Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court

Chapter 249: If It Were Me, I’d Be Tempted Too (2 / 2)

The others had no idea what Xu Yanmiao had seen. They only saw him suddenly lower his head, his shoulders shaking—clearly suppressing laughter.

And not just a chuckle.

A full-blown, uncontrollable laugh.

Xu Lang laughed for dozens of breaths but still didn’t satisfy the curiosity of those around him, making them so anxious they tapped their fingers impatiently.

Even his close friend, Lian Hang, stared at him with wide eyes, holding his breath.

Finally, after laughing his fill, Xu Lang thought to himself:

[The scholar traveling with Little Liang was a true genius. How did he come up with the idea of making Little Liang eat feces to detoxify himself?]

…What???

Lian Hang rubbed his ears hard.

One of the imperial physicians standing by in court silently gave a thumbs-up in his heart.

If there were truly no other options, inducing vomiting this way could indeed save a life—provided, of course, that the patient could overcome their own psychological barriers.

[The scholar even swore confidently that he had seen villagers do the same when they got mushroom poisoning. Said they recovered in no time and were hopping around like normal afterward. Hilarious! Little Liang refused to eat it no matter what, choosing to suffer through the pain instead.]

[Honestly, I’d hesitate too. That takes a lot of courage.]

Even the old emperor felt a fleeting moment of sympathy for Liang Youwen.

Well, he did survive. And… his courage was commendable. Fine, he wouldn’t punish him too harshly—after all, no woman would fancy a man who had eaten that.

Liang Rui had no idea what impolite thoughts were running through the emperor’s mind. His own eyes had turned slightly red.

He never knew… his son had suffered so much just to survive!

Perhaps that was why his temperament had become so unique.

[Hiss—]

[That was close!]

[If the passing Old Madam Weichi hadn’t stopped them, that scholar would’ve forced that stuff into Little Liang’s mouth! That was so close! Phew!]

[So this really was a life-saving favor… Wow!]

Xu Yanmiao marveled.

[After realizing Little Liang was poisoned by mushrooms, the Old Madam first instructed her maid to remove his shoes. Then, she crouched down and carefully examined the space between his second and third toes, pressing firmly with her fingers.]

[She wasn’t frantic, nor was she sluggish. Little Liang was completely entranced.]

[She even patiently reassured him, saying she had studied medicine and that there was nothing to fear.]

[Then, she ordered another maid to fetch warm water from the carriage. After Little Liang drank it, she washed her hands and used her fingers to stimulate his throat… It was still inducing vomiting, but much better than making him eat that.]

[She made him drink water and vomit repeatedly. Even as he grew dizzy and exhausted, he could still hear her steady voice giving orders: “Ride out of the mountains at once and buy medicine—ginseng, atractylodes, licorice, dried ginger, aconite, poria…”]

[She gave out instructions while calmly continuing to help Little Liang purge the poison.]

[Tsk tsk, so that’s how it is. This perfectly matches what Little Liang wants—someone gentle yet steady, experienced, and unflappable in the face of crisis. She’s completely his ideal type! Not to mention, he now owes her his life—well, his mouth’s life at least.]

[…Hmm, could this also be a case of the suspension bridge effect?]

The officials: What’s that?

Although they had no idea what Xu Yanmiao meant by “suspension bridge effect,” looking at Little Liang—wait, no, at Liang Rui’s son—it was clear that his admiration stemmed from being rescued at the brink of life and death.

To be fair, if someone saved them from being forced to eat feces, they’d probably fall for that person too.

Liang Rui: “…”

What was he supposed to do now?

Should he… push his son into a latrine pit, arrange for someone to calmly rescue him, and then induce vomiting?

Meanwhile, Liang Youwen, who was currently doubting whether his spicy and sour chicken feet weren’t enticing enough, was emptying out the savings he had accumulated over thirty years. He was preparing to learn a secret signature dish from a restaurant, but for some reason, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

He strode out of his room, grabbed the handles of the iron wheelbarrow in the courtyard, and started pushing it with great effort.

“Some physical labor to warm up! Hoo—”

Listening to the iron-rimmed wheels creak against the frozen ground, Liang Youwen couldn’t help but smile.

Cooking with a wok required strength, and he had plenty of it! He would win Xu Lang’s favor!

The old emperor nearly shouted, What a spectacle!

Since his Empress was safe, he could now sit back and enjoy the show.

As for his mother-in-law… Honestly, the old emperor didn’t think she would take a young man seriously. Even if she heard about this, she would probably just laugh in disbelief.

Prime Minister Dou was even more composed.

Of course, his mother was charismatic, esteemed, and broad-minded. Any young fool—though technically in his thirties, he was still a young fool in Dou’s eyes—

Heh.

It was only natural for such a youth to be awed by her presence.

Besides, his mother had encountered countless talented young men in her lifetime. A grinning lad with a possible chipped tooth? He wouldn’t even register in her eyes. Nothing to be upset about.

Only Liang Rui was deeply troubled.

He began seriously considering whether he should discipline his son with a rod, implement food-based punishment, or just go ahead and push him into a latrine pit.

…Or maybe all three, just to see which worked best?

If you eat poisonous mushrooms, the method of detoxification involves consuming feces. Reference:

“In the second year of Jiading, the monk Deming went on a mountain pilgrimage and came across an unusual mushroom. He brought it back to share with others, but they were poisoned. Over ten monks died. Deming quickly consumed feces and survived. Another Japanese monk, Dingxin, refused to defile himself even at the cost of his life. His skin split open, and he perished. To this day, his monastic records remain preserved.”

— Five Miscellaneous Chronicles

“Jingyue treated Wu’s adjutant, who suffered severe vomiting and diarrhea after eating mushrooms. The doctors attempted to detoxify him with coptis, black beans, balloonflower, licorice, and bitter orange, but his condition worsened—his abdomen swelled, his breathing became labored, and he could not drink water.

The physician Zhang prescribed ginseng, atractylodes, licorice, dried ginger, aconite, and poria. The patient was skeptical, saying, ‘My abdomen is bloated, I am breathless, and my mouth is parched—how can I dare take these?’ But as his condition worsened, he relented and took the medicine with tears in his eyes. After one dose, his vomiting subsided slightly. After the second, the bloating eased.

Over twenty doses later, he was fully recovered.

Mushrooms typically grow in deep pits, abandoned wells, or extremely cold and damp places, absorbing the strongest yin energy, which is why they are plump and tender. When poisoned by their cold nature, using coptis only worsens the condition. The correct treatment is to use ginger and aconite to dispel the cold toxin and ginseng and prepared rehmannia to restore the body’s vitality—this is how he was cured.”

— Continuation of Famous Physicians’ Cases