"Cough cough cough!" The little eunuch just lay there, coughing, coughing, and coughing some more.
At first, everyone thought he was gagging and didn't pay attention. Gradually, his coughing became louder and more intense, and everyone realized something was wrong. Their eyes were focused on him again. What was going on?
After a moment's thought, Physician He stepped forward, grabbed the eunuch by the collar, and turned him over. Instantly, an unusually ruddy face came into view. He was coughing violently, his lips were pale and bloodless, which contrasted sharply with his blood-red face, making him look as eerie as a ghost drawn on paper.
"Peach blossom tuberculosis!" Physician He exclaimed in a low voice. The faces of the other physicians present changed instantly. Under everyone's watchful eyes, a perfectly healthy person had suddenly contracted the incurable disease of peach blossom tuberculosis after drinking a bowl of crab soup. This was simply unbelievable.
"What exactly happened?" The emperor's majestic gaze turned to the young eunuch, but his question was directed at Physician He.
Physician He pondered for a moment, then cautiously said, "Your Majesty, I have heard my elders mention that there is a kind of herb mixed with crab, which is extremely yin in nature, and if consumed, it can damage the lungs and internal organs, causing one to contract an incurable tuberculosis, coughing up blood for life until death. I have only heard of this herb from others, and have never seen it before..."
Shen Lixue sneered: Ye Qianlong is the Crown Prince. If he is poisoned at the banquet, the Emperor will be furious and will definitely order a thorough investigation. No matter how cleverly the mastermind is hidden, he cannot withstand the Emperor's thunderous wrath.
However, if he had contracted tuberculosis due to damage to his lungs from eating crabs, others would not suspect much, because all the guests had eaten crabs together and were all fine, and only he had fallen ill. No matter how anxious the emperor was, he would only think that he had a weak constitution and would never associate it with someone secretly plotting against him, much less know that there was a mastermind behind it all.
Heh, what a brilliant plan! He'll cough up blood for life, until he dies. That person wants to torture Ye Qianlong to death.
Everyone was shocked, their eyes filled with disbelief. No wonder Physician He couldn't detect anything wrong with the crabs; the soup only contained one medicinal herb, not poison. Of course, the silver needle wouldn't change color when it was put in.
Who is so ruthless as to use such a despicable and shameless method to assassinate His Highness the Crown Prince?
The emperor's sharp gaze suddenly shot towards the young eunuch, and he roared, "Who ordered you to assassinate His Highness the Crown Prince?"
The young eunuch coughed violently, his lungs and internal organs extremely deficient in yin. He coughed until his eyes were full of tears, but he couldn't speak. He slowly raised his head and looked at the emperor's gloomy face. The corner of his mouth slightly turned up, and a trickle of blood flowed down his chin.
Assassinating the crown prince was a capital offense, and he was also suffering from a terminal illness. He was going to die sooner or later anyway, so rather than suffer from the pain and inhuman torment, he might as well end it all himself. It would be a clean and tidy death.
"Oh no, he bit his tongue and committed suicide!" Doctor He exclaimed in shock. He rushed to the eunuch, reached out and pried open his mouth, only to find it full of blood. His bright eyes quickly dimmed, and his body lost all life, slowly collapsing to the ground like a rag doll. A strange smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.
The entire venue fell silent instantly. People looked at each other, bewildered. The eunuch, who had failed to assassinate the Crown Prince, was caught and, before he could reveal the mastermind, bit his tongue and committed suicide.
The emperor must be furious; I wonder how he will treat the eunuch's corpse.
"Cut the corpse into eight pieces and throw it into the mass grave!" The emperor's majestic, cold voice sent chills down one's spine. The emperor was indeed furious that the eunuch had murdered the crown prince.
"Yes!" Two guards stepped forward and carried away the eunuch's body. Several palace maids hurried over and cleaned up the bloodstains on the ground as quickly as possible.
The venue was restored to normal, and the banquet could continue. Looking at the emperor's gloomy face, everyone felt as if a layer of gloom had been cast over their heads, making it hard to breathe.
"Your Majesty, I beg your forgiveness!" Consort Shu rose from her seat and knelt gracefully on the ground, her slender body appearing even more delicate and graceful.
The emperor gave him a cold glance: "What crime have you committed?"
"I misjudged people and wrongly helped the eunuch, offended the Crown Prince, and misunderstood Young Master Shen. I beg Your Highness to punish me!" Consort Shu lowered her head slightly, her clear voice sounding like a sob. Everyone had seen that she had spoken up for the eunuch. Now that the eunuch had committed suicide, all the suspicious eyes were on her. She had to take the initiative to apologize to the Emperor and clear herself of any connection with the eunuch.
"Go and receive your punishment after the banquet!" the emperor said coldly, then looked away from her.
