Having a Baby Before Marrying a Wicked Husband - Chapter 88

The scene descended into chaos. Xia Jing suddenly collapsed to the ground, his face turning deathly pale. The Noble Consort, who was closest to the Emperor, screamed…

“Quick! Someone, call for the imperial physicians!”

Jiang Manyue stood up. His position was far from the Emperor, and a crowd of people surrounded him, making it difficult to see clearly.

He could only catch glimpses of a figure through the gaps in the crowd. He saw Xia Jing sitting stunned on the ground, his eyes vacant, lost in his own world.

The crowd beside him was in disarray, and it was hard to distinguish who was who. Some rushed to check on the Emperor’s condition, while others cast suspicious glances at the Fourth Prince.

The Emperor collapsed after drinking the glass of wine he handed over; making the Fourth Prince the prime suspect.

All the imperial physicians from the Taiyuan Hospital were dispatched and took turns to work. The Empress, who was seriously ill, appeared despite her condition, her face showing unmistakable signs of exhaustion.

“Treat him! Use any means necessary to cure the Emperor! If anything happens to him, heads will roll!”She glanced at the dumbfounded Noble Consort.

Her icy, emotionless gaze made the Noble Consort, despite the sweltering heat, feel as if she had plunged into an icy cellar, sending shivers down her spine.

This woman—the Empress—would never let herself off the hook. As long as she seized even the slightest opportunity, she could use it to bring her down. She knew the Empress’s mindset all too well.

The Emperor collapsed right next to her, so the suspicion placed on her isn’t insignificant. How could the Empress miss this opportunity?

Moreover, it was her son who offered the drink.

The Noble Consort felt a wave of darkness, wishing to faint immediately, ending it all. Looking at her son, he had been in a daze since the banquet began and had not recovered.

“Where is the Third Prince? Hasn’t anyone informed him yet? Go, quickly fetch the Third Prince. He may still be unaware of what’s happening inside the palace.”

After a stick of incense, the Third Prince arrived disheveled, as if he had just learned the news and rushed from his chambers. Passing by the officials outside the hall, Jiang Manyue exchanged a glance with him.

His expression carried an appropriate mix of sorrow, astonishment, and incredulity, with tears welling in the corners of his eyes. Just like many people thought, he is not a threat.

Amidst the buzzing murmurs of the court officials, Jiang Manyue’s mind remained clear. Something was amiss.

Had there been a poisoning incident involving the Emperor at this time in his past life? No, absolutely not at this time. Moreover, there hadn’t been this celebratory banquet in his past life either.

Had changes in some events led to the occurrence of other events? So, what changes did this celebratory banquet, absent in his past life, bring about…

He felt as though he had fallen into a blind spot. At this time in his past life, he was still mingling with his subordinates in the military, and next year, he would lead his men to behead the then-commander to boost morale, while the First Prince was dispatched by the Emperor to lead the troops into battle.

Why was it the First Prince? What happened in the capital at that time that he, stationed far away in the military, didn’t know about?

The First Prince, firstly, had a weak maternal influence, and his mother had always managed to hold her ground in the cutthroat palace environment by staying non-confrontational and unambitious, thus avoiding being devoured by the harem. Secondly, the Emperor hadn’t really paid much attention to this son, and lastly, the First Prince himself was simple-minded, honest, and very impulsive.

In short, he wasn’t a clever person. His only redeeming quality was his extreme filial piety and obedience to the Emperor.

As for the Third Prince at this time in his past life, he was still a low-profile figure, giving off an impression of weakness, and he hadn’t yet been acknowledged by the Empress.

The Fifth Prince was still young, so he wasn’t considered.

What about the Fourth Prince then? According to the original logic, the Fourth Prince should have been the most favored. Given his personality, he liked to stand out, and he wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to go to battle in place of the Emperor.

Moreover, if they had won the battle, it would have been a major achievement worth boasting about. Furthermore, the Emperor trusted the Fourth Prince more. How could such an important matter be entrusted to the eldest son?

Unless, at that time, the Fourth Prince had just committed some wrongdoing…

No, according to this logic, the Fourth Prince was responsible for the poisoning this time. Unlikely, too obvious. He had never seen such a clumsy poisoner.

So, looking at it from a different angle, after the poisoning, who will benefit the most… By unraveling the threads and eliminating the impossibility, things became much clearer.

However, the bigger question here is, if the Emperor were to die, would it really be so advantageous for him?

Jiang Manyue believed the answer was no.

So, what was his reason for doing this? It must be because he was very confident. His confidence lay in…

Jiang Manyue’s gaze turned cold, and he raised his head, coincidentally locking eyes with the Third Prince, Xia Jue, who had just walked out of the hall.

Was it your idea? Are you using me? No, you want to use Cai Cai.

Xia Jue knew that Cai Cai could save people, and the Emperor would definitely be saved, so the Emperor wouldn’t die. However, Xia Jing, who got into trouble because of this, would find it very difficult to clear himself of suspicion. Regardless of how illogical it seemed for him to poison or pour the wine himself, Xia Jing remained the prime suspect.

Xia Jue probably prepared for this a long time ago, perhaps during the investigation of the agricultural tools case of seven years ago.

Maybe it was a case of turning the tables, or perhaps he pretended to be a victim, using a minor or major case to entangle himself and naturally distance himself from suspicion through prolonged confinement.

