GD Chapter 52

Su Xinghe felt as if her head had been struck by a heavy blow suddenly buzzing and aching intensely.

“What did you say?”

But before Lan Chu could repeat herself, she had already run out.

 

From the Women’s Quarters to Lizheng Hall, it wasn’t a long distance, yet it felt like she had run for centuries emerging in complete disarray. The vermilion stairs, symbolizing dignity and nobility, now seemed as steep as a mountaintop, nearly impossible to climb. She didn’t know how she’d made it to the top. When the main hall came into view, there was already a crowd gathered behind the crimson lattice doors.

Anxious beyond words and unable to find an imperial physician to question, she pushed through the panicked crowd and entered the inner chamber. There, she saw the Crown Prince lying on the bed, his face flushed and breathing rapidly.

Her steps suddenly halted. As she looked closely, it felt as though he was no longer the person she knew.

Dequan hurried forward in a fluster. “Lord Su, why are you only just getting here? Please, come look at the young master…” As he spoke, he began to cry. “He seemed perfectly fine after returning from Lizheng Hall, only said he was a little tired and told me not to disturb him. Just now, a message came urgently from the morning court. I went in to report, but he didn’t respond when I called. And when I got close… he looked just like this, not even recognizing anyone.”

He rambled on, but Su Xinghe didn’t hear a single word. She was busy thinking she had to go up and take a proper look. What if this man wasn’t the Crown Prince at all?

 

She stiffly climbed onto the footstool and finally saw his face clearly. Strange it really was him. Her heart turned chaotic, her mind muddled. In a low, earnest voice, she called out to him, “Your Highness… what’s happened to you?”

Just the day before, he had been full of energy, even collapsing the bed beneath him. How had he ended up like this today? Su Xinghe felt a tightness in her chest, a breath stuck in her throat that refused to rise. She grasped his hand tightly. Though she had no knowledge of medicine, she pressed against his pulse point, trying to make sense of it somehow.

His pulse was rapid and erratic she could tell that was not a good sign. She turned to call for the imperial physicians. “What exactly is wrong with the Crown Prince? Has there been any diagnosis at all?”

But the physicians all shook their heads. They couldn’t even determine the cause of the illness.

She patted his face. “Your Highness, can you hear me?”

Her hand met only a burning heat nothing else. She grew more anxious by the second and snapped at the doctors, “What are you all even doing here? Five or six of you consulting together, and you still can’t identify the cause?”

One physician showed a troubled expression. “Judging by His Highness’s pulse rapid, irregular, stopping and then resuming it resembles the ‘sparrow-pecking pulse.’ This pulse pattern is dangerous. Medical texts list it among the Ten Abnormal Pulses, but even to this day, there’s no definitive explanation for its cause…”

 

What was this supposed to be? Throwing out vague, textbook phrases were they trying to blame the illness for being too unusual? Without identifying the cause, there was no way to prescribe the right treatment. Su Xinghe saw how labored his breathing was and felt as if an invisible hand had clenched her heart.

It was a moment of crisis, but she couldn’t afford to panic. Forcing herself to stay calm, she asked Dequan whether he had reported this to the Emperor yet.

Dequan’s reply left her utterly stunned.

“I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet something’s happened on His Majesty’s side too. It’s said he’s convulsing, half his body paralyzed, and he can’t even speak. The Imperial Guards have already locked down the palace inside and out. Senior ministers were summoned to the palace in the middle of the night, and now the entire court is in chaos.”

Su Xinghe stood frozen in place. In the span of a single night, everything had changed. The sudden storm had gone far beyond what she could handle.

The Emperor and the Crown Prince both struck down in succession; it was unimaginable.

She knew there had to be a conspiracy behind this. But where these hidden hands came from she couldn’t say. Whoever it was, they were frighteningly clever, having calculated nearly everyone into their plan.

If the Emperor and Crown Prince both perished… then who stood to gain the most?

Prince Jianping was far away on the battlefield too distant to act quickly. In the capital, aside from the inexperienced Prince Xin, only Prince Minxing remained the very one who had secured provisions and was about to return to the capital to report.

Just thinking of that sent a fresh wave of cold sweat down her spine.

She no longer knew which way to go.

With the Emperor himself in dire straits, there was no guidance to be had from that direction.

And now, the entire palace was waiting on her to make a decision.

She had to stay calm.

