Chapter 129 Dilemma
Prince An was caught in a dilemma. Continuing to feign illness was no longer feasible, but if he recovered within a few days, wouldn't it be obvious he had been feigning illness the entire time? Then what was the point of concealing his condition for so long?
Once the news of his improved health gets out, he will become the target of public criticism.
However, before Prince An could make a decision, news from the palace arrived first.
"What? Father summoned Doctor Zhang?"
Doctor Zhang was the imperial physician who often treated Prince An. It was he who prescribed the medicine for Prince An's pretended illness this time. Now that he was suddenly summoned by the emperor, Prince An was naturally frightened.
Doctor Zhang knelt on the cool golden bricks of the Yangxin Palace, beads of sweat oozing from his forehead. Emperor Xiao Yuancheng sat upright behind the dragon table, slowly and methodically flipping through Prince An's medical records.
"How is Prince An's health?" The emperor's voice was neither hurried nor slow.
"Your Majesty," Doctor Zhang replied respectfully, "Your Highness Prince An has always been in poor health, and recently he caught a cold, which has aggravated his condition..."
The news outside had just spread, and he, a royal physician in the palace, knew nothing yet, so he could only answer according to Prince An's current disguise.
The emperor raised his eyes, his thin eyelids half-open. "I see the medicine he used, ginseng and ganoderma lucidum, it doesn't look like they can cure colds..."
Doctor Zhang's heart skipped a beat, and he said hurriedly, "Your Majesty is wise. This is definitely not a medicine for a cold; it's for your health."
Xiao Yuancheng looked at the tonic medicine and flipped through it. He found that the last time Prince An used so many precious medicines was when he was still a minor. Now he used these medicines again... He didn't know what to say for a moment.
Is it really over? Or...
The emperor nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly changed the subject: "How many years has Minister Zhang been in charge of Prince An's health?"
Doctor Zhang was stunned. "Your Majesty, it has been... it has been twelve years."
"Twelve years..." The emperor tapped the table lightly, "It's time to find someone else to take a look. I heard that the new doctor Li from the Imperial Hospital is quite skilled."
Doctor Zhang's expression changed drastically, but he didn't dare to say anything more: "Your Majesty is wise. Doctor Li is indeed a skilled doctor..."
"It's settled." The emperor closed the pulse recorder. "Tomorrow, I'll have Imperial Physician Li go to Prince An's mansion to take his pulse. You... will just take up your post at the Imperial Hospital for now."
Doctor Zhang felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, but he could only kowtow: "I obey your order."
After Doctor Zhang left, the emperor said to the eunuch beside him, "Go tell Doctor Li to report to me everything about Prince An's condition."
After the young eunuch left, Xiao Yuancheng fumbled with the jade ring on his hand and suddenly coughed twice. Then he could no longer control himself and continued coughing. In the end, he seemed to be coughing out his heart and lungs.
Bai De'an quickly poured water and patted Xiao Yuancheng on the back, finally calming him down. When the emperor raised his head again, an abnormal blush had appeared on his old face.
"Cough... Why did I really start coughing... Could it really be..."
When Bai De'an heard this, he lowered his head even lower.
Soon, the news that the emperor personally inquired about Prince An's health reached Prince An's residence.
At that time, Prince An was having dinner with the princess. When he heard the report from his confidant, Prince An stood up suddenly. There was no sign of illness on his face.
"What? Change the imperial physician? What does this mean, father?"
"Maybe he thinks that Doctor Zhang has been treating the prince for many years, but the prince's health is still not well?" The confidant said weakly.
Prince An wanted to say that his health was much better than before, but the next moment he remembered that he had been pretending to be sick these days. He was so angry that he pressed the jade chopsticks in his hand on the table, and they broke with a "snap", splashing everywhere.
The princess exclaimed and hurried over to check Prince An's hand.
"Your Highness, this..." The princess hesitated, her eyes filled with worry. "If Imperial Physician Li comes, will we still be pretending to be sick? What if our father finds out..."
