Chapter 62: Sudden Crisis

At that very instant.

Watching the ice-cold blade descending toward his neck, Zhao Siwen was scared completely out of his wits!

Death!

Could he truly be about to die like this...

Yet, no one expected that just as Ning Chen was about to bring the heavy saber down, just as the crowd was seized with astonishment, and just at the moment of the Empress Dowager's furious rage, Ning Chen's blade suddenly stopped mid-air!

A surge of hot current, like a raging flood, rushed instantly into his throat!

The next second, with a choked sound, he abruptly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, which splattered across Zhao Siwen.

That youthful body collapsed right then and there, and the heavy saber in his hand fell to the ground with a loud clatter just before it could sever Zhao Siwen's neck.

Struck by this sudden turn of events, everyone froze in place.

W-What is the meaning of this?

Why did the young Emperor suddenly cough up blood and collapse to the ground?

Could it be that he was choked with anger...

An expression of alarm likewise surfaced on the Empress Dowager's face, yet no one noticed that a trace of hard-to-detect coldness still lingered within the depths of her eyes.

It looked like a sense of relief, or even more so, a sneer of triumph!

"Quick, take His Majesty back to the palace! Summon the imperial physicians at once!"

With a sharp command, the Empress Dowager immediately ordered her men to carry the unconscious Ning Chen back to the imperial palace.

Before leaving, the Empress Dowager cast a satisfied glance at Cao Dahai, who was quietly pushing his half-drawn military saber back into its scabbard.

Then, surrounded by an entourage, she headed back to the inner palace.

Leaving only Zhao Siwen frozen on the spot, letting out a long, heavy breath: "Th-That was close..."

Just as he spoke, a wave of warmth suddenly leaked from between his legs...

The Son of Heaven coughed up blood and fainted!

With so many commoners present, this momentous news spread rapidly, and the populace buzzed with endless discussions regarding the day's events.

Yet no one knew that within the Miaoyin Pavilion, Zhou Suruo had spent the entire day in breathless anxiety.

Nor did anyone know that Prince Yong, Ning Xuanzhi, had not even stepped outside that day!

And even less did anyone know that upon returning to his residence, the Prime Minister had immediately summoned several of his private advisors...

Within the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The imperial physician withdrew his fingers from taking Ning Chen's pulse and looked at the Empress Dowager with a complex expression: "Your Majesty, His Majesty was already of a frail constitution, and now, having suffered an overwhelming wave of grief and rage, it is truly beyond remedy. I fear his days are numbered..."

The Empress Dowager frowned slightly. After a moment of silent contemplation, she suddenly flew into a towering rage and rebuked, "How can this be?"

"Chen'er was perfectly fine, how can his days be numbered!"

"You pack of incompetent physicians, good-for-nothings..."

"I care not what methods you use, you must cure Chen'er for me, otherwise I will never spare any of you..."

With that, the Empress Dowager clutched Ning Chen's hand tightly and burst into loud, wailing tears, so deeply mournful and heart-rending that it was truly touching!

She cut the very picture of a mother grief-stricken to the point of death over the impending loss of her son.

After a long while, amid the repeated consolations of those around her, she finally managed to pull herself out of her sorrow.

"Xiao Anzi, tend to His Majesty with the utmost care. Should any mishap occur, I shall certainly not spare you..."

With that, she led her retinue away from the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

However, no one noticed that the moment she stepped out of the hall, the corners of the Empress Dowager's mouth curled upward in a barely perceptible smile.

She even patted the hands that had just held Ning Chen's small ones with an expression of intense disgust!

"Go, summon that man named Hu Wansan to my presence!"

Cao Dahai immediately acknowledged the order and departed.

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Seeing that everyone had left, Xiao Anzi finally gave vent to his suppressed emotions.

He dropped to his knees with a thud, tears streaming uncontrollably from his eyes.

Clutching Ning Chen's small hand tightly, he muttered continuously, "How could this be? How could this be? He was clearly fine, why did it turn out like this..."

"Master, please wake up, wake up..."

"Do not frighten this servant, I beg of you, please do not frighten this servant!"

"Your grand plan has yet to be fulfilled, Zhao Siwen has not yet perished, and the Empress Dowager has not yet—"

"You cannot fall here, you simply cannot..."

At this point, he suddenly began slapping his own face viciously, refusing to stop even as blood began to seep from the corner of his mouth:

"Useless, I am utterly useless!"

"It must be the poison given by the Empress Dowager, it must be!"

"Why haven't I found the antidote in time? Why..."

Suddenly, his gaze turned fiercely resolute, carrying a dense intent to kill: "The Empress Dowager! It must be that old witch!"

"Odious! Putting on such a hypocritical act right here just now!"

"Old witch, you had best pray that my master wakes up safely. Otherwise, even if I, Xiao Anzi, must forfeit everything, I will kill you..."

Night was about to fall.

Within the Palace of Fengyi.

The elderly matron looked at the Empress Dowager with a smile: "Your Majesty, today was truly perilous!"

"Had the young Emperor not suffered a sudden outbreak of poison, I fear Zhao Siwen would indeed have been executed by his blade!"

"And this Zhao Siwen is such an exceptional hand at generating wealth for you..."

At these words, the Empress Dowager smiled faintly, her face entirely devoid of the sorrow she had displayed earlier in the Hall of Mental Cultivation: "Rest assured, even if his poison had not acted up today, Zhao Siwen would not have died!"

"That little good-for-nothing thought he could do away with Zhao Siwen over a mere wager?"

