"Clang…"
The phoenix-head hairpin fell onto the bluestone floor, emitting a crisp sound as it broke into two pieces.
The Eldest Princess's body also collapsed softly to the ground.
The crimson mark between her eyebrows was especially vivid.
"You killed the Eldest Princess!"
After the initial shock, Fu Bao suddenly shouted loudly, "Murder! Something has happened to the Eldest Princess…"
A flurry of hurried footsteps rushed in.
Fu Bao, acting like an ordinary frightened child, pointed at Jiu Jiu with a pale face and said, "She… she killed the Eldest Princess."
"Her Highness… quickly summon the imperial physician!"
Nanny's expression changed drastically, and she hurriedly ordered someone to fetch the imperial physician.
At the same time, she sternly commanded, "Guards! Drag this villain who harmed Her Highness away and beat her to death with clubs!"
A wise man knows better than to fight when the odds are against him.
Jiu Jiu was just about to jump out the window to escape.
Then she saw a figure in white rushing in hurriedly.
"Princess…"
"What happened? How did the princess end up in this state?"
Seeing the disheveled, pale-faced Eldest Princess, Ye Lixuan's eyes were filled with heartache.
Nanny pointed at Jiu Jiu and said, "Consort, it's her… she harmed Her Highness…"
"Handsome Uncle-in-law, you've finally come!"
Jiu Jiu charged forward like a little calf, bumping Nanny aside.
Then she leaned close to Ye Lixuan's ear and whispered two sentences.
After hearing her, Ye Lixuan's expression immediately changed.
"Is it true?" he looked at Jiu Jiu.
Jiu Jiu raised her small hand and swore, "If I'm lying, may my father lose all his hair, grow sores on the soles of his feet, and remain a bachelor for the rest of his life."
Ye Lixuan: …
That really wasn't necessary.
Ye Lixuan bent down, picked up the Eldest Princess, and carried her back to her bedchamber.
After hesitating repeatedly, Nanny said, "Consort, should we first have someone apprehend the villain who harmed Her Highness?"
"Absolutely not. Jiu Jiu is the Little County Princess of Donggong; we must not be disrespectful to her." Ye Lixuan said.
Thinking of what Jiu Jiu had just told him, Ye Lixuan felt both excited and conflicted.
The imperial physician arrived quickly.
After taking the Eldest Princess's pulse, he concluded, "The Eldest Princess is depressed at heart, and her emotions fluctuated too greatly, causing a surge of qi and blood that led to her fainting. Take a few doses of medicine, rest well for some time, and she will recover."
Ye Lixuan was taken aback, "That's all?"
"What does the Consort mean by that? Does the Consort doubt this official's medical skills? If the Consort does not trust this official, then please find someone more capable." With that, Old Imperial Physician Chen flicked his sleeve and prepared to leave.
Ye Lixuan hurriedly stopped him, "It was my anxiety speaking. Please, Old Imperial Physician Chen, do not hold it against me."
"It's just that someone just told me the Eldest Princess is pregnant. I wonder if Old Imperial Physician Chen could…"
"Nonsense." Old Imperial Physician Chen directly interrupted Ye Lixuan.
He snorted coldly and said, "This official has practiced medicine for decades; I can still diagnose a slippery pulse."
"If the Eldest Princess is truly pregnant, this official will offer up his head with both hands."
Hearing this, the flame in Ye Lixuan's eyes was extinguished.
His heart turned ice-cold.
Old Imperial Physician Chen was the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau, with superb medical skills. Since he spoke so definitively, it certainly couldn't be false.
Could it be that Jiu Jiu deceived him?
But why?
Could it be that the Crown Prince intended to move against the Eldest Princess?
Countless questions flooded Ye Lixuan's mind.
Suddenly, a childish yet domineering voice rang out:
"Old man, this Great King wants that head of yours!"
Old Imperial Physician Chen looked down and saw a little girl who wasn't even as tall as the table looking up at him.
Whose child was this, so utterly lacking in manners?
Old Imperial Physician Chen was about to rebuke when he heard the little girl say, "Little old man, come here. This great king will teach you a couple of tricks."
"Hmph, at such a young age…"
"You're so long-winded. Handsome Uncle-in-law, come here."
Finding Old Imperial Physician Chen too verbose, Jiu Jiu waved her little hand and called Ye Lixuan forward.
She pointed to several spots on the Eldest Princess's body and instructed Ye Lixuan to insert silver needles there.
If it were anyone else, Ye Lixuan would never have agreed.
