CHAPTER 191: CHAPTER 9: STRIFE BETWEEN LEGITIMATE AND ILLEGITIMATE OFFSPRING (PART 9)

When the Emperor hurriedly went to the Crown Prince Mansion, he saw basin after basin of bloody water being carried out from the Crown Prince’s bedroom.

The Emperor was greatly startled, "What happened? Where is the Imperial Physician? What exactly is wrong with the Crown Prince? Wasn’t it said he was already well?"

The Imperial Physician didn’t have time to report before the Empress hurried over.

The Empress’s hair was disheveled, and she looked utterly miserable.

The Emperor’s heart ached; he had always revered her, believing he could maintain her supreme honor, never imagining she would be this disheveled.

The Imperial Physician knelt on the ground, somewhat flustered, and said, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, the Crown Prince’s poison is rather peculiar. It was thought that cleaning had worked, and there seemed to be no trouble, but the poison was too potent and has seeped into the Crown Prince’s bloodstream. The poison hadn’t flared up before, so it went unnoticed. The Crown Prince was not recovering, and we thought his body had been harmed and needed time to heal slowly. We didn’t expect that when the poison acted, the Crown Prince would directly vomit blood; the poison causes him excruciating pain as if his organs are being gnawed at. To cleanse the poison from his bloodstream requires time; a detox session had just taken place, and his condition has stabilized. During these days, anytime the poison acts up, the Crown Prince will be in unbearable pain."

The Empress cried out loud, leaned back, and fainted directly.

The Emperor was extremely anxious. After settling the Empress, he hurried to visit the Crown Prince, seeing his pallid face and clothes drenched, remembering the Imperial Physician’s words, his heart was filled with distress.

The Emperor just felt as if his heart was being squeezed tight.

After all, he had raised the Crown Prince with his own hands, having high hopes for him. As for Prince Rui, since he couldn’t become Emperor, he indulged him a bit more, never expecting this indulgence would harm his beloved Crown Prince.

The Emperor kept the news of the Crown Prince’s poison outbreak tightly concealed; he didn’t want his sons to have any other thoughts.

Li Shuning got the news and couldn’t help but admire the Empress’s acting skills.

The Duke Dingguo was a smart man. After the Duke knew the Empress’s intentions, he realized if events were left to unfold, one wouldn’t know what she might do, so it was better to act proactively. Furthermore, the Crown Prince’s poisoning was a fact.

But within a few days, the matter of the Crown Prince being at death’s door was spread far and wide throughout Xuanjing.

The Emperor was very angry and upon investigation found it was people within the Prince Rui Mansion spreading the news.

The Emperor was now deeply suspicious.

He couldn’t help but wonder how Prince Rui knew about the Crown Prince’s poisoning?

Was the crying that day just an act in front of him, or did he know the effects of the poison?

If so, Prince Rui dared to harm his own brother, who’s to say he won’t harm him next?

With this thought, a seed was planted in the Emperor’s heart.

Hunting was imminent; the Crown Prince stayed behind in the palace. It was the Crown Prince himself who escorted the Emperor’s carriage to the city gate, only then did the rumors dissipate.

On the day of the hunt, the Emperor personally led the hunt, with Prince Rui following him.

However, the Emperor was restless, and he took a squad of guards and parted ways with Prince Rui.

The arrows used during the hunt were pre-assigned.

For example, the arrows for Prince Rui were marked with the character ’Rui’.

Later, based on who caught the most prey, the Emperor would offer rewards.

Originally, the Emperor wasn’t particularly interested in hunting, but when he saw a white fox run by, seeing that white fur reminded him of the Empress; over the years, she managed the harem without complaints.

Even this time, despite not dealing with Prince Rui, the Empress, although in pain, did not complain, nor did she act inappropriately. The Emperor felt a bit sentimental.

During these days, he had been resting in the Empress Palace.

Seeing such a beautiful white fox, the Emperor was tempted and galloped after it, thinking he could gift it to the Empress.

Just as he started off, an arrow suddenly shot out, landing where the Emperor had stood moments before.

Turning back, the Emperor’s heart was in his throat; if he hadn’t seen the white fox dash out, wouldn’t that arrow have hit him?

The Emperor, with a cold expression, had someone retrieve the arrow, and upon inspection, his face turned even darker.

The arrow bore a conspicuous ’Rui’ character.

Not long after, Prince Rui rode over with his entourage.

Seeing the Emperor, Prince Rui laughed and said, "Father, I caught quite a bit; is there anything you desire? I will surely hunt it for you."

The Emperor held the arrow tightly in his hand, covering the ’Rui’ character with his palm, but his face remained calm, saying, "There is nothing I desire."

This time, the Emperor had little interest in hunting, and on the eighth day, he returned to the palace.

The incident was too coincidental; that Prince Rui happened to be close by, was the arrow intentional or accidental?

Recalling Prince Rui’s ruthless actions towards the Crown Prince, using poison and even increasing the dosage.

So, for the throne, how much respect does Prince Rui hold for him, his father?

When confronted, he might claim arrows have no eyes in the hunting ground, right?

Back in the palace, the Crown Prince’s poison flared for the second time, and this time the Emperor witnessed the process firsthand.

The Crown Prince fell abruptly, convulsing, and vomiting blood.

At that time, the Emperor had just returned to the palace, went to the Empress Palace, and soon the Crown Prince came for greetings.

It was then the Crown Prince’s poison acted up.

Seeing his Crown Prince suddenly turn into such a state, the Empress was uncontrollably crying, yet she held the Crown Prince, trying to help bear his pain.

The Emperor saw the Crown Prince’s sweat soaking through his clothes, even leaving a wet mark on the ground.

The next day, Prince Rui was put under house arrest.

Prince Rui was somewhat bewildered, but the imperial edict was clear, house arrest for a year, forbidden to go out.

Li Shumeng also noticed something was amiss, what was written in the book was not like this.

Why was Prince Rui, who had no issues, suddenly confined?

The Emperor had indeed issued an edict and even deployed the Forbidden Army to monitor outside the Prince Rui Mansion, which completely differed from the book’s plot.

Originally, by this time, Prince Rui was ruined, and the Empress started to go mad, giving her husband the chance to be Crown Prince. Why had things changed?

The Crown Prince’s poison was completely cleansed, and he had become noticeably thinner.

Of course, the so-called poison was indeed an effect caused by a drug found by the Duke Dingguo.

After Prince Rui was confined, the Second Prince, Fourth Prince, and Sixth Prince were still continuously battling, making the entire court somewhat chaotic.

During this year, Prince Rui wasn’t content with being confined and secretly schemed, which the Emperor noticed, finally leading to a blow-up.

He issued a decree, sending all his crowned sons to their respective fiefs, prohibited from returning to Xuanjing without summons.

Such a decree was like a bolt from the blue.