Chapter 264: Slapping the Face of the Great Shun Dynasty

Chapter 264: Slapping the Face of the Great Shun Dynasty

The maid made up her mind and said, "Since that's the case, we have no other choice."

Seeing the maid agree, He Zhiran supported her and walked slowly to the Crown Princess's quarters.

Contrary to their expectations, the Crown Princess's quarters were not the largest in the back courtyard. In fact, they looked somewhat dilapidated and were situated in an out-of-the-way location.

Based on He Zhiran's experience from watching TV dramas in her previous life, it was clear that the Crown Princess was not favored by the Crown Prince.

Not to mention the Crown Prince Residence, even in ordinary households, there would be no reason for the main wife to live in such a place.

With a heart full of doubts, the two followed the maid into the quarters.

What they didn't know was that this wasn't a regular quarters but the Crown Prince Residence's Cold Palace.

The maid assumed they were familiar with the Crown Prince Residence and didn't bother explaining anything.

From the outside, it looked like a small palace, but once inside, both He Zhiran and Mo Jiuye were stunned.

They realized that this was likely the Cold Palace.

He Zhiran couldn't help but think: Emperor Shunwu is truly stubborn. Back then, the Mo family's men defended the border and defeated the Southern Kingdom decisively.

For a small defeated country, why did he need to send his daughter to endure such torment here?

The Southern Kingdom also clearly didn't take the Great Shun Dynasty seriously; otherwise, how could they treat the princess sent for marriage so poorly?

This is essentially slapping the face of the Great Shun Dynasty...

Of course, their purpose here was to see the Fourth Princess, so they wouldn't concern themselves with Emperor Shunwu's worries.

Unlike the Great Shun, which has many rules, the Southern Kingdom is more open, and there's no restriction against men entering the inner chambers.

Therefore, as they followed the maid to the Cold Palace, they encountered many guards who didn't question them.

The maid limped along and led them directly to the Fourth Princess's room, instructing another maid to seek the Crown Prince and summon a shaman doctor.

Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran quickly surveyed the room, which was dimly lit by a single oil lamp, and had very little decoration, making it feel lifeless.

On a broken wooden bed facing the door lay a woman with disheveled hair.

He Zhiran and Mo Jiuye hurried over.

Mo Jiuye, who often entered the palace since childhood and had escorted the Fourth Princess for her marriage, recognized her immediately.

Confirming the identity of the Fourth Princess, Mo Jiuye nodded slightly at He Zhiran.

He Zhiran then placed her hand on the Fourth Princess's wrist.

After about two minutes, He Zhiran lifted her hand.

The maid anxiously asked, "How is the Crown Princess?"

He Zhiran shook her head, "She is at the brink of death, barely hanging on. You should prepare yourself."

Unspoken was the fact that when she took her pulse, it resembled those of several Mo brothers who had been poisoned, but not entirely.

He Zhiran suspected that the Fourth Princess might have been poisoned, but not with the same puppet poison as the Mo brothers.

Without complete certainty, He Zhiran didn't say anything.

"No... you're lying! The Crown Princess is of noble birth and cannot just die like this. You don't understand medicine, that's why you're saying this."

In truth, the maid knew deep down that the Crown Princess was indeed close to death, but she refused to believe it.

She had been in the palace since childhood, serving the Fourth Princess, who treated her well and often helped her family.

She had long considered herself the Fourth Princess's person, following her to the Southern Kingdom for the marriage. Even though the princess became an unfavored Crown Princess, she never thought of leaving, and even planned to follow her in death if necessary, so the princess wouldn't be alone.

He Zhiran felt helpless. She was a doctor, not a god.

The Fourth Princess's condition was far worse than that of Mo Xiuyan, whom they had saved. There was no medicine that could cure her.

Moreover, from her pulse, He Zhiran could tell that the Fourth Princess had miscarried at least three times, severely damaging her health. Coupled with excessive worry, she might not survive the night.

Looking at the maid's tear-streaked face, He Zhiran shrugged helplessly, "The Crown Princess's condition is evident. If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do."

Despite this, He Zhiran didn't leave.

She guessed that since the Crown Prince had put the Fourth Princess in such a place, he had likely abandoned the alliance with the Great Shun Dynasty and wouldn't care about her fate.

The maid who went to find the Crown Prince would probably return empty-handed, and they would still have to rely on themselves.

As expected, within half an hour, the maid returned.

"Lan'er, the Crown Prince's people wouldn't let me in and threatened to punish me if I disturbed him."

Lan'er was completely stunned.

After a long moment, she trembled, "Is the princess going to die here in the Southern Kingdom?"

Her words triggered both maids to cry, and they tried to shake the Fourth Princess awake.

He Zhiran quickly stopped them.

"She's already struggling to hold on. Are you trying to hasten her death?"

At this point, Lan'er ignored He Zhiran's disrespectful tone and knelt before her, sobbing.

"Please save our princess. If you can save her, I will work as a cow and a horse to repay you."

Although He Zhiran did not have a good impression of the Fourth Princess, she could tell that these two maids were undoubtedly loyal servants.

She simply could not bring herself to be heartless towards such people.

Unfortunately, even she was powerless in the face of the Fourth Princess's current condition.

She gently helped Lan'er up and sighed, "I have a way to make your princess regain consciousness for a short time so she can give you some instructions, but I don't have the ability to keep her alive."

Seeing her firm tone and the lifeless Fourth Princess lying on the bed with closed eyes, Lan'er had already prepared herself for burial with the princess.

However, before that, she still wanted to serve the princess one last time.

Lan'er wiped away her tears and said, "Please make the princess wake up."

He Zhiran did not hesitate. She took out a needle pack from her space and also brought a vial of a stimulant.

Using both methods together would definitely wake the Fourth Princess.

First, she used silver needles to stimulate several acupoints on the Fourth Princess, then, while the two maids were not paying attention, she injected the stimulant into the princess.

After about five minutes, the Fourth Princess slowly regained consciousness.

The moment she opened her eyes, Lan'er and the other maid rushed to her bedside.

"Princess, you finally woke up."

The Fourth Princess, lacking energy, first looked at the two maids who had grown up with her, then shifted her gaze to Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran.

"Who... who are they?"

At this point, Mo Jiuye and He Zhiran felt there was no need to hide their identities anymore.

Especially He Zhiran, who knew deep down that using this method to awaken the Fourth Princess would not extend her life but rather accelerate her death.