Chapter 515: Awake
No one spoke.
His Majesty had suddenly fallen unconscious yesterday. Ye Chutang and Chu Qiyuan both said his life was not in danger, but they hadn’t said when he would wake up.
The prognosis was likely grim.
Only a few days remained. What could possibly be done?
But since the Eldest Princess had spoken, they could only obey.
Just then, a palace attendant came to announce:
"The Chu Hospital Director has arrived! Ye Chutang has arrived!"
The Eldest Princess immediately looked toward the entrance. When she saw the slender, graceful figure, she couldn’t help but lean forward slightly.
If not for the several ministers present, she would have rushed over to check if Ye Chutang was injured.
Chu Qiyuan and Ye Chutang entered one after the other and bowed.
"Greetings, Eldest Princess."
Seeing Ye Chutang’s calm and composed demeanor, the Eldest Princess finally breathed a sigh of relief.
’She looks fine.’
She had expected Ye Chutang to be frightened, but the young woman’s expression was serene and her steps were light. If not for the prior reports, no one would have guessed she had just survived a perilous assassination attempt moments ago.
"Rise quickly."
The Eldest Princess suppressed her thoughts.
"Has His Majesty’s condition improved?"
Chu Qiyuan said, "Please rest assured, Eldest Princess. His Majesty has taken his medicine today. Although he has not yet awoken, his pulse has stabilized considerably."
’As expected.’
The ministers exchanged subtle glances.
This response was clearly within their expectations.
Even with all their skills, Ye Chutang and Chu Qiyuan couldn’t possibly restore His Majesty to full health in such a short time.
The Eldest Princess had actually anticipated this. She sighed inwardly, but her expression revealed nothing.
"His Majesty was harmed by a villain. This has been happening for years, so his sudden illness is not something that can be resolved in a day or two. Don’t worry about anything else; just take your time."
She already knew someone had tampered with Emperor Muwu’s food, but this was the first time she had denounced it publicly. As she spoke, her expression turned cold and solemn.
"Such an act is a crime punishable by ten thousand deaths! Report to me the moment you find anything!"
Chen Songshi took a step forward. "Princess, please do not be angry. We have already instructed the Ministry of Justice to investigate. We will surely unmask the mastermind!"
The atmosphere grew even more frigid.
Everyone knew that just yesterday, Ye Chutang had publicly aimed her suspicions at Jiang Qingmei.
Ye Chutang, however, looked as composed as ever, as if none of this had anything to do with her.
Fan Chengzhuo, who had been silent, glanced around before speaking hesitantly. "Actually... if Prince Lie were still well, it would be most fitting for him to represent us. Firstly, he is a Prince. Secondly, he has won illustrious military honors. If he were to face those savages from Wazhen, he certainly wouldn’t lose in presence."
Ye Chutang raised a slight eyebrow.
’Is this... directed at me?’
The others had clearly caught his meaning as well and kept their mouths shut even tighter.
The Eldest Princess glanced at him. "Mr. Fan, what is the meaning of this?"
Fan Chengzhuo clasped his hands. "Princess, please do not misunderstand. I am simply worried about the various situations that might arise after the Wazhen Mission arrives in the capital. We must be fully prepared! With the date so near, we cannot keep delaying things, don’t you agree?"
His words were not without reason.
The Eldest Princess did not reply immediately.
Fan Chengzhuo seemed to gain a bit more courage and continued, "If we could tentatively appoint Prince Jing for now, we would at least have a plan and wouldn’t be caught in a panic. If His Majesty wakes up, it won’t be too late to reconsider."
Ye Chutang’s gaze shifted slightly, and the corners of her lips seemed to curve up in a subtle smile.
’How interesting.’
This former protégé of Jiang Zhao Yuan, the esteemed Minister of the Ministry of Justice, hadn’t said a single word in defense of the Jiang family when they met with disaster.
And now he was speaking up for Prince Jing.
Of course, that wasn’t too surprising, because his words were truly irrefutable.
In the current situation, a suitable person had to be chosen—and Prince Jing was clearly that person.
The Eldest Princess felt herself wavering.
She had crossed swords with Master Wa before and knew just how troublesome his people were.
’It seems... this is the only way.’
After a long moment of contemplation, the Eldest Princess took a deep breath and finally said slowly:
"What Mr. Fan says is well-considered. In that case, let us first appoint Prince Jing—"
Before she could finish, the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside.
A palace attendant came jogging over, his face alight with joy, unable to hide his excitement.
"Princess! A message has come from Prince Lie’s Mansion! They say His Highness Prince Lie has woken up!"
"What!?"
Everyone in the hall was stunned. Some were surprised, some were overjoyed, and others had inscrutable expressions, their emotions unreadable.
The Eldest Princess shot to her feet. "What did you say? Say that again!"
The attendant quickly knelt and kowtowed forcefully. "His Highness Prince Lie is profoundly blessed! He has safely passed the critical stage and has woken up! Doctor Zhao had someone deliver the message to the palace at top speed, saying you must be informed at the first possible moment!"
’It’s true!’
The Eldest Princess was both shocked and ecstatic.
She truly hadn’t expected Xiao Chengqi to wake up at this very moment!
’This is absolutely wonderful news!’
"Excellent! How is Cheng Qi’s condition? Never mind, I will go see for myself!"
With that, the Eldest Princess immediately started walking out.
She had only taken two steps when she turned, beckoned to Ye Chutang, and said with a smile, "Chutang! You come too!"
The onlookers all had different expressions.
Even a fool could see the Eldest Princess was doing this on purpose. Rumors had been swirling recently, all claiming that Prince Lie’s condition had worsened and led to his coma because of Ye Chutang’s misdiagnosis.
Many people had wanted to denounce her privately, but the clamor was suppressed only because her skills were needed when Emperor Muwu fell ill, and the Eldest Princess had forcefully silenced the dissent.
Who would have thought that now—Prince Lie had actually woken up!
The ministers hesitated, then looked to Chen Songshi for guidance.
"Elder, should we... go as well?"
Chen Songshi’s face had lit up at the news. Hearing the question, he immediately said, "This is wonderful news! Of course we—"
He paused, then looked back at the Eldest Princess and smiled. "Of course, we must defer to the Eldest Princess! Although we all wish to visit Prince Lie, so many people going at once might be a disturbance. I wonder..."
The Eldest Princess, however, looked at Ye Chutang.
"Chutang, why don’t you decide? You were the one treating Cheng Qi’s illness. What do you think?"
No one expected the Eldest Princess to ask Ye Chutang, but her reasoning seemed irrefutable.
Although Chu Qiyuan and Zhao Xuanping had assisted in the diagnosis, Ye Chutang had been the one to lead everything, from finding the initial medicinal catalyst to performing the acupuncture and writing the prescription.
Ye Chutang blinked her dark eyes slowly. Her gaze swept imperceptibly over Fan Chengzhuo, and seeing his apparently stiff posture and pale face, a faint smile glinted in her eyes.
"The ministers mean well. There’s no harm in all of us going together."