Marrying the Crown Prince

The head of the Imperial Academy replied, "This old minister has been sitting for a long time and feels some soreness in his bones, so he got up to stretch his muscles and bones."

These words struck a chord with Zhou Zhou.

Zhou Zhou nodded in agreement, "What Lord Zhang said makes sense."

Helpless, Dean Zhang sat back down in the corner, trying to minimize his presence.

Meanwhile, Zhou Zhou turned his gaze back to Emperor Chenze.

"Father, the investigation has revealed that it was Prince Chong'an who did it."

"But there are only witnesses, no physical evidence."

"Father, do you think Prince Chong'an and the Imperial Concubine were behind this?"

"Your subject remembers that several years ago, on my birthday, someone also poisoned me, and of course, that palace maid also testified against the Noble Consort."

"Unfortunately, there are only witnesses, but no physical evidence."

"Tell me, should I order the Jade Hall Palace to be surrounded, or should I send Prince Chong'an to the Imperial Clan Court?"

Dean Zhang was terrified, his heart pounding.

Zhou Zhou finally stopped speaking here, and then Ze Di, who was still unconscious, reacted violently, perhaps because he could hear, specifically as follows—

He suddenly opened his eyes, his eyeballs wide open, and then "whoosh," he vomited blood again.

Zhang, the head of the hospital, stood up abruptly, rushed to the bedside, and grabbed Emperor Chenze's hand to take his pulse.

Emperor Chenze lay there, barely alive, his eyes blazing as he looked at Zhou Zhou, his voice weak, "Crown Princess..."

Zhou Zhou bowed deeply and said, "Your subject is here."

"Is the news being blocked?" he asked, panting, as if a needle were pressing down on his bones, the pain contorting his face.

"The news hasn't come yet, and His Highness hasn't sent a message to urge us," Zhou Zhou replied.

Before Emperor Chenze could ask, she explained, "Father summoned me at the last moment, presumably to prevent the news from getting out."

"Looking at the time, His Highness the Crown Prince is almost due to return. If we send a message rashly, no one can guarantee that the message will not be lost. Therefore, I dare not make a decision on my own."

"The gates of the Hall of Mental Cultivation are now closed. Nowadays, it's a no-go zone, with only Eunuch Wei Yi, Lord Zuo, and their two or three trusted confidants allowed to move around."

"The eunuch who served the tea has been dealt with. Some methods were used to get him to admit that he was acting on the orders of Prince Chong'an."

"However, he searched his hands and the house thoroughly, but found no physical evidence that could prove the identity of Prince Chong'an."

After the intense pain subsided, Emperor Chenze's mind became increasingly clear, so he received everything Zhou Zhou said.

"You did very well."

Indeed, these were the reasons he summoned Zhou Zhou. In addition, there was one more reason: since the Crown Prince was not in the capital, if something happened to him, the Crown Prince would definitely suffer.

Therefore, anyone could have poisoned him, but the Crown Prince's palace was not.

In this respect, compared to the prince who murdered his brother and father, Emperor Chenze's heart, which was already biased towards the Crown Prince, completely shifted to his side.

Therefore, even though Li Ziyan was not in the capital, he still sought to secure benefits for the Crown Prince.

All of the above are the reasons why Emperor Chenze summoned Zhou Zhou.

"Since he testified against Prince Chong'an before his death, what are your plans to do?"

"Find a reason to have the Imperial Guards surround the Chong'an Prince's Mansion. As for the rest, there's no rush."

With neither witnesses nor physical evidence available, not only is a conviction impossible, but the possibility of a false accusation also needs to be considered.

As for surrounding it, it's less about suspicion and more about protection.

With the Crown Prince away from home and Prince Chong'an fallen, who benefits?

Emperor Chenze was unaware of Zhou Zhou's thoughts, but if asked what his next step should be, the answer was to first send the Imperial Guards to surround the Chong'an Prince's Mansion.

Since Zhou Zhou's actions were consistent with his own, Emperor Chenze did not intend to delve into the reasons why she made that choice.

"Yes, I trust you to handle things."

After speaking, Emperor Chenze looked at Chief Zhang beside him.

Zhang Yuanshou's body reacted faster than his brain, and he immediately knelt down with a "thump".

"Zhang Ling, if I remember correctly, you're almost sixty years old, aren't you?"

"Yes, this old minister is fifty-nine years old this year."

Seeing that Chief Zhang was about to burst into tears again, Emperor Chenze said calmly, "At such an advanced age, there's no need for you to kneel. Get up and answer my questions."

At this point, the pain returned, and Emperor Chenze's face twitched.

Headmaster Zhang hurriedly pulled out a silver needle. "Quickly, Your Highness, go and call my disciples in."

Zhou Zhou quickly turned around and went to call someone.

Soon, the imperial physician and Wei Yi went inside.

The bedroom door was tightly closed, so Zhou Zhou couldn't see what was happening inside, but no one would believe that nothing was going on.

She stood at the bedroom door, waiting quietly.

Night fell, and the surroundings were pitch black. The entire sky was shrouded in a thick shadow, becoming incredibly dark, as if an invisible maw was gaping open, trying to devour it and pull it into the boundless darkness.

Zhou Zhou raised his hand and rubbed his temples, suppressing the irritation in his heart.

However, when the bedroom door was pushed open, Zhou Zhou's face was neither gloomy nor pleasant.

She went inside, and found that Emperor Chenze's clothes and bedding had all been changed to new ones.

He sat up, a pillow tucked under his waist, his face pale, his voice weak and feeble, "Your Highness, please sit down."

Zhou Zhou sat down with a somber expression and looked over. He noticed that Emperor Chenze had developed a lot of white hair at some point. His hair was dry and withered, like decaying grass, without a trace of life.

With everyone present, Emperor Chenze slowly spoke, "Zhang Ling, tell me, how is the poison?"

The imperial physicians looked at each other in bewilderment, and then all bowed and knelt on the ground.

With that in mind, what else is there that we don't know?

Emperor Chenze coughed violently, and Wei Yi rushed over to help him catch his breath.

He coughed a few times and gasped for breath before the urge to vomit blood subsided.

Emperor Chenze waved his hand, signaling Wei Yi to stop.

"How much longer can I live?"

"Father..."

Zhou Zhou stood up.

Emperor Chenze leaned against the pillow, panting as he said, "It's no use trying to stop me. I know my own body best."

"Zhang Ling, you speak."

Having been called out, Dean Zhang had no choice but to answer, whether he wanted to or not.

"Your Majesty, the poison is too strong. Although a small amount was used and the medicine was administered in time, it has seeped into the lungs and internal organs. I'm afraid..."

"Less than a month."

Zhang Yuanshou almost gritted his teeth as he said the last sentence.

a month...

Emperor Chenze suppressed his emotions and said, "Alright, I understand."

Seeing that Emperor Chenze accepted the news very calmly, Chief Zhang added a few more words.

"From now on, for the sake of Your Majesty's health, I will add many sedatives to your medicine. As time goes on, I'm afraid Your Majesty's awakening time will become shorter and shorter."

As time goes by, Emperor Chenze's body will become increasingly weak, like a weed with rotten roots, only able to endure little by little until he dies.

To alleviate the pain of this process, the medicine must contain a large amount of analgesics and sedatives.

“Yes,” Emperor Chenze replied, then added, “No matter what method you use, you must make sure I wait until the Crown Prince returns.”

"Your humble servants obey." Several imperial physicians bowed and kowtowed.