Chapter 32: Faint
The Crown Prince’s expression changed abruptly, and he suddenly stood up, striding quickly toward the outside.
The Crown Princess was also stunned by the sudden bad news, reacting a step slower. Ignoring her composure and poise, she ran after him.
Emperor Xiaowen was over fifty years old, an age when he should be nurturing his health, yet he indulged in beauties. The imperial harem had not three thousand beauties, but several hundred there were. The imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital often presented carefully prepared tonics.
In these past two years, Emperor Xiaowen had often been “slightly unwell in dragon body” and unable to attend court. It was due to excessive indulgence, causing overconsumption of essence.
This was a tacit understanding secret in the Imperial Court.
There had once been an upright censor who submitted a memorial, earnestly advising the Son of Heaven to stay away from wine and women, and to cherish his dragon body for the sake of the myriad people. As a result, he was directly demoted out of the Capital City by the furious Emperor Xiaowen and sent to serve in Lingnan. He fell ill and died halfway there.
After that, there were no more straightforward remonstrating memorials in the Imperial Court. The Son of Heaven’s dragon body was certainly important, but one’s own official hat was even more crucial. Acting on a momentary impulse and ruining one’s future was too much of a loss.
Emperor Xiaowen not only indulged in beauties but was also obsessed with Taoist alchemy. A alchemy room was set up in the Palace, containing seven alchemy furnaces of various sizes. Every day, dozens of Taoist priests bustled about. The longevity pills that extended life, the Dragon Tiger Pills that greatly invigorated men’s prowess, and all sorts of other pills all came from Fulin Hall.
Among the dozens of Taoist priests, the one most favored by the Son of Heaven was Daoist Master Tianji.
Daoist Master Tianji was over seventy years old, with all white hair and beard, yet his complexion was as delicate and rosy as a child’s, his spirit vigorous like a youth in his early twenties. The Dragon Tiger Pill came from Daoist Master Tianji’s hand.
Emperor Xiaowen greatly favored and trusted Daoist Master Tianji, appointing him as National Preceptor, rewarding him with ten thousand taels of gold, and following Daoist Master Tianji’s suggestion to extensively conscript labor to build Taoist temples in various prefectures and counties.
The common people conscripted for labor endured unspeakable suffering and were full of complaints. Large tracts of fertile land went uncultivated and soon lay fallow. Hungry common people had no choice but to flee with their wife and children, becoming refugees. These numb, bewildered, and despairing refugees—some starved or exhausted to death, while others killed and robbed to survive, becoming bandits.
Emperor Xiaowen ignored all this, only caring about refining pills and taking medicine in the Palace, enjoying fine wine and beauties, and indulging in pleasure.
With the Son of Heaven muddleheaded, how much better could the Imperial Court officials be?
To flatter and cater to the Son of Heaven’s preferences, many officials privately kept Taoist priests for alchemy. Some rose three levels in office due to the merit of presenting pills, others seized folk beauties under the pretext of selecting them for the Son of Heaven. “Stinking meat and wine before the gates of the rich, while frozen bones lie by the road”—this was never empty talk.
The Great Jing Dynasty, established over eighty years ago, looked from afar like a towering giant wood, but up close, one would be shocked to find the trunk long hollowed out, crawling with parasites on the trunk and branches, ceaselessly gnawing away. No one knew when it would come crashing down.
The Crown Prince hurried all the way to Fulin Hall.
Inside the hall was chaos, palace people and eunuchs all had panicked expressions, and the alchemist Taoist priests knelt in a group. Empress Liu wept sorrowfully by the dragon couch. Prince Wei had arrived even earlier than the Crown Prince. At this moment, his eyes were bloodshot, flashing with rage, as he berated several imperial physicians: “…Quickly revive Father Emperor! If anything happens to Father Emperor, this king will have you cut into a thousand pieces!”
The imperial physicians were pale as dirt and did not dare refute, only murmuring in agreement.
The Crown Prince furrowed his brows and gravely asked Empress Liu: “Mother Empress, why did Father Emperor suddenly faint?”
Prince Wei had only arrived moments earlier and had not yet had time to question, so he too turned to look at Empress Liu.
