My Five Bigshot Seniors: I am The Most Coddled Junior!-Chapter 91 - 43: [Part 3]

"Father!"

"Your Majesty!"

Due to the Emperor’s collapse, the scene turned chaotic. Li Xiuyan, who was relatively close to the Emperor, rushed directly to his side, supporting him with a face full of concern.

"Quickly summon the Imperial Physician!" Li Xiuyan looked at the palace attendants nearby and shouted loudly.

The palace attendants immediately left, running to find the physicians, while the ministers below all stood up, wanting to move towards the throne to observe the Emperor’s condition.

Those not belonging to the power of the Great Tang Dynasty stood to the side, watching coldly to avoid getting involved.

Seeing the chaos, Li Xiuyan had the Emperor’s confidants take care of the Emperor, while he stood up to maintain order. He first pacified the ministers, asking them to leave and canceling the morning court session of the next day, then he apologized to those from other powers.

"The Imperial Palace is quite chaotic now, I ask you all to leave first. I apologize for any lack of hospitality," Li Xiuyan said to others with a forced smile, feeling anxious inside but having to maintain stability.

The others naturally had no objections and comforted the Crown Prince before leaving Hanguang Hall; Gu Qingqing and the others were no exception.

After everyone left, all the concubines in the harem except those with children were sent back to their own palaces by Li Xiuyan, and he stayed behind with his brothers and sisters.

All the Imperial Physicians of the palace arrived within less than a quarter of an hour to treat the Emperor, each with a very grave expression.

"Doctor Ge, how is Father?" Li Xiuyan asked the chief Imperial Physician with concern.

"Your Highness, according to my judgment, His Majesty has been poisoned, and the poison has been in his body for quite some time," Doctor Ge said with a very unpleasant expression to Li Xiuyan.

Upon hearing this, the string of beads that Li Xiuyan habitually played with was crushed into powder, flying from his hand.

"What happened? How could Father be poisoned? And for the poison to have been in Father’s body for such a long time?" Li Xiuyan asked with a cold face.

Although he was not angry, his aura was overwhelming, and the person facing him could not withstand it.

Dr. Ge was also sweating, wiping it off as he dared not meet Li Xiuyan’s eyes, "Returning to Your Highness, we Imperial Physicians check His Majesty’s pulse every month, but the poisoner was very careful; the poison is usually undetectable. It flared up today because something triggered it."

"What is the toxicity of this poison? How can it be neutralized?" Li Xiuyan suppressed the violence in his heart and asked.

"The toxicity of this poison is not strong; as long as it is discovered early, a Detoxification Pill can cure it. The problem is that His Majesty has been poisoned for more than a few days now. If we want to cure him, we probably need the Nine-turn Heart-cleansing Grass. But the Nine-turn Heart-cleansing Grass is close to a seventh-grade spirit grass, rumored to grow in the deepest part of the Ten Thousand Miles Mountains, which is hard to find!" Doctor Ge, under the Crown Prince’s pressure, gently touched the sweat on his forehead and said cautiously.

Li Xiuyan’s face grew colder. Although Doctor Ge’s words seemed to indicate that his father still had hope, they actually felt like telling him the Emperor was beyond saving!

Not to mention that the Nine-turn Heart-cleansing Grass is close to a seventh-grade spirit grass and as rare as legends on the Xuantian Continent; the deepest part of the Ten Thousand Miles Mountains is not a place just anyone can enter. Although the Imperial Family has many with high cultivation, their hearts are not united. If he were to ask them to enter the Ten Thousand Miles Mountains to find the Nine-turn Heart-cleansing Grass for his father, they would surely put up obstacles, and some might use this opportunity to force him to relinquish his father’s throne!

With such harsh conditions, it’s simply unattainable!

"I’ll find a way regarding the Nine-turn Heart-cleansing Grass; you should first figure out how to stop the poison in Father’s body from spreading!" Although thinking so, Li Xiuyan appeared confident on the surface, instructing Doctor Ge.

Doctor Ge’s lips moved, wanting to ask about Li Xiuyan’s plan, but considering Li Xiuyan’s temper, he closed his mouth and agreed, discussing the prescription with other physicians.

"Your Highness, how is Father’s health?" Li Xiuting and other princes and princesses hurriedly asked as Li Xiuyan approached.

"Father has been poisoned, and Doctor Ge and the others are discussing a solution," Li Xiuyan said, all the while unobtrusively observing the expressions of his younger siblings.

"What? Poisoned? How could this be?" Li Xiuting reacted greatly, completely incredulous.

