Even women who travel through time can become prime ministers and nobles.

Chapter 546 The Crown Princess Suffers Poisoning and Hangs by a Thread

Granny Li ran out of breath, her face full of anxiety: "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! When I was questioning the palace maids and eunuchs just now, one of the eunuchs in charge of sweeping said that half an hour ago, he saw a man dressed in black with his face covered."

"He loitered suspiciously near the residence of Physician Qinghe, then apparently knocked out a palace maid, stole her waist token, and entered Physician Qinghe's courtyard!"

"Is there such a thing?"

Wang Leyao frowned even more deeply. "Where is that little eunuch now? Bring him to me!"

A moment later, a thin eunuch was brought in.

He knelt on the ground, trembling with fear, and dared not lift his head.

"What's your name? Tell me clearly what happened just now, and don't hide anything!"

Wang Leyao's voice was calm, yet it carried an invisible pressure.

The young eunuch swallowed hard and stammered, "Your Majesty, my name is Xiao Luzi. Just now, I was sweeping in the courtyard when I saw a man in black. He was very tall, his face was covered, and only his eyes were visible. He looked very frightening."

"He lingered outside the courtyard of Physician Qinghe for a while, and then saw a palace maid on guard passing by. He suddenly rushed up, covered the maid's mouth, knocked her unconscious, snatched her waist token, and then opened the gate and entered the courtyard."

"This servant...this servant was too scared to make a sound at the time, and only dared to speak when the nannies questioned me just now."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yanzhou clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles cracking.

This man in black is undoubtedly a remnant of Rongyang King's faction! They not only kidnapped the female physician Qinghe, but also knocked out the palace maid and stole her waist token. Their arrogant behavior shows they have nothing to fear.

"Your Majesty, I suspect that there may be more than one of these remaining members of the gang, and they may even be lurking in the palace."

Shen Yanzhou's gaze sharpened. "The palace coup has just been quelled, and people are in a state of panic. This is the perfect opportunity for them to take advantage of the situation."

Wang Leyao nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.

Just as she was about to speak, she heard Lin Chuying on the bed suddenly let out a painful groan. Then, she abruptly opened her eyes, and a mouthful of black blood gushed from the corner of her mouth, splattering onto the white brocade quilt, a shocking sight.

"Ying'er!" Shen Yanzhou exclaimed, rushing to the bedside and hugging her tightly.

Lin Chuying's eyes were unfocused, her face was ashen, and her breathing was so weak it was almost imperceptible.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but could only utter a faint breath.

Then her head lolled to the side and she fainted again, but this time, her breath was even weaker than before, as if it would stop at any moment.

"Imperial Physician! Send the message to the Imperial Physician quickly!"

Shen Yanzhou roared, his voice filled with despair.

Wang Leyao panicked and hurriedly ordered the palace maid, "Quick! Go to the Golden Palace and fetch His Majesty's chief imperial physician. Tell him that the Crown Princess is critically ill, or it will be too late!"

The palace maids dared not delay and ran frantically towards the outside of the palace.

The atmosphere inside the side hall was extremely tense.

Shen Yanzhou held Lin Chuying in his arms, feeling her increasingly weak breath. His heart felt like it was being tightly gripped by an invisible hand, the pain almost suffocating him.

He hated his own incompetence, for not being able to find the healer Qinghe immediately and save Chu Ying from her predicament.

Wang Leyao stood aside, watching her son's pained expression and her daughter-in-law's life hanging by a thread, feeling both anxious and angry.

Lin Chuying's symptoms at this moment are definitely not ordinary external injuries; she has clearly been poisoned!

Moreover, it is an extremely potent poison. If an antidote cannot be found in time, or if the healer Qinghe cannot save him, he probably won't last much longer.

Just then, Zhang Mama rushed in again, a hint of joy on her face: "Your Highness, Your Highness! This servant found a note at the bottom of Physician Qinghe's medicine chest!"

Shen Yanzhou suddenly raised his head, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes: "Quickly, bring it here!"

Granny Zhang quickly handed over the note.

It was a yellowed sheet of Xuan paper with a few hastily written characters on it using a brush. The ink was not completely dry, clearly written hastily by the female healer Qinghe.

