The emperor knew that the eldest princess had stayed by his side day and night while he was in a coma, and the empress also came to keep him company every day. The eldest princess would tell him about the affairs of the court every day, and he heard them all.
He also knew that it was Zhu Chumo who used acupuncture to save him and allow him to wake up in time. He may have been somewhat wary of Xianwu Island before, but after being unconscious for so long, he suddenly understood and no longer had any hidden prejudice against Zhu Lin.
Young Master Zhu is trustworthy, at least he is sincere to the eldest princess and is willing to give anything for her. He doesn't need to worry that Long'er will suffer at the hands of the other party in the future. Judging from the current situation, Long'er has Zhu Lin completely under her thumb.
The emperor recovered, but Consort Duan and the eldest prince were getting worse. At first, they had the Poison Master's medicine to suppress the poison, and it would flare up once a month. Later, the Poison Master's medicine gradually became ineffective, and now it has developed to flare up once every half month.
In just over two months, the imperial concubine and her son were tortured to the point of being emaciated. When they learned that the emperor had woken up, they wanted to come to him to cry and plead for his help.
However, Xingxing had Qingyan come over beforehand to warn them, "His Majesty has just woken up and is not fully recovered. Consort Duan and the First Prince are seriously ill and cannot go to see His Majesty. If they pass on their illness to His Majesty, can you bear the consequences?"
They certainly couldn't bear the responsibility, but how could the emperor know about their current predicament if they didn't go to see him?
"Before you start making false accusations, think about what you've done. You may not remember each and every one of these things, but others certainly do. The corpses of the Gu worms you trampled are still there, as are the snake heads of the poisonous snakes. The Poison Saint from Jin Yue Palace is a living witness. Consort and the First Prince should think twice." Qingyan's threatening words were vague, but the First Prince and his mother, who were feeling guilty, understood perfectly.
After Qingyan left, the eldest prince said anxiously, "Mother, what should we do? Is there really no way out for us?"
Consort Duan slumped in her chair, lost in thought. After a long while, she finally said, "My son, if you had to choose between the Crown Prince and your life, which would you choose?"
The eldest prince was stunned, and then his eyes suddenly turned bloodshot. He knew what the Consort meant: if he wanted to live, he could only give up the position of Crown Prince. But how could he be willing to do that? It was more painful than death for him.
“My son, if you would rather die than back down, your mother is willing to accompany you.”
Consort Duan closed her eyes. Although she said this, what she was really thinking was that when a person dies, everything is over. At least when you are alive, there is still a chance. If you endure it now, there is a possibility of turning things around later. But if you die now, what's the point of living?
Hearing the Imperial Concubine's resolute words, the First Prince was stunned again. Suddenly, he let out a wail, collapsing completely like a trapped beast. His eyes were bloodshot, and he said in a hoarse voice, "No, I'm not reconciled. I don't want to die, and I don't want to lose my position as Crown Prince. Why is Heaven so unfair? No, it's all Linglong's fault, it's all her fault..."
Seeing him go crazy, Consort Duan quickly hugged him to comfort him, "My son, calm down and don't say anything more. Be careful, walls have ears. What we need to do now is save our lives. As long as we're alive, we can always fight again. You have to look at the bigger picture. There will be other opportunities, there will definitely be other opportunities. Trust your mother."
"Is there really still a chance?" The eldest prince looked at the imperial concubine with a ferocious expression.
"There definitely is. I'll bring your maternal grandfather to the palace to see me right away. I'll think of a way, don't worry." Consort Duan's eyes were firm and her face was resolute.
A few days later, Consort Duan and her son came to the eldest princess, begging her to spare them and give them the antidote as soon as possible.
"What are you talking about? I don't understand." Xingxing didn't want to give them the antidote so quickly. The conditions hadn't even been discussed yet; they had to at least satisfy her.
Consort Duan's attitude was very good today, and even the eldest prince was smiling, although there was a hint of gritted teeth in his smile, but at least he maintained a calm facade.
Xingxing secretly rejoiced. These two, mother and son, must hate her to the core, but dare not speak out. In the end, they even had to shamelessly beg her. She loved seeing them reluctantly lower themselves and helplessly look at each other.
"Your Highness, I'm sorry. I made a mistake before and dragged the Crown Prince into it. I will never dare to do it again. You see, my son and I have suffered and been punished these past few months. I beg you not to hold it against us anymore." Consort Duan acted very sincerely, bowing and scraping.
"I don't understand," Xingxing continued to feign ignorance.
The eldest prince clenched his fists tighter and tighter, his nails digging into his flesh, but he remembered the advice of his mother and maternal grandfather. No matter how angry he was, he held back and could not show it.
Consort Duan took a deep breath and said slowly, word by word, "The eldest prince is willing to leave the capital at his own request and will not return without the emperor's decree."
Xingxing was also surprised that the mother and son could go to such lengths. "The eldest prince wants to leave the capital and wants the emperor to bestow upon him the title of prince so that he can go to his fiefdom?"
“That’s right, my father has already mentioned it to the Emperor, and I believe the Emperor will issue an edict soon,” Consort Duan said calmly, her eyes lowered.
Xingxing was momentarily at a loss for words. The eldest prince had been granted the title of prince and sent to his fiefdom. Logically, he would no longer have a chance to compete for the throne. As the eldest prince, and with his powerful maternal family, he was originally the most promising candidate for the position of crown prince.
After being tormented by poison for months, he suddenly decided to give up the fight for the crown prince position and even leave the capital. It's hard to say whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. Given the scheming nature of Consort Duan and the eldest prince, they will definitely not give up so easily and will surely cause trouble in the future.
It seems like this huge sacrifice was made to obtain the antidote. Xingxing has never experienced how potent the poison is, so it's hard for her to understand the actions of the Consort and her son.
She glanced at Zhu Lin, who had remained silent to the side. The boy looked at her calmly with a smile, showing no intention of interrupting.
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