Chapter 211 Tears shed in the phoenix tent for her only son; the emperor's body is in disarray, disrupting the heavens' heart.

"His Majesty has arrived!"

Emperor Zhao Tuo, dressed in his dragon robes, strode in with large, swift steps.

Seeing his son on the bed and Consort Shu weeping nearby, his expression turned incredibly grim in an instant.

"What is going on? Why is Prince Heng coughing up blood?" he demanded, barking at the imperial physicians.

Imperial Physician Zhang Zhongjing and the others all fell to their knees in a flurry.

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The Little Prince's consumption has reached a critical stage; we... we are incompetent!"

"Useless! You are all useless!" Emperor Zhao Tuo trembled with rage. "I have been providing for you imperial physicians with delicacies every day, yet at this critical moment, you cannot even save my only son! What use do I have for you!"

The Emperor's thunderous rage seemed to freeze the air in the entire hall.

Consort Shu threw herself at Emperor Zhao Tuo's feet, weeping and begging, "Your Majesty, please save Prince Heng, save our son! He is still so young, he cannot die!"

Emperor Zhao Tuo looked at his beloved consort and his only bloodline on the sickbed, his anxiety and rage beyond measure.

He paced back and forth in the hall irritably, then suddenly stopped and roared at Superintendent Wang Yue, the head eunuch beside him: "Pass my decree! Issue a reward to the world! Whoever can cure the Prince's illness, I will reward them with ten thousand taels of gold and grant them the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households!"

"As you command!" Superintendent Wang Yue replied hurriedly and retreated to pass the decree.

Under heavy rewards, there must be brave men.

A reward notice was issued from the palace and quickly spread throughout the entire capital and even the entire Great Xia.

Countless wandering doctors who claimed to have superb medical skills heard the news and flocked to the capital.

However, batch after batch of people were invited into the palace to treat the Prince.

The prescriptions they wrote were bizarre, and the methods they used were varied.

But the result was the same.

Prince Zhao Heng's condition did not improve at all; instead, because of being repeatedly tossed about, his body became increasingly weak, reaching the point where he could not take water or rice and was on the verge of death.

In Changle Palace, the atmosphere of despair grew thicker.

Consort Shu washed her face with tears all day long, had no appetite, and lost a significant amount of weight in just a few short days.

Emperor Zhao Tuo was also physically and mentally exhausted because of this and had not attended court for several days.

The entire court and harem of Great Xia were shrouded in a thick shadow because of this only imperial heir.

And this news naturally reached the Cold Palace.

Emperor Liu Sheng sat in the courtyard, listening to the report of his Secret Agents, his eyes flickering slightly.

He knew that an excellent opportunity had been delivered to him.

...

In the courtyard of the Cold Palace, the autumn wind was bleak.

Emperor Liu Sheng listened quietly to General Su Meng's report, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the stone table.

"... My lord, it has spread throughout the palace. The Little Prince has contracted consumption and is looking like he won't make it. The people from the Imperial Medical Academy and the so-called miracle doctors from outside are all helpless. His Majesty is furious, and Consort Shu is weeping to the point of fainting."

General Su Meng finished speaking and cautiously glanced at Emperor Liu Sheng's expression.

There was no expression on Emperor Liu Sheng's face, but in his deep eyes, a light that others could not understand flickered.

Consumption.

In ancient times, this was indeed an incurable disease.

But in his eyes, this was nothing more than a respiratory infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which could be completely cured.

Rifampicin, Isoniazid, Pyrazinamide, Ethambutol...

A series of modern drug names flashed through his mind. Any one of them could easily stifle those tiny tubercle bacilli in the cradle.

This was a god-given opportunity.

A once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity that could allow him to ascend to the heavens in one step and gain the Emperor's absolute trust.

Saving the Little Prince meant saving the foundation of Great Xia.

This credit was much greater than suppressing rebellions or eliminating treacherous officials.

But, the risk of this matter was also extremely high.

The Little Prince's status was noble; if anything went wrong, even if he had a hundred heads, it wouldn't be enough to be beheaded.

Moreover, as a eunuch, why should he claim that he could cure an incurable disease that even the Imperial Medical Academy was helpless against?

This itself was full of doubts.

Acting rashly would only invite unnecessary suspicion and trouble.

He needed someone with enough weight to vouch for him.

In Emperor Liu Sheng's mind, a lazy yet charming figure emerged.

The Empress Dowager.

He stood up and instructed General Su Meng, "Prepare the carriage, we are going to Cining Palace."

...

Inside Cining Palace, sandalwood incense curled gracefully.

The Empress Dowager leaned on the soft couch. After hearing Emperor Liu Sheng's purpose, her beautiful phoenix eyes narrowed slightly.

"You want to go and treat the Little Prince?" Her tone carried a hint of surprise.

"Yes." Emperor Liu Sheng's reply was simple and affirmative.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes."

The Empress Dowager was silent. She examined Emperor Liu Sheng in front of her carefully, as if trying to see something in his face.

The atmosphere in the hall became somewhat heavy for a moment.

After a long while, the Empress Dowager slowly opened her mouth: "Little Sheng, do you know what you are saying? That is the Emperor's only son, and also the future crown prince. He is the mortal enemy of me and my son. If anything happens to him, you... and I, will both be in massive trouble."

"This servant understands." Emperor Liu Sheng's expression remained calm. "But precisely because he is His Majesty's only son, this servant must go."

"Oh?" The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow. "Tell me."

"Empress Dowager, the Little Prince is critically ill, and His Majesty is burning with anxiety. At this moment, whoever can save the Little Prince is His Majesty's greatest benefactor." Emperor Liu Sheng's voice was clear and steady. "This favor is enough for His Majesty to overlook many things, and it is enough to make the position of the Western Depot as stable as Mount Tai."

He paused and continued: "More importantly, this is also your opportunity, Empress Dowager. Think about it, if this servant cures the Little Prince, what will Consort Shu think?"

The Empress Dowager's eyes gradually brightened.

She understood Emperor Liu Sheng's meaning.

If Emperor Liu Sheng could really create a miracle, not only could it consolidate his position, but it could also make the civil and military officials hold him in higher regard, and more importantly, it could bring him closer to Consort Shu.

This was indeed a high-stakes gamble.

The stakes were Emperor Liu Sheng's life and her own reputation.

But the return was also astonishingly large.

"How much certainty do you really have?" The Empress Dowager stared into Emperor Liu Sheng's eyes and asked word by word.

"Ten out of ten." Emperor Liu Sheng's reply was firm and decisive.

This confidence came from the modern medical knowledge in his mind and from those special medicines in the system mall.

The Empress Dowager looked at his confident eyes; for some reason, the doubt in her heart was diluted quite a bit.

This young eunuch always seemed to be able to create miracles that ordinary people could not imagine.

She pondered for a moment and finally made up her mind.

"Good." She sat up straight from the soft couch, a flash of determination in her eyes. "I will gamble on this with you!"

She immediately instructed Qin Shuang beside her: "Go, pass my imperial edict, and prepare the carriage for Changle Palace. In addition, send someone to the Imperial Medical Academy and call Imperial Physician Zhang Zhongjing over to me."