Chapter 72
The one who arrived was actually an envoy from Xili...
Fang Shuo has an envoy route—this was news he had recently received from Yao Niang. He had originally assumed that the envoy was from the southern border and would naturally need to pass through Fang Shuo's territory.
However, Xili and Fangshuo are separated by three to five cities, making them completely unrelated.
Were the envoys from Fang Shuo and the envoys from Xili the same group? If so, why would they travel such a long distance by taking a detour? Furthermore, envoys from other countries must use designated official roads and cannot travel arbitrarily; their travel documents are checked at the border between the two countries. But if not, is it a coincidence that the envoys from both countries entered An at the same time? Or… was it intentional?
Numerous speculations flashed through Xie Chengnan's mind, but he merely straightened his expression and appeared more serious: "I believe that destroying farmland and disturbing the peace of the people is malicious. If we trace the root cause, it is likely that the Xili court looks down on Anguo, and thus the envoy follows suit. It would be better to detain the envoy on his way, fabricate a charge, and kill him."
"Kill him." He said it lightly, but he knew that even in times of war, envoys were not to be killed. Anguo and Xili had always had tense relations; killing the envoy would inevitably lead to war between the two countries.
Immediately, some loyal but foolish people angrily denounced Xie Chengnan as "an arrogant child who doesn't know his own limitations." His unprecedented granting of a marquisate had already aroused public discontent, and now he was "spouting nonsense before the emperor, sowing discord between the two nations"—his intentions were despicable!
Xie Chengnan simply laughed it off, as if those harsh words were directed not at him, but at a completely unrelated person.
Even though Xie Chengnan's suggestion was the most extreme of all the arguments, Emperor Zhaowen seemed intrigued and asked, "Then, in your opinion, what crime should be charged with?"
"In my opinion..." Xie Chengnan's smile faded, but before he could fully close his lips, those nearby glimpsed a hint of cruelty in his ambiguous smile. "That envoy must have carried secret instructions from the Western Li royal family, instructing him to wreak havoc along the way, enter Mingzhou City, and collude with and bribe high-ranking officials in the court to undermine their rule. Such actions constitute the crime of sowing discord and harming the country."
He spoke with such certainty that it seemed he truly knew of the Western Li Kingdom's plot. Leaving aside the fact that disrupting a nation's court wouldn't bring any real benefit to his own country, even if it were true, he could simply pretend not to see it, secretly gather evidence, and send a letter to Western Li, making them owe An Kingdom a favor, making him easier to manipulate later. But if Xie Chengnan's words were true, the enmity between the two countries wouldn't just be about killing an envoy; he was trying to convict Western Li! Unless a complete military campaign was launched to defeat Western Li, this enmity could not be resolved.
A series of gasps, seemingly coming from nowhere, echoed within the hall. The emperor remained silent, perhaps a prelude to his fury; no one wanted to risk provoking the emperor's wrath at this moment.
Those more adept at reading between the lines noticed that the emperor showed no anger and boldly guessed that perhaps what the emperor wanted was a legitimate reason to attack Xili. If so, then the plan offered by this young, impetuous Xie family member would be exactly what he wanted.
Emperor Zhaowen neither agreed nor disagreed with this plan, but a hint of joy appeared on his face, which further confirmed this conjecture.
"Your Highness, why don't you speak as well?"
Gu Shuan said, “Father, I believe that the Xili envoy’s trip is indeed quite suspicious. His true intentions may not be as simple as what Marquis Yong’an said. It would be a bad idea to hastily convict him.”
The slight joy on the emperor's face vanished instantly, as if he realized what he was about to say, but still held a glimmer of hope for his son and did not stop him.
However, Gu Shuan still disappointed him.
"Your subject believes that our An Kingdom can also send envoys to Xili, but it would be better if I went to Xili myself to show my sincerity, and we will surely find the answer there..."
"Bang!" Emperor Zhaowen slammed his hand on the table, making the cups, bowls, and plates rattle and clang.
The Imperial Concubine Shu, who was standing nearby, was startled. When she came to her senses, she wanted to see the emperor's hand, but she dared not speak because of the emperor's countenance.