 

“From this moment on, all palace staff on duty are forbidden to wander about. Nothing in this hall is to be moved or replaced without permission,” she ordered. “Send word to Ye Jinchun outside the gates of the Shangjin Upper Palace. Have him notify the Ministry of Military Control and request Commander Nan Yushu to bring an investigating officer here to conduct a full inquiry in the Eastern Palace.”

She gritted her teeth and murmured, “I don’t believe it… There’s no way something so coincidental could happen. His Highness the Crown Prince is strong and healthy there’s no reason he should suffer such a sudden accident.”

Yet the cause of illness was hard to determine. The useless imperial physicians clutched their silver needles, hesitating over and over but not daring to make a single move. After all, he was the heir to the throne. No one had the courage to stake their career and life on a gamble. In times like these, doing more often meant making more mistakes, while doing nothing meant no mistakes. The principle of self-preservation was everywhere in the bureaucracy, and it was no different among those meant to heal; they were officials first, doctors second.

Seeing their cowardice, Su Xinghe flew into a rage and cursed them, forcing them to write a prescription and gather the necessary medicine. After much deliberation, the physicians finally came up with one. But once she saw it, it was clear it was a bland, generic formula for clearing internal heat and detoxifying. It wouldn’t help, but at least it wouldn’t kill him.

Better than nothing. Dequan took it upon himself to brew the medicine, while the people in the hall were driven out. The imperial physicians were herded into the side hall to wait on standby no one was allowed to leave before dawn. Su Xinghe stood alone in the now empty bedchamber, feeling lightheaded and dizzy, on the verge of collapse. She struggled to open the window and let the foul air out. Returning to the bedside, she found herself completely at a loss as to what to do next.

 

She suddenly realized how terrifying a life without direction could be. All these years, the Crown Prince had been her sole goal. Now that this goal had collapsed and might even die without a known cause she was powerless to do anything. In truth, she wasn’t as strong as she had always believed.

Kneeling on the footboard, she clutched his hand tightly, as if by doing so, she could transfer her own energy to him, prolong his life. His breathing was labored, his face flushed, and his long brows were tightly furrowed knotted into something that seemed impossible to undo. Su Xinghe stared at him for a long time, until tears streamed down her cheeks. All her feelings for him surged to the surface at once: she hated him, feared him, guarded against him, worried about him, liked him… maybe even loved him a little.

It was all too complicated, and sometimes even she couldn’t make sense of it. When she had to consider the survival of the Su family, she could only maintain cautious vigilance. But the moment they were alone, she would relax, joke with him, talk utter nonsense.

To meet someone evenly matched with you in a lifetime that was a kind of blessing. But now that this person had fallen, she wanted to save him more than anyone else. The emperor in the Hall of Governance was the big figure now, and the grand ministers of the cabinet were no doubt entangled in political strife. By all logic, she should go there herself, to assess the situation and decide her next move.

But when she looked again at the man before her none of it mattered. No matter how chaotic the world outside became, she could no longer bring herself to care.

 

Dequan quickly finished preparing the medicine and brought it over. He propped up the Crown Prince’s upper body with cushions, and Su Xinghe fed him spoon by spoon. He was still able to swallow, which was at least some small comfort. Whether the medicine would work or not was anyone’s guess at this point, it was all up to fate. After he finished the dose, she carefully wiped the corner of his mouth and laid him flat again. Only then did Su Xinghe think to ask, “What was His Highness’s schedule today?”

Dequan replied, “Nothing out of the ordinary. This morning, he was in a meeting at the Right Spring Pavilion. After that, he reviewed the old regulations and went to court to see the Emperor. In the afternoon, he stayed by His Majesty’s side while he was ill, and only returned to the Eastern Palace after the Emperor had taken his medicine. When he got back, he rested for about an hour. I came in during that time to light a lamp, he’d been sitting in the round-back chair for too long, so I advised him to lie down. He even agreed. And then… then Prince Xin sent someone with a message. I came in to deliver it, and he was already like this.”

As he spoke, Dequan broke down in tears again, full of guilt and self-blame. “I’m such an idiot… If only I’d noticed something was wrong sooner…”

A sharp pain throbbed through Su Xinghe’s skull. She had the feeling that the truth was right in front of her, just a nudge away from clarity but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t grasp it. The frustration made her feel like she was spinning in circles, stuck in a maddening fog.

Where had things gone wrong…? She pounded her own forehead with her fist, the more anxious she became, the more elusive the answer was. Forcing herself to calm down, she turned and asked Dequan, “What exactly is being said in the Hall of Governance? How is His Majesty’s condition? Is there any connection between these two incidents?”

