The emperor had not appointed a crown prince, but everyone present knew that the eldest son born to the empress had long been the designated crown prince. Before the Empress Dowager went to Hanshan, she had issued an imperial decree that the eldest son's education should follow the rules for the crown prince.
Therefore, over the years, even though the emperor had not explicitly issued an order to appoint a crown prince, everyone knew that the eldest prince would be the future heir to the throne.
The queen's face became paler as she looked at the concubine who had proposed to her. Although she had given up on her feelings for Murong Zheng, she still felt very repulsed by the thought of facing his death and even what would happen after his death.
"The emperor is still fine. This is not the time to discuss the crown prince. Now, we should find out the source of the emperor's poisoning and find an antidote."
As she spoke, the Queen's voice was still trembling.
Even though he never fulfilled his responsibilities as a husband to her, he was still a good emperor and was very attentive in educating his eldest son.
She thought she could just ruthlessly abandon it all, but now, she didn't expect that he would be the one to abandon her and her son.
"Mother, please take this to father." Murong Kai naturally saw the sadness in the queen's eyes. He slowly stepped forward and stuffed the Ruyi Bottle into the queen's hands.
The queen looked down at the bottle in her hand and looked at Murong Kai in surprise. Murong Kai said softly, "Mother, it's the Ruyi Bottle."
The Ruyi Bottle is Bei'an's national treasure. Just carrying the bottle can relieve many poisons. The juice inside is even more precious. Even if it cannot detoxify, it can relieve toxins and save lives.
The queen looked at Murong Kai in shock and was unable to recover for a long time. Such a treasure would have made the emperor Bei'an hesitate even if she, the queen, had asked for it personally. But now, it appeared in Murong Kai's hands.
However, after the shock, the queen understood in her heart that it must be Ah Man who gave the Ruyi Bottle to Murong Kai after knowing that the emperor was seriously ill.
That child, really, gave her too much shock.
"Akai, if your father uses this Ruyi Bottle, you will owe him a huge favor." The Queen spoke solemnly. Although she really hoped that Murong Zheng could wake up, the price would ultimately be paid by Murong Kai.
"Mother, I'm ready." Murong Kai spoke with confidence. Before Ah Man told him that the medicine in the Ruyi Bottle could relieve the poison, he had already decided to join hands with her in this life. She gave him the Ruyi Bottle, and he would give her his whole life.
"Akai, what nonsense are you talking about? What preparations have you made? The Ruyi Bottle was given to you by Princess Jiaoyang of Bei'an, right? You have good intentions to save your father, but if the princess wants to take you away from Da Zhou and give you the title of a prince, are you willing?"
Concubine Jin was shocked when she found out that it was A'man who gave Murong Kai the Ruyi Bottle, but after the shock, she was left with only panic in her heart.
She was very sure that if the medicine in the Ruyi bottle was given to the emperor, her son would probably follow Princess Jiaoyang of Bei'an.
Murong Kai looked at Concubine Jin with a faint smile on his face, but his words were straight to the heart: "Mother, do you mean that father's life is not as important as the rest of your son's life?"
"I didn't. How could I think like that? I just felt..." Murong Kai was of course talking about Concubine Jin's thoughts. In Concubine Jin's heart, the life or death of the man she loved had nothing to do with her. What she cared about was her son, and she wanted her son to be well.
"Empress Jin, you worry too much. If this Ruyi Bottle saves the emperor's life, my Great Zhou will certainly reward Princess Bei'an and Princess Jiaoyang. I just said those words to Akai just to let him know that someone is willing to give up their most precious treasure for him. This friendship must be remembered in my heart."
Seeing that Concubine Jin was still determined to make Murong Kai and A'man draw a line between each other at this time, the Queen felt a little angry and her words were full of sarcasm.
Concubine Jin was a smart person and naturally knew what the Queen meant. She wanted to explain, but could not think of a good reason. She could only watch awkwardly as the Queen took the Ruyi Bottle into the Emperor's bedroom.
(End of this chapter)