The prince is more stable

Chapter 609: Zi Di’s National Tragedy
Inside the Hall of Longevity, the three people inside were thrown into a panic as the palace maid reported the alarming news.

Empress Dowager Xiang's face turned deathly pale. She immediately stood up and asked in a trembling voice, "What's wrong with the young prince?"

"This morning, the young prince suddenly developed a high fever that wouldn't go down. He vomited violently and cried incessantly. The imperial physician said it was a convulsion caused by cold, but the medicine he was given didn't help. He just went into shock, and his breathing is intermittent. His pulse is very erratic. The imperial physicians are currently examining him."

Empress Dowager Xiang was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes. She was at a loss and paced back and forth, stamping her feet.

"What should we do? What should we do! The Emperor only has this one son; we can't afford to let anything happen to him!"

The old Imperial Clan Minister Zhao Zongsheng was also in a panic, and hurriedly said, "I'm afraid the imperial physicians are unreliable. We should quickly go to the countryside to summon renowned doctors to consult with the imperial physicians. There is no time to lose. Please, Your Majesty, issue an imperial decree as soon as possible!"

Empress Dowager Xiang panicked and immediately said, "Yes, summon renowned doctors from the common people! Men, go quickly!"

Then, remembering something, the Empress Dowager asked, "Where is the young prince now?"

The palace maid replied, "In the virtuous concubine's bedchamber."

Where is the Emperor?

"The Emperor has also rushed there, and... the Empress has also gone."

Empress Dowager Xiang immediately walked out, saying, "I will go too."

A group of palace servants followed closely behind, while Zhao Hao lagged behind, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

The Emperor had been married for many years and had only one son. The weight of the young prince to the Emperor and to the Song Dynasty was self-evident.

I heard that the little prince has been very weak since birth, often getting fevers and illnesses, and today he is in critical condition.

If it were hereditary, that would be plausible, since the official's health was also very weak, and he had been taking medicine constantly since childhood.

But Zhao Hao always felt that it wasn't that simple, and the image of Prince Zhao Ji of Suining inexplicably popped into his mind.

Adults don't just look at the surface of things. Anything that seems simple can be found to have many causes and clues when you think about it more deeply.

For example, Emperor Zhao Xu was physically weak and had few children, having only one son to date. In recent years, he had been busy with state affairs, often reviewing memorials all night long, which only worsened his health.

Given his physical condition, if anything were to happen to the young prince, Zhao Xu would likely have difficulty having any more children, and the position of Crown Prince of the Song Dynasty would have to be chosen from among Zhao Xu's brothers.

Zhao Hao's lips curled slightly. If that were the case, the young prince's critical illness today might not be so simple.

The logic is very simple: if the young prince were to pass away, who would benefit the most?

Thinking of this, Zhao Hao chuckled coldly, flicked his sleeves, and looked around. Among the palace servants standing around, Zhao Hao casually pointed to a young eunuch and said, "You, take me to the Funing Palace."

Consort Liu's palace was the inner palace, and men were not allowed to enter. Zhao Hao could only wait for news outside the Funing Palace.

As Zhao Hao walked from Qingshou Hall toward Funing Hall, he saw many palace servants hurrying along the way toward the inner palace, and many imperial physicians carrying medicine boxes, their faces pale, running in panic regardless of palace etiquette.

Judging from the expressions of these people, the situation is already very critical. Whether the young prince can overcome this hurdle today depends on fate.

Zhao Hao walked very slowly, as did the eunuch leading the way.

The two walked in almost slow motion, their slow, deliberate movements appearing somewhat eerie.

The Hall of Longevity and the Hall of Funing are very close to each other. One is the Empress Dowager's bedroom, and the other is the Emperor's bedroom. The two halls are separated by only one palace wall.

Just as they passed through the palace gate, the eunuch leading the way turned around, walked to a willow tree outside the gate, looked around to make sure no one was there, and stood respectfully waiting for Zhao Hao.

Zhao Hao walked calmly to the willow tree and said indifferently, "I have placed some people in the palace, in every hall and pavilion. Pass down the message and have them investigate the prince's illness, the imperial physician's prescription, the medicine, the prince's diet, the wet nurse who serves the prince, the palace maids, and so on."

"Anyone who has access to the young prince must be investigated, and it would be best if we could obtain concrete evidence."

The eunuch responded respectfully, without uttering any unnecessary words.

After the two finished speaking, it was as if nothing had happened. The young eunuch continued to lead the way, and Zhao Hao followed behind unhurriedly.

Upon arriving at the Funing Palace, the young eunuch took his leave.

Zhao Hao paced back and forth outside the hall, his face now filled with anxiety. He was pacing back and forth under the pillars, nervously wringing his hands.

Her acting skills can be described as superb.

…………

The palace where Consort Liu was staying was packed with people.

Although they were called the emperor's concubines, their sleeping quarters were actually not very large. The imperial palace in Bianjing, the capital of the Song Dynasty, was already quite small, and the emperor's sleeping quarters were not large either, so the concubines' were even smaller.

Firstly, due to the geographical limitations of Kaifeng Prefecture, the entire prefecture was not very large, making it impossible to build a large-scale imperial palace within the city.

Secondly, the ancients valued feng shui. If a house is too big and there are too few people, it is easy to lose vitality and good fortune, which is not good for the owner's health and career.

At this moment, in Consort Liu's bedchamber, more than a dozen imperial physicians stood helplessly in front of the bed, while wet nurses and palace maids knelt on the ground with their heads bowed and sobbing. Consort Liu held the little prince Zhao Mao, whose face was pale and purplish, and was wailing loudly.