But for some reason, when Jiu Jiu asked him to do it, he complied without hesitation.
After a few needles were inserted, the Eldest Princess opened her mouth and spat out a mouthful of black blood.
"Princess…" Ye Lixuan's expression changed drastically as he hurried forward to check on the Eldest Princess.
Jiu Jiu, however, remained unfazed and said to Old Imperial Physician Chen, "Little old man, is your head washed clean yet?"
"You…" Old Imperial Physician Chen was about to speak.
But Jiu Jiu cut him off, "Little mouth, shut it!"
"Go, take the Eldest Princess's pulse."
Old Imperial Physician Chen was so angry he huffed and puffed.
Nevertheless, he stepped forward and placed his fingers on the Eldest Princess's wrist to check her pulse.
The next moment, Old Imperial Physician Chen's face showed shock.
"How could this be?"
After his initial shock, he switched to the other hand to take the Eldest Princess's pulse again.
The conclusion was exactly the same.
The Eldest Princess was pregnant!
"How is this possible? What did you do to the Eldest Princess?" Old Imperial Physician Chen turned his gaze to Jiu Jiu.
Having practiced medicine for decades, he had never encountered such a strange occurrence.
Earlier, when he had taken the Eldest Princess's pulse, it clearly was not a slippery pulse indicative of pregnancy.
Yet in such a short time, the pulse reading had completely changed.
It was utterly unbelievable!
This result left Old Imperial Physician Chen utterly astonished.
"You little old man, are you a sore loser?" Jiu Jiu stood on a stool, trying to grab Old Imperial Physician Chen's beard.
She even threatened loudly, "Tomorrow, I'll find someone to write your story of losing a bet and refusing to admit defeat into a playbook and have storytellers in teahouses and taverns take turns telling it… Wait, what's your name again?"
Old Imperial Physician Chen's mouth twitched twice.
He also had to dodge Jiu Jiu's little claws as she tried to grab his beard.
"Jiu Jiu, don't be rude to Old Imperial Physician Chen!" At this moment, Ye Lixuan finally snapped out of his shock.
He first stopped Jiu Jiu from continuing to tug at Old Imperial Physician Chen's beard.
Then he introduced Jiu Jiu's identity to Old Imperial Physician Chen, "Jiu Jiu is the Little County Princess of Donggong. She's a bit lively, so please don't take it to heart, Old Imperial Physician Chen."
"Little County Princess of Donggong?" Old Imperial Physician Chen was quite surprised.
When did Donggong gain a Little County Princess?
Upon second thought, given the Crown Prince's outrageous behavior over the past few years, it wasn't surprising for there to be an extra Little County Princess.
"Does the sudden discovery of the Eldest Princess's pregnancy have something to do with Donggong?" Given the methods of the one in Donggong, anything was possible.
Ye Lixuan hesitated, unsure how to respond.
In the end, he chose to remain silent.
Seeing this, Old Imperial Physician Chen had his answer.
"Indeed, I was narrow-minded. Another day, I will surely go to the Crown Prince to apologize."
Eager to return to the Imperial Hospital to consult medical texts, Old Imperial Physician Chen left without looking back after saying this.
Jiu Jiu stomped her feet angrily behind him, "Hey, little old man, you can leave, but leave your head behind…"
"Jiu Jiu, what exactly is going on with the Princess's condition? Why couldn't Old Imperial Physician Chen detect the pregnancy earlier?" Ye Lixuan quickly stopped Jiu Jiu and changed the subject.
Jiu Jiu placed her hands on her hips, her little face brimming with pride. "That's because someone used dark magic to conceal the fact that the Eldest Princess is pregnant. That old man is just an ordinary mortal, so it's no surprise he couldn't detect the truth due to the dark magic."
Dark magic?
Ye Lixuan frowned deeply.
He then asked Jiu Jiu, "Did His Highness the Crown Prince mention who used such dark magic on the princess?"
Naturally, he didn't believe that such an important matter was truly discovered by Jiu Jiu herself.
There must have been the Crown Prince's involvement behind this.
"What does he have to do with it? Handsome Uncle-in-law, are you looking down on me?" Jiu Jiu puffed up her cheeks in anger, resembling a little pufferfish.
Just as she was about to show Handsome Uncle-in-law her true abilities, she saw the steward of the Eldest Princess's residence hurrying over.
"Lord Consort, something terrible has happened!"
"The palace has learned that the Eldest Princess was poisoned and is unconscious. They have dispatched the imperial guards to arrest the culprit who poisoned her."