Chapter 22 He actually lost his temper in front of everyone…

Xiefang Pavilion is quite famous in the capital.

Peach Blossom Girl was exceptionally talented, excelling in poetry, calligraphy, music, and painting. Her elaborate dressing ceremony naturally attracted many noble sons, some of whom, even those who were not well-off, stayed in the hall to watch the spectacle and see which wealthy guest would ultimately emerge victorious.

A brocade platform was erected in the center of the hall, and a group of playboys from the capital sat around it, each with wine, fruit and delicacies in front of them, their eyes filled with anticipation and greed.

Cao Zhang ate his snacks while waiting, feeling bored. When his mouth became dry, he picked up the tea in front of him and drank it all in one gulp.

Fifteen minutes later.

As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of string and wind instruments began.

The Peach Blossom Maiden, dressed in a scarlet gauze dress and supported by two maids, gracefully ascended the high platform. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and her eyes sparkled; she truly possessed a captivating beauty.

A chorus of cheers and whistles erupted from the audience, and the bidding continued incessantly.

Five hundred taels!

"Seven hundred taels!"

"One thousand taels!"

The audience below the stage erupted in commotion, whispering amongst themselves. Cao Zhang, who was in the center of the private room, suddenly stood up and announced loudly, "Three thousand taels!"

"Three thousand taels!" Someone exclaimed, startling even Li Niang. She paused for a moment before snapping out of it, then immediately plastered a smile on her face: "Young Master Cao has offered three thousand taels! Is there any other gentleman who would like to raise the price?"

Cao Zhang was smug, and all eyes were on him, which pleased him greatly. A surge of lust rose from his lower abdomen and instantly spread throughout his body.

Thinking he was just too excited, he gulped down a mouthful of herbal tea to try and calm down.

Seeing that something was wrong, Li Niang noticed that Cao Zhang's face was abnormally flushed. "Second Young Master, are you... are you alright?"

Cao Zhang felt a ringing in his ears and dizziness, as if a fire was burning on his body. "Hot...so hot!"

He suddenly ripped open his shirt, revealing a large expanse of his chest. This unexpected outburst stunned everyone around him.

"Second Young Master, Second Young Master?" The attendant rushed forward in a panic.

Cao Zhang swatted them away, and suddenly a double image appeared before his eyes, as if many people were staring straight at him.

"What are you looking at!" he shouted, pointing at the people around him. "A bunch of poor scum, do you think you're worthy to compete with me?"

He stumbled out of the private room, trying to rush up the platform to pull Peach Blossom Girl away, swearing repeatedly: "Beauty... come here! Let me take good care of you..."

Seeing the situation was bad, Li Niang quickly signaled to the pimp to stop them. Cao Zhang, however, punched them away with immense strength, appearing like a madman.

He staggered forward, disheveled and unkempt, his steps unsteady. Peach Blossom Girl, seeing this, retreated in alarm, but was caught by Cao Zhang.

"Still trying to run!" Cao Zhang grinned maliciously as he approached, his unusually hot body radiating heat.

Just as he was about to forcefully pull, he suddenly felt a numbness in his waist, and his legs instantly lost all strength, collapsing to the ground with a "thud".

He lay sprawled in his own filth, his body convulsing uncontrollably, making meaningless "hoarse" sounds, his eyes unfocused, and drool dripping from the corner of his mouth.

The once bustling hall was now deathly silent.

Everyone was stunned, staring in disbelief at the scene before them.

The second young master of the Duke of Jingguo's mansion actually went mad in public and even lost control of his bladder and collapsed because of a prostitute in a brothel.

The next second, whispers and suppressed laughter quickly spread.

"Heavens... what is Young Master Cao doing...?"

"Tsk tsk, what a disgrace to the Duke of Jingguo's mansion!"

"She had a stroke before even consummating the marriage?"

Li Niang's face turned ashen. She quickly instructed Cao Zhang's attendants to cover the mud with a blanket and then ordered them to carry the muddy mess to the back room.

