The unfortunate head of the Imperial Medical Academy, the highest-ranking official in the Imperial Medical Academy and the one who survived the longest under Emperor Kangxi's scathing rebukes, was inevitably pushed forward by his colleagues.
Holding the warm medicine bowl, the hospital director, though in his forties, still looked like a man in his early thirties.
His voice was mellow and gentle, and he was good at comforting patients, especially the capricious royalty.
The imperial physician said in a good-natured manner, "Your Majesty, this medicine is meant to induce vomiting. When the Crown Prince vomits, some of the medicine will go into his stomach and he will be fine."
"How can you take medicine after vomiting?" Kangxi questioned.
"There's no need to drink it all; a sip or two is enough. It's a rare poison, and what makes it so rare is that it's unusual. Without an antidote, even a celestial being couldn't save you. Once the antidote is prepared, the poison will be easily neutralized."
Under Kangxi's watchful eye, the imperial physician calmly poured the medicine into Yinreng's mouth.
"The previous emperor was assassinated by this same poison. At the time, the entire court searched high and low for the medicine, but only eighteen of the ingredients were found. In the decades that followed, people continued to search for the missing ingredients, but two were still missing."
"Of those two medicines, one is in Your Majesty's private treasury, and the other is a sacred tree given to you by your concubine."
After the academy envoy finished speaking, Yinreng, who had been forced to drink several mouthfuls of medicine, finally turned over and vomited on the ground.
"Your Majesty, please leave and avoid the mess." The Imperial Physician looked at the mess and the lingering stench without even frowning.
Kangxi, without even frowning, took a few steps to the side: "When the Crown Prince contracted smallpox, I stayed by his side. Why not now? You all treat him well, I'll stay here with you. My Baocheng, he risked his life for me, what filial piety he is, how can I abandon him!"
As he finished speaking, Kangxi's voice became increasingly choked with emotion.
The imperial physician fell silent. He instructed the waiting imperial physician to assist him, carefully removing the silver hairpin, squeezing out the poisonous blood, and then applying the dregs of the decoction.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Yinreng never woke up.
Even his vomiting, which made him dizzy and disoriented, was merely a bodily instinct.
Kangxi was secretly overjoyed. His son, Baocheng, hated bitter and smelly things the most, and this medicine had both. Luckily, Baocheng was unconscious; otherwise, he would have suffered terribly.
Yinreng was completely unaware of how disgusting the antidote was, but that did not make him feel much better.
From the moment the small dagger on the hairpin pierced his chest, his wound and internal organs felt as if they were being roasted on fire. The burning pain was unbearable, yet he couldn't scream out; he could only endure it.
From the time of poisoning to the time of detoxification, two hours passed, and everyone's clothes were soaked with sweat from the tension.
When the imperial physicians re-diagnosed and confirmed that Yinreng was safe and sound, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
"Your Majesty, I am fortunate to have fulfilled my mission," the Imperial Physician said, putting away his small medicine box.
Kangxi pursed his lips: "You will be in charge of all the prescriptions for the Crown Prince's health. I want to see a healthy and plump Crown Prince a month from now."
Yinreng was tall and upright, like a jade tree, and his plump and wealthy appearance was probably only seen before he was six years old.
The Imperial Physician was having a bit of a headache; the Emperor was being willful again.
Avoiding Kangxi's words, the Imperial Physician suggested, "The medicine had a strong taste. The Crown Prince is already fine. Why doesn't Your Majesty change your clothes?"
Kangxi raised his sleeve, brought it close to his face, sniffed hard, and almost vomited.
His face was pale and ashen, and he glanced at Yinreng with reluctance: "I'll go now. Baocheng, could you please change your clothes?"
"That's natural. Not only that, everything the Crown Prince has touched must be burned," the Imperial Physician said.
After changing his clothes, Kangxi returned to the palace to find everything cleaned up, showing no signs of the previous commotion. The windows were wide open for ventilation, and two fragrant bouquets of flowers sat in a vase by the window.
Kangxi sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked Yinreng's face: "My Baocheng has suffered."
The following day at the court assembly, Emperor Kangxi rarely failed to appear.
The ministers who arrived early were puzzled; this was unlike their diligent monarch.
It wasn't until Liang Jiugong arrived that the ministers and other princes learned of the accident that had happened the day before.
In front of Liang Jiugong, they praised the Crown Prince extensively. The Han officials almost burst into tears on the spot, composing odes on filial piety and loyalty to the emperor for Yinreng.
The image of Yinreng as the perfect crown prince was once again elevated in the hearts of the court officials, shining brightly.
What's the point of holding a court assembly if the emperor doesn't come?
After returning to the First Prince's residence, Yinti mentioned it to the First Princess Consort, then buried himself in the storeroom and dug out Ganoderma lucidum and tonics.
"My lady, I'm going to deliver something to the Crown Prince and check if he's really protecting him!" Before the First Lady could speak, he strode out the door.
After boarding the carriage with his bags and packages, Yinqi urged the coachman to hurry while muttering to himself, "The Crown Prince is truly cunning. He risked his life just to win Father's favor. Luckily, he's alright. If he had died, what would I, as his older brother, do? Would I be outdone by his filial piety?"
As for the worries and discomfort in his heart, Yinti deliberately ignored them.
He kept implying that he was rushing to the palace just to show off in front of Emperor Kangxi and to project the image of an elder brother who loves his younger brother.
Yinti lived outside the palace, some distance from the palace.
When he arrived at the Qianqing Palace, Yinzhen and the others were all waiting there. Judging from their appearance, it seemed that none of them had seen the injured person.
"Big brother!" Yinzhen said first.
Yinti nodded: "Fourth brother, have you seen the Crown Prince?"
Yinzhen shook his head: "Father said that Second Brother is still unconscious and needs to rest, but he is fine. As long as he rests properly, he will definitely recover completely. Father stayed with Second Brother all night yesterday and only recently persuaded him to go to sleep."
Yinzhi, Yinqi, and the others nodded in agreement, indicating that Yinzhen was right.
Logically speaking, there's no point in them sitting here; it's a complete waste of time. But being closer to Yinreng makes them feel more at ease.
Who would have thought that a delicate palace maid would become an assassin in the blink of an eye?
Upon receiving the news, they couldn't help but feel afraid whenever they saw palace maids on their way here.
What if there are disguised assassins hiding in the palace? They value their lives.
Knowing that Yinreng was resting, Yinti lowered his voice and shook the box in his hand.
“These are medicinal herbs I obtained last year when I went to Mongolia. They’re not rare, but they’re old. I’ll have the imperial physician take a look later, and if they’re usable, we’ll use them together,” Yinti said.
"Thank you, elder brother." Yinzhen thanked him on behalf of Yinreng, his little face stern, his worry and concern clearly visible.
Yinti felt a warmth in his heart. The Crown Prince's affection for the fourth prince was truly well-deserved.
Ruffling Yinzhen's head, Yinti said, "Don't make such a sour face. When the Crown Prince wakes up and sees you like this, he'll have to comfort you instead."
"I can't help but worry since I haven't seen my second brother. Don't worry, eldest brother, I'll sit here for a while and then go back." Yinzhen replied to Yinti, his eyes constantly drifting towards the inner room.
After delivering the medicine, neither Emperor Kangxi nor Yinreng were present. Yinti went to Consort Hui's place for a short while before returning home.
The journey back was leisurely, and I bought some dried fruit and snacks for the First Princess Consort along the way, no longer feeling the panic I had when I left home.
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