Chapter 194: Is Xiao Fu Bao Disliked? The Whole City Loves Me With Their Lives
Chapter 194: Investigation
A low chance of recovery?
Although the royal family already has several heirs, who wouldn’t hope for more children and greater fortune? For Prince Qi, not even yet forty, to have lost his ability to father children…
This!!!
Qi Wangfei was truly shocked.
Where she might have previously been able to keep her composure, she now found her emotions slipping. It took repeated reassurances from Physician Liu to help her regain her calm.
Once she collected herself, she instructed Aunt Qiu to summon Sui Si.
Sui Si was the prince’s personal attendant, responsible for his daily care and therefore the person closest to the prince, aside from Concubine Che, while they were at the villa.
When Sui Si arrived, he felt uneasy. He couldn’t recall Qi Wangfei ever intervening in matters concerning the prince’s concubines, so he doubted her summons had anything to do with Concubine Che. But then, what could it be?
There were some things he wasn’t sure if he should mention or not.
As Sui Si entered, he saw Qi Wangfei’s stern expression, and a sense of foreboding washed over him.
Qi Wangfei didn’t beat around the bush. Once he was inside, she immediately asked, “Did the prince use any supplements or other medications while at the villa?”
Physician Liu had mentioned that the prince’s condition deteriorated so quickly, likely due to the medication he was taking.
Even if it wasn’t medicinal supplements, it could still be linked to something he ingested.
Qi Wangfei’s question startled Sui Si. He thought carefully and then answered honestly, “During the first couple of cloudy days at the villa, the prince’s leg was causing him some pain. Concubine Che applied a black medicinal plaster she claimed was a secret recipe from an old physician. The prince used it for a few days and said it indeed made his leg feel much warmer. When the weather improved, and his leg pain subsided, he stopped using it because the plaster had a strong smell.”
Sui Si remembered the plaster clearly. Even when the prince returned, a faint herbal scent lingered on him.
Sui Si figured that if he didn’t mention this, Qi Wangfei could just ask the prince directly. It wasn’t anything to hide, after all.
Hearing this, Qi Wangfei gripped her handkerchief tightly and exchanged a glance with Physician Liu, whose expression also darkened.
Qi Wangfei immediately understood that the plaster might indeed have something to do with it. She thought for a moment and then asked, “Is there any of the plaster left?”
Sui Si shook his head. “I’m not sure about that. Concubine Che handled all of it herself, preparing and applying the plaster, and her maid Qiao Zhi would dispose of the used portions afterward.”
No leftover plaster, either?
However, even if they’d disposed of it, they probably hadn’t done so too thoroughly. It was possible that a thorough investigation of the villa could still uncover some remnants.
With this in mind, Qi Wangfei had a clear course of action, but she decided to probe a bit further, “Other than the plaster, did the prince take any other medication or drink any medicinal broths?”
Previously, the prince had avoided answering certain questions, and Qi Wangfei respected his dignity by not pressing further.
Now, with Sui Si here, she felt no need to hold back.
When she mentioned the supplements, Sui Si recalled, “There was indeed some, though most of it was soup prepared by Qiao Zhi for Concubine Che, supposedly an old Physician’s secret recipe…”
Here, Sui Si hesitated before adding quietly, “It’s said to help with conceiving a daughter, so they made it specifically for her, but the prince didn’t like the taste and only drank about half a bowl each time.”
These words cast a heavy shadow over both Qi Wangfei and Physician Liu.
The prince had used both the medicinal plaster and the nourishing soup.
Whether there were any further dietary issues remained unclear.
However…
Qi Wangfei found the logic didn’t quite add up. If Concubine Che wanted to secure her status by bearing a child, harming the prince in this way would seem counterintuitive. Why would she risk such drastic measures to prevent him from fathering heirs?
Was she so certain she’d already conceived and that this child would be unproblematic? If so, did she then want to eliminate any competition for her child?
Such logic might connect, but if discovered, the entire Che family would be implicated.
Would she truly dare take that risk?
Qi Wangfei couldn’t make sense of it. Sui Si, having finished his report, also felt unsettled. Though the prince was a straightforward man, Sui Si was astute enough to realize that something was clearly amiss.
He decided to share everything unusual from the past few days at the villa. But as he recounted, it seemed the prince hadn’t gone to excessive lengths, indulging only at night and usually limiting it to once, rarely twice.
Not excessive, surely?
Still, it was necessary to further investigate the plaster and the nourishing soup to see if they held any clues.
Until the matter was clarified, Qi Wangfei didn’t want to cast blame prematurely.
Yet, the prince’s condition was too serious to keep from the Empress Dowager. If there was a Physician in the palace with expertise in this area, perhaps they could find some way to help.
Though she trusted Physician Liu’s skills, the question of royal heirs warranted exploring all possible avenues.
With that in mind, Qi Wangfei dismissed Sui Si, then consulted briefly with Physician Liu to identify palace Physicians with relevant experience.
Physician Liu, not one to be offended, recommended several individuals.
After considering his suggestions, Qi Wangfei ordered a team to search for remnants of the plaster and the ingredients of the nourishing soup at the villa. Even if they had been discarded, they were unlikely to have been completely destroyed.
Anomalies like these wouldn’t go unnoticed, and it was likely the remnants were buried.
With this idea in mind, she instructed the search team to dig around if nothing could be found on the surface.
After dispatching the team to the villa, she sent a message to the palace requesting an audience with the Empress Dowager for the next day, using it as an opportunity to discreetly bring the prince to the palace for another examination.
Amid all the activity, time passed quickly.
By the time Qi Wangfei was done, Suisui had woken up.
Seeing her mother busy, Suisui behaved herself and played quietly with Aunt Xiang.
Aunt Xiang had recently been sewing sleepwear for Suisui. She had drawn up a pattern that both Suisui and Qi Wangfei approved before getting started.
Now she set her work aside to take Suisui to look at the flowers and fish.
By the time Qi Wangfei finished her duties, dusk had fallen.
The young masters were also returning home.
Having missed her brothers after two days apart, Suisui gave a small cheer and ran toward the front courtyard upon hearing that their carriage was at the gate.
Qi Wangfei, who had spent the entire afternoon in a pensive mood, finally allowed a faint smile to cross her face as she watched her lively young daughter.
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