Zhou Quan saw Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun suddenly fall.
He lunged forward, catching Xiao Jingyun before he hit the ground, and instantly realized Xiao Jingyun’s eyes were shut tight, his teeth clenched. Even after calling out several times, there was no response.
Zhou Quan felt a surge of panic. He turned to the guards by the door and said, “Quickly, go summon the imperial physician!”
Before long, an old imperial physician with white hair and beard arrived in a hurry. After an examination, he bowed to Zhou Quan, saying, “Captain Zhou, His Highness the Crown Prince appears to have been poisoned!”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Quan’s eyes widened, and he immediately instructed the guards, “Go arrest the cook!”
The cook was soon apprehended. Upon seeing Zhou Quan, he let out a muffled sob and knelt on the ground.
“Captain Zhou, I am innocent, innocent! I have served the Crown Prince for over ten years, how could I harm him?”
Hearing this, Zhou Quan pondered for a moment and sighed. Indeed, everyone present had served the Crown Prince for over ten years; there would have been no need to wait until today to act.
Suddenly, Zhou Quan’s senses returned. He turned and carefully unfastened Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun’s robes.
Soon, Zhou Quan discovered something amiss. On the Crown Prince’s chest, there were a few faint red spots, different from the surrounding skin.
Zhou Quan gestured, and the old imperial physician leaned closer, gently pressing on the spots. He then retrieved a sharp, small knife from his medicine chest, lightly pricked the red spots, and afterward, using a magnet, manipulated the area. Swiftly, three needles as fine as cow hair were extracted.
“Captain, look, this is the key to the Crown Prince’s poisoning.”
Looking at the three cow hair needles, Zhou Quan’s heart chilled. The tips of the needles were black, clearly indicating they were poisoned.
“Elder, can you tell what kind of poison this is?”
The imperial physician shook his head, “It is no ordinary substance. It is likely the work of individuals from the martial world.”
Upon hearing “martial world individuals,” Zhou Quan felt helpless. He scratched his head and suddenly understood something.
Last night, the Great Tu Kingdom had been utterly defeated. In the ensuing chaos, over a hundred thousand people had retreated into the city, and immediately after, Crown Prince Xiao Jingyun was poisoned. There must be a connection.
After a brief consideration, Zhou Quan said to the old imperial physician, “Under no circumstances is the Crown Prince’s poisoning to be revealed. If anyone asks, tell them His Highness has caught a slight cold and will be well in two or three days.”
The old imperial physician bowed and left. Zhou Quan immediately ordered someone to fetch Du Bai.
When Du Bai saw the Crown Prince in his current state, he was also startled.
“General Du, this is most likely the work of spies who have infiltrated the city.”
“Therefore, I entrust the defense of the city to you these next few days.”
Du Bai’s expression grew grave. “We can conceal this from our subordinates, but we cannot hide it from the Emperor. I suggest we inform His Majesty at once.”
Zhou Quan thought for a moment and nodded gently. “Very well, then we shall immediately send a flying dispatch to the Emperor!”
For the past few days, Xiao An had been relatively at ease on Phoenix Mountain. Although the Great Tu Kingdom had surrounded Wannian City, the news arriving had all been good, with reports of Du Bai killing enemy generals.
Thus, for the past two days, Xiao An had ordered small dishes to be prepared and had leisurely enjoyed a couple of cups of wine at noon. After drinking, he would lean by the fireplace and doze off. At this moment, the sound of footsteps woke him.
Bai Han hurried in, “Your Majesty, news has arrived from Wannian City that the Crown Prince has met with a minor accident. He was attacked with poisoned needles and is now unconscious.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao An’s expression faltered, and a flicker of surprise clearly crossed his eyes.
“How, how is this possible? Yesterday, we still received news of victory, and Du Bai killed two more enemy generals.”
Bai Han also bowed helplessly, “Your Majesty, your subordinate does not know. This is what the transmitted message says. Oh, and last night, the enemy forces suddenly attacked from all sides, and General Du Bai has led his troops to retreat into the city.”
Hearing this, Xiao An abruptly stood up from his chair, and the hand warmer he was holding dropped to the floor with a thud.
“How is this possible? Yesterday, it was clearly…”
Halfway through his sentence, Xiao An slumped back into his seat.
“I should have thought of it earlier. What ‘Four Spirits Eight Trigrams Formation’ is all useless. How can over a hundred thousand men contend against four to five hundred thousand? Retreating into the city is not necessarily a bad thing.”
Of course, there was no use in saying this now. Xiao An muttered to himself, then looked up at Bai Han, “What does Zhou Quan’s letter mean?”
“Your Majesty, Zhou Quan clearly states in his letter that he and Du Bai are at their wits’ end and wish for Your Majesty to take charge of the situation…”
Xiao An pondered for a moment, then his eyes suddenly widened. “Quickly, issue an imperial decree to all prefectures and counties at once, ordering renowned physicians to be dispatched to Wannian City to treat Jingyun!”
Bai Han acknowledged the order and turned to leave.
Although he knew that even if divine doctors arrived, getting them into the city would be a major problem, this was the first step that needed to be taken.
Soon, various messages were disseminated in all directions.
At the same time, Bai Han also wrote a special reply to Zhou Quan, instructing him to search within Wannian City for doctors with good medical skills to treat Xiao Jingyun.
Upon receiving Bai Han’s reply, Zhou Quan hesitated. If he were to conduct a large-scale search within the city, it might cause unrest among the people.
He found Du Bai again to discuss the matter. After hearing this, Du Bai said to Zhou Quan, “I find this difficult to decide as well. How about this, we both go together to see Old Marquis Liu and hear his opinion.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Quan still had some reservations. He was aware of the Emperor’s attitude towards Liu Xiangnan.
Clearly, Du Bai also understood Zhou Quan’s concerns. He said gravely, “Zhou Quan, I know you have reservations, but the safety of the Crown Prince and Wannian City is more important than anything else right now. If Old Marquis has a solution…”
Du Bai’s words were subtle, but Zhou Quan understood. It meant that the safety of the empire was paramount. As long as the Crown Prince could be saved, what did it matter if Liu Xiangnan was brought back into service?
Moreover, if Liu Xiangnan were to come forward now, military morale would be further stabilized. Why not do something that benefits them both? Having made up his mind, Zhou Quan, along with Du Bai, hurried to the post station.
At the post station, Liu Xiangnan was reciting Buddhist scriptures when a young novice monk entered and bowed to him. “Senior Brother Hui Kong, there are two visitors named Zhou Quan and Du Bai who wish to see you.”
Liu Xiangnan looked at the young monk and smiled faintly. “Then you shall accompany me to meet them.”
Hearing this, the young monk repeatedly waved his hands.
“I won’t go, I won’t go. Oh, and I still need to chant scriptures.” He then hurriedly ran off. Liu Xiangnan smiled and shook his head, “This child is still so afraid of strangers.”
Liu Xiangnan adjusted his robes and went to the entrance of the post station to meet Zhou Quan and Du Bai.
Upon seeing Liu Xiangnan emerge, Du Bai cupped his hand and knelt on one knee, “Du Bai pays his respects to the Marquis.”
Liu Xiangnan’s expression darkened. “This benefactor, there is no Marquis here. My monastic name is Hui Kong.”