This time, the Crown Prince was truly furious. His head throbbed violently, his heartbeat accelerated, and for a long while he could barely catch his breath. The pain in his chest became so severe that he involuntarily doubled over.
Liao Bin rushed in shortly afterward. The moment he saw the situation, he was startled and immediately cried out: “Your Highness!”
He hurriedly found a Revitalizing Source Pill and placed it in the Crown Prince’s mouth, then quickly helped him regulate his breathing. At the same time, he barked at Liu Shirang: “What are you still standing there for? Hurry and bring some water!”
Liu Shirang had been frightened senseless. Only after being shouted at by Liao Bin did he snap back to reality. “Oh!”
He scrambled to pour a cup of water.
Only then did the Crown Prince recover slightly.
Filled with rage, he gritted his teeth and cursed: “Useless! They’re all useless!”
A bunch of complete fools!
Zhang Zongbin had been in the imperial court for so many years. He was an old fox through and through. Yet he had still fallen into the hands of such a young brat!
And worse, he had exposed the people on the other side ahead of schedule!
What about Yang Qingshan?
Yang Qingshan would definitely be dragged into this!
Just thinking about that made the Crown Prince feel as though a string in his mind had been pulled taut to the breaking point.
Liao Bin hurriedly patted his back and tried to calm him. “Your Highness, now is not the time to panic. The more anxious you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes. Please calm down first. There will be a solution. There has to be a solution.”
A solution? What solution?
The Crown Prince’s expression darkened. “That b*stard has already sent Feng Nanmu back to complain. Father has always doted on him. Now that something like this has happened, Father will never let those behind the scenes off lightly! If we make a move now, we’ll just be digging our own graves!”
Not to mention that Xiao Yunting was already cunning and ruthless to begin with.
His head pounded painfully.
Seeing that he was on the verge of losing control, Liao Bin became afraid he might actually suffer a stroke from the stress. Bending down, he lowered his voice. “Your Highness, things aren’t necessarily beyond saving.”
The Crown Prince suddenly looked up.
Liao Bin leaned close to his ear and whispered: “Why are you in such a hurry? Think about it. Furong hasn’t been put to use yet.”
That girl they had gone to such lengths to find. The one who looked strikingly similar to Noble Consort Xiao Liu.
There was no way she could simply become a wasted chess piece. She had to serve her purpose.
The Crown Prince had initially thought Liao Bin had come up with some brilliant strategy. But upon hearing this, he immediately sneered. “Royal Father doesn’t even like her! What’s the point of bringing that up?!”
What use was resemblance? If Emperor Yongchang wasn’t interested, then he wasn’t interested.
Liao Bin hesitated.
The Crown Prince was already extremely irritated. Seeing Liao Bin still acting secretive only made him angrier. “If you have something to say, then say it! Stop sneaking around like this in front of me!”
Liao Bin quickly bowed and replied: “Yes, Your Highness.”
Lowering his eyes, he said quietly: “Your Highness, when His Majesty is clear-minded, of course he can tell that she isn’t Noble Consort Xiao Liu. But what if… he isn’t clear-minded?”
One sentence was enough to awaken the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince immediately lifted his head and stared coldly at him. “Impudent!”
Liao Bin instantly dropped to his knees and began kowtowing. “Forgive me, Your Highness! Forgive me!”
He continued knocking his head against the floor.
Cold sweat soaked his entire body.
The Crown Prince looked at him with icy eyes. “Do you know what you’re suggesting? You’re asking me to poison Royal Father?!”
That was the attempted murder of the Emperor!
If it were discovered, he could forget about remaining Crown Prince.
Summoning his courage, Liao Bin looked up. “Your Highness, if the Imperial Grandson is allowed to continue investigating, let’s not even talk about whether Yang Qingshan might reveal something he shouldn’t. The Imperial Grandson himself certainly won’t spare you.”
Everyone knew that whatever father-son affection had once existed between them had long since reached its end.
What father and son were they anymore?
The Crown Prince’s lips trembled. Slowly, he closed his eyes.
Yes.
Did stopping now mean everything would simply be forgotten?
Impossible.
That little wolf Xiao Yunting would absolutely seize the opportunity and tear out his throat.
If someone had to die, then better someone else than him.
He would never sit around waiting for death.
So after only a brief hesitation, he looked at Liao Bin and coldly ordered: “You handle it. Remember, this must be done perfectly. Cleanly. And it absolutely cannot be traced back to me. I’m not feeling well…”
He did not even refer to himself as I, the Crown Prince. Suddenly clutching his head, he collapsed.
Liao Bin immediately began shouting: “Someone! Quickly, someone come! His Highness has fainted! His Highness is unwell!”
News soon spread from the Eastern Palace that the Crown Prince had collapsed once again. Both Emperor Yongchang and Empress Feng hurried over.
No matter how disappointing this son might be, he was still the Crown Prince. That carried a significance unlike any other.
Frowning, Emperor Yongchang asked Imperial Physician Sun: “What exactly is going on? He was fine before, how has it come to this?”
Physician Sun was equally frightened. Trembling, he replied: “Your Majesty, His Highness already showed warning signs of a stroke before. At the time, this minister repeatedly instructed that the Crown Prince must rest properly and avoid anger or emotional agitation. But now…”
He sighed heavily. “I’m afraid the Crown Prince has indeed suffered a stroke. The only uncertainty is whether there is already blood congestion in the brain, or whether bleeding is still ongoing.”
The explanation weighed heavily on both Emperor Yongchang and Empress Feng. Their expressions immediately changed.
Sitting beside the Crown Prince’s bed, Empress Feng asked with a complicated expression: “Then how should he be treated now?”
Physician Sun bowed. “Your Majesty, at present, we can only do our utmost to administer acupuncture, disperse any blood stasis, stabilize his condition, and supplement it with medicinal decoctions. As for the rest…”
He dared not continue.
But everyone understood.
The rest depended on fate.
Silence filled the room. Empress Feng took a deep breath. Looking exhausted, she waved her hand. “Go and do what must be done.”
Emperor Yongchang had already been carrying a stomach full of anger with nowhere to vent it.
The affair with Zhang Zongbin had infuriated him.
That man had dared collude with foreign powers and even attempted to murder Xiao Yunting on the road.
The audacity was unbelievable.
Yet now that the Crown Prince had fallen ill, some of the emperor’s suspicions toward him began to fade.
The Crown Prince’s health truly was poor.
Especially after the incident involving the Crown Princess, he had barely left his bed. With a body in such condition, it seemed difficult to imagine him carrying out any grand schemes.
After gazing thoughtfully at the Crown Prince for a moment, Emperor Yongchang said to Empress Feng: “You stay here and look after him. I still have state affairs waiting in the Imperial Study.”
Empress Feng respectfully acknowledged the order and saw him out. Only after Emperor Yongchang had left did she return. Standing beside the bed, she stared at the Crown Prince for a long time.
This son had clearly been born from her own body. Yet for some reason, he suddenly felt like a stranger.
When had it started?
When had she become completely unable to understand what he was thinking?
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