Chapter 194: Investigation
Chapter 194: Investigation
A slim chance of recovery?
While it was true that the Prince already had quite a few children, who wouldn't want to be blessed with even more?
Yet now, before even reaching the age of forty, the Qi King seemed to be unable to have more children...
This!! ! !
The Queen of Qi was truly shocked.
While she had managed to keep her composure before, it was clear that she could no longer control her emotions.
It was only after Doctor Liu's repeated persuasion that she finally calmed down.
Once the Qi Queen had regained her composure, she immediately sent for Autumn, who went to fetch Sui Si, one of the Prince's attendants.
Sui Si was the Qi King's personal attendant, taking care of his daily needs.
If there was anyone besides Carriage Concubine who had been closest to the Prince during his time in the separate residence, it was undoubtedly Sui Si. He would know the Prince's situation better than anyone else.
When Sui Si was summoned, he felt a sense of unease.
He wondered why the Queen had called for him. She usually didn't involve herself in the Prince's affairs with the women in his harem, so he doubted that was the reason. But what could it be then?
Should he speak or stay silent about certain matters? Sui Si entered and noticed the Queen's somber expression, a sense of foreboding filling him.
The Queen didn't beat around the bush. As soon as he arrived, she asked, "Has the Prince used any tonic or other medicine while he was at the separate residence?"
Doctor Liu had said that the sudden severity of the situation was most likely related to medication.
Even if it wasn't medication, it was likely something that he had ingested.
The Queen's question startled Sui Si, but he thought carefully before replying honestly, "The first two days at the separate residence were overcast, and the Prince had some pain in his leg. Carriage Concubine applied a black herbal plaster for him, saying it was the Old Doctor's secret recipe. The Prince used it for several consecutive days and said that his leg felt much warmer. After the weather improved and the pain subsided, he stopped using it because of the strong scent."
Sui Si remembered the plaster clearly.
Moreover, when the Prince returned, one could still detect a faint herbal scent on his body.
Sui Si thought that even if he didn't mention it, the Queen would likely ask the Prince about it, and the Prince would tell her.
There was nothing scary about it; it wasn't something that couldn't be spoken of.
Upon hearing this, the Queen tightened her grip on her handkerchief and glanced at Doctor Liu, whose expression also turned grave.
The Queen immediately understood, realizing that there was likely a connection. She thought for a moment and then asked, "Is there any of that plaster left?"
Sui Si shook his head in response, "I'm not sure about that. Carriage Concubine handled everything herself. She prepared the plaster and applied it to the Prince, and after it was used, her maid, Qiao Zhi, took care of the discarded remnants."
The remnants were gone as well?
However, they probably wouldn't have disposed of them completely. Perhaps if someone were sent to investigate the separate residence, they might still find some traces of the plaster.
With these thoughts in mind, the Queen remained calm and continued her inquiries, "Aside from that, has the Prince taken any other medication? Has he drunk any tonic soups or similar things?"
Previously, when the Prince had evaded the question, the Queen had let it go to save him face.
But now, facing Sui Si, she had far fewer reservations.
Regarding tonic soups, Sui Si thought for a moment before replying, "There was, but most of the time, it was Qiao Zhi who brewed it for Carriage Concubine. It was also said to be the Old Doctor's secret recipe..."
At this point, Sui Si hesitated and then continued in a softer voice, "They said it was specially brewed to give birth to a daughter, but the Prince didn't like the taste of the tonic soup, so he only drank a small half-bowl each time."
Upon hearing this, the Queen and Doctor Liu's hearts sank.
Not only had the Prince applied the plaster, but he had also drunk the tonic soup.
Whether there was something wrong with his diet was still unknown.
But...
The Qiwang Princess felt that the logic was flawed. If Carriage Concubine wanted to solidify her position and improve her standing in the Wang Manor, then giving birth to a child would be a good thing for her.
Following the normal logic, she shouldn't have drugged the Prince, right?
And yet, she used such a ruthless drug.
Completely destroying the Prince's chance of having heirs?
Was she certain that she was pregnant and that this pregnancy was healthy, so she wanted to cut off the road for others?
Thinking of it this way, the logic seemed to fit.
However, if this matter was investigated and exposed, the entire Che family would be in deep trouble.
Would she...
take such a huge risk?
The Qiwang Princess couldn't wrap her head around it. After Sui Si finished speaking, she felt anxious and uneasy.
Although the Prince was simple-minded, Sui Si wasn't stupid. Having followed the Prince for a long time and witnessing many things, he clearly sensed that the atmosphere was a bit off.
He thought about it over and over and recounted the events of the past few days at the separate residence.
Actually, nothing unusual had happened. Although the Prince desperately wanted a daughter, he didn't go to extreme measures, and only occasionally indulged himself at night, but even then, the frequency wasn't high.
Sui Si had secretly kept count—at most, it was twice, and most of the time, it was only once.
This...
couldn't really be considered indulging, could it?
With the current situation, whether the plaster and the tonic soup that the Prince consumed had any problems still needed further investigation.
Before the matter was clarified, the Qiwang Princess didn't want to wrongfully accuse anyone.
However, the Prince's condition needed to be reported to the Empress Dowager as soon as possible.
Perhaps there was a skilled imperial physician in the palace who could save him. While she believed in Doctor Liu's medical skills, when it came to the Prince's ability to have children, they could explore more options and seek help from other sources.
With these thoughts in mind, the Qiwang Princess first dismissed Sui Si and then met with Doctor Liu again, mainly because he used to work in the Imperial Hospital and knew which imperial physicians specialized in this field.
The Qiwang Princess didn't want Doctor Liu to feel slighted, so she asked for his opinion directly.
Doctor Liu wasn't a petty person either, and he recommended several people.
After listening, the Qiwang Princess nodded.
She first sent people to the separate residence to look for any remnants of the medicine. She also instructed them to find the remnants of the tonic soup that Carriage Concubine had consumed, along with any related medicinal residue.
Even if Carriage Concubine and her maid had disposed of the evidence, they probably wouldn't have burned it completely.
Given the unusual circumstances, if others saw it, they would inevitably ask questions.
Therefore, the Qiwang Princess believed that the remnants were likely buried somewhere.
With this in mind, when she dispatched people, she specifically instructed them to dig around the area if they couldn't find anything on the surface.
After giving instructions about the separate residence, the Qiwang Princess sent another messenger to the palace to deliver a letter, planning to visit the Empress Dowager the next day to inform her about the situation. She would also find an excuse to summon the Prince to the palace and have the imperial physicians examine him again.
Time flew by as she busied herself with these tasks.
By the time she finished, Suisu had already woken up.
Not wanting to disturb her mother, who had been busy all afternoon, Suisu behaved obediently and played with her cousin Xiang Gu.
Xiang Gu had been sewing sleeping clothes for Suisu lately.
After finalizing the design and getting approval from both the Princess and Suisu, she started working on it.
Now, she put down her sewing and took Suisu to see the flowers and fish.
By the time the Qiwang Princess finished her tasks, the sky had already darkened.
The princes of the manor would be returning soon.
Having not seen her brothers for two days, Suisu missed them dearly.
When she heard that their carriage had arrived at the manor's entrance, she let out a little cheer and rushed towards the front yard.
The Qiwang Princess had been in a gloomy mood all afternoon, and her face showed no signs of happiness.
Seeing her youngest daughter's lively demeanor, she finally revealed a faint smile.
(End of Chapter)
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