Chapter 341

Lan'er and Xia Yin stood by the door, watching Qingfeng shouting like she was crazy. Xia Yin was so scared that she did not dare to get close, and Lan'er's legs were also shaking uncontrollably, only daring to reply from afar: "This servant... this servant will go and prepare..."

After a while, five or six fire basins were moved into the small inner chamber. Qingfeng was still shouting that it was not enough. Fuling and Ruyi were not there, and Lan'er did not dare to say much, so she could only continue to bring the fire basins in. Finally, Ruyi led Imperial Physician Wang and Imperial Physician Hu over.

Entering the inner chamber, watching Qingfeng lying on the bed, constantly rubbing the child's hands, Wang Zhiyang immediately had a bad premonition in his heart. Qingfeng heard the sound behind her, saw Wang Zhiyang, and her eyes suddenly lit up, saying anxiously: "Imperial Physician Wang, hurry and take a look at the prince, he... he is asleep... he..." Qingfeng's voice grew smaller and smaller, as if she were afraid of waking the person on the bed.

"Yes, yes." Wang Zhiyang hurriedly came to the bedside. At the sight of the child's dark purple complexion, the diagnostic tools in his hands fell to the ground with a 'clatter'. Ignoring the things scattered all over the floor, Wang Zhiyang checked the child's pulse and breath with trembling hands. At this moment, the inner chamber was very hot, but Wang Zhiyang was sweating profusely.

Imperial Physician Hu saw that his expression was different and stepped forward to check. After seeing the child's complexion clearly, his face turned pale, and he looked even more terrified than Wang Zhiyang. He took several violent steps back and almost fell to the ground, saying repeatedly: "How could this happen? How is it possible!"

Qingfeng did not dare to ask, only staring at him full of hope. Wang Zhiyang did not dare to look at Qingfeng, took two steps back, and knelt on the ground with a 'thump'. After a long time, he said tremblingly: "The prince... the prince... has passed away!"

As soon as Wang Zhiyang's voice fell, all the servants in the room gasped and knelt down one after another. Qingfeng stood there woodenly. In the inner chamber, there was only the sound of charcoal fire crackling. After a long while, Qingfeng moved, walked to the bed like a ghost, gently stroked the child's dark purple face, and said softly: "Son, don't be afraid, mother is by your side, are you cold?"

"Where are the fire basins? Hurry and bring the fire basins over."

"Your Ladyship... the prince has already..."

Qingfeng turned her head abruptly, her eyes deep and cold. The cold gaze shot over, and Ruyi immediately stopped speaking, not daring to say anything more, and hurriedly moved two fire basins to the bedside. Looking up slightly, she saw Qingfeng gently holding the prince's hand and rubbing it, saying softly: "Don't be afraid, it won't be cold in a while."

Ruyi's hand holding the fire basin trembled, and goosebumps rose all over her body! The others did not even dare to breathe loudly.

Zhuo Qing hurriedly rushed to Qingfeng Palace with Fuling. Pushing the door open and entering, she saw a group of people kneeling in the inner chamber. Just as she approached the screen, a heat wave hit her face. Zhuo Qing discovered that there were actually seven or eight fire basins in the room, and the heat was steaming. Qingfeng was kneeling in front of the bed, motionless.

Zhuo Qing's brow furrowed tightly, her expression slightly cold. She walked to the window and pushed open the tightly closed window lattice. The cold wind hit her face, dispersing the dizzying heat.

Zhuo Qing walked behind Qingfeng and glanced at the silent child on the bed, immediately understanding. She was extremely shocked in her heart. She had only seen the child a few days ago, and it was just a fever, so how could he have passed away just like that? Zhuo Qing said to the people kneeling on the ground: "Everyone go out, and take the fire basins away." The servants in Qingfeng Palace looked up one after another. Fuling nodded slightly, and they dared to carry the fire basins out. The two Imperial Physicians also stumbled out of the room.

Zhuo Qing squatted down and called out: "Qingfeng?"

Qingfeng was still staring blankly at the child on the bed, turning a deaf ear to other sounds.

Zhuo Qing was helpless, seemingly sighing lightly. She grabbed Qingfeng's shoulders and turned her to face herself, saying coldly: "Qingfeng, sober up!"

After a long time, Qingfeng said softly: "Sister?" Her originally fair skin looked a bit gray at this moment, and her eyes, which were usually black and white, also showed a bit of chaos.

Zhuo Qing replied in a low voice: "It's me."

"He... he is asleep..."

The low murmur made Zhuo Qing's heart ache, and her voice softened: "I know, you go to the side and let me take a look at him, okay?"

Qingfeng was stunned for a moment and nodded blankly.

"Fuling." Qingfeng gave a look. Fuling immediately stepped forward and supported Qingfeng, who was clearly already weak, wanting to help her to a chair outside to rest, but Qingfeng sat down by the bedside, and Fuling could only accompany her to the side.

The child was lying quietly on the bed, his face, under his eyes, and his lips all tinged with a purple-gray color. Zhuo Qing gently opened the child's mouth and could see the throat was red and swollen. It looked like he died of respiratory failure. Zhuo Qing gently picked up the child, and faint corpse spots had already appeared on his body. Zhuo Qing frowned. Although the high temperature in the room would make the corpse spots appear earlier, but... it was also too fast. Turning the child over, Zhuo Qing observed carefully, and her brow could not help but furrow tighter and tighter.

Ordinary corpse spots should be dark purple-red, but the corpse spots on this child were gray-brown. Could it be...

Zhuo Qing called out softly: "Fuling."

