Chapter 737

Virtuous Consort said: "Daughter, don't be afraid, I'll go get the imperial physician right away." She gave Hu Xiaotian a look; Hu Xiaotian went out and summoned Xu BaiChuan. In his view, Xu BaiChuan's medical skill was far inferior to Liu Changsheng's, but summoning him made him feel more at ease. Actually Hu Xiaotian was still overly worried; given Xi Yan's skill in poisoning, pulling off a covert operation would be easy.

After examining Xi Yan's eyes, Xu BaiChuan sighed again, then quietly told Hu Xiaotian that the toxin had already entered Xi Yan's eyes; if this continued, there would likely be little time left. According to Xu BaiChuan's judgment, Xi Yan would not survive until tomorrow.

The Virtuous Consort had completely let go of her hostility toward Princess Anping; since Long Xi Yue was surely doomed, what was there to quarrel about? She said through tears: "Child, tell Mother what your wish is."

Hu Xiaotian watched on the side, secretly amused that even the Virtuous Consort's seasoned cultivation could be fooled by that little fox Xi Yan, showing Xi Yan's cunning and deceit; from now on, dealing with this girl would require extra caution, lest even he fall into her trap.

Hu Xiaotian gave Xu BaiChuan a look, and the two slipped out the door quietly.

Xu BaiChuan bowed his hands to Hu Xiaotian and said: "Sir Hu, the poison has entered the Princess's viscera; even immortals could do nothing."

Hu Xiaotian bit his lip tightly, putting on a look of grief: "You mean...?"

Behind them came Liu Changsheng's sigh; Liu Yucheng walked over with his back to him, and Liu Changsheng said: "Sir Hu, Doctor Xu is right; it's time to make preparations for the Princess in advance." By "preparations in advance" he meant preparing for her funeral.

Hu Xiaotian shook his head vigorously: "Impossible... impossible... the Princess will surely be fine..."

Liu Changsheng said: "Sir Hu, it's better to face reality."

Hu Xiaotian appeared grief-stricken, but inwardly he was overjoyed; the trouble that was Xi Yan had finally been resolved smoothly, and the best part was that he bore no responsibility—sending Princess Anping to Yongdu amounted to completing his mission of delivering the Dakang Emperor Long Yelin, especially since Long Yelin had already gone mad. Ji Feihua still held power, and emotionally and rationally there was no reason for him to target Hu Xiaotian.

Hu Xiaotian asked: "Have you seen Leader Shi?"

Huo Shengnan replied: "He just entered the palace."

Since it was already confirmed that Princess Anping's condition had not improved, Shi Kuan had already entered the palace ahead of time to report to the Emperor.

Although Huo Shengnan had just had an argument with Hu Xiaotian, once it was certain that Princess Anping had no chance of recovery, figuring out whether the Princess knew martial arts and what exactly happened when the assassins arrived became meaningless. Seeing Hu Xiaotian's dejected expression and dazed gaze, she truly believed he had been utterly devastated by this tragedy, and a pang of sympathy rose in her heart; she softly comforted him: "Sir Hu, things have come to this. Further grief is useless; we had better start preparing."

Hu Xiaotian said, full of indignation: "Prepare what? If the Princess meets with misfortune, what face will I have to return to the country and face the sovereign?" This fellow finally managed to get into character, his eye sockets reddened, and tears kept welling up.

Huo Shengnan took it as genuine emotion. Little did she know that this fellow was wholly feigning affection, putting on this act merely to throw people off the scent.

Someone nearby spoke in a sarcastic tone: "Ashamed of the emperor's grace, one should atone with death; if it were the Zajia, they'd have already found a wall corner to dash their head against—what face would they have to return to Jiangnan?" It was Fang Lianhai speaking. Seeing Hu Xiaotian like this, Fang Lianhai felt delighted to the extreme: "You, Hu Xiaotian, aren't so mighty now? With Princess Anping about to die, the marriage alliance between the two countries is naturally off the table. Even if this has nothing to do with you, upon returning home you'll likely be punished for failing in your duty of protection, and maybe even lose your head."

Hu Xiaotian abruptly turned his face, his tiger eyes blazing with killing intent as he glared at Fang Lianhai and snapped: "What did you say?"

Fang Lianhai's heart jolted at Hu Xiaotian's murderous gaze, but in front of the crowd he was unwilling to show too much fear, especially since his master was inside the room, leading him to believe Hu Xiaotian wouldn't go too far; he sneered: "The Zajia are just talking to themselves; why should Sir Hu be alarmed?"

In an instant a figure blurred before them; by the time Fang Lianhai realized what was happening, Hu Xiaotian had already raised his hand and delivered a solid slap to his face—a slap so crisp that no one present expected Hu Xiaotian to strike suddenly.

Fang Lianhai was stunned by that ear slap, then his face flushed red as he shouted: "You bastard, the Zajia will fight you to the death!" He lunged to grapple with Hu Xiaotian, but Hu Xiaotian kicked him in the chest, sending him to the ground. Before Fang Lianhai could get up, Hu Xiaotian was already straddling him, swinging both arms and slapping his big white face back and forth four times; though the blows weren't heavy, they made a tremendous noise, crisp and loud, while Hu Xiaotian shouted as he struck: "How dare you insult my Princess!"

