Chapter 144: Awareness (Part Two)

That day marked the seventh day of the Ninth Prince's unconsciousness. Yan Yan woke up half-asleep in the dead of night and instinctively reached out to touch his forehead. To her surprise, her fingertips met with a refreshing coolness. Instantly jolted into full awareness, she felt his forehead again, and then her own. A wave of incredulous relief washed over her, and she whispered, "Imperial Physician, come quickly and take a look."

Chen Danian was on night duty. Hearing her call, he rushed in immediately. Mama He and Wang Quan'er were also startled awake, hurrying to the bedside. Chen Danian first felt the Ninth Prince's forehead and then meticulously took his pulse before turning to Yan Yan. "Congratulations, Side Consort. His Highness's pulse has stabilized. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should regain consciousness within a day or two."

Mama He and Wang Quan'er broke into joyful smiles, but Yan Yan narrowed her eyes slightly and lowered her voice. "Are you certain His Highness is about to wake up, Imperial Physician? Could it be that the detoxifying herbs you added to his medicine over the past couple of days are taking effect?"

Hearing this, the expressions of Mama He and Wang Quan'er tightened with tension. They had known that Chen Danian intended to add antidotes to the prince's medicine, but they had not expected Yan Yan to bring it up so openly at this moment.

Chen Danian, however, offered a calm smile. "The Side Consort is truly perceptive. I believe it is quite possible."

Yan Yan pursed her lips, cast a glance at Mama He, and then addressed the physician again. "Then I have a rather delicate request. Could I ask you not to make His Highness's pulse record public until he is fully awake?"

Chen Danian looked at her in confusion, but her expression remained resolute. After a moment, he replied, "Rest assured, Side Consort. I had no intention of reporting it just yet."

Relieved, Yan Yan smiled faintly and murmured, "Please continue adding the antidote to his herbal brews."

"Understood, Your Ladyship!" Chen Danian answered cautiously. In truth, he was somewhat baffled as to why he was yielding to this Side Consort's demands. At the time, he had simply felt that refusing would compromise his integrity as a healer. Looking back now, he realized she possessed a rare and persuasive knack for swaying people's hearts.

This whole matter traced back to three nights ago, during Chen Danian's shift. After the Ninth Prince had finished the medicine brewed by the imperial physicians, he suffered a brief spasm that terrified both Yan Yan and Mama He, who were keeping vigil at his bedside.

Left with no other choice, Chen Danian administered a few acupuncture needles to control the spasms. Yet, as the prince struggled, Chen's hand slipped slightly, piercing the skin and drawing a tiny drop of blood onto the silver needle. Just as he reached for a fresh needle to continue, a terrified gasp escaped his lips, and the needle dropped to the floor.

Both Mama He and Wang Quan'er caught sight of the dark discoloration on the needle and instinctively covered their mouths. Fortunately, it was deep in the night, and only the trusted few were present, with no junior maids in the room.

Composing herself, Yan Yan picked up the fallen needle and looked at Chen Danian in shock. "Does this mean His Highness has actually been poisoned?"

Chen Danian stared at her wide-eyed for a long moment before dropping to his knees with a thud. "I have failed in my duty."

Indeed, if the Ninth Prince had been unconscious for days because of poison, the primary failure fell upon the imperial physicians for remaining completely oblivious. Over the past several days, Chen Danian and half the elite of the Imperial Hospital had maintained a constant vigil at the Ninth Prince's residence, examining everything from vomit to excrement, yet they had found no trace of poison. This revealed just how deeply concealed the toxin truly was.

Yan Yan did not tell him to rise, nor did she hurl reproaches. Instead, she pointed to the blood on the needle and asked, "Can you determine what kind of poison has afflicted His Highness from this blood?"

Chen Danian shook his head, thinking the Side Consort was indulging in wild fantasies. If the poison could not be detected in bodily waste, how could it possibly be found in the blood? Anticipating this answer, Yan Yan sighed softly and murmured, "If it cannot be identified, can you still detoxify him?"

Though uncertain of her ultimate aim, Chen Danian guessed her intent and replied after a pause, "We can use general purifying herbs. While not a targeted cure, they should have some mitigating effect."

"Very well," Yan Yan declared immediately. "From today onward, these detoxifying herbs must be added to his medicine. You must prepare the decoction yourself, personally, without letting it pass through anyone else's hands."

Chen Danian looked at her, neither accepting nor refusing aloud.

Without waiting for his formal assent, Yan Yan turned to Wang Quan'er. "Wang Quan'er, I know you grew up with His Highness and share a bond unlike anyone else. Tomorrow, go directly to Eunuch Wang. Every single tea set in the study must be replaced in secret, and all the scented incense must be cleared out."

Wang Quan'er nodded solemnly.

Then, Yan Yan looked at Mama He. "Please write a personal letter, Mama, instructing He Gui'er to procure His Highness's food himself. Avoid all his usual suppliers. Once purchased, the ingredients are to be handed directly to Eunuch Wang."

Perplexed, Mama He asked, "Is the Side Consort worried that someone intentionally poisoned His Highness, and that the culprit is someone within our own household?"

Drawing a deep, heavy breath, Yan Yan replied with a trace of anguish, "Mama, His Highness and I rode back to the capital in the same carriage and entered through the secondary gate together. I was placed under confinement while His Highness went to the Consort's quarters for a meal before retiring to his study. The very next morning, he collapsed during the morning court session. In such a brief span of time, who else could have poisoned him?"

Her words cast a heavy gloom over everyone in the room. Yan Yan knew she did not need to persuade Mama He and Wang Quan'er; they were the Ninth Prince's loyal confidants. The only person she needed to convince was Chen Danian.

Turning her gaze back to the physician, she spoke softly, "Imperial Physician Chen, can you keep this matter strictly confidential?"

Chen Danian looked at her skeptically.

She continued with a faint smile, "Surely you realize that the poisoning of His Highness is no simple matter. And you know even better that if you were to submit this pulse record to the Emperor now, given His Majesty's strict enforcement of rewards and punishments, you would not be spared lightly. Therefore, why not take a gamble? As long as you keep this quiet and prevent the poisoner from realizing that we are aware of the truth, I am certain His Highness will recover soon. When that happens, with his personal guarantee, it will be far easier for you to weather the storm before the Emperor."

Chen Danian knew every word she spoke was the truth, yet he remained uncertain of how much trust to place in this Side Consort. Thus, he asked, "How can this official be certain I can trust Your Ladyship's words?"

Yan Yan smiled once more, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Simply because I am the only one who has borne a son for the Ninth Prince, and the only inner consort tending to him here."

Stunned for a second, Chen Danian gazed into her unwavering eyes. Driven by an inexplicable impulse, he nodded. "I shall follow the Side Consort's instructions in all things."