Chapter 755: Chapter 717: I Want to Live! (First Update)

In the afternoon, Eunuch Sanbao went to the Imperial Clan Court.

Zhao Xi was imprisoned in the back hall. Although there were suspicions against him, he was, after all, the crowned Crown Prince. Furthermore, there had been no clear orders from above, so the officials of the Imperial Clan Court dared not mistreat him. Tea and meals were supplied as usual, knowing the Crown Prince had a cleanliness obsession, and his bedroom was kept neat and clean.

However, such conditions naturally could not compare to those of the Eastern Palace.

Eunuch Sanbao stood at the door carrying two bundles. After sweeping his gaze around inside, his eyes fixed on Zhao Xi, who was seated at the writing desk, his jade-like fingers holding a string-bound book, his gaze focused and earnest.

Eunuch Sanbao’s eyes immediately turned sore.

"Your Highness..." he called out awkwardly.

Zhao Xi, hearing this, slowly looked up.

As if not surprised by his arrival, he only asked, "Why not come in?"

Eunuch Sanbao choked up, his lips moving as he stepped over the chipped doorstep, dropped the bundles, and knelt with a thud before Zhao Xi, lowering his head and sobbing uncontrollably.

From the time Emperor Guangxi was ambushed and fell into a coma to being suspected of regicide and brought back to the Imperial Clan Court, two or three days had passed. Zhao Xi had already undergone all the emotional processes, and at this moment, only tranquility remained.

Looking down at the kneeling Eunuch Sanbao, Zhao Xi’s handsome face, like white jade, showed no ripple of emotion, his voice more composed than his expression, "Have you gone to see the Empress Mother?"

Mentioning Empress Qi, Eunuch Sanbao’s mind immediately recalled the frail noblewoman lying on the phoenix couch, his heart aching again, nodding hastily, "I have, I have seen her."

"Is the Empress Mother well?"

"Yes, all is well." Eunuch Sanbao carefully chose his words and tone, "Before I came, the Empress asked me to tell Your Highness not to worry, clarity will come to the clear, and Heaven will surely grant Your Highness justice."

A fleeting bitter smile appeared on Zhao Xi’s lips, "The Empress Mother has suffered."

The Imperial Palace is a place with the most secrets, yet secrets are the hardest to keep. Zhao Xi had heard on the day he was brought back that the Empress accidentally fell into the water and hadn’t recovered since being rescued, her health deteriorating.

Even though he’d prepared mentally, Zhao Xi didn’t expect his biological father, Emperor Guangxi, to arrange things so thoroughly.

The fate of Empress Qi made him think of Empress Su and the powerful Su Family behind her.

Once a flourishing family, deeply rooted and thriving, who would have thought that they would be annihilated overnight, with hundreds of members blown to bits, not even leaving a whole corpse.

Eunuch Sanbao wasn’t stupid; a single sentence revealed that Zhao Xi was already aware of the Empress’s situation, and he no longer tried to conceal anything, "His Majesty is yet to awaken, everything remains undetermined, Your Highness need not despair. Mr. Song is diligently investigating the matter and will surely prove your innocence."

Zhao Xi put down the book, gazing at the Jade Mountain Pen Holder beside him in a trance. What he cared about was not innocence, but his father’s attitude.

On the first day of the hunt, when Yang Xueru was injured, at the bonfire dinner, Emperor Guangxi asked him questions that seemed to protect him. He once thought that, even if the woman in his father’s heart wasn’t his biological mother, there was some affection for him as his son. Who knew that so much would happen just two or three days later.

Disregarding how Emperor Guangxi was hit by the arrow and what untold secrets might lie within, just the matter of Empress Qi, she was intentionally left behind in the palace, fell into the water on the second day of the hunt, and hasn’t recovered since being rescued.

This was clearly a premeditation, a scheme aimed at utterly destroying his limits.

Since entering the Imperial Clan Court, Zhao Xi had been contemplating whether to act as a rebellious son or a wise monarch.

"The Imperial Physicians in the palace can no longer be trusted. Sanbao, you must find a way to leave the palace and find a folk doctor, disguise and bring them into Kunning Palace, to diagnose the Empress Mother."

Eunuch Sanbao was stunned, "Your Highness suspects the Imperial Hospital has been bribed?"

Zhao Xi gave no definite answer, "It’s just a cold from falling into water. The Imperial Hospital can’t possibly fail to cure such a minor ailment unless the Imperial Hospital never intended to save her."

"But..." Eunuch Sanbao’s heart pounded relentlessly, "Who could have such power..."

As he spoke, his sweat hairs stood on end.

In this world, besides the high-ups, who else could manipulate the entire Imperial Hospital?

The Crown Prince was gifted and outstanding, yet did not win the Emperor’s favor.

