The next day, a banquet was held in the palace to celebrate Chu Qingluan's canonization as the Crown Princess. All court officials above the third rank attended the banquet and brought their families with them.
As usual, the palace banquet was held outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony. During the banquet, the emperor and his ministers drank together in harmony.
Many ministers came to toast Chu Qingluan, and she responded to them one by one and took a symbolic sip.
After a while, her cheeks were already slightly hot.
The King of Chu was also very happy today. He drank a lot of wine while being served by several concubines.
After three rounds of drinking, the Emperor of Chu rose from his dragon throne, his face radiant with smile as he said, "Today, I congratulate Zhaoyang on being crowned the Crown Princess. It is a blessing for our great Chu to have a successor! Everyone, drink this cup with me, and may our great Chu..."
Before he finished speaking, the wine glass in his hand suddenly fell to the ground with a clang, and he fell straight forward.
"Father!"
"His Majesty!"
When everyone saw this, they cheered.
Chu Qingluan's face suddenly changed, and she rushed forward and supported the limp body of Emperor Chu, shocked!
"Father! Father!"
The Emperor of Chu had his eyes tightly closed, his face was as pale as paper, and his breathing was so weak that it was almost imperceptible.
Chu Qingluan's heart sank suddenly and her hands were shaking.
"Quick! Help His Majesty to the side hall to rest!" She suppressed the panic in her heart and ordered the palace servants beside her to help.
"Imperial sister, let me do it." Chu Hong took the initiative to step forward and took over the support of the palace maids. He and Yao Jinzhong stood on the left and right, supporting Emperor Chu to the side hall.
The other eunuchs also called for the imperial physician and the lamplighter, and soon sent the King of Chu to the side hall next door.
Then, Chu Qingluan ordered the commander of the imperial guards, "Seal the palace gates. No one is allowed to enter or leave without permission until the emperor wakes up!"
Everyone was shocked, but no one dared to object at this time.
Some timid ladies and young ladies even began to hug each other and huddle together, keeping silent as a mouse.
Soon, several imperial doctors arrived with medicine boxes, bustling around with diagnosis, acupuncture, and pulse-taking, with beads of sweat oozing from their foreheads.
Chu Qingluan stood aside, her fists clenched, her eyes as cold as frost.
Her father's health had finally improved, and she had a hunch that today's events would not be simple.
But who could have caused such a commotion at the palace banquet? He could even touch the food that the emperor had taken.
She glanced at Chu Hong's back in front of her, as if thinking about something.
Could it be Chu Hong?
At this moment, the leading doctor, Doctor Fang, wiped the sweat from his forehead and bowed to report, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty's pulse is weak and his breathing is disordered. It seems...it seems that kidney deficiency, coupled with excessive drinking, has led to the sudden fainting."
"What nonsense!"
Chu Hong stood up suddenly, knocking over the medicine box beside him.
"Father has always been in good health, how could he suddenly faint from kidney deficiency? You quacks, can't you just make random excuses when you can't find the cause?"
He looked anxious and angry, and it didn't seem fake.
The imperial doctors were so frightened that they kowtowed repeatedly: "Your Highness, please calm down. Everything we said is true!"
Chu Qingluan frowned, obviously not believing this statement.
Although my father drank some wine, he was far from fainting. There must be something else going on.
At this moment, a royal physician suddenly seemed to recall something and suggested, "Your Majesty's health has always been taken care of by Princess Wuya from the Western Regions. Perhaps Princess Wuya knows something about this situation. How about..."
Before the imperial physician finished speaking, Chu Hong ordered the palace servants, "Come here, go and invite Princess Wuya over."
Not long after, 'Wu Ya' came hurriedly.
She was wearing exotic clothes, with just the right amount of panic on her face, and she quickly walked to the bedside to check the pulse of the Emperor Chu.
After a moment, she raised her head, glanced at Chu Qingluan, and then bowed, saying, "Your Majesty's fainting isn't simply due to kidney deficiency. There's a hint of toxicity in your pulse. You must have accidentally ingested something that's incompatible with the wine you drank today."
"What?"
Chu Qingluan was shocked that someone dared to poison at the palace banquet.
"It may not be poisoning, it may be improper diet." Wu Ya frowned and said uncertainly.
"However, this reaction is swift and violent. If it is not resolved in time, it may harm Your Majesty's health."
Chu Qingluan made a prompt decision.
"Come here! Pass on my order. Have the palace servants and imperial guards thoroughly search the banquet venue and all the food and drinks that Your Majesty has touched today. Not a single trace can be left untouched!"
The imperial guards and palace servants immediately took action and conducted a comprehensive search of the banquet venue outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
Chu Qingluan, Chu Hong and others were guarding outside the side hall. The atmosphere was so heavy that it was hard to breathe.
Soon, several imperial guards and palace servants conducted a carpet search of everything that the Emperor of Chu had touched at the banquet, leaving no trace.
Even the dragon throne that the Emperor of Chu had sat on had its cushions lifted up and carefully inspected.
About an hour later, a guard came running over with an exquisite wine jug in his hand.
"Your Highness, I found this under the table next to your Majesty's seat. The remaining wine inside appears to be different from what your Majesty drank."
Chu Qingluan took the wine jug, opened it and smelled it, and her brows frowned even more tightly.
She handed the wine jug to Wuya: "Take a look."
Wu Ya took the wine pot, smelled it carefully, and tested it with a silver needle. Suddenly, his face changed drastically.
"Your Highness, this wine is mixed with the juice of the Drunken Immortal Vine. Drinking a small amount will only make people sleepy, but if mixed with the strong liquor Your Majesty drank today, it will produce a highly toxic reaction!"
"Immortal Drunken Vine?" Chu Hong narrowed his eyes slightly. "What is that?"
At this time, a royal physician took the initiative to explain, "This Immortal Drunken Vine isn't native to the Great Chu, but rather grows in a valley deep within the Great Qin. Legend has it that it's rare, and generally only used by the princes and nobles of the Great Qin. It's usually used to make aphrodisiacs."
After he finished speaking, the whole place fell into an eerie silence.
Even Chu Qingluan frowned.
Growing up in the heart of Daqin?
How could it be such a coincidence?
Qin Yuan just left Da Chu yesterday, and such a poisonous creature appeared today?
It is impossible that there was no premeditation!
At this moment, Yu Nu suddenly crawled out from the sleeve, her small body standing upright, sniffing quickly with the tip of her nose, and her pair of black bean-like eyes staring at the front, appearing extremely alert.
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