"What? The imperial palace is heavily guarded, and the vicinity of the Imperial Kitchen is even more so. How could an outsider sneak in?"
The Emperor asked, his face full of doubt.
"Father, this matter cannot be investigated clearly in a short time. The culprit has likely already escaped the palace. When the Emperor..."
Before Leng Ruo Li could finish, a young palace maid ran into the hall in a hurry, interrupting her.
"Emperor... Emperor, something has happened at Yiran Hall." the palace maid panted.
"Who is it?"
Upon hearing this, the Emperor's face instantly turned ashen. Tonight was truly infuriating, with one problem after another.
"It's, it's Prince An who's had an accident." the palace maid quickly said.
"Prince An?"
The Emperor froze for a few seconds.
"Han'er, you stay and host the rest of the birthday banquet. Li'er, you come with me to see Prince An," the Emperor immediately commanded.
"Yes, Your Highness (daughter-in-law) obeys!" Prince Leng and his consort replied in unison.
Then, the Empress Dowager, seated to the Emperor's left, anxiously said, "Emperor, this Empress Dowager will also go and see the fifth prince."
The Emperor looked at the worried Empress Dowager and could only nod in agreement.
Following that, the Emperor and Empress Dowager, with Leng Ruo Li and several concubines and princes, grandly left Chaoyang Hall and headed straight for Yiran Hall.
In Yiran Hall, Concubine Ping looked at the lifeless Prince An, sobbing and on the verge of collapse as she leaned by the bedside.
"Yu'er, Yu'er, my Yu'er, wake up quickly, wake up!"
Concubine Ping cried out loudly, calling out Prince An's childhood name.
"Imperial Physician Lü, quickly examine Prince An. If anything happens to Prince An tonight, I will have you sent down to accompany him."
Concubine Ping threatened Imperial Physician Lü sternly.
"Concubine Ping, spare me! Prince An, he, he has already stopped breathing, and I have no way to bring him back to life."
Imperial Physician Lü, frightened by Concubine Ping's words, broke out in a cold sweat, his lips trembling as he spoke.
"You imperial physicians are all useless! You've been investigating for so long and still haven't found out the reason for Prince An's condition," Concubine Ping pointed at Imperial Physician Lü and accused him sternly.
"Concubine Ping, I, I truly am powerless to revive Prince An."
Imperial Physician Lü hurriedly knelt on the ground, his hands flat on the floor and his head bowed, begging for forgiveness. At this moment, cold sweat dripped from his forehead onto the ground, drop by drop.
"The Emperor has arrived! The Empress Dowager has arrived!"
At this moment, a sharp, duck-like voice from the hall entrance echoed into Yiran Hall.
Immediately after, the Emperor and Empress Dowager rushed in.
"Concubine Ping, what happened to the fifth prince again?"
Seeing the pale-faced Prince An on the bed, the Emperor and Empress Dowager felt a sudden unease.
"Replying, replying to the Emperor... Yu, Yu'er he... sob sob..."
As Concubine Ping spoke, she was already sobbing uncontrollably.
"Imperial Physician Lü, you tell me!"
Seeing that Concubine Ping was not herself, the Emperor turned to Imperial Physician Lü and roared.
"Replying, replying to the Emperor, Prince An has passed away!"
Imperial Physician Lü gritted his teeth and blurted out the words in one breath.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor and Empress Dowager staggered two steps back, nearly fainting on the spot.
"Consort Leng, didn't you say Prince An's body was fine?" After steadying himself, the Emperor angrily berated Leng Ruo Li.
The Emperor's shout made Leng Ruo Li's heart sink halfway.
The Empress Dowager, standing beside the Emperor, heard him blame Leng Ruo Li and quickly shielded her, saying to the Emperor, "Emperor, before the cause of Prince An's condition is investigated, you cannot blame our Li'er."
As she finished speaking, the Emperor frowned again. He had been too flustered by his concern for Prince An. Now, reminded by his mother, he immediately realized that his tone towards Leng Ruo Li had been a bit excessive. Thus, he quickly added, "Ah, Li'er, Father spoke too harshly just now. Please don't take it to heart."
"Father, your emotions are understandable to your daughter-in-law, but could your daughter-in-law personally go over and confirm the cause of Prince An's death?"
Although Leng Ruo Li was uncomfortable with the Emperor's earlier rebuke, her top priority now was to personally confirm whether Prince An was truly dead.
"Alright, alright, child, go and take a look. I am not confident in the medical skills of these imperial physicians," the Emperor immediately responded to Leng Ruo Li.
Upon receiving the Emperor's permission, Leng Ruo Li hurried to Prince An's bedside and extended two fingers to take his pulse.
After checking Prince An's pulse, Leng Ruo Li pondered for a few seconds. Judging by the pulse on his wrist, he had indeed lost all vital signs. Subsequently, Leng Ruo Li activated her space's instruments to check his vital signs, and the results all indicated that he had died.
However, Prince An's body was not stiff. His skin was still elastic. Apart from the undetectable body temperature, heartbeat, and pale complexion, Prince An looked as if he were merely asleep.
At this moment, Leng Ruo Li's eyes flickered again. She quickly removed the socks from Prince An's feet and checked his pulse there. Finding that his foot pulse was still faintly beating, she rejoiced in her heart, and a hopeful smile appeared on her face.
"Ruo Li, is there still hope for the fifth prince?" the Emperor and Empress Dowager asked in unison.
Concubine Ping, Prince Ji, and Jun Mo Han, who had just entered, all looked at Leng Ruo Li with anticipation.
"Father, Grandmother, Prince An's foot pulse is still beating faintly. I will do my best to save him," Leng Ruo Li stated the prince's condition truthfully.
"What? Yu'er still has a pulse? I just said Yu'er is definitely still alive. How dare you, a quack doctor, insist that my Yu'er has stopped breathing!" Concubine Ping pointed at Imperial Physician Lü, who was kneeling on the ground, and scolded him.
Imperial Physician Lü was so frightened that he kowtowed incessantly.
"Consort Ping, please calm down. Judging by most of Prince An's physical characteristics, he has indeed stopped breathing. I only discovered that his foot pulse was still beating through a special technique. Therefore, our most pressing task now is to find out what caused Prince An to enter a state of apparent death?" Leng Ruo Li advised Concubine Ping.
Upon hearing Leng Ruo Li's words, Concubine Ping immediately calmed down.
"Consort Leng, I beg you, you must help me save Yu'er." Concubine Ping pleaded humbly.
"Concubine Ping, please be quiet for now. I will do my best to save Prince An," Leng Ruo Li replied quickly.
With that, Leng Ruo Li carefully examined Prince An's body and found black threads around his nostrils, eye corners, mouth, and fingernails. She immediately understood what had happened to Prince An's body.
It turned out he had inhaled an overdose of powdered apparent death medicine.
"Father, Grandmother, Consort Ping, I have found the cause of Prince An's apparent death. He inhaled an overdose of apparent death medicine. I will give him an acupuncture treatment, and he will wake up tomorrow," Leng Ruo Li said to everyone.
"Really? That's great."
The Emperor, Empress Dowager, and Concubine Ping were all very happy to hear Leng Ruo Li's words.
Immediately, Leng Ruo Li, using her sleeve to conceal her actions, took out a set of golden needles twice as long as ordinary silver needles. Her movements were swift and precise. After less than half an hour of acupuncture, Prince An regained his heartbeat.
At this moment, everyone's suspended hearts finally settled.