Chapter 501: Treatment
Chu Qiyuan’s brows drew together. He nodded grimly. "Indeed."
’He already had his suspicions, but he lacked concrete evidence.’
A slight smile touched Ye Chutang’s lips. "It’s all thanks to you. Otherwise... even if I had come, I’m afraid His Majesty would not have woken up."
Chu Qiyuan was both delighted and startled to hear her words, which were laden with implications.
"Are you saying you’re certain you can save His Majesty?"
Ye Chutang sighed inwardly.
"You shouldn’t be too optimistic. Although I can preserve His Majesty’s life, after this series of ordeals, his body’s vitality is nearly exhausted. In the future..."
She didn’t say the rest aloud, but Chu Qiyuan understood immediately.
The relief he’d just felt vanished, and his heart grew heavy once more.
After a long moment, he stroked his beard and sighed deeply.
"So be it. Fate is already sealed, so why worry? Besides, in the current situation, simply waking His Majesty is an extraordinary feat."
In truth, he knew Emperor Muwu wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer.
Outsiders only saw Emperor Muwu’s civil and military accomplishments, his wisdom and intelligence, but he was old, after all.
Lingering ailments from his youth had gradually begun to manifest, now threatening his very life.
Combined with the countless sharp claws reaching out from the shadows, Emperor Muwu was only mortal. This day was always bound to come.
"His Majesty had just issued an edict to exile the Second Prince, Xiao Chengxuan. Before he could even be escorted out of the palace gates, His Majesty collapsed." Chu Qiyuan’s expression grew troubled as he recalled the chaotic scene. "To leave behind such a mess... what are we to do?"
Ye Chutang nodded.
She wasn’t surprised by Emperor Muwu’s decision.
And Chu Qiyuan’s worries were not unfounded.
For Emperor Muwu to fall into a coma at this exact moment... the imperial court was bound to descend into chaos.
—If nothing else, the selection of the Crown Prince would be the greatest point of contention!
The Second Prince was exiled, the Third Prince was in a coma, leaving only the disabled Fourth Prince.
How perilous for the stability of the empire!
A struggle between the various factions was imminent, and when it began, it would surely be a vicious free-for-all.
Ye Chutang mulled it over for a moment, then suddenly asked, "You said earlier that Xiao Chengxuan hasn’t left the palace yet?"
’But I didn’t see him earlier.’
Chu Qiyuan nodded. "Correct. It all happened so suddenly that everyone prioritized His Majesty’s life. Xiao Chengxuan has been temporarily detained—"
Before he could finish, a sharp woman’s voice rang out from outside.
"How dare you let Ye Chutang in!? If anything happens to His Majesty, your lives won’t be enough to atone for it!"
Ye Chutang lowered her gaze, her expression serene. Her hands continued their work without pause, as if she hadn’t heard the commotion at all.
Chu Qiyuan, however, immediately recognized the voice.
He frowned and turned his head. "Consort Ru!? Why is she here!?"
...
「Meanwhile, outside the hall.」
Consort Ru—or rather, the now-demoted Talent—had disheveled hair, bloodshot eyes, and a face streaked with tears.
She looked no different from a madwoman.
She was supposed to have been taken away, but upon hearing that Ye Chutang had arrived, she had thrown a hysterical fit and turned back.
Now, as she stared at the tightly shut doors and the layers of stern guards, the hatred in her heart reached its zenith.
All eyes were on her, each person with a different expression.
Although she had been condemned to the Cold Palace, she had been a favored Noble Consort for many years, and some of her former authority still lingered.
Chen Songshi stepped forward to block her path.
"His Majesty is in a critical condition. No one is to disturb his treatment."
Consort Ru let out a sudden, cold laugh, her voice rising to a shriek—
"Treatment!? The same way she ’treated’ Prince Lie? By treating him to death?!"