Chapter 210 Trump Card

During the day, the gates of the Hall of Mental Cultivation were tightly closed, and there were heavy guards inside and out. The Crown Prince had ordered that no one be seen today, and no one should be allowed to step into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Even the doors and windows inside were tightly closed. Lü Jiaying nervously rubbed her hands, glancing every now and then at An Lingrong, who was diligently checking the spices at the table. She knew this matter required quiet. No matter how anxious she was, she didn't go forward to disturb her. But looking at Hongzhao's lonely and helpless figure in the inner hall, a subtle, persistent pain welled up in her heart.

She no longer had any expectations of the emperor, so although she felt heartbroken about what happened today, she was more caught off guard by the suddenness of the situation.

She entered the Prince's mansion in her teens and came to the Emperor's side. At that age, it would be a lie to say that she didn't have genuine feelings. But it didn't take long for her to see what kind of person the Emperor was. Beneath his affectionate exterior lay absolute ruthlessness and absolute selfishness. From then on, she withdrew her heart. At the time, she was just thinking that life would pass by no matter what.

Her life only began to improve after she had Hongzhao and Hongjin, two children blessed by the gods.

To put it bluntly, she didn't know whether she should be sad or relieved about what happened today.

She was Hongzhao's mother, and even though they were separated by a wall, she could still see his panic and unease, his sadness and distress, in the child's thin back. These were emotions she had never seen in Hongzhao before; it was a child's silent lament for his father. As a mother, she naturally couldn't help but feel sad and heartbroken.

Fortunately, her You'er is already fifteen years old and has grown up to be capable of standing on her own, so she won't end up being caught off guard and manipulated by others.

The people inside the room had different thoughts, but An Lingrong's forehead was covered in sweat from smelling the spices.

“There is indeed something wrong with these spices.” Her clear voice was deliberately lowered, echoing eerily in the dimly lit palace with its closed doors and windows. Her voice brought everyone back to their senses, and even Hongzhao stood up and walked to the table.

An Lingrong held up the silver spoon in her hand and presented it to the Empress. "Your Majesty, look, this is the ambergris that His Majesty usually uses. The ambergris being burned in the palace today is also genuine. There is absolutely no problem with it."

“The exact words?” Lü Jiaying immediately grasped the deeper meaning in her words.

An Lingrong gazed into the Empress's eyes and nodded solemnly—"Yes, Your Majesty, I took out some residue left from burning incense at the bottom of this incense burner. In addition to the original fragrance of ambergris, there is another ingredient in it, which I only had the opportunity to see after entering the palace."

"Jade Terrace and Golden Cup," she said. "This flower is extremely precious and delicate; even greenhouses rarely cultivate it. It's so difficult for it to grow. Inhaling large amounts of its pollen can cause shivering and shortness of breath. Adding it to perfumes and burning it will only double its effects, even..."

She looked up with difficulty at the Crown Prince, who was standing there waiting for her to continue, pursed her lips, and then said, "When used in the evening, it has the same effect as the Warmth Wine."

She phrased it tactfully, but Hongzhao understood.

Aphrodisiac.

Seeing everyone's stiff expressions, An Lingrong quickly added, "Although this flower isn't anything good, it doesn't have such a high level of toxicity. I'm thinking... this might be a trigger, like licorice and carp. They seem completely unrelated, yet both are nourishing. But if used together, they can cause poisoning and diarrhea. I suppose this is the same."

Hongzhao clenched his fist—"It's alright. Since we can't find any clues about the food, the jade platform and golden cup are precious. There should be a record of which palace they were sent to." He clenched his fingers, closed his eyes, and pondered in his mind—"Send Jinxi to her, but don't alert her."

Now, upon closer examination, the only variable in the palace is the person who suddenly entered the palace half a year ago. If she really has the audacity to do such a thing, then he shouldn't be blamed.

"Yes, sir."

"Go tell Zhou Qi that this poison might be made with a catalyst from the Jade Platform Golden Cup. Tell him to prepare the medicine first. We'll only know if it works after he drinks it."

It couldn't get any worse for Ama at this point.

After doing all this, Hongzhao patted his mother's outstretched hand and gently put her down. He sighed softly and lowered his eyelids, deliberately avoiding looking at his mother's eyes, which seemed to contain a thousand words.

He knew what his mother wanted to say to him, but he didn't want to listen, at least not now.

Zhou Qi explained that his father hadn't just ingested a highly poisonous substance today; rather, it was a long-term accumulation of chronic toxins in his body. Because the dosage had been taken too carefully, it hadn't been detected at all, and today it all erupted at once, meaning his days were numbered.

A surging, overwhelming palpitation coursed through his chest, unspeakable and unrelieved. He understood what his mother wanted to say, but he kept thinking of trying again. His father, who was unconscious, was discussing his affairs after his death at his bedside. Hongzhao asked himself if he could do it, and he shouldn't.

What others shouldn't do, he certainly shouldn't do either.

Lü Jiaying sighed; she understood the boy's stubbornness. Therefore, she swallowed the words she was about to say to him to prepare himself, and instead whispered a single instruction to his retreating figure.

“Hongzhao, you must remember that you are your father’s son, and you are also the Crown Prince of the Qing Dynasty. Lying on your bed is your father, who is also the Emperor. You have enough trump cards at your disposal, so never be afraid.”

...

"Trump card...trump card..."

Hongzhao stood alone by his father's bedside, murmuring his mother's words from that afternoon.

Night fell, and it was already past midnight. The Emperor's poisoning had been kept a closely guarded secret, and no one else was informed. Thus, tonight was a rare peaceful night for the Forbidden City.

But after tonight, things might change.

The Emperor has always been diligent in his duties, rarely missing the morning court sessions. Even on the rare occasions when he skipped court for the sake of Emperor Hongzhao, he would still summon several ministers to the small court hall in the Imperial Study for a meeting. Now that the person is lying unconscious in bed, it's impossible to hide it from him.

Hongzhao felt as if a huge boulder was pressing on his chest. The countdown, which only he could see, was already enough to torment his nerves. But today, it was as if someone had suddenly picked up a sledgehammer and smashed the countdown clock to pieces, telling him that he didn't need to worry anymore, that everything was over ahead of schedule.

So sudden, so perfectly natural.

The quiet Forbidden City under the cover of night made him feel even more shrouded in cold darkness. He wanted to do what he did when he was a child, to burrow into his father's arms when he was scared, but looking at the person on the bed, he couldn't make a single move.

He couldn't recall feeling scared. He had lived under his father's wing as a child and didn't know what fear was, nor had he ever felt so helpless. He didn't know how to relieve the pressure on his nerves.

He could only slowly lean forward onto the bed, touching his forehead to the hands his father could never warm, the hands that had lifted him up countless times, taught him to write, taught him to ride a horse, and cleared obstacles for him.

Tears finally poured out uncontrollably under the cover.

The instant his tears touched the brocade quilt, Hongzhao's mind went blank for a moment. As if struck by lightning, his mother's voice suddenly echoed in his mind again.

"You have plenty of cards to play..."

What did the system say this morning? Hongzhao slowly straightened up, and his reddened eyes seemed to regain a bit of their luster as he looked around.

"Please continue to develop based on the existing foundation and keep up the good work."

The system is known for its concise and succinct use of words, so what does it mean to continue developing on the existing foundation? What other tricks does it have up its sleeve?