Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 266 Wake up
However, even though the Duke of Ning knew, he still revealed it in front of outsiders, whether out of desperation to save his wife or on purpose is unclear. It was the heir apparent who, on the other hand, took out the crucial evidence from his robes. He had actually put the remaining half-bowl of porridge into a porcelain bottle and tucked it into his robes; no wonder no one noticed.

At this moment, Prince Ning's expression was also quite cold and indifferent. When Judge Lu examined the bottle of porridge, he spoke coldly.

"Father, please don't rush to scold your son. The bowl of porridge that Mother drank was brought over by Grandmother's capable nanny. Mother wasn't feeling well, and after only drinking half a mouthful, she vomited blood and fell into a coma, and hasn't woken up since. I'd like to know what kind of nourishing porridge could make someone like this!"

"You?! You unfilial son! Do you have to make this a public spectacle? And you're questioning your own grandmother! Hasn't she treated you well?"

The Duke of Ningguo looked like he was about to faint with rage. He couldn't believe that his usually obedient, even somewhat dull-witted, son would say such things, especially in front of Imperial Physician Lu, Physician Liu, and even the eunuchs and guards sent from the palace. Wasn't this blatantly telling His Majesty what had happened in their family?

Right now, he wished he could grab Ning Shizi's sleeve and cover his mouth to shut him up. Doesn't he know what it means to keep family scandals private? Thinking this, he even secretly glanced at Judge Lu.

Fortunately, Judge Lu didn't care about their family's little lawsuit at all. He checked the pulse of the Duchess of Ningguo and then withdrew his hand with a solemn expression. He first gave the Duchess of Ningguo an antidote pill, then turned to look at the prescription written by Physician Liu, added a few strokes to it, and then had someone go to brew the medicine.

At this moment, the Duke of Ningguo hurriedly came forward with a smile on his face.

"Thank you for your hard work, Judge Lu. A banquet has already been prepared here. Please stay a little longer before you go back."

This was clearly not an ordinary meal; it seems the Duke of Ningguo had already prepared lavish gifts to silence him.

In fact, Judge Lu understood Ningguo Gong's actions quite well. After all, noble families like theirs would rather keep their affairs to themselves in their own courtyards than expose them to the public as gossip. What's more, if His Majesty found out, it would be incredibly embarrassing.

However, under normal circumstances, he would certainly have complied with the Duke of Ning's wishes. But today, he was here on His Majesty's orders to treat the Duke of Ning's wife, so he probably couldn't do as the Duke of Ning wished. He didn't even intend to leave. The two eunuchs who had just gone out quickly brought in a small pot for brewing medicine and the prepared herbs. Judge Lu planned to brew the medicine for the Duke of Ning's wife in this room to avoid any further trouble. He knew that there were many dirty tricks in these wealthy families, and there were plenty of opportunities to tamper with things. It was better for him to keep a close eye on things from beginning to end.

"Judge Lu, so was my mother poisoned by that bowl of porridge?"

Judge Lu nodded.

Seeing Judge Lu's expression, the Duke of Ning knew that this matter was unlikely to end well. In a fit of rage, he turned around and slapped the heir of Ning's son hard across the face.

"You unfilial son! Are you going to ruin the family's title before you're satisfied? Do you think you're the only filial son in the whole world?! You have to make a scene so that everyone knows!"

That slap was no light one; Prince Ning's face immediately swelled up and turned blue. He turned his head to the side, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

“Father, the woman lying in bed is your wife of several decades. Even if you two don’t have a deep affection for each other, you’ve still lived together for so many years. Don’t you have any feelings for her at all? Mother isn’t sick, she’s been poisoned! The poison was so potent that she fell into a coma after just a sip. How dangerous it was, Father, don’t you know?” “I… that’s none of your business.”

“My father doesn’t want to get involved, so as his son, I have to stand up for my mother.”

Prince Ning was clearly quite disappointed, but he had known since childhood that his father was useless. Over the years since his parents were married, their relationship had become distant, and his father spent his days visiting the concubines' quarters. In Prince Ning's memory, the Duke of Ning had never even eaten breakfast with his mother.

There was no longer any affection between them as husband and wife, but Prince Ning had always believed that even without affection, there would still be due respect. However, it seemed today that his father truly had no feelings for his mother whatsoever.

“I know what Father is thinking. You want to keep this to yourself at home, even if Mother dies, you can remain indifferent. But I can tell you today that this is not possible!”

"You traitor!"

The Duke of Ning made a move to strike again, but the heir apparent of Ning did not back down at all. His young face was full of stubbornness, and even carried a hidden hatred.

"Father, even if you beat me to death today, I will seek justice for Mother! She has toiled in this family for decades, dutifully caring for her parents-in-law, raising her illegitimate children, day after day, without fail. What could she possibly have done wrong? Yet you all want to take her life. If I cannot get justice for Mother, there is no point in living as her son. Furthermore, this title that Father has been so attached to means nothing to me. If I can exchange this title for Mother's life, I will gladly accept it. So Father, and Grandparents, if my mother cannot be saved, I guarantee that Aunt Sun, my second brother, third brother, and fourth sister will all perish! After all, it is only right that the son should pay for the father's sins!"

"You evil beast!"

Duke Ning was truly furious this time, and was about to slap him again, but the young master of Ning easily caught it. Duke Ning was not young, and coupled with his lack of exercise, how could his physique compare to that of the young master of Ning? At this moment, he was actually intimidated by this cowardly eldest son whom he usually looked down upon the most.

Prince Ning narrowed his eyes, and when they met, even the weeping old Lady Ning couldn't help but shudder. They then realized that if the Lady Ning were truly in trouble, this prince, whose fate had already been sealed by the court, would not let anyone involved go, not even his elders.

Previously, Prince Ning's image was so impeccable: kind, courteous, filial to his elders, and loving to his younger siblings. He even treated the arrogant and domineering Consort Sun with the utmost respect. It was precisely because his usual image was so deeply ingrained in people's minds that his sudden change of heart was all the more terrifying.

Lady Ningguo stopped crying and wailing. She carefully wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, but her eyes, hidden under the handkerchief, quietly darted around a few times, her gaze shifting uncertainly.

In the deathly silence, the person who had been lying unconscious on the bed suddenly coughed a few times.

Lady Ningguo has woken up.

(End of this chapter)