The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 1)

Chapter 196 - In the Shadows

Ye Jingkuan's expression was unusually different; he no longer displayed his typical calm demeanor. Although he tried to lower his voice, it still trembled slightly as he said, "It's not just a serious illness; it's poison! Someone has poisoned the Crown Prince!"

The King of Zhennan took several quick steps, almost thinking he had misheard. After a moment, he managed to say, "What did you say?!"

Who has such power to poison the nearly bedridden Crown Prince?!

He felt his hands trembling uncontrollably. If something were to happen to the Crown Prince, what could the twelve-year-old Crown Prince's heir do? He had so many uncles to contend with!

But who could it be? Prince Duan, Prince Su, or...

The Princess of Zhennan's face turned ashen. The Crown Prince was the younger brother of Princess Rongcheng; if he were to fall into misfortune, the twelve-year-old Crown Prince's heir would be no match for those predatory uncles. At that point, not only would Princess Rongcheng be in trouble, but even Ye Jingkuan and the entire King of Zhennan's residence would face disaster.

"Can we find out who did this and what poison was used?!" After the initial shock, the King of Zhennan regained his composure and asked, "You returned at this time; is something wrong?"

Ye Jingkuan took a sip of the now cold tea and first turned to look at his mother. "Mother, please help me pack a few sets of clothes and some silver, preferably loose change. Also, prepare some silver notes."

The Princess of Zhennan always complied with her eldest son's requests, and upon hearing this, she knew he must have something urgent. She nodded and quickly left to fulfill his request.

"Yan'er is in the palace accompanying the Empress; the Empress's health is also poor. After this incident, she has already fallen ill..." Ye Jingkuan emphasized the important points. "The imperial physician cannot determine what poison the Crown Prince has been poisoned with, so we need to think of another way."

The King of Zhennan looked at him, his brows furrowed. After a pause, he said, "Since the Crown Prince is in trouble, the palace must be under strict guard. The capital will..."

He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes widening in surprise. "Does the Emperor not want to announce that the Crown Prince has been poisoned?"

"Just after the incident at Xingfu, if news of the Crown Prince being poisoned gets out, it might cause chaos." Ye Jingkuan sighed, "Everyone in the Eastern Palace has already been secretly detained by the Jinyiwei. The Northern Pacification Office is probably overwhelmed with people right now. But if it's related to Prince Duan, we can't count on Chen Xiang at all..."

The King of Zhennan recalled that he had just asked the Princess of Zhennan to pack their bags, and a thought struck him, "Are you planning to go to Longhu Mountain?"

The celestial master at Longhu Mountain is well-versed in medicine and has a significant understanding of various poisons. Given the Heir Apparent's connections to Longhu Mountain, it seems they would have to seek help there.

But why did it have to be Ye Jingkuan who went? The King of Zhennan pondered briefly and soon realized, feeling a bit anxious, "But if we can't go openly, what if something happens on the road..."

The person who poisoned the Crown Prince would certainly anticipate that they would think of Longhu Mountain and would set an ambush along the way. Ye Jingkuan might have to disguise himself, and if he were killed, he could only blame his misfortune.

"So the Heir Apparent and I have to remain in the capital openly. The Heir Apparent will pray for the Crown Prince, and I will take care of the 'sick' princess." Ye Jingkuan shared the plan he had discussed with Zhou Weizhao, "The one going to Longhu Mountain will be an imperial envoy personally escorted by the Yulin Guard."

Longhu Mountain is renowned and respected, even ordinary royal family members wouldn't dare to act recklessly there. The instigators behind the scenes would only be able to take action on the road, and they aimed to divert the instigator's attention by making the imperial envoy stand out in public.

This trip was absolutely necessary. The King of Zhennan wanted to accompany him but realized that he would likely be under close scrutiny as well, so he had no choice but to stay behind.

"Bring enough men!" After considering it, the King of Zhennan nodded decisively, "I'll have a few of my trusted generals accompany you on your journey. Leave the city in the evening when there are more people around!"

Ye Jingkuan rubbed his forehead in agreement with the King of Zhennan's plan and reminded his father, "When entering the palace on the fifteenth, ask Mother to be careful...Yan'er probably can't appear in the palace; she's likely going to faint from illness tonight."

The Crown Prince has clearly been poisoned, yet the palace appears calm on the surface, showing no signs of unrest. The palace on the fifteenth will probably be no different from a den of dragons and tigers.

The situation on the Song family's side isn't much better. During a luncheon that was only half-finished, Old Master Song had just suggested that the couple, Cui Ying Shu and First Lady Cui, stay for dinner when there was suddenly a loud commotion outside.

Song Jue, sensing something, stepped out to inquire and quickly returned, leaning close to Old Master Song's ear to whisper, "Grandfather, just now the guard station sent someone to notify me to return immediately. There seems to be something urgent, and I need to head to the guard station first."

Old Master Song felt a stir of thoughts as he listened to Song Jue, who continued to whisper, "Wei Xun gave me a heads-up, saying the Astronomy Bureau plans to send a celestial master to Longhu Mountain to pray for the Crown Prince. They're summoning us, which probably relates to this matter."

The ones escorting the celestial master this time are most likely the Yulin Guards.

Old Master Song nodded calmly, lowering his voice to remind him, "When you return to your unit, don't ask too many questions or speak too much. Even if the Astronomy Bureau wants to send someone, they can't decide overnight. Today, they are probably just selecting candidates. Be cautious."

Song Jue listened seriously, smiled at the table, apologized for his absence, downed three cups of wine as punishment, and then left.

On the other side, the female family members were separated by just a screen, and they witnessed the entire scene. First Lady Song couldn't help but feel a bit anxious and glanced at her son's departing figure.

Being called back to the guard station during a break meant there was certainly something urgent to deal with. Given the urgency of the situation, it was probably no trivial matter.

Song Chuyi also stared at Song Jue's back for a long while before retracting her gaze—this was odd. The Yulin Guard was called for an emergency assembly, which meant something significant was happening. Apart from the Crown Prince being poisoned, there didn't seem to be any other major issues at the moment.

However, the matter of the Crown Prince's poisoning couldn't be investigated openly; it was traditionally the responsibility of the Jinyiwei. Why would the Yulin Guard be involved for no apparent reason?

Her thoughts raced as she felt she might have grasped some crucial information, but when she tried to think it through, nothing came to mind.

Although Song Chengru maintained a calm demeanor without revealing any unusual emotions, Cui Ying Shu still sensed that something was off. He glanced at Old Master Song and quietly asked, "Why the hurry?"

Song Ren perked up his ears, wanting to listen. He knew his own son; if there wasn't something important, he wouldn't be in such a rush.

Old Master Song shook his head and pointed toward the table and the other side of the screen, prompting Song Ren and Cui Ying Shu to refrain from further inquiries.

However, they all harbored concerns in their hearts, and the dishes on the table lacked flavor. They struggled to endure until the end of the meal, and Old Master Song glanced over at Old Lady Song.