Chapter 122 Poisoning
The crown prince was cushioned by Meng Guanqi and was not injured, but when he looked up, he saw that the boy lying on him was pale and had an arrow stuck in his back.
The Crown Prince's expression changed drastically. He helped Meng Guanqi up and shouted, "The army doctor! Where is the army doctor?!"
However, they raided the imperial estate in the dead of night with cavalry, it was an informal march, and there were no military doctors accompanying them at all.
Pang Shi reached out and broke the arrow off Meng Guanqi's back, but with no military doctor present, he dared not remove it easily, otherwise the bleeding might not stop and Meng Guanqi's life would be in danger.
But when the arrow broke, Meng Guanqi groaned in pain. Pang Shi glanced at the wound by the firelight and his expression changed drastically: "Your Highness, this arrow is poisoned!"
The crown prince flew into a rage and immediately drew his sword: "Has the traitor who plotted against me been caught? I will tear him to pieces!"
Immediately, soldiers brought over a short, stout woman. Her eyes were filled with venom as she glared fiercely at the prince. She had almost, almost killed him! How hateful!
She showed no fear and said fiercely, "It's you again, you brat, who ruined my plans! I should have poisoned the soup two years ago and killed you, so you wouldn't have to ruin my plans again and again."
Meng Guanqi's face was ashen, but he recognized the person as his third aunt. He smiled weakly and said, "It's a pity that His Highness the Crown Prince is blessed by the heavens and has escaped danger time and time again. On the contrary, you and your master used to live like rats in the gutter, afraid to see the light of day. Now your secrets have been exposed, and you won't be able to jump around for much longer."
Third Aunt spat and sneered, "What am I, an old woman, afraid of? At worst, I can drag a handsome young man like you down with me! Stop your fuss, this arrow is for the Crown Prince, there's no antidote. Since you took it for him, you'll suffer the consequences. You'll watch your own flesh rot away piece by piece, enduring unimaginable torment until you die, beyond the reach of medicine! Hahahaha—"
The Crown Prince stepped forward and slapped Third Aunt hard across the face, then grabbed her by the throat: "Hand over the antidote, or I'll skin you alive, tear you apart, and leave your body to be devoured by wild dogs in the wilderness, so you'll die a horrible death!"
The third aunt chuckled coldly as blood continued to flow from her eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. The prince was shocked; she had already taken poison ahead of time!
Blood kept flowing from Auntie's mouth as she struggled to say, "Don't waste your energy. You'll never get the antidote in this lifetime. This old woman will go first, become a vengeful ghost, and wait for you on the road to the underworld—"
She suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, her eyes widened, and then she fell silent.
The soldier holding her reached out and felt her neck, then said tremblingly, "She...she's dead."
The Crown Prince was furious. Tonight was supposed to be a game he was sure to win, but he never expected to be turned around and falsely accused, and even implicate the innocent Meng Guanqi.
He roared, "He Xiang, you stay here and turn every inch of the imperial estate upside down! If even one of them escapes, bring me his head!"
He Xiang had never seen the Crown Prince lose his temper like this before, and immediately obeyed the order: "This subordinate obeys!"
The Crown Prince mounted his horse and said, "Pang Shi, Wan Quan, you two come with me to take Young Master Meng back to the Eastern Palace. Immediately summon Imperial Physician Xiao to the palace for treatment!"
Pang Shi and Wan Quan immediately bowed their heads: "Yes!"
In the darkness, a dozen or so cavalrymen sped toward the capital.
Yongzhou is only about 20 miles from the capital. It takes about half an hour on horseback to reach Ding'an Gate. Just as the guards at the gate were about to stop them, they suddenly saw the flag of the Eastern Palace and immediately moved the wooden fence to let them pass.
The Crown Princess had just fallen asleep when hurried footsteps sounded outside her bedchamber.
Although the Crown Princess has been recuperating for the past few days, she is no longer having as much trouble falling asleep at night as before, but she still cannot make any noise in her bedchamber.
What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?
Just as she was about to get up and ask a question, her eyes lit up and Ta Xue rushed forward with a lamp in her hand: "Your Highness, His Highness has returned and wants Your Highness to bring out the oldest ginseng in the storeroom."
"Bring out the oldest ginseng?" The Crown Princess swayed and almost fell. Ta Xue quickly supported her, saying, "Your Highness, be careful."
The Crown Princess suddenly grasped Taxue's hand and asked anxiously, "Is the Crown Prince injured?"
Ta Xue hurriedly said, "No, no, it's because someone His Highness brought back was seriously injured. Wan Quan has already gone to summon Imperial Physician Xiao to the palace."
