Chapter 47: Suddenly Critical

“As long as he dares to come, I will make sure he never returns.”

Xie Ning’s tone was filled with strength and confidence.

Li Qingning looked at him, and the slightest worry in her heart vanished instantly.

In its place was an unprecedented sense of reassurance.

It seemed that as long as she was by Xie Ning’s side, any difficulty could be resolved with ease.

“All right, let’s do it your way!”

Li Qingning nodded firmly, her eyes shining with determination.

Having reached their decision, both felt assured.

Xie Ning stayed a while longer, chatting with Li Qingning, but as night approached, he prepared to take his leave.

After all, the imperial edict had been issued, and as the prospective prince consort, it would not look good for him to keep residing at the Princess’s mansion.

Moreover, there were still many messes waiting for him to clean up at the Marquis of Dingyuan’s estate.

That old scoundrel Jia Yibo and his shameless stepmother—he had yet to settle accounts with them properly.

“I’ll head back first.”

Xie Ning stood up.

“You should rest early, and remember, from now on you’ll live in this courtyard. Don’t return to your old place.”

“Mm.”

Li Qingning nodded obediently and stood up to see him off.

However, just as Xie Ning reached the door and was about to open it, hurried footsteps sounded outside.

Then, a voice, even more urgent, called out.

“Your Highness, something terrible has happened!”

It was Tao Hua’s voice.

Li Qingning and Xie Ning exchanged a glance, both seeing a trace of solemnity reflected in each other’s eyes.

“Come in,” Li Qingning said gravely.

The door was pushed open, and Tao Hua hurried in, her face pale.

“Your Highness, there’s news from the palace… cough, cough, cough.”

Tao Hua gasped for breath and broke into a violent cough before finishing her sentence.

“Don’t rush. What happened? Take your time and tell me.”

Li Qingning supported her, and Xie Ning handed over a cup of tea.

Tao Hua drank it down in one gulp, barely catching her breath before continuing, “The Empress Dowager… is critically ill!”

What!

At those words, both Xie Ning and Li Qingning’s faces changed simultaneously.

The Empress Dowager critically ill?

How could that be?

She had been perfectly fine just hours ago in the Imperial Garden.

Although she had been quite upset then, her voice was strong and clear when scolding others—not at all the sign of someone near death.

How could she suddenly become critically ill in such a short time?

Li Qingning’s expression darkened immediately.

Though she had many conflicts with the Empress Dowager, she was still her biological mother.

Blood was thicker than water.

Upon hearing the news of her mother’s critical condition, her heart tightened, and all her resentments and grievances were replaced by worry.

“When did this happen? What did the imperial physicians say?”

Li Qingning asked urgently.

“Just now. The chief eunuch of Cining Palace personally delivered the message. After returning from the Imperial Garden, the Empress Dowager began to feel chest tightness and shortness of breath. Then she suddenly fainted and has not regained consciousness.”

“All the imperial physicians have been summoned, but… but they are powerless.”

Hearing this, Li Qingning could no longer stay seated.

She immediately turned and, walking briskly, commanded, “Prepare the carriage; I must enter the palace at once!”

She knew that if the Empress Dowager truly was in danger, the court would soon plunge into turmoil.

Moreover, her marriage to Xie Ning would likely be postponed.

The Empress Dowager’s sudden critical illness at such a crucial juncture was anything but simple.

Xie Ning watched her anxious retreating figure, his brow furrowing deeply.

“Xie Ning, you should return first. If anything happens, I will send word immediately.”

Li Qingning, burning with anxiety, issued that order before hurrying away with Tao Hua.

Soon, the spacious chamber was left with Xie Ning alone.

He stood still, frowning deeply, his mind racing.

The Empress Dowager critically ill.

No matter how he thought about it, the matter felt sinister.

A perfectly healthy person suddenly becoming critically ill?

Even a sudden heart attack or stroke wouldn’t manifest so rapidly.

And this happened inside the palace, with so many imperial doctors present, yet they were helpless.

“Perhaps it’s that kind of method again…”

Xie Ning murmured.

The first thought was of the feng shui master lurking in the shadows who had previously targeted Li Qingning with the Four Yin Absolute Death formation and used dark array techniques to crack the ancestral hall’s spirit tablet.

Now, he had even dared to strike at the Empress Dowager.

Was this man’s audacity boundless, to harm the Empress Dowager herself?

What was his ultimate goal?

Did he truly intend to wipe out the entire Li royal family at once?

But to what end?

The Worthy King?

If it was the Worthy King, how would harming the Empress Dowager benefit him?

With the Empress Dowager’s death, the young emperor would be utterly grief-stricken, and Li Qingning would undoubtedly enter a mourning period, plunging court affairs into chaos for some time.

Was he trying to seize power amid the disorder?

Xie Ning shook his head, sensing the situation was far more complicated.

He found himself growing concerned for Li Qingning.

Though she clashed with the Empress Dowager, she was still her mother.

A mother’s critical illness would surely weigh heavily on her heart.

Thinking of this, Xie Ning smiled wryly—after all, a biological mother’s plight unsettled Li Qingning so deeply that she had even forgotten he was half a doctor himself.

However, it was not yet appropriate for him to rush to the palace.

First, his identity was awkward—only a prospective prince consort, not yet officially wed.

Second, entering the palace now would draw undue attention and likely cause unnecessary trouble.

It was better to return to the Marquis of Dingyuan’s estate and wait quietly.

Once there was definite news from the palace, it would be time to act.

Having made up his mind, Xie Ning no longer lingered and turned to leave the Princess’s mansion.

Along the way, he pondered deeply on the Empress Dowager’s critical illness.

The more he thought, the more it seemed this was targeted at him and Li Qingning.

The Empress Dowager had been healthy until the young emperor issued the marriage edict—then suddenly fell ill.

This was clearly an attempt to make life unbearable for the two of them.

According to the rituals of the Great Qi dynasty, if the Empress Dowager truly passed away, Li Qingning, as her daughter, would have to observe three years of mourning.

No marriage would be permitted during that period.

By then, the opportunity would be long gone.

Even if she did not die but remained bedridden, the wedding would be postponed indefinitely—at least, there was no such thing as a “charm to dispel bad luck” in his experience here.

“A clever move to cut the root.”

Xie Ning sneered coldly.

Their enemy’s methods were not only vicious but also deeply scheming, with spies everywhere.

When Li Qingning returned this time, it might be necessary to consider cleansing those around her.

Though he could not yet interfere in palace affairs, he still had some say in Li Qingning’s residence.

The carriage wove through the streets of Jian’an City and soon arrived before the grand gates of the Marquis of Dingyuan’s estate.

Xie Ning lifted the curtain to look at the plaque bearing the four characters “Marquis of Dingyuan Estate,” feeling nothing stir within him.

This place felt more like a temporary inn than a home.

He jumped down from the carriage and headed straight into the estate.

Yet, as soon as he stepped inside, he keenly sensed something amiss.

The atmosphere within the mansion seemed to have changed.