Chapter 101 Dizziness "Where is he?" She took the porcelain cup and couldn't wait...

"Where is he?" she asked impatiently as she took the porcelain cup.

"His Highness has gone to pay his respects to the Emperor, and Imperial Physician Yu has also left. Your Majesty, please rest assured."

Jiang Zhuoying drank half a cup of warm water, feeling a little calmer, before lifting her eyelids: "There's no one around, why aren't you calling me 'Miss' anymore?"

Even though she was already married, her two maids, Xiangyue and Xiangxing, never called her "Your Highness" in private.

In her view, this was a tacit understanding between the three of them, master and servant.

Xiangyue, however, said earnestly, “Your Majesty, you told me yesterday that His Highness suffered this punishment because he shielded you from that snake. In my heart and Xiangxing’s heart, we have accepted him as our son-in-law.”

Jiang Zhuoying was slightly taken aback. This was just her own guess, and she hadn't verified it yet.

She had only confided her worries to the two of them last night when Pei Yun went to the toilet, because she was so anxious.

Unexpectedly, Xiangyue and Xiangxing had such complicated thoughts in their hearts.

She glanced in the direction of the door. During his time in the hunting grounds, Qi Fan would go to pay his respects to the Emperor every morning.

He would return in no more than half an hour, spend some more time with her, and then go to have breakfast alone. After breakfast, he would take Chu Yixin or Pei Yun out hunting.

But today, Jiang Zhuoying was somewhat worried about him.

"Go and make arrangements to prepare some light breakfast."

How long has he been gone?

Xiangyue tilted her head: "Your Highness has been gone for about two incense sticks' time."

Jiang Zhuoying nodded slightly, "Then I'll be back soon."

After Xiangyue left, Xiangxing came in to help her with her washing and grooming.

But even after she finished dressing and breakfast was served, there was still no announcement from outside.

Almost an incense stick's worth of time has passed...

Jiang Zhuoying's worries intensified. She got up from the drum stool, but suddenly felt dizzy and almost couldn't stand.

Fortunately, Xiangxing beside her caught her waist in time: "Your Majesty?"

The commotion immediately attracted Xiangyue, who was not far away. Xiangyue ran over and took her arm, asking, "Your Majesty, are you alright?"

Jiang Zhuoying slowly sat back down, leaning weakly against Xiangyue: "It's alright, I was probably just hungry."

The words had barely left his mouth when he caught another whiff of that greasy smell...

"Cough cough, vomit..."

Jiang Zhuoying gagged a few times but couldn't vomit anything, which immediately made the two maids very anxious.

"This servant will go and fetch the imperial physician immediately."

Jiang Zhuoying hurriedly grabbed Xiangyue's sash: "We'll go later. First, help me outside the tent for some fresh air."

Xiangyue and Xiangxing quickly helped her out of the tent...

After taking a few breaths of fresh air, Jiang Zhuoying felt much more comfortable.

She exhaled slowly and turned her head: "It's alright, it was just too stuffy in the tent."

"Was there ginseng chicken soup for breakfast just now? Please remove it later."

Xiangyue nodded in agreement.

Jiang Zhuoying glanced again in the direction of the Emperor's tent, but still couldn't see that familiar figure.

She pursed her lips, deciding to go and see for herself...

Leading two maids to the Emperor's tent, she spotted Eunuch Liu, who served the Emperor.

Besides him, there were several other unfamiliar faces.

One of the women was dressed neither like a maid nor a concubine in the palace.

Jiang Zhuoying couldn't help but glance at her a few more times. In this hunting ground, whether it was the empress or the ladies and young ladies brought by the ministers, they were all dressed in riding attire.

However, this young lady was dressed in a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a simple hairstyle, no earrings, and the only pearl flower on her head did not match her ruqun at all.

They looked like they had rushed over in a hurry.

Jiang Zhuoying glanced at her a few times, then looked away and headed towards the main entrance of the tent.

As the Crown Princess, Liu Li naturally had to greet her upon seeing her.

Jiang Zhuoying smiled and dismissed his formalities: "Eunuch Liu, I wonder if His Highness the Crown Prince is still in His Majesty's tent?"

Liu Li bowed slightly, smiling, and said, "I'm here."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a baby’s cry suddenly came from inside the tent.

The shrill, wailing cries were hard to ignore, and Jiang Zhuoying's eyes widened slightly as she looked at Liu Li in surprise.

"Eunuch Liu, what brings this place?"

It couldn't possibly be a prince who suddenly appeared, could it?

Liu Li's expression was also somewhat unpleasant. She looked around, coughed lightly twice, and then lowered her voice.

"The eldest son of the Third Prince."

Jiang Zhuoying was taken aback. The eldest son of the Third Prince?

She remembered!

The Third Prince's mistress was already pregnant, so the one in the tent must be the one who is pregnant.

Liu Li's eyes flickered slightly: "Your Highness, please wait a moment while I go in and inform her."

"Hey Liu?"

Jiang Zhuoying moved her sleeve slightly, intending to ask him to leave for the time being, but Liu Li walked very fast and disappeared into the tent in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Zhuoying: "..."

She hadn't figured out what was going on inside yet, and going in now was neither a blessing nor a curse...

Liu Li quickly emerged from behind the tent flap, bowing as she approached her: "His Majesty has granted permission, please go in quickly."

Jiang Zhuoying nodded, then left the two maids outside the tent before stepping forward.

...

As soon as she stepped into the tent, the baby's cries became even more piercing, making her feel a bit dizzy.

"Your subject respectfully wishes Your Majesty good health." Jiang Zhuoying knelt before the crowd, bowing and looking down.

