Poisoning and coma

Inside the Prince Duan's residence.

Wang Qianxin knelt on the ground: "Your Highness, this is what happened. Those thieves poisoned their knives, so I could only send the young master back to the palace first."

"Poisoned?" Xie Chi thought Xie Zhuo had been slashed, but he didn't expect him to be poisoned as well.

As they were talking, the military doctor arrived.

The military doctor was someone Wang Qianxin had specially sought out from the elite cavalry. The doctor skillfully took out the tools from his medical kit and cut open Xie Zhuo's sleeve with scissors. He was shocked to find that the blood seeping from Xie Zhuo's shoulder was purplish-black. The bloodstains were not very noticeable on the dark clothes, and it was only after cutting open the clothes that he discovered that Xie Zhuo's blood was purplish-black.

Everyone present witnessed this scene, especially Xie Chi, whose brows furrowed deeply.

The military doctor's face was also very pale. What kind of poison could turn a person's blood purplish-black?

He first checked Xie Zhuo's pulse, then took out a silver needle and pricked one of the fingers on Xie Zhuo's left hand.

Thankfully, the blood was red.

Xie Zhuo was injured in his left shoulder. The blood on his left fingers has not yet changed color, indicating that the toxin has not spread.

The assistant opened his medical kit, took out a bottle of alcohol, poured some onto a handkerchief, and handed it to the medic. The medic took the handkerchief, wiped his hands to disinfect them, then squeezed around the wound to expel most of the toxic blood, before bandaging the wound with gauze.

The military doctor was assigned to Xie Zhuo's command and was responsible for treating wounded cavalry soldiers. He knew the wonders of alcohol.

"Silver needles," the military doctor said, and his assistant immediately handed him an acupuncture kit.

The military doctor took out silver needles and, with a swift movement, inserted them into acupoints such as Shixuan, Weizhong, and Dazhui.

About the time it takes to drink a cup of tea later, Zuo Murui rushed over: "Your Highness, Your Highness, what happened to Huaiyan?" When she arrived, Xie Zhuo's wounds had already been treated, but the faint purplish-black bloodstains showing through the wounds still pained Zuo Murui.

"Your Highness and Your Highness, the young master's shoulder wound is not serious. The real cause of death is the poison in his body. I have squeezed out some of the poisoned blood, but some of the toxins have already entered his bloodstream. We must detoxify him as soon as possible."

Zuo Murui was terrified, feeling like the sky was falling. Her voice trembled slightly as she asked, "Poisoned? How could I be poisoned?"

"Wang Qianxin! How could you be a bodyguard?" Seeing her son poisoned and unconscious, Zuo Murui's heart was breaking, and she lashed out at Wang Qianxin.

Wang Qianxin knelt on the ground: "Your subordinate deserves to die."

"You deserve to die! If you hadn't failed in protecting your master, Huaiyan wouldn't have suffered this calamity!"

The room was completely silent, except for the sound of Zuo Murui scolding.

"Alright, blaming them won't help. The most important thing right now is to detoxify Huaiyan." Xie Chi comforted Zuo Murui and turned to ask, "Does the army doctor have a method to detoxify her?"

The military doctor shook his head; he was skilled in sword and knife wounds, but detoxification was not his area of ​​expertise.

He cupped his hands in greeting to Xie Chi and Zuo Murui: "Your Highness and Your Highness, I have sealed the acupoints near the prince's wound, which will slow down the spread of the poison. However, this is only a temporary measure. Only by removing the poison can the prince wake up. Otherwise, once the poison spreads throughout his body, I'm afraid even a celestial being would find it difficult to save him."

Tears streamed down Zuo Murui's face instantly. She looked at Xie Chi and said, "Your Highness..."

She couldn't accept that the person who was alive and well yesterday was now lying lifeless in bed, as if all their vitality had been suddenly drained away.

Xie Chi patted her back and comforted her, "Don't worry, Huaiyan will be safe and sound."

"The young master may develop a fever tonight. I'll go and get some antipyretics first." Xie Chi nodded. After seeing the military doctor off, he invited all the well-known doctors and physicians in the capital to the Prince's Mansion to examine Xie Zhuo's pulse and detoxify him.