Shen Yanzhou took the note and examined it carefully by the candlelight in the hall. It read: "The Crown Princess has been poisoned with 'Tethering Poison,' and the antidote requires 'Seven-Star Grass.' The remaining accomplices are..."

The writing stopped abruptly, as if it had been interrupted halfway through.

"Trapping Poison?"

Wang Leyao gasped in shock, her face turning deathly pale. "That's one of the most insidious poisons in the martial world, incurable! How could Qinghe..."

Shen Yanzhou swayed slightly; he had long heard of the formidable reputation of the Qi-Trapping Poison.

When this poison takes effect, the patient experiences convulsions, broken bones, and excruciating pain, with no antidote.

The female healer Qinghe wrote on the note that the antidote required Seven Star Grass. Could it be that Seven Star Grass can cure the Poison of the Trapping Mechanism?

However, Seven Star Grass is an extremely rare medicinal herb that cannot be found in ordinary places.

More importantly, the content at the end of the note was interrupted. Where are the remaining members?

Where exactly was Qinghe, the female healer, taken?

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the hall, and the chief imperial physician rushed over with several other imperial physicians.

As soon as they entered the hall, their expressions changed instantly upon seeing Lin Chuying's appearance and smelling the poisonous gas in the air.

"Imperial Physician, please save the Crown Princess!" Shen Yanzhou grabbed the chief imperial physician's arm, his voice urgent.

The chief imperial physician immediately stepped forward and carefully examined Lin Chuying's pulse.

A moment later, he released his grip, shook his head, and said with a grave expression, "Your Highness, Your Majesty, the poison that the Crown Princess has been afflicted with is the 'Tethering Poison'."

"This poison is extremely potent; it has already invaded my internal organs. I...I am powerless to help!"

"what?"

Shen Yanzhou was struck dumb, staggered back a few steps, and almost fell.

Wang Leyao could no longer stand and had to grab the table next to her to steady herself.

She looked at Lin Chuying, who was lying on the bed, barely breathing, and then at the note with half a sentence written on it. Her heart turned cold.

Is Chu Ying really beyond saving?

Just then, a commotion arose outside the hall, followed by a soldier from the Imperial Guard rushing in and kneeling on one knee: "Your Majesty, Your Highness the Crown Prince! Traces of the female healer Qinghe have been discovered in the dilapidated temple in the western suburbs of the city, but..."

"But she was tied to a pillar and was unconscious, and... and there were several corpses of men in black lying next to her!"

Shen Yanzhou suddenly looked up, a glint of wild joy flashing in his eyes: "Quick! Take me there!"

Without thinking twice, he turned and headed out.

Wang Leyao quickly grabbed him: "My son, you are injured, and it's dark and the road is slippery. Why don't you let the Imperial Guards bring Qinghe, the female physician, back first?"

"no!"

Shen Yanzhou shook his head, his tone firm, "Ying'er doesn't have much time left, I must go myself!"

"If Qinghe the healer has any last words, or if she knows the whereabouts of the Seven Star Grass, I can't miss this opportunity!"

After saying that, he broke free from Wang Leyao's hand and ran towards the outside of the hall.

Wang Leyao watched her son's retreating figure, feeling both anxious and worried.

Shen Yanzhou's mood at this moment was filled with anxiety. The city was fraught with danger, and those remaining rebels might still be lying in ambush nearby. Would he be in danger if he went there?

But she also understood that Shen Yanzhou would never back down for Lin Chuying's sake.

The flickering candlelight in the hall illuminated Lin Chuying's pale face on the bed.

The chief imperial physicians stood around the bed, at a loss for what to do.

Wang Leyao stood there, staring at the note with only half a sentence written on it, her heart filled with unease.

Will Qinghe, the female healer, wake up?

Where exactly is the Seven Star Grass? Do those remaining followers have any further schemes to carry out?

At this moment, Shen Yanzhou had already led the Imperial Guards and sped towards the dilapidated temple in the western suburbs of the city.

The night was as dark as ink, and the road ahead was uncertain. He didn't know whether hope or another, deeper trap awaited him.

Deep within the dilapidated temple, in the darkness, a pair of eyes were fixed intently on the direction of the entrance, a cold smile curling at the corner of their lips.

"Your Highness, now that you're here, don't even think about leaving."