Chapter 435: The One and Only Crown Princess
Xiao Yunshuo's breathing stagnated, and he picked her up and carried her to the bed.
The eunuch following Xiao Yunshuo immediately gestured to the eunuchs and palace maids standing in the room to go outside and serve.
The eunuchs and palace maids hurriedly lowered the curtains and retreated with their heads lowered.
As they whispered to each other, Xiao Yunshuo said in a low voice, "I will summon the imperial physician to the palace tomorrow. It's time to take care of your body."
Chen Fenghe was stunned for a moment, then understood what he meant: "Your Highness, are you talking about the fact that I'm not pregnant? Are you worried that I won't have a prince, and my position will be unstable?"
She now has no background or support, and no longer has the legitimate prince's offspring to rely on. How can it be easy for her to secure the position of Crown Princess or even Queen in the palace, even with Xiao Yunshuo's protection?
Xiao Yunshuo didn't deny her statement, but simply smiled and said, "It's just a little conditioning. Don't you want to give birth to a child for me? Don't worry, even if there is no child, you will still be my one and only Crown Princess, and one and only Empress in the future! No other woman in this world can replace you."
On that day, the Crown Prince personally dealt with the servants in the palace who spread rumors about the Crown Princess, and the news that the Crown Prince favored the Crown Princess in broad daylight spread throughout the palace and the noble families outside the palace.
In the following days, many children of noble families who were involved in the spread of the rumor, regardless of whether they supported the prince or not, were punished, exiled, or dealt with in varying degrees of severity.
At this point, those who had originally planned more tricks no longer dared to do anything.
After all, they had acted so brazenly in the first place because the Crown Princess had no backing. But if her backer was the Crown Prince, then the matter would be a different one.
Chen Fenghe discovered that after those people had been quiet for a few days, they stopped spreading rumors and turned to secretly poisoning people.
It is commendable that he dares to show off his skills in front of her.
However, Chen Fenghe just replaced the poisons casually, and took note of the families that poisoned them. Then he asked Gu Hongzhi to spend a lot of money to find out some information about these families and spread it out.
Trying to use such a despicable method to push his daughter to the back seat is too superficial, stupid, and too vicious. How can such a family be qualified to be royal relatives?
Sure enough, not long after, those families that had taken part in the attack had more or less scandals that brought disgrace to their family name, and they all scrambled to cover up their family scandals. How could they have the time to inquire about what was happening in the palace?
Compared to these trivial struggles, Chen Fenghe was more concerned about Emperor Yu Cheng's reaction and actions.
Since Xiao Yunshuo returned to the palace, he has employed Xie Gao and entertained ministers who came to seek refuge with him. These actions were quite significant, but Emperor Yucheng seemed to not care at all and did nothing.
This is quite different from his usual style of doing things.
It is difficult to change one's nature, but it is easy to change the country. Chen Fenghe doesn't believe that a person who is suspicious, narrow-minded and competitive by nature will suddenly change his nature and become Buddhist.
However, Emperor Yucheng did not let people wait for long before taking action.
One day, Xiao Yunshuo returned to the palace. Dinner had already been delivered from the imperial kitchen. Chen Fenghe took off his outer coat for him. Xiao Yunshuo said, "A general in the southwest has rebelled. My father has ordered me to set out tomorrow to quell the rebellion."
Upon hearing this, Chen Fenghe frowned, "Suppress the rebellion? If the Northern Rong army were to invade, that would be fine. This small-scale rebellion wouldn't require Your Highness' intervention, right? But do you want Your Highness to lead the troops?"
A mocking smile played at the corner of Xiao Yunshuo's lips. He said, "My father said that the rebellion situation is urgent and that bringing a large army would delay the progress. Therefore, he asked me to take only a few trusted light cavalrymen with me. Once we reach the Qianzhou Prefecture area in the southwest, we can then mobilize the troops stationed there."
"What does Your Highness plan to do?" There was no need to even analyze such an obvious trap. Emperor Yu Cheng might be really anxious.
Xiao Yunshuo smiled and said, "If I don't go, I'll be disobeying the emperor's order. Of course I have to go. However, you and the Queen Mother should be extra careful these days. I'm afraid the East Palace will be in turmoil."
