Chapter 629 - Chapter 629: Chronic Poison
Chapter 629: Chronic Poison
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The emperor turned to the empress and reproached, “Yu’er, you’re the one who taught the crown prince. He won’t even eat what I give him, right?”
Quick to clarify, the Empress responded, “No! I did teach the Crown Prince not to eat food given by others, but I didn’t instruct him to refuse the Emperor’s offerings.”
“It’s mainly because the Crown Prince is still young, and he doesn’t differentiate in his treatment towards me for a moment.
The empress silently grumbled. Could the crown prince be blamed for this? After all, it was the Emperor’s lack of attention to him that led to such behavior. What kind of father would neglect his own son to the point where the child regarded him as a stranger?
Suppressing the anger in his eyes, the emperor reflected on himself amicably. “Forget it, it’s all my fault. In the future, I will come often to accompany the crown prince until he grows up.”
At that moment, the empress reassured the little crown prince, “From now on, you can eat the food given by Father without asking me first.”
The crown prince nodded and flashed a carefree smile. “I understand!” Immediately, he stuffed the osmanthus candy into his mouth.
However, the empress reminded him, “You can’t have too much sugar. Even if
Father gave it to you, limit it to one every day.”
Osmanthus candy was fragrant and sweet, and the little crown prince, who had his diet controlled since a young age, enjoyed it. Yet, due to the strict etiquette in the palace, he dared not defy his mother at such a tender age.
“I know, Mom.”
The emperor affectionately patted the crown prince’s head. “Be good. You’re still young; only one candy a day. When you grow up, you can have a few more.”
He turned to the empress and assured, “Yu’er, don’t worry. I’ll only give him one candy a day in the future.”
Only then did the Empress feel relieved.
In the ensuing days, the emperor continued giving the crown prince osmanthus candy. He even presented the empress with a large bag, stating that he didn’t want to be too strict. If the crown prince desired it, the occasional addition of one more wouldn’t hurt.
The Empress nodded in agreement.
The emperor deliberately gave her the bag to assess it for poison, suspecting that the empress might harbor doubts about him. She had never left their side when he was with the crown prince.
Indeed, the empress used it for testing. She dissolved the osmanthus candy in water and examined it with silver to ensure its safety.
This precaution arose from a warning by the Public House. Having noted the emperor’s abnormal behavior, they believed he harbored ulterior motives, possibly aiming to poison the crown prince.
Initially skeptical, the empress began taking it seriously after the Public House’s explanation. Not only did she monitor the emperor to prevent him from feeding the crown prince, but she also instructed the two nannies to keep a close watch. If they observed the crown prince about to consume something, they were to intervene at all costs.
Upon witnessing the emperor offering candy to the little crown prince again, one of the nannies knelt down as usual and spoke, “Your Majesty, the crown prince is still young. It’s not appropriate for him to eat too much candy.”
“I know what to do!” The emperor glared at the nanny, who quickly lowered her head.
Seizing the opportunity, the empress took charge of carrying the little crown prince.
“Your Majesty, you must be tired. Let me carry him.”
As the osmanthus candy already occupied the little crown prince’s mouth, the emperor felt a sense of relief.
He had administered a slow-acting poison to the crown prince. Once the child ingested five pills consecutively, he would fall seriously ill with no cure.
And now, it was the first one.
After five consecutive days of ingestion, the deed was done.
Even the imperial physicians in the imperial hospital were unable to detect this insidious poison.
In this moment, the emperor’s actions bordered on madness. To poison his own son to the point of death not only required ruthlessness but also a mind of extraordinary cunning..