The imperial physicians were startled. This was the first time in many years they had seen such a pure red scorpion. At the same time, their hearts sank. The redder the scorpion, the more potent its venom. It was likely that Prince Xiaoyao would not survive this time.
Soon, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, who had received the news, captured the venomous scorpion in a bottle under heavy protection. They needed to research the scorpion's origin and its venom, not kill it. It was impossible for such a poisonous scorpion to appear on Prince Xiaoyao for no reason.
The Emperor, upon hearing the news, was greatly shocked. Regardless of his brother's usual recklessness, he was his only sibling and he wanted to save his life.
For two consecutive days, the imperial physicians were at a loss. Prince Xiaoyao weakened visibly. Seeing that the situation was not improving, the Emperor directly posted an imperial decree, promising rewards for anyone who could provide even a sliver of a clue. If someone could save Prince Xiaoyao's life, they would not only be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold but also appointed to the Imperial Academy.
The news caused a stir throughout the capital, and everyone was eager to try. On this day, Prince Xiaoyao's mansion was crowded with people. After seeing his symptoms, although no one could cure him, someone recognized the venomous scorpion. The person came from the Medical Immortal Valley, a small sect in the martial world. He had seen such a creature before and knew its venom was extremely potent, even his master had been helpless, let alone himself.
"Bai Hua Sect?" the Emperor repeated the name, murmuring to himself.
"Yes, this humble one has traveled in the martial world for a while and knows a little about it. It is a small sect in the martial world. Everyone in the sect excels at poison arts. If Your Majesty can find someone from their sect, perhaps His Highness can still be saved." a man dressed in white knelt before the Emperor, answering all questions truthfully and thoroughly.
After the Emperor inquired about the specific location of the Bai Hua Sect, he let the man leave.
Having some information was better than fumbling blindly. While the Emperor dispatched a team to invite people from the Bai Hua Sect, he also began to investigate Prince Xiaoyao's connection with the sect.
The steward of Prince Xiaoyao's mansion was startled upon hearing this and quickly explained the situation to the Emperor.
"You're saying that you paid a hefty sum to the Bai Hua Sect to deal with Wu Caiwei and Shangguan Ke, yet they are still alive and well, while my Emperor fell ill not long after?" The Emperor looked at him in shock. Su Dan Novel Network
The steward quickly nodded. His Highness had indeed harmed many people over the years. After his master fell ill, he had never suspected these two. He thought it was revenge from an enemy, but he never expected it to involve the Bai Hua Sect. Had he shot himself in the foot?
"But why would he target these two? As far as I know, neither of them is simple. Haven't you seen that even the Shangguan family couldn't do anything to him? Moreover, I don't recall my imperial brother having any dealings with them. Why would he want them dead so badly?" The Emperor was full of questions, voicing his doubts.
At this point, the steward dared not conceal anything and recounted the grievances between Prince Xiaoyao and Wu Caiwei from beginning to end.
The Emperor didn't know what to say about his imperial brother. It was just a woman, and she had been a prostitute. He had pursued her repeatedly, even trying to kill her, when she had ignored him. From a fair perspective, if these two had indeed done it, he would consider his own brother's death deserved. But he was his own brother, and he couldn't get past it.
However, although these two were suspects, it couldn't be confirmed that they were responsible. He immediately sent people to investigate if there had been any unusual occurrences in the Wu family recently.
Soon, they learned that there had been a brawl in the courtyard of the two, and it had been quite a commotion, with many people involved. However, the Wu family members stated that they had not seen any blood in their master's courtyard, nor any signs of a fight, let alone bodies. Only the couple knew what had happened that night.
As for Wu Caiwei and Shangguan Ke, after so long, apart from a loud argument between the couple on the morning Prince Xiaoyao fell ill, Wu Caiwei, in a fit of anger, packed a bag and left home. She rented a room at an inn. They were certain that Wu Caiwei had not left her room during this time. It was only two hours later that Shangguan Ke reluctantly came to her door, admitted his mistake, and said many conciliatory words, before Wu Caiwei reluctantly left with him.
At other times, the two of them honestly ran their shop. Because their business was good, they didn't even have time to eat every day, let alone go out. There were quite a few people who were jealous of their business, and correspondingly, more people paid attention to them. This should not be wrong. Although everything seemed normal, the Emperor still felt something was amiss.
The Bai Hua Sect was not particularly far from the capital. Unexpectedly, the Imperial Guards found nothing. The pavilions and towers on the mountain indicated past prosperity, but they searched everywhere and found no one. They didn't know what had happened to them. When they inquired with people from the martial world, everyone seemed bewildered.
The Emperor had no choice but to summon the two of them to the palace. They naturally denied it, only saying that they had indeed encountered people from the Bai Hua Sect provoking them that night, but they found that their martial prowess far surpassed theirs, so they fled in haste. The couple thought that living in the capital, even if they killed people from the martial world, it would cause trouble, so they did not pursue them further.
For some reason, the Emperor felt that things were not that simple. "My people have investigated the Bai Hua Sect. They disappeared after leaving you. Do you know where they went?"
"They disappeared? How is that possible? Are they afraid of our retaliation? When would we have the time to go out of the capital to deal with them?" Shangguan Ke and Wu Caiwei immediately showed expressions of surprise and disbelief.
The Emperor stared at them intently, releasing his oppressive aura. If they were ordinary people, they would have broken down and confessed long ago. But who were they? They had once been Emperor and Empress, and they looked at him calmly.
If they were someone else, the Emperor could have them arrested, imprisoned, and tortured to extract a confession. However, his men had traveled the martial world and had inquired about their reputation. When the Emperor learned that their martial arts skills were among the best in the current martial arts world, he was greatly surprised. No wonder the Shangguan family couldn't do anything to them. If they angered the two, they wouldn't even be able to keep their heads.
Of course, he couldn't afford to offend people like them. Despite the strict security of the imperial palace, top experts could still enter and leave with ease.
After realizing this, his gaze softened unconsciously, and he asked kindly, "My imperial brother has been poisoned by a red scorpion. Do you have a way to cure him?"
Shangguan Ke hesitated for a moment and said, "There is a method, but I don't know if it will be effective for him."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor's spirits immediately lifted, and he eagerly said, "Tell me about it."