.The Empress was stunned by this revelation, and Nangong Qing, too, looked at Xue Shao in confusion.
"Zhongjing, what do you mean by that?"
"Before I treated the Crown Prince, someone had already given him a Baoxin Pill. Without it, given the Crown Prince's condition, he would not have made it this far and would have likely already passed away before I arrived."
"Baoxin Pill?"
The Empress had never heard of such a pill before, but Nangong Qing seemed to realize something and turned to glance in Jiang Mingzhu's direction.
"The Baoxin Pill is a life-saving medicine refined by my ancestor Zhang Xuan using extremely rare medicinal ingredients. Although it cannot bring people back from the dead, it can stabilize the heart and preserve life in critical moments. Only six pills were ever made. Many years have passed since my ancestor's death, and three of the pills were used long ago. The whereabouts of the remaining three have been unknown until now. To think I'd see one in the palace today."
Upon hearing Xue Shao's explanation, the Empress suddenly understood. She recalled the pill the Empress Dowager had given the Crown Prince earlier. Could that have been a Baoxin Pill?
Impossible. The Empress Dowager couldn't possibly be that kind-hearted. She was clearly trying to harm the Crown Prince!
"Mother Empress, I thank you on behalf of Yier!"
Nangong Qing's feelings were complicated. The Empress didn't know, but he did—when the Empress Dowager had given birth to the Third Princess, it was a Baoxin Pill that had saved her life. So the remaining three pills had been in the Empress Dowager's possession all along.
He had initially suspected that it was the Empress Dowager who had harmed the Crown Prince.
Jiang Mingzhu accepted Nangong Qing's gratitude with a guilty heart. But after years of being the Empress Dowager, she knew better than to let her feelings show. Her tone remained sharp.
"Hmph. No need for thanks. Your precious Empress already assumed that I was the murderer and was ready to fight me to the death!"
Now that the Crown Prince had been saved, the Empress regained her composure. Moreover, knowing that the Baoxin Pill belonged to the Empress Dowager, it became clear that she could not have been the one trying to harm the Crown Prince. Even if she was pretending to be benevolent, she wouldn't have wasted such a rare and precious pill.
Facing the Empress Dowager's mocking tone, the Empress knelt with a thud.
"It was my foolishness that clouded my judgment. I was deceived by others and wrongfully blamed Mother Empress. Yet Mother Empress was kind enough to save Yier. I am deeply grateful!"
"I don't care for your gratitude. I only saved the Crown Prince because he's obedient and filial. After today, keep the Crown Prince far away from me. My Cining Palace does not welcome you or your son!"
Jiang Mingzhu finished admonishing the Empress and turned her gaze to Nangong Qing, the stepson she once wished to eliminate.
"I may not like the Empress and the Crown Prince, but I would never go so far as to harm the Crown Prince. You'd better investigate this matter thoroughly. I'd like to know who dared to act in the shadows and make me a scapegoat!"
Jiang Mingzhu's voice was icy, each word laced with anger.
In her previous life, the Crown Prince's death had driven both the Emperor and the Empress to madness. They sought to uproot her influence in the palace, leaving her no time to investigate the truth. By the time she realized something was amiss, all evidence had been erased.
Thinking back, it was as if an invisible hand had been manipulating events from the shadows.
"Rest assured, Mother Empress. I will uncover the truth behind this matter."
Even without the Empress Dowager's insistence, Nangong Qing had no intention of letting the culprits go. Whoever dared to harm the Crown Prince would face severe consequences. However, given the use of the Baoxin Pill, it was clear that the Empress Dowager wasn't behind this. Someone else had exploited her reputation.
"I'll await your findings, Your Majesty. I'm tired now. This has been a long and exhausting ordeal. Return to your duties—I'm going back to the Cining Palace."
With a wave of her hand, Jiang Mingzhu ended the discussion and was carried back to the Cining Palace in her sedan chair, escorted by a retinue of servants.
Jiang Mingzhu truly felt drained. The memories of her past life were still vivid, and today's events had left her little time to think. Acting on instinct, she had saved the Crown Prince, but now her mind was racing.
"Yiqing, investigate this thoroughly. The Crown Prince's near-drowning is no accident. I want to know who's behind this!"
As soon as she returned to the Cining Palace, Jiang Mingzhu ordered her most trusted confidant to look into the matter.
While she had told the Emperor to investigate, she couldn't rely on him entirely.
In this new life, Jiang Mingzhu wanted to stay out of palace affairs and live a peaceful life. But survival came first—she couldn't let her guard down.
The tensions with the Emperor, his suspicions of her, and their longstanding animosity weren't things that could be resolved in a day. At best, the Crown Prince's survival had delayed the inevitable conflict.
"Do you believe someone other than the Emperor is pulling the strings behind the scenes?" Yiqing asked.
"I may dislike the Crown Prince, but I wouldn't stoop to killing him. Yet today, he nearly drowned right under my nose."
"Understood. I'll begin the investigation immediately."
Jiang Mingzhu nodded.
The only person she could trust with this task was Yiqing, the head of her shadow guards. In her previous life, Yiqing had been assassinated by the Emperor, leaving her vulnerable to betrayal by her own son.
"Whoever is behind this has hidden themselves well. If it weren't for today's incident, I wouldn't have suspected a thing. Be thorough and report back to me immediately if you find anything."
The thought of an unseen enemy manipulating events left Jiang Mingzhu uneasy.
"Your Grace, Lord Jian'an requests an audience."
Before she could catch her breath, a servant announced the arrival of her elder brother.
"Minister greets the Empress Dowager!"
Jian'an Hou bowed with proper decorum, as he always did in front of his younger sister.
"Brother, you're here about the Crown Prince, aren't you?"
"I heard the Crown Prince narrowly escaped death and hurried to the palace. Sister, you acted too hastily. The Emperor has grown stronger, and if provoked, he might act rashly."
Her brother's concern was genuine, and Jiang Mingzhu felt a pang of guilt.
Her elder brother had no grand ambitions, unlike their second brother. He only wanted her to live well in the palace. In her previous life, he had been dragged into her rebellion and met a tragic end, along with their entire family.
"This matter wasn't my doing. If it were, I wouldn't have wasted a Baoxin Pill on the Crown Prince."
Hearing this, Jian'an Hou sighed in relief. Though he regretted the loss of such a precious pill, the Crown Prince's survival likely prevented greater chaos.
"As long as it wasn't you. But sister, you must keep the last pill for yourself. The palace is dangerous, and you may need it someday."
Jian'an Hou's concern was evident. Though he lamented the cost, the Baoxin Pill had prevented a worse outcome.
"By the way, the plan you asked me to prepare is ready. After the court session the day after tomorrow, we'll pressure the Emperor—"
"What did you say?!"
Jiang Mingzhu, who had been sipping tea, almost dropped the lid of her teacup at his words.