"Duanming?" Xiao Huayong was initially slightly surprised upon hearing this, finding the name itself rather interesting and unique.
His habitually upturned lips suddenly stiffened, then slowly fell, his eyes becoming deep and restrained.
Originally intending to amuse the Crown Prince, the atmosphere abruptly froze. Tianyuan didn't know what had gone wrong, his heart suddenly leaping to his throat.
Xiao Huayong's face was filled with a silence that foretold an impending storm. It wasn't that he was overly sensitive, but he had never been able to understand why Shen Xihe had chosen him among all the princes.
At first, he thought it was because he was the Crown Prince, making everything more legitimate. Later, he deliberately tested her, originally believing that Shen Xihe knew about his assassination attempt in the Hall of Bright Governance eleven years ago, his distant relationship with the Emperor, and that he would definitely not follow the Emperor's dying orders to cause trouble for the northwest.
The result of the test was that Shen Xihe didn't know about his poisoning. Then he wondered if Shen Xihe's intelligence had allowed her to see through the Emperor's favor towards him—that it wasn't genuine consideration—which was why she chose him.
This conjecture was overturned once again, and to this day, it remained an unsolved mystery in his heart.
He checked his pulse records, sought people to estimate the poison in his body. He had always thought it was concern for him. But she was such a cold person—Xiao Wenxi had been so obvious, yet she showed not a hint of jealousy, indicating she didn't care about him at all.
He then thought perhaps her concern was because she didn't want the partner she had painstakingly chosen to be unsuitable for cooperation.
Only at this moment did he suddenly realize that maybe he had been wrong from the very beginning.
She chose him precisely because she saw he didn't have long to live! And whether she checked his pulse records or sought people to probe his poison, it was all to find out if he was truly short-lived!
Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced Xiao Huayong's chest, a rush of metallic taste surged up, making him unable to suppress it as he opened his mouth and vomited a mouthful of blood.
"Your Highness!" Tianyuan was greatly alarmed, quickly supporting Xiao Huayong.
Xiao Huayong only felt his vision blur before he collapsed.
"Summon the imperial physician quickly!" Tianyuan shouted hoarsely towards the door.
The news that Xiao Huayong had vomited blood and fainted upon arriving at the detached palace shocked everyone. The Youning Emperor put aside the important matters he was discussing and strode over with several princes. The bloodstains on the floor, not yet wiped away, made the Emperor's face darken.
The princes exchanged glances, especially Xiao Changying, who showed a thoughtful expression.
Prince Xin Xiao Changqing hadn't attended this hunt, ostensibly to stay in the palace to accompany the Empress Dowager, but actually because he insisted on observing mourning for Gu Qingzhi and shouldn't kill.
But since the Crown Prince had previously stepped in to protect Dong Biquan's family, Xiao Changqing had told Xiao Changying: "Our Crown Prince is the most deeply hidden among us."
"Fifth Brother means the one who intercepted the autumn grain from you and rearranged the situation was the Crown Prince?" Xiao Changying asked in shock.
"Otherwise why would he step in to protect the Dong family?" Xiao Changqing said with a meaningful smile. "You don't actually think he was genuinely sharing the Emperor's worries, do you? If I'm not mistaken, Dong Biquan must have made a deal with the Crown Prince regarding his family's safety. He was the Emperor's confidant, after all."
Xiao Changqing had wanted to make this move too, but he had no one usable in the Celestial Prison and couldn't reach Dong Biquan. Yet the Crown Prince had managed it, indicating that their seemingly isolated and helpless Crown Prince actually had influence throughout the court.
"But the Crown Prince's health..." Xiao Changying suddenly realized. "Could the Crown Prince be feigning illness?"The Crown Prince suffers from a rare illness and has at most three to five years to live. What schemes could he possibly be plotting? It would be better for him to rest peacefully and enjoy every luxury while he is still alive. This is what everyone believes, which is why, despite all the covert and overt struggles over the years, no one has ever considered targeting the Crown Prince.
On the contrary, as long as he remains alive, the position of Crown Prince does not need to be openly contested, allowing factions to secretly build their power.
But now, they are beginning to suspect that the Crown Prince might be feigning his illness!
If he is indeed pretending, it would be truly shocking. Hasn’t every episode of the Crown Prince’s illness alarmed the entire Imperial Hospital? How could not a single person in the entire Imperial Hospital expose his pretense? Isn’t that terrifying?
Who would dare to trust anyone from the Imperial Hospital again? Wouldn’t that be handing their lives over to the Crown Prince?
"I didn’t believe it at first either." Xiao Changqing had never doubted that the Crown Prince was feigning illness precisely because every time the Crown Prince fell ill, it caused a huge commotion. How could such a spectacle be used to deceive everyone? But now, he couldn’t help but suspect it. "Look, isn’t it true that every time he falls ill, someone ends up suffering?" Xiao Changying thought it over and realized it was indeed the case.
Today, however, as he looked at the pool of blood, Xiao Changying hesitated again. This time, the Crown Prince hadn’t targeted anyone, yet he still fell ill. Could it be that the Crown Prince’s intended victim had not yet been revealed?
While he was lost in suspicion, the Chief Imperial Physician had already taken the Crown Prince’s pulse and reported with a grave expression, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has vomited blood due to his illness."
In truth, it was due to extreme rage, but the Chief Imperial Physician had received no hints, especially since Tianyuan had subtly shaken his head at him, indicating that he must not reveal the truth.
In fact, a series of recent events had made the Youning Emperor somewhat suspicious of Xiao Huayong. However, today’s incident dispelled his doubts. This time, the illness was genuine and unrelated to anyone.
Xiao Changying waited for a long time, but when no further developments occurred, he concluded that the Crown Prince had indeed fallen ill without ulterior motives. He felt they had all been mistaken in their suspicions and sent a letter to Xiao Changqing to convey this.
When Shen Xihe heard that Xiao Huayong had vomited blood and fallen unconscious, her initial reaction was similar to Xiao Changying’s—she waited for someone to suffer as a consequence. After waiting all afternoon without any news, she realized that Xiao Huayong might have genuinely succumbed to his illness. She brought Sui Axi with her to visit him.
Xiao Huayong had just woken up and taken his medicine. He was listening to the Chief Imperial Physician’s nagging: "Your Highness, what could have angered you so? Do you realize you nearly succumbed to the poison? You must not let this happen again, or this humble official will have no choice but to accompany you in death."
"Your Highness..."Tianyuan spoke hesitantly, "The princess has come.".."
"I will not see her." Before Tianyuan could finish, Xiao Huayong coldly uttered these two words.
Tianyuan had already guessed that the Crown Prince’s rage and vomiting blood were related to the princess, though he didn’t fully understand why. When he heard she had come, he had hoped that seeing her might improve the Crown Prince’s condition.
Although he often felt that the Crown Prince became a different person because of the princess, that change made him more vibrant and human.
Despite finding it troublesome, Tianyuan had to admit that the Crown Prince, who cared for the princess, was no longer the lonely and detached figure he once was.
He no longer treated life and death with indifference. Instead, he actively cooperated with treatments and fought to live, driven by a newfound will to survive.
In truth, the Crown Prince had long since disregarded his own life. His search for the Fairy Ribbon had been forced upon him by others threatening to die for his sake. If he had truly been determined to obtain the Bone Shedding Pill, he would not have let the princess take it so easily.He hoped that His Highness and the Princess could achieve a happy union. With the Princess by his side, His Highness always appeared so gentle and radiant, his laughter noticeably more frequent, and the Eastern Palace no longer felt cold and gloomy.
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