Chapter 182: Like a Ghost

Mo Junheng sat weakly on the chair, his eyes hollow: "Do you mean that everything I have is gone?"

"Yes."

"Impossible!" Mo Junheng slammed the table hard, but the wound in his abdomen hurt so much that he fainted.

For a moment, the Crown Prince's Residence was in chaos; several imperial physicians summoned from the Imperial Medical Institute gathered around the bedside, yet they could not pinpoint the problem.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is merely suffering from a sudden surge of anger, but from his pulse there is no sign of fainting."

"We are incompetent, our learning shallow, and could not locate His Highness's illness."

The Emperor furrowed his brows and said gravely, "But could it be poisoning?"

"We have already examined, His Highness is not poisoned."

The Empress, anxious, said, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince would not fall ill without cause; there must be a reason. I think perhaps he has ingested a rare toxin or some other hard‑to‑detect disease."

"If the Empress thinks so, is there a remedy?"

"I am merely a palace woman; what remedy could I have? I have only heard of a Xiao Divine Doctor in the jianghu, whose medical skill is outstanding. Shall we invite him to treat the Crown Prince?"

"Xiao Divine Doctor?"

"Yes, I have heard of Xiao Divine Doctor, but his whereabouts are uncertain and he is hard to find."

"Then what of it? I issue an edict: the Crown Prince's health concerns the state; we must find the best physician." The Emperor waved his hand, and Li Gonggong understood his meaning, hurriedly withdrew to draft the edict.

The Empress looked at him, knowing today was the best opportunity, opened the medicine bottle in her sleeve, a wisp of fragrance drifted out, and she moved closer to the Emperor.

A faint scent entered his nostrils, and the Emperor frowned.

"What age is he? Why still using the incense he used in his youth?"

"Since the Crown Prince is still ill, I have already examined him and will now depart; Empress, if you have leisure, you may stay and observe."

The Empress saw him about to leave, her expression stiffened.

"Your Majesty." The Empress hurried forward, softly saying, "Your collar is crooked." She deftly adjusted his collar, the fragrance on her fingertips deliberately close to his nose.

The Emperor seized her wrist, and the Empress felt a glimmer of hope, thinking the medicine was taking effect.

"Your—" Before she could feign a half‑pushed, half‑pulled performance, the Emperor pushed her aside.

"Your Majesty."

"What fragrance are you using? Why does it smell so awful?" He reached to wipe his nose: "Change it!"

With those words, he brushed away the Empress's hand that rested on his collar, turned, and left without a hint of hesitation.

The Empress, incredulous, took out the porcelain bottle.

"How could this be? Why is this medicine ineffective?"

"Empress, is there something wrong with this medicine?"

"Useless!" The Empress smashed the bottle on the ground, shouting, "Even the medicine is unsatisfactory to me!"

She did not know that, the previous time Chi Nan Yi had roamed her palace, she discovered many of the medicine powders she had hidden, mostly items used between the bed and floor; Chi Nan Yi found them disgusting, and the Empress, already not young, should not be using such things. So she replaced all of them with a stimulating brain‑clearing powder, guaranteeing that one sniff awakens the mind, two sniffs restores the spirit, three sniffs eliminates the need for sleep.

The Emperor now only wanted to go to the Hall of Nurturing the Heart to draft a three‑day‑three‑night edict, and had no desire to deal with her in any way.

The Empress's cold gaze swept over Mo Junheng on the bed: "All are useless; can you find out exactly what happened in the residence?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, the Crown Prince's Residence was robbed, and the items in the Crown Prince's private treasury are missing."

"What?" The Empress gasped, "All in one night?"

"Yes, the servant believes these people are in league with those who stole from your private treasury; according to the servant, there wasn't even a footprint in the treasury, the items were there the day before, gone the next day, as if… as if…"

"Like a ghost…"

"Yes."

The Empress's chest rose and fell violently; how could this be? Who could freely enter the palace and the Crown Prince's Residence, evade everyone, and silently carry away so many heavy items?

If you say it's ghosts or deities, she would never believe it.

There are no ghosts in this world.

"Your Majesty, there is another matter."

"What matter?"

"Earlier the Crown Prince dispatched Dark Guard to capture someone, but the Dark Guard not only failed to catch the target, they were all killed, and the most shocking thing is that those Dark Guard corpses were mysteriously transported back to the Crown Prince's Residence, and… and…"

"And what?"

"They were placed in the Crown Prince's chamber, and the Crown Prince slept on those bodies."

"What?" The Empress couldn't help but be shocked: "Do you mean the Crown Prince spent the night sleeping among the dead?"

"Yes…"

"This must never be spread, must never let the Emperor know."

Such an inauspicious event happening to the Daqi Crown Prince, if the Emperor learns of it, his heart will surely hold a grudge.

"You just said the Crown Prince sent Dark Guard to capture someone; who was the target?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, it was the proprietor of the World's First Village, the shop that delivers vegetables to the palace daily."

The Empress's complexion changed slightly: "Is it the one that only delivers vegetables to the Emperor's kitchen?"

"Exactly."

"Being able to deliver vegetables to the Emperor is their skill; since their skill is so great, this palace is also somewhat curious about them." The Empress's eyes narrowed slightly: "Send someone to inquire who the World's First Village is in contact with."

"Yes, the old servant understands."

"Also, the pharmacist who previously prepared medicine for this palace was killed; how dare they mock this palace."

"Yes."

The Empress again looked at the unconscious Crown Prince on the bed, her eyes full of irritation.

She touched her belly; now, she could only place hope here.

Only by bearing a true legitimate son can she have something to rely on.

Not long after the Emperor left, the Empress returned to her own palace; Mo Junheng, though the Crown Prince, was not her biological child, so in front of the Emperor he put on a show, acting out deep mother‑son affection, but in reality, if the Crown Prince were not useful to her, she would even find a meeting with him bothersome.

The Empress had just taken a step away when Mo Junheng immediately woke up.

"Your Highness, the Emperor and Empress just left."

"Father Emperor and Mother Empress have arrived?"

"Yes." Gao Feng, who has been by his side for many years, naturally knows what he wants to hear: "The Emperor has also issued an edict for Divine Doctor Xiao to come treat you."

The Crown Prince's complexion turned ashen, yet the corner of his mouth twitched slightly: "Mo Junyan's leg is crippled; Father Emperor hasn't even issued an edict to summon a young Divine Doctor, so indeed I remain the one Father Emperor values most."

"You are the Crown Prince; how could Prince Li be compared with you?"

At that moment, a sharp pain surged in his abdomen, and Mo Junheng's face was full of agony: "Has the imperial physician diagnosed my condition?"

"The imperial physician says it's caused by anger scorching the heart; he has prepared some medicine, which is now being boiled!"

Speaking of anger scorching the heart, Mo Junheng recalled today's events.

"Has anyone discovered who stole my Crown Prince's Residence?"