Emperor Zhaowen abruptly stood up, his chest heaving violently, his voice trembling rapidly with extreme anger: "You're going to Xili? What for! Tell me!"
The emperor's wrath is feared by all, and some ministers have already knelt down with a thud at his angry shout.
Gu Shuan also lifted his lower garment and knelt down: "Father, please calm down. I will personally go to Xili to demonstrate the sincerity of our An Kingdom in not holding grudges, so as not to give others a handle to use against us. Secondly, Xili's plans are unclear, and ordinary envoys may not be able to handle them. My status as the Crown Prince can serve as a deterrent and a check."
"Intimidate? If Xili truly harbors treacherous ambitions and plots against us! You, the crown prince of a nation, are you going there to walk right into their trap?! They're just looking for something to use against my An Kingdom, and you're going to offer up hostages?!" Emperor Zhaowen breathed heavily, so angry he could hardly breathe. After calming down for a moment, he continued to rebuke, "Do you really think I don't know what you're planning? You have the guts to think it, but not the guts to say it?!"
His father, the emperor, truly intended to tear apart the fragile bond between father and son. Gu Shu'an closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, his gaze deep and unfathomable, as if he were about to burn his bridges. "Thirdly, the case of the Zhan family's treason and collusion with the enemy many years ago has many suspicious points. My trip here will allow me to investigate these doubts and bring the truth to light..."
"shut up!"
With a sharp crack, the white jade cup clattered at Gu Shuan's feet, shattering into pieces. Emperor Zhaowen's hand remained in the motion of throwing the cup at him, unable to recover for a long time.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
"Your Majesty, please calm down..."
Emperor Zhaowen reprimanded him for having the guts to think but not the courage to speak, which, besides being a rash remark made in a fit of rage, was also intended as a warning. Normally, when questioned by the emperor in a fit of anger, one should wisely keep quiet, but unexpectedly, the crown prince actually uttered these treasonous words.
Although Emperor Zhaowen was furious, his years of imperial shrewdness had allowed him to maintain a sliver of rationality in this situation. He realized that Gu Shuan was revealing his true purpose at this moment to take this opportunity to bring this old case into the open! How dare he bring up that treasonous case, which had already been sealed by the emperor's golden words, at this time and place? Was he bewitched by that orphan of the Zhan family, or was he deliberately opposing him, questioning the emperor, and shaking the foundation of the country!
Emperor Zhaowen could not allow him to continue speaking.
"Guards! Proclaim my decree—Crown Prince Gu Shuan behaved inappropriately at the palace banquet, showing no concern for the country's affairs but instead dwelling on old cases! Effective immediately..."
The Imperial Consort Shu, standing beside him, listened intently, her eyes glued to the imperial decree, forgetting even to blink—the Emperor was truly utterly disappointed in the Crown Prince, yet Gu Shu'an was recklessly courting death. Soon, just as she predicted, he would be punished for disrespect, stripped of his title as Crown Prince, and a new heir appointed… The Imperial Consort Shu secretly hoped that this new heir might fall to her son. But Emperor Zhaowen stopped mid-sentence, his wide eyes filled with shock!
When Consort Shu followed his gaze, she couldn't help but lose her composure.
Gu Shu'an had been kneeling upright, his back as straight as a pine tree even as he was reprimanded and punished by his father in front of many ministers. But the next moment, a sharp pain shot through his stomach, and he vomited a mouthful of blood! He then collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Emperor Zhaowen was so angry that he couldn't care less about punishing the offender and immediately ordered someone to investigate.
The eunuch hurriedly laid the person down, and seeing that the person was unconscious with a large pool of blood on his chest that had not yet dried, his heart trembled.
"Summon the imperial physician!"
The palace banquets were held in the Tongxi Hall. In addition to banquets held on imperial festivals, the hall was also used for the birthdays of princes and princesses, the birthday banquets of emperors and imperial concubines, and even banquets for princes, ministers and foreign envoys. It can be said to be the core connecting the inner and outer courts.
The Imperial Medical Academy was located in the outer court, which was not close to the Tongxi Hall. It would take about half an incense stick's time to get there.