"Yes, how could Father be poisoned? How do these physicians usually care for Father’s health?" Li Sisi followed up, glancing at the physicians discussing prescriptions, clearly dissatisfied with them.

"The most important thing now is to treat Father. He needs to rest, so there’s no need to have so many people here. You should leave for now. If you want to attend the sickness or visit Father, it must be done at different times," Li Xiuyan said, then glanced at the concubines weeping at the bedside, his brow furrowing imperceptibly. "The same goes for all esteemed consorts; I will have Chief Liang provide a schedule for attending Father. Please return for the time being."

As the Crown Prince, the next heir to the throne, and a son greatly favored by the Emperor, Li Xiuyan’s words were very effective. Although some had reservations, they dared not show it.

Soon, only the physicians and those by the Emperor’s side, along with Li Xiuyan’s entourage, remained in Hanguang Hall.

"Chief Liang." Li Xiuyan glanced at the Emperor, then looked at the middle-aged man standing nearby, the chief steward of the palace, Chief Liang. "Someone able to poison Father must be someone close to him. I believe in your loyalty to Father, so I entrust you with finding out who poisoned him!"

Chief Liang had been anxious since learning the Emperor was poisoned. As the chief steward of the palace and the Emperor’s personal steward, under his supervision, the Emperor was poisoned. Regardless of his involvement, he was inevitably at fault.

Thus, hearing the Crown Prince calling him, he was prepared for punishment. Yet, unexpectedly, not only did the Crown Prince not punish him but also entrusted him greatly, which moved him deeply.

"Your Highness, rest assured, I will find the culprit!" He quickly knelt down, pledging his loyalty to the Crown Prince.

"I trust Chief Liang will not disappoint me," Li Xiuyan said, giving Chief Liang a deep look. "Now, have Father sent back to his sleeping quarters; Hanguang Hall is too bleak."

"Yes, I will arrange it immediately." Chief Liang responded promptly, stood up, and went to make arrangements.

After ensuring the Emperor was settled and had taken his medicine, the Crown Prince went to the side hall to rest, where Wu Qi was already waiting for him.

"Greetings, Your Highness!" Wu Qi knelt on one knee in front of Li Xiuyan.

"Rise, Wu Qi. What’s the situation outside now?" Li Xiuyan supported his forehead with one hand, rubbed his brow, showing a hint of fatigue, and asked.

"Reporting to Your Highness, after leaving Hanguang Hall, the princes and princesses all returned to their respective mothers’ palaces. They stayed for a while before leaving again. Among them, the Second Prince stayed the longest in the Noble Princess Consort Yi’s palace. After he left, Noble Princess Consort Yi sent a message to the Yi Family outside the palace." Wu Qi, who was monitoring the movements of various factions, easily gathered information about the princes.

"What was the old fox from the Yi Family’s reaction?" Li Xiuyan paused, looked at Wu Qi, and asked.

"Mr. Yi gathered his advisors in the study for discussion, and so did the Second Prince." Wu Qi spoke, a hint of contempt flickered in his eyes.

"As expected, the Yi Family and my second brother are uneasy!" Li Xiuyan was not surprised. He had long seen that Li Xiuting was dissatisfied with the status quo, though he found it amusing at times, so he didn’t take much action but allowed it to develop, "Are there any irregularities with those in the Father Emperor’s palace?"

Although Chief Liang was sent to investigate, Li Xiuyan couldn’t possibly ignore it entirely. When he had just sent the Emperor back, he had already instructed Wu Qi to investigate.

"There’s a palace maid whose behavior is a bit suspicious. Currently, it’s still under investigation; everyone else seems relatively normal." Wu Qi’s gaze darkened, he said.

"Keep a close watch. We must find out who poisoned the Father Emperor!" This matter had crossed Li Xiuyan’s bottom line, and he would not let the culprit go!

"Yes, I will investigate thoroughly." Wu Qi felt a chill in his heart and quickly agreed.

Li Xiuyan held his forehead, waved his hand, and motioned Wu Qi to withdraw.

Wu Qi carefully stood up, bowed, and turned to leave.

...

After leaving the Imperial Palace, Yun Ran and Zhuo Tingqiu separated from their family’s group and joined Gu Qingqing and the others’ carriage. Fortunately, there was an array inside the carriage, making the space larger to accommodate everyone; otherwise, Si Lin would surely throw the two of them off.

"This Emperor is really unlucky, such a joyous occasion as his birthday, and something happened!" Yun Ran, fond of gossip, said as she sat opposite Gu Qingqing.

"It can only be said that there are many disputes in the Royal Family; looking at the Emperor’s condition, he must have been poisoned!" Zhuo Tingqiu also sighed.

