Chapter 209 Orange Baby Breaks Defense

Hongzhao had no idea that the side hall was so far from the main hall; he just wanted to run as fast as he could.

Historically, Emperor Yongzheng passed away in October of this year. It's only February now, and both the imperial physicians and Taoist priests said that the Emperor was in excellent health. Apart from being tired, there were no other major problems. So why did he suddenly vomit blood today?

Hongzhao rushed out as soon as he received the news, but the people inside hadn't had time to come out yet. Hongzhao stopped abruptly at the door and barely managed to avoid bumping into the panicked people inside. They were two unfamiliar faces, and it seemed that they were the two women who had accompanied him earlier.

Although Yinzhen did not hold another imperial concubine selection, the harem was not without new women. In addition to Meng Jingxian from half a year ago, there were several Manchu palace maids who had been granted official titles and ranks by the emperor, and they were now living in Chuxiu Palace.

Hongzhao wasn't out of breath after running just two steps, but he couldn't help but show signs of anxiety on his face.

He was impatient to listen to the two people's panicked pleas for mercy on their knees, and waved his hand at Xia Zi—"Take them away and keep them under proper supervision. Don't let them disturb Father Emperor's peace and quiet."

"Xiao Dezi, find someone fast on foot to fetch Zhou Qi, and then send someone to tell the Empress Dowager, go now!"

Hongzhao gave instructions as he walked to Yinzhen's bedside. Seeing his father's pale face and the traces of blood still on his lips, his brows furrowed even more.

"Eunuch Su, why did Father suddenly vomit blood? Did he eat something? Or was he just exhausted again?"

Faced with the Crown Prince's barrage of questions, Su Peisheng's expression seemed even more unpleasant than that of Yinzhen, who lay unconscious on the bed. He didn't bother to wipe the cold sweat from his body, his mind racing as he recalled the events of the past few days.

"Your Highness, as you know, the Emperor's meals are never wrong. First, the imperial chefs taste the dishes, then this servant tests them for poison with silver needles, and finally Xiao Dezi tastes them. The Emperor can't even eat more than three bites of a dish. With each step going through, there will never be a problem."

Hongzhao understood what he meant; there were many rules governing meals in the royal family. Especially for the Emperor, it was virtually impossible to tamper with the imperial kitchen.

But what if we don't go through the imperial kitchen?

"Eunuch Su, has anyone been bringing soup or food to Father Emperor these past few days?"

Su Peisheng met the Crown Prince's sharp gaze and knew this matter was no small thing. Even though his heart was about to jump out of his chest, he still forced himself to remain calm and counted on his fingers.

"That's quite a lot. Just in this past month, the Empress, Consort Meng, Noble Lady Qi, Noble Lady Zhen, and even the ladies-in-waiting you just saw, Your Highness, have all been given poison. They come in all sorts of different kinds, but I've tested them all for poison."

Hongzhao sat down on the edge of the couch, touching his father's hands, which were starting to get cold, and his lips, which were becoming increasingly purplish. The unease in his heart almost overwhelmed him. His thin chest under his clothes heaved violently, and the fingers on the back of Yinzhen's hand trembled involuntarily.

His eyes were unfathomable as he forced himself to calm down. "If that's the case, then it's not entirely the food's fault, then..."

Hongzhao's gaze suddenly sharpened, and he turned around to shout loudly to Xiazi outside, "Go and invite Consort Rou here, bring her a sedan chair, and be quick!"

Aside from food, the only thing that could penetrate the body day and night was spices, and in this respect, no one in the palace could compare to An Lingrong.

The desperate wait was incredibly long. The imperial physician, Empress An Lingrong, still hadn't arrived. All that remained was Hongzhao tightly holding his father's hand, with Su Peisheng kneeling beside him, too afraid to even breathe.

There has to be a way to detoxify...

"System! Brother Tong!"

In his haste, Hongzhao hadn't even remembered that he possessed a magical artifact. Now that the room was quiet, he was desperately calling out in his heart to the system that had helped him countless times before.

"drop--"

"I need an antidote! Give me an antidote!"

Before the system's usual login announcement had even finished, Hongzhao spoke up first, looking hopefully at the blue screen that only he could see. But after waiting for a while, the system didn't respond as readily as usual.

"Insufficient host points detected; antidote pill cannot be redeemed."

The voice was still cold and electronic, but it chilled Hongzhao to the bone—"No points? I've already used an advance before, why not this time? You can give me a task! I can complete it!"

Aside from the initial newbie gift pack where he struggled with points, the system's attitude had always been indulgent. He could get advance payments, and if he ran out, they would assign tasks on short notice. Therefore, this cold rejection left Hongzhao utterly astonished.

The system's high-precision calculations were carried out without hesitation, and the words on the screen appeared line by line, accompanied by the crackling sound of typing.

"As the original world line is nearing its end, all the missions in the system library have been claimed and cannot be assigned anymore. The host no longer has the ability to repay the loan points. Please continue to develop based on the existing foundation and keep up the good work."

As soon as it finished speaking, it seemed to have anticipated Hongzhao's impending emotional breakdown, and immediately went offline at lightning speed, leaving Hongzhao alone, staring blankly at the empty air in front of him.

In an instant, the person he could rely on collapsed without warning, and his confidence in this strange world was abandoned and no longer helped him. The double blow left Hongzhao's head buzzing and he couldn't react for a moment.

"Your Highness, Imperial Physician Zhou Qi has arrived!" A hurried shout pulled him back to reality. "Imperial Physician... Yes, perhaps the Imperial Physician can cure him!"

He propped himself up, stretched out his long arm, and pulled Zhou Qi, who was about to bow, to the bedside. He wanted to speak, but his throat seemed to be blocked, and he couldn't make a sound. He could only deftly take the unconscious Emperor's hand from the bed, lift the sleeve, and hand it to Zhou Qi.

As soon as Zhou Qi entered, he saw the Emperor's expression and knew something was wrong. He had never seen the Crown Prince so anxious. Without asking any more questions, he quickly reached out to take the Emperor's pulse.

Sure enough, everything was explained by the pulse diagnosis.

“Your Highness, this is not an ordinary illness of His Majesty. In my opinion, it is poison.”

There was no need for Zhou Qi to say such nonsense; even Hong Zhao, an outsider, could see it. He simply urged Zhou Qi with his eyes, waiting for him to quickly come up with a solution.

There were only four people in the room, including himself, so Zhou Qi spoke more boldly—"I beg Your Highness to summon the Imperial Medical Academy for a consultation. This humble servant is incompetent; we currently do not know what kind of poison it is, and even to prescribe the right medicine, it will take time. Now the poison has already invaded His Majesty's lungs and internal organs; not a moment can be wasted, I fear..."

Zhou Qi claimed to be incompetent, but even those in the Imperial Hospital weren't as bold as him in using medicine. If he wasn't confident, how could they possibly be better than him?

Hongzhao heard his own voice asking, "In your opinion, how long will it take?"

Zhou Qi stroked his beard—"To figure out what kind of poison the Emperor planted, and then to concoct the corresponding antidote, it will definitely take several days to recover. But given the Emperor's condition, we can't wait that long."

Can't you even wait a few more days...?