Chapter 465: The Antidote is Useless
Consort Ru’s heart eased slightly, yet she still bit down hard on her lip.
"But! Are we really just going to stand by and do nothing!?"
Xiao Lansi said comfortingly, "Rest assured. With Elder Jiang in the Cabinet, nothing will go wrong."
’That may be so, but the crucial point is—the Eldest Princess is involved now too!’
Consort Ru knew the Eldest Princess’s temper all too well. She was truly not someone to be trifled with.
’If today she can forcefully demand the Cabinet send memorials for her joint review, tomorrow she’ll be approving them directly in the Holy Emperor’s stead!’
Xiao Lansi seemed to guess her thoughts. After a moment’s hesitation, she asked, "Perhaps... we could send someone to see the Eldest Princess..."
"Absolutely not!"
Consort Ru cut her off at once.
’At a time like this, it’s best to wait quietly. If we go to her, it’ll be a dead giveaway!’
’Knowing the Eldest Princess’s personality, she’d be convinced of her suspicions and assume Cheng Xuan is guilty!’
After thinking for a long time, Consort Ru realized in despair that there was truly nothing she could do right now.
She could only wait!
Seeing her state, Xiao Lansi was perceptive enough not to push further. She only said, "You needn’t worry too much. The Eldest Princess is exceptionally brilliant. She will surely uncover the truth and clear Second Brother’s name."
Consort Ru and the Eldest Princess had never been close, yet now she had to entrust her entire fate to the other woman. How could she possibly be at ease?
’But this was the only way.’
Consort Ru took a deep breath and asked, "Has there been any word from the Ministry of Justice?"
Xiao Lansi shook her head.
Consort Ru closed her eyes, repeatedly trying to console herself.
’It’s fine, it’s fine. Even if the news is out, the investigation has procedures and will take time.’
’The Minister of the Ministry of Justice is Father’s protégé; he should be able to handle it.’
’But the most crucial person in this matter isn’t anyone else—it’s the Holy Emperor!’
’As long as he doesn’t believe it, there’s still hope!’
Never before had Consort Ru so desperately wished for Emperor Muwu to wake up.
A formless urgency pressed down on her, making it difficult to breathe.
She looked at Xiao Lansi and asked the question that weighed most heavily on her mind: "Has His Majesty’s condition improved?"
Xiao Lansi paused briefly. "Ye Chutang is responsible for everything there now. The palace is under heavy guard, and only Consort Rong is by the Father-Emperor’s side. I have not been able to go inside, so I don’t know anything about the situation."
Consort Ru ground her teeth. "That Consort Rong! How cunning!"
’Isn’t she just taking advantage of the situation because she’s on good terms with the Eldest Princess?!’
’In the past, she’d never have had the chance to make a scene!’
But no matter how much she seethed, it was useless. Who was to blame but her own disappointing son for creating such a disaster?
"Forget it!" Consort Ru’s brow furrowed. "That Ye Chutang prides herself on her superb medical skills, doesn’t she? We’ll see just how capable she really is!"
Xiao Lansi’s eyelashes fluttered lightly, and she let out a soft sigh.
"Actually, Consort Rong has been completely worn out recently. I heard that Prince Lie’s condition has worsened."
Consort Ru froze for a moment. Then, a flicker of joy, nearly imperceptible, flashed in her eyes before she quickly suppressed it.
Her expression remained impassive, but her tone betrayed her eagerness:
"What happened? I thought they brought back the antidote."
A worried look crossed Xiao Lansi’s face. "I only happened to hear it this morning. Prince Lie has been resting quietly in his manor, taking his medicine, and his injuries were gradually healing. But for some reason, he suddenly vomited blood last night. He was in distress for most of the night."
Consort Ru was simply ecstatic.
She truly hadn’t expected to receive such good news after suffering one blow after another!
"He vomited blood? Does that mean the antidote didn’t work?"