CMWKSD -Chapter 144 The “Cut-Off Descendants” Poison!

Jiu Yue’s words immediately changed the expressions of everyone in the room.

It was truly shocking.

To think that such a poison existed in the world—on its own, it didn’t do much. It required the poison to work in tandem with the Jue Ning Zi to be effective.

It was precisely this combination that had cursed the imperial family with short lives, and now the situation had reached a point that threatened the very foundation of the kingdom.

Neighboring countries were all waiting for Emperor Fengyuan to pass away so they could seize the opportunity to gain some advantage.

Unexpectedly, Jiu Yue, unafraid of death, added: “I don’t know about the other Jue Ning Zi, but the one I have here has definitely been replaced more than once. After all, no medicine retains its efficacy for a hundred years.”

Although Jiu Yue didn’t say it outright, Emperor Fengyuan, being a ruler of his generation and a man of strong strategy and political acumen, immediately understood the implication.

This meant someone in the palace had been constantly swapping out this Jue Ning Zi.

And the unspoken layer of meaning behind Jiu Yue’s words was likely this: the Chu family, by the time of the Crown Prince, was destined to have no heirs—it would produce no children.

Otherwise, why say that the combination of Jue Ning Zi and Xue Huo could cut off descendants completely?

As for why the Second Prince had heirs, Jiu Yue could only shrug: those who understand, understand.

Emperor Fengyuan waved his hand: “Alright, you may rise.”

Jiu Yue cautiously looked at the emperor. She had thought that at this point, he would be furious—at least his face would be darkened with anger.

But he wasn’t.

Apart from throwing things when he first learned the truth, he had remained extremely calm, his expression unchanged.

Jiu Yue was secretly impressed. No wonder he was the emperor—his mental fortitude was incredible!

It was as if he had anticipated all of this.

Even when someone betrayed him, he showed no reaction. Jiu Yue could only admire the breadth of mind of a true emperor.

Her curious, almost nosy expression, however, annoyed the emperor: “Go, go, go! Didn’t you say you wanted to check on the imperial princes? Be thorough—search everywhere in the palace.”

Jiu Yue, completely stunned, was escorted out along with Ying Yi. She didn’t even have time to respond.

But since the emperor had spoken, how could she refuse?

Of course, this didn’t mean they could start detoxifying yet. Emperor Fengyuan, at this moment, didn’t have the energy to think about the antidote.

Although this matter was of the utmost importance, seeing Jiu Yue so calm, he reasoned that whether the antidote was administered today or tomorrow probably made little difference.

Even so, the sense of everything falling into place gave him a feeling of inevitability.

Speaking of the Second Prince…

To put it bluntly, emperors are naturally suspicious. The Chu family’s bloodline was weak, with short-lived members and few descendants.

If the Second Prince were truly of the Chu bloodline, why was he able to produce multiple healthy offspring? How was he so robust?

At first, Emperor Fengyuan didn’t want to think along these lines. After all, which man wants to imagine being betrayed?

But as the Crown Prince and the Second Prince grew older, the fact that the descendants of various regional princes, even those far away, were nearly extinct made him realize:

Even if the Chu family wasn’t cursed, there must be something unique to their bloodline.

And this so-called curse wasn’t entirely useless.

After all, only those of the Chu bloodline were frail, short-lived, and produced few heirs.

From this perspective, it became clear that the Second Prince was indeed not his biological son.

If he hadn’t suspected this earlier, why would he have allowed the Second Prince to act recklessly?

It worked out perfectly—he could now take them all down in one stroke.

Consort Rong and her maternal family had long abused their power, thanks to a healthy imperial son. Now, that healthy son had become the sharp weapon that could take their lives.

“Send someone with eagle eyes to investigate—when exactly did Consort Rong get involved with someone? And what exactly is this poison?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Ying Er appeared from somewhere, responding promptly.

Jiu Yue, dressed in a eunuch’s uniform, wandered the palace alongside Ying Yi.

There was no rush. The palace was vast; there was no way to finish in a single day. With only a few masters to attend to, it wasn’t easy to get lost.

What a pain!

Jiu Yue specifically visited several places where the princes and their descendants might enter. As expected, she found more Jue Ning Zi.

Most had lost their potency, while some retained only a trace.

Ying Yi wanted to take the Jue Ning Zi away to destroy them, but Jiu Yue stopped him: “This is the key to detoxification. Haven’t you heard the saying? ‘To undo the bell, one must tie the one who rang it’?”

Ying Yi could read, but was this really the correct usage? And hadn’t they said the poisons were already ineffective?

It was best not to question Jiu Yue’s methods too much—she got easily irritated.

“Oh, and make sure to find more Jue Ning Zi during this period. It’s crucial for the antidote. Besides, it’s not just the emperor who needs detoxifying, right?”

Ying Yi nodded—the Crown Prince and Princess also required it.

But for now… should Jiu Yue directly detoxify the emperor? Ying Yi didn’t know.

After completing the inspections, three more days passed. Jiu Yue felt like her calves had been worn down from wandering the palace.

“Should I go to Prince Fu’s residence, or should Prince Fu come to the palace?”

Jiu Yue looked at the already prepared detox tools and medicine and asked Li Feng.

Li Feng paused: “Doctor Jiu Yue, do you wish to detoxify Prince Fu first?”

Jiu Yue clicked her tongue softly. The emperor hadn’t seen her in days; this was probably because he wanted to confirm repeatedly whether she could really detoxify.

In these past days, he must have consulted trusted aides about Xue Huo and Jue Ning Zi.

But by the time they figured everything out… who knew how long that would take?

Jiu Yue wanted to finish the detox quickly. Afterward, she wanted to rush to Ji Yiqing for hugs and kisses.

But she couldn’t say it outright: “Your Majesty, it’s not that you don’t trust me, so you’re not letting me detoxify!”

Saying that would be a death wish. You don’t insult the emperor with your words!

So Jiu Yue racked her brain and came up with an excuse—more accurately, a fact:

“Prince Fu’s poison has already entered his lungs and heart. If we don’t detoxify him soon, it could be dangerous.”

Li Feng understood immediately: “Doctor Jiu Yue, please wait. I will report to Prince Fu and confirm before acting. His health is already very poor—I am unsure if he can endure the detoxification.”

Jiu Yue waved her hand. Consulting Prince Fu? That was just a euphemism for consulting the emperor.

She felt nothing about the emperor’s lack of direct trust. She had said it before: being emperor was a high-risk profession.

For Emperor Fengyuan to reach his position, he had gone through it all alone. Otherwise, why did so many emperors in history call themselves “solitary”?

Trust or mistrust was just a matter of words. The emperor didn’t trust anyone. Even if Jiu Yue said the antidote could work, his suspicion required absolute certainty before he acted.

And the Xue Huo and Jue Ning Zi she mentioned… only a few people in the world had ever heard of them. By the time the emperor gathered those few in the palace, Prince Fu would probably already be dead.

Thus, Jiu Yue decided on a simple, direct approach—detoxify Prince Fu herself.

Whether the emperor ultimately allowed it or not would be his decision. Jiu Yue had no intention of getting involved.