The Enchanting Imperial Concubine (Book 3)

Chapter 451 and 452 - A Near Miss

At the same time, as the Fourth Prince's horse let out a painful neigh and collapsed, Ye Zhe quickly lunged forward, tightly cradling the Fourth Prince in his arms as they rolled out of harm's way.

Seeing that someone had rescued him, the crowd hurried over to check on the Fourth Prince's condition. Today's horse race was organized by the Grand Prince Ao Qi, and at that moment, his expression was extremely grim.

While everyone's focus was on the Fourth Prince, they failed to notice that the guards of the Third Prince Enhejin briefly bent down as they passed by the horse the Fourth Prince had been riding.

"Elder brother, Jing'er, how are you? Where are you hurt? Let me take a look!" Ye Yun knelt on the ground without regard for her appearance, leaning in closer to them.

Ye Zhe was relatively calm, but the Fourth Prince's small face was truly as pale as paper, his eyes vacant and unfocused, as if he were in a daze.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I'm fine. Quickly, call for the imperial physician to examine the Fourth Prince," Ye Zhe waved his hand.

As he spoke, he adjusted the child in his arms to rest against his chest.

Ning Chen's face was dark, and he gestured for the servants to bring over a stretcher to carry the Fourth Prince back.

"Your Majesty, I had advised Jing'er not to be reckless and ride a fast horse. He has always been obedient and wouldn't act out of line. I want to see that horse," Ye Yun said calmly, immediately speaking up.

This suggested she suspected foul play.

Ao Qi immediately chimed in, "Your Majesty, the horse the Fourth Prince was riding is a fine breed from the Liao State, known for its gentle temperament. It shouldn't have suddenly panicked like this."

He felt untroubled in his heart; if he hadn't tampered with anything, then it must have been someone else's doing. If the cause wasn't investigated, it was inevitable that the Emperor and Guifei would shift their anger onto him, making him a scapegoat for someone else.

Ning Chen's gaze was icy as he waved his hand, "Lu Qingyun, go check if there's anything unusual with that horse."

"Yes." The commander of the Imperial Guard, Lu Qingyun, stepped forward and immediately went to investigate. He was a trusted confidant of Ning Chen, known for his cautiousness and reliability.

After a moment, Lu Qingyun returned.

"Your Majesty, there is nothing wrong with the horse; it only has a wound from General Ye's sword. No other abnormalities were found."

Ye Yun frowned slightly.

Suddenly, she went silent and walked over to examine the horse closely, and indeed, there seemed to be nothing amiss. The horse had calmed down now; having been injured, it lay on the ground looking quite pained.

From the outside, nothing seemed wrong, but Ye Yun's gaze shifted to the horse's belly.

Turning to Ning Chen, she said, "Your Majesty, certain substances can cause horses to go wild. I implore you to induce vomiting in this horse and check if it has ingested something harmful."

Her suspicions were not without merit, and Ning Chen agreed, calling for the imperial physician to prepare a concoction to induce vomiting. He also instructed Lu Qingyun to investigate the horse's feed and the servants who had fed the horse today.

When Lu Qingyun returned, he reported that everything appeared normal. Similarly, the physician had not found any medication in the horse's belly.

At this moment, a low voice emerged from the crowd.