However, things didn't go as planned, and the doctors were completely helpless against the poison in Xie Zhuo's body.

They tried seven or eight kinds of detoxifying medicine, but none of them were effective. Xie Zhuo's eyes were tightly closed, and there was no sign of him waking up at all.

He has been unconscious for two whole days; we can't delay any longer.

Xie Chi originally wanted to keep Xie Zhuo's poisoning a secret, but after consulting with doctors all over the capital, he found that none of them could cure the poison. He had no choice but to go to the palace for help.

Emperor Chengde fully expressed his concern, bestowing upon Xie Zhuo a large quantity of medicinal herbs and tonics, and also assigning the imperial physician Gao Jiuyong to treat him at the Prince's residence, ordering him to cure Xie Zhuo.

After Gao Jiuyong arrived at the Prince's Mansion and examined the patient's pulse, his complexion was extremely poor. In his decades of medical practice, he had never seen such a peculiar poison.

"This poison doesn't seem to originate from the Central Plains."

Wang Qianxin was startled. Would they find out?

Xie Chi's eyes were filled with anxiety, and his throat tightened: "According to Physician Gao, how should we treat him?"

Gao Jiuyong stroked his beard. "Difficult."

Difficult? That's exactly right!

Wang Qianxin breathed a sigh of relief. The Illusionary Heart Pill was something they had spent a great deal of effort to obtain. If it were easily deactivated, wouldn't all their hard work have been wasted?

Gao Jiuyong first inquired about Xie Zhuo's symptoms, and then took out a silver needle and pierced Xie Zhuo's other arm.

"The poison has spread from one shoulder to both arms. If it cannot be cured within ten days, the young master is likely to be in grave danger."

The room was deathly silent.

Zuo Murui, who was standing to the side, changed her expression drastically upon hearing this. Her legs went weak and she could barely stand.

Xie Chi wasn't in much better shape either. He felt his mind was in a daze for a moment, and after what seemed like an eternity, he regained his voice: "No matter what method we use, we must save him."

His face was frosty, but his eyes held an unprecedented firmness: "Issue the order: from this moment forward, no one in the manor is to discuss the Crown Prince's illness."

Xie Chi used the word "illness" because he didn't want to believe that Xie Zhuo would die. Xie Zhuo had survived on the battlefield, so he would definitely survive now!

The prince issued a decree, and the servants in the mansion dared not discuss it. Apart from Xie Zhuo's Qinghui Courtyard, which was particularly busy, the other courtyards in the mansion were all calm and peaceful.

Xie Chi was filled with sorrow. The only thing that could comfort him at the moment was that the old prince Xie Heshan had gone to Lion Tiger Mountain to pay respects to his old friend. Otherwise, if he had known that Xie Zhuo was poisoned and on the verge of death, the consequences would have been unimaginable. The old prince was old and would certainly not have been able to bear the shock of a white-haired man burying his black-haired son.

*

Soon, news of Prince Duan's heir being injured and falling into a coma spread throughout the capital.

It's very difficult to cover up something as serious as Xie Zhuo's coma, especially since many folk doctors had entered and exited the Prince's mansion during his coma. It's also possible that these people were the ones who spread the news. Xie Chi was focused entirely on Xie Zhuo and had no time to investigate who leaked the information.

The powerful and influential families in the capital sent people to visit and offer their condolences. At first, Zuo Murui tried her best to receive a few, but later there were just too many people. Many came to "visit" her, and many came to inquire about her health, so she simply declined to see any guests.

As a future in-law, Guo Sulan naturally had to make a gesture, so she brought a bunch of gifts to visit and offer her condolences. Zuo Murui could refuse to receive other guests, but she couldn't refuse Guo Sulan's visit.

Perfect timing, she also has something to discuss with her.

Outside, the autumn air was crisp and clear, but Zuo Murui's heart was heavy, as if shrouded in dark clouds.

In the main hall of Zhuyuxuan, Guo Sulan saw Zuo Murui's furrowed brows as soon as she entered. She carefully examined Zuo Murui's face and found that although she had covered it with rouge, her brows still showed signs of weariness.

