Chapter 507 - 508: Inquiry

Chapter 507: Chapter 508: Inquiry

In truth, the Guard Leader most suspected the servant girl who had perished on the road. However, there was no evidence left since the dead could not speak, nor could they trace the whereabouts of that particular group of foreign merchants. To mention her now would only make his men appear incompetent, so he chose to conceal this suspicion.

Yet, dragging things out like this was not a solution. If they failed to accomplish their mission, they would inevitably draw reprimands.

Thus, he asked, "Your Highness, please think carefully again. Have you formed a grudge with anyone?

"Furthermore, your subordinates suspect that the drug given to you and the one given to Gu Shufei did not come from the same person’s hands."

The situation with Gu Shufei looked like the scheming of women vying for favor in the inner courtyard. But no matter how fierce the competition got, they would never target the master of the estate.

Rong Ruiyuan had actually harbored the same suspicion all along. Any woman who entered his inner courtyard definitely wanted to bear a child as early as possible; otherwise, they wouldn’t pester him so relentlessly every time.

However, he couldn’t be the one to say this aloud. Now that the Guard Leader was asking, he smoothly took the opportunity to say, "I can’t figure it out either. Who would benefit the most if I had no heirs?"

The Guard Leader lowered his eyes. "This subordinate is also unsure. If Your Highness has any suspicions, please feel free to inform us, and we will naturally report them to the Emperor."

Did the Third Prince really expect them to play the villain? Impossible.

They were sent by the Emperor. Since they currently had absolutely no leads, their priority was naturally self-preservation. The best solution was to have the Third Prince state his own suspicions. As long as the princes started fighting amongst themselves, the guards could use the opportunity to extricate themselves from the mess.

Rong Ruiyuan narrowed his eyes at the Guard Leader before him. This was a new face, likely another one of his imperial father’s trusted confidants. Despite having been his imperial father’s son for so many years, he had yet to fully grasp the depths of the Emperor’s true power. This was exactly why he and his brothers, regardless of how great their ambitions were, dared not act rashly.

"You can think about it. Who benefits if I have no heirs?" Rong Ruiyuan pressed step by step. So what if this man was his imperial father’s confidant? He was still the Emperor’s son. How could he tolerate such perfunctory behavior?

"This?" The Guard Leader took two steps back and bowed respectfully. "This subordinate is dull-witted. I implore Your Highness to speak plainly."

"Heh, truly dull-witted enough. I don’t know what Imperial Father sees in you.

"If you can’t even handle such a minor matter, what use are you?"

"This subordinate is guilty. I humbly request Your Highness’s punishment."

Rong Ruiyuan indeed wanted to teach him a harsh lesson, but he lacked the courage to do so. As the saying goes, one must look at the master before beating the dog—not to mention these were men dispatched by his imperial father.

"Enough. Since you know you are guilty, hurry up and redeem yourself through good service. Root out the mastermind behind the scenes for this prince at once." Knowing he wouldn’t be able to coax any more information out of the man, Rong Ruiyuan waved his hand impatiently.

The Guard Leader briskly and respectfully withdrew with his subordinates. Rather than wasting time here, it was better to find a way to secure a scapegoat. Since the Third Prince refused to play the villain, the Guard Leader knew exactly what needed to be done.

"Leader, what should we do?" a guard asked once they were outside the Third Prince Mansion.

"What should we do? Compile files on all our suspects and submit them to His Majesty. In these inner courtyard power struggles, it’s entirely possible that His Highness accidentally ingested the drug."

If the prince wanted to use him as a pawn, then he shouldn’t be blamed for making the princes fight amongst themselves first. This was all they had uncovered anyway; submitting this report wouldn’t be wrong.

"Go back to the prison and conduct a thorough verification. If there are no issues, have them sign and affix their thumbprints to the confessions.

"Didn’t they all claim they had no idea what drugs they were administering, and that the drugs were given by their masters? We can make use of that."

The trailing guards breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, sir!"

Once the men left, Rong Ruiyuan violently swept everything off the table. The butler stood trembling to the side. This job he had begged so hard for now made his scalp tingle with fear every single day.

"Go, call the Imperial Physicians for this prince again."

Ever since learning he had been drugged, the Emperor had stationed several Imperial Physicians to stand guard in the courtyard. Rong Ruiyuan had his pulse checked at frequent intervals, terrified of unknowingly falling victim to another plot.

The butler hurriedly took his leave. He didn’t want to stay in this wretched place for a single moment longer, but he had no other choice now.

The Imperial Physicians were quickly brought in. After checking his pulse, they spouted a flurry of medical jargon. It was only when Rong Ruiyuan lost his temper that they summarized succinctly, "Your Highness, you have an excess of liver fire, but otherwise, there are no major issues."

"How is my body? Is the poison neutralized? Are there any other abnormalities?"

The two Imperial Physicians exchanged a glance. Their medicines weren’t magical elixirs; how could they possibly guarantee an instant cure?

However, they had long since developed a set routine for dealing with nobles. "To answer Your Highness, the poison in your body has been neutralized. Now, you just need to rest and recover properly. If you can cultivate your mind and restrain your desires, your physical condition will continue to improve."

Cultivate his mind and restrain his desires? Rong Ruiyuan didn’t know how many times he had heard this phrase over the past few days. Every time he heard it, he felt a deep sense of humiliation.

He was already completely avoiding the inner courtyard; how much more was he supposed to restrain himself?

He constantly felt that these Imperial Physicians were mocking him, yet with his current status, he couldn’t punish them. Suffocated by this frustration, how was he supposed to cultivate his mind?

If the Imperial Physicians knew his inner thoughts, they would probably just roll their eyes. He had brought all of this upon himself. With his heavy suspicions, he even doubted their medical expertise. If he was so capable, he should just let them return to the palace.

Furthermore, they now all hoped that the one to ascend the throne in the future would not be the man before them. Otherwise, those who knew his little secret would inevitably face retaliation down the line. Never underestimate these Imperial Physicians. Frequently visiting the inner courtyards of high-ranking noble families, they had their own social circles.

Although it wasn’t their place to speak about royal matters, a single subtle shift in attitude was often enough for those people to start speculating.

Rong Ruiyuan never could have imagined that this incident would lower his reputation even further. The fact that he had been poisoned with an infertility drug was quietly spread by a small handful of people.

Since no one brought it up to his face, Rong Ruiyuan couldn’t very well clarify the matter. He didn’t know how the rumors evolved, but eventually, Rong Ruiyuan became known as an existence akin to a eunuch. And none of this was ever said in his presence. By the time he finally got wind of the news much later, numerous versions of the story had already emerged, rendering any explanation useless.

"How is the situation with Gu Shufei?" Rong Ruiyuan wasn’t actually concerned about Gu Antong. He had no shortage of women, not to mention he couldn’t touch any right now anyway.

He only wanted to know if there was an antidote for the drug Gu Antong had been given. If it was incurable, what if the drug was used on him next time?

He had no desire to swell up like a pig, especially seeing how she seemed on track to continue ballooning.

When asked this question, the two Imperial Physicians felt significantly less psychological burden. The Gu Family was already teetering on the edge of collapse. As just another woman in the Third Prince Mansion’s inner courtyard, even if they administered the wrong medicine, they wouldn’t bear much responsibility.

"We currently have no antidote for her drug. However, the drug has no other impact on the body. Concubine Gu’s physical health is robust, and her ability to bear children has not been affected in the slightest." The Imperial Physician didn’t know why he felt the need to add that last sentence.