Chapter 77 Heart-Corroding Powder

Chapter 77: Heart-Eroding Powder

The air in the room turned dead silent. Their eyes met, with daggers drawn.

Zhou Zhan was so angry his mouth went dry. He reached for the teapot to pour some tea to cool his temper, but when he lifted it, the pot was empty.

That made him even angrier. He grabbed the untouched chicken soup next to his hand and downed a few gulps.

But just as he set the bowl down, he heard Cheng Ge’s voice.

“Your Highness, if you’ve got nothing else, you should head back to the palace. If His Majesty finds out, you’ll surely be punished again.” His tone was flat, completely emotionless.

Hearing these blatant words of dismissal, Zhou Zhan felt a chill run from his feet to his scalp.

He felt like all his feelings had been wasted. Furious, he stepped forward and grabbed Cheng Ge by the collar. “Cheng Muyu!!!”

Zhou Zhan glared at Cheng Ge, his face bright red. “You actually dare to kick me out? Do you even have a conscience?”

Cheng Ge frowned slightly, not getting what crazy mood had taken over Zhou Zhan. He tried to pry Zhou Zhan's hands off, but they only gripped tighter.

But right now, he couldn't use brute force. After all, the other guy was the Crown Prince. If anything happened, he'd be the one taking the fall.

He started breathing faster. He hadn't even gotten his fill of food, and now hunger gave him guts. He yelled, “Let go of me!!”

Zhou Zhan was just as stubborn, refusing to back down. With a sudden shove, he actually pushed Cheng Ge onto the windowsill, pinning him down with his body.

“I'm not letting go! What are you gonna do about it?”

Cheng Ge's lower back slammed into the windowsill. The wound from last time still hadn't healed, and the pain made tears well up in his eyes immediately.

“Ah… ugh…”

That pained sound snapped Zhou Zhan back to his senses. Seeing the tears in Cheng Ge's eyes, he panicked.

He immediately let go, looking tense. “What’s wrong? Did you hit something? Let me see!”

Cheng Ge hunched over, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead. He turned away to wait out the pain, ignoring Zhou Zhan.

But seeing him like this, Zhou Zhan got frantic. He reached out to pull at his clothes to check the wound. “Let me see quickly! Did you hurt a vital spot?”

Cheng Ge's scalp prickled at Zhou Zhan's sudden move. His straight-guy instincts kicked in, and he instinctively kicked.

Zhou Zhan hadn't expected that kick. The kick caught him square in the chest, sending him flying backwards. His back slammed hard against the wall at the bottom.

Zhou Zhan felt a sharp pain in his chest and let out a muffled groan, and struggled twice but couldn't get up.

Cheng Ge was stunned by what he'd done. Forgetting his own injury, he hurried over to check on Zhou Zhan. “Your Highness… you okay?”

Zhou Zhan's face was deathly pale, with big beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He still glared at Cheng Ge, his eyes red and scary, his voice choked with tears.

“Cheng Muyu… you actually kicked me! I… cough cough…”

Cheng Ge panicked. He thought this was the end. He patted Zhou Zhan's back frantically, explaining nervously, “Your Highness… let me try to explain myself! I didn’t mean to…”

But before he could finish, Zhou Zhan began coughing violently. His throat seized up, and he ended up spitting out a large mouthful of black blood.

“Holy shit!!!” Cheng Ge was scared out of his mind. He reached out to catch Zhou Zhan's limp body.

To be honest, even in an earthquake he hadn't been this freaked out. He felt like his soul had left his body.

“Your Highness! Your Highness! What’s wrong with you?”

Cheng Ge was about to lift him up when a sharp pain shot through his chest. A mouthful of blood splattered onto Zhou Zhan without warning.

The scene looked exactly like a tragic lovers' suicide pact from a period drama.

At that moment, the two in the inner room sensed something was wrong and hurried out.

