Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 265 Unfilial Son

Emperor Jingtai had said this countless times, but ultimately, it all came down to his bad luck. After lamenting his fate of having no heir for a while, Emperor Jingtai began to think about finding some fertile concubines for his honest and simple fourth son, so that at least he could have an heir. Hmm, he'd start by looking among the widowed daughters of his old buddies. Forget about them being remarried or older; at least they'd given birth before, and their bodies were fine. If they couldn't have children, it just meant that his fourth son's health wasn't good either.

"The leader of the Women's Army, that Lin Chongshan, hasn't had a child yet. Sigh, how can he be so carefree? And that Yuchi, he really thinks he's a child. He's so old and doesn't even have a concubine. Does he really think he's all alone?"

Jiu Fu remained silent. He was a rootless man, not even as powerful as General Lin Chongshan or General Yuchi, so he had no right to speak on the matter.

"Why hasn't that child arrived yet? She should be here soon, right? I wonder if she encountered any danger on the way. Sigh, that child is just too cautious. It would have been fine if Lin Chongshan had escorted her to the capital, but she has to be so careful. What if she encounters some clueless robber on the way and gets hurt?"

Jiu Fu was embarrassed to hear this. His Majesty treated Ying Jiu Que better than his own sons. No wonder he even doubted whether Ying Jiu Que was His Majesty's child.

After a moment of reflection, seemingly finding it meaningless, Emperor Jingtai flipped through the memorials and asked Jiufu.

"Any interesting news from the capital lately?"

"This one……"

Jiufu suddenly remembered the uproar in the capital, hesitated for a moment, but still spoke up.

"I heard that the Duchess of Zuo Ri Ning has fallen seriously ill. Most of the doctors in the capital have gone there. This morning, the Prince of Ning invited Imperial Physician Liu to examine her, but there is still no conclusion yet. I don't know if she has improved."

"Are you trying to play tricks on me? Hurry up and tell me what happened."

If it were just a simple acute illness, would Jiufu have bothered to say that?
Jiufu quickly patted his face and apologized with a smile.

"It was all my fault for being so clever. His Majesty has discerning eyes... I heard that the Duchess of Ningguo has been poisoned."

"really?"

Emperor Jingtai's previous relaxed demeanor vanished, and he slowly sat up straight. A duke's wife, a first-rank noblewoman, poisoned in her own home? Where was the law?

"How are they now? How are they doing?"

"I heard she's still alive, but her condition isn't good... Doctor Liu is skilled in treating women's ailments, so this poisoning is probably..."

Emperor Jingtai waved his hand.

"Have Judge Lu go there. You must save him!"

"Yes."

Jiufu immediately agreed and hurriedly left. Imperial Physician Lu was His Majesty's personal physician; with His Majesty sending him out, the Duchess's life was likely saved. He had heard there were many twists and turns involved. For one thing, since she was already poisoned yesterday, why didn't they immediately call for a skilled imperial physician instead of waiting until now?
There are many twists and turns in this big family!
However, now that His Majesty has ordered Imperial Physician Lu to examine the patient, the Duchess of Ningguo must live! Imperial Physician Lu already knew that things at the Duke of Ningguo's residence were complicated, but he hadn't expected them to be this complicated. When he arrived, he found Physician Liu being restrained and unable to leave! They were all officials in the Imperial Hospital, and colleagues were naturally familiar with each other, but he never expected that Physician Liu would be under such control.

Immediately, Judge Lu's expression turned sour. He glanced at the sweating steward beside him, then at Physician Liu, whose eyes held a hint of grievance, and finally at the stiff-faced old Lady Ningguo beside him, before giving a cryptic smile.

"The Duke of Ningguo's mansion is quite lively."

The heir of the Duke of Ningguo looked worried and his face was pale. He didn't know what to say at the moment, and could only apologize repeatedly and ask Physician Lu to treat his wife as soon as possible.

As for the Duke of Ningguo and his wife standing beside him, their expressions were rather strange. The old Duchess of Ningguo was smiling obsequiously, seemingly both curious and reproachful.

"This, this was originally a private matter within the family, I never expected it to alarm His Majesty, it was truly inappropriate. But please rest assured, Physician Lu, my daughter-in-law is very fortunate, after being treated by Physician Liu, she is much better now."

"What treatment have I given? Since I arrived, I've only given the Duchess a few acupuncture needles. The prescriptions I wrote have been taken away for ages, and the medicine still isn't ready! Old Duke Ning, Old Madam, Duke Ning, Heir Apparent, if you didn't want me to treat you, you didn't have to invite me. You say I've been here so long, yet I haven't been able to treat the Duchess of Ning. If she really..."

Imperial physicians also need a reputation, you know? With so many high-ranking officials and noble families in the capital, if they go out for a stroll and don't cure anyone, who will ask them to treat patients in the future? If imperial physicians just stay in the Imperial Hospital and live off that meager salary, they'll probably starve to death.

However, Physician Liu was not very tactful in social interactions. How could he say it so bluntly at this moment? They were still in someone else's residence. Even if he said it, no outsiders would hear it, and who would believe him? In the end, even if the Duchess of Ningguo died, outsiders would only say that Physician Liu had failed in his treatment, and would not say that the Duke of Ningguo's family was unwilling to let the Duchess of Yingguo receive treatment.

It is said that there is a lot of privacy in this mansion. Judge Lu works in the palace and is highly trusted by His Majesty. He has seen this kind of thing many times, so he is naturally not surprised.

Therefore, he tugged at Physician Liu's sleeve, remaining calm and composed.

"His Majesty has ordered me to treat the Duchess. Please make way for me, everyone. If this delays her treatment, it will be difficult to explain to His Majesty."

The expressions of the old Duke Ning and his wife, as well as the Duke Ning, were somewhat subtle, but they did not stop it. However, the Prince Ning's worry was evident in his words.

"Judge Lu, my mother suddenly vomited blood after drinking half a mouthful of porridge yesterday at noon. I have kept that bowl of porridge. Please carefully examine what kind of poison my mother has been poisoned by and how to treat her."

Upon hearing this, Physician Liu glanced at Prince Ning in disbelief. Wasn't it said that the half-bowl of porridge Lady Ning had drunk had been disposed of by an unsuspecting servant? Even he had only managed to pry a tiny bit from her mouth, barely able to identify it as poison. How could it have been preserved now? At this moment, not only Physician Liu was shocked, but also the elderly Duke and Duchess Ning and the Duke Ning himself.

The Duke of Ningguo was furious.

"You worthless wretch! Why didn't Physician Liu present this crucial evidence when he was treating your mother? If your mother's condition has been delayed, can you bear the consequences? You unfilial son!"

Filial piety is still very important in this era. This label of being unfilial is enough to ruin Ning Shizi's reputation for the rest of his life.

(End of this chapter)