Chapter 99
Qi Xiao raised an eyebrow: "What's the matter?"
Jiang Deqing wiped the sweat from his temple and said in a low voice: "It's about what happened at lunch earlier..."
"Because His Majesty's body isn't well, the imperial cuisine is now served at Chengqian Palace. If the ladies of the various palaces have any offerings, they all send them to Chengqian Palace. At lunch, Yonghua Palace, Linzhi Palace, and Yongshou Palace all sent some food over." Jiang Deqing paused, then said quietly, "Who would have thought those dishes would cause trouble."
Bai Ren was overjoyed: "Did the Emperor eat it?!"
Qi Xiao couldn't help but laugh. He wrapped his arms around Bai Ren from behind, leaning down to kiss his cheek as he smiled softly: "It wouldn't be that easy. You think he's a fool?"
In front of outsiders, Bai Ren was too embarrassed to eat much, so he quickly dodged to the side, but Qi Xiao refused to let go, pulling him close with a smile: "Continue,公公."
Jiang Deqing also smiled, lowering his eyes as he said quietly: "Reporting to Your Highness, no... Today at Chengqian Palace, Empress Feng, Consort Xue, and His Highness the Third Prince were dining with the Emperor together. The Third Prince is extremely filial. Knowing the Emperor's throat was uncomfortable and couldn't eat hot dishes, the Third Prince would taste every dish first. Only after confirming it was warm enough would he have the servants present it to the Emperor. It's always been like this. But today something went wrong—halfway through the meal, the Third Prince suddenly started bleeding from his nose, his vision blurred, and he began vomiting violently. Then he fainted. Everyone in the hall was terrified out of their wits. Consort Xue in particular nearly fainted as well, and had to be revived by an old nanny who forcefully pinched his人中. When Consort Xue came to, all dignity was gone—her hair was disheveled and her makeup ruined. She clutched the Third Prince and sobbed loudly. Soon the imperial physicians arrived, and after the examination, they said he'd eaten something he shouldn't have."
Qi Xiao curved his lips into a smile. Now that was interesting—not poisoning, but "eating something by accident."
Bai Ren frowned: "What does that mean?"
"The physicians did indeed say that at first, but Consort Xue refused to accept it. She insisted someone had poisoned it, and immediately demanded the physicians test for poison. Empress Feng was rather impatient, making some sarcastic remarks—implying Consort Xue was making too big a fuss about it. Naturally, everyone still had to see what the Emperor thought." Jiang Deqing smiled faintly and continued, "After the Emperor steadied himself, he first had someone take the Third Prince away for proper treatment. Then he sent for his two most trusted physicians who knew how to keep their mouths shut. Next, he ordered all unrelated people out of the hall, leaving only Empress Feng, Consort Xue, and Fuhai and Lu three persons. The group watched as the two physicians conducted a thorough examination. The physicians were extremely cautious, taking almost half an hour before reaching a diagnosis—the problem was in a bowl of tremella soup."
"Because it wasn't poison like arsenic, the silver chopsticks didn't detect anything. The physicians had to repeatedly taste it before they could confirm. The tremella in the soup was real, but the broth was actually made from aged ginseng soup, simmered together with over a dozen strongly heating medicinal herbs. Setting aside that many of these herbs are mutually antagonistic, just that one thick bowl of aged ginseng soup—if someone not suited to tonic effects drank it, they wouldn't be able to bear it. The Third Prince only tasted it and already suffered such a reaction—imagine how potent it was. And most importantly... if this soup had actually been drunk by the Emperor who is already suffering from fever, then..."
Bai Ren shook his head regretfully: "He probably wouldn't die, but he'd lose half his life..."
Qi Xiao had been feeling somewhat regretful too, but at these words he couldn't help but laugh again: "I'm having you listen to the report properly, and you're always making me laugh!"
Bai Ren furrowed his brow, saying quietly in his defense: "How am I making His Highness laugh..."
Jiang Deqing also couldn't help but smile. Smiling, he went on: "But that wasn't even the worst part. The killer is... this bowl of tremella and lotus seed soup was personally prepared by Consort Xue."
Bai Ren froze. Qi Xiao raised an eyebrow: "And then?"
"Of course Consort Xue didn't believe it, but the evidence was undeniable—she couldn't claim innocence. Empress Feng immediately ordered someone to arrest Consort Xue. Naturally, Consort Xue refused, loudly proclaiming her wrong. She asked, if she had done it herself, why would she put it in a bowl of soup she made herself? Moreover, she clearly knew the Third Prince would taste it for the Emperor first. No matter what, she wouldn't harm her own son. Empress Feng, however, was adamant, insisting it was her. For a while, the hall was in complete chaos. Fuhai turned to look at the Emperor, and saw him sitting firmly on the couch, then after a long moment, suddenly spitting out a mouthful of blood and falling flat on his back."
Bai Ren cheered up again: "And then? Was he saved?"
Qi Xiao was laughing so hard his stomach hurt. Jiang Deqing smiled and nodded: "With two imperial physicians attending to him, of course he was saved. After reviving, the Emperor's face was ashen. Trembling, he strictly ordered everyone present to keep their mouths shut. Then he summoned Ming Prince of the Zongren Prefecture. The case was straightforward—it took only half an hour to solve. It really wasn't Consort Xue who administered the drug. There was still some tremella and lotus seed soup left in the small kitchen of Yonghua Palace, and it was all fine. Ming Prince took the maid from Consort Xue's small kitchen, and before he even had the chance for severe interrogation, she confessed."
