Wu Tao performed a Daoist salute with one hand and then asked, "May I ask, Your Majesty the Empress, why you went to such great lengths to summon this humble Taoist?"
Empress Ma was much as she was rumored to be, not only generous but also virtuous.
Her words were free of calculation and ulterior motives.
Though her voice was loud, her tone was filled with sincerity.
"Your Excellency need not be so formal. It was more than thirty years ago, was it not, that I fell gravely ill? Had it not been for your miraculous healing, I would have died thirty years ago."
"Alas, by the time I awoke from my coma, you had already departed, leaving me no chance to express my gratitude to my savior in person..."
"Furthermore, you sought no reward or compensation afterward, arriving like an immortal with medicine and leaving with empty hands..."
"The noble integrity of a Daoist master is truly beyond the reach of those hypocritical monks..."
"Previously, Yuanzhang often spoke your name to me. You are a great benefactor to me, Yuanzhang, and to our entire family."
"Therefore, we have sought you out this time, partly out of gratitude, and partly because we wish to ask for your assistance in saving my child, the current Crown Prince."
Indeed, she was Empress Ma, who at one time, as a mere woman, had managed the main base in Jinling and ensured stability in the rear during the decisive battles between Zhu Yuanzhang and Chen Youliang.
Her way of speaking was truly masterful, far beyond that of ordinary women.
Wu Tao’s gaze swept over Empress Ma, and the smile on his face suddenly vanished.
He spoke with a grave expression, "Since Your Majesty the Empress puts it so, what more can this humble Taoist say..."
"Also... if Your Majesty does not mind, I could take your pulse later."
"What do you mean, Your Excellency? Has my sister’s health taken a turn for the worse..."
Zhu Yuanzhang's face was etched with worry.
He was so anxious that he almost cried out, even using a term of endearment that he only used when alone with Empress Ma.
Seeing this, Wu Tao waved his hand, urging Zhu Yuanzhang to calm down, for haste would be of no use.
He stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, then said, "Whether Her Majesty the Empress's health has deteriorated can only be known after I take her pulse. I merely observed her countenance and instinctively felt something was amiss..."
"However, Your Majesty the Empress, do you occasionally feel a tightness in your chest, a lack of vital energy, a poor appetite, and sometimes even cough up blood?"
Empress Ma fell silent for a moment, then after some thought...
She nodded gently and said earnestly, "Your Excellency is perceptive. These symptoms do indeed occur often..."
"However, I attributed them to my advancing age, so I did not inform anyone. After all, the imperial physicians found nothing when they examined me!"
...
"What? When did this happen? Damn it! Why didn't you tell me..."
"And those more damnable imperial physicians, they deserve to be executed... "
"No, no, I will order the extermination of their nine generations of kin, a group of useless wretches with no value in this world!"
Zhu Yuanzhang, who had been listening by the side, finally became agitated.
He spoke with both worry and anger.
At this moment, he displayed the ruthlessness and decisiveness befitting an founding emperor, or perhaps this was his true nature.
Wu Tao grasped Zhu Yuanzhang's hand and said word by word, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. The Empress's symptoms have only just begun to manifest, which means that even if she has been poisoned, it is not too deep..."
"Now that it has been discovered, I am confident I can cure her."
"The most important thing now is not to execute those imperial physicians, but to discover why Empress Ma is exhibiting these symptoms?"
"Is it a physical ailment or poisoning? This is crucial, extremely crucial..."
"Therefore, what Your Majesty needs to do right now is to allow me to take the Empress's pulse before discussing anything else..."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded and replied, "Your Excellency speaks wisely. It is because my sister’s health has encountered some issues that I have lost my composure. I beg Your Excellency's forgiveness..."
Empress Ma sighed softly upon hearing this. As an intelligent woman, after Wu Tao's reminder, she knew that someone in the palace had poisoned her in order to seize her position.
Human hearts are truly unfathomable.
She believed that she had treated everyone in the palace well during her decades as empress.
She was fair in rewards and punishments and impartial in her dealings, even ranking among the most notable empresses in history.
However, she had never imagined that someone would dare to harm her, and directly attempt to take her life.
Since she now knew that her health problems were not of her own making, Empress Ma no longer concealed them.
She was well aware of the truth that concealing an illness could lead to death.
Empress Ma then recounted her health condition over the past few years in its entirety.