Seeing the scene before them, they were both stunned…

Zhou Zhan’s vision was blurry. He caught sight of two vague figures running out from the inner room.

His heart grew even more sorrowful. He sobbed even harder. “Cheng Muyu… you really did hide someone… You deceived me so cruelly.”

Cui Ji strode forward, swiftly picked up Cheng Ge, and headed out, shouting to the secret guards, “Quickly summon the imperial physician! Call the mansion doctor too!”

Lin Nanshu was about to follow, but his peripheral vision caught the Crown Prince on the ground. He hesitated for a moment, then bent down and carried Zhou Zhan on his back, chasing after Cui Ji.

All the way, Zhou Zhan was sobbing intermittently, still calling out Cheng Muyu’s name in broken gasps.

The prince’s mansion descended into chaos. The imperial physicians scrambled, treating Zhou Zhan and Cheng Ge separately.

After an examination, the physicians exchanged glances. Cheng Ge’s condition was an old problem.

But to their surprise, Zhou Zhan was also poisoned, and the poison was quite potent.

The physicians fell to their knees in unison. “Reporting to the Prince, His Highness the Crown Prince has been poisoned.”

Cheng Ge had taken medicine and recovered somewhat. But hearing the physicians’ words, he nearly fainted again.

Damn it, he had just lightly kicked him. How could he be poisoned? Were his soles coated with poison?

Cui Ji saw his reaction and reached out to pat the top of his head to comfort him.

“Do you know what poison it is?” Cui Ji disliked Zhou Zhan greatly.

But after all, the other party was the Crown Prince. If he died abruptly in the Zhenbei Prince’s mansion, they would certainly be implicated.

What’s more, Zhou Zhan had had a conflict with Cheng Ge. In the end, Zhou Mingqi would find fault with them.

“This…” The physicians all looked at each other, hesitant to speak. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to, but they couldn’t identify the poison.

Just then, a slightly stooped figure was being supported by two young attendants, hurrying over.

This was the former head of the Imperial Hospital, Wu Cangji, nearly eighty years old. Due to advanced age and reduced mobility, he had retired a few years ago.

Previously, Cui Ji had invited him to treat Cheng Ge. He had prescribed many recuperative formulas with good results.

Cui Ji stepped forward to meet him. “Director Wu, may I trouble you to examine His Highness the Crown Prince?”

Wu Cangji paused in his steps, a look of confusion in his eyes.

Seeing this, the young attendant immediately leaned in and shouted loudly, “The Prince asks you to treat the Crown Prince!!!”

After about two seconds, Wu Cangji finally reacted. He nodded quickly and walked over to the bedside.

Cheng Ge started to get up, but before he could move, a pair of withered hands had already placed themselves on his pulse.

“Hmm… the pulse is deep and slow at the chi position—kidney qi not consolidated, fire of the life gate declining. Requires deer antler and aconite to warm and supplement. Additionally, residual toxin…”

As soon as the words were spoken, everyone turned to look at Cheng Ge, their eyes automatically dropping to his lower body with ambiguous expressions.

Cheng Ge’s face turned bright red, and he quickly pulled his wrist back.

Lin Nanshu quickly stepped forward and guided him to the Crown Prince’s bedside, and said softly, “Court Physician Wu, this one is the Crown Prince.”

Wu Cangji snapped out of it and immediately checked Zhou Zhan’s pulse.

After a long pause, his brows furrowed, and his face turned serious.

Then, he slowly leaned in, almost hovering above Zhou Zhan, and carefully pried open his eyelid.

After closely examining Zhou Zhan’s eyes, Wu Cangji suddenly gasped, “This… this is ‘Heart-Eroding Powder.’”

“What is Heart-Eroding Powder?” Cui Ji frowned deeply. “I’ve never heard of this poison.”

Wu Cangji said in a trembling voice, “Heart-Eroding Powder is a deadly poison that the southern barbarians lost long ago.”