"Simply laughable!"

The elderly matron frowned: "Yet the young Emperor was clearly on the verge of beheading Zhao Siwen just moments before..."

The Empress Dowager remarked, "Did you not see that Cao Dahai's blade had already left its scabbard?"

Saying this, a look of admiration crossed her face as she chuckled: "Though this Cao Dahai may not match Pan Yu in appearance, his mind is indeed nimble and he is well worth employing!"

"If my calculations are correct, he would have intervened in time to stop the young Emperor."

The elderly matron suddenly understood, then smiled and said, "Ah, it seems Your Majesty was entirely correct in choosing Cao Dahai to succeed as Commander of the Imperial Guards..."

Just as she spoke, Cao Dahai's voice rang out from outside: "Your Majesty, this subordinate has brought Hu Wansan. Shall I have him enter now?"

The Empress Dowager and the elderly matron exchanged smiles, then said, "Send him in."

With a squeak of the doors, a middle-aged man dressed in brocade—Hu Wansan—walked in with quick strides and respectfully dropped to his knees:

"This commoner Hu Wansan pays his respects to the Empress Dowager!"

The Empress Dowager frowned slightly, sizing Hu Wansan up for a moment before asking in a dark tone, "What is the meaning of those five million taels of silver?"

Hu Wansan grew instantly nervous, stammering, "Reporting to Your Majesty, all these funds were amassed in accordance with Your Majesty's wishes!"

"In accordance with my wishes? How so? I know nothing of this..." The Empress Dowager furrowed her brows deeply.

Hu Wansan said, "Your Majesty, are you familiar with Yuqiong Wine?"

"And the perfumes and soaps as well..."

The Empress Dowager nodded: "I am..."

Mid-sentence, she suddenly jerked violently, as if all the pieces of the puzzle had clicked into place in an instant, and looked at Hu Wansan in disbelief:

"You mean to say that this Yuqiong Wine, along with the perfumes and soaps, were all invented by you?"

Hu Wansan nodded and answered honestly, "Your Majesty, earlier when His Majesty ventured out of the palace, he happened to stroll into this commoner's firm and perceived that these goods could generate immense wealth!"

"Furthermore, he mentioned that the imperial treasury was empty and that Your Majesty was troubled daily by financial shortages!"

"His Majesty also claimed that he had a way to make these items sell in massive quantities, on the condition that all profits must be turned over entirely to the imperial treasury!"

"At the time, this commoner was indeed somewhat reluctant, but His Majesty stated this was an order from the Empress Dowager!"

"He also assured me that once Your Majesty beheld the riches, you would surely be well pleased, appoint this commoner as the sole imperial merchant, and even bestow upon me an official rank no lower than the third tier!"

"Th-Therefore, this commoner struck an agreement with His Majesty to transport all the earned silver directly to the eastern gate of the imperial palace today..."

Hearing this, the Empress Dowager could not help but freeze once more.

Recalling how Ning Chen had previously presented Yuqiong Wine, perfume, and soap before her, and how Prince Yong had named the wine during the Lotus Viewing Festival, a flash of intense shock crossed her eyes: Never did she expect that this little good-for-nothing actually possessed some capability and had planned everything out long in advance!

"Yet the question is, can these things truly generate such vast sums of money?" The Empress Dowager asked skeptically.

Hu Wansan thereupon honestly laid out the details regarding production, marketing, and the assistance provided by Prince Yong and others.

The Empress Dowager grew instantly ecstatic, springing to her feet in excitement: "So you mean to say these items can yield such immense profits year after year?"

Hu Wansan replied with certainty, "Far more than that!"

"Your Majesty, up to now, sales have been confined solely to the borders of Da Ning, and production capacity remains limited. If we continue to expand production and commercialize across the entire realm, including neighboring nations such as Da Jin and Xiyue!"

"The revenues will be even greater. This was precisely what His Majesty promised this commoner at the time, adding that Your Majesty would establish an official imperial merchant bureau with this commoner in charge..."

At these words, the Empress Dowager burst into a hearty laugh: "Splendid, splendid, splendid! Hu Wansan, you are a rare talent indeed!"

"Tomorrow, I shall establish a dedicated imperial merchant bureau, and you shall be its head—ranking at the upper second tier, exclusively charged with conducting commerce and generating wealth for me..."

Once Hu Wansan had departed, the Empress Dowager paced back and forth in great agitation, murmuring to herself:

"Never could I have imagined this, truly never..."

"That little good-for-nothing Ning Chen actually discovered such a rare talent and genuinely forged a path to boundless wealth for me..."

With that, a trace of regret suddenly welled up within her: "Ah, what a pity that he hasn't long to live..."

However, she remained entirely unaware of what followed.

As Hu Wansan stepped out of the Palace of Fengyi, a mysterious smile similarly surfaced on his face as he muttered to himself in secret:

"Who would have thought that the Empress Dowager would indeed be blinded by wealth—not only failing to investigate, but actually appointing me as the head of the imperial merchants!"

"The young Emperor is truly a man of divine foresight..."

Deep into the night.

Ning Chen slowly opened his eyes, gazed at Xiao Anzi whose face was red and swollen by his own hand beside the bed, and said with difficulty, "Xiao-Xiao Anzi, you..."

Xiao Anzi jumped up in great agitation: "Master, you're finally awake! Finally awake! Oh, thank the heavens, you scared this servant to death..."

Ning Chen let out a bitter, weak laugh: "It seems my time is truly running short..."