Dequan could only shake his head. “How would we know anything about that? The palace gates have already been locked, and everything inside and out is under strict lockdown. The earlier message that came back said that while His Majesty was also in danger, his symptoms weren’t too severe he’s numb in the limbs, his tongue swollen, and he’s having trouble speaking, but his mind is still clear. Actually, if we’re talking about the order of events, it was in the Hall of Governance where it started. After a short nap, the Emperor got up to change clothes, and he suddenly began to shiver and tremble all over. That went on for nearly a quarter of an hour before he finally collapsed. Around the same time, Prince Xin sent someone here in a rush to inform the Crown Prince, and that’s when we found His Highness like this. There’s at least half an hour between the two incidents, if not more…”

One after the other… Su Xinghe stood still, then turned to look at the man lying on the bed again, letting out a long, heavy sigh.

From outside came the sound of hurried footsteps. A voice called softly from beneath the corridor: “Lord Su, the Control Command Office has arrived. Several thousand Household officers have entered the Eastern Palace. Lord Nan Yushu has gone to the central court first to report. He requests your presence.”

Hearing this, Su Xinghe instructed Dequan to keep watch and then turned to leave the inner chambers.

 

Su Xinghai and Jiang Yi waited with their officers in front of the side hall. When they saw her, they cupped their hands in salute. “My Lord.”

She nodded. “I need to go to the Central Court first. I’m relying on you two to take care of matters here in the Eastern Palace. Be thorough search every corner. Look for anything suspicious.”

The two thousand Household officers bowed to accept the order. She glanced at the Crown Prince through the half-open window, then lifted her robe hem and hurried off toward the Lizheng Gate.

A young eunuch led the way ahead, carrying a ram-horn lantern. The palace was in chaos footsteps echoed everywhere in the shadows. After passing through the Lizheng Gate, she saw one group of high ministers and another group of imperial physicians. Further into the front hall were weeping consorts and, wearing a face of anger, Zuo Zhaoyi.

The Empress was by the Emperor’s sickbed, taking care of him. When she saw Su Xinghe arrive, she turned and gave her a strained look.

Su Xinghe stood beside Commander Nan Yushu, bowed slightly, then turned her head to silently ask for an update with her eyes. Commander Nan Yushu leaned in and said in a low voice, “The Imperial Medical Bureau checked the leftover medicinal dregs and found that the amount of aconite used was far beyond the norm someone tampered with the medicine.”

She was stunned. “Something like that happened?”

 

Zuo Zhaoyi tucked her hands into her sleeves and let out a cold laugh. “Whether or not something like this happened interrogate the one who administered the medicine and it’ll all come to light.”

Su Xinghe knew she was referring to the Crown Prince, but she didn’t respond. Instead, she turned and entered the front hall to examine the evidence. The medicinal dregs, all cooked into a single dark mess, had already been sorted and laid out. A court physician was explaining beside her:

“His Majesty suffers from intense, axe-splitting migraines. At first, we followed the method in the Collected Simple Prescriptions, burning powdered Chuanwu to produce smoke in a bowl, then infusing tea with it. Unfortunately, after seven days of treatment, there was no improvement at all. Later, after repeated consultations, the Imperial Medical Bureau devised a new prescription using Chuanxiong, Xiangfu, fragrant Angelica, Ming Tianma, Bai Xiangtou, and Xi Qinjiu, decocted for oral use. The dosage for every herb was precisely regulated. My lord, please look…” He pointed to a pile of aconite slices that clearly outnumbered the others. “The prescription clearly states five fen of aconite would suffice. But what we have here is far more ten fen would be a conservative estimate. When the medicine is for His Majesty, it must be checked and approved multiple times by five senior physicians before it leaves the pharmacy. I can personally vouch: there was absolutely no mistake in the preparation.”

And yet, judging from the situation, the problem lay exactly with the medicine. Su Xinghe turned to ask Commander Nan Yushu, “My lord, what’s your opinion?”

Commander Nan Yushu’s stance was direct: everyone involved must be sent to the Zhaoyi Prison for thorough interrogation.

Given the current crisis, that seemed to be the only viable course. Su Xinghe agreed and accompanied Commander Nan Yushu to the inner chamber to request an imperial decree. But Zuo Zhaoyi clearly didn’t want to miss this opportunity. She raised her voice sharply:

“You’re arresting people are you going to arrest the real culprit? Who supervised the medicine yesterday? Isn’t that person the first to be held accountable? If anything happens to the Emperor, we all know who stands to gain the most. In my view, the Eastern Palace is the biggest suspect. He’s been Crown Prince for over twenty years he must be tired of waiting. With the Emperor still alive, he’s blocked from ascending the throne. A man like him what wouldn’t he dare do? Anyone who thwarts his desires, he’d find a way to eliminate. This is clearly a plot to commit regicide!”

