Chapter 59: Whispers in the Inner Palace

Cui Yingying looked at Li Chengche, feeling as though the husband before her had completely changed.

The calm composure with which he planned and strategized while trapped in a desperate situation brought her a sense of reassurance, yet also a hint of unfamiliarity.

"Your Highness, this concubine does not understand why you wanted Consort Zhang to know of this matter? And why you specifically pointed out that it was Physician Chu who said it?"

Li Chengche lay back down, pulling the brocade quilt up so that only his bright, clear eyes were visible.

"Consort Zhang is a favorite consort of His Majesty, but she lacks cunning and cannot keep a secret. Once she knows, the entire inner palace knows."

"As for Physician Chu..." Li Chengche chuckled softly.

"He is a veteran of the Imperial Medical Bureau, upright and most strict with rules. He would never dare speak recklessly about the medicinal pills sent by the Prince of Qin. I said this merely to use his name to make the matter sound more believable. Even if someone questions Physician Chu afterward, he will only state that he never uttered such words, and others will simply assume it was a misunderstanding passed along by palace servants, leaving no trace back to us."

Cui Yingying was suddenly enlightened, her admiration for her husband's scheme growing to the point of utter devotion.

This interlocking web of actions seemed simple, yet every single person's reaction had been meticulously calculated.

"Rest assured, Husband. This concubine knows what must be done."

Li Chengche nodded.

"Go. Oh, and tomorrow you should first visit my birth mother and bring her some of the newly acquired silks."

Li Chengche's biological mother, Lady Xu, was merely an unremarkable Cairen in the palace, devoid of favor or influence, and practically ignored by all on ordinary days. As the Grand Imperial Grandson's Consort, it was entirely natural for Cui Yingying to visit her mother-in-law.

And this served as the perfect cover.

The next day, Cui Yingying indeed acted according to the plan.

She first brought several bolts of fine Shu brocade from Jiangnan to Lady Xu's desolate palace courtyard.

Upon seeing her daughter-in-law, Lady Xu was naturally both surprised and delighted, taking her hands and inquiring warmly about her well-being for a long while. Cui Yingying behaved with utmost propriety, mentioning only in conversation that Li Chengche's illness had experienced repeated relapses, while omitting any mention of the medicine sent by the Prince of Qin.

Leaving Lady Xu's residence, Cui Yingying took her personal maid, Xiaohuan, and headed to Consort Zhang's Jingren Palace to pay her respects.

She did not enter herself, choosing instead to wait outside the palace gates under the pretext of fearing she might pass on any contagion to Consort Zhang, sending Xiaohuan in her stead to convey greetings.

This gesture further highlighted her prudence and adherence to proper etiquette.

Xiaohuan entered Jingren Palace and happened to run into Consort Zhang's favorite senior maid in the corridor.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the maid inquired with concern about the health of the Grand Imperial Grandson.

Xiaohuan first sighed, her face displaying an appropriate expression of sorrow and difficulty, and lowered her voice.

"Ah, don't ask. Our Highness has truly suffered terribly these past two days."

"Oh? How so? Wasn't it said that His Highness the Prince of Qin sent a miraculous medicinal pill?"

The senior maid asked out of curiosity.

Xiaohuan looked left and right, stepped closer, and spoke in a near whisper.

"Older Sister, you must not speak of this to outsiders. Our Highness did take that pill last night. But who would have thought its potency... was simply too fierce! Not long after taking it, His Highness broke out in a searing heat all over his body, sweating profusely, waking up in a fright several times in the middle of the night, and crying out of thirst. When he got up this morning, he looked even weaker than the previous days, with a face as pale as paper."

"That potent?" The senior maid gasped in astonishment.

Xiaohuan nodded and added with feigned mystery, "Indeed. Early this morning, the Grand Imperial Grandson's Consort hastily summoned Physician Chu. After feeling his pulse for a long time, Physician Chu declared that although the Prince of Qin's pill is a divine object, its excessive yang energy clashed with our Highness's delicate constitution, which cannot endure such powerful supplements. Now, the only remedy is to slowly neutralize it with several herbs of extreme yin and cold nature; otherwise... the consequences would be unimaginable."