Cao San followed suit, feigning a panicked expression. Amid the chaos, he helped carry people and cried out, "Second Young Master, what happened to you?" He played the role of a loyal servant to the fullest.

Good news doesn't travel far, but bad news travels fast. Before he even returned to the Duke of Jingguo's mansion, the news that Cao Zhang had lost control of his bladder and collapsed in the Xiefang Pavilion due to a stroke had already spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital.

Inside the mansion.

The physician who rushed to the scene frowned upon examining the pulse. He felt that the pulse was weak and restless, resembling either poisoning or a wind-related illness caused by excessive indulgence. He was unable to make a diagnosis and dared not prescribe any medicine.

Cao Zhang's mother, Wang, was so nervous that she almost fainted and threw herself at her son's bedside, crying and wailing.

Looking at his unconscious grandson, whose body was still covered in filth, and listening to the servants report the scandal that had spread like wildfire, the Duke of Jingguo was both anxious and angry. His face turned ashen, and he slammed his fist on the table, making the teacups rattle.

"What's going on! What exactly is going on?!"

He couldn't help but roar at Cao Zhang: "I told you not to cause trouble or go out and fool around lately, but you insisted on going to such filthy places! Now... now look at this state you've made, you've completely disgraced the Cao family!"

"Master, Zhang'er is already like this, please don't scold him anymore!" Wang said, crying.

Suppressing his anger, the Duke of Jingguo sat down furiously, his gaze sweeping over the physician with a sharp, piercing look: "Speak!"

The physician knelt on the ground, drenched in cold sweat: "Your Excellency, the Second Young Master's pulse is weak and disordered, showing superficial excitement but internal exhaustion, resembling signs of poisoning, or... or even a sudden collapse of vital energy... This old man... this old man is truly at a loss!"

"My Zhang'er has always been healthy, how could this happen?" Wang Shi sobbed uncontrollably, then turned to the Duke of Jingguo and pleaded, "Father-in-law, the physician in the manor is not skilled enough. Could you please go to the palace immediately and ask Her Majesty the Empress to send an imperial physician to treat him?"

"Yes, yes," Old Madam Cao said as if waking from a dream, "Master, Zhang'er's sudden illness came on strangely. Ordinary medicines are probably ineffective. Only a skilled imperial physician can bring him back to health!"

The Duke of Jingguo's face was gloomy, his gaze sweeping between his unconscious grandson and his weeping wife and daughter-in-law, his mind racing with a thousand thoughts.

He certainly wanted to summon the imperial physician immediately.

But Zhang'er made a fool of herself in a brothel. If this matter were to be brought to the Empress's attention through the Cao family, wouldn't that be handing over such a huge handle to the palace?

Although the Empress was his daughter, she was also the mother of the nation, and her primary consideration would undoubtedly be the reputation of the royal family and the Cao clan...

However, seeing his grandson's increasingly ashen face, he couldn't bring himself to be cruel. After all, blood was thicker than water, and Cao Zhang was his most beloved grandson.

"Prepare writing materials!" he ordered the steward in a deep voice. "I will personally write a letter to Her Majesty the Empress."

The news quickly reached Fengyi Palace.

However, at this time, the Empress was under house arrest by the Emperor because of the Jade Lotus incident, and she was extremely annoyed. When she opened the letter, she was shocked to find that her nephew from her own family had caused such a disgraceful scandal. She felt a surge of anger rising to her head, and her vision went black.

"That Cao Zhang is a hopeless case, always causing trouble for me!"

Despite her words and curses, the Empress calmed down.

Regardless of whether Cao Zhang was poisoned or overindulged in brothels, his affair with the brothel today has completely blocked his path to officialdom. No prominent family in the capital would marry their daughter into the Cao family to avoid humiliation.

Moreover, this matter has caused a great uproar in the city. At tomorrow's morning court session, someone will surely use this as an opportunity to impeach my father for failing to manage his household properly and for his lack of moral character. At that time, the Cao family's power will inevitably be damaged.

