Chapter 71

Chapter 71

The wound is poisoned! This sudden turn of events made everyone in the tent turn pale.

Seeing this, the imperial physician quickly lifted Ying Fusheng's arm and said, "Your Highness's arrow wound is purple and bruised! It may be a poisoned arrow. Bring a knife quickly!"

Upon hearing the word "poison," the Emperor strode over and ordered without hesitation, "Fetch the detox pill from the palace!"

Qi Hanzhou immediately tore open the cloth on his own arm, revealing the wound where the arrow had grazed him. Unlike Ying Fusheng, there was no dark purple trace on his arm—it appeared to be a normal scratch. Suddenly, Ying Fusheng's words on the mountain echoed in his mind—

'They retreated faster than I expected.'

"None of the men who found the Sixth Prince during the mountain search can be allowed to leave!" Qi Hanzhou said coldly, turning around.

Ye Xuanjiu understood: "I'll see to it immediately!"

Because the other side had seen Ying Fusheng's arrow wound and confirmed he was poisoned.

Among those who found them during the mountain search were informants from the mastermind!

Shen Yunfei hurriedly ran out after him; Song An had instructed him, and he had been keeping track of who went into the mountain. Qi Hanzhou was about to look for Ying Fusheng's close attendant, but then saw him, pale-faced, following Shen Yunfei out—they had to find Chen Xuqiu. This poison was beyond Ying Fusheng's expectations. When it came to poisons from the previous dynasty, the best doctor in the capital was Chen Xuqiu.

"Lord Qi, you're wounded too!" the attending physician noticed the arrow wound on Qi Hanzhou too.

Qi Hanzhou's face darkened. "I wasn't poisoned."

How could the arrows be poisoned? In the mountain forest, stray arrows could easily wound the Eighth Prince by accident. Given the mastermind's goal, keeping the Eighth Prince alive was more useful. Under such circumstances, it was impossible to coat the arrows in poison. Such an act risked injuring the Eighth Prince by mistake. Without knowing exactly when they would descend the mountain, the risk of poisoning the arrows was too great.

With the same arrows, how could the mastermind ensure that the person killed would be Ying Fusheng and not someone else?

Ying Fusheng had completely lost consciousness. He lay limply in Qi Hanzhou's arms, unresponsive despite the imperial physician's repeated calls. The Dowager Empress, who had just calmed down, grew anxious again. She walked over to Ying Fusheng's side and, seeing him unconscious after having spoken just moments ago, felt her heart tightened in pain. "Summon Chu Taiyi!"

The Sixth Prince had always been frail, having spent such a long time in the deep mountains with bruises and an arrow wound. The imperial physician had been on edge watching him, and now there was the added poison. Cold sweat beaded on the physician's forehead. Given the Sixth Prince's constitution, how could his body survive the poison? "We must clean the wound immediately—bring hot water and a knife!"

Ying Fusheng was thinner than others his age. During the wound cleaning, the physician barely steadied his hands to clear the wound. But even after cleaning, the purple discoloration went deep into the flesh, indicating that the poison had fully seeped in. The urgent task now was to remove the poison.

Inside the tent, the officials' faces were unreadable. The Sixth Prince being poisoned was beyond everyone's expectations. The safety of both princes was now extremely critical. The Eighth Prince had only superficial injuries, but if the Sixth Prince died from the poison, the Emperor would surely hold everyone accountable. Then it would no longer be a matter of evidence being sufficient or not—everyone involved would become subjects of the Emperor's suspicion.

"Go into the mountains and find the arrowheads," the Third Prince ordered.

Seeing this, the First Prince said, "What are you waiting for? Go search too!"

An open space was cleared inside the tent. Ying Fusheng's face was utterly bloodless, his breathing irregular—sometimes rapid, sometimes slow. Seeing this, the physicians knew it was bad. If the poison could not be stopped immediately and reached the heart, even the gods couldn't save him.

Suddenly, Ying Fusheng's face twisted in pain. He gasped sharply, his internal organs churning, and his body convulsed uncontrollably, and he coughed up a mouthful of black blood.

Upon seeing this black blood, the Dowager Empress nearly staggered.

Qi Hanzhou's expression changed. As he drew closer, he heard the physician say, "Don't let the poison reach his heart!"

Standing nearby, Empress Xu inexplicably looked down at the thick black blood on the ground.

She couldn't help but look at Ying Fusheng, who lay on the couch in agony. Somehow, seeing him like this, a wave of panic rose inside her.

When the physicians saw the Emperor's expression, they all started panicking.

"Chu Taiyi is here!"

