Chapter 338 Within Twelve Hours

A short while later, Ruying and Anyue also brought Doctor Xue in.

"Your Majesty, Doctor Xue said that the antidote has been destroyed as requested by the Prince of Xiang. If it were to be remade, it would take two or three days, which is simply not enough time. We can only bring it to see you. What do you intend to do with it?"

Doctor Xue was pushed in, his face full of helplessness. "There's nothing I can do. I'm just following orders."

The commotion quickly alerted Prince Gong.

Prince Gong, despite his advanced age, was helped over. Upon seeing the bloodstains inside the room, his face showed disbelief and shock.

"Your Highness, you are utterly audacious! How dare you poison a court official in my own private residence! How could the Prince of Xiang have given birth to such a scoundrel as you!"

He was so angry that his beard was trembling. "If His Majesty doesn't punish you, I will never agree!"

Xiao Yunheng said calmly, "Your Imperial Uncle has misunderstood. It was Lord Shen who voluntarily took the poison. It has nothing to do with me."

"With so many people here, how dare you still try to deny it?" Prince Gong became even angrier and shouted, "Do you think I'm senile? Are you trying to say that Lord Shen took poison himself to come to you, risking his own life to frame you?"

Xiao Yunheng frowned.

He was so overjoyed to see Shen Ci'an take the poison that he completely forgot one thing.

This is not at the Prince Xiang's Mansion, but at the Jingshan Villa.

Shen Ci'an voluntarily took the antidote seven days ago, but no one else knew about it.

In the eyes of Prince Gong and the commander of the Imperial Guards, Shen Ci was perfectly fine when he had a private conversation with him in the room and then died of poisoning. How could they possibly absolve themselves of any responsibility?

He finally understood why Shen Ci'an had come to find him before he died.

It turns out they didn't come to seek a cure, but to frame themselves.

That's absolutely insidious!

“Grand Uncle, this Changshan Villa is your territory. No matter what happens, it will not escape your eyes. How could I dare to poison here? If you don’t believe me, you can search my room, including the tea, to see if there is any evidence of poisoning.”

"The Crown Prince of Xiang is meticulous in his actions; how could he leave behind evidence detrimental to himself? Today, Lord Shen came specifically to persuade me on your behalf, earnestly begging me to release you. I was almost swayed by his words. I never expected you to repay kindness with enmity; you are utterly unworthy of being a descendant of the Xiao family!"

Prince Gong was no longer going to listen to his excuses. "Guards, seize the Prince Xiang's heir!"

Prince Gong is increasingly looking down on the heir apparent of Prince Xiang.

King Xiang was such a spirited and loyal man back then, how could he have given birth to such a treacherous and vicious son?

Xiao Yunheng could hardly believe his ears.

Apart from Doctor Xue, he only brought a few guards and secret agents to protect him when he came here; the rest were servants.

Moreover, this is Changshan Villa, and the order was given by the Imperial Uncle. How could he dare to disobey?

Soon, Xiao Yunheng was taken away and temporarily imprisoned by Prince Gong's men.

"Madam Shen, I still have some ginseng here to keep him alive. Give it to Lord Shen first, and then we'll slowly figure out a way to detoxify him. I will definitely give you an explanation for this matter."

This incident occurred at his Changshan villa, and he absolutely would not allow anyone to act recklessly there and escape justice.

"Yes, thank you, Prince Gong," Jiang Zhi said numbly.

“Young Miss… don’t be afraid,” Shen Ci’an was now only clinging to life thanks to Lu Yuan’s internal energy, “I was already very fortunate… to be able to see him before I die…”

Jiang Zhi could no longer hold back, tears streaming down her face. She grabbed his increasingly cold hand and pressed it against her cheek. "Master, I'm sorry. It's all my fault, I'm useless. But you promised me you'd go hang the marriage plaques together whenever you had time. You can't break your promise..."

Shen Ci'an shook her head weakly, "I'm sorry... don't cry..."

Before he could finish speaking, his hand went limp and fell to his side.

"Master!!"

Jiang Zhi held his cold body, her throat so sore she couldn't utter a sound.

At this moment, Xiao Xuanyou and Xie Qi also arrived.

After learning what had happened, Xiao Xuanyou immediately ordered the accompanying imperial physician to take Shen Ci'an's pulse.

Shen Ci'an's lips were now black, his eyes were closed, and he had fallen into a long coma.

The imperial physician merely took Shen's pulse and shook his head regretfully. "The poison has already penetrated into Lord Shen's internal organs. If it weren't for Lord Lu's internal energy protecting him, he would have died long ago. But a person's internal energy is limited. Once this breath is gone, Lord Shen will be beyond the reach of medicine and even a god cannot save him."

Xie Qi immediately lifted his robe and sat down behind Shen Ci'an, placing his hand on hers. "Me too."

Lu Yuan merely glanced at him coldly without saying a word.

Jiang Zhiping composed herself, wiped away her tears, stood up, and went to Doctor Xue.

“Doctor Xue, the Prince of Xiang’s son is not someone worth following. Look at Lord Shen, who risked his life for him many times before, and now he’s being killed without hesitation. If you can find a way to save my husband, we’ll call it even.”

Jiang Zhi stared intently at him, her voice still hoarse, "And in return, I will give you all the shops, banknotes, antiques, and paintings under my name, as long as you can save him."

For a moment, Dr. Xue was moved.

Although he had a bad temper, he was extremely greedy and colluded with the Crown Prince of Xiang, partly because of his power and partly because the Crown Prince gave him so much money.

“I told you long ago that there was no way,” he said, but he still frowned. “Precisely because I was afraid that you would get the antidote, the Prince of Xiang destroyed all the ones that had been made before. There is no time to make them again now, and I am powerless to help.”

At this moment, Xiao Xuanyou also said, "Doctor Xue, the Prince of Xiang's power is gone. If you still stubbornly follow him, not only will the money you obtained from him be lost, but you will also lose your life."

"I promise you, as long as you save Lord Shen this time, I can guarantee your safety. Furthermore, in the future, whatever rare flowers or exotic plants you seek, as long as they are not for the purpose of harming others, you can command my men."

Dr. Xue's heart skipped a beat.

This is the current crown prince's guarantee. If he ascends the throne in the future, he will be the ruler of the country and will be able to order the ruler's subordinates to find medicine for him...

He frowned and thought for a moment, then said with difficulty, "It's not that I don't want to help, but the antidote takes too long to make. Even if everything is prepared, it will take me at least twelve hours without sleep. If Lord Shen's breath comes out within those twelve hours, all our efforts will be in vain."