Although Jiang Manyue had long known that Xia Jue was not a fool, the reason he chose Xia Jue was precisely because he knew this guy was not naive; on the contrary, he was quite cunning.

But when the knife was stabbed at himself, this level of scheming is no longer what Jiang Manyue is willing to accept.

He didn’t mind scheming, or even being schemed against, but Xia Jue’s schemes have reached all the way to Yan Cai, who is completely distant from the officialdom.

Yan Cai has always disliked the putrid and corrupt officialdom, and Jiang Manyue would never push him into a place he dislikes.

Xia Jue had crossed his bottom line.

At this point, Jiang Manyue’s cooperation with him was completely shattered.

Xia Jue probably didn’t even realize that just because of this reason, Jiang Manyue, who always prioritized interests over sentiment, chose to draw a clear line between them.

At that moment, Xia Jue, appearing frail on the steps, suddenly bowed deeply and called out his name.

“I’ve heard that Madam Jiang has miraculous healing skills. I implore Master Jiang to hurry to your mansion and bring Madam Jiang here. Father Emperor cannot wait any longer.” His voice trembled with grief, unable to contain himself.

There was an uproar, and no one knew why the Third Prince would invite an unknown person to treat the poisoned Emperor.

But Xia Jue was confident. The poison was slow-acting, terrifying in appearance but not lethal, just difficult to neutralize. Yan Cai could surely manage it.

Having received treatment from Yan Cai in the past, albeit in a foggy state of mind, Xia Jue could sense its potency.

As long as Yan Cai was summoned, the Emperor’s health would be restored. As for the anger in Jiang Manyue’s eyes, Xia Jue was undisturbed.

Xia Jue didn’t take it seriously. He didn’t think it would lead to a rift with Jiang Manyue.

He had long understood that Jiang Manyue was also a cold-blooded viper. He didn’t believe that just because he figured out who the real poisoner was, he would turn against him. Neither Jiang Manyue nor Yan Cai suffered any damage. Instead, they would be considered to have made a great contribution and might even receive a reward.

However, Xia Jue misinterpreted Jiang Manyue’s anger; it wasn’t directed at the emperor.

In Jiang Manyue’s eyes, his greatest mistake was involving Yan Cai, pulling him into this trap.

Jiang Manyue bent down and agreed in a low voice: “Yes, Your Highness.”

A hint of coldness flashed in his lowered eyes.

When Yan Cai heard the news, he was eating fried silkworm beans. Suddenly, he choked on a bean, his face turning pale with shock. After coughing it out with difficulty and feeling unwell, he hurriedly got up to take his child to Manxing.

Jiang Manyue felt extremely sorry for him.

“How could this happen?” Yan Cai couldn’t afford to be upset; human lives were at stake. He had been chatting quite well with the old emperor. During the last medical examination, the emperor’s health seemed fine. How could this happen all of a sudden?

“It’s poisoning,” Jiang Manyue said without elaborating, not wanting to expose Yan Cai to such dirty details.

Yan Cai urged the coachman to hurry, while Jiang Manyue pressed his shoulder, calming Yan Cai’s emotions.

“Don’t worry, there’s still time.”

“I know…”

Jiang Manyue’s palm fell on his shoulder, making him feel warm, solid, and secure.

Even if Jiang Manyue hadn’t said anything, he wouldn’t have been so naive as to think everything was an accident.

In the Imperial palace, anything could be an accident, and nothing would be.

When Yan Cai arrived at the palace, Jiang Manyue supported him with one hand and cleared a path through the dense crowd with the other. Everyone stared at him with suspicious eyes, pointing and whispering.

Clearly, few believed that such a weak young man could be more skilled than the physicians at the Imperial Hospital.

“Why would the Third Prince voluntarily invite this young man to detoxify? What’s his intention?”

“It’s nonsense that such a person can heal?” someone exclaimed, loud enough for Jiang Manyue to hear.

His icy gaze shot over, “The Emperor’s fate is in the hands of the divine. He will be safe. But you, cursing the Emperor, what punishment do you deserve?”

The person immediately realized his mistake, fell to his knees with a thud, face pale, repeatedly hitting his own mouth.

“May the Emperor enjoy longevity and blessings…”

The Third Prince had already descended the steps to welcome him up. He attempted to hold Yan Cai’s hand, but Jiang Manyue directly blocked him. Yan Cai was a bit surprised by Jiang Manyue’s obvious discourtesy.

Given the urgency of the situation, he didn’t dwell on it. Yet Xia Jue’s complexion was turning blue and white; it seemed he had offended Jiang Manyue.

When he walked into the hall, the graceful Empress was already waiting, while the weeping Imperial Noble Consort halted her tears upon seeing him. Fourth Prince Xia Jing remained motionless on the ground. The Crown Prince and Fifth Prince knelt by the window, seemingly in prayer.

The imperial physicians were all surprised to see Yan Cai; none had expected the highly recommended “sacred healer” of the Third Prince to be such a young man.

Wasn’t this just deliberately causing trouble?

“Empress, perhaps this isn’t appropriate?” the head of the Taiyuan Hospital delicately suggested to the Empress. Giving them more time for treatment would surely bring the Emperor back. They had already discerned that the poison wasn’t lethal; it would just take a very long time to detoxify.

But even treating slowly was better than resorting to a quack doctor.

The author has something to say:

The Emperor is definitely fine. Why not guess what rewards he might give to Yan Cai when he wakes up?