Ying Fusheng's arrow wound had persisted for nearly six hours. It was unclear how deep the poison had penetrated. Chu Taiyi arrived post-haste and immediately began detoxifying Ying Fusheng. His hands were steady; even without identifying the exact poison affecting the Sixth Prince, he managed to stabilize Ying Fusheng's breathing.

"He's stable!"

Chu Taiyi was sweating profusely. "This condition doesn't seem like the poison reaching the heart from the wound. It's more like the poison is spreading through His Highness's organs."

"What do you mean?" the Emperor asked.

Chu Taiyi said, "He might have been poisoned a long time ago. The arrow wound only triggered it."

"Is it Suihongzi?" the Emperor asked again.

"It shouldn't be. This poison is very strange." Chu Taiyi hesitated but then explained briefly.

Normally, an acute poison would kill quickly upon reaching the heart. There was no way to snatch life back from death's door. The poison the Sixth Prince has is not an acute poison; it's more like something triggered a poison already inside him to erupt suddenly.

Latent poison... Qi Hanzhou suddenly thought of something.

At this moment, one of the Xu Family Officials near the tent's edge heard that the Sixth Prince could still be saved. His expression flickered, and his hand instinctively went to his lower back. At the same time, Qi Hanzhou, who had been watching the tent's movements, noticed this gesture. He lunged forward and grabbed the man's wrist. Taken by surprise, the official dropped what he was holding, and it clattered to the floor beside Empress Xu.

It was a medicine bottle.

Empress Xu paused and bent down to pick up the bottle.

The Xu family official's expression changed slightly, and he threw a dagger. This sudden move took everyone by surprise. Qi Hanzhou pressed the man to the ground, and the Third Prince stepped in, using his scabbard to deflect the blade, protecting Empress Xu. But in the process, the medicine bottle fell and shattered, its strange liquid seeping into the ground.

"Arrest him!" the Emperor exclaimed in shock.

Empress Xu stared at the spreading stain. Chu Taiyi stepped forward, his expression shifting: "This is... bring the poisoned blood we drew from His Highness to compare."

No one had expected such an incident in the tent. When the would-be assassin, a Xu family official, was subdued, the other Xu official's legs gave way from terror, and he knelt on the ground. The imperial guards entered and began expelling everyone except the physicians. Qi Hanzhou, not giving the official any chance to kill himself, dislocated his jaw and shoulders.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards moved in and took full control of the man.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent! Innocent!" the other official begged for mercy.

The Emperor turned to the guards beside him. "What was the report just now?"

The Sixth Prince's incident occurred, but before that, the guards had reported the anomaly regarding the Eighth Prince's guard. "Your Majesty, we have found that the Eighth Prince's missing guard was from the Eastern Palace, formerly a personal guard of the Deposed Crown Prince."

The Deposed Crown Prince was already confined to a separate palace. Logically, his guards couldn't have been reassigned to the Eighth Prince.

Hearing this, Qi Hanzhou's expression shifted. He caught the change in the Emperor's countenance and immediately realized the problem. The spy from the previous dynasty was linked to the Xu family. Now, learning that the dead guard was a spy and had come from the Crown Prince's side—this was serious. In the eyes of this inscrutable Emperor, this incident would inevitably be linked to the Deposed Crown Prince!

The Emperor looked at Empress Xu. "Did you know about this?"

Empress Xu, dazed, came to her senses and knelt directly. "Your Majesty, this matter..."

Just then, a sound came from inside the tent. Chu Taiyi hurried out: "Your Majesty, it's bad! The bottle that man dropped has set off a reaction. The Sixth Prince's condition has worsened!"

Empress Xu froze.

"Send someone to investigate all the guards around the Deposed Crown Prince!" The Emperor didn't want to hear Empress Xu's explanation anymore. He turned and entered the tent.

Seeing Ying Fusheng's condition, the Emperor's brows knit tightly. To clean the wound, part of Ying Fusheng's arm was exposed. In his agony, his chest rose and fell slightly with each breath, as if he was hanging on by a thread. If this breath failed, he might die. For this child, the Emperor had only started paying attention to him in recent years—first poisoned by his birth mother, then plagued by sickness.

And now he was told that if this breath failed, he might be gone?

"Report—"

"Your Majesty, there is a woman outside the tent requesting an audience. She says she can save the Sixth Prince. She says Lord Shen sent for her!"

Qi Hanzhou's expression flickered. It was Chen Xuqiu!

Shen Yunfei had galloped back to the capital, found Chen Xuqiu, and then brought her here. The emperor frowned at the newcomer. With assassins appearing one after another, he did not trust Chen Xuqiu. He summoned Shen Changcun, who then said: "This person was originally a wandering physician in the Jianghu. Later, through the recommendation of the wealthy merchant Liu Dafu, she was brought to the Sixth Prince to manage his condition. Because of her superb medical skills, the Sixth Prince kept her by his side to manage his condition."

