Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 129 Extra: The Sixth Prince (3)

The prince's expression changed drastically, and he instantly lost his balance. His hands slipped from the reins, and with a muffled thud, he was thrown heavily to the ground...

"The prince has fallen from his horse!" someone in the crowd exclaimed.

The prince fell from his horse, but the reins were still tangled around his leg. The frightened horse dragged him across the entire riding field, its frantic hooves landing squarely on the prince's stomach. The prince's pupils dilated instantly, his face contorted in extreme pain, and he coughed up blood…

Those around were stunned by this sudden turn of events. By the time they reacted and killed the horse, the prince was already dead.
-
"Your Majesty, it's late and the dew is chilly. Please put on a cloak so you don't catch a cold..." An old nanny followed after her, carrying a purple phoenix and cloud-patterned cloak. "Your Majesty, how can your body withstand staying up all night like this at the horse farm?"

The Empress, her face gaunt and pale, walked listlessly towards the horse farm. She didn't cry; her tears had run dry. Her only son was gone; what hope did she have left to live? What did it matter whether she could endure it or not? If it weren't for her maternal clan, she would have followed them in death. Today, her father had even come to the palace and discussed with the Emperor the possibility of randomly selecting a prince to be adopted by her…

She doesn't want anyone else, she only wants her son!
"Waaah..." A sob came from the horse farm, and the girl murmured between sobs, "Brother Crown Prince, are you doing well over there? I miss you so much... We didn't even get to play polo together..."

"Who's there?" The old nanny warily stepped in front of the Empress. The Empress heard those words clearly, lifted her skirt and took a few steps forward, and saw a thin child clinging to the neck of a horse, his eyes filled with tears.

The child turned around, his eyes brimming with tears, looking utterly pitiful. He was extremely handsome, which made one feel a pang of sympathy upon seeing him.

"Who are you? Why are you crying here?" the old woman asked.

"I...I am Xi Jing..." the child said timidly, "I...I just missed my Crown Prince brother...I know I was wrong...I shouldn't have come to the horse farm so late, please, nanny, don't tell the head nanny, okay? She'll beat me!"

"Are you the Sixth Prince?" The old nanny frowned, looking at the few shriveled cornbreads on the ground. "Are you here to offer sacrifices to the Crown Prince?"

The sixth prince nodded: "Everyone is unkind to me, only my elder brother, the Crown Prince, is kind to me. That day, he and the Grand Tutor came to the horse farm and saw me being bullied by the grooms. He not only helped me, but also said he would teach me to ride and take me to play polo..."

The sixth prince deliberately concealed the part about his mother, fearing that the empress would harbor resentment if she found out.

The Empress turned to look at the old nanny, who understood immediately. It seemed she needed to find time to investigate the sixth prince and then verify with the Grand Tutor whether the matter was true.
-
The news that the Empress had taken the Sixth Prince into her household shocked the entire palace. Everyone was waiting to see the Sixth Prince make a fool of himself and be expelled from the Phoenix Palace. However, the Sixth Prince proved to be very promising, earning praise from the Grand Tutor several times for his studies. Even the Emperor and Empress spoke highly of him. The Emperor had many sons, but he never imagined that it was with the Sixth Prince that he truly experienced what it meant to be cherished and to enjoy the happiness of family life. He grew increasingly weary of the power struggles among the other princes.
-
The sixth prince was exceptionally filial. When the emperor fell ill at the age of sixteen, the sixth prince served him day and night with utmost care. Later, a Taoist priest told him that the Medicine King Valley possessed an elixir of immortality. The sixth prince then decided to travel to the Medicine King Valley to seek the elixir.
-
"Sixth Prince, it's done! It's done!" Lin Yun excitedly held up the medicine in his hand and said. Lin Yun was the last apprentice of Imperial Physician Zhuang. He was extremely talented and showed a tendency to surpass his master at a young age. He was currently a very popular figure in the Imperial Hospital.

Even Imperial Physician Zhuang failed to find a way to control the Dream Eater Flower, but Lin Yun actually succeeded! However, it's more like a poison than an antidote for the Dream Eater Flower.

"Sixth Prince, please reconsider! Although Yunze has taken a different approach, using poison to fight poison, this poison suppresses the toxicity of the Dream Eater Flower, preventing amnesia, but only for a month. After a month, both poisons will take effect simultaneously, and even with an antidote, it will be extremely dangerous!" Physician Zhuang frowned and advised, "Please wait a little longer. Wait until I have prepared the true antidote for the Dream Eater Flower before you go to Medicine King Valley!"

A hint of dissatisfaction flashed in Lin Yun's eyes. She thought to herself, "Is Master afraid that I will steal his credit? Why does he always stop me?"

"Imperial Physician Zhuang, I have no choice..." The Sixth Prince looked at Imperial Physician Zhuang calmly, his expression unreadable. In recent years, apart from acting in front of others, he rarely smiled and had become much more composed. "One month is enough."

The Sixth Prince turned to look at the row of assassins kneeling on the ground. "We swear to follow the Sixth Prince to the death!" the assassins swore.

"No, you all wait outside Medicine King Valley, I'll go in myself." The Sixth Prince's eyes were resolute.

"Sixth Prince!" The crowd disagreed.

"Each of you is important to me, and I don't want you to sacrifice yourselves in vain." The Sixth Prince's gaze swept over the crowd. Indeed, there weren't many pawns to begin with, and they had to be used wisely.
-
"Yunze, while the Sixth Prince is at Medicine King Valley, you should hurry and return home. Become a good doctor who benefits the people." Imperial Physician Zhuang packed up his most precious medical books and handed them to Lin Yunze.

Yunze looked confused, then became somewhat annoyed and said coldly, "Master, are you afraid that if I stay in the Imperial Hospital, I'll steal your credit?"

Imperial Physician Zhuang stopped what he was doing, stunned, and explained earnestly, "Yunze, things aren't what you think! The Sixth Prince... he's terrifying. I've never seen such a ruthless person. He's ruthless to others, but even more ruthless to himself..."

Lin Yun still didn't quite understand.

Physician Zhuang put down what he was holding and recalled an incident from a few years ago: "Do you remember how the late Crown Prince died?"

Lin Yun nodded: "I know, he died in a fall from his horse."

Physician Zhuang sighed: "But these horses are all Akhal-Teke horses brought as tribute from the Western Regions. How could they be so easily frightened? I happened to pass by the horse farm that day and saw the Sixth Prince feeding the horses. Since he had previously fed the horses for the grooms in exchange for feed, I didn't pay any attention to it. Later, when the Crown Prince fell off his horse, I went to treat him and found that the horse was restless, had convulsions, and even fell into a coma."

Lin Yun suddenly felt a chill down her spine: "These are symptoms of a horse eating ephedra!"

Lin Yun clearly remembered that the day before the Crown Prince fell from his horse, he had prepared several doses of medicine for the Sixth Prince, including ephedra...

“But the Sixth Prince was not even twelve years old at the time!” Lin Yun gasped.

"Yes, I investigated the horse that died at that time. It had a large amount of ephedra in its stomach. At that time, besides the people from the Imperial Hospital, only the Sixth Prince had that much ephedra. However, I don't have direct evidence. Also, we only know that in recent years, the Emperor has suddenly become obsessed with cultivating immortality and refining elixirs. But do you know where these alchemists come from?" Physician Zhuang continued.

"The Sixth Prince?" Lin Yun had seen his fair share of storms in the palace, but this was the first time he had ever seen someone so young and so ruthless.

"In this deep palace, to climb to such a high position, do you really think he's as simple as he seems?"

Lin Yunze: "..."