Chapter 23
"Empress, it's indeed poisoning. It a server poison that have seen only in books. I have never seen it in eyes" Linlin came inside and greeted the emperor and the empress.
"Empress, fourth princess consort and baby is okay. Fourth princess consort had been with the baby whole night and never left for a while"
"What's is the poison?"
"Slow death"
"Slow death?" Emperor asked.
"Yes, even though the poison spread faster it will be slower to bring the death" Xiao Feng was thinking hard because she had heard about this somewhere before.
"Is there an antidote?" Concubine Wei asked.
"Yes, there is antidote for it but we have never seen it or don't know how to make it"
"What's use of you all if you don't know it?!" Everyone in the room kowtowed fearing losing their head by the emperor.
"Linlin, find elder Mi, He must have the antidote or at least he should know where the antidote is"
"Yes" Linlin bowed and went out. Everyone was restless in the palace. Xiao Feng was standing few steps behind the bed.
"Your majesty, empress" Xiao Feng quickly turned and a man came in his fifties or sixties.
"This old man greets emperor and empress" Xiao Feng quickly stops him from respecting them.
"Elder Mi, please no need for formalities"
"Empress, I came as soon as I heard that someone is poisoned with 'Slow Death', is empress injured too?" He asked looking at the blood in empress's dress and the situation she was on. She had swallow cheek, blood on her dress and messy jewelers in her. Emperor also looked at the empress and was shocked to see empress in such a state.
"No one is injured. Please check on prince Sheng. Imperial physicians said that he is poisoned with 'Slow Death'" Elder Mi look at the little prince.
"This…" Elder Mi was hesitant.
"General Xiao has said-"
"Elder Mi!!" Xiao Feng cut him off.
"I wouldn't dare" Xiao Feng calm herself down by taking a deep breath.
"Please for the sake of me. I have promised" Xiao Feng knelt down in front of the elder Mi and maids, physicians and eunuch's who was standing knelt down too and elder Mi tried to make her stand up.
"Please empress, I don't deserve this"
"Elder Mi, yesterday 3 kids from 6th generation died"
"Please, stand up. Empress. This old man doesn't deserve this. I will check" He quickly took his medical box and went towards the little prince and Weining help Xiao Feng to stand up. After checking she look at empress.
"It's indeed 'Slow Death' poison and the antidote" Elder Mi said taking a bottle and gave it to the imperial physician.
"But I have to say that though it is the antidote for the poison, it would not help much help. It can only stop the action for about 10 years at most with regular acupuncture. Your majesty, empress, please forgive me. If you can remember first prince, he also died because of this poison. At that time my teacher was there and she could make a better antidote and help him to live for 20 years but I am not that capable"
"Thank you, we will try in that time period" Elder Mi pursed his lips and nodded.
"Doing something is better than doing nothing"
"Linlin escort elder Mi back" Elder Mi bow to the emperor and instead of going out he went towards the empress and knelt.
"Empress, please don't make it hard for me again. General Xiao has asked us to stay away from Sui kingdom's imperial family matters. For the sake of relationship of empress and your highness I decide to help this one last time" Xiao Feng support him stand up.
"I am sorry elder Mi, I didn't mean to make it hard but…" Xiao Feng stopped talking in the middle and nod. "I understand. I will not make it hard for you again" Elder Mi bow and went away. Imperial physician Huan came and gave the antidote to little prince and he fell asleep soon and physician check his pulse.
"Your majesty, the medicine is indeed working. Prince Sheng's pulse coming back to simple" Everyone sighed in relief.
"Imperial physician Huan and Mu, stay with prince Sheng's regular checkup and everyone go back" Concubine Wei was going to go towards prince Sheng.
"Concubine Wei, you too" Xiao Feng turned to go back too.
"Xiao Feng!" Xiao Feng halt on her way but didn't turn. Emperor came toward her.
"Let's go together" Emperor held her hand making her hissed with pain. Emperor checked her hand. "You are injured?" Xiao Feng just looks at the emperor like a child who refused to answer.
"Summon an imperial physician to the peony palace"
"Yes"
"Go and prepare a hot bath for empress and someone ask imperial kitchen to send boiled eggs to the peony palace" Few eunuchs went away.
In the peony palace empress was sitting in comfortable outfit and her hair was loose without any jewelry. There were already few boiled eggs in the table after massaging her face. She looked pale and an imperial physician put medicine in hand and check pulse.
"Why she looks pale?"
"Answering to your majesty. Empress is over exhausted and has stayed awake much longer. Being pregnant no more than 3 months if it was a normal woman being this exhausted…" Imperial physician just shook his head while sighing. "Empress should rest more. Resting a little more will be make it better. I will presubscribe some tonics" Emperor nodded and dismissed them.
"Take a rest. Don't need exhaust yourself anymore. I told you"
"But doesn't your majesty think something is wrong?"
"You mean fourth brother"
"I don't know but its mostly he is the suspect. If today there wasn't an antidote for Sheng'er the only son in next generation for now is fourth prince's son and late emperor had sent fourth prince's mother for poisoning the 1st prince with the same poison. Was it just a coincidence?" Xiao Feng first thought it is Shan Yuan but elder Mi said 1st prince was also poisoned by the same poison.