The Empress Dowager recognized Chen Xuqiu. Previously, Ying Fusheng had brought her to manage the Empress Dowager's condition. "She is trustworthy."

When Chen Xuqiu rushed over from the palace, this was the situation she saw. Ignoring everything else, she dismissed the nearby court physician. "Stand aside. His condition can't handle tonics!"

The court physicians had never seen such a bold doctor. They were about to question her when they saw Chen Xuqiu skillfully inserting needles to expel the poison. Court Physician Chu saw her technique and confirmed that she was saving a life. He hurriedly said, "Quickly, make way for this young lady."

"Sterilize the silver needles with fire, and prepare three large buckets of hot water." Chen Xuqiu turned and saw Qi Hanzhou. She changed what she was about to say: "You, come over and help support him."

The emperor looked at Qi Hanzhou. "You go."

Only then did Qi Hanzhou take the person from her arms. The man leaning against his arm breathed faintly, no longer the same feeling as when he had been leaning against Qi Hanzhou's back earlier. Black hair scattered across his arm, now with eyes tightly shut, a fragility so unlike his waking self.

Not long ago, this person could still discuss strategies with him, yet in the blink of an eye, he might lose his life.

Qi Hanzhou's emotions stirred, but as he held him, he dared not apply pressure.

Chen Xuqiu had already inserted the first needle.

Needle in and out, black blood condensed into droplets.

The people around watched Chen Xuqiu's treatment. Her needling technique was unique, and with Court Physician Chu vouching for her, she did not hold back.

Time passed slowly. Several more black blood spots appeared on Ying Fusheng's body. As the black blood came out, his paper-pale face seemed to regain a moment of vitality. The breath caught in his throat eased, and a stream of blood flowed from his nostrils.

Qi Hanzhou's pupils constricted slightly. Chen Xuqiu decisively inserted a needle between Ying Fusheng's brows.

Court Physician Chu looked at Chen Xuqiu in surprise. With that needle in place, the Sixth Prince's tenuous hold on life seemed to stabilize.

Only then did Chen Xuqiu let out a long sigh. She had managed to keep him alive.

"The Sixth Prince has a congenital poison in his body. The arrow wound was coated with a trigger, which stimulated the poison in his body, causing a backlash." Chen Xuqiu looked at the released black blood and identified it carefully before saying, "Given the Sixth Prince's condition, when this congenital poison erupts, it attacks his weaker lungs and organs. With the slightest carelessness, he would die from the poison."

The pieces Qi Hanzhou couldn't figure out suddenly clicked!

How did the mastermind precisely target Ying Fusheng? They must have used a triggering poison—harmless to normal people but lethal to Ying Fusheng. Besides Suihongzi, there was also the congenital poison that Chen Xuqiu had mentioned earlier. During this time, Chen Xuqiu had been drawing out the poison from him, and the congenital poison was part of that, so Ying Fusheng's organs had improved significantly.

The only variable in all this was Chen Xuqiu.

If Chen Xuqiu hadn't been drawing out the poison, the mastermind's arrow would have made it look like death from poison reaching the heart. In everyone's eyes, it would have appeared that the assassin had poisoned the arrow, and the Sixth Prince had been assassinated.

That was why that person just now had tried to kill Ying Fusheng at all costs. Once the poison failed to reach his heart, the congenital poison would be discovered. They were afraid of the congenital poison being detected!

Perhaps even Ying Fusheng hadn't realized that someone would use the congenital poison that had been in his body for years to set a deadly trap, and from the very beginning, they intended to kill him without him ever knowing why.

The man on the bed still had needles in him, and his breathing was gradually stabilizing, but his complexion was still very poor.

Everyone's attention caught on Chen Xuqiu's mention of congenital poison. What this physician said matched Court Physician Chu's earlier judgment, but where did the Sixth Prince's congenital poison come from? Was Consort Ning poisoned? Impossible! The court physicians examined her every half month; no poison had been detected.

"I discovered it while treating the Sixth Prince. This poison is not Suihongzi; it's residual toxin from the womb." Chen Xuqiu hesitated slightly when saying this. Noticing Qi Hanzhou's look, she continued, "When I treated His Highness earlier, I had drawn out some poison. Otherwise, when the triggering poison erupted, I might not have made it in time. This trigger is special; unfortunately, I couldn't find out what it is..."