Prince An clenched his fists fiercely, realizing only now how clever the person behind the scenes was: "What a clever trick!"
He gritted his teeth, "First he used the letter to provoke my reaction, then he used the story of the dark star to arouse Father's suspicion. I was still wondering where he could have gotten his hands on my medicine, and it turns out it's here..."
Doctor Zhang is his man, and the lives of the entire family who prepares medicine in his palace are in his hands. He is still wondering how the person behind the scenes can reach into his palace, but he didn't expect that the other party had no intention of doing so.
Thinking of the rumor again, how could Prince An eat?
If he continued to pretend to be sick, he was afraid that his father would really believe the words that the unlucky star was harming the country; if he did not pretend to be sick, then his disguise of the past two years would be completely invalid, and he would be in a difficult situation.
"Send a message to Mother, and tell her to first calm Father down and reduce his suspicions."
There was no need for Prince An to tell her, as the Imperial Noble Consort had only this one son. After hearing the news, he immediately rushed to the Zichen Palace to ask for an audience.
The Imperial Noble Consort hurried to the Purple Palace and knelt down on the ground as soon as she entered. She choked with sobs and said, "Your Majesty, those rumors outside are nonsense! How could Yu'er be an unlucky star..."
The emperor suddenly started coughing violently, nearly knocking over the teacup in his hand. But the imperial concubine was so anxious that she didn't care about anything else and said anxiously:
"Yu'er has been weak since childhood, but he has grown up peacefully. Now he just has a slight cold. How can Your Majesty believe those rumors..."
However, her words made Xiao Yuancheng feel cold. With Bai De'ande's comfort, he slowly stopped coughing and looked deeply at the woman in front of him who was only concerned with defending her son.
The Imperial Noble Consort who had been with him for twenty-five years, the Imperial Noble Consort he personally appointed, only had eyes for her son. She didn't care about him, the one who clung to her bedside. When she heard him coughing like this, she didn't even care at all.
Xiao Yuancheng's gaze was dim as he slowly swept over the beautiful woman who still had some charm on the ground. When his gaze fell on her bright yellow phoenix robe, a hint of mocking smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
Are you looking forward to becoming the queen? Or are you looking forward to becoming the queen mother?
Xiao Yuancheng took the tea handed to him by Bai De'an, took a sip of it to calm down, and then said, "My beloved concubine is right. I will naturally not believe such nonsense."
The Imperial Noble Consort was delighted and was about to say something else when the Emperor waved his hand: "I still have memorials to review. My beloved concubine, please withdraw first."
These words dissipated the joy in the imperial concubine's heart. She lowered her head and looked at the ground. The stone slab reflected her blurry face, which was so cold. After a moment, she slowly stood up and walked out.
If Xiao Yuancheng was young, the imperial concubine could still rely on her youth and beauty to act like a spoiled child and say a few more words, but since he grew older, she could no longer tolerate any disobedience, even if it was just a few more words.
After leaving the hall and walking a little further, the Imperial Concubine looked at the palace maid beside her and said, "Send a message to the prince, and tell him... tell him that his majesty's suspicions are still there."
She had been kneeling on the ground from the moment she entered until the moment she left. How could she possibly believe the emperor's words? Thinking of that aged face, the imperial concubine pinched her palms.
What a heartless old thing, he used the throne of Queen to keep her hanging for so many years...
Upon hearing the news, Prince An's heart sank completely. He could only turn to his confidant and say, "Go prepare some medicine that can temporarily change the pulse condition. Remember, it needs to be the kind that leaves no trace."
He couldn't let his father see that he was lying, nor could he act seriously ill. He could only use medicine to weaken his pulse.
"But," the confidant hesitated, "that medicine might be harmful to your body..."
"I can't worry about that anymore." A fierce glint flashed in Prince An's eyes. "Let's get through this first. Also, send someone to investigate the background of this Imperial Doctor Li and see which prince he's close to."
He must find out who is behind this!
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