0p0 Chapter 717 Sun Ruoxiang's Dilemma!
Chapter 717 Sun Ruoxiang's Dilemma!
Duanmu Chuze's eyes narrowed. "Chen'er, what are you saying? Your mother is the Crown Princess. Apart from the Empress Dowager, she is the most noble woman in the world. If she is ill, she should naturally be treated by the Imperial Hospital. Logically speaking, even my princess consort is not qualified to take the Crown Princess's pulse."
Duanmu Chen was momentarily speechless.
According to the rules, all members of the royal family who are diagnosed with diseases and prescribed medicine must have their pulse records entered into the Imperial Medical Academy's pulse record database.
Even if Princess Chang Le had the best medical skills, she was not an imperial physician and therefore could not take the Crown Princess's pulse.
"Fourth Uncle, I know that Mother Consort offended you before. Can't you help her out because you once lived in the Eastern Palace?"
"Chen'er, even if I did take this to heart, your uncle isn't the kind of person to hold grudges. You should listen to me and go find other renowned doctors."
"Since Fourth Uncle insists on not helping, then I have no other choice but to take my leave."
Duanmu Chen left decisively, but Duanmu Chuze did not believe that he would let the matter rest.
"Someone, go and invite the princess. We'll go to the villa outside the city now."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Considering that the princes had not returned to the capital for a long time, and that the capital was full of relatives and friends, the emperor did not rush to issue an edict ordering them to return to their fiefdoms.
For the first time, Duanmu Chuze felt that it would be better to let them return to Yanzhou and live in peace.
Upon arriving at the villa, Duanmu Chuze dared not be careless. He felt that Duanmu Chen would not give up so easily and would cause other troubles.
Sure enough, the next day, Consort Sun Ruoxiang, a concubine of Prince An, arrived at the villa.
"Greetings to the princess."
"Alright, there are no outsiders here, please sit down. Rongyue, quickly serve tea to Sister Sun."
"Yes, princess."
Sun Ruoxiang said with some alarm, "Your Highness, please don't call me 'sister' anymore, or the generations will be completely messed up."
Mu Xin Nuan thought about it and realized, "That's right. Logically speaking, she should call me Imperial Aunt."
"What brings you here today? I heard that Princess Consort An is pregnant, and you've been managing all the affairs of the manor lately. How did you manage to find the time?"
"To be honest, Your Highness, I am here today on orders."
"What do you mean?"
"Isn't it my family's Prince?"
Sun Ruoxiang repeated Duanmu Chen's meaning, and sighed, "In the end, I was forced by him. If I didn't come, I'm afraid he would think I disobeyed him. Anyway, his men have seen it, so my presence counts as completing my task. As for whether you go or not, I can't possibly decide that for you, can I?"
Mu Xin Nuan hesitated slightly before cautiously asking, "You mean to say that the Crown Princess is indeed seriously ill?"
Sun Ruoxiang nodded. She had originally thought that Duanmu Chen just wanted to take this opportunity to see Mu Xinnuan.
But yesterday, when she went to the Eastern Palace to attend to the ailing Crown Princess, she found that the Crown Princess's face had turned ashen, and she looked truly terrible. Only then did she realize with alarm that the Crown Princess was indeed in serious trouble.
No wonder Prince An was in such a hurry. He must be worried that without the Crown Princess, the Crown Prince would eventually have to appoint another principal wife.
Even if she hadn't fully grasped the intrigues and power struggles within the royal family, she now understood that once the Crown Princess was gone, and the Crown Prince were to choose another principal wife, Prince Changsun's position would likely be affected.
It was precisely for this reason that Sun Ruoxiang came over today.
Of course, to be honest, she also hoped that the Crown Princess could get through this. After all, she was her own mother-in-law. If she had a stepmother-in-law in the future, life would probably be even more difficult.
However, she also knew Mu Xin Nuan and Duanmu Chu Ze's personalities, and she was afraid that given the Chang Le King's protective nature, he would not allow Mu Xin Nuan to make a trip to the East Palace.
After all, many things are truly unpredictable.
"Ruoxiang, is the Crown Princess's illness truly incurable?"
Sun Ruoxiang shook her head. "I don't know either. It's just that the Crown Princess's complexion is terribly pale. In just a few days, she has become terribly haggard. There are all sorts of rumors circulating in the Eastern Palace."
Sun Ruoxiang glanced at Mu Xinnuan and then spoke her mind, "Some say it's because the Crown Princess offended Prince Chang Le at the palace banquet that day, which is why the Crown Prince is dissatisfied with her. As for the Crown Princess's illness, I'm afraid it's not an illness, but poison."
Sun Ruoxiang spoke her last sentence very softly.
She also understood the risks involved in saying those words.
She and Mu Xin Nuan were close friends, so naturally there was nothing they couldn't talk about. But once something gets involved with words like palace intrigue, the trouble becomes much bigger than it seems.
"If that's the case, I'm afraid even if I go, it will be out of my control. Besides, I've only learned a little bit; how could I possibly compare to those imperial physicians?"
“Anuan, I know your concerns, and you don’t need to explain to me. I’m only here to put Prince An’s mind at ease. To be honest, although I don’t want anything to happen to the Crown Princess, I don’t want to see anything happen to you even more. After all, you are my good friend, and the bond between us can’t be explained in just a few words.”
Mu Xin Nuan patted her hand, "So, are you still going to the palace to attend to the sick today?"
"I'll go in a bit. I spent the whole day in the palace yesterday. When I left, the Crown Prince only told me to come and show my filial piety every day, since the Princess Consort is pregnant and it's really inconvenient for her."
"Well, that's fine. I'll discuss this with Aze. Since it involves the Crown Prince, if what you say is true, and the Crown Prince doesn't want her to live, there's nothing I can do."
“I understand. I’ll be going now. Don’t take this too seriously. The Prince’s power is quite stable now, and even if things get bad, he has the Emperor’s support. Even without the Crown Princess, the Prince’s power won’t be affected. So, you don’t need to do this just for my sake. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
"Okay, I will consider it carefully."
Duanmu Chuze carried the child in and saw Mu Xinnuan staring blankly with her brows furrowed, as if she had something on her mind.
Actually, he didn't need to ask her; he already knew why Sun Ruoxiang was there today.
"Thinking about the Crown Princess?"
"Hmm, do you think it's possible that the Crown Prince really can't tolerate her anymore?"
Duanmu Chuze raised an eyebrow noncommittally, "It's hard to say. As it stands, the medical records from the Imperial Hospital are perfectly normal. According to the records, the Crown Princess's current symptoms are quite reasonable."
That one sentence made Mu Xin Nuan even more frightened.
"Are you saying that the Crown Princess's illness was premeditated?"