Chapter 284 The Involved Empress Mother and Her Son
“It, it is Prince Zhou’s horse!”
Being shocked, Xiao Xuanzi dared not to conceal it and said with sweat dripped from his head.
“Liuzhou’s horse?”
“Yes, it is Prince Zhou’s horse. Just now I sent someone to find out, and it is said that Prince Zhou’s new horse was not trained well, so today he took this horse out for a walk. But unexpectedly, this horse got panic when it saw so many people on Zhuque Street and ran away. Thus it accidentally hit Second Miss Qin’s carriage, and almost hurt Prince…”
Having said this, Xiao Xuanzi looked at Chu Liuchen, who was lying on the bed with a ghastly pale face, and he could not say any more with a trembling voice!
“Okay, fine. They just hate to see me treating Chen well and each of them wants to intervene. Someone, summon Prince Zhou!” Empress Dowager shouted loudly with anger.
A Nanny retreated respectfully and went out to send someone to summon Prince Zhou, Chu Liuzhou.
Prince Zhou came quickly. He arrived at Imperial Institute of Medicine shortly afterwards together with Empress. At this time, Qin Wanru had already been waked up and stood behind Empress Dowager with her eyes darting everywhere.
“Imperial Grandmother, I still do not know about this. I have been in the palace to visit my mother before it!” Prince Zhou, Chu Liuzhou blankly looked at Empress who came in with him.
“Empress Dowager, Zhou came to the palace very early. This time you hold this banquet, Zhou has come early and asked if it needs help!” Empress said with a smile, only her pale lips betraying the nervous.
“Does it have nothing to do with him just because he has come to the palace early? The horse belongs to him and how could it make Prince Chen knocked unconscious? Chen’s body has already been in such poor condition. Would he still be unpleasant to someone’s eyes? Well, well, well, I am going to tell Emperor right now. There is no need to select someone. Just find several loyal people to send me and Prince Chen to a safe place. Even if it is a wild forest, that would be safer than the palace!”
Empress Dowager shouted and reproached them angrily.
Saying these words, she disregarded their dignity and outspokenly pointed out that Empress and Prince Zhou intended to kill Chu Liuchen.
Empress was unable to stand still and suddenly plopped down to kneel. “Mother, this matter really has nothing to do with Zhou. I will let Zhou find it out in a minute. The results will definitely be found out!”
Since Empress knelt down, Chu Liuzhou also knelt down naturally, with a sense of malice flashing through the bottom of his eyes. When he turned his eyes to Chu Liuchen who was in the bed, he looked ruthless and hostile.
“Why this sick man is still alive? He has been ill for so many years, but he still has a breath,” thought Chu Liuzhou.
Although Chu Liuzhou was really anxious to see Chu Liuchen dead early, at this time, he still hoped that Chu Liuchen could have a breath. He clearly knew that if something really happened to Chu Liuchen at this time, he would absolutely get no good. Was Chu Liuyue dealing with him? Or someone else?
Although Chu Liuzhou was holding his head down when kneeling, his brain was constantly working and he secretly gnashed his teeth in anger. If he knew who was playing behind him, he would definitely not spare this person.
What the phrase “kill two birds with one stone” referred to was the situation at present!
“When Chu Liuchen dead, I will certainly fall into Imperial Grandmother’s and Emperor Father’s disfavor. Even if I have the identity of blood elder son, I am afraid to have nothing to do with the throne.” Thinking of this, Chu Liuzhou was even anxious to kill everyone who was related to this matter in his mansion!
He tightly clenched the fists under his sleeves.
“Imperial Grandmother, I go back to find now, and will definitely figure it out,” Chu Liuzhou said with gritted teeth.
“Chen has already been like this. You figure it out, but so what? It is unknown how his body will be like… I…” Empress Dowager said to the later words with her voice choking. When she looked at Chu Liuchen who was still unconscious in the bed, she felt a pain in her heart and reached out to grab his ice-cold hands on his chest and could hardly say a word.
Empress also looked at Chu Liuchen in panic. She and Chu Liuzhou both clearly knew the consequences of the incident, so after getting the news, she rushed to the Imperial Institute of Medicine. She walked so quickly that now she also felt waves of dizziness in front of her eyes and cold hands and feet. Although she was also eager to see Chu Liuchen dead, now she did not hope something would happen to him either.
“Mother, Mother, Prince Chen moved!” Suddenly Empress got excited, pointed at Chu Liuchen’s hands and shouted.
Qin Wanru slightly moved her head and her eyes fell on Chu Liuchen’s hand. His slender hand moved a little bit, and this time more people saw this. Empress Dowager suddenly stood up and squatted beside the bed, holding Chu Liuchen’s hand tightly, “Chen, Chen, can you wake up? Are you okay?”
The voice trembled in panic, which obviously showed that Empress Dowager was really nervous.
Chu Liuzhou moved two steps to the bed on his knees, nervously looking at Chu Liuchen’s face with deep concern in his eyes. If not knowing that this person anxiously wanted Chu Liuchen to die early, Qin Wanru would even feel that they had a strong tie of brotherhood.
“The imperial physician! Call the imperial physician quickly!” Empress screamed loudly.