What a massive accusation she’d hurled if the Crown Prince were still conscious and standing here, even a hundred mouths wouldn’t be enough to clear his name. Anyone could weigh the cause and effect. Push the reasoning far enough, and it all pointed directly to the Crown Prince. After all, in terms of both motive and opportunity, he had them. If the old Emperor fell, the Great Yin would be his. To call him the mastermind it sounded entirely plausible.

 

Su Xinghe suddenly understood some things really were unavoidable. The unexpected words from Prince Xin, spoken at this critical moment, surprised her. He said it was impossible, “The Emperor just entrusted the responsibility of the regency to Second Brother.” On the surface, it seemed like he was offering reassurance, but in reality, he had just dealt him a heavy blow.

No wonder he had once said that no one in this world truly loved him, so he could only try to find those among his enemies who still held the potential to be swayed or won over like her.

 

Zuo Zhaoyi grew even more pleased by Prince Xin’s words. “Look, so now he’s going to take the regency this makes everything even clearer.”

The Empress, disgusted by her boldness, spoke coldly, “Zuo Zhaoyi is truly divine in her judgment. It’s a pity you’re not in the Control Command Office. Whether or not the Crown Prince is guilty, are you really making that determination based solely on your own assumptions? Right now, something has happened in the Eastern Palace the Crown Prince lies in bed, unconscious. As for who stands to gain from all this, it’s not so easy to say.”

Zuo Zhaoyi looked at her with clear disdain. “Who knows? Maybe he committed suicide out of guilt, or perhaps it’s all a feigned act to shift attention elsewhere.”

 

Su Xinghe cupped her hands in a bow. “Your Majesties, please wait a moment. In my humble opinion, there has never been a case of someone usurping the throne while first losing their own life. I may not understand medical principles, but from what I can observe, the Crown Prince’s condition is far worse than His Majesty’s. I just came from the Eastern Palace, where the physicians are helpless. They haven’t even been able to determine the cause of the illness, and all they dared to do was prescribe some general medicine to clear heat and resolve the exterior. We still don’t know what his condition is like.”

Although the Emperor couldn’t speak, he understood everything. Upon hearing that the Crown Prince’s illness was severe, he trembled as he struck the bed with his hands, shaking everyone in the room.

Su Xinghe hurried over to calm him. “Your Majesty, please be assured. Although the Crown Prince’s pulse is irregular, he still has some consciousness. The physicians are consulting each other, and the Control Command Office has entered the Eastern Palace to conduct an investigation. If the cause of the illness can be identified, there is still hope for treatment.” She paused, choking on her words before continuing with sorrow, “Your Majesty, please see clearly. The Crown Prince is in such a state, yet there are still people throwing dirt on him. It truly breaks my heart. I serve as an official in the Control Command Office and also as the Minister of the Eastern Palace. I know the Crown Prince’s character better than anyone. He respects and cherishes the Emperor; to him, the Emperor is both father and heaven. When the Emperor was in danger, how many people thought of him first? Now that the Crown Prince is in danger, who stands to benefit the most? I must dare to speak a sacrilegious word: among all the nobility here, everyone is suspicious, even those who are not present. They too may find it difficult to clear themselves of suspicion.”

As soon as she finished, Prince Xin spoke up. “I believe what Lord Su has said is absolutely correct. This matter must be thoroughly investigated. Not only should those who entered the Hall of Governance today be questioned, but even those from three days ago should be carefully interrogated. I almost forgot, but yesterday, the eldest princess came to meet the Emperor. I do not know what was discussed, but I clearly saw her running out of the palace in a state of extreme agitation. The Emperor has always doted on her so much everyone in the palace knows this. With her haughty temper, it wouldn’t be impossible for her to turn against her own father. Moreover, our eldest brother stands out among the princes. Replacing the Crown Prince has long been your mother and son’s desire. When the Emperor is in danger, and the Eastern Palace loses its master, Huo Qingluan, who is in the military, has a clear alibi. As for those in the palace, Zuo Zhaoyi, the Empress, will serve as a proxy for him. When he returns to court, it will be the day of his ascension to the throne. Isn’t this what you’ve been planning all along?”