"That maid said she'd taken money from the Second Prince—this was all on the Second Prince's orders. After Ming Prince received imperial permission, he searched the Second Prince's Zhaoyang Palace. When cataloging the items in the storage, they discovered a fully formed hundred-year-old ginseng was indeed missing. When asked where the ginseng went, the Second Prince couldn't explain. When asked if he knew the maid, the Second Prince's answers were evasive. When asked if he was the one who administered the drug, the Second Prince immediately flew into a rage, shouting his innocence, as if he'd just learned about this. Ming Prince had the maid brought up to confront the Second Prince, but the moment the maid came before him, she kowtowed to the Second Prince, then turned around and threw herself against a pillar... gone."
Qi Xiao turned to look at Bai Ren. Their eyes met, and both understood everything.
Bai Ren said quietly: "What did the Emperor say? Did he punish the Second Prince?"
Qi Xiao scoffed: "How could he?"
Jiang Deqing bowed: "Your Highness sees clearly. The Emperor indeed did not discipline the Second Prince. He only placed him under house arrest in his own palace and ordered everyone to keep their mouths shut tightly. Then Consort Xue made a huge scene, demanding the Emperor restore justice for her son. But then... the Emperor simply gave Consort Xue a deep look and said nothing."
Qi Xiao smiled faintly: "Now? Is Qi Qi alright?"
Jiang Deqing nodded: "They boiled mung bean soup and took turns forcing him to drink it—drink, vomit, drink, vomit. Though he was thoroughly tormented and looked a mess, he'll be fine."
Qi Xiao nodded: "That's good enough. Have them keep a close watch. Report to me immediately if anything else happens. Go."
Jiang Deqing withdrew with a bow.
Bai Ren frowned. After a long while, he said: "Even at this point, the Emperor isn't糊涂."
Qi Xiao smiled softly: "His body is sick, not his mind. Though that drug can make someone short-tempered, it won't make them foolish. He hasn't lost a single trick he should have. In the end, this happened because Consort Xue was too impatient... When she saw the Emperor admonish Qi Huai again, she thought she saw an opportunity. She rushed to administer the drug, trying to make it look like Qi Huai's act of retaliatory malice. But she was too hasty—many things were too obviously contrived. The Emperor isn't a fool, so of course he noticed something was off."
Bai Ren抿了抿嘴唇: "But he also can't be certain this is Consort Xue's苦肉计. After all, there's no evidence. And Consort Xue has been in favor for so many years—she must have no shortage of cunning. Why would she obediently confess? The Emperor probably can't make up his mind either, so he's not making a move for now. Your Highness... should we add fuel to the fire?"
Qi Xiao shook his head: "No need. Whether Feng family or Xue family gets the upper hand, neither benefits me. Better to let them fight like this—let neither be comfortable, let both sides become more tense. That's enough. The rest... we watch and wait."
Bai Ren was still unwilling to let it go: "Such a great opportunity, and you're letting the Emperor just sweep it under the rug?"
"How could I?" Qi Xiao lowered his head and affectionately kissed Bai Ren's lips, saying softly, "His own biological sons have fought over the throne to this extent. Even someone without a heart would be furious. And he's not even certain which son did it. He just got a fright, then flew into a rage, and now his mind can't rest—none of this is good for his illness. So..."
Bai Ren felt a flash of insight and laughed softly: "So at this time we can increase the dosage. He'll only think his illness worsened because of the anger, and won't suspect anything else."
Qi Xiao smiled: "Your Highness is wise."
Bai Ren shook his head and smiled. He said slowly and quietly: "With incident after incident happening in the court, everyone sees it. They'll inevitably become disillusioned with the Emperor, and even more convinced that Your Highness ascending to the throne is the best choice. This wouldn't just be legitimate—it would have the people's support. The Emperor should think clearly about this too. If he insists on changing the heir before he dies, it will definitely cause upheaval throughout the court and realm. He should know what material his own sons are made of. If even he can't defeat you, how could he possibly expect his son to inherit his father's ambition and eliminate you on his behalf?"
The more Bai Ren thought about it, the brighter the future seemed. He couldn't help but curl up in Qi Xiao's arms and whisper: "In the end, if the Emperor hasn't lost his mind, to protect his sons and spare the imperial city from disaster, he will definitely and obediently pass the throne to you."
Qi Xiao's heart stirred. He hesitated and didn't speak.
If it weren't for worrying about Bai Ren, Qi Xiao would have liked to tell him—from the very beginning, he never intended to wait for the Emperor to die before taking the throne.
This throne had originally been seized by the Emperor from him. And now he was supposed to wait until the Emperor died before having it returned? No. Qi Xiao would not be so pathetic. Even if the Emperor's death was part of his plan, that was still unacceptable.
The purest Qi royal blood would never be resigned to such a thing. Like the founding emperor, like Emperor Wu, Qi Xiao was born with robbery in his bones. Whatever he wanted, whatever caught his eye—he would always take it by force. What others gave was never as good.
Call it pride if you like, call it seeking justice for Emperor Wu and Empress Xiaoxian's spirits in heaven—Qi Xiao had made up his mind from the moment he started administering the poison. At the final moment, he would make the Emperor surrender the throne unwillingly, resentfully, cursing as he handed it over. He would make the Emperor clearly experience the pain of having great power wrested from his hands. He would make the Emperor watch as he donned the imperial robes and crown to ascend the dragon throne. He would make the Emperor watch as he swept across the nine provinces, commanded the four seas, and received the tribute of all officials and the support of all people. Only then would it truly count as revenge.
Qi Xiao suppressed the continuously churning malicious thoughts in his heart and gently kissed Bai Ren. After this, the imperial city would only grow more chaotic, the court more tense. When the situation reached the breaking point, he would send Bai Ren back to Lingnan early. Only after the great deed was accomplished would he personally bring him back.
Qi Xiao lowered his gaze to Bai Ren's gentle eyes and smiled faintly in his heart. Bai Ren would understand him, would listen to him.