Chapter 483: Die While Being Fully Awake

Chapter 483: Die While Being Fully Awake

Empress Li looked straight at Concubine Shu.

Concubine Shu went out with her and, once they were alone, dismissed the palace attendants. She leaned close to Empress Li's ear and whispered, "At the Imperial Law Office, as long as you confess, you won't suffer physical torture. Once Xu'er ascends the throne, I will do my best to save you. I'll exchange you for a death row prisoner and send you to live in the south. If you want to see Princess Yu, I'll find a way for you two to meet."

Empress Li looked at her in surprise.

Concubine Shu said, "Sister, I really don't want to harm you, but I have no choice. If we don't do this, all of us—including our princes and princesses—will be finished."

Finally, she gave her a reassurance. She knew that Empress Li was kind-hearted and would choose to believe her for the sake of her daughter, Princess Yu, her family, and the chance to survive.

Empress Li was sent to the Imperial Law Office, and Concubine Shu revealed a victorious smile.

...

Empress Li had already confessed at the Imperial Law Office, but her quick admission aroused suspicion among others.

Everyone heard that the Emperor had been poisoned and wanted to submit their requests to visit him in the palace.

With such a major incident involving the Emperor, who could take charge in the palace?

Naturally, it would be the Crown Prince.

Therefore, it made sense that his birth mother, Concubine Shu, would also be allowed to leave the Palace of Fallen Leaves, right?

"They want to come into the palace to visit the Emperor. What should we do?"

Xie Peiyu had already left the palace after ensuring there was no danger inside.

Now, besides the Crown Prince and Concubine Shu, only the Princess Royal was by the Emperor's side.

The Emperor had taken care of the Princess Royal without rest when she was ill; now it was her turn to take care of him, which was reasonable.

As for any improper relationship between them, the officials were not concerned about that now. They were more worried about whether the Emperor would survive.

The Princess Royal sighed and said, "The Emperor is now unconscious. You are in charge, Xu'er. Should we allow the ministers to come in and see him?"

The Crown Prince shook his head, "I don't know."

Concubine Shu became anxious, "My son, you can't not know. Think harder, can we or can't we?"

She kept giving him meaningful glances, forcing him with her anxious expression, making the Crown Prince even more nervous.

The pressure from her urging came again.

"Stop pressuring me; I really don't know."

Concubine Shu was utterly disappointed and raised her hand to hit him.

But seeing the Princess Royal there, she dared not.

"Your Highness, I think it's better not to let the ministers in yet. Let's wait until the Imperial Physicians determine what poison was used. Then we can give them an explanation."

She was eager to take control.

"Alright," the Princess Royal responded indifferently.

The results from the Imperial Physicians came quickly, announced by the Chief Physician of the Imperial Medicine Court.

"Reporting to the Crown Prince and the Princess Royal, the Emperor has been poisoned by a deadly toxin from the south. There is... no cure for this poison."

Concubine Shu feigned surprise but did not show it.

The Princess Royal frowned and glanced at Concubine Shu.

Unexpectedly, someone had disrupted their plans. How could Gao Zhi die like this?

Lin Ping, what was she?

How could she allow the throne to fall into her hands?

The Crown Prince was decent, but he wasn't fit to be the Emperor. If he truly ascended the throne, Lin Ping would end up in charge, which would be a real disaster for the people.

The Crown Prince was greatly shaken, "What? No cure?"

The Chief Physician nodded, "Your Highness, there is indeed no cure."

"Does this mean the Emperor cannot be saved?"

"Yes."

"No, I don't believe it." He grabbed the Chief Physician's collar, "Didn't you say he vomited it out? Didn't you make him vomit everything he ate yesterday?"

The Chief Physician replied, "It's useless. Even a tiny bit of this poison is incurable. We've tried everything we could, but we can only temporarily revive the Emperor."

"Temporarily revive him?"

"Yes, but even if he regains consciousness, it will only prolong his death, allowing him to be fully awake while waiting for his demise."

The Crown Prince couldn't believe it and fell to the ground in shock.

Concubine Shu's face turned grim, and she asked, "What does 'temporarily revive' mean?"

"It means to make the Emperor temporarily regain consciousness."

Regain consciousness?

"Then... how long can the Emperor remain conscious?"

The princess also looked at the head physician, thinking that if he could regain consciousness, it would be good to keep him alive for a few more days, as long as it didn't delay their plans.

The head physician said, "We at the Imperial Medicine Court are confident that we can keep the Emperor conscious for three to five days."

"Three to five days?" Concubine Shu's eyes nearly popped out of her sockets.

Thinking she was dissatisfied, the head physician hastily added, "We will do our best to extend this period; ten days or even half a month might be possible."

The princess smiled, knowing that ten days or half a month would be perfect.

However, she kept her joy hidden beneath a surface of sorrow, her heart blooming with happiness.

Especially when she saw Concubine Shu collapse in despair like the Crown Prince.

At this moment, the princess spoke, "Once you bring the Emperor back, don't tell him that his poison is incurable. Waiting consciously for death would be too cruel for him. I hope he can find some happiness in his limited time."

"Yes, Your Highness, we will follow your orders."

The princess looked at Concubine Shu and addressed everyone in the room, "Is everything clear?"

"Everything is clear."

Did Concubine Shu have any objections? She dared not voice them.

She stood there, her mind racing to find a solution.

To outsiders, it seemed she was just as devastated as the Crown Prince upon hearing that the Emperor could not be saved.

After the efforts of several imperial physicians, the Emperor regained consciousness.

Although his body was weak, he did not feel close to death.

He believed the poison had been cured and that he would recover soon.

"Father." The Crown Prince knelt by his bed, sobbing uncontrollably.

Seeing his son's red, swollen eyes, he reached out to pat his shoulder.

"Stop crying, am I not fine now?"

This only made the Crown Prince cry harder.

The Emperor was speechless, finding his son lacking in manliness.

He then looked up and saw the princess, feeling a surge of joy.

His sister was still worried about him. Seeing her face filled with concern and tears, he suddenly felt that being poisoned wasn't so bad—it made her care for him.

However, when his gaze fell on Concubine Shu, his smile vanished instantly.

"What are you doing here?"

Concubine Shu said sadly, "When I heard the Emperor was ill, I begged the head lady-in-waiting of Luoque Palace to let me see you. Emperor, I know I was wrong."

The Emperor glanced at her with disgust before turning away.

He did not suspect anything, as if he were to die from the poison, his eldest son would likely ascend the throne.

These opportunistic servants were adept at following the wind.