As they were chatting, Eunuch Han, the chief eunuch beside Long Yi, came.
He greeted them with greetings, then said, "Your Majesty, Your Highnesses, and the Crown Princess, the Emperor has sent this old servant to deliver a message, saying that the first five crowned princes will be crowned kings. There are currently five titles, and Your Highness can choose one."
"Which five? Father-in-law, please tell me quickly." Fu Beimo asked.
"Prince Xian, Prince Qi, Prince Rong, Prince Rui, and Prince Yan."
Eunuch Han explained in detail what the five words were.
Fu Ciyi had no interest in this.
Fu Beimo lowered his voice and said to his brother, "Brother, let's choose the best one."
Eunuch Han smiled and said, "Your Highness the Ninth Prince is quite right."
Qiao Wanyou, like her eldest son, was also not interested.
Her eldest son should be the candidate for the crown prince, so why let him choose the title of king?
Wouldn't that be equivalent to telling others that Long Yi had no intention of appointing Ci Yi as the crown prince?
Not only did she think so, but the other concubines also thought so.
Zhao smiled and said to her children, "I thought Qiao Wanyou had seduced the Emperor to death, but now it seems that the Emperor is the true Dragon Son of Heaven. He slept with a woman, gave her the empty title of Empress, and refused to appoint a Crown Prince."
Meanwhile, Ling also said to Long Lihui, "You still have a chance. Although you haven't reached the age of twenty yet and can't be crowned king, perhaps when you do, your father will crown you crown prince."
Long Lihui nodded and said, "Mother, just now in the imperial study, father asked the third son to stay. I think the third son couldn't wait to become the crown prince, which annoyed father."
"That must be the case. At this critical juncture, whoever is most anxious is the most undesirable in the eyes of the Emperor."
The emperor is in his prime.
The emperor will not look at anyone who is in a hurry.
At this moment, the entire palace was discussing the appointment of the crown prince and the conferring of the title of king.
At this moment, Eunuch Mo, the eunuch beside the Empress Dowager, came to Qiao Wanyou.
"Please, Queen, save the Empress Dowager!"
Qiao Wanyou was stunned: "Why are you calling me for help? What happened to the Queen Mother?"
Eunuch Mo said, "The Empress Dowager has been feeling unwell since last night. She thought it was normal for her to have a headache or fever due to her age, so she didn't take it seriously. But she didn't expect her condition to get any worse after breakfast this morning. She just consulted the imperial physician, who said it was due to her old age. I don't think it's an age issue, as the Empress Dowager has never had this condition before."
Qiao Wanyou said, "Eunuch Mo, please speak frankly if you want to say anything."
"Please, Her Majesty, allow me to ask the Third Prince's wife to see the Empress Dowager."
Eunuch Mo said this and was about to kneel down.
"Eunuch Mo, don't kneel." Yan Funing stopped him and took the opportunity to ask, "Does the Empress Dowager know that you want me to come over to see the patient?"
Eunuch Mo said, "I know. The Empress Dowager said that the Third Prince's wife could cure the late Emperor's arm, so her medical skills must be excellent. Moreover, the Third Prince's wife also treated Prince Chi, so she naturally trusts her medical skills."
Fu Ciyi said calmly, "Go wait outside."
They need to discuss it.
Eunuch Mo said he was leaving.
After making sure he couldn't hear, Fu Beimo said, "Is it some kind of trap?"
"That shouldn't be the case. Everyone in the harem has nothing to do with her," Yan Funing analyzed. "The Empress Dowager's current rival is the Emperor's Dowager. Could it be that she got into trouble because everyone in Prince Jin's Palace moved in?"
Suddenly I thought of something.
She took her mother-in-law's hand and said, "Mom, I'll go take a look."
Qiao Wanyou nodded: "Since she sent someone to find me, it means she doesn't trust the imperial physician either, and can only ask me for help."
After that, he stood up and said, "Let's go and take a look."
So the group left the palace bedrooms.
Seeing that the Queen was going there in person, not only bringing the Third Prince's wife, but also the Third Prince and the Ninth Prince, Eunuch Mo was very grateful and hurried to lead the way.
Arrived at the Empress Dowager's palace.
Fu Ciyi and the others only felt that the surroundings were very quiet.
When he arrived before the Empress Dowager, he saw her lying quietly, her face pale, and she seemed to have aged many years.
He was already over eighty years old, and now he looked even more haggard.
Eunuch Mo leaned over and called softly, "The Queen Mother, the Empress, the Third Prince, the Third Prince's Consort, and the Ninth Prince are all here."
The Queen Mother opened her eyes weakly.
"I've lived long enough, but if I were to be harmed like this, I would die with regret. I consulted the imperial physician today, but he couldn't find anything. I think he's been bribed, or he's incompetent."
If the imperial physician was bribed, the most likely person was Long Yi.
Although Long Yi appointed Qiao Wanyou as the queen, she had also heard about the fire that year.
So she was not afraid to talk to Qiao Wanyou, nor was she afraid that Qiao Wanyou would tell others about her suspicion of Long Yi.
All because she lived long enough.
If the imperial physician was bribed by the Empress Dowager, then it would be extremely wrong to ask Qiao Wanyou to come here.
After all, the Empress Dowager didn't like her daughter-in-law Qiao Wanyou.
The saying "the enemy of my enemy is my ally" is exactly this truth.
"Why is the Queen Mother saying this?" Qiao Wanyou ordered, "Fu Ning, show yourself to the Queen Mother."
"Yes, mother."
Yan Funing responded.
Eunuch Mo immediately ordered someone to bring a chair for the queen to sit on, and the other three masters sat on round stools.
Yan Funing reached out and felt the Empress Dowager's pulse. After a moment, she said, "The pulse is indeed weak."
He then reached out and felt her pulse on the neck, and remained silent for a long time.
Seeing this, Eunuch Mo asked, "Third Prince Consort, what did you diagnose?"
"Is the food for the past few days here?" Yan Funing said in a deep voice.
"Of course it's gone."
"Where's your breakfast this morning?"
"The breakfast was also poured out. The Queen Mother said that people would feel sick after eating it, so she ordered everyone to pour it out." Eunuch Mo reported truthfully.
Qiao Wanyou asked, "Funing, what happened to the Queen Mother?"
"If I'm not mistaken, the Empress Dowager was poisoned. The dose was very small, and her pulse was barely palpable. This might be one of the reasons the Imperial Physician couldn't make a diagnosis." Yan Funing paused, then continued, "The person who poisoned her was very careful. If it wasn't in the food, then it was in the tea."
"Show me the tea."
She stretched out her hand.
Eunuch Mo immediately poured out a cup of tea from the pot he had just brewed and presented it to Yan Funing.
Yan Funing took it over, sniffed it carefully, and after checking it, she said, "The tea is fine."
"If there's something wrong with the tea, it means the person who poisoned it is in the Empress Dowager's palace." Fu Beimo analyzed, "Now it seems to be a problem with the food."
"The food wasn't made in the small kitchen; it was delivered from the imperial kitchen." Eunuch Mo said, "I'll send someone to check at noon today."
"The Empress Dowager has dental problems, so her meals are all soft and easily digestible, and a dedicated person is responsible for this. It should be easy to investigate this matter." Fu Ciyi reminded calmly, "But don't alert the enemy."
Eunuch Mo nodded and said, "I will quietly send someone to investigate."
The Empress Dowager struggled to sit up from the bed and said frankly, "I sent for the Empress, not having initially hoped you would bring your daughter-in-law to see me and help with the diagnosis. But now it seems you are worthy of being the Empress, capable of being the mother of the nation!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
