Chapter 152: The Crown Prince Poisoned

In front of the main hall of Kunning Palace, eunuchs and palace maids knelt in rows, with several flogging benches and instruments of torture placed at the very front.

The news that the Crown Prince had been poisoned in Zhongcui Palace reached Kunning Palace at once, and Empress Zhou ordered people to carry Zhu Cilang to Kunning Palace to be cared for personally.

Looking at her pale-faced son, Empress Zhou was extraordinarily furious. She first ordered a thorough search of the entire Zhongcui Palace, yet no poison or the like was found. Then Empress Zhou issued her decree, ordering that everyone in the palace who had had the opportunity to come into contact with the Crown Prince today be arrested and interrogated.

At the start, Empress Zhou did not have the Palace Rectification Directorate use severe torture, fearing that confessions extracted under duress would lead to wild accusations and complicate matters. She merely instructed Director Zhang of the Palace Rectification Directorate to conduct the interrogation, but nothing was gained—everyone denied it outright.

Empress Zhou finally lost her patience. With a cold sneer on her face, she said, "All of you truly won't shed tears until you see the coffin. Men, flog them one by one—keep going until someone confesses!"

The decree was issued, and the Palace Rectification Directorate began administering punishment, pressing these palace maids and eunuchs onto the benches one by one, preparing to strip their trousers and flog them.

Several palace maids were frightened into tears on the spot, and two eunuchs had wet patches spreading beneath their feet, giving off a foul stench—they had pissed their pants in terror.

Empress Zhou furrowed her brow, her face turning somewhat pale. As a woman in her twenties who had never witnessed such a scene before, her heart quailed, a chill spreading through her entire body, and she could only endure it by force.

A eunuch from the Directorate of Imperial Meals had no strength left in his legs at all, and was completely carried onto the bench by Kunning Palace eunuchs. He wailed and cried, "Empress, spare my life! Empress, spare my life! This slave truly knows nothing—this slave is innocent!"

The other palace maids also mustered their courage, sobbing and crying out, yet still no one voluntarily confessed.

Empress Zhou said harshly, "This palace knows that most of you are innocent, but this palace has no choice. The Crown Prince has been poisoned within the palace—not one of you can escape blame! If you want someone to blame, blame the poisoner! Continue the interrogation—do not stop until there is a confession—but not a single person may die!"

Director Zhang's heart tightened. This normally gentle Empress had truly made up her mind this time. With the Crown Prince poisoned, even killing every palace maid and eunuch in the palace would hardly atone for the crime.

Amid a series of thumping sounds came heart-rending screams of agony. Palace maids and eunuchs who had been beaten unconscious were splashed with water to revive them, only to continue suffering punishment.

Empress Zhou sat on her chair, her face drained of all color, her body trembling slightly. The several eunuchs and palace maids behind her were also deathly pale, swaying as if about to collapse.

Little Qin, who had previously been learning to read and write alongside Empress Zhou, was also terrified, but after all, she had a bit more courage than the other palace maids. She walked behind Empress Zhou and gently kneaded her shoulders.

Little Qin said softly, "Milady, the smell here is too unpleasant. How could your delicate body endure this? Why not go inside to see His Highness? Let this slave keep watch here, and report to Milady the moment there is any news."

After hearing this, Empress Zhou nodded gently, rose to her feet, and entered the main hall accompanied by the others.

Chongzhen arrived at Kunning Palace in haste. He did not even glance at the scene before the hall, heading straight for the main hall of Kunning Palace.

The palace maids and eunuchs waiting outside to be punished saw His Majesty arrive, and each one's face turned ashen.

Emperor Chongzhen entered the inner chamber. Ignoring the others' bows, he went straight to the bedside, where he saw Zhu Cilang had already vomited beyond recognition, his face deathly pale.

"What the hell is going on?" Chongzhen roared.

Wu Zhong scrambled over on hands and knees and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, His Highness was perfectly fine today. Two quarters of an hour ago, after returning from Kunning Palace to Zhongcui Palace, he began to feel nauseated and vomited without stop."

"What do the imperial physicians say?"

