Hongli's poisoning symptoms worsened day by day. Initially, he could barely manage to swallow some medicine, and with the help of Physician Yang's acupuncture, he could still hold on. But this morning, when Granny Wang tried to feed him medicine, he couldn't swallow it at all; it just flowed from the corner of his mouth. His body temperature also gradually dropped. To try and keep him warm, Lanqin had several braziers and thick blankets brought in, causing everyone to sweat profusely—after all, it was May—but even this couldn't maintain Hongli's temperature. Hongli's face was sallow, and his lips were almost a deep purple; his breathing was barely perceptible unless one listened carefully. Lanqin stayed by Hongli's side tirelessly, not daring to blink.
Baoqin couldn't bear it any longer, so she knelt down and begged Lanqin, "Your Majesty, please let me stay here and watch over him. I will definitely take good care of the prince!"
Lanqin shook her head weakly, her eyes fixed on Hongli, and whispered, "No, I want to stay by Hongli's side myself, so that he can see his mother the moment he opens his eyes. It's all my fault that Hongli is suffering like this..."
Baoqin sobbed, wiping away her tears, and pleaded, "Your Highness, how could it be your fault? Your Highness has always been kind-hearted and treats everyone well. If this can be blamed on Your Highness, I will never believe it. It must be Consort Nian. She can't stand Your Highness's favor, so she vented her jealousy on the prince..."
Lanqin turned and snapped, "You can't make judgments without evidence! I've said it many times already, don't spread rumors! How can you draw conclusions without any evidence?"
Baoqin knelt and stepped forward, saying, "Your Majesty, how can there be no evidence? I heard everything Princess Xueying said to you yesterday. Princess Xueying said it was Consort Nian who did it! Why won't Your Majesty believe her?"
Lanqin's heart sank. Indeed, Xueying had approached Lanqin, subtly implying that Hongli's poisoning was unrelated to the Empress and was the work of Consort Nian. However, Lanqin couldn't be entirely certain of Xueying's motives. If she was sent by the Empress, worried that Hongli's situation would implicate her, perhaps she was deliberately trying to shirk responsibility.
Therefore, Lanqin could only place her hopes on Physician Yang. But now, seeing Hongli on the verge of death, Lanqin thought about Xueying's words and decided to trust her.
Thinking deeper, Xueying had always harbored feelings for Hongli, so her concern for him was understandable. The Empress wasn't foolish enough to send Xueying to alert the enemy at this critical juncture. Doing so would be tantamount to protesting too much, which wasn't the Empress's style. Xueying secretly came to tell Lanqin that the poisoning incident was related to Consort Nian, so she must have had some clues to dare to speculate, especially since her expression at the time didn't seem like she was lying.
Seeing Lanqin hesitate, Baoqin pulled her along, saying, "Your Highness, don't hesitate any longer. Even if it's just a try, it's worth it. If the prince delays any longer, he really will die..."
Lanqin was stunned. She didn't want Hongli to die! Even without evidence, she should take a gamble. Maybe what Xueying said was true.
Thinking of this, Lanqin suddenly stood up and rushed to the outer room. The Fourth Master, who had been resting in the outer room, was awakened by the noise. Without saying a word, Lanqin knelt directly in front of the Fourth Master. The Fourth Master was startled and wanted to help her up, but Lanqin stopped him.
"Your Majesty! I beg Your Majesty to investigate Yikun Palace..." Lanqin said, looking up. This was the first time she had knelt before the Fourth Prince, and the first time she had begged him.
Fourth Master thought Lanqin was desperate this time, and hesitated to speak. Lanqin looked up and saw that Fourth Master's brows were furrowed, and he looked very troubled.
Lanqin raised her voice again and repeated, "Your Majesty! I beg Your Majesty to investigate Yikun Palace. Hongli's poisoning is related to Consort Nian. If we don't investigate now, it will be too late..."
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