Wei Mian and several guards stood at the entrance of the Fourth Prince’s tent.
The number of patrols at night had increased significantly, and Shen Hu personally led the Imperial Guard on patrol.
At midnight, the camp was silent. Except for those on patrol, everyone else was mostly asleep.
A series of screams echoed, alarming the Imperial Guard and the guards patrolling the camp, and waking many others.
The Fourth Prince also woke up. Seeing Zhao Yao was not disturbed, he quietly got out of bed and stepped outside the tent.
Wei Mian had just returned from elsewhere, and seeing the Fourth Prince awake, he hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, "Your Highness, why are you awake?"
The Fourth Prince saw that the concubines’ camp was brightly lit and in chaos, feeling a bit worried.
"There were snakes in Noble Princess Consort Rong’s tent, and she was bitten," Wei Mian knew the Fourth Prince was worried about Consort Li and quickly added, "Your Highness, rest assured, there is no issue on Consort De’s side."
Knowing Consort Li was unharmed, the Fourth Prince felt relieved. However, he immediately thought of Liang Zhaoyi and hurriedly asked, "What about Zhaoyi?"
"Tong Xi went to check on her; she should be fine."
As they were speaking, Tong Xi approached. He was about to salute the Fourth Prince but was stopped by him.
"Is Zhaoyi and her group fine?"
"Their tents are further back, and the snakes hadn’t reached them; they are fine," Tong Xi said, "but Consort De and her group are in trouble."
Wei Mian asked in shock, "Were Consort De and her group also bitten?"
"Yes, I just passed by there, and the ground was covered with snakes, several Imperial Guards were bitten too," Tong Xi added, "It seems that even the Empress was bitten."
There was chaos in the concubines’ camp, with women’s screams constantly piercing the air.
The Emperor had just fallen asleep when he was awakened and informed that there were snakes in the concubines’ camp, and that the Empress and Noble Princess Consort Rong had both been bitten. He quickly got up, intending to go and see, but was stopped by Sun Kui.
"Your Majesty, the area is full of snakes, and the Imperial Guards are busy catching them; it’s dangerous for you to go now."
"It’s just snakes," the Emperor said as he stood up, "Bring me my clothes."
Seeing the Emperor was determined to go check, Sun Kui dared not persuade him further and could only help him dress.
When the Emperor arrived, the Imperial Guards had almost finished capturing the snakes, but many had escaped. It was possible they might enter other tents, so the Guards planned to search tent by tent.
The Emperor first went to check on Noble Princess Consort Rong. Her calf had been bitten by a snake, but luckily it was just an ordinary venomous snake; with a few doses of medicine, the poison could be cleared.
Noble Princess Consort Rong, having been bitten for the first time, was frightfully pale. Upon seeing the Emperor, she threw herself into his arms, clinging to him and crying.
The Emperor held her, gently and patiently comforting her.
In another tent, Empress Xie had just been treated with medicine. When she learned that the Emperor had gone to see Noble Princess Consort Rong first, she angrily picked up the tea cup on the table and smashed it to the ground.
Jiang Chuan saw Empress Xie was upset and hurriedly advised, "Your Ladyship, you must not be angry now, or the snake venom will spread faster."
Empress Xie’s chest heaved with fury. Her eyes reddened with anger, "I am the Empress, the Emperor should see me first, not that wench Noble Princess Consort Rong!"
Jiang Chuan walked behind Empress Xie, gently patting her back, "Don’t be angry, Your Ladyship, don’t be angry..."
Due to excessive anger, Empress Xie felt dizzy, her vision went black, and she collapsed.
Jiang Chuan exclaimed in shock, "Your Ladyship! Empress! Quickly, call the Imperial Physician!"
The Emperor, upon learning that Empress Xie had fainted, quickly left Noble Princess Consort Rong’s tent and rushed over.
The Imperial Physician did not dare suggest that Empress Xie fainted due to anger, causing the snake venom to spread. He could only say that the snake venom in Empress Xie was severe, but there was no danger to her life.
The Emperor watched over Empress Xie for a while and then went to check on Consort De and her group.
Consort De and her group had fared worse, being bitten several times. Fortunately, not all the snakes were venomous.
After consoling Consort De and her group, the Emperor went to Liang Zhaoyi and her group’s tent.
Although Sun Kui had told the Emperor that Liang Zhaoyi and her group were fine, the Emperor was not at ease until he saw for himself.
Seeing that Liang Zhaoyi and her group were indeed unharmed, the Emperor felt relieved.
"Your Majesty, is the Tenth Prince alright?" Liang Zhaoyi worried about her son.
"Little Ten is fine," the Emperor said, "There were no snakes in our area of the camp."
"Your Majesty, a snake might run loose and crawl to your area of the camp; you must be careful."
Sun Kui beside him said, "Rest assured, Zhaoyi, the Imperial Guards are searching tent by tent for snakes."