Fang Lianhai felt wronged in his heart; from start to finish he had never uttered a word insulting Princess Anping, and Hu Xiaotian was clearly framing him.

Although Hu Xiaotian was an envoy of Dakang, most of those present were Yong people; yet seeing Fang Lianhai beaten, they felt no sympathy at all, and many even felt secret satisfaction, mainly because Fang Lianhai was unpopular, relying on Consort Shu's influence and acting arrogantly, thus naturally inviting much resentment.

Huo Shengnan sighed, stepped forward to persuade Hu Xiaotian to stop; Fang Lianhai was the type who provokes a nest of hornets with his bare butt—able to stir trouble but unable to withstand it—just moments ago he'd been speaking sarcastically, now he was wailing for help.

Consort Shu heard the noise and came out from the room; seeing the scene before her, she couldn't help but frown, let out a cold snort, and said: "Nonsense!"

Only then did Hu Xiaotian climb off Fang Lianhai's body; Fang Lianhai covered his face and wailed: "My lady... he hit me..."

Consort Shu had no intention of backing him up; she said coldly: "What time is this, still making a ruckus here? Come with me, don't disturb the Princess's rest." She didn't even glance at Hu Xiaotian as she turned and walked away.

Those behind her chorused in unison: "Seeing off Consort Shu!"

Once outside, Fang Lianhai lamented bitterly: "My lady, that Hu Xiaotian is truly arrogant and overbearing; he actually dared to insult you in public and slap me."

Consort Shu chuckled coldly, fixing Fang Lianhai with a fierce stare: "You clueless fool, don't you check what time it is, or where you are? You really know how to pick a moment to kick up a fuss—do you think my dignity would look good?" Her visit this time was meant to put on a show before the public of her benevolent treatment of Princess Anping, thereby demonstrating to the world that she still pitied this Dakang princess. If Fang Lianhai's disturbance now were to spread, who knows what version would be spun; certainly others would blame the scandal on her.

Consort Shu is not muddle-headed on major matters; thus, even if she privately favored Fang Lianhai, she could not show it in public, while Fang Lianhai, a servant spoiled rotten by her, actually failed to read the situation at such a time.

After being rebuked, Fang Lianhai only then realized he might have erred; once a person is swayed by hatred, their judgment often becomes clouded, and Fang Lianhai muttered sheepishly: "My lady... I know I was wrong."

Consort Shu also didn't continue scolding him; she sighed and said: "Go to the Secretary's office for a visit."

The Secretary's office she referred to was naturally her natal elder brother's residence, that of Minister of Personnel Dong Bingkun. Having seen Princess Anping, Consort Shu had already confirmed the rumor: the two top physicians of Yongdu were powerless to reverse the situation, effectively sentencing Long Xi Yue to death; facing this, Consort Shu felt some anxiety and needed to meet her brother in person to discuss countermeasures.

These past two days the Emperor had not attended court due to some circumstance, and Minister of Personnel Dong Bingkun likewise could finally rest at home—a rare opportunity. Emperor Xu Shengkang, since his accession, has been diligent in governance without cease, decade after decade, never failing to keep state affairs in mind; it is precisely because of his persistence and focus that Yong enjoys today's prosperity.

Unless there were a special emergency, Consort Shu would not suddenly return to her natal home, and certainly not without prior notice.

Dong Bingkun received his sister in his study; despite being her elder brother, he still had to put on a show for outsiders.

When the siblings were alone, they could drop the pretense and affectation; Consort Shu sat in the master's chair, accepted the cup of tea her brother offered, and sighed gloomily: "Elder brother, haven't you heard what happened last night in the Qian Palace?"

Dong Bingkun replied: "No!"

Consort Shu said: "It seems they deliberately suppressed the news; I also received word from the Imperial Hospital that last night several assassins infiltrated the Qian Palace—though their attempt to assassinate Princess Anping failed, the Princess was poisoned."

Dong Bingkun's brow twitched: "What? How is the situation?"

Consort Shu briefly related what she knew; Dong Bingkun listened and grew increasingly alarmed, his first thought being whether this affair would implicate his sister and their Cao family—after all, they had repeatedly targeted the Dakang envoy, and to outsiders this marriage alliance clearly harmed the Cao family's political interests; by ordinary reasoning, the Cao clan would be the most eager for Princess Anping's death.

Consort Shu said: "Elder brother, Xu BaiChuan and Liu Changsheng have both been summoned to the Qian Palace; they too have no recourse, already advising preparation for the aftermath. According to Xu BaiChuan, Long Xi Yue may not see tomorrow's sun."

Dong Bingkun said: "Her death is not a bad thing for Dao Ming."

Consort Shu said: "That may be so, but if something happens to her, others will surely suspect us."

Dong Bingkun said: "The innocent need no clearing; besides, we haven't done anything, so why worry about what others think?"

Consort Shu said: "I can ignore what others think, but we cannot disregard what the Emperor thinks." (To be continued~^~)