As he was speaking, the eunuch outside came with a message saying that a dish had been sent from the Queen's palace, and the Queen Mother thought it tasted good.
Xiao Yunshuo asked the eunuch who was delivering the dishes to come in, and then Xiao Yunshuo's personal eunuch took out the dishes from the food box and placed them on the table.
Chen Fenghe glanced at the dish and quickly looked up at Xiao Yunshuo.
Although Qin Mengyue did ask people from the palace to deliver dishes, the eunuch who delivered the dishes today looked somewhat abnormal.
Xiao Yunshuo, however, remained calm. He picked up his silver chopsticks and took a bite. Then, he smiled and said, "Go back and tell Mother that I've tasted it. It's indeed delicious. I'm so grateful for your consideration. Come, give me a treat."
The eunuch knelt down, kowtowed and thanked for the reward before leaving.
Xiao Yunshuo and Shen Fenghe spent some time having dinner before they dismissed the eunuchs and palace maids, drew down the curtains and went to bed.
At this time, Xiao Yunshuo suddenly spat out what was in his mouth.
Chen Fenghe also hurriedly took out the detoxification pill and gave it to Xiao Yunshuo. She was trembling all over and said, "Your Highness, please wait a moment."
She had just taken a sample of the food, and the next step was to use the instruments in the space to investigate what kind of poison it was.
The drug-making techniques in ancient times could not have reached the modern level.
Otherwise, if it was a poison like Baicao Ku, then even if you just drank it without swallowing it, it would be very likely to be life-threatening!
Chen Fenghe just hoped that it wasn't that kind of poison!
Seeing her like this, Xiao Yunshuo grabbed her hand with his big hand and chuckled softly, "It's okay. I was cautious and didn't swallow it. Besides, my father wouldn't have used a strong poison, at most a slow-acting one. Otherwise, it would be difficult to cover up."
"I know." Chen Fenghe was anxious to test for poison, so he just whispered and went into the inner room.
Fortunately, although this poison is dangerous, it is indeed a chronic poison as Xiao Yunshuo said, but it is also highly toxic.
Given the level of ancient medicine, it would have been very difficult to treat.
But she has a special antidote injection in her space.
Chen Fenghe returned quickly and injected Xiao Yunshuo with an antidote. Then, he whispered in fear, "Your Highness is taking too much of a risk!"
However, she also guessed why Xiao Yunshuo pretended not to know and ate the food even though he knew it was poisonous.
This time, Emperor Yucheng used something Qin Mengyue often did to poison her, which was a sinister conspiracy.
Even if Xiao Yunshuo knew that the dish was poisonous, if he pointed it out immediately, the person who delivered the dish would be from the Queen's palace, and the Queen had indeed sent dishes several times in the past.
Then the Queen will definitely have to bear the blame.
As for why the queen poisoned the prince, for example, the queen favored the ninth prince and wanted to make him the prince, so she did this. After the incident, she could just give a random reason.
In short, the reason is not important at all. Emperor Yu Cheng just needs a pretext. The 10,000 soldiers of the imperial guards still obey his command as the emperor. At that time, they can immediately set out to capture the "suspect", Qin Mengyue.
Xiao Yunshuo has always been filial, but although he has the military power of the army outside the city, it is still a distant water that cannot quench the immediate thirst. Instead, he can let the imperial guards take advantage of the chaos to deal with it.
If Xiao Yunshuo had thought about this and kept quiet about the poisoning, the poison he used would have been highly toxic, so it wouldn't have been instantly fatal. He would have died on the way to quell the rebellion as ordered...
The reason why Xiao Yunshuo pretended not to know even though he knew it was poisonous was actually to protect Qin Mengyue.
However, Emperor Yucheng obviously had not thought of Shen Fenghe's point.
Chen Fenghe asked in a low voice: "What does Your Highness plan to do?"
Even after detoxifying in time, Xiao Yunshuo still spat out a mouthful of blood. His face was pale. Upon hearing this, he slightly opened his eyes, a cold smile playing on the corners of his lips. He said, "What should I do? Originally, I thought that if he was willing to be an honest emperor, I could continue the 'kind father and filial son' relationship and patiently wait for him to die. Unfortunately, he didn't change in the end. So... you can't blame me for not cherishing the father-son relationship..."
