It was late at night, the Milky Way filled the sky, and no one was asleep.
After Zhao Zhi came out of the Imperial Study, Zhu San Niang led the way carrying a palace lantern, and Qin Han led the way. The group arrived at Cui Shenghe's bedroom and tiptoed in. He was still fast asleep.
The palace maids and eunuchs serving nearby all knelt down when they saw Zhao Zhi, but none of them said a word. Zhao Zhi waved for them to leave, leaving only the imperial physician who was treating Cui Shenghe.
"Why has my brother's condition suddenly become so serious? I have spent many days with him. Although his body is not extremely strong, it is impossible for him to be so weak..." Zhao Zhi frowned, her tone filled with worry and doubt.
Upon hearing this, the imperial physician's face turned even paler, his eyes flickered uncertainly, as if he had a thousand words to say but could not utter them, so he could only lower his head and cover his face with his sleeve.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Zhi felt a sense of foreboding. Her brows furrowed with frost as she stared intently at the imperial physician and asked, "What exactly happened? I want to hear the truth!"
The imperial physician stammered, still unsure how to begin.
Zhao Zhi was furious. She then pulled out a slender silver needle from her sleeve, flicked it with her fingertip, and the silver needle shot out like lightning towards a candle flame next to the imperial physician, extinguishing it instantly.
Upon seeing this scene, the imperial physician was so frightened that his legs went weak.
The next moment, before the imperial physician could react, Zhao Zhi had already moved to Cui Shenghe's bedside. A flash of cold light appeared on the silver needle, and it steadily pierced a hidden acupoint next to his brow. The speed of her technique was astonishing.
The imperial physician replied in a trembling voice, "Your Highness, His Majesty's illness... it had actually penetrated deep into his bones long ago, but it had been suppressed. Later, his emotions fluctuated wildly, and it finally erupted."
His emotions were in turmoil. That was because his brother was deeply traumatized after using the Soul-Seizing Technique to examine their mother's remains at Chaoyu Mountain.
Zhao Zhi's heart sank, and her face grew even more somber. She gritted her teeth and asked, "When did you contract this disease? Did Your Majesty know before? Why did you keep it from me all this time?"
The imperial physician hesitated for a moment, but finally told the truth: "Ever since His Majesty returned to the palace from Chaoyu Mountain, his health has been deteriorating. There must be some hidden reason. We only discovered His Majesty's illness later. His Majesty had previously instructed us not to make a fuss about it, which is why we kept it from Her Highness the Princess."
Zhao Zhi clenched her fists, a flash of anger and sorrow in her eyes, and asked, "I have examined my brother's pulse before, why couldn't I find anything..." She took a step forward, pressing closer, and asked, "Speak quickly!"
Upon seeing this, the imperial physician trembled, finally unable to withstand the pressure. His knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground, his voice trembling as he said, "Your Highness, His Majesty... he has been poisoned by 'Hidden Shadow' poison. This poison is extremely rare, colorless and odorless, and very difficult to detect. It is difficult to diagnose unless it penetrates deep into the bone marrow."
"Deep into the bone marrow?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhi was shocked, her expression shifting between light and dark. She stared at her unconscious brother on the bed, a mixture of pain and anger flashing in her eyes.
She quickly took out a specially made small bottle, pricked Cui Shenghe's fingertip with a silver needle, and a drop of bright red blood fell and mixed with the reagent in the bottle. Instantly, the originally clear liquid turned into a strange blue-purple color, confirming that the imperial physician's words were true.
A chilling aura, like frost and snow, instantly enveloped her.
"How can this poison be cured?" She had studied medicine with her mother for decades and had never heard of this poison before.
The imperial physician, his voice trembling, replied, "Your Highness, this poison is extremely insidious and vicious. It was originally used by the traitor Yun Shu to punish disobedient ministers. Those poisoned initially only exhibit common symptoms, which are easily overlooked. However, as time passes, the toxin gradually seeps into the bone marrow, causing the patient to fall into a deep sleep, and eventually..."
At this point, the imperial physician dared not continue, but Zhao Zhi already understood the consequences. Her face darkened as she pressed, "I ask you, how do you cure this poison?!" The imperial physician prostrated himself on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing and begging for mercy: "Your Highness, this old minister knows he deserves to die a thousand deaths. Please, Your Highness, spare my family for the sake of serving two emperors! This old minister knows that only one person might possess the antidote."
Zhao Zhi closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly said, "I promise you. Tell me quickly who that person is. If the situation is true, I will not only leave you with a whole corpse, but also protect your family."
The imperial physician was moved to tears and banged his head on the ground with a loud thud, his forehead instantly swelling up. He hissed, "Your Majesty, the traitor Yun Shu had close ties with Prince Yi before his death, and... and privately, the court officials all say that Prince Yi was Yun Shu's henchman. This old minister suspects that Prince Yi might have the antidote for the 'Hidden Ghost' poison."
Prince Yi, it's Prince Yi again!
Zhao Zhi stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the pitch-black night outside the window, his heart churning with turbulent emotions.
Finding Prince Yi might offer a glimmer of hope, but the risks are self-evident. What if Prince Yi is also involved? Wouldn't that be like alerting the enemy?
But if we don't search, how can we save my brother's life?
After a long while, she slowly turned around, looked at Cui Shenghe on the dragon bed, forced back her tears, then clenched her fists, a resolute look flashing in her eyes.
She raised her voice and ordered, "Prepare the horses! I must go to Prince Yi's residence immediately!"
Upon hearing this, Qin Han, who was standing to the side, looked troubled and said, "Your Highness, it is already late and the palace gates are closed. Why don't you wait until tomorrow and ask Prince Yi to enter the palace? Moreover, the situation is turbulent now, and it may be dangerous to leave the palace late at night."
Zhao Zhi frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said in a deep voice, "The longer we wait, the more danger my brother will face. I will set off now!"
Qin Han dared not delay and hurriedly went down to prepare the vehicle.
Before long, a lavishly decorated carriage stopped in front of the palace gate. Zhao Zhi changed into a light outfit and boarded the carriage with several trusted guards.
The wheels rolled, and the carriage sped towards the Prince Yi's residence.
Zhao Zhi sat in the car with a solemn expression, silently praying that she could find the antidote and save Cui Shenghe's life.
At the same time, she was also uneasy, hoping that Prince Yi would not use the antidote to threaten her into doing anything excessive!
But she didn't expect that the Prince's mansion was brightly lit at this moment, as if it was waiting for someone to come to it on their own.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