The Emperor was already wary of the Cao family's influence as relatives of the Empress Dowager; if this matter is not handled properly, I fear…

Her third prince will rely on a powerful and prosperous maternal clan in the future, not a notorious burden who is despised by His Majesty.

After much deliberation, the Empress made her final decision.

We cannot abandon this family of origin.

She coldly ordered her personal maid, "Go, convey my message: have Physician Zhang from the Imperial Hospital go to the Cao residence. Tell him to 'examine the patient carefully and report back truthfully.'"

...

Cao Zhang lay on the bed with a pale face, sometimes complaining of being hot and sometimes of being cold. In the blink of an eye, all the hair on the back of his head fell out, revealing his bluish-white scalp.

The crowd gasped in shock, and the women covered their mouths and gasped, retreating in fear.

Physician Zhang stepped forward quickly, held his breath and focused intently, carefully taking the pulse again and observing the tongue coating and pupils, his brows furrowing more and more tightly.

Seeing that his expression was not right, the Duke of Jingguo asked urgently, "Imperial Physician Zhang, how is my grandson...?"

Physician Zhang replied with a solemn expression, carefully choosing his words: "Your Excellency, the Second Young Master's pulse is peculiar, suggesting the invasion of external pathogens, somewhat like poisoning, but I'm not certain. However, I can ascertain that the root cause of this acute illness is indeed... a sudden collapse of vital energy, with phlegm obstructing the mind. I will now prescribe some medicine to do my best to strengthen the Second Young Master's constitution and replenish his vital energy, which may... extend his life."

The words were spoken tactfully, but everyone present understood perfectly well that this was a death sentence for Cao Zhang, and even the imperial physicians were powerless to save him.

The room was immediately filled with cries of grief and commotion.

In the chaos, Cao San secretly glanced at Cao Zhang's terrifying appearance.

The symptoms were truly terrifying. Remembering that the poison Princess Yuhe had given him was still ineffective, he felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. His back was instantly soaked with cold sweat, and he felt a wave of fear. Fortunately, he had not chosen to oppose the princess; otherwise, he would probably be the one lying in bed suffering a fate worse than death right now.

After writing the prescription, Physician Zhang took one last look at Cao Zhang, who was lying on the bed barely breathing, shook his head silently, packed his medicine box, and bowed, saying, "This humble official still needs to return to the palace to report to Her Majesty the Empress. I shall take my leave now."

"Thank you for your trouble, Physician Zhang." Duke Jingguo barely maintained his courtesy.

After Physician Zhang left, the oppressive panic and sorrow once again filled the room.

The Duke of Jingguo's gaze swept over his grandson, who lay on the bed in a grotesque state, and the weeping women. His overwhelming rage finally erupted, and he sternly ordered, "Investigate thoroughly! Investigate the entire manor! Question Zhang'er thoroughly about everything he ate and drank today, and everyone he came into contact with!"

Seeing his chance, Cao San immediately stepped forward, knelt down, and reported: "Your Excellency, please calm your anger! The Second Master has been either at home or at Xiefang Pavilion today. If someone has indeed tried to harm him, the source may not be in the manor, but perhaps he was tricked at Xiefang Pavilion. This servant begs you to leave the manor immediately and go to Xiefang Pavilion to investigate, lest we arrive too late and have our traces destroyed!"

“Yes, yes,” Jingguo was still angry, but he felt that Cao San’s words made sense and that he was quick to act and could be used. He immediately waved his hand and granted his request, “Go quickly! Take a few more people with you and investigate carefully for me!”

Cao San immediately accepted the order, selected two servants who were on good terms with him but not very bright, and sent them out of the mansion at top speed.

Upon arriving at Xiefang Pavilion, Cao San displayed the imposing manner of the Duke of Jingguo's mansion, ordering the madam, Li Niang, to list all the people and things that had come into contact with Cao Zhang that day.

He instructed the two servants who had come with him: "Go and question those pimps and maids, don't let a single one escape!"

He then took the opportunity to slip out quietly through the back door and took a detour to the princess's residence.