Chapter 64: No Words to Say

Chapter 64 - No Words to Say Note: Don't Forget to join my Patreon.com/flokixy to get access to +50 Advance Chapters I have to stop if there is no support Su Li followed the Emperor and Empress into the inner chambers of the palace, with several princes and princesses trailing closely behind. Along the way, palace maids knelt on the ground, heads bowed as they quietly sobbed. As soon as they entered the inner chamber, they saw Lan Yu, still dressed in her bridal gown, kneeling by the bedside. She clutched the Crown Prince's hand, tears streaming down her face. Upon seeing the Emperor and Empress enter, she quickly wiped her tears and bowed deeply. "Your Majesty, Your Highness, the Crown Prince..." Su Li glanced at the bed. The Crown Prince lay there with his eyes closed, devoid of any trace of vitality. The Empress rushed forward, tears cascading down her cheeks. "My son, my son, open your eyes and look at your mother! I'm here!" At this sight, the Emperor's heart sank. It was clear that the Crown Prince was barely clinging to life, one foot already in the afterlife. The Emperor staggered slightly. Jun Hui immediately steadied him, his voice low and firm. "Father, please take care of yourself." The Emperor brushed him off and slowly approached. Though he had several sons, the Crown Prince was his eldest. Back when he was still living in the royal estate before ascending the throne, only the Crown Prince had been with him during those hard times. Seeing his firstborn like this brought an overwhelming wave of sorrow. "You may all leave for now," Su Li's crisp voice cut through the somber atmosphere. "I need to examine the Crown Prince's pulse. Send one imperial physician to assist me, and lend me their silver needles." A flicker of hope lit up in the Empress's eyes. If she had harbored even a sliver of doubt earlier, it vanished completely now. With the Crown Prince in such a dire state, could things possibly get worse? "Hurry! Didn't you hear what Miss Su said? Let's go outside!" the Empress urged loudly. Lan Yu's tear-filled eyes brimmed with confusion, but this was clearly not the time for questions. She followed the others out of the room. Just as Jun Mo, who had lingered at the back, was about to leave, he paused briefly and whispered, "Don't feel pressured. Just do your best." Su Li nodded in response. Once everyone had left, Su Li stepped forward to carefully inspect the Crown Prince. She then took his pulse. It was indeed Jun Hui's doing! And the method was familiar—his usual trick! Her ability to identify the poison so quickly stemmed from memories of her past life. In her previous life, Zhao Huai'an, one of Jun Hui's trusted lackeys, had used his seemingly harmless face to carry out many dirty deeds behind the scenes for him. Several ministers loyal to Jun Mo had died mysteriously from this very same slow-acting poison. At that moment, Physician Qiu from the Imperial Medical Institute entered, carrying his medical kit. Su Li greeted him warmly. "Uncle Qiu." Qiu Zhengshan, kind-faced and benevolent, nodded. "Child, are you truly confident? If anything goes wrong, you can blame it all on me. I'm old enough—I don't care about this life anymore." Su Li felt a warmth in her heart. The physicians of the Imperial Medical Institute were notoriously arrogant, considering it beneath them to treat mere subjects. Even when her father had begged them to come to their estate after her disfigurement, none agreed—except for Uncle Qiu. This was because Qiu Zhengshan had been close friends with her grandfather. Now, these cowards had pushed the oldest among them, Uncle Qiu, to step forward. They obviously thought she wouldn't succeed and feared being implicated if she failed. But she was determined to drag the Crown Prince back from the brink of death—and ensure that Uncle Qiu received due credit for it. Let those cowards regret underestimating her! "Uncle Qiu, trust me. I can detoxify him. Please lend me your silver needles." Seeing Su Li's calm confidence, Qiu Zhengshan felt some of his tension ease. These so-called experts lived off the imperial salary yet lacked the courage and sense of duty displayed by this young girl. Faced with danger, they only thought of saving themselves. Qiu Zhengshan handed over his needle pouch. "Child, the poison has already seeped into the