"You have 'Peach Blossom Malady'?"
Upon hearing this condition, Xiao Jingheng's gaze unconsciously fell upon Zhao Hua.
Zhao Hua was also surprised to say, "Prince An has the same hidden illness as I do? But...during the banquet today, what was served was the Osmanthus Drink, wasn't it? How did Prince An end up drinking Peach Blossom Wine instead?"
Xiao Jingheng said, "Concubine Jing always brews Peach Blossom Wine. I knew that you, Zhao Hua, suffer from Peach Blossom Malady, so I had your wine changed to the Osmanthus Drink. But for Prince An..."
He fell silent in thought for a moment before asking the court physician:
"When the Empress previously suffered from this hidden illness, I had asked Chief Physician Chu about it. He told me that this disease is almost always an innate weakness one is born with. If the parents do not have this condition, then the chances of their offspring contracting it are extremely low. The Former Emperor would not have had this illness, so could it be that Princess Dowager Jinggui is also averse to peach blossoms?"
The court physician confirmed Xiao Jingheng's speculation, and as Xiao Jingheng recalled carefully, it did seem that Princess Dowager Jinggui had indeed never visited areas where peach blossoms were planted.
Xiao Jingheng did not explicitly mention this matter afterward, but from his expression, Zhao Hua could easily discern that although he did not voice it, he certainly harbored suspicions in his heart.
Xiao Jingheng's illness required rest, so he should have stopped attending court sessions.
But with the unrest in the outer regions only just stabilized, he thought ahead and how could he rest at such a time?
So the next morning, he still stubbornly attended the court session.
However, not even halfway through the morning court session, he suddenly collapsed from physical weakness and was hastily sent back to the Chaoyang Palace.
When news of this reached the Feng Luan Palace, the consorts of the six palaces were paying their respects to Zhao Hua.
Upon hearing the maid Xiao Fu relay this news, Zhao Hua displayed a worried expression, quickly dispersed the audience, and hurried in a sedan to the Chaoyang Palace.
Along the way, Xiao Fu quietly told Zhao Hua:
"Your Majesty, last night the Emperor ordered a jar of wine to be sent as a gift to Princess Dowager Jinggui, saying it was a reward for the New Year's Eve."
Zhao Hua asked with concern, "What is her current condition?"
Xiao Fu said, "She was treated promptly and is not in any serious danger."
Only then did Zhao Hua's worries ease slightly.
Now that it was confirmed that Princess Dowager Jinggui also suffered from Peach Blossom Malady, Xiao Jingheng, beset by his own illness, should have no time to harbor further suspicions.
The sedan hurried along and soon arrived at the Chaoyang Palace, where Zhao Hua saw a man dressed in black robes kneeling before Xiao Jingheng's dragon bed.
The man had his hood pulled down low, nearly covering half his face, cutting an ominous figure that sent chills down one's spine.
In his hand, he held an ugly insect talisman and was guiding it to feed on something from Xiao Jingheng's wrist.
From his attire and treatment methods, this person was most likely the shaman doctor Xia Ze mentioned by Xiao Jingheng.
Under his treatment, Xiao Jingheng, who had previously looked exhausted, now appeared full of vigor and much more energetic.
After the treatment, Xia Ze packed his medicine box and solemnly instructed Xiao Jingheng:
"Your Majesty is deficient in vital essence and needs to rest in order to replenish the lost energy. You must not overexert yourself during this period - attending court sessions is absolutely forbidden."
After today's episode, how could Xiao Jingheng dare to defy the doctor's orders?
"I understand. Thank you for your efforts today. You may leave now."
After Xia Ze departed, Zhao Hua walked slowly to the side of the dragon bed and sat down, her expression displeased as she said:
"Xiao Lang, do you not care for your own health, or do you simply not care about your consorts? If something were to happen to you, what would become of me?"
She was extremely concerned about Xiao Jingheng. Hearing of his repeated illness had given her quite a fright.
Now, sitting before her husband, her emotions welled up, and she could not help but burst into tears.
Xiao Jingheng reached out and gently wiped away her tears, quickly reassuring her:
"This was my own arrogance. I have done wrong. Zhao Hua, do not cry. I promise you that from now on, I will take good care of my health and not cause you any more worry."
"Really?" Zhao Hua looked at Xiao Jingheng with glistening, anxious eyes. "But Xiao Lang is devoted to the affairs of the world. How can you possibly put aside matters of state?"
Xiao Jingheng said, "State affairs cannot be neglected, so I plan to have the Crown Prince act as Regent in my stead."
"Cheng Yu?" Zhao Hua's eyes widened in surprise as she shook her head. "Cheng Yu is only six years old. How can he take on such a heavy responsibility?"
Xiao Jingheng took Zhao Hua's hand and gently tightened his grip on her palm.
"I know. That is why I intend for you to handle court affairs behind the screen. During the morning court sessions, you will listen and report to me what you have heard. I will teach you how to handle each matter, and the following day, you can convey my instructions on my behalf."
Zhao Hua had exhausted all her efforts to drain Xiao Jingheng's vigor, step-by-step taking away his authority, just to have him arrange for her to be a puppet ruler. Although she would only be a figurehead, it brought her one step closer to the throne, which delighted her immensely.
But outwardly, she only appeared anxious and uneasy.
"Xiao Lang, I cannot handle such matters... And even if I could, you would still be overexerting yourself. Did you not intend to appoint Prince An as the Regent long ago? Why not let him handle affairs during this period..."
"Him? Hmph."
At the mention of Prince An, Xiao Jingheng's expression darkened momentarily as he sneered with veiled meaning:
"I have yet to determine from where this bastard crawled out!"
Upon hearing these words, Zhao Hua's heart skipped a beat.
She struggled to remain calm, feigning disinterest as she asked, "Xiao Lang, why do you say that?"
Xiao Jingheng said gravely, "Zhao Hua, did you know that Princess Dowager Jinggui reported a sudden attack of Peach Blossom Malady to the Imperial Physician's Quarters last night?"
Zhao Hua nodded calmly, "The servants from the Shoukang Palace informed me early this morning, and I have already arranged for a physician to examine her."
"What is there to examine? It would be better if she died from this attack."
Xiao Jingheng bluntly uttered this jarring remark. After his agitated emotions had calmed somewhat, he managed to compose himself.
"The Former Emperor did not suffer from Peach Blossom Malady, yet Prince An does. So I wanted to know if Princess Dowager Jinggui has this hidden illness. Last night, I deliberately awarded her a jar of Peach Blossom Wine as a New Year's gift.
What no one knew was that the Peach Blossom Wine was merely an imitation brewed by Concubine Jing to have a peach blossom aftertaste, but was in fact simply the Osmanthus Drink with no relation to peach blossoms whatsoever."
At this point, Xiao Jingheng's eyes narrowed slightly, and his right hand unconsciously clenched into a fist, the veins on his forearm protruding.
"I very much want to know how Princess Dowager Jinggui, after drinking the Osmanthus Drink last night... could have suffered an attack of Peach Blossom Malady!"
