Ch 340: An Extraordinary Person

The young prince, though unconscious, was clearly a plump and sturdy infant.

Lin Hao couldn’t help but be surprised; this was completely unlike the young prince she had imagined.

“The Imperial Physician is here!”

Someone shouted, and the several palace attendants surrounding the young prince immediately dispersed.

The Imperial Physician, having already learned the general situation from the palace attendant who delivered the message, quickly walked over, used a silver needle to prick the young prince’s Renzhong acupoint, and then inserted a pill the size of a green pea into his mouth.

The pill dissolved instantly, and the young prince, whose eyes were tightly closed, suddenly opened his mouth and vomited.

Seeing this, the Imperial Physician breathed a sigh of relief, carefully cleaned the vomit from the young prince’s mouth, and then removed his clothes, revealing red bumps all over his body and limbs.

“Prepare the medicine according to this prescription, and get some soft cloths…”

The Imperial Physician gave various instructions, and the palace attendants were immediately bustling about; Consort Zhuang held the young prince’s hand, her face full of worry.

Lin Hao’s eyes narrowed, and she couldn’t hide her shock for a moment.

The young prince… had a tail?

She subconsciously took half a step back, her heart churning.

She seemed to have discovered a secret that the Emperor had been desperately trying to conceal!

A cry rang out, Consort Zhuang breathed a sigh of relief, and glanced at Lin Hao.

Her eyes widened in shock: “Crown Princess, what are you doing here?!”

The others were also surprised and looked over in unison.

Lin Hao suppressed her shock and looked innocent: “I heard in Yuhe Palace that my younger brother had fallen unconscious, and I was very worried, so I came with the Consort.”

Consort Zhuang, usually composed, patted her chest.

In other words, the Crown Princess had been there the whole time!

Consort Zhuang subconsciously glanced at the palace attendants, seeing faces as bewildered as her own.

“Imperial Physician, how is the young prince?”

Only then did the Imperial Physician have time to wipe the sweat from his forehead: “He’s awake and has vomited; he’s temporarily out of danger. We need to observe him after he takes the medicine…”

“How could this have happened?”

The Imperial Physician walked to the table, picked up a snack from the plate and examined it, pondering: “It may be related to the snacks the young prince ate before he lost consciousness.”

Consort Zhuang’s face changed drastically: “Could these snacks be poisoned?”

The palace attendants all knelt down.

The Imperial Physician tested it with a silver needle, shook his head: “The snacks aren’t poisoned, but the filling contains Longevity Fruit. Some people are naturally unable to eat Longevity Fruit; once they ingest it, they may develop a full-body rash and even lose consciousness.”

Consort Zhuang’s expression improved slightly. She instructed the palace attendants to take good care of the young prince and invited Lin Hao to the West Room.

After a moment of silence, Consort Zhuang softly asked: “You saw everything?”

Lin Hao nodded.

Consort Zhuang’s expression changed constantly, and finally she sighed: “Although it was a coincidence, this cannot be hidden from the Emperor. You should return to the Eastern Palace; the Emperor may summon you and your husband for questioning later.”

“Thank you for reminding me, Consort,” Lin Hao thanked her, hesitated, and asked, “My younger brother… was he born like this?”

Consort Zhuang’s face fell, but seeing only concern and no fear on Lin Hao’s face, her expression softened: “Yes.”

Seeing that Consort Zhuang clearly didn’t want to say more, Lin Hao tactfully took her leave, returned to the Eastern Palace, and immediately dispatched a palace attendant to summon Qi Shuo back.

Qi Shuo returned quickly.

“Is there something wrong at home?”

Lin Hao dismissed the palace attendants and whispered: “I know what hidden illness the young prince has.”

After she finished describing what she had seen in Yun Gui Palace, Qi Shuo was also speechless for a while in shock.

A baby with a tail; no wonder the Emperor wouldn’t let the young prince be seen.

“I suppose it won’t be long before Imperial Father summons us,” Lin Hao said with a complicated expression.

“Knowing this secret isn’t necessarily a bad thing; Imperial Father shouldn’t make things difficult for us.”

Lin Hao leaned against Qi Shuo’s arm, her tone hesitant: “Ashuo, I’m a little undecided.”

“What’s wrong?”

“In my past life, on my way back to Beijing, I encountered a strange thing. A baby was thrown into the river by his own father and rescued by someone passing by. It turned out that the baby had six fingers on one hand. The baby’s father wanted to throw the baby back into the water, but no one in the crowd stopped him. Finally, someone stepped forward and said that the extra finger could be removed…”

“You mean—”

“I didn’t stay long because I was evading pursuit, but I only know that the baby’s family finally agreed to let that person remove the extra finger. As for what happened afterward, whether it was successful or not, I have no idea,” Lin Hao frowned slightly. “Ashuo, do you think, if an extra finger can be removed, can a tail also be removed?”

Qi Shuo was more cautious: “After all, the location is different; someone skilled in this should examine it first.”

Lin Hao pursed her lips slightly: “That’s what I’m hesitant about. This method is bound to have risks. If we suggest it and something happens to the young prince, we will inevitably have trouble. If it’s successful—”

She didn’t finish her sentence and silently looked at Qi Shuo.

If it were successful, there would still be trouble.

If the Emperor had a healthy and normal biological son, whether it was in a year or two, wouldn’t he eventually consider making his biological son the heir?

They weren’t greedy for power, but once they were in this position, even if they wanted to give it up, others might not let them.

Qi Shuo held Lin Hao’s hand, knowing her best: “But if we pretend we know nothing, won’t that also be unsettling?”

Lin Hao nodded.

A child with a tail; one can imagine the suffering he would endure in his life.

“Do you remember where you encountered this? What did that person look like? I’ll arrange for someone to investigate, and then we’ll discuss it based on the situation.”

“That person’s appearance was somewhat different from the Zhou people…”

Soon, an eunuch from Qianqing Palace came to summon the two of them. They saw Emperor Taian and made assurances that they would keep the young prince’s secret.

Even so, Emperor Taian still scolded Consort Zhuang.

“Today it’s the Crown Princess, what about tomorrow? I know, as long as people are alive, there are no secrets that won’t be revealed!”

Consort Zhuang knelt down and pleaded for the young prince for a while before the killing intent in Emperor Taian’s eyes receded.

More than a month later, Qi Shuo’s men brought back news.

The baby was now eight or nine months old, healthy after having his extra finger removed, becoming a local legend, and the person who saved him was temporarily staying in the village, coincidentally preparing to travel to Beijing.

“That person will be within our sight when he comes to Beijing. I will meet him personally once he arrives.”

“I’ll go. Ashuo, you have more opportunities to appear in public; I’m a woman; seeing people with a veil hat won’t arouse suspicion.”

Half a month later, Lin Hao, under the pretext of visiting her grandmother, met the remarkable person at an inconspicuous residential house.

He was a man with a high nose and deep-set eyes; although he had black eyes and black hair, it was clear that he wasn’t from Da Zhou or Qi.

“Who are you? Why did you bring me here?”

Lin Hao rose and bowed to the man: “I sincerely apologize for troubling you, sir. I have a request.”