Chapter 257 Extra 2: What if Hongzhao died in front of Yinzhen?

If Consort Meng poisoned the food, and Fatty Orange and Orange Baby shared it...

The following points are illogical; this is where the brain is stored.

Yinzhen's thoughts sank as if weighed down by a boulder, rarely clearing his mind. Yet, the sharp pains emanating from his abdomen and chest pulled his spirit upward, and even more tugging at his nerves were the calls that echoed in his ears.

“Father...Father..."

It was Hongzhao's voice.

The voice sometimes seemed to whisper in one's ear, and sometimes it seemed to drift across the water. Sometimes it was the tender voice of Hongzhao when he was young, and sometimes it was the clear voice of a teenager.

Without exception, Yinzhen could hear two words in that very familiar voice: discomfort. If Hongzhao spoke in that tone, he must be very uncomfortable.

He struggled to pull his thoughts out of the mire. Even in his unconscious state, one could see the tension in his brows, and sweat poured down his body like a dam had been opened.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, you've finally woken up! Imperial Physician! Imperial Physician Zhou, please come and take a look!"

Su Peisheng's voice, choked with sobs and filled with surprise, rang in his ears, breaking the deathly silence in the hall. Yinzhen opened his eyes, stared at the bed curtains for a moment, and then, after a brief reaction, suddenly sat up straight, trying to stand up. But a blurry vision forced him to stop.

"Your Majesty, you cannot move now. The imperial physician said that this poisoning is extremely dangerous, and you need to rest and recuperate for a while!"

Yinzhen turned his head in the direction of the voice, and seeing Su Peisheng's anxious face with a pair of bloodshot eyes, he first tugged at the corner of his mouth and chuckled lightly - "I'm not dead yet, why are you crying?"

But right after he finished speaking, Su Peisheng forced a smile, his expression even more bitter. A sudden tightness gripped him; he glanced at Zhou Qi, who was pretending to be busy and refusing to look up, and his expression instantly changed. He grabbed Su Peisheng's arm and questioned him.

"Where is the Crown Prince?"

"Crown Prince...Crown Prince..." Su Peisheng murmured a few times. He had served the Emperor for many years and should know exactly how to answer in front of the Emperor. But today, it was as if half of his throat was blocked. He opened his mouth for a long time but could not say a word.

Yinzhen's expression grew increasingly cold. He shoved the person aside, propped himself up on the bedpost, and headed towards the side hall, where Hongzhao had always lived. He must be inside now.

He knew firsthand how unpleasant it was to be poisoned, and he was certain that he wouldn't give up until he saw the person.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please wait!" Su Peisheng saw the Emperor swaying as he got up, so he quickly stepped forward to support him firmly. Then, he turned around and knelt down in front of the Emperor, blocking his way.

Yinzhen swayed a couple of times to steady himself, looked down at the person kneeling at his feet, and gritted his teeth as he said, word by word, "Where is Hongzhao?"

"The Crown Prince is at Yuqing Palace...but the Emperor..."

...

When Yinzhen faced Su Peisheng's stammering, red-eyed expression, he thought he was mentally prepared. However, his steps were unsteady and he hadn't even fastened his clothes properly. When he arrived at the gate of Yuqing Palace, which was only half-built, he couldn't help but collapse to the ground when he saw the layout inside.

Yuqing Palace had previously received instructions from the Emperor to proceed at the slowest possible pace. As a result, many years later, half of the courtyard walls are still missing and scattered, the dust inside the main hall is visibly thick, and there are scattered frames and timbers everywhere.

And his Hongzhao lay quietly in such an environment, oblivious to everything around him.

"Insolence! All of you are insolent!" Yinzhen waved his sleeve and strode quickly to Hongzhao's side with a gait he had never stumbled in his life. He wanted to reach out and touch his child. But when he saw Hongzhao's abnormally pale face and bluish lips, his trembling hand, frozen in mid-air, could not get any closer.

"Who gave you permission to move the Crown Prince to this place? I think you all don't want your heads!" Yinzhen closed his eyes tightly and turned his head away, his words filled with an even stronger sense of stubbornness.

"Zhou Qi, what are you standing there for? Why aren't you treating the Crown Prince? What have you been doing here for me?!"

Hearing the Emperor's angry shout, Zhou Qi struggled forward and, under the Emperor's glaring eyes, placed her hand on the Crown Prince's wrist, which had long since calmed down to the point of no fluctuation.

He knew the father and son's health best. The Crown Prince had ingested too much poison and was beyond saving; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't save this young and noble life. Although the Emperor had been saved, residual poison remained in his body, and at this moment, it was best to avoid any sudden movements or anger.

That's why he instructed Eunuch Su to tell the Emperor about the Crown Prince's death slowly and carefully, and not to upset him too much.

But how could this be kept secret?

Even before the Emperor woke up, he kept calling out the Crown Prince's name, and the first thing he did after waking up was to look for the Crown Prince. Now that they were in front of the Crown Prince at Yuqing Palace, no one could say anything more.

It was as if the person in front of him was not a majestic emperor, but a father who had lost his beloved son in his old age.

"Your Majesty, please accept our condolences. The Crown Prince's poisoning was too severe to be reversed. The Crown Prince... has passed away."

He had expected the Emperor to be furious and heartbroken upon hearing the news. But to his surprise, Yinzhen simply gave him a silent, icy, and murderous look, then glanced around at everyone in the hall before finally fixing his gaze on the Crown Prince's body before him.

It seemed as if he didn't believe what he had just said.

Yinzhen looked at Hongzhao, who was lying on his back in an apricot-yellow robe. If one ignored his strange complexion and lip color, he would look more like he was asleep.

His Hongzhao had always been a quiet sleeper since he was a child, never moving around. He was a fair-skinned little dumpling, like a jade doll, sleeping soundly beside him, just like he is now.

Yinzhen's chest heaved violently a few times. He closed his eyes and fiercely suppressed the heat in them. Under the shocked gazes of everyone, he bent down and tried to lift the Crown Prince onto his shoulder.

At this moment, neither inside nor outside the hall dared to stand up and say a word against propriety.

After all, judging from Yinzhen's appearance, he was no longer in his normal state. As servants, who would risk their lives to uphold the rules of etiquette?

Perhaps because he was still too weak from his serious illness, and Hongzhao could not make the slightest movement to help him, he was stiff and could not stop sliding down. Yinzhen's movements were extremely difficult, and his face became increasingly unsightly.

Su Peisheng hurriedly reached out and stepped forward, not even knowing whether he wanted to stop him or help him up.

Yinzhen was still afraid of dropping the child behind him, so he had to give up after several unsuccessful attempts.

He used to be able to carry this child all over the palace...

The unprecedented sense of defeat made his head spin, and his heart pounded as if it were about to burst through his skin.

"Who decided to move Hongzhao from the Hall of Mental Cultivation to this place?"

Yinzhen, panting, looked at Hongzhao, who had been rearranged on the bed. He spoke directly.

Su Peisheng hesitated before speaking, "Your Majesty, it was the officials from the Ministry of Rites. They said that it's inappropriate for the Crown Prince to be staying in the Hall of Mental Cultivation like this, and there's nowhere else..."

"Kill him."

Before he could finish speaking, Yinzhen gave him the ending.

Whatever the reason, execute him.