I woke up as the Villainous Empress

158 Poisoned?

Zheng Liang was baffled when Yang Ning complimented his looks in front of Master Jiang Tai without any hesitation.

He had heard many ladies complimenting him in whispers and behind his back, but it was his first time seeing a noble lady praising him to his face; that too in front of someone else.

However, that woman was none other than his wife. He was shocked but he didn’t dislike it.

*Ahem* While Zheng Liang and Yang Ning were lost in their worlds and busy staring into their eyes, Master Jiang Tai who was third-wheeling between the newlywed couple, coughed and cleared his throat to interrupt the couple who was getting distracted from their serious conversation.

They came to ask about His Majesty’s condition. It’s a serious matter. What are they going on about? He wondered.

“Ah, Yes Master Jiang. Please tell me your thoughts about His Majesty’s condition.” Zheng Liang woke up from his stupor and shifted all of his attention to Master Jiang Tai. He was feeling embarrassed for getting distracted in the middle of the conversation, however, he should do what he has come all this way.

Master Jiang Tai took a deep breath and looked at Zheng Liang seriously before starting, ” His Majesty’s condition has been worsening day by day.”

“He has lost so much weight and his vision has weakened as well. He gets short of breath easily and even gets frequent headaches.”

“These symptoms started as a result of tiredness from the royal court work but now those mild symptoms have gotten quite serious. The power tonics and acupuncture pressure sessions are not working on his health either.”

.....

” These days he cannot even walk a few steps without feeling short of breath and if this continues, I am worried that we might have to prepare for the worst situation.” He said while looking at the two solemnly.

Zheng Liang’s face paled when he heard this news about his Father’s condition. He was so busy with his work schedule that he didn’t realize that his condition had worsened so much in such a short time.

However, the symptoms sounded similar to his mother’s condition before she passed away. Is it a coincidence? He wondered.

” Didn’t my mother have similar symptoms as well when she was sick before she passed away? Master Jiang, weren’t you also one of the physicians who treated my mother? Don’t you remember anything about it?” He asked urgently.

Although Master Jiang Tai was not the Head Physician at that time and was only an assistant to the Head Physician who treated his mother, he must have remembered something about her condition.

When his mother passed away, he was quite young. If he remembers that both cases sounded similar, there is no way he wouldn’t catch on to that.

Master Jiang Tai pursed his lips and nodded with a heavy sigh, ” Yes. The symptoms look similar to the First Empress who passed away after being sick for quite some time.”

” I am worried that if we fail to find a solution to this situation soon, His Majesty’s life will be in danger as well. Then the chaos in the Empire is inevitable.” Master Jiang Tai expressed his worries.

Until now, everyone in the royal court thinks that His Majesty has gotten a seasonal cold and cough and will get better with plenty of rest and herbal medicine. However, if this news went out and people found out about His Majesty’s grave condition, things would get chaotic in the royal court and it would be problematic for Zheng Liang to deal with everything at once.

Because they’re trying to find a way to suppress Zheng Liang and throw him out of the palace. They will not let go of this golden opportunity and throw away Zheng Liang from the position of Crown Prince and will make a new Emperor of their choice.

Zheng Liang clenched his fists when he heard the seriousness in Master Jiang Tai’s words and asked him, “Then what are you waiting for? Aren’t you the Master of Medicine? You should find a cure to his suffering.” He lost his temper and shouted as he couldn’t believe that his Father’s condition had worsened so much.

After years, he is rebuilding his relationship with his Father. However, before they could get closer and spend some time as Father and Son, he is finding out that his condition isn’t great.

At the moment, he doesn’t care about anything, but his wellness and health.

“If you need more budget to find appropriate medicine for him, I will provide it to you. You do not need to worry about anything. You should invest your time to find a cause for his sufferings and find a treatment to cure them.” He said.

Yang Ning glanced at Zheng Liang and could see his hands trembling. He was putting a strong front in front of everyone but deep down he was worried and scared as well.

Since the symptoms of His Majesty are the same as his mother, Zheng Liang seems to be feared that the same tragedy might occur to his father and he will lose him as well.

He isn’t wrong though. Because if she remembers the timeline of the novel, it was during this time that His Majesty passed away after being sick for quite some time.

This moment was the start of everything; the political drama that caused her to die in the end.

Yang Ning looked at Zheng Liang with concerned eyes and held his hand that was on his lap under the table and was shaking due to nervousness. She squeezed it gently and smiled at him to assure him that everything will be fine.

Zheng Liang was surprised by Yang Ning’s sweet gesture and glanced at her in surprise. However, seeing her smiling at him, he also nodded at her to assure her that he is fine.

___

Master Jiang Tai pursed his lips as he could see the desperation in Zheng Liang’s eyes. However, there is nothing more that he could do at this point.

He has been trying to understand what could be the reason for His Majesty’s worsening condition and why any kind of treatment isn’t working on him. However, he failed to find out what could become the cause of his suffering.

The only thing they could do is to wait and observe his condition while trying different methods of treatments on him and see if anything works or not.

For a while, he did not say anything and allowed Zheng Liang some time to calm down.

When everyone was silent and in deep thought, Yang Ning glanced at Zheng Liang’s grave expression and finally broke her silence. “Master Jiang, can you tell me if there is any possibility that His Majesty might have consumed any kind of unknown drug that might have caused his health to worsen instead of getting better?” She asked.

Master Jiang Tai was surprised by Yang Ning’s unexpected question and was shocked at how bold she was to ask this question directly. “If you are asking if His Majesty had been poisoned or not, then you can be at ease.”

” I have checked about this suspicion myself and there are no traces of poison in His Majesty’s blood. More than that, his food and drinks are being checked regularly and he has not consumed any kind of drug that could harm him in any way. That is why it is more difficult to find out what is wrong with him.” He answered.

Yang Ning pursed her lips and nodded. Science and medical technology might not be greatly developed in this period, but physicians have enough knowledge to find out if there is any kind of poisonous element in a human’s body or not.

He must have checked all kinds of suspicious items in that case.

Yang Ning lowered her head in thought and looked at him again when she remembered something, ” Master Jiang, did you only check the food items and drinks in His Majesty’s chamber? What about the medicines that are being given to him? Are you keeping a check on them as well?” She asked.

Master Jiang Tai frowned as he could not understand the meaning behind her question. “Princess, by questioning the medicines prescribed by me, are you questioning my loyalty towards His Majesty? Are you asking if I have poisoned His Majesty or not? How can you even think about it?”

“I have told you multiple times that there are no traces of poison in His Majesty’s blood. How can you doubt me for such a grave crime when I have served His Majesty all my life?” He asked coldly as he couldn’t accept such disrespect from anyone, even if that person is the Crown Princess of the Empire.

Yang Ning smiled to see him getting worked up like that and nodded in acknowledgment, ” I am aware of that. I never said that you might have poisoned His Majesty in any way. I am asking if you have checked all options of His Majesty being poisoned or not.” She said,