Chapter 72

The imperial physicians worked until it was getting dark, but the lights inside and outside the Imperial Hospital were so bright that it was as bright as day. The elderly imperial physicians were sweating as they drank bowl after bowl of medicine and gave injections one after another.

And finally, I can report to the emperor who has waited till now: "The poison has been suppressed for the time being."

But it was only suppressed temporarily.

The person who poisoned me didn't hold back, the poison was too strong. And the poison took effect outside the palace, so I was delayed a little while rushing back to the palace.

It was also thanks to the fact that His Majesty generously used his treasured antidote and the precious medicinal materials in his private storehouse that he was finally able to rescue the person from the King of Hell.

But Doctor Han, who was good at treating poisons, was not happy. He was just barely hanging on to life. The Emperor was still guarding the bed. It would have been fine if he had been in a hurry to save people just now, but now the coldness and oppressive aura emanating from the Emperor made Doctor Han dare only hold his breath.

"Go and heal him."

"Just ask if you need anything."

The Emperor was no longer as furious as before, but Imperial Physician Han and the others were still trembling with fear, as if they were a dormant beast. Imperial Physician Han bowed his head and said, "The poison that the Sixth Prince was poisoned with looks like a mixture of poisons. We will find out what poisoned the Sixth Prince as soon as possible, but it would be better if we could learn directly from the person who poisoned him."

"Yes, I know."

Doctor Han and the others had nothing else to say. One doctor was left to continue looking after the Sixth Prince while they hurriedly racked their brains to think of a follow-up treatment plan. However, when Doctor Han stood up to leave, he inadvertently noticed that His Majesty's eyes seemed to be red.

This unintentional glance made Doctor Han even more shocked.

But if we want to cure the Sixth Prince, it is difficult, difficult, difficult!

There is no other way. For the sake of life and property, I have to do it no matter how difficult it is.

Not only did Kangxi stay here until late at night, but Defei and other princes and princesses also came here, but no one made any trouble, no one made any noise, and some came and left.

The eldest princess returned to her palace wrapped in a cloak and copied scriptures under candlelight. She usually didn't like these things, but at this moment, she prayed that someone could bless the child to get better.

Back then, she thought the child was cute, but she also felt that she could use him. However, people are all made of flesh and blood. Over the past few years, she really treated the child as her own brother.

When Concubine De heard the news, she felt dizzy. When she saw Yinzuo lying on the hospital bed, she felt as if she had returned to the nightmare of many years ago.

She wanted to cry out loud, to scream, to go crazy, but in the end she just made way for the imperial physician and leaned aside with the support of the nanny. She felt her heart aching, as if the red handkerchief in Kangxi's hand pierced straight through her heart.

Her son was obviously well again. The imperial physician told her that he was almost fully recovered this year, which was beyond his estimation at that time. Her son also said that he would ride a horse to the frontier next year to hunt a red fox for her. He also said that the grasslands outside were very vast, and that the Qing Dynasty was also very vast. Sometimes when he talked to her about the war between the Qing Dynasty and Tsarist Russia, he said that he wanted to be a great general to defend his country and drive away all those who bullied them.

In fact, Concubine De was not interested in the war outside, but she liked to listen to whatever her son said. Her son chattered in front of her, and she was happy to listen to whatever he said.

As her son grew up, he always wanted to go out, which made Concubine De feel a little melancholy. However, the princes of the Qing Dynasty did not live outside permanently, so Concubine De just listened and did not pour cold water on her son.

Moreover, Concubine De was thinking that if he really ran away when he grew up, she would not object in person but could whisper in the Emperor's ear and let him take care of him, and she would still be a tolerant and gentle mother.

As for her son's idea of becoming a general, Concubine De was not happy about it either. It was so dangerous on the battlefield. However, although she was not happy about her son becoming a general, she felt proud when she heard her son talk about riding and shooting. She imagined her son riding on a horse, looking handsome and unrestrained. She thought her son would grow up to be the most dazzling man in the world...