"Thousand Day Intoxication, a chronic poison, is a compound poison that doesn’t show symptoms before it takes effect. Once it does, the poison has already penetrated deeply into the organs; it’s almost incurable!" As an authority in this area, Mu Chen directly affirmed Zhuo Tingqiu’s words.

"Such a powerful poison? Then isn’t the Emperor beyond saving?" Yun Ran was a bit shocked, hearing about this poison for the first time!

"That depends on who he encounters. With the level of physicians on the Xuantian Continent, unless they find the Nine-Turn Clear Heart Grass, there’s definitely no cure. But if it were me, I have more than nine ways to save him!" Mu Chen had great confidence in his medical skills; not to mention a low-level plane like the Xuantian Continent, even in the Sub-immortal Realm, few could surpass him!

[Fourth Senior Brother is amazing!] Gu Qingqing’s face lit up with admiration, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Mu Chen.

"Just average; we must keep a low profile." Being admired by Gu Qingqing, Mu Chen felt quite proud, and his usually pale face gained a bit of color.

Yun Ran and Zhuo Tingqiu also looked at Mu Chen with admiration, once again realizing just how formidable Mu Chen’s medical skills were!

Si Lin and the others glanced at Mu Chen’s smug demeanor, snorted coldly, and looked away.

By the time they returned to the manor, it was already late, so Yun Ran and Zhuo Tingqiu decided to stay for the night.

The following morning, as Gu Qingqing was practicing swordsmanship, a servant reported that visitors had arrived. After finishing her practice and freshening up a bit, Gu Qingqing went to the living room, where she found three somewhat unfamiliar women seated.

Among them, Gu Qingqing vaguely remembered one; she was the woman who wanted to travel with them a few days ago but was turned down by the senior brothers. Yun Ran mentioned she was called Qiu Yuyan. As for the other two, one looked somewhat familiar, and the other she didn’t recognize at all.

Yue Zhao was the one entertaining the guests. From years of interaction, Gu Qingqing knew all her senior brothers’ nuances. Although Yue Zhao still had a gentle smile on his face, Gu Qingqing could tell he was already impatient, as he had started tapping his fingers on the table.

After Yue Zhao introduced everyone, Gu Qingqing learned that the two women accompanying Qiu Yuyan were Nalan Qing and Nalan Xin. Gu Qingqing remembered Nalan Qing a little because when they were in Shangyang City, Nan Hua had been inexplicably attacked, and this incident still lingered in her mind; hence, her attitude towards Nalan Qing was somewhat indifferent.

Qiu Yuyan didn’t like Nalan Qing either. She originally only invited Nalan Xin. However, Nalan Qing happened to find out and insisted on coming along. Neither Qiu Yuyan nor Nalan Xin felt it was appropriate to drive her away, so they brought her along. But seeing Nalan Qing ignored by Gu Qingqing, Qiu Yuyan felt somewhat relieved.

"I came here this time with the hope of collaborating with you," after some dawdling and noticing that Si Lin had no intention of coming out, Qiu Yuyan realized he wouldn’t appear and directly stated the purpose of her visit.

"Cooperation? What does Miss Qiu mean by that?" Yue Zhao raised an eyebrow, looking at Qiu Yuyan in surprise.

"I know you are all very powerful, but after all, it is the Immortal Secret Realm; no one knows the situation inside. It might be very dangerous. No matter how strong you are, fighting alone is always unfavorable. It’s better to collaborate with our Qiu Family and the Nalan Family. This way, there will be mutual support in the Secret Realm, and mishaps will be less likely," Qiu Yuyan confidently explained to Yue Zhao.

She had never seen Si Lin and the others in action and wasn’t particularly aware of their cultivation level. She only knew they were formidable, but so were the people from the Qiu Family. If she could collaborate with Si Lin and the others, she could stay close to Si Lin, achieving the best of both worlds, which is why she approached them.

"Miss Qiu might be too late. If they are to collaborate, it should be with our Yun Family and the Zhuo Family. It shouldn’t concern the Qiu Family," Yun Ran had already planned to latch onto Gu Qingqing and the others to explore the Secret Realm; now that Qiu Yuyan came to propose cooperation, it was like an attempt to snatch away their opportunity, which was intolerable. Thus, Yun Ran retorted directly.

"Young Master Yue?" Qiu Yuyan inquired, looking at Yue Zhao.

"Miss Yun is right. We indeed plan to collaborate with the Yun Family and the Zhuo Family, so I’m afraid Miss Qiu’s good intentions will be wasted."