The Director of the Imperial Academy of Medicine, who was preparing medicine off to the side, replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, according to what Eunuch Wu said, His Highness had no prior symptoms and no diarrhea, indicating it was not caused by catching a chill or unclean food. However, with frequent nausea and vomiting, your subject—your subject preliminarily judges that His Highness has been poisoned."

The several imperial physicians nearby had somewhat different opinions, but seeing that the Director had already spoken, they found it hard to say anything more. They were all adults—everyone understood the consequences of not giving face to one's superior. Besides, they themselves had not determined what His Highness's symptoms were.

"Do you know what poison it is?" Chongzhen asked with a frown.

The Director of the Imperial Academy of Medicine stammered, "Your subject—your subject has not yet determined it."

"Useless things—all of you get the hell out!"

Chongzhen flew into a rage. Someone had actually dared to brazenly harm his Crown Prince within the palace—this was truly insane! Suddenly, in a flash, the untimely death of the Zhengde Emperor in his youth, the Red Pill Case of his father, and the drowning case of his elder brother, the Tianqi Emperor—all these things surged into his mind one after another!

Every Ming emperor who wanted to actually accomplish things had died young for no apparent reason. Was this a coincidence? There must be some conspiracy!

No, wait—then why had nothing happened to him all these years? Chongzhen was suddenly confused again.

Zhu Cilang, pale-faced and weak, said, "Father, if you do not like your son, you can simply depose me and establish another Crown Prince. All you need to do is give me a fief, letting your son be a carefree prince. Why—"

As he spoke, Zhu Cilang coughed violently several times, then fell silent.

Hearing this, everyone was shocked. Empress Zhou's body trembled violently, and she looked at Chongzhen with a cold face, her eyes filled with pain.

What does this mean? Does he suspect I did it?

Chongzhen suddenly panicked somewhat. He roared, "What nonsense are you spouting! Even a tiger will not eat its own cub—how could I be such a beast devoid of humanity!"

Zhu Cilang merely looked at him quietly without any reaction, then vomited again.

Chongzhen trembled with rage, his brows knitted in fury. "Investigate! Investigate thoroughly, I command it! Everyone who came into contact with the Crown Prince today shall be thoroughly investigated! No—everyone who has come into contact with the Crown Prince in recent days shall all be investigated!"

"Your subject receives the decree!" Luo Yangxing's body jolted, and he immediately bowed.

Chongzhen said coldly, "You need not investigate. Have Li Tingbiao investigate!"

Luo Yangxing was momentarily dumbfounded. Why won't he let me investigate? Isn't this within my purview? Chongzhen naturally would not enlighten him, because he had no habit of explaining himself to others.

Luo Yangxing had forgotten that Chongzhen had once wanted to kill a remonstrance official named Jiang Cai. He first had Jiang Cai thrown into the Imperial Prison, then issued a decree for Luo Yangxing to secretly dispose of Jiang Cai. But Luo Yangxing, fearing he would be made the scapegoat afterward, refused to act—which had made Chongzhen quite displeased with this disobedient household slave.

Chongzhen used Li Tingbiao to investigate this case—first, because he was displeased with Luo Yangxing, and second, because he wanted to prove his own innocence. Everyone knew that Li Tingbiao was Zhu Cilang's man, so having him investigate was naturally the best choice.

Before long, Empress Zhang also arrived. Chongzhen had long since slipped away to a side hall, avoiding a meeting with this imperial sister-in-law, afraid of being scolded.

Li Tingbiao hurried into the palace upon hearing the news. He first paid respects to the Emperor in the side hall, received the task personally assigned by Chongzhen, and only then found an opportunity to pay respects to Zhu Cilang.

Seeing the Crown Prince's haggard appearance, Li Tingbiao's heart ached as if cut with a knife. In that instant, he felt utterly useless. He had placed numerous informants throughout the palace, yet he had never imagined the Crown Prince could still be harmed.

In front of everyone, Zhu Cilang did not give Li Tingbiao much instruction, merely saying calmly, "I leave it to you. Investigate thoroughly!"

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