Having said this, she hurriedly took her leave, acting as if she had truly let it slip by accident and was filled with nervous anxiety.

The senior maid was left stunned, and by the time she recovered her wits, her eyes were filled with the glint of juicy gossip.

This was earth-shattering news!

Sure enough, these words spread like wildfire, sweeping through the entire inner palace in less than half a day.

"Have you heard? The elixir sent by the Prince of Qin to the Grand Imperial Grandson almost killed him!"

"Yes, they say the medicinal properties were too fierce, and the Grand Imperial Grandson, being too frail to bear it, spent the whole night vomiting and suffering from diarrhea."

"The version I heard is that Physician Chu said the medicine was lethal poison, and if he takes one more pill, the Grand Imperial Grandson will instantly meet his maker!"

The rumors grew more and more outrageous, but the core message remained astonishingly consistent: Li Shimin, the Prince of Qin, had meant well but caused a catastrophic disaster, and the medicine he sent had nearly cost the Grand Imperial Grandson his life.

For a time, all the palaces were buzzing with discussion. Some felt pity, some watched the spectacle, and others gloated with schadenfreude.

Eventually, this wind of rumors blew into the palace of Consort Yin, who harbored a long-standing grievance against the Prince of Qin's residence.

Consort Yin already held deep resentment because her younger brother, Qi Wang Li Yuanji, had been perpetually suppressed by Li Shimin. Now that the Eastern Palace had fallen, she was fretting over finding an excuse to make trouble, and upon hearing this news, she slammed her hand down on the table on the spot.

"What a fine Li Shimin! What is his true intention? Has he decided to make a move against the Grand Imperial Grandson mere moments after Crown Prince Jiancheng's departure?"

The maid beside her hastily persuaded, "Your Ladyship, calm your anger. Presumably, the Prince of Qin also meant well, but acted somewhat rashly."

"Meant well?" Consort Yin sneered. "Would a man like Li Shimin possess such good intentions? I see he was simply in a rush to show off before His Majesty to earn a reputation for brotherly love and caring for his nephews! For the sake of his own fame, he disregarded the Grand Imperial Grandson's life. Truly vicious beyond measure!"

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and with a twitch of her eyes, a plot formed in her mind.

That evening, after finishing his review of the state memorials, Li渊 (Li Yuan) habitually walked toward Consort Yin's bedchamber.

As soon as he stepped through the door, he saw Consort Yin sitting by the window, holding a handkerchief and weeping silently, presenting a tearful and pitiful picture that tugged at the heartstrings.

Li Yuan's heart softened instantly. He stepped forward and asked gently, "What is wrong, my beloved? Who has displeased you again?"

Upon seeing Li Yuan, Consort Yin shed tears even more fiercely, throwing herself into his arms and crying out, "Your Majesty, you must seek justice for that poor child Chengche!"

"Chengche? What has happened to him?"

Li Yuan's heart tightened. Because of the incident involving Li Jiancheng, he already harbored suspicions toward his sons, and had begun paying more attention to this sickly grandson left behind.

Consort Yin sobbed intermittently and said, "Your Majesty, you do not know. The Prince of Qin sent a medicinal pill to the Grand Imperial Grandson the other day, claiming it could cure any illness with a single dose. That honest child Chengche took it that very night. Who would have thought... who would have thought that the medicine was so tyrannical that the child suffered all night long, and almost... almost..."

At this point, she was choked with sobs and could speak no further.

Li Yuan's expression instantly darkened, and he said:

"Such a thing actually happened?"

"Indeed, Your Majesty," Consort Yin continued, wiping her tears as she added fuel to the fire.

"This concubine knows that the Prince of Qin also meant well, wishing for the Grand Imperial Grandson to recover swiftly. But his actions were far too rash; he dared to let the Grand Imperial Grandson consume a pill of unknown origin without even summoning an imperial physician to examine it. How could the Grand Imperial Grandson's already frail constitution withstand such torment? Fortunately, it was discovered early. If something truly went wrong, wouldn't it... wouldn't it make Crown Prince Jiancheng unable to rest in peace even at the frontier?"