The Crown Prince personally brought the person back to the East Palace, which shows that this person is useful. It is likely that the person was injured because of the Crown Prince. The Crown Princess hurriedly got up and dressed, and instructed Taxue: "The oldest ginseng is placed on the shelf in the first room of the East Warehouse. Go and have someone fetch it quickly."
Ta Xue quickly agreed, took the key, and immediately ordered the eunuch on night duty to fetch the ginseng.
After getting dressed, the Crown Princess took Ta Xue's hand and hurried to the front hall.
Upon arriving at the front hall, it was brightly lit. Young eunuchs bustled in and out, carrying basins of blood-soaked water. When they saw the Crown Princess arrive, they hurriedly stepped aside.
The Crown Princess looked at the blood in the basin, her heart clenching. She gestured to the young eunuch to quickly change the water, while she went in herself: "Your Highness, who is injured?"
The Crown Prince's face was ashen. He did not answer the Crown Princess's question, but stared unblinkingly at the young man lying on his side on the long bench.
An old man with a white beard was taking off his clothes to examine the wound. This was the military doctor in the manor. His medical skills were naturally not as good as those of the imperial physicians, but he was still good at treating external injuries. Before the imperial physicians arrived, the crown prince had also captured him.
The Crown Prince asked in a deep voice, "Doctor Hu, how is it? Did the arrow hit any vital organs?"
Doctor Hu frowned deeply: "The arrow is stuck in an awkward position. If it were an ordinary arrow wound, I would naturally take a gamble and try to pull it out. With plenty of wound medicine and ginseng to prolong his life, there would be a 70-80% chance of saving him. But if, as Your Highness says, the arrow is poisoned, then I dare not act. If the arrow is pulled out, the blood flow will accelerate and go straight to the heart. Even if Hua Tuo were alive, he would have difficulty curing it. I beg Your Highness to find the antidote as soon as possible for the young master to take."
Pang Shi said, "Could we use acupuncture to delay the onset of the poison? We currently have no antidote."
Doctor Hu said, "I am just a military doctor, skilled in sword and knife wounds, but I know nothing about acupuncture. There are imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital who are extremely skilled in acupuncture. General, you might as well wait for the imperial physician to come and ask him."
Pang Shi was discouraged. That was the downside of being a military doctor; they didn't know any of the more refined treatment methods and had to wait for the imperial physician.
Meng Guanqi's consciousness was already somewhat hazy, his body was fluctuating between hot and cold, and his back and chest were so numb that it felt like his own body was not his own, but at least he knew that he had arrived at the East Palace.
He said softly, "General Pang."
Pang Shi hurriedly said, "Young Master Meng, don't worry. Eunuch Wan has already gone to summon the imperial physician, the head of the Imperial Hospital. He will definitely have a way to detoxify you."
Meng Guanqi shook her head slightly, opened her eyes and looked at him: "Where is Xiaoxiao? I want to see her..."
Pang Shi suddenly fell silent.
He didn't dare to face Li Xiaoxiao.
Li Xiaoxiao took every precaution and repeatedly warned Meng Guanqi not to get involved in this matter. She even had to go through a roundabout way to send him a letter, having Madam Pang's maid deliver it, for fear that someone might discover his connection with the Crown Prince and it would be detrimental to him.
He simply didn't think so.
He felt that rather than letting Meng Guanqi wander around outside, it would be better to put him by the Crown Prince's side. What place would be safer than being with the Crown Prince?
As a result, trouble ensued. He took an arrow for the Crown Prince, and it was a poisoned arrow at that. When Li Xiaoxiao found out, she probably wanted to kill him.
If the poison can be cured, then there is still room for recovery. But if even the imperial physicians cannot cure this poison, how will he explain it to her?
He could only comfort Meng Guanqi: "Right now, it's more important to wait for the imperial physician to treat your wounds. Once the arrow is pulled out and your wounds are healed, you can see whoever you want."
Meng Guanqi then closed his eyes.
He did not persist.
He didn't want Xiaoxiao to see him so weak. If his poison couldn't be cured, how heartbroken would she be?
This silly girl might do something irrational.
The Crown Princess then realized that he was Meng Guanqi, Li Xiaoxiao's master.
She seemed to care a lot about this young master, and when she wanted to leave the East Palace, she would often mention him, saying that she wanted to go home with him.
How heartbroken she would be if she knew that her young master was so badly injured and poisoned while saving the crown prince.
The Crown Princess hesitated. Should she tell her? Or should she wait until the imperial physician had examined her?
