Volume 1 Chapter 2: A Slap That Awakened the Prince Regent
Seeing the situation slipping out of her control, the Empress Dowager cast a disdainful glance at Hua Xieyi and sneered coldly, "Since the Prince Regent's Consort is so confident, I shall grant you this opportunity. If after two slaps, the Prince Regent still does not return from the dead, I will charge you with spreading heresy and desecrating the deceased, and have you executed by a thousand cuts!"
"Agreed!"
Hua Xieyi replied crisply, without a trace of fear.
Steward He's mustache twitched slightly. This consort was truly reckless—two slaps? Who had ever seen someone saved like that? And where would she strike? The face? Did the dignified Prince Regent have no regard for his own dignity?
Yet Young Master Lu had gone to fetch Elder Yao and had not returned for a long time. The Grand Empress Dowager had been lured away from the capital by the Empress Dowager's diversionary tactics. Among the officials, many were opportunists, and none dared to risk their lives and fortunes to stand up against the Marquis Fugui Manor's Xie family.
In this chaotic situation, no one could turn the tide. This consort, however, seemed to have some tricks up her sleeve and immediately stepped forward to help.
The onlookers naturally did not believe that a sheltered young woman like her could understand emergency medical techniques. Some gloated with schadenfreude, while others secretly worried for her.
Gong Jinxing's life was tied to the fate of Xiliang. A political upheaval would affect the bright futures of all officials—who wouldn't be on edge?
Hua Xieyi knelt behind Gong Jinxing, one hand resting on his wrist as she focused her breath and concentrated her mind.
As the most talented medical heir of the Ghost Doctor Hall, she possessed an extraordinary gift. By merely diagnosing a pulse, she could dynamically visualize the flow of blood and qi in the patient's body, and understand the physiological functions of their internal organs.
Just as she had suspected, this man had been poisoned by the rare Western Region Demon Lotus. The Cold Poison had flared up, causing his blood flow to stagnate and nearly halt, while a clot of stagnant blood had almost completely blocked his heart's vital passage.
Hua Xieyi's gaze sharpened. Moving like lightning, her fingertips swiftly pressed and reversed the flow at several acupoints on Gong Jinxing's chest before delivering a powerful slap to his back.
Gong Jinxing's body shuddered, and a raspy "cough, cough" sound emerged from his throat. A mouthful of dark, stagnant blood was immediately coughed out.
After a moment of stunned silence, the crowd erupted into thunderous cheers: "He's alive! He's alive! It's a miracle!"
Several guards scrambled to clean the bloodstains from Gong Jinxing, rubbing his chest and patting his back, their eyes brimming with tears of excitement. Gong Jinxing remained unconscious, but his breathing grew noticeably heavier, a sign of returning life.
The Empress Dowager had not expected Hua Xieyi to actually awaken Gong Jinxing with just one slap. Fearing that her long-laid plans might be ruined by this young girl, she flew into a rage.
"Even the imperial physicians were helpless against the Prince Regent's condition. You, with no medical knowledge, managed to save him effortlessly. It seems the Prince Regent's sudden collapse must be connected to you. Guards, seize her and interrogate her thoroughly to find out who ordered her to harm the Prince Regent!"
When there is a will to accuse, excuses are never lacking. This was a ruthless attempt to eliminate her at all costs.
However, why this Prince had suddenly died, and why she had ended up lying in the same coffin with him—Hua Xieyi was completely in the dark, knowing nothing at all.
What to do?
Hua Xieyi's hand stealthily slipped past the guards' line of sight and crept under Gong Jinxing's ribs. She twisted and pinched him three times to the left and three times to the right, hoping to wake him up sooner, all while maintaining a calm expression.
"A thief crying 'stop thief'! Empress Dowager, you secretly instructed me to poison the Prince on his wedding day. Now that the Prince has fallen unconscious, you fear your conspiracy will be exposed, so you can't wait to silence me by killing me and pinning the blame on me, isn't that right?"
Everyone's gaze turned toward Xie Lingyu, not a trace of surprise in their eyes. Some things were as obvious as lice on a bald man's head.
With the Prince Regent dead, the Empress Dowager could rule from behind the curtain, holding absolute power.
Xie Lingyu had never dreamed that Hua Xieyi would fight with her back against the wall and pull off such a move.
If she insisted on killing her today, wouldn't that be like proclaiming her own guilt, confirming her role as the mastermind?
She had underestimated this young lady from the general's mansion. If she let her live today, Gong Jinxing would surely gain a powerful ally!
Xie Lingyu calmly brushed off her Phoenix Robe and let out a light scoff. "Do you think that by falsely accusing me, I won't dare to touch you, is that it?"
"Exactly. You really can't touch me, because I am the only one who can cure the poison in the Prince Regent. If anything happens to me, Empress Dowager, your ambition to eliminate the capable and suppress dissent will be exposed for all to see. Isn't that right, esteemed officials?"
Hua Xieyi was going all out, speaking without holding back and hitting the nail on the head. Immediately, some among the guests loudly echoed her words.
"If the Princess Consort can heal the Prince Regent, it will be a blessing for our Xiliang! A blessing for the nation!"
"Yes! Yes! Yes! The truth about why the Prince fainted will be revealed as soon as he wakes up."
The Empress Dowager's face turned pale and then flushed with anger. She gritted her teeth in secret fury. Success or failure hinged on this moment—victors become kings, losers become outlaws. She would rather bear the infamy than show mercy.
"Spouting nonsense and spreading lies! A sheltered young lady who never leaves her home, what does she know about medicine? Guards, kill her!"