Fuling saw that Qingfeng beside her was sitting very quietly, neither speaking nor making a scene, so she felt relieved and walked to Zhuo Qing's side.

"Who was taking care of the child this afternoon?"

"It was this servant."

Zhuo Qing continued to check if there were any other external injuries on the child's body while asking calmly: "Did you hear the child's rapid breathing or crying?"

Fuling thought for a while and replied: "No, the little prince drank milk at noon and then took the medicine prepared by the Imperial Physician, and fell asleep very quickly. He has been very quiet."

Medicine? Zhuo Qing looked up and asked: "Where is the medicine?"

"It has already been finished." Today's dosage was very small, and she watched the mistress feed it to the prince.

"Where are the medicine dregs?"

Medicine dregs? Fuling seemed to understand what Zhuo Qing meant and immediately said: "This servant will go find them now." Fuling walked two steps, looked back at Qingfeng, who was sitting at the foot of the bed with a slightly stagnant gaze, and could not help but feel heartache. Telling Ruyi to take good care of Qingfeng, Fuling ran toward the Imperial Medical Garden.

Zhuo Qing held the child's hand to check. The ten fingers were relaxed, without any damage. The child's hands had been naturally and loosely hanging on both sides of his body from the beginning. There were no injuries on his body or face. According to Fuling, she did not hear the child crying, which was not quite right. Whether it was poisoning or respiratory failure caused by illness, death was very painful, and the child should have struggled and cried violently, rather than being so calm.

Zhuo Qing had a headache at this moment. This matter was suspicious. To figure out the cause of the child's death, she could only dissect the corpse and do pathological tests to be sure whether the child's respiratory failure was caused by pathology or poisoning, and only then could she solve the mystery of why he was so quiet when he died.

But dissecting the corpse... Zhuo Qing turned her head and glanced at Qingfeng beside her. Her expression was dull, but her eyes refused to leave the child on the bed for even a moment.

Just when Zhuo Qing was in a dilemma, a series of shrill announcement sounds mixed with messy footsteps came from outside the courtyard—

"The Emperor has arrived!"

"The Empress Dowager has arrived!"

"The Empress has arrived!"

They had come, and she would definitely not have another chance to touch the child. Zhuo Qing said to a palace maid beside her: "Find me a clean silk handkerchief immediately."

Ruyi was stunned for a moment, and after reacting, she immediately pulled a small silk handkerchief from the low cabinet behind her and handed it to Zhuo Qing. Zhuo Qing quickly opened the child's mouth, stretched the silk into the child's mouth, dipped up the child's saliva and the tissue of the inner wall of the mouth, quickly took out the silk handkerchief, folded it, and stuffed it into her waistband.

After doing all this, a large group of people also swarmed in. Zhuo Qing took a step back and walked to Qingfeng's side. With so many people swarming in suddenly, Zhuo Qing was afraid that Qingfeng would be stimulated, but who knew that she only leaned slightly against her, her eyes staring at the child on the bed without blinking, turning a deaf ear to the group of people who had suddenly entered.

Qingfeng was... a bit not quite right. Zhuo Qing was worried about Qingfeng's mental state and originally wanted to check on her, but a tragic voice came from behind: "Where is my precious grandson?"

Zhuo Qing looked up and saw the Empress Dowager, supported by the Empress, stumbling all the way to the bedside. Seeing the silent person on the bed, the usually arrogant Lou Suxin actually burst into tears.

"How could such a thing happen? Empress Dowager, please restrain your grief and take care of your health! This poor child..." Xin Yuening, while persuading her, actually choked up as well.

Zhuo Qing frowned slightly and suddenly felt a sharp gaze fall on her. Zhuo Qing looked back without hesitation. The owner of this gaze was Yan Hongtian. The two looked at each other for less than a second, and Yan Hongtian actually shifted his gaze, his black eyes looking at Qingfeng beside her. But at this moment, Qingfeng had no one in her eyes except for her son.

For a time, only the crying sounds of the Empress Dowager and the Empress could be heard in the room. The two Imperial Physicians knelt outside the screen, almost crawling on the ground: "This humble servant is incompetent and could not cure the prince's fever. This servant deserves death."

Zhuo Qing patted Qingfeng soothingly, but her eyes were secretly observing Yan Hongtian. It was said that this was not the first child of his to pass away. Zhuo Qing could not grasp Yan Hongtian's temperament and could only wait and see.

Yan Hongtian finally walked to the bedside. Zhuo Qing accompanied Qingfeng and sat halfway on the ground. She could not see his expression. Zhuo Qing only saw his hand hanging by his side, covered by the wide sleeve, already tightly clenched into a fist. Zhuo Qing thought Yan Hongtian would be furious, but who knew she only heard his deep voice say calmly: "Send Zhi'er back to Chuxiu Palace."

"Yes." Two guards had just walked to the bedside when Qingfeng, who had been sitting quietly by the bed leaning against Zhuo Qing, suddenly moved, her muddy eyes instantly widening: "What are you doing?"

"Don't touch my son!" Qingfeng stood up violently, rushed to the bedside, pushed away the two guards, and threw herself on the child: "Don't touch my son!"

The two guards froze there. They could not go up and pull at a concubine. The next moment, Qingfeng was grabbed by the shoulders by Yan Hongtian and forcibly dragged up.

Lan'er and Xia Yin stood by the door, watching Qingfeng shouting like she was crazy. Xia Yin was so scared that she did not dare to get close, and Lan'er's legs were also shaking uncontrollably, only daring to reply from afar: "This servant... this servant will go and prepare..."

(End of chapter)