Chapter 79: The Crown Prince Poisoned and Critical

Chapter 79: The Crown Prince Critically Poisoned

"What?!"

The Empress felt a wave of dizziness, steadied by the Imperial Noble Consort at her side.

"Sister, don’t panic. Let’s hurry over to see him!"

"Yes, yes, I must go quickly…"

Pushing away the Imperial Noble Consort’s supporting hand, the Empress cast aside the dignity and composure expected of her station. Unsteady on her feet, she was helped out by her confidantes, rushing towards the door.

The Imperial Noble Consort gave Jiang Wan a meaningful look and whispered, "You go back to Fengming Palace first. Tell your mother to stay in my palace and not move around. Wait for me to send you news before doing anything."

"Understood."

The two immediately parted ways.

Jiang Wan hurried back to inform her mother, while the Imperial Noble Consort swiftly caught up with the Empress, arriving together at the Hall of Enduring Purity. The imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Institute were already present. Qiao Yunyue subtly shook his head at the Imperial Noble Consort.

"Yuan Xiu, what’s wrong with you? My child, open your eyes and look at your mother. Mother is here, my son…"

Staggering to the bedside, the Empress looked at the Crown Prince lying there, his face ashen and his breath barely perceptible. She trembled uncontrollably.

"What happened? What exactly happened?"

She turned and grabbed the sleeve of the Imperial Physician-in-Chief, who was kneeling at the front, her voice hoarse and devoid of its usual regal bearing.

"What are you all still standing around for? Save the Crown Prince, quickly, all of you save him!"

All the imperial physicians prostrated themselves, kowtowing.

The elderly Imperial Physician-in-Chief, with his long, flowing beard, found himself at the very front.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has been poisoned by a highly toxic dose of Gelsemium. Fortunately, the amount ingested was small. Your humble servants have already induced vomiting. However…"

"However what? Speak!"

The Emperor’s voice, laden with ominous threat, cut through the air as he hurried in from outside. He had just been in the main hall when he received the report that the Crown Prince had been poisoned. In his panic, he immediately dismissed the entire court and rushed to the Eastern Palace.

"Your Majesty, Yuan Xiu has been poisoned. Our son has been poisoned. What should we do…"

Tearful and disheveled, the Empress clung to her husband’s sleeve like a drowning person grasping at driftwood. Staring at her son, whose life hung in the balance, she appeared utterly distraught.

"Empress, don’t be afraid. I’m here!"

With his right arm supporting the faltering Empress, his left hand checked the Crown Prince’s weak breath. The Emperor’s face was a mask of suppressed fury and grim determination.

"Stop kneeling, all of you. Quickly tell us how to save the Crown Prince! Qiao Yunyue, you speak!"

Compared to the old imperial physicians inherited from the previous dynasty, the Emperor clearly trusted the military physicians who had followed him all the way to the capital more.

The Imperial Noble Consort silently glanced at the Emperor holding the Empress, then quietly retreated a step, lowering her gaze expressionlessly.

Qiao Yunyue, having been named, quickly spoke up.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the poison the Crown Prince ingested is not deeply severe. As Imperial Physician Sun just said, your humble servants have already induced vomiting. We will wait for the Crown Prince to wake up before proceeding with a recovery regimen."

"When will the Crown Prince wake up?"

The Emperor’s question hit the nail on the head, and none of the imperial physicians dared to make a definitive statement.

"Speak directly. I grant you immunity from any crime!"

He was not the kind of fool who would behead people at the slightest disagreement.

Imperial Physician Sun then kowtowed tremblingly and replied, "If the person is strong and healthy, they should wake within an hour. If they are weak and frail, it’s uncertain."

It truly was uncertain. After all, the Crown Prince had already suffered severe damage to his vitality earlier, which had shortened his lifespan. Now, with such a potent poison affecting his heart meridians, even if he were fortunate enough to wake up, the outcome might not be favorable.

None of the imperial physicians dared to speak these words directly, but the Emperor, Empress, and Imperial Noble Consort were all intelligent people. Just from the physicians’ expressions, they could discern the unspoken truth.

"Yuan Xiu!"

The Empress’s heart-wrenching cry was unbearable to hear. Overwhelmed with grief, she fainted without catching her breath.

"Empress! Yu’e!"

"Sister!"

Chaos ensued throughout the Hall of Enduring Purity.

The imperial physicians split into two groups: one continued to care for the Crown Prince, while the other attended to the unconscious Empress.

It was nearly noon when the Empress slowly came to.

Her eyes flickered dazedly before she grasped the Imperial Noble Consort, who was keeping watch by her bedside.

"Yun Niang, has Yuan Xiu woken up?"

"Sister, don’t worry…"

Just from the other’s hesitant and troubled tone, the Empress already understood the answer. The faint light in her eyes quietly extinguished into despair.

"There’s no hope, is there? My son has no chance, right?"

The Imperial Noble Consort’s eyes reddened alongside hers, but she was inherently a stubborn woman and forcefully held back her tears.

"No! The imperial physicians have come up with a solution. Imperial Physician Sun used his ancestral secret method to sustain the Crown Prince’s breath. He said that since the poisoning wasn’t too severe, he could try refining the Seven-Star Antidote Pill. This might be a viable solution!"

"Really?! Yun Niang, you’re not lying to me, are you?"

"I’m not lying! The imperial physicians are all busy working on it. They said they’re still missing one key medicinal ingredient, and the Emperor has already ordered everyone to search for it."

"It’s good if you’re not lying. There’s hope, that’s good…"

The Empress climbed out of bed, tears streaming down her face as she cried and laughed. At this moment, she didn’t even have the presence of mind to ask why her son had been poisoned or who had done this to him.

She hurriedly knelt on the ground, praying to the heavens and begging the ancestors of the Li family to save her son’s life. After kowtowing several times with a thud, the Imperial Noble Consort firmly helped her up.

"Sister, now is the time to pull yourself together. You must stay strong and stay by the Crown Prince’s side!"

"Yes, yes, you’re right! I must pull myself together. I must watch over Yuan Xiu."

The Empress wiped the tears from her face and, unsteady on her feet, made her way to her son’s side.

"Did Imperial Physician Sun mention which herbal catalyst is missing? I'll have my brother go search for it immediately."

"Tianshan snow lotus."

"What?!"

The Empress halted in her tracks, and the Imperial Noble Consort rushed to steady her.

"I've already put out the word for the Qiao family to search as well. Don't worry, Sister. Our Great Yu Dynasty is vast—we will certainly find this medicinal ingredient!"

The Empress went pale.

Qiao Yunshu was not from an aristocratic family, so she had never seen the so-called Tianshan snow lotus, nor could she have known that the legendary flower rumored to possess powers that could almost raise the dead was, in fact, just an ordinary plant with no extraordinary abilities.

But she had!

"...Sister?"

"Yun Niang, I’m not going to make it..."

After receiving the palace pass sent by the Imperial Noble Consort, Jiang Wan, under the protection of Li Chengxiu, made a quick exit from the palace with her mother and sister. They did not stop until they reached the Duke of Ling’s estate, where they finally relaxed.

"Wan Jie’er, do you know what happened?"

"You know?"

"I know a little. My brother told me not to speak carelessly to others, but I can tell you—after all, you're not just anyone."

The talkative Li Chengxiu had held back all along the journey, but once he followed his beloved into Qiuyayuan, he leaned in mysteriously to whisper in her ear.