Chapter 446: Illness Strikes Like a Landslide
The servant hesitated for a moment before saying, "Well... Su Wei made a point of mentioning that the Qingzhou county magistrate was once a student of the Prime Minister. To avoid any appearance of impropriety, Mr. Jiang did not participate..."
"What do you mean, ’avoid impropriety’? My grandfather doesn’t even remember what the man looks like! But of course Su Wei would seize on something like that!"
The servant glanced toward the door and offered a quiet reminder. "Your Highness, be careful! Walls have ears."
Xiao Chengxuan suppressed his anger.
He mulled it over. Trapped as he was, there was nothing he could do.
’All I can do is hope Zuo Ci is smart enough not to leave any loose ends.’
After a moment’s thought, he asked, "Is Gao Yi still in Qingzhou?"
"Yes."
"Then go and tell him—"
Xiao Chengxuan started to order the servant to tell Gao Yi to kill Zuo Ci and flee if anything seemed amiss, but he stopped himself. The idea didn’t sit right.
’If I do that, wouldn’t it just confirm the suspicions of Su Wei and his cronies?’
He ran through his calculations in his head one more time.
’Ever since the incident in the capital, I’ve cut off all my activities there. Even if they investigate, they shouldn’t be able to find anything.’
"Forget it."
Xiao Chengxuan took a deep breath and decided to simply wait and see.
"Is there any news from Prince Lie’s Mansion? I thought they brought back the antidote."
The servant immediately replied, "Yes. Doctor Zhao of the Imperial Hospital has been personally visiting Prince Lie’s Mansion every day to prepare his medicine. I hear the Prince’s condition has improved considerably. However..."
He paused.
Xiao Chengxuan narrowed his eyes. "However what?"
"However, Prince Lie was poisoned for too long, and the delay ultimately caused lasting damage. Furthermore, although they have the antidote, the Imperial Hospital has only been able to create an experimental prescription and isn’t entirely confident in it. Prince Lie remains in seclusion, and while his condition has improved, his recovery is progressing very slowly. If things go on like this..."
He lowered his voice.
"I’m afraid he will be left with permanent aftereffects."
Xiao Chengxuan’s eyes lit up. "Is that true?"
’If that’s true, I might still have a fighting chance!’
"Keep eyes on him. I want to see just how long he can turtle away in Prince Lie’s Mansion!"
...
Just as Xiao Chengxuan was at his wit’s end over the matter, something else unexpected occurred—
Emperor Muwu caught a cold and fell ill.
Inside the palace, maids bustled in and out, their expressions fraught with worry.
Basin after basin of hot water was replaced.
The thick scent of medicine filled the entire palace.
Yet Emperor Muwu, lying on the dragon bed, remained feverishly hot with no sign of his temperature breaking.
He was in a stupor, his eyes shut tight and lips pale. He looked as if he had aged several years in an instant.
Consort Rong stood at the bedside, tightly clutching a handkerchief, her eyes filled with concern.
She was no longer in her prime, and coupled with her poor health from spending years confined to her own chambers, her complexion was especially pale.
Standing there, her gaunt figure was as delicate as a willow branch, looking as if a gust of wind could carry her away.
Having kept vigil by the bed all night, her eyes were bloodshot.
"Your Ladyship, you haven’t slept all night. Why don’t you go back and get some rest?"
An attending palace maid asked in a low voice.
But Consort Rong shook her head. "I’m not tired. I’ll be fine watching over His Majesty here."
Seeing her determination, the palace maid dared not press the matter.
When the Imperial Physician finally finished taking the pulse, Consort Rong couldn’t help but ask, "Doctor Zhou, how is His Majesty?"
Zhou Kangxue’s brow was tightly furrowed.
"This illness has struck His Majesty with great force!"
Consort Rong grew more worried. "But His Majesty showed no signs of being unwell recently. For some reason, he came down with a fever yesterday evening. He’s been struggling all night with no improvement, and he even vomits up his medicine as soon as he takes it. This..."
