majesty! You absolutely cannot…”
“Her Majesty told you to leave! Are you deaf? Say one more word, and I’ll poison you deaf and dumb, you worthless old things!”
Shen Yu’s single sentence shut up all those physicians who tried to continue their remonstrations.
Especially when Shen Yu emphasized the word “poison,” she stressed it heavily.
Everyone present was intelligent.
They naturally understood that Shen Yu was being sarcastic.
Those who already had guilty consciences began to panic.
They muttered a few curses at Shen Yu, then quickly made excuses to leave.
“Your Majesty, then I shall also…”
“Minister Shen, don’t go. Stay. Stay and talk with me.”
The Empress’s voice had weakened considerably, as if she were gravely ill.
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s, a far cry from the majestic Empress Shen Yu remembered.
“Alright.”
Shen Yu nodded, fetched a chair, and placed it by Princess Yulan’s bedside.
The Empress collapsed wearily into the chair, gripping her little sister’s already cold and stiff hand tightly, forcing herself not to let her tears fall.
“She died because of me, didn’t she?”
The Empress asked Shen Yu, her voice choked with tears.
The Empress understood the principle of “the most heartless are the imperial family” better than anyone.
The deceit and intrigue in the palace was so complex that even she, as Emperor, couldn’t keep up.
In history, how many members of the imperial family had died inexplicably?
Open attacks were easy to dodge, but hidden arrows were hard to defend against.
Even in the time of the Founding Emperor and Taizong, such incidents were not uncommon.
Sometimes, she truly wondered if she should even be Emperor.
But she still held onto a sliver of hope.
Her little sister was already gone.
Even if it was truly an accident, the Empress could barely accept that!
But in reality…
the Empress knew the answer full well.
She didn’t need Shen Yu to tell her.
“Whoever did this was very clean. We won’t get any concrete evidence. But one thing I dare to stake my life on: Princess Yulan was definitely murdered.”
When it came to poison, Su Lianyue was number one in this world, and Shen Yu was number two.
After them, there were no other masters.
They were in a league of their own.
So Shen Yu was certain that Princess Yulan’s death was anything but ordinary.
“Your Majesty, are they trying… to use this to impeach me? And thereby block the vaccine promotion plan?”
Shen Yu asked cautiously.
“They’re not just targeting you. They’re targeting me as well. That’s the first reason.”
The Empress lowered her eyes, her expression cold.
“And the second?”