 

It’s easy to criticize others when the issue doesn’t affect you personally. But once you’re caught up in it, the situation becomes completely different. Zuo Zhaoyi sharply scolded Prince Xin, “You speak nonsense. With your silver tongue, you can turn the dead into the living. Although Princess Xialing is arrogant, she would never commit such a heinous act. Please, Your Majesty, see the truth.”

“That’s not so certain,” Prince Xin replied coolly with a smile. “She was able to collude with Consort Gao Zhiya to harm the Prince Consort. Today, she could very well add aconite to the Emperor’s medicine pot for something as trivial as being displeased. She’s experienced handling things like this comes easily. Just now, Zuo Zhaoyi was speculating about my brother the same way. Now I’m returning the favor. Please, Your Majesty, come up with a countermeasure, and then help the eldest princess make excuses.”

Zuo Zhaoyi was so angry she almost choked. The Emperor, witnessing the infighting, had already closed his eyes in despair.

The more confusion there was, the better. If everyone was busy distancing themselves from the matter, no one would focus on the Crown Prince anymore. Su Xinghe heard Zuo Zhaoyi accuse Prince Xin of trying to kill three birds with one stone, hinting that he might have ambitions to seize the throne. Taking advantage of the Emperor’s inability to speak, she had delivered a grand speech in front of the court, implying that everyone was guilty.

She could no longer stay here. Turning toward the Empress, she cupped her hands and said, “The Eastern Palace is being thoroughly investigated by the Commanders. I must return to oversee things. Should there be any developments, I will immediately report to His Majesty and Her Majesty in the Imperial Court.”

 

The Empress nodded, reminding her sternly, “Make sure they treat him properly. He’s still unconscious, how can this go on…”

Su Xinghe left the main hall and, from a distance, saw her father and several military officials whispering outside a side hall. When they spotted her, they quickly walked over. Her father lowered his voice and asked, “How is the Eastern Palace situation?”

She looked at her father with a serious expression, “Father, is it…”

Her father quickly interrupted, “No, absolutely not. Are others all fools?”

Indeed, with the situation still uncertain, any rash action would be a fool’s errand. Her mind was in chaos, and her father had more to say, but she impatiently cut him off, “He’s in this condition, how can I think of anything else? Don’t say anymore!” She turned away, leaving the stunned Scholar Su, and headed for the Eastern Palace.

Upon entering, she was greeted with good news. A few pieces of charcoal, with indiscernible color, were presented to her on a silver tray. Su Xinghai spoke, “Please look, Lord Su, this was found in the Boshan stove. There’s still a bit left unburned. After identification by the Inner Bureau, it’s cowherb and nutmeg.”

Su Xinghe paused, “Incense?” That was the detail she hadn’t been able to recall earlier. The Crown Prince was very particular about incense; he was extremely sensitive to smells. Any slight deviation would upset his stomach and digestive system. Burning cowherb and nutmeg didn’t have an obvious characteristic, but everyone knew that when combined, these two could be highly toxic and could numb the senses. Now that the cause was identified, antidote should be easy to prepare. She asked Su Xinghai, “Did the doctors come up with a solution? Have they prepared a new prescription?”

Su Xinghai answered, “They’ve already prepared the medicine and sent it in. It’s probably been administered by now. Lord Su, how shall we proceed?”

She instructed, “Bring the palace servants who were in charge of the incense to the Control Troops for questioning. And anyone who was on duty at the door or entered the Western Warm Pavilion, bring them all in for interrogation.”

The commanders and guards took their orders and left. Only then did she enter the inner chambers. She hoped the Crown Prince had awakened, but when she entered, he still lay as before, though his complexion had improved slightly. She gave a questioning look to Dequan, who sighed heavily, his brows drooping. “The doctors said he would wake soon. It’s been a whole incense stick’s worth of time now, but he still hasn’t opened his eyes…”

 

She also felt uneasy, taking the fan from his hand with a nervous expression, “It’s only been one incense stick’s worth of time. The medicine hasn’t had time to take effect yet. Let’s wait a bit longer. I’ll stay here to attend to him, you go help the commanders check the palace servants outside.”

Dequan left, turning back three times before he finally exited. The inner chambers were left with just her and the Crown Prince. She stared at his face for a long time, fanning him, while muttering to herself, “You really are the most clever person I’ve ever met, but you don’t know how to hold back. If you’re not careful and end up poisoning yourself, then this empire will truly be handed over to someone else.”