The palace was silent late at night. Even the palace guards on patrol tried to slow down their pace for fear of disturbing the masters in the other palaces.
Suddenly, the Crown Princess cried out in alarm from the East Palace: "Oh no! Someone, come! Quickly call the imperial physician! The Crown Prince... The Crown Prince has been poisoned!"
Emperor Yucheng paced back and forth impatiently in his bedroom. Why...is there still no movement?
Could it be that the prince had actually drunk the poison obediently? And chosen not to make it known?
He had wanted to use the imperial guards for a long time, but the army of generals supporting Xiao Yunshuo finally retreated from the city a few days ago, so he dared to take this step.
Otherwise, the imperial guards under his command in the entire city would be no more than 10,000, and they would be no match for the nearly 100,000 troops under Xiao Yunshuo's command!
Now, he even regretted that he had to arrange the plot of the queen 'poisoning'. He should have directly ordered the imperial guards to search the palace in the name of 'catching the assassin', and took the opportunity to arrest and deal with the prince, queen and others.
As for the reasons for the later deaths of the Crown Prince and the Queen, they were simply blamed on the assassins.
His entire life was bound by the four words "a legitimate reason for action". He cared too much about his image in the eyes of the people of the world and the historians, and wanted to leave behind the reputation of a "benevolent monarch". That's why he always allowed the prince to watch him covetously under his nose!
He should have killed him long ago before he became powerful!
Thinking of this, Emperor Yucheng could no longer sit still. He was about to order the imperial guards to set out immediately when suddenly, a eunuch outside reported that the prince had been poisoned!
Emperor Yucheng was startled, feeling an inexplicable unease rising within him. However, the intense anxiety of risking everything quickly overshadowed this unease. He excitedly said, "Excellent! Immediately order the imperial guards to arrest the person who poisoned the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince's dinner today is the most suspicious. Arrest all the eunuchs and maids in the imperial kitchen who handled it, and torture them to find out who was responsible!"
The chief eunuch beside Emperor Yucheng heard it and looked at Emperor Yucheng strangely. Why did the emperor seem not surprised at all that the prince was poisoned, and why did he not worry about the prince's safety and just let the imperial guards arrest him?
"Your Majesty, although the Crown Prince has been poisoned, I heard that the Crown Princess is well-versed in medical techniques and has urgently treated the Crown Prince, so his life is safe. As for the person who poisoned him, the Crown Prince has already sent people to capture him and is currently torturing him to find out the true culprit..."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Yu Cheng's eyes flashed with displeasure. Is his life safe? Has the person who poisoned him been apprehended and is interrogating the real culprit?
"Who are you arresting?"
"I heard... I heard it was a senior eunuch in the Queen's palace..."
Emperor Yucheng became more and more confused.
What was the prince's plan? He had captured the queen's maids and tortured them severely. Wasn't he afraid that the queen would be humiliated?
"Go ahead, I'll go to the East Palace to take a look." Emperor Yucheng said in a deep voice.
However, before he could finish his words, Xiao Yunshuo's voice could be heard from outside the palace: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern. Although I was attacked by a traitor, I was fortunately treated in time and am now fine. I was deeply afraid that Your Majesty had also been harmed by the traitor, so I hurried here!"
As Xiao Yunshuo spoke, he walked in.
Emperor Yucheng was furious and shouted, "Prince! This is my bedroom. How can you barge in without my permission..."
Before he finished speaking, his eyes suddenly widened.
Following Xiao Yunshuo in was surprisingly the leader of the Imperial Guards, Wang Chong!
In addition, there were two imperial guards dragging a palace maid who had been beaten bloody, and the hall was instantly filled with the smell of blood.
"Wang Chong! Why are you with the Crown Prince?" Emperor Yucheng had a bad feeling in his heart.
Wang Chong knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has been poisoned. I have been ordered to protect the safety of the palace, and therefore I have followed the Crown Prince's orders to capture the poisoner."
Emperor Yucheng was furious.
The Imperial Guards should only be under the command of the Emperor, why would they obey the orders of the Crown Prince!