Concubine De grabbed the hand of the nanny beside her, and it hurt. "It will be fine. I got through it that time, and it will be fine this time, too, right?"

Defei seemed to be grabbing a life-saving straw and was seeking confirmation from others.

The nanny held back her tears and said, "Yes, Sixth Prince is a lucky man and will be fine." The nanny also watched Yinzuo grow up. She was also filled with grief at this moment. She kept praying in her heart that all the gods and Buddhas must bless the little prince. How could God bear to let such a little prince who loved to smile, was kind to the servants, and would not be spoiled at all?

Kangxi did not leave until late at night, but Liang Jiugong, who was by his side, stayed here.

Many people had trouble sleeping that night.

Many people were also taken to the torture chamber that night.

It was dawn, but there was panic in the palace, and there seemed to be a smell of blood in the morning breeze.

The emperor was furious.

Even everyone in the court knew what happened yesterday. No one dared to bother Kangxi with nonsense in the court. After the court session, Kangxi went directly to the Imperial Hospital.

The person still hasn't woken up.

Normally, I dislike people making noise, but now I really want him to stand up and call me "Emperor Father" again.

Kangxi placed his fingers on Yinzuo's wrist, feeling the beating of his heart, but he still couldn't calm down. He left the bedside and looked at the papers scattered on the table by the imperial doctors.

“When will people wake up?”

It’s hard to say, you may not even wake up.

The candies that the Sixth Prince often used were soaked in poison. Although the candies were sweet, the Sixth Prince did not immediately notice the strange smell. They tested all the remaining candies in the Sixth Prince's pouch, but none of them were related to any single poison. Doctor Han and other doctors worked all night to figure out the cause, but they were still not sure.

The emperor has not yet found out what kind of poison it was through torture.

Imperial Doctor Han had tried his best to treat the patient, but he could not guarantee anything. At this time, he could only tell Kangxi that he had tried his best.

Under the emperor's dissatisfied gaze, Doctor Han hurriedly said, "I would like to recommend Liu Si from Jiangxi Liu Family and Hu Shanwang from Lingnan to Your Majesty. They both have some achievements in detoxification."

"Even if the Sixth Prince wakes up, the remaining poison will be difficult to eliminate. I would like to ask you two to come and treat the Sixth Prince together."

It stands to reason that colleagues look down on each other, but Doctor Han had no such idea at the moment. He just wanted someone to share his burden.

This mess of Sixth Prince will be troublesome in the future.

However, the two people he mentioned had strange tempers and were difficult to invite, but that was not his concern. The emperor, who was eager to save his son, would kidnap them.

As expected, Kangxi immediately sent someone to find the two people mentioned by Doctor Han. Then he sat back in front of the bed, opened Yinzuo's mouth and personally fed him ginseng soup.

After three days of torment, Yinzuo finally opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was his mother's red eyes.

"Don't be afraid, mother. Yinzuo is here." Yinzuo said this after touching his mother's hand, but his voice was so weak that it was almost inaudible.

Defei's tears fell: "Mother said that Yinzuo is the most obedient and will not abandon mother."

"Mother, eat and rest." This was the second sentence Yinzuo said after waking up, because he knew that his mother must not have eaten or slept well when he was asleep.

Kangxi also hurried over. Yinzuo leaned in Kangxi's arms to drink medicine. He was vaguely conscious when he was unconscious. At this time, he wanted to complain that his father's method of feeding him medicine was too rough, not as gentle as the eunuch's method.

He was awake now and didn't want anyone to force him to drink anymore. He wanted to drink it by himself. The medicine was very bitter. After drinking it, he thought he could have something delicious, but what he drank was a strange tonic soup that must have been mixed with ginseng. It was even more unpalatable than the medicine. After drinking it, his stomach was full.

After he was full, he wanted to sleep again. Before going to bed, Yinzuo reluctantly said to his father, "Father, eat well and sleep well too. Yinzuo will be fine."