"I also suspect fourth brother. After all everything happened after knowing fourth princess consort give birth to a healthy son" Xiao Feng nodded.
"Knowing this, how can I rest? Though the death daughters of prince Jing would be another matter they also granddaughters of uncle"
"Xiao Feng, you already did your best"
"Your majesty, I have given the case to prince Jing"
"Hmm. I have already said, you can take any decision as long as you are safe" Xiao Feng nodded.
"Rest now" Emperor saying caressing empress's head.
Next day Xiao Feng talked with the emperor and emperor send two edicts for fourth and fifth princes' manors. An edict with a noble title to the dead son and a third rank princess title and the name Zhu Jiayi for the daughter of fifth prince to deliberately provoke fourth prince to see if he is the one behind all of this and only a congratulating edict for the fourth prince's manor.
"Weining, you go to the fourth prince manor to send the edict and tell fourth prince that his majesty came to the throne no long ago and now already have a son and no daughter yet. Say that's why he granted only granddaughter of late emperor a princess title right after birth" Weining smiled and nodded and after the 2 edicts was send away everyone was dismissed.
"Your majesty, if it's really fourth prince then he will surely try to kill Sheng'er again. How about we secretly take Sheng'er to another place and at the same time we will tighten the guard in his palace?" Emperor nodded.
"But where should we move Sheng'er to?"
"If you believe in me, it's okay to send him to side hall of peony palace since no servant will go from front palace to backside only Weining and Linlin"
"Okay, then. Liuyang prepare for it"
"Linlin help Liuyang with it" They bowed and went out. Liuyang was now the commandant of the imperial army. At the time a eunuch came inside.
"Your majesty, empress. The guard said there is someone outside palace gate asking to meet the empress" Xiao Feng furrowed her eyebrows.
"Who?"
"I don't know but he has showed this. He insists of saying empress will recognize it" Xiao Feng squeezed her eyes to see a token and stood up and step one to front.
"Bring it" He hand it to empress and bow. Xiao Feng smiled seeing it.
"Ask him to come inside" The eunuch went out after bowing.
"Who is it?" Emperor asked. Xiao Feng turned to emperor and smiled.
"Brother Shi Lin" Now it's time for emperor to have furrowed eyebrows.
"You're excited?"
"Of course, I haven't seen him for more than 2 years" She sat down.
"You know I don't like that guy" Xiao Feng's smile deepened.
"You both have already grown up and you shouldn't fight like before. I remember you both always fight when you both meet"
"Of course, it's because of you" Emperor mumbled and Xiao Feng look at him and raised her eyebrow as she couldn't hear.
"Nothing"
Little Xiao Feng was sitting in hey truss while pouting. Young 8th prince came and give her few gifts which was rejected directly by shaking head.
"Xiao Feng" Little Xiao Feng looked at the person who call her.
"Brother Shi Lin?"
"I brought you something, see" He took a cage from behind with a bird.
"A bird" Xiao Feng's eyes lit up and she went towards him.
"Thank you, Shi Lin. I like it very much" Young 8th prince was a little angry and made a thin line his lips. It was how emperor started to dislike this Shi Lin.
"Xiao Feng!" Xiao Feng looked the person with a face full of smiles.
"Brother Shi Lin"
"Your majesty" He bow to the emperor.
"Rise, Xiao Feng is now the empress" Emperor was being a little sarcastic.
"Of course, I know about it. Subject Shi Lin pay his respect to the emperor and the empress"
"No need for formality brother Shi Lin. His majesty his just teasing you. It's been a long time since I saw you"
"Right. Gu Lin, bring it" Jin Tian brought a cage with him inside, it was a white rabbit. It was the same bright shine seen in Xiao Feng's eyes as she smiled.
"Is it a gift for me?" Shi Lin nodded and took out the rabbit from the cage.
"Thank you, Brother Shi Lin" Empress took the rabbit to her hand. A maid tried to barged in but she was stopped by guards. It was concubine Wei's servant Liu Fan as Xiao Feng ask them to let her in.
"Your majesty, concubine Wei, she suddenly collapsed" The maid shout from outside. Xiao Feng just caressed the rabbit fur as she didn't hear it. She could feel the stare on her by the emperor as asking her permission.
"Go" He then stand up and look at Shi Lin.
"Oh, I don't know when I will see your majesty again, so I wish your majesty will blessed me because, I have found someone I love dearly and we will marry soon" Emperor almost sighed as he could feel a heavy burden was taken out of his mind which he had since knowing Shi Lin is back in the capital.
"Then congratulations!" Emperor went out.
"Brother Shi Lin, let's go" She said after emperor went out and Shi Lin nodded with a smile. They were sitting in the guzebo in the peony palace. Rabbit was on the ground as Xiao Feng poured some tea to Shi Lin.
"Usually no one is invited to the inside peony palace. Just front part of it"
"Then Brother Shi Lin is important to Xiao Feng" Shi Lin said while smiling.
"Of course, Brother Shi Lin is like my Second brother but why you did come suddenly to capital"
"Oh, for that" Shi Lin quickly stand up and knelt and Xiao Feng quickly support him to stand up.
"What are you doing Brother Shi Lin?"
"I came to the capital without summoning"