Gu Shuan's attack came suddenly, and it was unclear whether it was an acute illness; it certainly looked alarming. Desperate, Emperor Zhaowen looked at his unconscious son lying on the ground with heartache, and suddenly remembered that there happened to be someone at the banquet who knew medicine. "Qiu Qingye, come and examine the Crown Prince first!"
Lin Yi wasn't surprised that Emperor Zhaowen would think of her at such a crucial moment; what surprised her was that the emperor actually remembered her name. On second thought, this additional task of "making everyone at the palace banquet remember her" could be considered accomplished.
Even if Emperor Zhaowen hadn't said anything, Lin Yi would have volunteered anyway. After all, she was the one who administered the poison, and others might not have been able to cure her.
Lin Yi felt that he had been either acting or on his way to act these past few days, and his acting skills had been honed to perfection, comparable to those of a veteran actor.
Even though Lin Yi knew in advance why Gu Shuan vomited blood, he still had to put on a fearful and solemn expression when taking the Crown Prince's pulse.
She frowned, her slender fingers resting on Gu Shuan's wrist, surrounded by a group of people, each with their own ulterior motives.
Of all those present, only Emperor Zhaowen and Zhan Xian truly cared about the Crown Prince. Gu Shu'an was incredibly stubborn; even she, a newcomer from out of town, knew that the Zhan family's affairs shouldn't be mentioned. The Emperor was already furious, so why did she insist on making it clear in public? But it's understandable—it's for the female lead. Zhan Xian was deeply moved by this matter, and their relationship could progress further.
Lin Yi appeared to be deep in thought, but his mind was actually wandering far away until Emperor Zhaowen asked, "How is it?"
Lin Yi said uncertainly, "Your Highness... seems to have been poisoned."
"Poisoning?" Emperor Zhaowen's eyes narrowed. Someone actually dared to poison him right in front of him!
"Oh my!" exclaimed Eunuch Jingquan, who was standing nearby. "There's an assassin! Protect the Emperor!"
More than a dozen guards suddenly appeared in the hall, drawing their swords and surrounding Emperor Zhaowen.
Unfortunately, Lin Yi was also within this protection zone, and the gleaming blade hurt her eyes.
"Your Majesty, the situation is urgent. I have dared to volunteer to treat Your Highness. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, and I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness for any impropriety!"
"How do you plan to treat it?"
Before entering the palace, Lin Yi had anticipated that the palace banquet would not be peaceful, so he brought a full set of medical equipment, including not only gold and silver needles, but also all kinds of knives.
She selected a slender willow-leaf knife, heated it over a candle flame, and used it to cut open Gu Shuan's elbow. Blood gushed from the wound, but Lin Yi seemed to think it wasn't enough, so she squeezed the wound forcefully to make more blood flow out.
"Isn't this just reckless?" Eunuch Jingquan exclaimed from the side.
Lin explained without looking up, "Bloodletting is the fastest way to prevent toxins from entering the heart. The cubital vein is shallow and the operation is the least dangerous. Medical books also record that the Quze acupoint can detoxify."
Emperor Zhaowen listened quietly, his solemn expression remaining unchanged.
Lin Yi had no medicinal herbs on hand and could not prepare an antidote. A few silver needles could be used to prick acupoints to control the spread of the poison and wake the person up, but it was not time for him to wake up yet—Lin Yi's most important task was not to poison Gu Shuan, but to frame Zhan Xian.
"Bloodletting can slow the spread of toxins. His Highness is no longer in danger, but we still need to wait for the imperial physician to arrive for a more detailed examination."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhaowen finally felt a little relieved.
The imperial physician was still on his way, and the rest of the group had nothing to do but watch over Gu Shu'an and make him feel more comfortable.
At this moment, Qiu Qing hesitated and said, "There aren't many drugs that can cause vomiting blood. Arsenic—also known as poison—is the most toxic. Cinnabar and lead oxide are slightly less toxic. Besides that, Gelsemium elegans can also cause vomiting blood if it damages the stomach and intestines..."
“If it were arsenic, His Highness would probably be dead by now… And the severe abdominal pain after accidentally ingesting the poisonous herb should not have occurred without warning. In my opinion, the poison the Crown Prince was poisoned with should be cinnabar or lead oxide, and the time since ingestion should not have been too long, probably around the time the palace banquet began.”
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