Chen Xuqiu never imagined anyone could use an object to trigger the congenital poison. This method was truly unbelievable. Given Ying Fusheng's physical condition, unless all the poison in his body was completely removed, these would remain hidden dangers. She was very glad she had insisted on drawing out the Sixth Prince's poison; otherwise, today's events would have been irreversible.

Court Physician Chu, thinking of this, hurriedly produced the medicine bottle he had collected. It had been knocked over suddenly, but fortunately, some residue remained on the cracked pieces. "Miss, see if this is of any use."

Chen Xuqiu was startled at the sight. She took it with both hands, took a small drop, and went to the side to test it with the black blood expelled from Ying Fusheng. The black blood changed color instantly upon contact.

"That's it," Chen Xuqiu said.

Outside the tent, the Embroidered Uniform Guard had just interrogated the other Xu family member. He insisted he knew nothing and didn't know why the official traveling with him carried that medicine bottle. He claimed ignorance to all questions, insisting their scheme was only to make the Eighth Prince shine at the hunt and nothing more.

Ye Xuanjiu reported everything.

The emperor's eyes sharpened. This item was obtained from a Xu family member.

Only a few trusted officials remained in the tent. Chen Xuqiu and the court physicians gathered there, but her words had already stirred doubts in the others' minds.

The Sixth Prince's frailty was not due to premature birth, but to a congenital poison from the womb. Yet this didn't add up. After all, the Sixth Prince was just a sickly prince who had not yet involved himself in court affairs. Why would the assassin specifically prepare a trigger to activate the congenital poison, using such a vicious scheme against the Sixth Prince?

Where did the congenital poison come from, and who wanted the Sixth Prince dead?

"Interrogate him." The emperor's voice was low and flat, yet it plunged the tent into absolute silence. "If you can't get anything from him, interrogate the Xu family."

Ye Xuanjiu was startled. "Yes, Your Majesty."

Empress Xu started to step forward but was stopped by the cold gleam in the emperor's eyes. He said, "The Eastern Palace and the Xu family are deeply connected to this assassin."

The silence in the tent continued. No one dared to speak at this moment.

Only the emperor looked at the medicine stain on the ground, his eyes dark and unfathomable.

Qi Hanzhou lowered his eyes. The emperor had noticed the problem.

The previous dynasty's spy, the Xu family, the Eastern Palace, and the Sixth Prince.

Once these things were connected, they formed a deadly plot where the mastermind had to kill the Sixth Prince.

"Qi Hanzhou, you said that when the Embroidered Uniform Guard found them, the two were being chased?" the emperor suddenly asked.

Qi Hanzhou answered truthfully. "Yes."

Ying Fusheng already had Suihongzi in his body, and now an unknown congenital poison had appeared. This undoubtedly pointed to the only possibility: a secret poison of the previous dynasty. Such coincidences piling up—Consort Ning's body showed no traces of Suihongzi poisoning. Even a vicious tiger does not eat its own cub. The matter of Consort Ning harming her child was serious; add in the congenital poison...

That meant that when the Sixth Prince was still in the womb, he had already become a link in a scheme.

The matter of Consort Ning harming her son was not simple.

The emperor would notice that Ying Fusheng's background was unusual.

Suddenly, Ying Fusheng coughed.

His cough was very weak, but it caused his chest to vibrate, nearly dislodging the needles that Chen Xuqiu had firmly inserted.

The emperor approached, looking at Ying Fusheng in his slumber. Ying Fusheng's eyes were tightly shut, sleeping uneasily, surrounded by bedding that made him appear pitifully small. Even so, compared to a few years ago, his face had matured somewhat, vaguely resembling the emperor's. But this face had no trace of similarity to Consort Ning.

"Your Majesty." The Empress Dowager noticed the emperor's expression. Because of her worry

The imperial physician hurried over: "Empress Xu."

Empress Xu snapped back to reality at the physician's call and raised her hand to see the anomaly on her right hand.

Not only were there red rashes on the back of her hand, but also on her palm. As the intense itching sensation surfaced, she belatedly realized something—why had the rashes appeared?

Qi Hanzhou suddenly recalled that when the Xu family official was dragged out by him, the dagger he had hurled fiercely at the Empress was not only meant to destroy the medicine bottle—he also did not want Empress Xu to touch that thing!

"Your Majesty touched the medicine bottle?" Qi Hanzhou asked.

Empress Xu was somewhat dazed, and the maid realized: "Yes, Your Majesty touched the bottle just now."

"It might be a rash caused by the irritant just now," Imperial Physician Chu said hesitantly. "But that shouldn't be—this thing is non-toxic and harmless, and only reacts to the poisonous blood expelled by the Sixth Prince..."