This was an open secret in the Eastern Palace, one constantly avoided.

Eunuch Sanbao could never have imagined that the Emperor’s dislike for the Crown Prince had reached such extreme measures.

What hatred could lead to such heartlessness?

...

After handing over the clothes and books from the bundles to Zhao Xi, Eunuch Sanbao left the Imperial Clan Court. He had some connections in the palace, and through various relations, he invited Doctor Li who had previously treated Wen Wan’s mute illness.

Clearing out all unrelated personnel from Kunning Palace, he had Doctor Li diagnose the Empress.

Sure enough, there was a great mystery.

The medicine the Imperial Hospital prescribed for the Empress was not appropriate and only exacerbated her condition.

Eunuch Sanbao was greatly shocked.

Doctor Li was a man experienced in great waves and chaos. Upon feeling the pulse and combining it with what Eunuch Sanbao had said, he guessed most of it.

The reason the Empress had been bedridden was most likely by the Emperor’s intent; otherwise, the Imperial Hospital wouldn’t dare conspire to murder the mother of a nation.

Eunuch Sanbao’s mind was in turmoil, ultimately turning to Doctor Li for help, "You’ve been through experiences, can you advise the Empress on what to do going forward?"

Doctor Li stroked his beard. He had retired for many years, staying far from the inner court. Not knowing the Emperor’s stance towards the Empress, he dared not speak rashly, only saying, "I haven’t concerned myself with court affairs for years; such a question puts me in a difficult position." Shifting his words, "However, I have a prescription here that can improve the Empress’s condition. If Gonggong needs it, I can leave it later; as for whether to use it, that’s for you to decide yourselves."

Doctor Li pushed the decision back, leaving Eunuch Sanbao utterly at a loss.

On one side was the Emperor’s command; on the other, the Crown Prince’s request.

If the Emperor intended for the Empress to die, then saving her might implicate the Crown Prince.

At the thought of the unknown punishment awaiting the Crown Prince, Eunuch Sanbao was utterly indecisive.

"Give the prescription to me."

At this moment, Empress Qi on the phoenix couch struggled to speak, her eyes weakly looking at Doctor Li.

"Empress..." Eunuch Sanbao instinctively wanted to stop her, but at the thought of the words the Crown Prince had said before he left the Imperial Clan Court, he immediately fell silent, his face conflicted.

"I want... to live!"

The last word, Empress Qi bit heavily.

Mother and son are connected at heart, even if everyone in Kunning Palace tried to hide the Crown Prince’s situation from her, she could feel that Zhao Xi was in trouble.

The son she had raised with her own hands, having worked hard for so many years, fought for so many years, was only seeking recognition.

Having just ascended as Crown Prince for a mere year or two, how could he fall like this?

She needed to live well, to help him don the Dragon Robe, to see him rule the world!

——

In the days since Zhao Xi was sent away, Emperor Guangxi remained in a coma. Song Yuanbao did not idle; he took several people to thoroughly search the hunting grounds, discovering some things, yet all implicating Zhao Xi negatively.

"According to the investigation, when the Emperor was hit by the arrow, besides the Crown Prince, everyone else had alibis. Which means there might not have been a third person present at the time."

Song Yuanbao analyzed in front of Song Wei, "Thus, there are only three possibilities."

Song Wei nodded, signaling him to continue.

Song Yuanbao stated, "First, the Crown Prince deliberately attempted to assassinate the Emperor; second, the Crown Prince’s arrow went astray, becoming a stray arrow, and the Emperor happened to pass by, accidentally getting hit; third..."

At this point, Song Yuanbao paused.

Song Wei had already guessed, intercepting, "Third, the arrow wasn’t shot by the Crown Prince; it was a self-inflicted wound by the Emperor to create the illusion of injury."

This was the most terrifying possibility.

Even while keeping in mind that the Emperor had no reason to do this, Song Yuanbao couldn’t stop his heart from chilling, thinking the third scenario was most likely.

They all said that in the Imperial Family there are no true father-child bonds, but to see a biological father so cold-hearted sent chills down his spine.

"I wonder how the Crown Prince is doing." Song Yuanbao murmured worriedly.

"The Emperor hasn’t awakened; the Crown Prince’s charges haven’t been determined. The Imperial Clan Court won’t do anything to him," Song Wei said.

"Hopefully he can endure." Song Yuanbao sighed again.

——

On the fifth day after Emperor Guangxi was struck by the arrow, Eunuch Cui finally announced that the Emperor had regained consciousness. The hunting ground’s conditions were inadequate for recuperation, necessitating a swift return to the capital.

The ministers requested to see the Emperor but were refused by Eunuch Cui, who said the Emperor had just awoken and was too weak to see anyone before directly returning to the capital.