She asked the Crown Prince, who also fell silent. He had only recently learned that Li Xiaoxiao and Meng Guanqi had an unusual relationship. He had kept Meng Guanqi by his side to protect him, but he ended up being poisoned by an arrow while trying to save him.
Li Xiaoxiao could be said to have given the Crown Prince a second chance at life, but the only person she wanted to protect ended up like this, and the Crown Prince felt ashamed to face her.
He sighed, "Let's wait for the imperial physician to come and examine us before making any decisions."
The head of the Imperial Medical Academy was dragged over by Wan Quan, panting heavily. He thought something had happened to the Crown Prince because of the urgency. But when he entered the Eastern Palace, he found a handsome young man he didn't recognize with an arrow stuck in his back.
The Crown Prince and Crown Princess, Pang Shi, and even a military doctor were standing there. The Crown Prince's face was extremely pale. If even the Crown Prince was worried about his injuries, it seemed that this young man was no ordinary person.
When the Crown Prince saw that Xiao Yuanzheng had arrived, he immediately stepped forward and explained Meng Guanqi's injuries, emphasizing the poison.
Upon hearing that the arrow was poisoned, Xiao Yuanzheng's expression immediately turned serious. He took out a silver needle, dipped it in a trace of blood, and the silver needle turned black at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Xiao Yuanzheng carefully examined the wound and the condition of the arrow, and then carefully checked Meng Guanqi's pulse.
The prince asked anxiously, "Is it possible to determine what kind of poison this is?"
Xiao Yuanzheng said, "Your Highness, may I speak with you in private?"
The Crown Prince immediately led Xiao Yuanzheng to the side hall, and the Crown Princess and Pang Shi followed, leaving Wan Quan to watch over Meng Guanqi.
Xiao Yuanzheng said solemnly, “Your Highness, if we want to determine what kind of poison this is, we need to test it little by little. After testing it, we need to find a targeted antidote and test it. No one knows how long it will take, but the condition of this young master inside cannot wait for the antidote to be found.”
The crown prince's expression changed drastically.
Xiao Yuanzheng said, “If we don’t remove the arrow, the poison on it will continue to seep into his body, and the longer it goes on, the deeper he will be poisoned. But if we rashly remove the arrow, his wound is not far from his heart, and the pain of removing the arrow will accelerate the flow of blood, which will also accelerate the speed at which the poison enters his internal organs. I will use acupuncture to slow down the poison’s entry into his heart, but I cannot guarantee how effective it will be. I ask Your Highness to decide what to do.”
In other words, both methods are dangerous and neither can cure Meng Guanqi's poisoning.
The Crown Prince asked, "What if we could obtain the antidote? What does the imperial physician think: should we remove it or not?"
Xiao Yuanzheng said happily, "If we can get the antidote, it's best to remove the arrow first. As long as the poison doesn't worsen, acupuncture can slow down the rate at which the poison enters the heart and lungs."
The Crown Prince said expressionlessly, "I understand. I will go find the antidote now. Chief Physician Xiao, prepare to remove the arrow. Make sure the person survives."
Xiao Yuanzheng bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, I will do my utmost."
Although the arrow needed to be removed, Chief Physician Xiao was very cautious. He went back into the room to check Meng Guanqi's pulse again and prescribed a medicine, instructing Wan Quan to have someone boil it down: "Boil three bowls of water down to one bowl, and bring it here quickly."
Wan Quan was extremely cautious and personally instructed Rong Si to fry it: "You fry it yourself and don't take your eyes off it for a moment."
Rong Si took the medicine with trepidation and left.
The Crown Prince said to Pang Shi, "Come with me. It's time for me to meet this 'childlike' sixth brother."
The Crown Princess felt a chill run down her spine, her fingers clenching into fists. Was she finally going to confront him?
The Crown Princess said resentfully, "Your Highness, I will go with you."
The Crown Prince turned around and said, "You stay here. I'm going to get the antidote. As for punishing him, we'll have to wait until we rescue Young Master Meng."
The Prince's Residence.
The sixth prince sat in the main hall of the house, which was brightly lit and devoid of any palace maids or eunuchs. He held a handful of colorful gemstones in his hand and tossed them around.
A figure flashed past outside, and a moment later knocked on the door: "Master~"
The sixth prince said lazily, "Come in."
A figure flashed, and a masked man in black appeared before them, kneeling on one knee and saying in a trembling voice, "Master, the Crown Prince has eliminated the outpost at the Yongzhou Imperial Estate, and everyone inside—is gone."