The beautiful Empress Liu still looked like she was in her twenties, with an almond-shaped face and eyes as charming as water, her slender waist less than a handful.
Empress Liu was skilled at dancing, her dance posture light and graceful; in her youth, she could dance on the palm of a hand. Emperor Xiaowen had many beauties in his harem, with favored concubines coming and going. Yet no one could shake Empress Liu’s position. This showed how greatly Emperor Xiaowen favored Empress Liu.
With Emperor Xiaowen suddenly fainted and unresponsive, Empress Liu’s world had collapsed by more than half. At this moment, full of grief, she wept piteously, unable to speak.
The Crown Prince found it inconvenient and improper to press Empress Liu, so he called over an eunuch: “Eunuch Xu, what exactly happened?”
Eunuch Xu was Emperor Xiaowen’s personal eunuch. Even when the Son of Heaven favored beauties, Eunuch Xu had to wait in the corner. Others might not know, but Eunuch Xu certainly did.
Eunuch Xu dropped to his knees with a thud, stammering with a troubled expression.
The Crown Prince knew what was up and ordered Zhang Kou to have all irrelevant people withdraw.
Only then did Eunuch Xu lower his voice: “His Majesty was in high spirits today and took three Dragon Tiger Pills, summoning five beauties to accompany him.”
“In the end, he fainted midway.”
The Crown Prince: “…”
As expected.
The Dragon Tiger Pill had surging medicinal power; taking three and summoning five beauties… this was truly courting death.
It was only because they were in the Palace, with skilled imperial physicians always ready for emergency treatment. Otherwise, it would have ended in “sudden wind on the bed.”
The Crown Prince silently complained inwardly.
Prince Wei’s face had darkened: “Dog servant! Serving by Father Emperor’s side all day, yet not knowing to advise him.”
Still not venting his anger with words alone, he suddenly kicked out fiercely. Eunuch Xu took a kick to the chest, falling backward with a muffled grunt.
The Crown Prince frowned and stopped the furious Prince Wei: “Saving Father Emperor comes first. Once Father Emperor wakes, then we can punish.”
Eunuch Xu was one thing, but the true root of the problem was Daoist Master Tianji and that group of Taoist priests.
Thinking of Daoist Master Tianji, the image of that burned letter suddenly flashed in the Crown Prince’s mind, the clear and vigorous handwriting on the letter surging to the forefront.
Daoist Master Tianji had long been bought by Prince Wei with heavy gold, secretly planning the witchcraft case against the Eastern Palace… There were people in the Eastern Palace bought off, secretly responding…
The letter listed five names: eunuchs, palace people, guards, and one Eastern Palace subordinate official.
Whether loyal or not, it would be known upon investigation.
How could a daughter of a traitor exiled a thousand li away know such Palace secrets?
Was it a fabricated lie to gain Eastern Palace protection? Impossible. Such matters were not hard to verify; once the lie was exposed, what awaited the Pei Clan would be this Crown Prince’s surging fury.
If it was true… this conspiracy was truly terrifying, making him shiver all over.
There had been a witchcraft case in the previous dynasty, executing the empress and deposing the crown prince, establishing a new heir.
Colluding with Daoist Master Tianji to conspire a witchcraft case to topple the Eastern Palace—such an audacious act was indeed something Prince Wei could do.
If everything Pei Qinghe said in the letter was true… then how did she know?
Could it be that brothers Pei Boren and Pei Zhongde had discovered something earlier and secretly told Pei Qinghe?
Prince Wei’s deadly strike against the Pei Clan was also to silence them?
Regardless, the Pei family members must first be protected. Next, it would be necessary to secretly and carefully verify, resolving the crisis without a word.
This time was a golden opportunity to deal with Daoist Master Tianji. It was also a great chance to deal with Prince Wei.
The Crown Prince’s expression was calm, his gaze steady.
Prince Wei’s eyes were full of rage, baring fangs and claws.
The two brothers stared at each other for a moment. Prince Wei’s gaze flickered, not knowing what he thought of, suddenly sneering and stepping back: “Everything is up to Eldest Brother.”
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