Several people rushed outside the door almost simultaneously.
Sure enough, I saw two pots of lilies under the window.
Song Siyuan pushed the others back, held his breath, and stepped forward to pluck a petal from one of the two flowerpots.
"There is a layer of liquid on the petals that is similar to dew, but a little thicker than water."
Song Siyuan said in a low voice.
If you don't examine it very carefully, you won't notice anything unusual about the petals; you'd probably just assume it's water that was sprinkled on the flowers while watering them.
Song Siyuan wanted to try it himself, but the Crown Prince stopped him and found a young eunuch to test the medicine.
The young eunuch smelled the two pots of flowers. At first, he didn't react, but after a quarter of an hour, he suddenly felt his eyelids getting heavy.
Song Siyuan carefully examined his body, then nodded to the Crown Prince.
"This is definitely it."
The Crown Prince frowned: "Arrest everyone who has come into contact with these two pots of flowers! Interrogate them thoroughly! Especially those from Shanglin Garden."
Jin Xiang has already gone to Shanglin Garden, and Liu Ji is standing outside waiting for him.
Liu Ji was somewhat embarrassed.
"Your Highness, we must have encountered many people on the way from Shanglin Garden to our East Palace who are not within the jurisdiction of our East Palace. How should we apprehend them?"
He was just a eunuch in the Eastern Palace; he had no say in the affairs of the inner palace or the imperial court.
The crown prince glanced at it and tore a token from his waist.
"Take this and go to the Imperial Guard Commander to request a squad of fifty men."
Liu Ji was startled, took the token with both hands, bowed, and retreated.
The others present were unaware of the importance of this token, but Feng Jia knew it all too well.
After much hesitation, he stepped forward to offer his advice.
"Your Highness, mobilizing the Imperial Guards to search the palace without authorization is a grave taboo. What will you do if the Emperor is angry and blames you?"
The Crown Prince's warrant can indeed mobilize the Imperial Guards, but at most only fifty people; it is a ceremonial guard for protection when the prince goes out.
The Crown Prince's authority was actually limited to the Eastern Palace; outside of it, he had little real power. In particular, the search of the inner palace was something no emperor could tolerate.
This is no longer a simple overstepping of authority; to put it more seriously, it is tantamount to usurpation of power.
The crown prince remained expressionless, but a coldness lingered between his brows.
"Please blame me if you want, but before that, I must pull out every single nail!"
This was the first time Feng Jia had ever seen the Crown Prince with such an expression.
In his extreme anger, the crown prince became even calmer.
At that moment, he knew very well what was most important.
Was it the Emperor's trust and favor?
No, it's not.
His father's trust in him was thinner than a sheet of paper; now it was nothing more than a token gesture.
He had wanted to ruin himself for a long time.
Having set aside his filial piety towards the emperor, the crown prince saw through many things.
Right now, the most important thing for the Crown Prince is Song Xibai's safety.
Seeing Feng Jia's unease, the Crown Prince reassured him.
"Don't worry, I have other countermeasures prepared."
Open confrontation won't work; he's just the crown prince, and he's at a disadvantage against the emperor, whether from the perspective of ruler and subject or father and son.
Therefore, when this matter is investigated in the future, the Crown Prince knows that he will definitely be attacked and impeached, and his position may even be threatened.
But deposing the crown prince is not so easy.
The position of crown prince is crucial to the stability of the court. Unless the crown prince commits a serious crime of treason, he cannot be deposed.
The Crown Prince's mind raced. After calming down a bit, he instructed Song Siyuan to find a way to wake up Consort Rou. Then, he took Wei Hong to the East Side Hall.
Unlike the cold and desolate west hall, the east hall was warm and peaceful.
Song Xibai lay on the bed resting, while Dingxiang sat at the head of the bed watching her, not allowing her to move around.
With such a commotion outside, how could Song Xibai possibly sleep? Although her eyes were closed, she was constantly listening to the sounds outside!
The sounds of footsteps, shouts, and the Crown Prince's voice drifted in intermittently, but not completely. Song Xibai was itching to know what was happening outside, her eyelids trembling.
Dingxiang knew, of course, that she wasn't asleep, but she pretended not to see it.
As soon as the Crown Prince entered, familiar footsteps echoed into the bedroom, and Song Xibai immediately opened her eyes and sat up abruptly.
"Your Highness! What's the situation over there? Has everything been resolved?"
The prince strode to the bedside and pressed her down.
Seeing the opportunity, Dingxiang quietly slipped out, thoughtfully closing the door behind her and telling Wei Hong to stand guard outside.
"Don't move."
The Crown Prince gently helped Song Xibai sit down.
“I’ve taken care of things outside, so you don’t need to worry. Rou Liangyuan is not dead. However, Xie Zhaoxun committed suicide out of fear of punishment.”
Song Xibai looked surprised.
"Xie Zhaoxun?"
She never imagined it was her.
She had initially wondered if it was related to Consort Guo! After all, in the Eastern Palace, besides the Crown Princess and herself, only Consort Guo had the ability to make a move against the West Palace.
I never expected it to be Xie Zhaoxun...
What's in it for her?
There's absolutely no reason for it!
What was the motive?
The Crown Prince then recounted the information he had gathered, piece by piece.
"The most likely possibility right now is that Xie Zhaoxun is someone else's mole planted in the Eastern Palace."
Song Xibai glanced around and asked in a low voice.
"Is it the Emperor?"
The Crown Prince slowly shook his head: "It's not certain yet, and evidence is hard to find."
Song Xibai wrinkled her nose.
"Getting evidence would be too difficult. He's the emperor. If the investigation really comes back to him, he can just push it onto the eunuchs and maids around him. Who would suspect him then?"
The crown prince sighed inwardly and rubbed her little nose.
"Don't overthink it, your health is the most important thing. Why did you fall ill today? I told you to be careful before I left, but you ignored me."
Song Xibai shrank her neck.
"It was an accident, an accident! It was just too hot today! I only had heatstroke, nothing else, it's not serious! By the way, where's my dad?"
"They were studying how to wake people up in the west wing hall."
"There's no cure for the Thousand-Day Intoxication. She'll only wake up when she's had enough sleep and the effects wear off." Song Xibai tilted her head. "Even my father wouldn't be able to come up with an antidote anytime soon!"
"We don't need an antidote, there are always other ways. You get some sleep, and I'll come and wake you up when we get news from over there."
The Crown Prince, with gentle eyes, lightly touched Song Xibai's cheek.
Her cheeks were still a little pale.
The crown prince couldn't believe what she looked like when she collapsed.
Today was just an accidental heatstroke, but what about the future?
The news of Qingqing's pregnancy hasn't been revealed yet... Once people outside find out she's pregnant, countless eyes will be on her.
Thinking of this, the crown prince felt a tightness in his chest.
We must never let this happen!
This time, even if it means giving up the position of crown prince, we must eliminate any future worries!
The crown prince closed his eyes slightly, concealing the fierce glint in them.
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