MCSCPM -Chapter 97 The Thorough Search

“Your Highness, something’s wrong!” A guard rushed in, his face pale with panic, sweat streaming down his forehead.

In the Crown Prince’s residence, Yin Qingyue heard this and allowed a small smile to appear—so the culprit’s tail had finally been exposed. Afraid of being discovered, she immediately reined in her little scheme.

“When did this happen?” Nangong Xiao asked, his tone icy.

“Your Highness, we were tracking that small eunuch yesterday. We went to the Imperial Hospital, and today… he disappeared,” the guard lowered his head, fearful of saying the wrong thing and incurring the Crown Prince’s wrath.

“Is that court physician associated with anyone?” Nangong Xiao asked softly, worry etched on his face. He feared exactly what was about to unfold.

“Your Highness… it is the personal court physician attending the Empress,” the guard stammered, drenched in sweat.

Nangong Xiao’s worry slowly turned to anger. “To the Imperial Study!”

Just as Yin Qingyue had suspected, it must have been someone close to the Empress acting behind the scenes.

“Father, Your Son reports,” Nangong Xiao said at the door of the Imperial Study. If it weren’t urgent, he wouldn’t have dared disturb the Emperor at this hour.

“Your Highness, isn’t this a bad time to bother His Majesty?” the eunuch outside asked, looking uneasy.

“Let him in.” True to form, father and son handled matters in the same decisive way.

“I discovered that someone has poisoned the Empress’s body,” Nangong Xiao declared loudly. The Emperor, Nangong Lin, was taken aback. How could someone dare poison his Empress so severely right under his nose?

“Yesterday, the Divine Physician reported to me that the Empress’s body contains another toxin, certainly administered by someone close to her. I sent people to investigate and discovered it is the personal court physician attending the Empress.”

“How dare they!” Nangong Lin slammed his hand on the desk, his feelings of helplessness and anger mixing. He was the ruler of the nation, yet even his Empress could not be fully protected. Someone dared poison her right under his watch—did they not wish to live?

“Father, I think we must locate this court physician immediately. Even my guards have failed to find him,” Nangong Xiao said, brow furrowed, looking at the Emperor.

“Send for the men.”

No sooner had the words fallen than the head of the Imperial Guards entered.

“You will accompany the Crown Prince in the search. Find this person at all costs,” Nangong Lin said in anger. Beyond the personal bond with the Empress, repeated poisonings in the palace had pushed him to the edge.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The Crown Prince left with the Imperial Guard captain. Being entrusted with such authority by the Emperor was a sign of great trust. In the palace, the Imperial Guard answered only to the Emperor, and any misstep was their responsibility.

“What is the Crown Prince asking us to search for?” The captain looked puzzled. He rarely worked under the Crown Prince, and angering the Emperor’s son would certainly complicate things.

“It’s the Empress’s personal court physician. Find him at all costs—even if it means searching the entire city!” The captain, hearing this, instinctively assumed the order was from the Emperor and replied promptly:

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

Nangong Xiao’s expression shifted instantly.

“What did you just say?” he asked coldly.

“I misspoke, Your Highness. Please forgive me,” the captain replied.

Nangong Xiao waved dismissively and turned away. There was no need to dwell on this—offending those close to the Emperor would only bring trouble.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

In Xiyang Garden, two women busied themselves with medicinal herbs in a room.

“Qingyue, have you heard about the Empress?” Lianfei suddenly asked.

“What is it?” Yin Qingyue asked, though she already suspected the answer.

“Today, the Emperor seems particularly angry. Even the Imperial Guards have been mobilized to thoroughly investigate who poisoned the Empress,” Lianfei said, putting down her jar and stepping closer to Yin Qingyue.

“Could the culprit really be someone close to the Empress?” Yin Qingyue asked, her face showing doubt. Nangong Mei’er had yet to reveal any clues.