When exactly did the Crown Prince connect with the Imperial Guards?!
Xiao Yunshuo said calmly, "Father, I have already had the palace servant who poisoned me interrogated and found out who was behind the murder!"
Emperor Yucheng glanced at the man and said, "Isn't this the chief eunuch in the Queen's palace? Could it be that the Queen was the one who poisoned the Crown Prince? If so, Wang Chong, why don't you capture the Queen immediately and bring her in for a confrontation—"
Xiao Yunshuo scoffed, "Father is so busy with his affairs, yet he's worried about a small servant in the palace behind the scenes. He's truly concerned about Mother. However... the murderer isn't Mother. As for who it is, let him tell us for himself."
Wang Chong, who was standing by, heard what Xiao Yunshuo said and immediately gave his men a look. His men recalled their movements and used their weapons left and right to wake up the bloody eunuch.
Emperor Yucheng's heart sank to the extreme.
At this point, if he still can't see that the Imperial Guards have become the same as the 100,000 troops outside the city and have surrendered to the prince, then all his years as emperor will be in vain!
The eunuch was awakened by the beating and cried out in terror, "Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me! It wasn't the Queen, it was... it was the Emperor. It was the Emperor who ordered this servant to poison me!"
Emperor Yucheng's face was extremely gloomy.
At this moment, Xiao Yunshuo suddenly shouted coldly, "You daring slave! How dare you slander the current emperor and my father! What are you still standing there for? Why don't you kill this dog slave immediately!"
Wang Chong accepted the order and immediately ordered his men to kill the eunuch with a single blow.
Blood splattered on the floor and walls of the emperor's bedroom, and even on the cheeks of Xiao Yunshuo and Emperor Yu Cheng.
Emperor Yucheng felt cold all over.
He had underestimated his son. He held the military power of a hundred thousand soldiers in his hands, and most of the court officials had already defected to him since they learned he was still alive.
How could he still be so naive as to think that the imperial guards would not change their ways and obey the orders of the crown prince?
Now Xiao Yunshuo actually dared to order people to hang weapons and kill people in his bedroom. It can be seen that... they have already torn their relationship apart and no longer take him, the emperor, seriously!
"Prince..." He spoke with some difficulty, not knowing whether he was begging for mercy or for something else...
The situation changed so quickly that Emperor Yu Cheng's mind... was unable to react for a moment.
Xiao Yunshuo interrupted him and said with a smile, "Your Majesty, you have been frightened by the assassins and are weak. Please call the imperial physician to treat you immediately. Also, starting tomorrow, you will not have to attend the morning court anymore. It is best for you to rest and recuperate. Your Majesty, rest assured, I will take care of the affairs of state for you. I will not let anything go wrong!"
After saying this, without waiting for Emperor Yucheng to speak, he turned and left, saying, "It's getting late, Father. You should get some rest. Wang Chong, be sure to send people to take strict precautions. Don't let any assassins or traitors disturb your father again!"
"Yes!" Wang Chong knelt down and replied.
Emperor Yu Cheng suddenly reacted and rushed towards Xiao Yunshuo like crazy!
"Prince, you are so bold! Are you planning to imprison me? You are a traitor and a traitor! I was right about you! Wang Chong, the prince is plotting regicide and rebellion, why don't you arrest him immediately?"
Xiao Yunshuo stopped, turned around and looked at Emperor Yu Cheng with pity.
Wang Chong didn't move either.
"Wang Chong! Are you deaf? Are you the only one who wants to rebel? Are the rest of you deaf too? Whoever kills this traitor, I...I will promise him wealth and glory for generations! Why won't you move? I'm the emperor, and you won't obey my orders! Kill them immediately!"
Xiao Yunshuo said coldly, "It seems that the emperor was frightened by the assassin and is temporarily unconscious. Wang Chong, you must protect the emperor. If anything goes wrong, you will be held responsible!"
From that day on, Emperor Yucheng claimed to be ill and did not attend court, and all government affairs were handed over to the crown prince to handle.
However, Emperor Yucheng was unwilling to issue the edict to abdicate and pass the throne to the crown prince.
One day, outside the palace, a eunuch's voice suddenly came to announce: "The Queen has arrived!"
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