"Yeah, I know." This kid just likes to worry about other people. Kangxi felt sad and uncomfortable.

But when they saw Yinzuo's eyes closed, they became panicked and hurriedly called the imperial physician to take his pulse again, fearing that he was not asleep but was in poor health again.

I felt relieved when the imperial physician said that the Sixth Prince was recovering.

The Sixth Prince finally woke up, but the sky in the palace did not seem to clear up.

More and more people were arrested, and there was progress in the case of the poisoning of the Sixth Prince. It was conceivable that the person who poisoned the Sixth Prince's candy would end up being torn to pieces.

Everyone in the palace knew that the Sixth Prince loved sweet food since he was a child, and his purse was often filled with candies. Sometimes those candies were tributes from His Majesty, and sometimes they were prepared by Concubine De.

For many years, the stoves from the imperial kitchen have been borrowed to cook various kinds of sugar cubes. Borrowing the stoves from the imperial kitchen is a common practice in the palace, because most palaces do not have small kitchens. Sometimes when the master wants to eat something alone, it is convenient to do so here.

There had been no mistakes for many years, but this time someone took advantage of the loophole.

The old palace maid who helped in the imperial kitchen had always been well-behaved and honest. Who would have thought that she would do such a shocking thing.

As for why she poisoned the Sixth Prince, the interrogation revealed that it was because of a young palace maid whom she regarded as her daughter.

The young palace maid had bumped into Concubine De and was then punished to be sent to the laundry department, where she died in the winter.

The old palace maid said that she and the young palace maid were like mother and daughter. Defei was jealous of the young palace maid's beauty and caused the young palace maid's death, so she wanted Defei's son to die so that Defei could feel her pain.

When the interrogation results came out, Concubine De was indeed heartbroken. The nanny supported Concubine De and said, "Madam, you have to cheer up. The Sixth Prince still needs your care."

This result was indeed too cruel for the Empress. The poisoned candy that the Sixth Prince ate was prepared by the Empress, and the person who poisoned the Sixth Prince was also the one targeted by the Empress. How could the Empress not be heartbroken?

Even if people in the six palaces were to blame, it was the retribution for the Empress's domineering behavior that implicated the Sixth Prince, and the Emperor also had to blame the Empress.

But the Queen was really wronged. She didn't dare to say that the Queen living in the palace was kind, but neither the Queen nor she had any impression of the young palace maid named Bi'er. The Queen had always been cautious until now. How could she have been arrogant and domineering?

Not to mention the jealousy of beauty. The Queen already has the Sixth Prince, so why would she compete with those young palace maids for this?

Given the cautious nature of the Empress, how could she let someone else hold her responsible for such a minor matter? Perhaps the people below wanted to please the Empress and sent the offender to the laundry department, but it was too unfair for the Sixth Prince to be harmed because of this.

When you first learn about this, it is really frightening, but when you calm down, you will think that even if it is so disgusting, where did the poison come from that old palace maid?

The Sixth Prince woke up, and gradually he could stay awake longer and speak more clearly. He protested, "Son, don't sleep here anymore."

The situation was finally somewhat stabilized, and Yinzuo's life was finally saved. After consulting the imperial physician, Kangxi allowed Yinzuo to move back to the prince's residence.

But the imperial physicians also went with them, and there were always no less than two imperial physicians on duty each time.

The two detoxification experts invited from outside the palace were indeed eccentric. They were not willing to treat the people in the palace and complained that the palace had too many rules. But there was nothing they could do since the emperor's orders were more important than anything else. If they wanted the head, they had to treat the patient. After extorting several good things from Kangxi, they finally agreed to do so.

But when Hu Wangshan said to Kangxi bluntly: "Even if the poison is cleared, the internal organs are almost destroyed. You won't live long. Be prepared."

He was almost chopped off by Kangxi again.

Doctor Han held the man tightly. Oh my, this barbarian from the mountains dares to say anything. Doctor Han hurriedly said, "You are only good at detoxification. We have people who are good at recuperation, such as our Doctor Liu. Sixth Prince will get better after taking care of himself."

