Chapter 205: The Reclusive Qi King
Chapter 205: The Reclusive Qi King
Su Su was drained of the pond water and given more medicine, but she still hadn't regained consciousness.
Feng Xuanrui was anxiously pacing back and forth.
By now, he had already inquired about what had happened.
Qiao Zhi adamantly insisted that it was Su Su who pushed the person, and she had witnessed it with her own eyes!
Coincidentally, Aunt Xiang had her head lowered at the time and didn't see this scene clearly, so she couldn't testify either.
This made her feel distressed and guilty, thinking that despite her age, she had fallen for the tricks of the younger generation.
Moreover, it was such a simple trap!
Aunt Xiang was both anxious and annoyed.
Just then, Che Yin'er had received the news and rushed over, immediately letting out wailing cries.
However, before she could wail a few more times, she was abruptly interrupted by a loud shout from Concubine Ren: "Shut up!"
This sudden outburst startled Che Yin'er.
Once she realized what was happening, she cried out even louder: "Oh, I'm done for! Everyone is bullying me, everyone is bullying me!"
As loud as she was, Concubine Ren's voice rose even higher: "We still can't conclude whether it was Su Su who pushed Che Lingzhi, or if Che Lingzhi had impure intentions and pulled Su Su into the water! It's hard to say which it is. How can your maid's word be taken as the absolute truth? Who knows if the two of you are in cahoots, trying to take advantage of a child's naivete?"
"Don't bring the despicable tactics you use in your own home into our princely mansion. It's shameful to use underhanded methods that can't even be brought to light."
......
After retorting a few times, Concubine Ren directly called for people to come over.
She brought six individuals—all of whom had been eyewitnesses to Che Lingzhi pulling Su Su into the water as she herself jumped into the pond.
Although Che Lingzhi was cunning, she was still young and inexperienced.
She had colluded with Qiao Zhi to detain Aunt Xiang.
Che Lingzhi had also intended to take advantage of Concubine Ren's preoccupation with dealing with the mess in the back courtyard, knowing that she would be distracted and unlikely to pay attention to their scheme against Su Su.
However, Che Lingzhi had forgotten about the women from the back courtyard who resided in the east wing.
Aside from the maids and aunties who attended to the ladies personally, there were also gardeners and cleaners.
Six of these individuals had witnessed the incident from different angles.
Moreover, Concubine Ren wasn't planning to resolve the case at that moment.
Matters of management were troublesome, and she was too lazy to bother with them.
The urgency of her arrival stemmed from two concerns: one was Su Su's health, and the other was the fear that Su Su's side would be wronged.
With Concubine Ren's presence pressing down on them, Che Yin'er would have to reconsider her next move if she wanted to continue causing a ruckus.
Che Yin'er wasn't foolish, and she naturally understood that with Concubine Ren's background, the petty schemes she and Che Lingzhi had concocted were like child's play to her—easily seen through.
Especially now that Concubine Ren had directly brought a group of people with her.
Bringing people meant something—but Concubine Ren didn't spell it out; Che Yin'er's imagination filled in the blanks.
They must be the witnesses to that scene!
Che Yin'er thought to herself: These children are so unreliable. And when they scheme and plot, they don't even notify me. If I had been involved in the planning, there wouldn't have been such a huge blunder!
Su Su remained unconscious even after taking the medicine.
The anxiety of the Feng brothers intensified as they paced restlessly.
Upon hearing the news, Feng Xuan also brought Feng Xuan Jie along.
The group of them completely disregarded Che Lingzhi and Ma Lingzhi, their sole focus being Su Su.
Witnessing this scene, Che Yin'er's heart soured like a vat of new vinegar.
Che Yin'er was also distressed, her tears falling uncontrollably.
Yes, Che Lingzhi had awakened.
For her to come up with such a scheme, she must have had her suspicions.
After the medicine was poured down her throat, she woke up.
Upon regaining consciousness, she hugged Che Yin'er and wept silently, not uttering a word, merely conveying her sense of grievance as best as she could.
Che Lingzhi was young, but she knew that the more she said, the more mistakes she would make.
She needed to choose her words carefully and wait for her uncle, the prince, to return to the mansion before confronting these people.
She thought, "So what if my uncle dotes on Su Su? He still expects my aunt to bear him children."
"It's obvious who he will favor, isn't it?" Che Lingzhi had confidence in her aunt.
Thus, she wasn't anxious and only displayed a sense of grievance, while her mind remained calm and thoughtful, carefully considering any loopholes in her statements and trying to make her logic as airtight as possible.
As for the Qi King's mood at this time...
He felt both annoyed and reclusive.
Who could possibly remain calm upon learning that they had lost their fertility?
If he were already in his seventies, the Qi King might have calmly accepted this reality.
However, the problem was that he hadn't even turned forty, and now he couldn't have children!
How could he accept this?
At the beginning of the year, he had gently comforted Prince Qing, asking him to think positively.
Back then, he thought that Prince Qing was a devoted lover who only had eyes for his wife, the princess.
So, he believed that not being able to have children wasn't a big deal.
Since Prince Qing wouldn't have children with anyone else anyway, it didn't matter if he couldn't.
But the problem was that he, the Qi King, wanted to have a child of his own!
Although he loved Su Su, he still longed for a biological daughter!
It was as if his long-held wish had turned into an obsession, and now that it couldn't become a reality, that obsession stubbornly lingered in his heart, refusing to dissipate.
When faced with the reality that his obsession had to be let go in a different way, the Qi King first flew into a rage, jumping up and down, and then retreated into a reclusive state.
Afterward, he couldn't let go and asked the court physician, "Is it truly impossible?"
Court Physician: ...
It's not that it's impossible, but he simply can't have children.
His ability to plant seeds is still there, but the seeds themselves are no good, and by autumn, there will be no harvest.
The court physician was left speechless by the Qi King's persistent questions, and while the king wasn't demanding an answer, he just couldn't let it go.
The court physician's silence felt like a heavy hammer blow to the king's head.
This time, the Qi King truly retreated into his shell.
While the Qi King was in his reclusive state, the empress dowager completely lost her composure!
If it weren't for her position as the empress dowager and the need to maintain her dignity and reputation, she would have stomped her feet and cursed at someone!
Although the empress dowager often said that the Qi King was eccentric and had become a laughingstock in the capital, that didn't mean she truly disliked this son or that she didn't want him to have children.
Who wouldn't want the blessing of many children and a prosperous future?
And there was a big difference between not wanting to have children and being unable to have them!
The empress dowager was absolutely furious!
By this time, the investigation into why the Qi King had been harmed in the first place was also concluded.
The people that the Princess of Qi had sent to the other courtyard had also brought back the remnants of the medicine.
The medicine remnants had been buried in the soil, and although they were buried quite deep, they were at least brought back intact.
After a careful analysis by the court physicians, they discovered that there wasn't just red peony in the soup but also peach kernels.
These were also medicinal herbs that could hinder fertility, and long-term, excessive consumption could lead to a loss of fertility.
But the problem was...
There was more to it than just that in the Qi King's case.
Che Lingzhi's aunt had also applied a plaster to his body, and that plaster contained thunder vine.
This thing...
Was poisonous. It could be used externally, but if ingested, it could be fatal!
And, of course, it also impacted fertility.
Upon hearing these results, the Qi King immediately untied the scented pouch from his waist and handed it to the court physician, saying, "Take a careful look at this as well, and see if there's any problem with it."
Qi King: I'm done for, completely done for! I'll have them all done for, too!!
(Second update)
(End of Chapter)
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