Chapter 812 A Dream of Youth 344
The Empress Dowager stroked the head of the last little prince, "Shu'er, you are the most well-behaved. Remember from now on, you are no longer a prince, but just an ordinary commoner's child, do you understand?"
"Aunt, why? Father will be here soon." Consort Jing held the child tightly, refusing to let go. Her only son was barely old enough to walk and call out to his parents!
The Empress Dowager shook her head. "Only if he dies can he live. Do you understand?"
Consort Jing could only sob. She didn't love the emperor that much, but she loved her child. Was it not even possible to give up the throne? Why did they have to send her child away?
The Empress Dowager didn't want to say anything more. She knew best what kind of person Consort Jing was; she had some brains, but not many.
If it weren't for her protection, Consort Jing would have lost her life just like the Empress.
Speaking of the Empress, the Empress Dowager also felt guilty. It was her mistake. She had already arranged for people to go there and had given instructions to the Imperial Guards. But the problem was that the commander of the Imperial Guards was actually one of Prince Zhao's men.
Prince Duan rushed to save the person, but was framed for murder.
Even if many people know in their hearts that it wasn't Prince Duan who did it, as long as Prince Zhao investigates, he can use the witnesses and evidence in his hands to suppress Prince Duan completely.
How could the Empress Dowager not feel hatred when she thought of her youngest son who had lost a leg?
No matter how much she hated him, she had to protect the country first. Once King Zhao came to power, he could order Yu Tong and Li Yu to launch a counterattack and completely trap the isolated Northern Jin army here.
Instead of fighting amongst themselves, they allowed the Northern Jin to reap the benefits.
King Zhao had calculated this point precisely, which is why he acted so recklessly.
"Your Majesty, Princess Yanxi requests an audience." The Empress Dowager dabbed at the corner of her eye with a handkerchief, wiping away a tear that had spilled out. She too had moments of weariness and sorrow, but in front of others, especially in front of the younger generation, she still had to put on a brave face.
"Let her in." Then he ordered someone to escort Consort Jing and the young prince out.
Looking at Yanxi dressed in plain clothes, the Empress Dowager took her hand and said with heartache, "Our Yanxi has suffered. Don't worry, your grandmother will protect you."
Yan Xi was intelligent and sensible from a young age, and everyone in the palace liked her. The Empress Dowager naturally loved her too. Not to mention that the Empress and the Crown Prince were no longer around, which meant that Yan Xi had no backing, so the Empress Dowager cherished her even more.
If only the emperor could wake up, but the Empress Dowager knew that was impossible.
"Grandmother." Yan Xi sat down on the Empress Dowager's lap, her face showing a hint of fear. "Grandmother, Father... Father is not sick, he has been poisoned."
These words stunned the Empress Dowager, who unconsciously increased the pressure on her hand.
"What did you say!?"
With red eyes, Yan Xi said, "Although Father's health was not good before, he was still relatively healthy, and the imperial physicians checked his pulse every day. How could he suddenly collapse?"
"Back then, the Western Expedition was so busy, but Father Emperor was able to keep going. Now that the Northern Jin is invading the Great Zhou, given Father Emperor's temperament, he certainly wouldn't dare to collapse easily..." Yan Xi rambled on for a long time before finally pointing out what she had found out.
It was only after Xie Ning pointed this out in his letter that Yan Xi noticed it, and in the end, she actually managed to uncover something.
The Empress Dowager's expression changed, and she immediately summoned Imperial Physician Jiang to inspect the Emperor's bedroom. In the end, no poison was found, but Imperial Physician Jiang's expression gradually became serious after Yan Xi removed the string of Buddhist beads from the Emperor's wrist.
If it were just a Buddhist prayer bead, it wouldn't be so bad, but this prayer bead was soaked in medicine and had its own peculiar incense smell. Combined with the incense burning in the temple, it was a kind of slow poison.
This poison is extremely mild and takes at least three months to show its effects. However, the emperor was distracted by the surprise attack from the Northern Jin Dynasty and busy with state affairs, which caused his health to deteriorate significantly, thus triggering the poison prematurely.
That's why the emperor fell so quickly.
Jiang Yuanzheng felt a chill run down his spine and immediately knelt down, pressing his forehead firmly against the floor. It was his lack of medical skill that had prevented him from discovering that the emperor was poisoned, simply because the emperor's symptoms and pulse were too similar to those of a stroke.
That's why he overlooked this slight unease.
Even though he had clearly sensed a restlessness in the emperor's pulse, he attributed this restlessness to the emperor not having rested well.
"Can the emperor's poison be cured now?" the Empress Dowager asked, clinging to her last hope.
Jiang Yuanzheng shook his head, his face pale.
Yan Xi glanced sideways and saw the Empress Dowager's deep gaze, and knew that Jiang Yuanzheng was probably not going to survive, but he could not die at this time.
"Guards! Drag him away and beat him to death!"
"Grandmother, the dispatch of personnel from the pharmacy, the Imperial Hospital, and the Imperial Medical Bureau still relies on Chief Physician Jiang." Yan Xi knelt down and pleaded on behalf of Chief Physician Jiang.
"Moreover, while it is true that Physician Jiang is guilty of negligence and dereliction of duty, the most hateful person is the one who poisoned him!" As she spoke, Yan Xi shed tears, her eyes filled with hatred, which made the Empress Dowager feel heartbroken.
In the end, the Empress Dowager did not execute Jiang, but instead demoted him and appointed Qiu, the most senior physician in the Imperial Medical Academy, to take over as head physician.
Jiang Yuanzheng gave Yan Xi a grateful look.
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