Consort Shu's frail body trembled slightly: "Your Majesty, I obey your decree and thank you for your mercy!" Her low voice was pitiful, making one want to hold her in their arms and comfort her. However, the Emperor did not react. He lowered his eyelids slightly and sipped his tea.
"His Majesty has already forgiven Consort Shu. Since you are in poor health, please stop kneeling and get up!" Consort De's gentle voice carried a hint of schadenfreude.
"Thank you for your understanding, Sister!" Consort Shu gracefully rose and sat back down, gently wiping the corners of her eyes with a silk handkerchief, as if she were shedding tears.
Shen Lixue looked coldly at Consort Shu. She had helped the eunuch who had committed a serious crime. After the banquet, the emperor would definitely not let her off easily. The ministers and their families would also suspect that she had a connection with the eunuch. The situation was very unfavorable for her.
She apologized in front of all the officials, which showed her courage in facing her mistakes. The emperor would not punish her too severely, and everyone would think that she was upright and honest, and that she had just made a mistake and helped the wrong person. No one would suspect that she and the eunuch were accomplices.
"The wicked have been eliminated, and His Highness the Crown Prince is also unharmed. Please continue the banquet!" Consort De smiled slightly, dignified and elegant. Consort Shu had been punished, and her aura was inferior to Consort De's. Now, she could naturally give orders at the banquet.
Everyone responded and continued to eat with their heads down, but after the incident with Peach Blossom Constipation, they clearly lost their appetite. The delicious crab soup no longer tasted as good as it used to, and they ate it half-heartedly. The atmosphere was somewhat gloomy and oppressive.
Consort De ordered musicians to play music and palace maids to dance. The emperor and his officials watched with little interest. Then, the young children of officials performed their talents, which piqued everyone's interest. They watched and commented, gradually forgetting their earlier displeasure.
Shen Lixue sat back down and drank the crab soup. She could clearly feel Ye Qianlong's gaze on her every moment. She touched her forehead with her small, white hand. She knew that once her identity was exposed, she could no longer keep a low profile.
She couldn't tell Ye Qianlong her real purpose for coming to Xiliang; she should just say she came for sightseeing, and he probably wouldn't suspect anything.
He glanced at the young lady of an official's family dancing gracefully and sighed inwardly. There seemed to be quite a few young ladies performing their talents. When would the Chrysanthemum Banquet ever end?
"Next up, General Mu Tao will perform a sword dance!" The eunuch's distinctive high-pitched voice echoed across the arena.
Wearing a bright red cloak and holding a gleaming silver sword, Mu Tao walked proudly to the center of the arena. Unlike the others, he did not immediately begin to practice his swordplay. Instead, he bowed to the emperor and said, "Your Majesty, it is rather monotonous to practice the Drunken Sword Dance alone every year. Why not invite someone to come out and demonstrate their martial arts with me? We can exchange skills and make the Chrysanthemum Banquet more lively!"
Upon hearing this, everyone became instantly interested. Individual sword dances are just the same old moves, and people get tired of seeing them every year. But when two people demonstrate their martial arts together, which is basically a contest on the ring, that's what makes it interesting.
The emperor smiled upon hearing this: "That is quite interesting. I wonder which young master General Mu would like to challenge!"
All eyes were on Mu Tao. Everyone knew that Mu Tao was a border general, a notorious brute in the capital, and a highly skilled martial artist. If you held back when fighting him, it would be fine, but if he went all out, he could cripple you!
However, this is the Chrysanthemum Banquet, and the fight is just a martial arts demonstration for entertainment. He probably won't go all out and hurt anyone, but it's inevitable that he might get a minor injury. I wonder which young master will be unlucky enough to be chosen by Mu Tao.
Mu Tao's arrogant gaze swept across the crowd and landed on Mu Jiangfeng. In the sunlight, he sat quietly in a snow-blue robe, serene and otherworldly, like a well-read but frail scholar. Mu Tao knew, however, that Mu Jiangfeng's martial arts were unfathomable, and if the two were to fight, he might not be a match for him.
Mu Tao fights others to show off his power, not to get beaten up!
His sharp gaze passed over Lu Jiangfeng and landed on Shen Lixue beside him. Dressed in white, she was gentle and elegant, with a slender and thin figure. She looked like a weak and frail man. He couldn't beat Lu Jiangfeng, so he could take his anger out on her.
Turning around, Mu Tao faced the emperor and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, this humble subject wishes to demonstrate martial arts skills with that young master Shen Li!"
Chapter 174: Framed and forcibly taken palace maids?
The moment Mu Tao spoke, the entire room erupted in uproar.
Shen Li is a frail healer; even though she knows martial arts, she can barely protect herself.
Mu Tao is the second legitimate son of the Duke of Mu's mansion and a renowned valiant general on the battlefield.
These two people are obviously at a glance to see who is better at martial arts. They are not comparable at all. How could they possibly dance with swords together? Why would Mu Tao choose Shen Li as his opponent?