His face changed drastically, and his voice turned sharp and colorless:
"The Crown Prince is the heir of the nation, so esteemed! It is not that I dare to offend, but this concerns the integrity of the state, and cannot tolerate the slightest mistake. Since the Prince says the Crown Prince has fallen into madness and is unlike ordinary people, I must, with great boldness, request the Crown Prince to show himself. If it is truly so, I will apologize to the Prince. When we return to the capital, I can also explain to His Majesty and request the expertise of the Imperial Hospital to diagnose the Crown Prince."
Zhu Sheng looked indifferently at the persistent Crown Prince’s attendant. After a while, he slowly said, "Then please follow me to the Crown Prince’s residence."
The residence of the Crown Prince at the Long Pavilion.
Zhu Huai’an was being chased around the courtyard by maids and servants.
In the pavilion, the Princess of the Long Pavilion was wiping her tears and turned her gaze to the somewhat restrained brothers of the Wu Family in front of her.
"I know you are friends of Huai’an, and also the top three in this year’s mansion exam. It warms my heart as a mother that Huai’an could make friends with you. But Huai’an now..."
The Princess of the Long Pavilion sighed softly and entrusted them, "I must ask you to stay here for a few days. If you could help the Crown Prince recover his sanity, that would be the best."
As they were talking, a group of people surged into the courtyard.
The princess sent someone forward to inquire, but was ordered to return by the Prince, who only instructed his subordinates to bring Zhu Huai’an in front of everyone.
"Hehe, Immortal Pill, my Immortal Pill, I won’t let you eat it!"
Zhu Sheng looked at his beloved son nibbling on a goose egg-shaped stone, unable to control the twitch in his eye.
"What are you all standing around for? Quickly take the thing out of the Crown Prince’s hand!"
The chubby boy was well-fed in the Prince Mansion, growing up robustly. How could the maids and servants snatch it away?
One by one, they were knocked over by Prince Zhu, and the courtyard suddenly became chaotic again.
The guards of the Prince Mansion didn’t dare to use force either. After a lot of effort, they finally pried open the Crown Prince’s mouth and took out the saliva-covered goose egg-shaped stone.
Li Zhong came up to Zhu Huai’an, forced a smile, and tentatively said, "Crown Prince, do you recognize me?"
Seeing Li Zhong’s gentle face, Zhu Huai’an’s mouth quivered, and he burst into loud wailing.
"Immortal Pill, the old monster took my Immortal Pill, I can’t become an immortal!"
Li Zhong’s smile froze, he stood up and looked at the Prince of Long Pavilion.
"Prince, the Crown Prince indeed seems to have fallen into madness..." As Li Zhong was considering his words, he inadvertently looked at the true Crown Prince.
The always expressionless groom continued to stare intensely at Prince Zhu, as if verifying whether he was truly insane.
Seeing this, Li Zhong gritted his teeth and said, "I know a bit about medicine, please let me take a closer look at the Crown Prince’s condition."
Zhu Sheng frowned and asked, "What do you want to do?"
"Prince, it’s not that I dare to harm the Crown Prince. I just want to confirm once again. When we return to the capital, I can testify for the Prince, and perhaps say some good words to His Majesty for the Prince."
Zhu Sheng recalled the elderly and frail appearance of Emperor Longping, hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "I will trust you this one time. Remember, you only have the time of half an incense stick."
After speaking, Zhu Sheng ordered the guards to monitor Li Zhong’s every move and he went alone to the pavilion to wait.
On the spot, Li Zhong called over his subordinates and whispered something to them.
When the subordinate came again, he had a cloth bundle in his hand, seemingly wrapped with a piece of damp and soft mud.
"What a stench! What are you holding in your hand?!"
Li Zhong took the cloth bundle and ignored the questioning of the Prince Mansion guard. With a smiling face and bent knees, he approached Prince Zhu, opened the cloth bundle, and said, "Crown Prince, the old monster returned the Immortal Pill, it’s soft now, do you want to try it?"
Zhu Huai’an’s eyes lit up at the words and he came closer.
"Ew!" The chubby boy leaned back tactically, covering his nose and mouth with both hands, "This Immortal Pill smells bad!"
Li Zhong smiled even more, "Bitter medicine is good for sickness. Immortal Pill is originally smelly; if the Crown Prince doesn’t eat it soon, it will lose its effectiveness!"
Zhu Huai’an looked curious, endured the foul smell, holding his nose with one hand, and dipped a bit of the ’Immortal Pill’ with the other hand, putting it into his mouth...