"Eunuch Wan, please don't be anxious. Let me finish speaking first," Xiao Qin said gently. "I only suspect, and cannot confirm that His Majesty has been poisoned. If we could obtain some other corroborating evidence, perhaps we could understand the reason for His Majesty's unconsciousness."
"What evidence?" Eunuch Wan asked urgently. If His Majesty was truly poisoned, it would be his dereliction of duty.
"Before His Majesty fell unconscious, did he have any unusual behavior, or perhaps suddenly developed a strong liking for something he usually disliked?"
"No, His Majesty has always been temperate. According to palace rules, the Emperor's meals prohibit the same dish from being served more than three times, and it cannot appear twice in one day. There was nothing out of the ordinary."
"Think carefully. You are the one who serves His Majesty closely. You know best if there is anything unusual about His Majesty. If even you don't know, then I am truly powerless."
Eunuch Wan frowned and thought carefully. There was nothing His Majesty suddenly started liking to eat. His Majesty's daily meals were strictly controlled. Where could the problem lie?
Suddenly, Eunuch Wan looked at the teapot on the table, and a few images flashed in his mind. The Ministry of Internal Affairs had sent a batch of tea, which His Majesty had tasted and found it very good. He drank it for several days consecutively. Since tea is not something that can be finished in one or two days, even drinking the same tea multiple times would not arouse suspicion!
"It's the tea!" Eunuch Wan exclaimed excitedly. "The thing His Majesty suddenly took a liking to was a new batch of tea sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, said to be a fine tea offered by Western merchants. His Majesty tasted it and found it very fragrant, drinking it for several days."
"Where is the tea?"
"It's in the cabinet. This servant will get it right away." Eunuch Wan's feet seemed to fly as he rushed towards the cabinet where the tea was stored. However, after searching for a long time, he couldn't find the tea that the Emperor had drunk. "It's gone. How can it be gone?"
"It's gone?" Xiao Qin and the Prince of Chu exchanged glances. "It seems the problem does lie with the tea."
"Eunuch Wan, think carefully again, what did the tea look like?"
"The leaves were very long and slender. As soon as it was opened, a rich aroma of tea could be smelled. When brewed, the fragrance was even more mellow, but it wasn't unpleasant at all, rather, it was very pleasing. I just don't know why it's gone." Eunuch Wan paced back and forth, and after a moment, as if remembering something, he quickly walked to the door, opened it, and grabbed his disciple, Fu An.
"Master, what is it?" Fu An asked, trembling with fear.
"Fu An, I ask you, when I brewed tea for His Majesty at that time, you praised the aroma of the tea. I pinched a small amount for you then. Is that tea still here?"
Fu An thought something had happened and it was about the tea. "Such fine tea, how could this servant bear to drink it? I always took it out to smell it. Eunuch, why are you asking this?"
"Get it quickly!"
"I'll go with him," Xiao Qin said immediately.
The Prince of Chu, also uneasy, dispatched a squad of guards to accompany them.
Wan Quan remained by the Emperor's side, not daring to leave. Even though the Prince of Chu showed no signs of abnormality, he couldn't entrust the Emperor to him. Based on his years of experience in the palace, no matter how complex a matter, the person who benefited the most was either the perpetrator or an accomplice. Currently, the Prince of Qin and the Prince of Qi were outside the capital, and only the Prince of Chu was in the imperial city. His Majesty had fallen ill for no reason, and the biggest beneficiary was the Prince of Chu!
"Eunuch Wan, don't worry too much. Mr. Xiao's medical skills are excellent, and he will surely find a way to save Father Emperor."
Eunuch Wan bowed his head subserviently and replied, "If this is so, this old servant will be eternally grateful. His Majesty will also bestow a great reward upon waking."
The Prince of Chu glanced at Eunuch Wan. In the days leading up to his father's unconsciousness, this old servant Wan Quan had not mentioned the matters of the Divine Capital Battalion. Now, after more than ten days of unconsciousness, he suddenly informed him that if the commander of the Divine Capital Battalion could not be reached, he might lead troops to surround the city. Having stayed in the palace for a long time, these servants had become as shrewd as foxes.
"Eunuch Wan, how many years have you been following Father Emperor?"
"This servant entered the palace at the age of fourteen and has followed His Majesty ever since, for a total of forty-two years."
"Forty-two years is not a short time," the Prince of Chu said slowly. "Eunuch Wan, have you ever thought about retiring from the palace to enjoy your old age?"
Eunuch Wan smiled. "This old servant has been by His Majesty's side for many years and is accustomed to it here in the palace. Unless this old servant is too old to serve His Majesty anymore, this old servant cannot leave His Majesty's side."
"Eunuch Wan is loyal to Father Emperor; this Prince envies you greatly."
"Why should Your Highness envy me? You have no shortage of loyal servants by your side. This servant observes that Fuyao is quite good." Eunuch Wan carefully chose his words. Among the princes, the one he could not fathom the most was the Prince of Qin, the one he disliked the most was the Prince of Han, and the one he feared the most was this Prince of Chu, who smiled at everyone.
"How can Fuyao compare to Eunuch Wan? If this Prince had someone as capable as Eunuch Wan by his side, how could I have been repeatedly schemed against?"
"Your Highness is too kind. This servant is merely an old man and cannot be said to have any skills. If this servant truly had skills, how could I have allowed His Majesty to be harmed like this right under my nose?" As he spoke, Eunuch Wan's eyes reddened, and his face was filled with sorrow. "Your Highness, you must save His Majesty."
"Eunuch, rest assured, this Prince will do his utmost to save Father Emperor," the Prince of Chu said gently. "However, the immediate priority is to stabilize General Ran..."
"Your Highness." At this moment, Xiao Qin returned, with Fu An by his side.
"How was it?"
Xiao Qin took out the tea they had found and showed it to everyone. "It looks like tea from the outside, but this is not tea; it is a medicinal herb. It has a refreshing aroma and a mellow taste. This tea is not poisonous on its own, but if mixed with Ruolanxiang, it becomes a potent poison, causing one to fall into a coma, then gradually weaken and die, with no discernible cause of illness."
"Such a vicious poison, to use such a complex poison to harm His Majesty!" Eunuch Wan slammed the table in anger. "Despicable, truly despicable."
"Yes, this scheme is indeed malicious. Even the one who tests for poison would not be able to detect this substance, which is not poisonous on its own."
"Mr. Xiao, do you have a way to save His Majesty?"
Xiao Qin shook his head. "To resolve this poison, there are only three people in the world."
"Who are the three?"
"Venerable Monk Wuyou, the Poison Sect's Wan Du Zi, and Empress Dowager Yun Qi, Dugu Man."
"All three of them are dead!" the Prince of Chu blurted out. Wuyou had passed away, which everyone knew. Empress Dowager Dugu had died at the hands of the wolf cub she had raised, which was also common knowledge. As for Wan Du Zi of the Poison Sect, it was rumored that he had offended someone and his sect was annihilated. Many years had passed without anyone knowing if he had died, so was there no hope?