After a few days, the Crown Prince completed his prayers at Hulong Temple and returned to the palace. However, as soon as he returned, he fell ill. The Imperial Physician diagnosed him as being overly fatigued.
During the forty-nine days, the Crown Prince spent several hours each day praying for the late Empress and Great Zhou, and even transcribed Buddhist scriptures with his own blood, which further weakened his already frail body.
Logically, he shouldn't have been able to hold on, but during the prayers, he managed to endure it. Once the prayers were completed, he relaxed, and his whole body succumbed to illness.
The Eighth Prince initially suggested the Crown Prince feign illness, not expecting that he would truly become ill. Before the prayers were over, the Crown Prince got sick at Hulong Temple, although it was not serious at the time, just a cough. But upon returning to the palace, he developed a fever that night.
