Chapter Sixteen: The Crown Prince Nearly Choked to Death

Oh no, could Yunbai have poisoned someone again? Su Jingluo was so anxious she nearly choked herself. But then the eunuchs and palace maids cried out that the crown prince was choking—quick, summon the imperial physician, hurry! The tension in Su Jingluo’s heart suddenly eased.

But if they waited for the imperial physician, the child would suffocate. The maids and eunuchs flustered around, digging at Xiao Chengze’s throat and pouring water down, only making things worse—his face went from red to a bluish purple.

“Move aside, let me handle this!” Su Jingluo knew the crown prince was choking, and that water and poking his throat would only exacerbate it.

But the palace staff refused to let go, still frantically fumbling at Xiao Chengze.

“If you don’t move, the prince will be dead any minute!” Su Jingluo shouted in panic. The entire hall fell silent; how daring this princess consort was! Everyone was stunned.

Su Jingluo assumed they’d treat her like a savior, standing respectfully to the side, so she hurried to Xiao Chengze’s side. She slid her arms under his armpits, clasped him tightly from behind, one hand formed a fist, the other gripping it firmly, and pressed her thumb just above his navel, thrusting inward and upward forcefully.

It was the classic Heimlich maneuver for choking, though it looked brutal—little Xiao Chengze seemed to be violently squeezed by Su Jingluo, his pain even more apparent.

The palace maids and eunuchs screamed in terror.

“The princess consort is murdering the crown prince! Someone, seize her!” A crowd rushed toward Su Jingluo.

At that moment, a small figure darted in front of Su Jingluo, scattering a handful of white powder. Instantly, those rushing forward collapsed to the ground, howling and clawing at their exposed skin.

“It hurts! Ah, it itches—so miserable!”

“Who dares touch my mother?” Yunbai glared fiercely, her big eyes full of menace, tiny fists clenched tight.

“Guards, guards, quickly—seize Su Jingluo and this little demon child!” The empress, abandoning her gentle facade, urgently summoned guards from outside the hall.

“Whoever lays a hand on them, I’ll make sure they die!” Xiao Jingxuan suddenly charged forward, shielding Yunbai and Su Jingluo. The guards hesitated. Xiao Jingxuan was famed at the border as the Great Shang Dynasty’s God of War, once breaking through an encirclement of a thousand, slaying eight hundred enemies. The guards were in a quandary—approaching might mean death, but staying back could mean death as well.

“Xiao Jingxuan, are you rebelling?” The emperor, no longer brotherly, seized the chance to turn hostile. Killing Xiao Jingxuan in the hall would not be unreasonable. But Xiao Jingxuan was fierce, and the situation had come too suddenly for the emperor to prepare—besides, his own son was still being pummeled in someone else’s hands.

Tension mounted, both sides wary.

“Waa!”

“Waa!”

The first cry came as Xiao Chengze spat out a huge chunk of pork knuckle; the second was his wailing.

Aside from his cries, the hall was silent.

Xiao Chengze’s face shifted from bluish purple to red, his cheeks streaming with tears and snot.

Su Jingluo collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath—it took strength to save a life.

“Prince, crown prince!” Everyone finally came to their senses, rushing to comfort and check on him.

“Let him be, let him rest alone for a moment—don’t crowd around,” Su Jingluo quickly barked at them. If something’s wrong, they’re frantic; if nothing’s wrong, they’re still a nuisance—a bunch of meddling fools.