The prince coughed twice, spat out a mouthful of black blood, and then spoke weakly.
"Father, Mother, I have remembered something."
"Last year, when I went to the Huguo Temple to pray for blessings, I met Concubine Su. Besides praying for the Great Zhou and my father, the Huguo Temple also lit a perpetual lamp for me. Concubine Su was nearby at the time, so she must have seen my horoscope."
The prince spoke slowly, as if he was holding his breath. Those who didn't know the truth would have thought he was terminally ill.
Su Xiangling's already pale face turned even paler. Did the prince already believe it?
They had been in love for a while and were pregnant, but he didn't trust her at all.
Hate? She did. But besides the Crown Prince, she hated Su Qingyu and Mr. Zhou even more.
Emperor Xuande was about to ask Mr. Zhou how to dispel this secret technique when he saw Su Xiangling suddenly turn around and pounce on the Grand Prince.
He was still shouting, "Su Qingyu, it's all your fault. You're the one who harmed me."
"Did you have someone put the things into the East Palace? You and Mr. Zhou are in cahoots. You want to take revenge on me, don't you?"
She was so excited and had been kneeling for a long time that she staggered to Su Qingyu's side.
Su Qingyu was concerned about her pregnancy and was afraid of being contaminated. She stood up and took a step back, her movements were quick and decisive.
Seeing this, Hu Lu quickly winked at the two aunts behind the Concubine Xian. The two of them reacted quickly and rushed to the prince to support Su Xiangling.
Seeing that she was involved in the matter, Su Qingyu felt that she could no longer escape from the trouble.
She straightened her dress, walked to the center of the hall and knelt down. "I failed to teach my cousin well, and it almost caused a disaster. I am willing to accept the punishment."
Emperor Xuande had a very good impression of Su Qingyu, firstly because of Shen Zhixiu, and secondly because every time he met Su Qingyu, her every move was dignified and graceful, and it was obvious that she was well-educated.
So when Emperor Xuande heard Su Qingyu say this, he said in a gentle voice: "Get up, this matter has nothing to do with you."
Su Qingyu did not stand up, but said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I have two requests, please fulfill them."
The courtiers and ladies sitting in the hall, some of whom were familiar with the Su family, could not help but show disdain on their faces. It was no secret that the two young ladies of the Su family were not on good terms. But they did not expect that Madam Shen San would actually add insult to injury at this time.
Although Su Qingyu hadn't spoken yet, they seemed to have guessed what she was about to say. They simply hoped that the emperor would punish Su Xiangling severely and make her receive the punishment she deserved.
Some of them even started whispering to each other, acting like they were living Buddhas. In reality, if this happened to them, they would probably be even more cruel than Su Qingyu.
Emperor Xuande did not make things difficult for him, but said amiably, "If you have any request, please tell me."
Su Qingyu kowtowed to Emperor Xuande before speaking, "Your Majesty, I beg you to thoroughly investigate this matter and not wrongly accuse my second sister."
"If it is really my second sister who was confused for a moment, please be merciful, Your Majesty, and forgive my second uncle, second aunt, and the entire Su family."
In fact, the matter had been thoroughly investigated, and Emperor Taizu had issued an order at the founding of the country that witchcraft should not implicate innocent people. So even if Su Qingyu did not plead for mercy, the Su family would be fine.
However, her words actually earned her a lot of favor. They were also the most powerful rebuttal to Su Xiangling's accusation.
The ladies who had previously slandered Su Qingyu now all remained silent.
As expected, Emperor Xuande agreed to Su Qingyu's request. He also praised Su Qingyu for her purity and filial piety and gave her additional rewards.
Su Xiangling watched Su Qingyu stand up calmly, and she wanted to bite her teeth to pieces.
But she was restrained by her two aunts and could not move, with a handkerchief stuffed in her mouth.
After Su Qingyu left, Emperor Xuande looked at Mr. Zhou and asked, "How do we unlock this secret technique?"
Mr. Zhou replied, "That's not difficult. Just prepare a brazier and have His Royal Highness burn the doll himself, and everything will be fine."
Chen Zheng looked at the prince, then at Mr. Zhou, "You mean, after the prince burns the doll, it will be restored to its original state?"
Mr. Zhou nodded, looking confident.
He was confident, but Chen Zheng didn't.
"Your Majesty, I think this statement is a bit misleading. I still think that the Crown Prince seems to have been poisoned. Why not ask a doctor to take a look?"
Chen Zheng's uncle died in the battle between Qianzhou and Miaojiang, so Chen Zheng has never had a good impression of the Miao people.
He didn't believe a word Mr. Zhou said. The prince was weak and vomiting black blood, symptoms of poisoning. The imperial physician couldn't diagnose the condition because he wasn't skilled. If he found a skilled physician, he'd be able to diagnose it.
What kind of witchcraft is that? It's just a trick used by the southern barbarians to scare people. How can it be as magical as they say?
Xianfei was a little unhappy when she heard Chen Zheng say that, but considering that Chen Zheng was the prince's teacher, she did not embarrass him in public.
Instead, she said to Emperor Xuande, "Your Majesty, what Lord Chen said makes sense. I think we should try it according to what Mr. Zhou said. If it gets better, it will get better naturally. If not, we should quickly find a famous doctor."
The virtuous concubine first agreed with what Lord Chen said, and then suggested trying the method Mr. Zhou suggested first.
Chen Zheng felt a little uncomfortable, but in the end he still believed what this southern barbarian said.
Emperor Xuande nodded and agreed with Concubine Xian's opinion.
Hu Lu took his men and went downstairs to prepare the brazier himself.
Soon, the brazier was brought to the center of the hall. The prince, holding the doll in his hand, walked over to the brazier. He glanced at everyone and solemnly threw the doll in.
The fire in the brazier was burning brightly, and the puppet disappeared in a moment. The prince's face also became visibly redder.
He took two deep breaths, and the discomfort in his chest disappeared.
Su Qingyu was deeply impressed by Mr. Zhou's unique skills in poisoning and detoxifying. If she didn't know the inside story, she would have thought that the prince and Mr. Zhou had discussed it together.
Mr. Zhou placed the antidote inside the doll, which would take effect when exposed to fire. This trick was truly amazing. Once the poison was dissolved, it would kill Su Xiangling.
The prince took two deep breaths and regained his composure. He turned and glared at Su Xiangling, his eyes filled with viciousness.
The thought of Su Xiangling actually doing such a cruel thing to him for the sake of her unborn child... And that thing about a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix and the Taoist hexagrams, they were all fake.
This woman is really ambitious. She approached him deliberately just to get pregnant and let the child in her belly ascend to a high position.
He was holding back his anger and desperately wanted to vent it out.
The prince stepped forward quickly and, whether intentionally or unintentionally, kicked Su Xiangling in the stomach.
Su Xiangling screamed and fell to the ground, spitting out the handkerchief that had been stuffed in her mouth.
She covered her lower abdomen in horror, her face twisted in pain, and felt a hot current flowing out from under her body.
"Your Highness...save our child..."
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