BDSMST -Chapter 184 Hidden Currents in the Capital, the Second Prince’s Ambition

The flames in the stove licked the bottom of the clay pot, producing a gentle, bubbling sound. The aroma of herbs and ingredients mingled in the small kitchen, warm and lingering. Jiang Suisui let no one interfere; from washing to cutting to controlling the heat, every step was handled personally by her. This pot of soup was her first engagement with the distant, deep palace—a silent declaration of intent.

She was going to save the Crown Prince. She was protecting the results she and Gu Yan had painstakingly created, and the fragile peace that had just begun to dawn across the land.

Meanwhile, in the capital, another force was quietly stirring.

The residence of the Second Prince, Prince Zhao, stood on the bustling Zhuque Avenue. Pavilions and towers, carved beams and painted rafters—all spoke of imperial grandeur and the favor bestowed upon its master. Yet in recent days, the atmosphere in the residence had grown tense.

Inside the study, fine dragon’s-blood incense burned, sending up curling trails of smoke, yet it could not dissipate the gloom etched across Prince Zhao’s brow. He slammed a white jade lion paperweight heavily onto the desk.

“Useless! All of you are useless!” he hissed, his sharp eyes scanning the bowed aides standing before him. “Nearly a year has passed! I’ve supported you, summoned the best doctors in the land, and what’s the result? You can’t even figure out whether my ‘big brother’ is truly ill or faking it! The Imperial Physicians have all turned into timid turtles, giving nothing but ‘under treatment’ or ‘needs more time’!”

An older aide stepped forward cautiously, bowing. “Your Highness, please calm yourself. The Eastern Palace is heavily guarded, and the Crown Princess treats His Highness’s diet and medicinal treatments as if encased in iron. Outsiders can’t intervene. The Imperial Physicians dare not speak freely—they fear taking responsibility. To claim the Crown Prince is healthy would be deceit against the Emperor; to claim he is ill, and fail to treat him, would be punishable by death.”

“I don’t want to hear excuses!” Prince Zhao waved his hand irritably. “I want results! The Emperor’s patience has limits. The stability of the dynasty is paramount. My elder brother holds the Eastern Palace, yet he cannot produce an heir—that is the biggest leverage we have! What we need to do now is turn this leverage into a dagger sharp enough to pierce all his pretenses!”

His voice was low, yet it carried a chilling edge.

Another aide’s eyes flicked thoughtfully. “Your Highness, if a direct approach fails, why not ‘save the state indirectly’? I’ve heard the Crown Princess has been in frequent contact outside the palace recently, seemingly seeking unconventional remedies. This shows that the palace’s methods have indeed been exhausted. They are more desperate than we are.”

“Oh?” Prince Zhao’s interest was piqued. “Go on.”

“The Crown Princess is discreet; our men cannot easily discover whom she is contacting. But we can ‘recommend’ a divine physician ourselves.” The aide’s face glinted with calculation. “We find someone loyal to us, present him as a medical prodigy, and find a way to get him into the Eastern Palace. If he can examine the Crown Prince’s pulse, then His Highness’s condition will be entirely under your Highness’s control.”

“And if this person declares the Crown Prince healthy?” Zhao asked coldly.

“Then we have him administer a ‘potent treatment,’ rendering the Crown Prince apparently ‘unhealthy.’” The aide’s voice dropped even lower. “At first, it may not be obvious, but it will completely break the Crown Princess’s hope of producing an heir. At that point, without our intervention, those officials in the court eager to benefit from the Eastern Palace’s success will naturally report to the Emperor in favor of Your Highness.”

The strategy was insidiously vicious. Silence filled the study.

Prince Zhao remained quiet, fingers tapping rhythmically on the rosewood desk with a “thud-thud” sound. He had considered such methods before, but the Eastern Palace’s defenses were too strict; acting rashly carried enormous risk.

At that moment, a guard hurried in, whispering a few words into Prince Zhao’s ear.

The tapping stopped.

He lifted his head, his previous gloom replaced by a mix of shock, suspicion, and excitement.

“What did you say? Woniu Village in Jinling? Gu Yan’s wife?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” the guard replied respectfully. “The news came from Jinling. It is said that Madam Gu is a medical genius—she not only cured His Highness the Crown Prince’s previous rare poison but also single-handedly turned Woniu Village into today’s ‘Number One Estate in the Realm.’ Her improved farming tools and seeds were so impressive that even the Ministry of Revenue filed a report, calling them ‘beneficial to the nation and its people, meritorious to the state.’”

“‘Beneficial to the nation and its people’…” Prince Zhao mused, a sneer curling his lips. “A rural village woman, and yet she dares speak of meritorious service to the state?”

Yet beneath his scorn, calculations raced.

Crown Prince… Gu Yan… Woniu Village… Jiang Suisui…

These names and places linked together in his mind like a single thread.

If there was anyone the Crown Princess would trust without reservation, it had to be this former lifesaver. Could she be the one she had been secretly seeking?

A bolder, more perfect plan took shape in his mind.

Rather than cunningly placing one of his own men in the palace, why not invite this “divine physician” directly? If he could win her over, he could not only control the Crown Prince’s health but also bring Gu Yan—the formidable general wielding military power—into his camp.

With the Gu family commanding armies and Woniu Village’s wealth, having both allies would make any grand ambition achievable.

“No matter how talented a woman is, she has weaknesses. Either she loves wealth, power, or her family.” Prince Zhao muttered to himself, eyes gleaming like a hunter spotting prey.

“Send someone,” he said, restoring his usual composed manner.

“Your Highness, what are your orders?”

“Prepare a generous gift. No—prepare the grandest gift possible.” Prince Zhao stood, walked to the window, and gazed at the blooming peonies outside. A meaningful smile curved his lips. “I shall invite this divine physician under the pretext of ‘helping my elder brother.’ Tell her, if she comes, Your Highness… may even grant her the position of Empress. Why not?”