An imperial physician who was waiting in the gallery immediately came in. Palace maids supported Empress and Prince Zhou to stand up and to make room for him. Empress Dowager was supported to sit down again. Everyone looked nervously at the imperial physician who was taking Chu Liuchen’s pulse and it was so quiet in the room that everyone’s heartbeat could almost be heard.
Although Qin Wanru knew a little, her fist was still involuntarily clenched tightly. When she took Chu Liuchen’s pulse just now, his pulse was very slow, and even had a feeling of stagnation. If only taking his pulse, she might also feel that he was badly hurt. But Qin Wanru had also taken his pulse before.
His pulse was no different from before.
He was originally sick, and the illness was quite serious. The innate illness was not easy to cure, because his pulse was weaker than that of common person.
Whoever took his pulse would know that he was sick and weak. However, as before, his sickness did not get worse because of this hit, which surprised her at that time.
But what made her more relieved was that when she was taking the pulse for Chu Liuchen, his hand also moved once, and definitely he pinched on her wrist consciously before he let another hand fall down.
In conclusion, Qin Wanru felt that Chu Liuchen was pretending to be sick. As for when he would not pretend, it was up to him. But now was he going to wake up?
Somehow she sighed with a relief in her heart!
“Report to Empress Dowager, Empress, Prince Chen should be fine now, but then he still needs to nurse himself well!” The imperial physician also breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat on his forehead.
This Prince Chen was just like a time bomb for the entire Imperial Institute of Medicine. No one knew when he would be really too sick to wake up. At that time, no matter whose turn it was, it would possibly become a severe punishment of decapitation, so that going to Prince Chen’s Mansion to treat Prince Chen became a matter which was close to the door of hell.
Everyone felt standing on the edge of a cliff, for fear that he would accidentally follow Prince Chen to meet with a mishap.
Now feeling that nothing would happen to Chu Liuchen this time, the imperial physician also took a breath.
“Chen, Chen!” Empress Dowager almost cried with joy, and after repeating “My merciful Buddha” to the sky several times, she whispered near Chu Liuchen’s ear.
Empress and Chu Liuzhou also looked at him nervously.
Finally, in expectant eyes of several people, Chu Liuchen’s hand moved again, and then he slowly opened his eyes and whispered, “Grandma, I am fine!”
Just one sentence made Empress Dowager’s eyes filled with tears and she said repeatedly, “Yes, Chen is fine. How can you not be fine? It is all my fault. If not holding a banquet this time, I won’t cause such a big trouble. I just want to appoint a Princess to you. How could it not be tolerated!”
Either Empress or Chu Liuzhou dared not to reply. They held their heads down and stood with ghastly pale faces and cold sweat on their backs.
These words would become a monstrous crime and whoever replied would fall on hard times. Even Empress with dignity dared not to reply these words, and she could only pretend that she had not heard it.
“Grandma, I am really fine. Just my head…” His long eyelashes flicking, Chu Liuchen stretched out his hand to touch his forehead gently and frowned painfully.
A handsome teenager was sick with a pale face, and the frowning brows made him look a bit more bitter and worried. Even so, he still seemed harmless and simple.
Empress Dowager only wanted to cry. Why such a good grandson was not tolerated by others? She gave several angry stares at Empress and waved directly to ask them to leave, “Since Chen is awake, Empress, please go to host today’s banquet. As for Prince Zhou…”
“Imperial Grandmother, I go to find it out right now, and will definitely give third younger brother an explanation!” Chu Liuzhou said hatefully with a cold face. He was really anxious to tear those people who guarded horses in his mansion. “They cannot keep a horse and even let it rush out to hurt people. If it hurt someone else, it does not matter. This sick man, Chu Liuchen, originally seems not to live long, and he is hit by my horse. Isn’t it an attempt to do harm to me on purpose?” thought Chu Liuzhou.
He was indeed not in the mood to stay here.
“Each of you, just go!” Empress Dowager said coldly.
Empress and Chu Liuchen said farewells to Empress Dowager, and pacified Chu Liuchen for a few words who just woke up. Then they stepped backward to the outside of Imperial Institute of Medicine, and both mother and son stopped.
Several trusted subordinates were scattered around.
“Zhou, who it was that reached out to your mansion?” Of course, Empress was convinced that her son was not that stupid. Even if the sick boy won the love, how long could he live? Imperial Institute of Medicine repeatedly said that he could not live a long time. Why bother to kill him, and provoke Emperor’s and Empress Dowager’s disgust?
The biggest possibility was that someone secretly used Prince Zhou’s people and wanted to do harm to Chu Liuchen. Whatever the outcome was, it would be good for the one in secret!
“I do not know, but Mother, please be relieved. I will find it now, and definitely get to the bottom of it!” Chu Liuzhou said ruthlessly.
“Find it out as soon as possible. However it would be, send the person to your Imperial Grandmother!” Empress was also full of hatred and said with gritted teeth. She was Empress of this country, but she had to beg for mercy to Empress Dowager. When thinking of this, the blue veins stood out on her forehead between eyebrows. It would not be easy to settle.
“Yes, Mother, I will go to check it right now!” Chu Liuzhou said.
Empress nodded, and Chu Liuzhou rushed away angrily. They all thought that this was a conspiracy against the royal family. Anyone felt that Qin Wanru, who had been involved in it, was the innocent bystander and no one really took her to heart!
But things always had some accidents…