The sixth prince smiled faintly and sighed, "Brother, you truly are worthy of being the crown prince; you are indeed difficult to kill."
The man in black said, "Master, our men didn't harm the Crown Prince in the slightest, but he wiped out all our forces one by one. I'm afraid he's already discovered your identity. Please, Master, quickly find a way to exonerate yourself!"
The Sixth Prince laughed and said, "Shuangxi, why are you panicking? I'm not panicking at all. With Father and Mother here, even if he knows it was me, what can he do to me?"
Shuangxi looked at the Sixth Prince's calm and expressionless face and couldn't help but tremble.
He really didn't need to panic. As the Emperor and Empress's youngest son, he was showered with love and affection. Even if he committed a capital offense, the Emperor and Empress wouldn't make him pay with his life; at most, they would just lock him up. But what about the people around him? The Emperor and Empress would probably think that they were the ones who instigated the Sixth Prince to turn bad, and they would all die a horrible death!
The Sixth Prince stood up, showing no fear whatsoever, only confusion: "How exactly did my brother figure out that I was behind it? All these years, it has been developing according to my plan. In previous years, he did investigate the Imperial Estate, but he didn't find anything. How come he suddenly traced it back to me this time?"
That shouldn't be the case. If it were really possible to find out, my brother should have found out years ago, but he fooled everyone with his facade. Why did he suddenly take action this time?
Could it be that the poison stone has been discovered?
The fluorite was given away more than four years ago, and the jade cabbage was given away a little later, about a year ago. Why was it not discovered for so long, but was discovered at this time?
When did my brother get such a capable person by his side?
Shuangxi said, "The Eastern Palace has recently gained a new maid, who seems to be helping the Crown Princess to improve her health. However, the people in the Eastern Palace are very tight-lipped. It seems that the Crown Princess has given a strict order not to let anyone know, so we can't find out any more information."
The Sixth Prince asked, "There's a little maid? When did she enter the palace?"
Shuangxi said, "I don't know the exact date of entering the palace, but it's not much different from the day the Crown Prince suddenly started dismantling our outposts."
The sixth prince asked, "What is her background?"
Shuangxi lowered his head and said, "This subordinate is incompetent and cannot find out the answer for the time being."
The sixth prince clapped his hands and sighed, "It's a pity that all of Mother's people have been arrested by my brother, otherwise how could we not have found out about such a small matter!"
He suddenly seemed to remember something: "It's fine if we can't find out about her, but what about the Crown Princess? They said she was sent to recuperate, but has her health improved?"
Shuangxi said, "This is truly amazing! The Crown Princess seems to be much better. I've caught a glimpse of her from afar these past few days, and she seems to have gained weight!"
The Sixth Prince frowned: "She's gained weight? That's impossible. She shouldn't be able to sleep, so why would she gain weight?"
At this point, he suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. It seems that my brother really discovered the matter of the poison stone."
He stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming with excitement: "Interesting."
Only by removing the poisonous stone can the Crown Princess possibly sleep peacefully. Otherwise, despite the constant efforts of the imperial physicians in the Eastern Palace over the past few years, they have been unable to cure her insomnia and extreme weight loss.
The face beneath the black cloth was covered in cold sweat.
After the poison stone incident, how could the master remain so calm? The Crown Prince probably wanted to kill him, yet he could still laugh?
The sixth prince tapped the table with his fingers: "How many days did it take you, brother, to eliminate our forces?"
Shuangxi said, "Five, five days."
The Sixth Prince asked, "Does he use the guards from the Eastern Palace?"
Shuangxi said, "The workshops, restaurants, silver shops, and cloth shops in the capital are fine, but the imperial estates in Yongzhou, he mobilized the Qilin Army."
The Sixth Prince slammed his fist on the table and burst into laughter, tears streaming down his face: "Good, good! It wasn't for nothing that I put all the rest of my men in the Imperial Estate. As long as he touches the Qilin Army, then I won't have lost."
He wiped away his tears: "Shuangxi, go and tell Father that my brother has taken action against the Qilin Army. The sooner the better. If my brother has already discovered the Poison Stone and wiped out all our forces, his next step will be to come and demand an explanation from me."
Shuangxi immediately replied, "Yes!"
In a side hall of the Bright Hall, Emperor Jian'an, wearing a yellow robe, listened expressionlessly to the report from the hidden guards. After a long while, he finally asked, "What did the Crown Prince do by mobilizing the Qilin Army?"
The hidden guard said, "We have surrounded and destroyed one of the Empress's royal estates in Yongzhou."
