"What?" Jiang Luoxi's face instantly turned ashen.
This was tantamount to taking her life!
The attack was too vicious!
Zuo Yan furrowed his brows tightly, his expression grave. "What I say is true. The medicine the Consort has been taking daily for the past half month, and the ointments applied to her leg, have all been tampered with. These have already seeped into her internal organs, and her leg..."
Yesterday, he pointed to the wound on her leg that showed no signs of healing. "Consort, you can press down near the wound with your hand and you will feel a stinging sensation around it."
Jiang Luoxi immediately pressed.
The intense pain made Jiang Luoxi break out in a cold sweat.
Jiang Luoxi gritted her teeth, enduring the pain, and asked, "Is there any way to salvage this?"
She knew who had been behind this. To have such immense power to operate without her knowledge, with all the servants attending her replaced by her own people, even Zhan Tianhong would have had little opportunity to act.
It was Zhan Tianye.
He hated her to the bone!
Because she had ordered the death of Old Master Qin, he wanted to make her suffer a fate worse than death! The reason he didn't kill her was likely because he wanted to know who was behind her, to uproot them completely.
A wave of chill pierced her very bones.
Suddenly, she felt a pang of regret! She shouldn't have been so hasty in killing Old Master Qin!
Zuo Yan's expression was extremely serious. After a long silence, he said, "Consort, it is too late. All I can do now is prevent the condition from worsening, but... your leg will be affected from now on. Whenever you walk, this leg will cause unbearable pain, and your internal energy... I'm afraid there won't be much left."
Hearing Zuo Yan's words, Jiang Luoxi's face became exceedingly grim. Her lips trembled, her body shook, and her complexion was frighteningly pale.
Zuo Yan had never seen Jiang Luoxi so pale and vulnerable since he had known her. He felt a pang of pity. "Perhaps we should seek out Miss Yun Er. She might have other methods."
"Seek her out?" Jiang Luoxi gave a self-mocking laugh.
If she sought out Yun Shu, she might die even faster!
She quickly calmed herself and said to Zuo Yan, "Can you please not tell anyone about my condition? I don't want anyone to know I've fallen to such a fate, not even the person behind you, alright?"
The woman before him had tear-filled eyes, revealing a heart-wrenching fragility.
Zuo Yan's emotions surged. He gazed deeply at Jiang Luoxi. Even though he knew he shouldn't listen to her, he let out a heavy sigh. "Alright, I promise the Consort."
Jiang Luoxi knew Zuo Yan valued his promises. Since he had agreed, he would definitely not reveal this matter to anyone else.
However, she knew she couldn't hide it for too long.
She needed to find a way out.
She was acutely aware that once she became useless, Prince Ning would eliminate her; he would never let her live in this world again!
...
That afternoon, Zhan Tianhong ordered people to summon Zhan Tianye and Zhan Tianyu to the palace.
No reason was given.
When Zhan Tianye received the summons from Zhan Tianhong, he was with Yun Shu.
They were playing chess and discussing matters.
They talked about Jiang Luoxi. Since the person behind her had been identified, and considering Jiang Luoxi had ordered the death of Old Master Qin, it was imperative to act against her. This person had already lived long enough.
The chess game was intense.
They had been playing for an hour, back and forth, without a winner.
Yun Shu was concentrating intently.
Just as she was about to place her piece, the imperial messenger's summons made her pause.
She looked at Zhan Tianye. "I wonder what His Majesty will choose?"
To this day, she still held a sliver of hope for Zhan Tianhong in Zhan Tianye.
After all, the memory of the young boy who once needed others' help was still vivid. In about a year, a person's heart shouldn't have completely changed.
Zhan Tianye's gaze deepened, and he said in a low voice, "How he chooses no longer matters."
...
In the palace.
Zhan Tianhong chose a palace for a meal.
There weren't many people.
Initially, he had only summoned Zhan Tianye and Zhan Tianyu, but later invited several officials to the palace.
Most of the guests had arrived, but Zhan Tianye was missing.
Princess Shengyue looked towards the entrance, impatience evident in her expression. She had been waiting for so long, why hadn't Prince Ye arrived yet? He must have known she was in the imperial palace.
But he hadn't come. Did he not want to see her at the earliest opportunity?
Zhan Tianhong lowered his gaze and took a sip of tea, his eyes sweeping towards the entrance. By this time, his fifth brother should have arrived, but his absence indicated that his fifth brother had no intentions towards Princess Shengyue and did not wish for a marriage alliance.
"Why hasn't Prince Ye arrived yet?" Princess Shengyue, always acting on her whims, couldn't wait any longer and spoke up directly.
A cold glint flashed in Zhan Tianhong's eyes. The princess of Xixia was so impolite!
How dare she question him?
"He must have been delayed by something on the way," Zhan Tianyu was the first to respond to Princess Shengyue.
Princess Shengyue let out a cold snort, glancing only at Zhan Tianyu, clearly not holding him in high regard.
The officials present, seeing the princess of Xixia's rudeness and her disregard for Prince Ning, were all displeased with this arrogant princess of Xixia.
Zhan Tianyu's smile remained unchanged. He still appeared graceful and courteous, completely unfazed by Princess Shengyue's impoliteness.
At that moment, the officials present regarded Prince Ning with newfound respect.
Prince Ning was truly composed. xxs壹贰
Zhan Tianhong looked at Zhan Tianyu with a meaningful gaze. "Fourth Brother, have you grown accustomed to living in the capital recently?"
"Yes, I have. After all, it's where I grew up. I appreciate His Majesty's concern," Zhan Tianyu replied with a smile.
Zhan Tianhong nodded as if reassured. "Good, that's good."
This fourth brother of his hid his thoughts deeply. He was even more difficult to deal with than the Regent. Unbeknownst to him, he could place people within the palace.
If he hadn't been vigilant, he would have been at a disadvantage.
He somewhat regretted these past two days for not keeping his fourth brother in the capital. It was easy to breed a tiger; just as one jackal left, a tiger and leopard arrived.
Zhan Tianyu, being extremely astute, keenly sensed the shift in Zhan Tianhong's feelings towards him. He had underestimated Zhan Tianhong, always believing him to be a puppet, easy to control, even easily misled, which was why he had fallen out with Zhan Tianye.
Indeed, he couldn't delay any longer. He had to act swiftly.
It would be best to wait for Princess Shengyue to occupy Zhan Tianye.
As everyone was lost in their own thoughts, a eunuch's shrill voice from outside the door jolted everyone back to attention.
"Prince Ye has arrived!"
The announcement of Prince Ye's arrival made Princess Shengyue's eyes light up. He had finally come! She had only seen his portrait before, and even that had captivated her. There was no one more handsome in this world!
She had disdained him before because of his crippled legs.
Now that he could stand, she felt she must possess this man!
The moment Zhan Tianye walked in, Princess Shengyue abruptly stood up.