After handing the tonics she had brought to the servants of the Prince's residence, Guo Sulan asked with concern, "I heard that the Prince is ill. Is it serious?"

Zuo Murui shook her head gently without speaking, her eyes filled with dark clouds.

Guo Sulan comforted her at the right time: "Mu Rui, I'm not trying to criticize you, but you should also take care of your health. Look at you, you've lost so much weight."

Hearing Guo Sulan's caring words, Zuo Murui felt a warmth in her heart, and a faint smile appeared on her face. "Sulan, thank you for your concern. It just so happens that I also have something I want to discuss with you."

"Okay, go ahead."

"Our two families' weddings may have to be postponed."

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.

Guo Sulan's smile vanished abruptly. "Why the sudden postponement?"

Seeing Guo Sulan's solemn expression, Zuo Murui sighed inwardly. It was understandable that the Yu family would have complaints about postponing the marriage. She explained, "Huaiyan is unconscious, and I...sigh...I had no choice but to do this."

An unnatural look flashed across Guo Sulan's face, but she quickly recovered and asked, "Is the Crown Prince's condition really as serious as the outside world says?"

Zuo Murui nodded, sighed deeply, and her eyes reddened as if she was about to cry: "Huaiyan is not injured, but poisoned."

"Poisoned?" Guo Sulan was a little flustered and unconsciously raised her voice: "How could he be poisoned? Who wants to harm him?" She had actually heard rumors that Xie Zhuo was suspected of being poisoned, but the rumors outside were all over the place, and she didn't know whether she should believe them or not, nor did she want to believe them.

Speaking of Xie Zhuo's condition, Zuo Murui could no longer suppress her emotions and wiped away her tears with a handkerchief: "Imperial Physician Gao is already researching the antidote, and I believe Huaiyan will wake up soon. However, given his current condition, he definitely cannot get married. Sulan, I hope you can understand."

The news of the wedding postponement came too suddenly. Guo Sulan asked, "How long will it be postponed?"

"Well... I don't know either. I estimate it will be delayed by at least two months. Sigh, for now we can only take it one step at a time."

Having schemed in the inner quarters for most of her life, Guo Sulan naturally understood the meaning behind Zuo Murui's words: if Xie Zhuo didn't wake up, the wedding would be postponed indefinitely.

"Let it be postponed then. I'll go back and tell Master." Noticing the strange look that flashed in Zuo Murui's eyes, and knowing that her question had upset her, Guo Sulan showed a hint of annoyance and apology on her face, and immediately changed the subject: "There's always a way out. Murui, don't worry, the prince's poison will definitely be cured."

Guo Sulan appears easy to talk to on the surface, but she is actually very disgusted inside.

Just when the marriage with the Prince's mansion was about to be finalized, this incident occurred. She blamed Xie Zhuo for being poisoned at the worst possible time. Seeing Zuo Murui's red-rimmed and haggard appearance, she could only pretend to be magnanimous against her will.

Zuo Murui breathed a sigh of relief: "Sulan, thank you for your understanding. I will definitely come to apologize in person another day."

No, she didn't want to be understanding at all, but Xie Zhuoren was currently unconscious and there was no way for them to get married. Guo Sulan forced a smile and said, "Not at all, I understand. It's a helpless situation."

After talking for a while, Guo Sulan got up to take her leave.

As soon as she returned to the manor, Yu Yadan came to greet her: "Mother, what happened to the young master? Are the rumors outside true?"

Guo Sulan said solemnly, "It's true, the young master is currently unconscious, and the marriage between our two families will have to be postponed."

"Postponed?" Yu Yadan murmured in disbelief, "How could this be?"

"I sounded out the Princess today, and the Crown Prince has indeed been poisoned and is unconscious, and his condition is quite bad."

Yu Yadan asked anxiously, "What should I do?"

Guo Sulan said in an unfriendly tone, "What can we do? Without a groom, the wedding will have to be postponed."

After saying that, she turned and went out the door, telling her husband, Yu Haoying, about the Prince's Mansion's plan to postpone the wedding.