Emperor Jian'an asked in surprise, "Why is he besieging the imperial estate?"
The hidden guard said, "I am unaware of the details. I only know that the Crown Prince killed everyone in the Imperial Estate."
Emperor Jian'an frowned: "Kill them all? Why would the Crown Prince go to Yongzhou to kill people for no reason?"
The hidden guard said, "The specific reason is unclear, but the Qilin Army did not even spare children as young as a few years old, and there were also many elderly people and women among them."
Emperor Jian'an roared, "This is outrageous! Not only have they been wreaking havoc, but they've even targeted the elderly, the weak, women, and children! Has he lost his mind?"
The hidden guards lowered their heads and dared not speak.
A series of hurried footsteps approached, and Liang Qisheng, the chief eunuch beside Emperor Jian'an, reported: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has just gone to the Princes' Residence and taken the Sixth Prince away."
Emperor Jian'an frowned: "What's going on? Why take his brother away in the middle of the night? Has he not finished his madness yet?"
Liang Qisheng said, "According to Shuangxi, the eunuch by the Sixth Prince's side, His Highness the Crown Prince was very angry and forced his way into the Prince's residence with Pang Shi, taking the Sixth Prince away."
Emperor Jian'an closed his eyes, suppressing his anger: "Why can't these two sleep peacefully and keep me from having a good time! Liang Qisheng, go and call the Empress. Tell her that her two sons are fighting in the middle of the night and ask her to mediate."
Liang Qisheng received the order and immediately jogged to the inner palace.
The Empress was awakened by the noise and was stunned when she heard Emperor Jian'an's decree: "You said the Crown Prince took Cheng Yao away? Why?"
The head palace maid, Su Xian, said, "This servant did not know. Eunuch Liang left after delivering the decree. Your Highness should go to the East Palace instead."
The Empress glanced at the water clock; it was only the second watch of the night. The Eastern Palace had been plagued by bad luck these past two years, and the Crown Prince and his wife were in poor health. The Empress had always forbidden them from staying up late, but instead of sleeping in the middle of the night, he took his younger brother away. What was he up to?
Furthermore, the Crown Prince's recent actions have been quite strange. A few days ago, he took away her head maid and the eunuch in charge of flowers and trees, and they haven't returned yet. She understands the Crown Prince's actions even less.
Well, since she had already alerted His Majesty, she had no choice but to go and see what her two sons were up to.
The Crown Prince had just taken the Sixth Prince away when the Emperor and Empress arrived.
When the Emperor and Empress entered together, the Sixth Prince was crying with tears streaming down his face, looking completely innocent.
Seeing the Crown Prince and his wife's ashen faces, and their youngest son standing opposite them crying as if he were about to faint, Emperor Jian'an didn't have time to ask what had happened before he uttered the reprimand: "Li Chengming, what are you doing?!"
Emperor Jian'an rarely called the Crown Prince by his given name, let alone by his full name, which shows that he was truly angry.
The people inside the room were so frightened that they all knelt on the ground. The sixth prince cried and rushed towards Emperor Jian'an and the empress: "Father, Mother, my brother said that I poisoned his people and is forcing me to hand over the antidote. Waaah, has my brother gone mad again?"
Seeing her son crying like this, the Empress's heart ached. She quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe his tears, saying, "Chengyao, be good. Your brother has been in a bad mood lately. You should be more understanding of him..."
The Crown Prince, Crown Princess, and Emperor and Empress, without asking right or wrong, blindly sided with the Sixth Prince. They exchanged a glance and saw a heavy look in each other's eyes.
Emperor Jian'an frowned, about to continue scolding the Crown Prince for his madness, when he turned around and saw Meng Guanqi lying on a bench with a broken arrow stuck in his back and his face as white as paper. Kneeling beside him was none other than Xiao, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy.
Emperor Jian'an had a gut feeling that this matter might be related to the Crown Prince taking the Sixth Prince away late at night, and pointed at Meng Guanqi, asking, "What's going on here?"
The Crown Prince stood up and stared straight at the Sixth Prince, who was sobbing in the Empress's arms: "You'll have to ask my good Sixth Brother what kind of poison was used on the arrow. As long as you produce the antidote, everything is negotiable. If this person dies in the Eastern Palace today, even if Father and Mother favor you, the law of the land can still punish you!"
Emperor Jian'an and the Empress were taken aback. The Crown Prince appeared calm, while the Crown Princess showed anger on her face. Although their actions were beyond their expectations, they did not seem like madness. Emperor Jian'an looked at the Sixth Prince with questioning eyes.
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