"The first time I felt chest tightness and shortness of breath was over three years ago. However, I consulted the imperial physicians then, and they said it was merely a physical discomfort that could be resolved with medication and a period of recuperation."
"In the subsequent years, although it gradually worsened, I attributed it to my age. I dared not tell Yuanzhang, for fear that he would fly into a rage and cause a massacre, leading to a river of blood."
"Therefore, I kept this matter from everyone. Apart from the palace maids by my side, not even Yuanzhang or my sons were aware of it."
...
"These matters can be discussed and investigated later. The most important thing now is for Your Excellency to examine my sister’s pulse..."
"Please, Your Excellency, quickly examine my sister’s pulse and see what has happened to her body..."
"Has it been due to old age or poisoning that her body has deteriorated? I will surely reward you handsomely..."
It was evident that Zhu Yuanzhang was deeply concerned about Empress Ma, and the urgency on his face was genuine.
Wu Tao nodded slightly. Sickness shows no mercy, and healers are paramount. In this situation, there were no distinctions between male and female.
Upon hearing Zhu Yuanzhang's words, Wu Tao took the Empress's right wrist and said, "I dare not accept Your Majesty's generous reward. Healing and saving lives is my duty."
After taking her pulse for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Wu Tao’s expression turned grim, as if he had encountered a difficult problem.
Seeing Wu Tao’s expression, Zhu Yuanzhang suddenly had a very bad premonition.
His face instantly darkened, and his eyes were filled with killing intent.
Wu Tao, sensing this, was not at all afraid but felt a sense of unease. His worry was not for himself, but for Zhu Yuanzhang’s potential wrath.
Looking at the ashen-faced Zhu Yuanzhang, Wu Tao said with a troubled expression, "Previously, from her complexion alone, I could not discern much. I merely observed the Empress’s countenance and felt she had some health issues..."
"But I did not expect this problem to be so severe, so severe that I am now powerless!"
...
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang’s heart sank. Disregarding his imperial dignity, he grabbed Wu Tao’s hands and was on the verge of kneeling.
"Please, Your Excellency, tell me, what is wrong with my sister? Why do you say this?"
Zhu Yuanzhang then performed a Daoist salute to Wu Tao.
However, Wu Tao glanced at Empress Ma beside him and gently pushed Zhu Yuanzhang away...
Then, he subtly reminded him, "Your Majesty is truly... This humble Taoist has traveled far, and it is midday. I am hungry and wish to have a vegetarian meal. Has Your Majesty not ordered the meal to be served yet?"
"Ah, it is my fault, my fault! I was too impatient. Serve the meal, serve it immediately!" Zhu Yuanzhang, understanding Wu Tao's hint, discreetly returned a gesture, feigning to slap his forehead, and found an excuse to send Empress Ma away, dispatching someone to order the meal.
As one of the most intelligent empresses recorded in history, Empress Ma could not possibly fail to understand that Wu Tao and Zhu Yuanzhang intended to send her away.
However, she trusted that Wu Tao and Zhu Yuanzhang would not harm her, so she graciously accepted their pretext and departed with a group of palace maids.
After Empress Ma left, Zhu Yuanzhang also ordered all eunuchs and guards to withdraw from the grand hall.
Once only he and Wu Tao remained in the hall, Wu Tao finally spoke.
He said, "When I observed her countenance earlier, I only sensed that Her Majesty the Empress had a mild poisoning."
"However, after taking her pulse just now, I discovered that Her Majesty the Empress had long been suffering from a potent poison. Although it is a chronic poison, it has been three to five years, and the time for its effects to manifest is not far off."
"However, if Your Majesty distrusts this humble Taoist’s medical skills, you may have other imperial physicians examine her again based on my diagnosis. Do not delay the treatment."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Yuanzhang quickly waved his hand and said urgently, "Your Excellency, what are you saying? I have no doubt in your medical skills. Who in this world does not know of your abilities?"
"Moreover, if it were not for your assistance decades ago, the Empress and the Crown Prince would have perished together. How could I forget such profound kindness?"
...
"Alas, Your Majesty need not be so. This humble Taoist will certainly do his utmost to detoxify Her Majesty the Empress, but... but this..."
Wu Tao heard this, patted his chest, and gave a round of assurances, but his confidence seemed to falter.
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