Hu Wangshan asked, "It has been ruined like this, can it be brought back to health?"

Alas, whether the patient can be recovered or not is the business of other imperial doctors. Let's clear the poison from the patient first and save his life. After we get through this, we can ask for a reward. If you keep yelling, we will all go to hell together.

Imperial Physician Han apologized to Emperor Kangxi, saying, "Doctor Hu has been living in the mountains and has no restraint in speaking. Your Majesty, please calm down."

Kangxi endured it and said in a deep voice: "Treat the Sixth Prince well."

As long as they have real skills, he will endure it.

Yinzuo was moved back to the prince's residence, but everyone in his courtyard had been replaced. Ahfu had just been released and only showed up in front of Yinzuo, and was no longer able to serve Yinzuo.

Before the matter was completely settled, none of them were able to return to the Sixth Prince. Even if they were released, they were still under guard.

Currently, the people in this courtyard are those who were temporarily transferred from Kangxi's side.

After the old palace maid was found out, the matter did not end there.

In the East Palace, the young prince looked as cold as frost as he stared at Suo Etu: "Regarding the poisoning of the Sixth Prince, do you have anything to say to me?"

Feeling the prince's anger, Soetu changed his mind. Although he was doing this for the prince, it was not appropriate to take credit for it when the prince was in this state.

Therefore, Suo Etu said, "The emperor invited doctors from the people for the Sixth Prince, which made a lot of noise, and he also went to the Sixth Prince every day. The emperor dotes on the Sixth Prince too much."

Prince: "Oh, you have nothing to say about the person who poisoned you?"

Suo Etu: "I heard that a palace maid held a grudge against Concubine De and did this? It's a pity."

A cup fell from above, and the young prince stood up angrily: "Even now, you still want to hide it from me? Is this all you tell me?"

Although still young, the young prince has gradually begun to have the same majesty as his father, and when he was questioned at this time, even an old minister like Soetu could hardly bear it.

After all, it was for the prince's sake, so Soetu finally admitted it.

This matter was indeed his handiwork. The only thing to blame is that the Sixth Prince was too prominent. He was favored by the Emperor first, and then he had made great achievements. He was also on good terms with many sons of Mongolian nobles, and had good relations with many princes and princesses. You, the Crown Prince, had no defense against him, and his name had already made him famous among the people and in the court. If this prince had any evil intentions in the future, his lethality would not be less than that of the eldest prince.

To put it bluntly, although the crown prince is the crown prince, the emperor loves his youngest son, and there are many cases where the crown prince cannot sit on the throne.

The prince said in a hateful voice, "Is it because of these? Why did you hide it from me when you did it?"

Suo Etu lowered his head and said, "Your Highness, my clan is loyal to you, and everything I do is for your good."

The prince: "I have already told you that I can secure the position of the crown prince with my own ability. Are you going to poison him based on your precautions?"

"You acted behind my back, and you are such a capable minister. Who is the master between me and you?"

Soetu knelt down at the prince's stern voice, but he felt that the prince only cherished the friendship of their childhood and was soft-hearted. His mind would change in the future. Even if the prince was angry at this moment, he would definitely not give up the power behind him, so he was not too panicked in his heart.

After Suo Etu knelt down, he burst into tears and said, "I am absolutely loyal to Your Highness."

Then he said to the prince, "This is just one time. I will never act on my own again. Besides, the Sixth Prince is still alive. The current situation is good for everyone. Your Highness, please calm down for the sake of the good result."

"Oh, you're nice to everyone? And the result is not bad?" His Royal Highness the Crown Prince sneered, his handsome face was tinged with sinisterness.

Soetu really thought it was not bad. Although the Sixth Prince was not dead, he was already useless, so he might as well live.

The prince asked, "You did it cleanly? Do you think the emperor won't find out about it?"

