Chapter 172 Poisoned
The color drained from Shen Qingci's face instantly!
Her face was filled with astonishment, as if she couldn't believe her ears. Then, in a voice filled with panic and fear, she shouted, "Summon the imperial physician! Summon the imperial physician quickly!"
She turned her head sharply, her bloodshot eyes fixed on Liu Wenyuan, whose expression was also constantly changing!
"Prime Minister Liu! This palace is now entirely guarded by your men! I, the Princess Consort, cannot trust a single one of the imperial physicians!"
"Yuanbao!" she roared at the air, "Leave the palace immediately! Bring Physician Li to me! Hurry!"
Seeing her completely flustered, Liu Wenyuan was shocked by this sudden turn of events, but he couldn't help but sneer: "What does Your Highness mean by this? The imperial physicians in the palace are all highly skilled in medicine. If Your Highness doesn't trust them, could it be... that you think I would do something to His Highness?"
"If it wasn't you, then who else could it be?!"
At this moment, Shen Qingci no longer cared about etiquette or decorum. She rushed towards the side hall, her voice filled with deep-seated hatred and determination: "Chu Jichen was poisoned right under the noses of so many of you!"
"Besides you, Liu Wenyuan, who else has this motive? And who else has this ability?"
"Given the current situation, if Chu Jichen dies, the one who will benefit the most is you, Liu Wenyuan!"
"Now that he's in trouble, you can launch a coup, right?"
Her words were spoken so loudly that not only all the officials present could hear them clearly, but they also reached the ears of Emperor Yongming, who was already terrified and at a loss for what to do inside the Taiji Hall!
Chu Jichen... is he really going to die?
Emperor Yongming's hands began to tremble violently and uncontrollably.
But if Chu Jichen really dies... then who will step in to check Liu Wenyuan?!
He didn't want Chu Jichen to seize power and sideline him, but he also didn't want Chu Jichen to die like this, allowing Liu Wenyuan's family to become too powerful and do whatever they wanted!
not to mention……
Emperor Yongming suddenly recalled Shen Qingci's words: "Prime Minister Liu broke up his troops into smaller units and secretly infiltrated the capital!"
Is this story true or false?
If it's true, then Chu Jichen's current poisoning presents the perfect opportunity for Liu Wenyuan to launch a palace coup and seize the throne...
What if... what if Liu Wenyuan really did have malicious intentions?!
The more Emperor Yongming thought about it, the more frightened he became. He no longer cared about his imperial dignity and hurriedly ran towards the secret passage behind the palace, a passage unknown to anyone except the emperor!
...
Shen Qingci was unaware of Emperor Yongming's reaction; at this moment, Chu Jichen's safety occupied all her attention.
She rushed toward the side hall without regard for anything else, but was stopped by the guards as soon as she reached the door.
"Get out of my way!" Shen Qingci's eyes were already bloodshot!
"Who dares to stop me?!" she roared fiercely, her voice filled with madness and despair. "If the Regent suffers even the slightest mishap today, I, the Queen Consort, will make you all pay with your lives!"
"I don't care whose side you are! I am still the Regent's Wife!"
The guards from the royal palace behind her had already understood and rushed forward instantly, protecting her tightly in the middle!
Shen Qingci ignored the guards and rushed into the side hall without a care!
Inside the hall, five or six courtiers with varying expressions stood, surrounding the wheelchair in the center, looking utterly helpless.
Shen Qingci squeezed in and immediately spotted Chu Jichen in the wheelchair.
He leaned back quietly in his chair, his head drooping limply, seemingly... completely oblivious.
Before him, on the floor, lay a pool of congealed, shocking black blood. A trace of still-drying black blood clung to the corner of his mouth.
Shen Qingci felt as if the blood in her body had frozen instantly.
She reached out, wanting to check his breath, but her hand trembled violently in mid-air, hesitant to fall.
She could only grip his cold arm tightly, shaking it gently, her voice filled with a desperate plea she herself was unaware of, a plea on the verge of collapse:
"Your Highness...I'm here...Wake up..."
"I am...I am your queen..."
But the person in the wheelchair remained unresponsive.
Shen Qingci could even clearly see that his face was rapidly turning ashen at a visible speed.
She trembled as she grasped his cold wrist, trying to check his pulse. But just as she lifted his sleeve, a terrified scream suddenly rang out beside her!
"Heavens! The prince's... the prince's veins! How... how come they've all turned black?!"
Shen Qingci suddenly looked down!
On Chu Jichen's arm, the blue veins had all turned into a strange, spiderweb-like inky black!
That blackness was still... still spreading upwards at an extremely slow, yet incredibly determined pace!
Shen Qingci ripped open his shirt, revealing a terrifying blackness that had spread across his chest and was slowly creeping toward his heart!
Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the hall: "The imperial physician is here! The imperial physician is here!"
A royal physician was dragged in, and his expression changed drastically the moment he saw the strangely spreading black veins on Chu Jichen's body!
"This...this is..." he exclaimed in shock, his voice filled with despair, "His Highness the Regent has been poisoned with...the long-lost rare poison—the Immortal-Slaying Powder!"
"This poison is extremely potent! Once the poison spreads to the heart, even... even a celestial being would find it difficult to save him!"
Upon hearing this, the other officials standing nearby were already as anxious as ants on a hot pan!
"What are you waiting for?! Get medical help right now!"
"Yes! The poison has been spreading, and now... now it's almost up to the prince's shoulder! We can't delay any longer!"
Upon hearing this, the imperial physician immediately stepped forward to administer acupuncture to Chu Jichen.
But before his hand could even touch Chu Jichen, it was firmly stopped by a slender yet incredibly strong hand!
It is Shen Qingci.
"I've said it," her voice was icy cold, her eyes filled with utter distrust, "I don't want a single imperial physician in the palace!"
"I only want Physician Li! I only want Physician Li!"
Looking at her "stubborn" appearance, Liu Wenyuan's eyes flashed with a smug glint, and then he sneered: "Your Highness, what do you mean by this?"
"The imperial physicians have already diagnosed the poison that the prince has been afflicted with. Seeing that the poison is still spreading, you insist on obstructing the rescue. What are your true intentions?"
He slowly stepped forward, his voice filled with malicious innuendo: "I think that if His Highness the Regent were to suffer any mishap today, the greatest sinner... would probably not be the one who poisoned him, but you... the one who stood by his bedside and did nothing to help him!"
Shen Qingci seemed not to have heard his words at all. She simply stood firmly in front of Chu Jichen, her bloodshot eyes glaring warily at everyone in front of her.
No matter what, she would never allow these people in the palace to have the chance to touch Chu Jichen again!
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