Zhou Kangxue sighed. "Consort Rong, you may not be aware, but His Majesty’s condition... I’m afraid it’s a sickness of the mind."
Consort Rong was taken aback.
Zhou Kangxue explained, "Judging from his pulse, his body has been overwhelmed by intense anger and frustration, which has left him vulnerable. After catching a chill on top of that, he collapsed."
"This..."
For a moment, Consort Rong didn’t know how to respond.
’Doesn’t that mean His Majesty’s illness was caused by his anger over what happened with Xiao Chengxuan?’
"Th-Then how can he recover? He can’t go on with such a high fever!"
Normally, Consort Ru would be the one to take charge in a situation like this, but everyone knew how inappropriate her presence would be at this moment.
And so, these duties fell to Consort Rong.
Zhou Kangxue looked apologetic. "My medical skills are limited. I can only prescribe a temporary remedy to stabilize His Majesty’s condition. I’ve already sent a man to urgently summon Chief of the Hospital Chu. When he returns, perhaps he will have a better solution—"
"Who knows how long it will take for him to return? His Majesty cannot afford such a delay!"
A calm but commanding voice suddenly cut in from outside.
Consort Rong turned her head, and her face lit up with joy upon seeing the newcomer.
"Eldest Princess!"
The Eldest Princess had rushed over as soon as she heard the news.
The palace attendants all hurried to bow.
The Eldest Princess raised a hand. "How is His Majesty?"
Zhou Kangxue quickly made way for her and repeated what he had just said.
The Eldest Princess studied Emperor Muwu’s face, her brow tightening.
"Useless! What will you do if this high fever persists and causes permanent harm to His Majesty?"
Without a moment’s hesitation, she ordered, "Go and fetch Chutang!"
Zhou Kangxue was stunned.
He had, of course, heard of Second Miss Ye.
But...
"Eldest Princess, this concerns His Majesty. We must be exceedingly cautious! Second Miss Ye may be a skilled physician, but she is, after all..."
’If something goes wrong, who will take the blame?’
The Eldest Princess shot him a look.
A shiver went through Zhou Kangxue’s heart. Feeling the immense, unspoken pressure, he immediately lowered his head.
Only then did the Eldest Princess speak, her voice calm. "Is anything more important than His Majesty’s health?"
’This Zhou Kangxue might have served in the Imperial Hospital for years, but now he’s just wringing his hands, unable to so much as break a simple fever!’
Although Consort Rong had never met Ye Chutang, the name was not unfamiliar to her.
Not long ago, that same Miss Ye had saved her son’s life, and she was deeply grateful.
Hearing the Eldest Princess call for Ye Chutang, she immediately agreed. "The Eldest Princess is right. Treating His Majesty is the utmost priority right now! Go and fetch her at once! If anything happens, I shall take full responsibility!"
She had always possessed a gentle and yielding nature, never one to strive for power or position. She rarely clashed with others, even when she herself was wronged.
At this critical moment, however, she stepped forward without a second thought.
Zhou Kangxue didn’t dare utter another word. He wiped the sweat from his brow, feeling a chill seep into his very bones.
The sight of the doctor’s pathetic state irritated the Eldest Princess, so she turned to Consort Rong instead. Seeing the consort’s haggard face, a clear result of her sleepless night, she softened her tone.
"You’ve been up all night as well. Go get some rest."
But Consort Rong shook her head. "I’ll be fine watching over His Majesty here."
The Eldest Princess sighed inwardly.
’When it comes to sincerity, there’s probably no one in the entire harem as pure of heart as Consort Rong.’
’If only she had a bit more backbone, would Consort Ru have been able to act so high and mighty all these years?’
But this was not the time to be thinking about such things.
The Eldest Princess didn’t try to persuade her again.
Just then, Eunuch Li rushed in from outside to report.
"Eldest Princess, Consort Rong, the officials of the court are waiting outside Xuanwu Gate."