Chapter 208 - 209: Poisoned
A rigorous interrogation by the Ministry of Justice quickly uncovered the true cause of Prince Zhao’s poisoning.
It turned out that when Prince Zhao was ambushed by enemy forces, he had not only suffered comminuted fractures in both legs but had also been struck by an arrow laced with a potent poison.
Although he had narrowly escaped with his life, he was left a cripple. The poison remained in his system, and he could only rely on medicine to slow its effects, with no hope of a complete cure.
In addition, poison was also found in the medicinal soup Prince Zhao had been consuming.
This explained why there was more than one type of poison in the prince’s body.
Not only did the enemy want him dead, but someone in Shangjing City wanted his life as well.
Now, the two poisons had mixed, creating a deadlier combination. If it weren’t for Prince Zhao’s formidable constitution, he would have perished long ago.
After hearing the report from the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, the Emperor’s expression turned exceedingly grim.
An oppressive tension filled the room, like the calm before a storm.
The Minister of the Ministry of Justice kept his head bowed, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Wu Wang hurried in.
"Your Majesty, Prince Zhao is awake."
The Emperor ordered the Minister of the Ministry of Justice to continue the investigation and find out who possessed the audacity to poison Prince Zhao’s medicine.
He then rushed to the bedchamber.
Li Ji was lying on the bed, his face pale and his breathing faint. The light in his dark eyes seemed to have vanished completely, leaving only a vacant emptiness.
Seeing this, the Emperor felt a fresh wave of heartache and self-reproach.
He frequently summoned Li Ji, yet he had failed to notice that the prince had long been poisoned and was on the verge of death.
Li Ji tried to get up to bow, but the Emperor stopped him.
"Just lie down and rest. Don’t move."
The Emperor looked at the Chief Imperial Doctor and asked about the diagnosis.
The Chief Imperial Doctor wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said tremblingly,
"Prince Zhao is deeply poisoned, and both poisons are very complex. I am still studying their components. I must understand them thoroughly before I can prescribe the correct antidote."
The Emperor pressed, "What is the soonest you can have it figured out?"
The Chief Imperial Doctor stammered, "Th-This... I cannot be certain."
The Emperor’s brow furrowed immediately, a clear sign of his extreme displeasure.
But he had been emperor for many years, and his temperament was far steadier than that of an ordinary person.
He knew this was not the time for an outburst and pressed his question.
"When I ordered you to treat Prince Zhao’s injuries, how did you fail to discover he was poisoned?"
The Chief Imperial Doctor fell to his knees, explaining in a trembling voice.
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty.
At the time, it never occurred to me that Prince Zhao had also been poisoned, so I only examined his leg injuries.
Furthermore, the prince’s pulse did not show any major issues at the time, so I failed to detect the potent poison in his system.
I was derelict in my duties. I deserve to die!"
If not for the fact that the man still had some use, the Emperor truly wanted to have him executed on the spot.
Suppressing his fury, the Emperor said, "For now, I will remember this transgression. If you can cure Prince Zhao, you will atone for your crimes with this meritorious service, and I can let bygones be bygones. But if you fail to cure Prince Zhao, you will be punished for all your crimes at once. You’d best weigh your options carefully!"
The Chief Imperial Doctor kowtowed forcefully. "I will do everything in my power to cure Prince Zhao!"
The Emperor walked to the bedside and sat down. Gazing at the barely-breathing Li Ji, he asked in a low voice,
"Why did you not tell me that you were poisoned?"
Li Ji replied weakly, "The medicine I normally drink is prescribed by the Chief Imperial Doctor, and the Chief Imperial Doctor was sent by you to treat my injuries. If it were discovered that the medicine was poisoned, you would inevitably face suspicion. I’m about to die anyway. Why should I tarnish Your Majesty’s reputation in the process? It’s better this way. Once I’m dead, everything will be over."
As he finished, a self-deprecating smile touched his lips.
The Emperor was both heartbroken and furious.
He had sent the Chief Imperial Doctor to treat Prince Zhao’s injuries to help him recover quickly, never imagining it would become a means for someone else to secretly harm the prince.
If Prince Zhao were to truly die from the poison, he, the Emperor, would be considered an accomplice.
The Emperor had already made up his mind. He would get to the bottom of this matter.
Whoever was scheming against him and Prince Zhao from the shadows, no matter who they were, would pay the price!
The Emperor soothed him in a gentle voice.
"Good child, you will stay in the palace for now and recuperate. As long as I am here, I will not let anything happen to you."
Li Ji said, "How is Lady Hua? I wish to see her."
The Emperor wanted to refuse, fearing Lady Hua would interfere with Li Ji’s recovery.
But upon seeing Prince Zhao’s weakened state, he couldn’t find it in his heart to say no.
In the end, the Emperor could only let out a long sigh.
"Very well. I will have someone bring her here."
He had originally hoped to see Li Ji marry, have children, and live out his life in peace, but he never expected something like this to happen.
Now Li Ji’s life hung by a thread, and it was uncertain if he would pull through.
The Emperor truly couldn’t bear to disappoint him.
Soon, Hua Manman was brought before Prince Zhao.
When Hua Manman saw Prince Zhao’s frail, near-death appearance, she froze.
She asked in disbelief,
"Y-You’re really poisoned?"
Although she had heard from others that Prince Zhao was poisoned, she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes. She had assumed he was only pretending to be poisoned to avoid the forced marriage.
Only at this very moment, as she witnessed him bedridden with her own eyes, did she realize he wasn’t pretending at all.
Li Ji gave a weak smile.
"Of course it’s real. Otherwise, the Chief Imperial Doctor would have found out long ago."
With the entire Imperial Hospital at their disposal, no feigned poisoning could have possibly fooled them. Only by truly being poisoned could he convince the Emperor.
Now, only the two of them were in the room, so Hua Manman didn’t need to be reserved.
She knelt by the bed, looking at Prince Zhao with wide, earnest eyes.
"When were you poisoned? Why didn’t you tell me?"
Li Ji said nonchalantly, "It’s not a big deal. Nothing worth mentioning."
Hua Manman replied, "This is a matter of life and death! Of course it’s worth mentioning!"
Li Ji said, "Life and death may be a big deal to others, but to me, there’s not much difference between being alive and being dead."
Hua Manman’s eyes reddened slightly at the rims.
"Don’t say that."
Li Ji struggled to lift his hand, wanting to pat her head.
But he was simply too weak. After raising his hand with a tremor, it quickly fell back, powerless.
Hua Manman quickly grabbed his hand and brought her head closer, allowing him to touch it.
Li Ji was amused by her string of actions.
He chuckled. "You look like a little puppy begging for food right now."
Hua Manman retorted, "You’re the one who’s Li Ergou. I’m his Sister-in-law."
Hearing this, Li Ji couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
After laughing, he gasped for breath, his face growing even paler.
Hua Manman quickly reached out to soothe his chest, helping him catch his breath.
"Don’t laugh anymore. The Imperial Physician said you need to rest well. I won’t talk to you anymore. Please, get some rest."
But Li Ji said, "What if I fall asleep and never wake up?"
Hua Manman was thoroughly frightened.
"Don’t say such an unlucky thing! Quick, take it back, take it back!"