Yes. The old maid was a thorn arranged by the family when the Queen was alive. It was not important. She had been forgotten for so many years. Only when the letter came at the beginning of the year did she remember this thorn again.

Suo Etu and the prince said: "After she does this, she will commit suicide out of fear of punishment and will not give us any information. Besides, she has been an old lady in the palace for more than 30 years. We have not had any contact with her for so many years, so she will not find out about us."

The prince did not correct his 'we', but just curled his lips slightly and said softly: "Wrong, I found it out."

"Prime Minister Suo, your official career ends here. Go home and arrange your funeral."

Suo Etu's eyes widened, seemingly unable to react, and he asked, "How could it be?"

When he finally realized what was happening, he begged the prince: "Your Highness, I did all this for you. My family is loyal to you and I am of use to you."

"Your Highness, you must not let the people who follow you feel disappointed."

"Your Highness, please help me, the Emperor, to plead for mercy for Your Highness."

Well, this time the tears and sobs are much more genuine.

Suo Etu looked at the smile on the face of the Crown Prince, and felt a chill in his bones. He gradually became desperate, but he didn't understand what good it would do for the Crown Prince if he died in prison. [Read the novel, join QQ group 630809116]

How could this be?

It shouldn't be like this.

The Emperor shouldn't have found him here, and the Crown Prince shouldn't have watched him die without helping him, and even seemed to want to push him into the abyss.

It has been more than ten days, and the Sixth Prince's poisoning has not yet come to an end. In Concubine Hui's palace, Concubine Hui smiled and said, "So it was Suo Etu?"

"Did the Emperor not reprimand the prince?"

"Don't the people of the Soetu family listen to the prince's words? I don't believe that the prince is innocent."

"It's a pity that the Sixth Prince and the Crown Prince are so close."

Concubine Hui took a sip of tea and thought that the tea tasted quite good.

With Soetu's fall, the crown prince has definitely lost a great helper, and the crown prince's reputation, haha...

Yinzuo still sleeps a lot now, but he is feeling better now. Of course, he wants to ask himself who is the culprit of the poisoning? It is so abominable that he has a psychological trauma when he sees sugar now. He always eats candied fruit after taking the medicine.

When he first heard about the dispute between the old palace maid and Concubine De, Yinzuo understood why his mother was so strange when she came to see him. In response to his mother's self-blame and guilt, he could only repeatedly comfort her and tell her that it was none of her business.

And now that he learned that the crown prince was involved, Yinzuo was stunned for a moment, and thought that it was no wonder that he hadn't seen the crown prince come over in the past two days.

Yinzuo and Defei said, "Mother, it can't be the crown prince."

Concubine De said nothing.

Yinzuo believed in the prince, but she did not. At this moment, Defei was filled with hatred, and she wanted to avenge this grudge no matter who this person was.

Yinzuo held his mother's hand and said, "Mother, I believe my eyes. The prince loves me and he won't hurt me."

Defei looked at Yinzuo, but just wanted to say that you are too naive.

And even if he was not the crown prince, wasn't what Soetu did for the crown prince?

Yinzuo shook Concubine De's hand and said, "Don't blame yourself, mother. This has nothing to do with you. Don't blame the prince either. Yinzuo will take the medicine well and try to get better."

"Mother~"

Looking at her son's pale face, Concubine De quickly turned her head to hide her red eyes.

After Concubine De left, Yin Zuo sighed and said to the maid next to him: "Send someone to the East Palace to tell the prince that I miss him and ask him to come and see me."

The palace maid agreed and said to Yinzuo, "The Emperor asked you to rest and recuperate. You should sleep a little longer. I will call you when the Crown Prince comes." If the Sixth Prince hadn't been asking all the time, she shouldn't have told him about the progress of the case. See, he is always worrying.

This palace maid was transferred from Kangxi's Qianqing Palace, but she had been looking after the Sixth Prince here for a few days. She understood why the emperor and others cared so much about the Sixth Prince.

(End of this chapter)