Crown Prince's internal organs. How do you plan to save him?" Su Li replied, "There's still time—the heart meridian hasn't been damaged yet. First, I'll use acupuncture to protect the heart meridian, then force out the toxins. Be warned—it will cause immense pain. Uncle Qiu, make sure the Crown Prince doesn't bite his tongue while delirious." Qiu Zhengshan's eyes widened in surprise. "You can use golden needles to protect the heart meridian? I've only heard of this technique—I've never seen it done!" Su Li smiled faintly. "I learned it by chance. Uncle Qiu, let's begin." Qiu Zhengshan nodded solemnly. "Let's start." Su Li undid the Crown Prince's robe and began inserting needles. With each needle placed, the Crown Prince's expression grew increasingly pained. At first, Qiu Zhengshan managed to hold the Crown Prince's jaw shut to prevent him from biting his tongue. But as the pain intensified, the Crown Prince began to struggle violently. Suddenly, he broke free. Just as he was about to bite his tongue, Qiu Zhengshan acted swiftly, shoving his own hand into the Crown Prince's mouth. With a muffled groan, blood trickled down the corner of the Crown Prince's lips. Gritting his teeth against the excruciating pain, Qiu Zhengshan allowed the Crown Prince to continue biting. Throughout the entire process, Su Li didn't spare a glance upward. Focused entirely on finding the right acupoints and inserting needles, sweat poured down her face. As time ticked by, the Crown Prince's struggles gradually subsided. Outside, the waiting crowd grew increasingly anxious, their eyes fixed intently on the door. Nearly an hour had passed when Consort Yun finally spoke up. "Why is it taking so long? Is Miss Su truly capable of curing this?" The Emperor and Empress remained seated, silent. Jun Mo replied calmly. "No news might be good news." After another quarter-hour, the door finally opened from within. Su Li and Physician Qiu emerged. The crowd surged forward. "How is it? What's the situation?" "Is the Crown Prince alright?" The Empress, upon seeing Su Li's pale, expressionless face, nearly collapsed. Fortunately, Xiang He caught her just in time. Consort Yun immediately chimed in. "See? I knew a young girl like Miss Su couldn't possibly handle something like this..." Su Li raised her head, noting the sadness etched on everyone's faces. Upon closer inspection, however, she spotted the suppressed joy lurking in Consort Yun's eyes. Jun Hui, meanwhile, feigned deep grief over the loss of his elder brother. Su Li inwardly sneered. Such excellent actors. "The Crown Prince is fine," she said simply. "The Crown Prince... what? Fine?! How could that be?!" Consort Yun exclaimed in disbelief. The Empress suddenly came alive, rushing forward to grasp Su Li's hands. "What did you say?" Ignoring the sharp pain of the Empress's nails digging into her skin, Su Li smiled faintly. "I said the Crown Prince is fine. The poison has been neutralized by sixty to seventy percent. All that remains is to prescribe a formula to cleanse the remaining toxins, and His Highness will recover fully." Tears of relief streamed down the Empress's face. She laughed, then cried, before hurrying into the room to see her son for herself. Consort Yun glared at Su Li. "Then why did you stand there with such a cold expression and say nothing, causing us to misunderstand!" Su Li replied indifferently. "I was simply tired and didn't feel like talking." Consort Yun froze, momentarily speechless. The Emperor's expression softened slightly. "Very well. Miss Su has performed an extraordinary deed today. I shall reward her greatly." Su Li interjected, "Your Majesty, this poison wasn't administered overnight—it's been building up for half a year. If we don't uncover its source, the Crown Prince may fall victim to it again, even if he recovers this time." The Emperor nodded grimly. "Miss Su speaks wisely. This matter will be thoroughly investigated. To dare poison the Crown Prince under my very nose... Such audacity!" Jun Mo frowned. "All of the Crown Prince's meals were tested with silver needles before consumption. How could he still have been poisoned?" Su Li replied, "That's an excellent question. Why don't you go inside and find out for yourselves?" Consort Yun and Jun Hui exchanged a subtle glance. Jun Hui gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.