She was a little flustered. Although she hadn't looked away, she seemed to have caught a glimpse of the Third Prince.

"You may rise, Your Highness," the Emperor said with a smile. "It seems the Crown Prince was right. You've only stayed a little longer than usual with me today, and Your Highness is already impatient?"

Jiang Zhuoying glanced cautiously at the hem of someone's clothes. What nonsense had this guy been spouting in front of the Emperor?

However, she could only reply softly, "Father, Your Highness is indeed always on my mind."

"Very good, get up."

"Yes, thank you, Father." Jiang Zhuoying lifted her skirt and stood up, stepping to Qi Fan's side.

She finally looked up, and the scene before her startled her for a moment.

The child that His Majesty is holding in his arms, still crying incessantly, must be the Third Prince's child.

The fact that the emperor values ​​the son of a concubine so highly demonstrates how much the emperor values ​​his offspring.

Jiang Zhuoying frowned slightly and couldn't help but glance at Qi Fan.

The man had sharp features and was looking at her from the side.

His gaze was firm and gentle, steady and calm, easily smoothing out the wrinkles between her brows.

"Father... that was the servant guarding the animal park who neglected his post; it has nothing to do with me!"

Suddenly, a man's wailing and lamenting rang out from inside the tent again, and Jiang Zhuoying frowned and looked over.

She had already recognized that the one kneeling on the other side was the Third Prince.

As for the servant beside the Third Prince, who was trembling and lying face down on the carpet, he must be the one who had deserted his post, as he had mentioned.

She didn't know the reason at first, but following these words, she quickly understood.

The zoo... it must be related to yesterday's grizzly bear!

Jiang Zhuoying then looked at the emperor on the throne.

"Yan'er, you have truly disappointed me."

"Waaah... Waaah..."

The emperor's voice was suddenly interrupted by crying, and Jiang Zhuoying stared intently at everything before her.

I thought the emperor would be somewhat displeased, but he handed the baby back to the wet nurse.

His voice deepened slightly: "This child resembles you."

The third prince immediately kowtowed, his voice hoarse: "Yes, he resembles your son, and naturally he also resembles your father. His cries are so loud and clear; he will surely grow up to be brave and fearless."

Suddenly, silence fell over the tent. The Third Prince lay prone on the carpet, while Jiang Zhuoying cautiously watched the Emperor out of the corner of her eye.

Seeing him lightly tapping the imperial desk, his slightly closed eyes scrutinizing, it was obvious that he was weighing his options.

"Your Majesty, according to my investigation, the enclosure where the grizzly bear was located was fenced off and guarded by multiple people due to its extreme danger. Why did the grizzly bear escape from the animal park without anyone knowing?"

"I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly."

These words were reported by Pei Yun.

With his words, Jiang Zhuoying had a general understanding of the situation.

It seems that the Third Prince intentionally released the grizzly bear to harm people, and there is now conclusive evidence.

Knowing this, the Third Prince hurriedly took the newborn child, hoping the Emperor would be lenient in his punishment for the sake of the child.

Jiang Zhuoying suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.

The Emperor constantly calls the Third Prince Yan'er, and the Consort committed a terrible mistake for him, harming the former Crown Prince and Consort Wan. How could the Third Prince be completely unaware of these things?

His Majesty only allowed the Third Prince to stay in his residence and reflect on his mistakes for the time being.

As for Qi Fan, whenever the Emperor mentioned him, his expression was always indifferent, and he only called him Crown Prince. Before Qi Fan became Crown Prince, he would never call him Fan'er...

Jiang Zhuoying had been pampered by her parents since she was a child, and now she felt a pang of heartache.

It was for Qi Fan.

Even though she was a young lady from a secluded family, she pieced together bits and pieces from what she occasionally heard to learn that the second prince's name was "Fan" and that the emperor had disliked him since birth.

As he grew up, he became even more mediocre and incompetent, far inferior to the Third Prince's talent for governing the world.

The Third Prince has now openly expressed his desire to kill Qi Fan, but there's still nothing anyone can do about it.

Suddenly, my vision went black, and that feeling I had in front of the mirror not long ago returned.

Jiang Zhuoying tried her best to maintain her balance, but the dizziness grew stronger and stronger, and her steps began to falter.

"A-Zhuo?"

Qi Fan was the first to notice that something was wrong with her, and he reached out and put his arm around her waist.

With a foothold, Jiang Zhuoying transferred all her weight to it.

Her face was deathly pale, her eyes were closed, and there were even tears in the corners of her eyes. She clutched at Qi Fan's clothes and said, "I feel dizzy."

The man steadied the back of her head with his other hand and glanced at the emperor: "Father, A-Zhuo may be unwell. I will take her to find the imperial physician first."

Jiang Zhuoying was lifted up horizontally, and Qi Fan bounced her slightly to hold her even tighter.

But the sudden tremor made her feel nauseous.

The man carried her and walked quickly outside. Jiang Zhuoying frowned and coughed a few times. Suddenly, she couldn't hold back any longer and leaned out, supporting herself on his arm.

"Cough cough vomit..."

With a splash, it vomited out, landing right on the Third Prince's disheveled robes...

He abruptly crawled back two steps on his knees, but it was still too late; his eyes were filled with impatience and disdain: "Damn it."

"Third brother."

The voice wasn't loud, but Qi Yan immediately fell silent.

The man's eyes were no longer as calm and gentle as before; they were sharp and piercing, as deep as a still pool.

An invisible pressure made him freeze in place until the person's figure almost disappeared before he came to his senses.

He was filled with remorse, cursing inwardly, and turned around: "Father! The Crown Princess is truly rude..."

...