Volume Two: The Noble and the Ignoble Chapter Sixty: The Execution of a Tyrant

The gaze of Imperial Physician Meng gradually shifted from scattered to focused. Though still filled with intense fear, he was at least able to hold a certain eye contact with Huang Ming.

After a long moment of silent exchange, he finally spoke with difficulty, “You truly want to know the whole truth? Have you considered what the consequences might be?”

Huang Ming narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint shooting forth. “I am a man who always believes in seeing things through to the end. There is no such thing as giving up halfway for me. Now that I know of this matter, I will investigate it thoroughly!”

His candid attitude caused Meng Chuyuan’s body to tremble once more. He sighed, half laughing and half weeping, “A grave mistake was made long ago. Not a single night in over a year have I been able to sleep peacefully until dawn... I have thought about resigning, but feared being accused of fleeing to escape punishment, so I dared not act. I even tried to seek forgiveness from His Majesty’s spirit in heaven. If he truly wished for my life as atonement, then I would gladly die...”

“But,” he continued, “Jiang Yi overheard this, and that led to everything that has happened today... Could this be the punishment from His Majesty’s spirit in heaven?”

Hearing his words, which seemed like a desperate outpouring, Huang Ming’s own mystery was finally unraveled.

It was indeed absurd — how could a mere servant in the Imperial Medical Court know such a crucial secret?

Now he understood: Meng the physician, harboring a guilty conscience, had inadvertently revealed a flaw, which was overheard by someone else. Was this karma’s retribution?

After this release of emotion, the imperial physician finally returned to the main point: “You’re right. There is indeed a mastermind behind this. In this matter, I am the least important person...”

A flicker of light shone in Huang Ming’s eyes. Releasing his grip on Meng’s collar, he even straightened the man’s clothes gently. “Continue.”

“Over a year ago, His Majesty fell into the water but only caught a slight chill. Even he didn’t take it seriously at the time. But as the Son of Heaven, his health was paramount, so we, the imperial physicians, were tasked with his treatment.

“At that time, given my rank, I should not have been involved, not even as an assistant. But somehow, for months, His Majesty’s condition failed to improve. Several imperial physicians were replaced without success, and eventually, it came into the hands of my teacher, Qi Yundao, the head of the Imperial Medical Court. Thus, I, an ordinary physician, gained control over the imperial medicines...”

It seemed this secret had weighed on him for years. Now that he had decided to speak, it burst forth like a dam breaking, unstoppable.

Huang Ming had no intention of interrupting and quietly listened as Meng revealed everything.

Meng Chuyuan, fully immersed in his memories, continued in a low voice: “At that time, I felt both pressure and excitement — if I could heal His Majesty, a promotion was inevitable. It would be my chance to bring glory to my family.

“But on that very day, the tenth day of the third lunar month in the sixteenth year of the Zhengde reign, during the second watch of the night, I was still working in the imperial pharmacy when my teacher suddenly arrived, accompanied by another person.”

Clearly, this day held immense significance for Meng. Even after more than a year, he could recall the exact time with precision.

Noticing this, Huang Ming’s expression tightened.

“My teacher’s face looked grim. I thought it was because of concern over His Majesty’s illness and intended to offer some comfort. But after he shut the door himself, he suddenly pushed me down into my seat and knelt before me.

“At that moment, I was stunned, completely unaware of why he acted so. Then he asked for my forgiveness, saying he had brought disaster upon me and my entire family.

“When I asked why, he explained that his treatment of His Majesty had been flawed all along—not only failing to alleviate the illness but gradually worsening it bit by bit...”

Meng’s face grew paler and his body trembled again. Although more than a year had passed, the memory still filled him with dread.

Yet he did not stop, continuing, “I was so shocked that I forgot to ask why he did this. He only said that suspicions had already arisen within the palace, and some things now required an all-or-nothing gamble!

“I wanted to ask what he meant by that, but no words came out. He told me that in the next two days, he probably wouldn’t be able to leave the palace but would send a prescription for me to prepare the medicines.

“Of course, the prescription would appear normal, but I would need to exchange three of the ingredients and increase the dosage of two others by five qian.”

Huang Ming’s eyelid twitched sharply. Though he did not understand medicine, he knew well that every remedy carried some poison. Slight alterations could turn a healing prescription into a deadly poison!

More terrifying was that these medicines, crafted by learned imperial physicians, might not be poisons in themselves but a virulent toxin targeted specifically at the already severely ill Zhengde Emperor.

Even if an investigation were conducted afterward, it would be nearly impossible to find fault—unless Meng Chuyuan was caught tampering with the medicines or confessed.

“Did you really bear such a heavy responsibility and follow through?” Huang Ming couldn’t help but ask.

“I wanted to refuse, to persuade my teacher otherwise, but he said it was too late. He had already tampered with the emperor’s treatments too much in recent times. If we didn’t act now and someone else replaced him, everything would be exposed.

“As his student, I had arranged many of the medicines, so I would inevitably be implicated...

“And more importantly, someone else spoke to me.”

Huang Ming recalled Meng mentioning that besides Qi Yundao, another person had secretly met with him that night.

“Who was that person? What did he say to you?”

“He said His Majesty was one of the most incompetent rulers in history. His reckless behavior over the years had caused chaos throughout the realm—not just the White Lotus Sect’s havoc, but rebellions by bandits like Liu Six and Liu Seven, and even the Ning Prince’s revolt...

“Loyal ministers repeatedly advised the emperor, but he never listened. Instead, he only worsened matters. After suppressing the Ning Prince’s rebellion, His Majesty would only grow more reckless. Soon, this great Ming empire would perish at the hands of such a foolish ruler.

“So, our act against His Majesty was not regicide but the execution of a tyrant... for the sake of the entire Ming dynasty, for the peace of the realm!

“In the end, I was persuaded. Coupled with fears for my own safety, I agreed with my teacher and altered the prescription the next day. Just two days later, the emperor suddenly died from the worsening illness. Astonishingly, none of the imperial physicians, including us, were held accountable.”

Huang Ming took a deep breath and said gravely, “Who was the person who kept convincing you?”

— The End —