Meanwhile, the Prince of Heshuo, the Fifth Prince, the Seventh Prince, the Eighth Prince, the Ninth Prince, and the Tenth Prince had already received Emperor Kangxi's summons and were all rushing to the palace.
Yinti was the first to arrive at the palace. When he learned of Kangxi's sudden summons and considered that the Crown Prince hadn't attended court for the past few days, he had already guessed what was going on. Meanwhile, the old man and Gao Tan had been performing rituals at his estate for the past few days, making it difficult for the Crown Prince to escape.
Thinking of this, Yinti's heart began to race. He really wanted to know who Kangxi would choose as the crown prince next.
At this moment, Emperor Kangxi was reading in the left side room of the Qianqing Palace. Although the situation with the Crown Prince was very urgent, as the emperor, he would not show his panic or anger. At any time, even if the sky were to fall, as the emperor, he would still sit firmly behind his imperial desk, calmly observing the world.
"Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince has sent word that the Crown Prince is out of danger," Liang Jiugong reported as he entered and stood beside Emperor Kangxi.
Kangxi breathed a sigh of relief, closed the book, and said, "I understand. Don't mention it to anyone else for now. Go and call the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, and the Fourteenth Prince over, and tell them not to mention the Crown Prince's situation for the time being."
Liang Jiugong's brow twitched. Having served Emperor Kangxi for nearly fifty years, he immediately understood the meaning behind those words.
When the Prince of Heshuo was the first to step into the Qianqing Palace, the Third Prince, the Fourth Prince, and the Fourteenth Prince were already inside.
"Baoqing!" Kangxi couldn't help but call out when he saw Prince Heshuo paying his respects.
"Father, I rushed here as soon as I heard that the Crown Prince was in trouble. Is the Crown Prince out of danger?" Yinti asked anxiously.
"Physician Yang has not yet reported, so we are unaware of the situation," the Fourth Prince replied on behalf of Emperor Kangxi.
"Oh, what exactly is wrong with His Highness the Crown Prince?" Yinti asked, suppressing his nervousness.
"Imperial Physician Yang said that His Highness the Crown Prince has been infected with a Gu worm. It's outrageous! I don't know who dared to use a Gu worm on His Highness. Father Emperor has ordered the prohibition of witchcraft and sorcery," said the Third Prince.
Yinti hadn't expected Physician Yang to be so skilled, diagnosing the Crown Prince with witchcraft so quickly. He had thought the Crown Prince would succumb to exhaustion while the cause of his illness remained unknown, but the cause had been discovered so quickly. He suppressed his disappointment, secretly hoping the Crown Prince wouldn't succumb.
At this time, the Fifth Prince, Seventh Prince, Eighth Prince, Ninth Prince, and Tenth Prince arrived one after another. Before long, all of Kangxi's adult and living princes were present, except for the Crown Prince.
"Liang Jiugong, tell them what Physician Yang said," Kangxi gestured to the old eunuch.
Liang Jiugong bowed slightly and then addressed the princes present, saying, "The Crown Prince is currently suffering from Gu poison. Physician Yang says that a medicinal catalyst is needed to draw the Gu worms out of the Crown Prince's body."
Everyone stared blankly at Liang Jiugong. Even the Third Master, Fourth Master, and Fourteenth Master, who had been informed beforehand to rehearse this scene, maintained the same expression as the others who had just heard the news.
"Physician Yang said that the medicine the Crown Prince needs is the flesh and blood of his blood brother. The worm must be fed with the flesh and blood of his brother in order to lure it out." Under Kangxi's instruction, Liang Jiugong specially transformed the blood into flesh and blood.
Upon hearing his words, the princes present all paled. Was he suggesting cutting off a piece of flesh to heal the wound?
Kangxi quietly observed everyone present, and their expressions varied when they heard Liang Jiugong's words. Those who had no dealings with the Crown Prince on a regular basis showed hesitation, after all, the sound of flesh being cut and blood dripping was quite horrifying.
"Well, who among you can cut flesh and shed blood for the Crown Prince?" Kangxi asked, scanning the expressions on everyone's faces.
Although the Third Prince knew this was all an act, he shouldn't have said he dared at this moment; the Fourth Prince's expression was calm as still water; the Fifth Prince's expression was indifferent; the Seventh Prince hesitated; the Eighth Prince's expression was calm; the Ninth Prince's expression was indifferent; the Tenth Prince's expression was struggling; the Fourteenth Prince looked like it was none of his business; but the expression of the Prince of Heshuo was incomprehensible.
"Father, if it is absolutely necessary, then I am willing to cut off my own flesh and shed my blood for the Crown Prince!" After hesitating for a long time, the Seventh Prince stood up and said to Kangxi.
“Father, I can do it too!” the Tenth Prince also stood up and said.
Kangxi glanced at his two sons a few times, then said to the others, "What, even the seventh son is willing? Can you all just sit idly by and do nothing?"
Third Master, Fifth Master, Eighth Master, and Ninth Master also stood up to express their willingness.
"Father, Physician Yang said that we must expel the parasites quickly, otherwise it may be too late to save His Highness the Crown Prince," said the Fourth Prince.
"Yes, Father Emperor. Physician Yang said that if His Highness the Crown Prince is not treated today, he may be beyond saving," said the Fourteenth Prince.
"Baoqing, what about you? Why don't you, as the eldest brother, say a word at this time?" Kangxi asked Yinti sternly.
"Your Majesty, I have never heard of using human flesh to cure illness. Could it be that Physician Yang cannot cure His Highness the Crown Prince's illness and is trying to deceive Your Majesty with such words?" Yinti said. He had to buy time; as long as he could, the Crown Prince would be beyond saving.
"Oh? You say that Physician Yang is deceiving His Majesty? Then tell me, how exactly should the Crown Prince's illness be treated?" Kangxi asked.
"Your Majesty, I believe the Crown Prince is the rightful heir to the throne of the Great Qing. I think we should immediately invite a high-ranking monk to chant sutras and pray for him. Then we should gather more imperial physicians to treat the Crown Prince," Yinti said.
Kangxi quietly observed the eldest prince, the eldest son of the Qing Dynasty, a child he had always valued highly, and who had once shared a childhood friendship with the crown prince. But now, how was he treating the crown prince?
"Disperse, all of you! The Crown Prince is out of danger. I was just testing your loyalty to him! I never expected that even Bao Cheng's brothers, whom he doesn't usually associate with, would stand up for him at this time!" Kangxi said with a heavy sigh.
When he said this, everyone present looked incredulous, but they quickly came to believe it.
After leaving the Qianqing Palace, Yinti and the Third Prince walked in the same direction, one after the other.
"What does Father mean by this? Does he suspect that one of us has harmed the Crown Prince?" Yinti said as he walked.
"We can't guess what Father Emperor means. As his sons, we can only follow his wishes," the Third Prince thought to himself with a smile.
"Who do you think poisoned the Crown Prince?" Yinti asked.
"I have no idea. If I did, I would have told Father Emperor long ago," said the Third Prince.
"Fortunately, the Crown Prince is alright, otherwise I really don't know how chaotic things would have become," Yinti said against his will. How he wished that the Crown Prince would be killed by the Gu worm, so that he would have another chance.
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