The Hall of Diligent Governance.

Dongqin and Empress Xie were both bound hand and foot.

Emperor Hui sat before his dragon throne, looking at them indifferently.

Zhou Shaoyu stepped on Dong Qin's broken leg, and he was in so much pain that large beads of sweat fell down his face.

"Tell me, what kind of snake venom did the Carefree Marquis suffer from?"

"..."

Dong Qin remained silent.

Lu Feiyan and Chai Bo arrived. Lu Feiyan angrily rebuked Dong Qin: "You, Madam, and Xiaoyao Hou are all friends. It's one thing for you to betray them, but now that he's about to die, tell us what kind of poison you used. It'll be a way for you to accumulate some last bit of merit for yourself."

She can detect it, but it will take time.

Snake venom is nothing more than something that, once it enters the bloodstream, kills people much faster than other poisons.

Under normal circumstances, without an antidote, death is certain within an hour.

From the battlefield to the palace, and then from Old Ding Village where she was brought in, more than half an hour had passed.

Yin Jin'an's face was completely ashen, and she was in a deep coma.

Dong Qin was still gritting his teeth and refusing to speak when Lu Feiyan said to Zhou Shaoyu, "Your Highness, please step aside."

She shoved a pill directly into Dongqin's mouth and poured water down his throat, forcing him to swallow it.

Dong Qin didn't care; once he was caught, he was definitely going to die anyway.

Before long, Dongqin's eyes became somewhat unfocused.

Lu Feiyan: "What kind of poison did you give Marquis Xiaoyao?"

"King cobra venom."

How did you download it?

"It's stuck to the knuckle duster."

Lu Feiyan asked these questions and immediately went to rescue Yin Jin'an.

The imperial physician, upon hearing that it was king cobra venom and that the person had been poisoned for so long, believed there was no hope of recovery.

Uncle Chai took his pulse, shook his head slightly, and sighed.

King snake venom is the most venomous snake venom.

Lu Feiyan's eyes were a little red as she said to Zhou Shaoyu, "Your Highness, I'm afraid the Marquis of Xiaoyao is not going to make it..."

As she spoke, she heard the imperial guards at the door report: "Your Majesty, the Princess Consort requests an audience outside the palace."

For a moment, people were still confused about who the "Princess Consort" was.

The imperial guard pointed at Zhou Shaoyu and said, "She is His Highness's princess consort."

In fact, they didn't know how to address Xie Zhaozhao; they couldn't call her the Grand Secretary's wife anymore.

Zhou Shaoyu has been declared the biological son of Consort Yun. He is a prince, so calling him Your Highness is fine.

Xie Zhaozhao has not yet been officially made a concubine, and as a member of the Xie family, it is uncertain whether she will survive. For a moment, no one knows how to address her, since she has not yet been officially registered in the imperial genealogy.

Neither Emperor Hui nor Zhou Shaoyu paid attention to the form of address. It was already late at night, and unless the situation was special, there was no way to enter the palace in an emergency when the palace gates were locked.

"Summon him in." Emperor Hui had barely finished speaking when he saw his good son rushing out.

This wife is amazing! ??(◣д◢)??

Zhou Shaoyu didn't care. As he strode to meet Xie Zhaozhao, he pondered how much information Xie Zhaozhao actually knew.

Bei Chen looks like he's about to get a beating.

Outside the second gate of the palace, Xie Zhaozhao saw Xie Anfeng, Xie Anhuai, Xie Anxia, ​​Old Madam Xie, Princess Changping... all the masters of the Xie family were kneeling.

I felt bad, but I didn't dare to go over and say hello.

After getting off the carriage and holding the child, they waited for a long time until the palace gates opened. Zhou Shaoyu came out personally, took the child from him, and the two went inside. The rest of the people could only wait outside.

"Are you alright?" Xie Zhaozhao asked Zhou Shaoyu under the palace lantern.

He's lost weight again, and his eyes look tired; it seems he hasn't had a proper rest in a long time.

"Everything is fine, don't worry." He didn't ask her why she came or how she got here; those were all pointless questions. Now that she was here, she should face everything.

She went through the doors and into the Hall of Diligent Governance, where she saw Empress Xie and Dong Qin kneeling on the ground. Xie Zhaozhao ignored them.

She knelt down and kowtowed to Emperor Hui, saying, "Your subject, Lady Xie, kowtows to express her gratitude for the Emperor's grace."

Emperor Hui said calmly, "Bring the imperial grandson here so I can see him."

Xie Zhaozhao continued to kneel, and Zhou Shaoyu carried Zhou Qiheng to her side. Emperor Hui's anger and anxiety of the past few days vanished the moment he saw the child.

He held Zhou Qiheng in his arms and looked at the child, who looked more like Zhou Shaoyu. He was overjoyed.

If the child resembles Zhou Shaoyu, then he resembles Yun Fei more.

“Jingchen, look, his eyes are like your mother’s, and his forehead is like hers too, full and bright. He looks like a smart child.”

Emperor Hui searched the baby's face for the shadows of Consort Yun and Zhou Shaoyu.

"Father, I think his eyebrows and eyes look like mine, and even his little hands. Look—"

Revealing the baby's hands from the long sleeves of his cotton-padded coat, Zhou Shaoyu said, "His hands are very long, like mine. I've seen him, and his arms and legs are all unusually long."

Emperor Hui said happily, "It's good that your arms and legs are long; you'll grow tall. Boys are always more imposing when they're taller."

Emperor Hui was tall, but not muscular. Unlike Zhou Shaoyu, who had practiced martial arts since childhood and was not particularly robust, he had broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and was very healthy.

Xie Zhaozhao knelt motionless, listening with her head down.

The more Zhou Qiheng resembles Yun Fei and Zhou Shaoyu, the greater the Xie family's safety factor.

She didn't dare ask how Yin Jin'an was doing. She only hoped that Emperor Hui would be happy and let her stand up, which would be half the battle won.

Empress Xie was not far behind her, watching Emperor Hui only look at the child, while making Xie Zhaozhao kneel. She looked at Emperor Hui with indifferent eyes.

Emperor Hui discussed Zhou Qiheng's appearance for a while, just then Zhou Qiheng woke up, his eyes unconsciously "looking" at him, his little mouth puffing out bubbles.

Emperor Hui touched his little mouth with his finger, and Zhou Qiheng tried to lean closer and touch his finger to his.

"This child is blessed, knowing that it is his grandfather who is holding him." Emperor Hui raised his head, looked at Xie Zhaozhao, and said, "Xie girl, you and Jingchen go to the side hall to see Marquis Xiaoyao, his poisoning is quite serious."

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