Zhao Xu, dressed in a yellow robe, had a gloomy and cold expression. Looking at the little prince in Consort Liu's arms, a look of heartache flashed in his eyes from time to time. "A bunch of good-for-nothings!" Zhao Xu finally couldn't help but curse.

The targets of their criticism were naturally the imperial physicians.

“Even if my prince suffers from convulsions and cold-induced illness, it shouldn’t be incurable. You have prescribed medicine, administered acupuncture, and done this repeatedly, yet his condition is only getting worse. This is clearly a misdiagnosis!” Zhao Xu said angrily.

The imperial physicians were filled with fear and remained silent. No matter how harsh Zhao Xu's insults were, no one dared to speak up or even breathe loudly.

At times like these, the lives of the imperial physicians were actually more precarious than that of the young prince.

If the young prince dies, the imperial physicians will bear direct responsibility. Zhao Xu is currently furious, and anyone who dares to recklessly explain the young prince's pulse and pathology at this time would be courting death.

Whoever speaks up will be shot and must die.

As Zhao Xu continued cursing, tears finally streamed down his face.

Seeing the imperial physicians hanging their heads and remaining silent, Zhao Xu was both anxious and angry. He pointed at the young prince and said, "No matter what, you all have to think of a solution! Don't you all value your lives?"

At this moment, the little prince's breathing grew weaker and weaker, and Consort Liu burst into tears, constantly and carefully shaking the child in her arms.

"Your Majesty, if anything happens to my son Mao'er, all these useless imperial physicians will be executed!" Consort Liu hissed.

The imperial physicians grew increasingly panicked, carefully taking the prince from Consort Liu's arms. A dozen or so physicians gathered together for another consultation, discussing medication and acupuncture, their faces ashen with despair.

However, after much discussion and several attempts by the imperial physicians to treat the prince, his condition showed no improvement and his complexion became increasingly alarming.

A suffocating atmosphere filled the bedchamber. Zhao Xu's face was gloomy, and his eyes swept over the imperial physicians with murderous intent. Consort Liu covered her face and wept, while Empress Dowager Xiang sat beside her, shedding tears and gently comforting her.

After an unknown amount of time, the imperial physicians suddenly cried out in alarm. Zhao Xu and Consort Liu rose in shock before the Empress Dowager, only to see one of the physicians kneel on the ground, weeping, "Your Majesty, we are incompetent! The young prince... the young prince has passed away!"

Zhao Xu felt his mind go blank, his expression filled with despair, and he involuntarily slumped to the ground.

After a moment of shock, Consort Liu burst into tears and angrily pounded on the bed, acting as if she had gone mad.

Empress Dowager Xiang also wept uncontrollably, and had her maids help her as she shakily walked towards the young prince.

The little prince's body was gradually getting cold. His face was bluish-purple, and his eyes were closed. The Empress Dowager held him in her arms and pressed her warm cheek against his little face, calling out to him again and again, but she could not get a response from the little prince.

Zhao Xu seemed to have his soul ripped out, sitting blankly on the ground for a long time without reacting.

After a long while, the bell tower of Yanfu Palace rang out, one bell after another, the rhythm slow and mournful, the sound echoing throughout the city.

The entire city of Bianjing seemed to freeze at that moment, and the people looked in bewilderment toward Yanfu Palace, silently counting the number of chimes.

Forty-nine strokes, national mourning.

…………

Zhending City.

When Zhao Xu lost his only son, Zhao Xiaoqian, who was thousands of miles away, was unaware of it.

He continued to wholeheartedly accompany his wives and concubines, including the pregnant Niao Niao, striving to fulfill his responsibilities as a husband before leading his troops into battle.

In his spare time, Zhao Xiaoqian would also organize military affairs and review official documents. Now that he held the military and political power of Hebei West Road, while enjoying the pleasure of power, he could not really be a hands-off manager. There were too many things that required his handling and decision-making.

After the last battle with the Liao army, Zhao Xiaoqian instructed each of his generals to write a post-battle summary, recording the lessons learned during the battle, in order to identify shortcomings and improve themselves.

When Zhao Xiaoqian came across Zhe Keshi's postwar summary, he read it for a long time.

Zhe Keshi emphasized the trenches that Xiao Wuna had temporarily built in the Liao army camp, and Zhao Xiaoqian stared at the word "trenches" for a long time.

Trenches have even appeared.

Indeed, there are no fools in this era; they are just people whose vision and thinking are not yet broadened.

Even in the age of firearms, trenches could effectively resist enemy forces and build defensive fortifications.

Of course, Xiao Wuna's trenches were only in their initial form. A truly perfect trench is not a straight defensive line, but a maze of interconnected layers, which allows for mobile deployment, effective enemy strikes, and even surprise attacks.

Zhao Xiaoqian merely invented the flintlock musket, and the enemy's trenches came into being. Military affairs were quietly developing in this era, and war would force humanity to use all its wisdom to strive for a balance of power.

Thinking about this, Zhao Xiaoqian suddenly had a new idea.

So Zhao Xiaoqian summoned Chen Shou and the imperial guards, and rode out of the city.

He also brought a lot of gunpowder and many other materials.

Seeing that Zhao Xiaoqian had brought so many sensitive items, Chen Shou couldn't help but feel excited. Could it be that the young master had some new invention about to be unveiled?

The flintlock musket, invented back then, was enough to turn the tide of the Song Dynasty. If the Crown Prince were to invent another powerful device, wouldn't the Song Dynasty be on its way to the heavens?
(End of this chapter)