“It’s only speculation. I just heard it from palace insiders,” Lianfei replied.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door.

“The Crown Prince?” Yin Qingyue opened the door to see Nangong Xiao standing there.

“The person who poisoned the Empress is her personal court physician. Father has asked me to assist in a thorough investigation,” he explained.

“Your Highness, I’ve already heard about this from Lianfei. Has the physician been found?” Yin Qingyue asked with concern.

“No. But this time the entire Imperial Guard has been mobilized. Finding him shouldn’t be difficult,” Nangong Xiao said, standing awkwardly at the door. Both felt a momentary tension.

“Please, Your Highness, come in,” Yin Qingyue said, finally letting him enter.

“The smell is a bit unpleasant. Please bear with it,” she added.

Nangong Xiao smiled slightly and walked forward, noticing Lianfei working with herbs in the room. Lianfei greeted him with a faint smile. He was familiar with her presence by now, often seeing her at Yin Qingyue’s side, but as the Emperor’s consort, she was his elder and to be treated with respect. Thankfully, Yin Qingyue remained, ensuring nothing inappropriate was said.

Seeing this, Yin Qingyue curved her lips in a small smile. “These past few days, thanks to Lianfei’s help, I wouldn’t have survived alone.”

Lianfei smiled deeper. “Help? I came to learn from you, of course,” she said playfully, winking at her.

“Lianfei…” Yin Qingyue looked at her helplessly. So innocent, so pure—it was impossible to scold her.

“You two continue here. I must accompany the Imperial Guard to search for that court physician,” Nangong Xiao said, already stepping out.

Yin Qingyue watched his departing figure with mixed feelings. Now that the culprit had been alerted, finding him wouldn’t be easy—but the Crown Prince’s investigation would surely help.

“Qingyue.” Lianfei’s voice pulled her back from her thoughts. Recently, Lianfei had noticed Yin Qingyue often lost in thought, troubled by something, yet never giving away her worries.

“What is it?” Yin Qingyue asked, seeing Lianfei leaning close.

“Qingyue, have you been overworked lately? Even a Divine Physician must care for her health!” Lianfei pouted adorably.

“I’m fine. It’s just that the Empress’s illness is tricky, so I sometimes study older prescriptions,” Yin Qingyue said, controlling her emotions to avoid revealing anything to Lianfei.

“If you need help, you must tell me,” Lianfei said sincerely. Yin Qingyue nodded quickly.

“I’ll need to be careful with my words and actions from now on,” Yin Qingyue thought uneasily. Recent palace events had everyone on edge, and it was no wonder she felt this way.

“Go see over there.”

“You follow me here.”

“Move, move, move…”

The Imperial Guard captain shouted, leading teams to thoroughly overturn the area.

Hours later, the Imperial Hospital was in chaos—herbs and supplies scattered everywhere.

“Have you seen this court physician?” the guards asked.

“No… yesterday he was here, but today he’s gone,” the physicians said nervously.

“Did we do something wrong? Why are the Emperor’s guards here?”

“Who knows? Probably he’s involved in something, otherwise they wouldn’t be here,” they whispered.

“You, what are you murmuring about? Do you want to die? If anyone is hiding him, and we find out, your heads will pay,” the captain snarled.

“Yes.”

“Yes.”

All the physicians replied in unison, none willing to offend someone so close to the Emperor.

Soon, a guard ran in frantically. “We searched everywhere, but there’s no sign of the court physician.”

“Search again!” The captain’s veins bulged in anger, looking terrifying.

“Yes, Captain.”

His brows knitted into a tight knot. His men couldn’t even find a single court physician—how could he report to the Emperor? He was furious.

“Captain, His Majesty is asking for you.”

Soon, the Imperial Hospital quieted down again, returning to its usual calm.

“Still found nothing?” the captain asked quietly. They were about to reach the Imperial Study. If he had nothing to report, he feared the Emperor’s wrath and the consequences it would bring.