While Xie Jingyan was entering the palace, news of the Prince of An's son beating the Prince of Du's son also reached Shen Wan's ears.

When she heard that the Duke of Du's family had come to propose marriage, Shen Wan's heart was in her throat. But when she heard that the Prince of An's son had injured the Duke of Du's son, she breathed a sigh of relief.

With the Duke of Du's heir being carried out of the Prince of An's residence, no one should dare to go to the Prince of An's residence to ask for the hand of Princess Huai'an for a while, which can be considered as buying some time for the elder brother.

However, Prince An and Princess An have been far too indulgent towards Prince An's heir. It's one thing for Prince An's heir to get into fights outside the mansion, but to beat up someone who came to propose to Princess Huai'an in his own mansion is just jeopardizing Princess Huai'an's marriage prospects.

As Shen Wan was pondering this matter, Dong'er came in and reported, "Your Highness, the Prince has entered the palace."

A hint of surprise flashed in Shen Wan's eyes.

Even if the emperor summons him, Xie Jingyan might not necessarily go to the palace.

Why did he voluntarily enter the palace when the emperor did not summon him?

The last time I took the initiative to go to the palace to see the Emperor was because of the earthquake in Meizhou...

However, Xie Jingyan was only going to the palace. The palace is so big, he might not be looking for the emperor. He might be going to the palace library to find books.

However, Xie Jingyan hadn't returned by lunchtime. Shen Wan ate two pieces of pastry to fill her stomach, so she wasn't hungry and waited for Xie Jingyan to return before eating.

They waited for almost half an hour. Fearing that Shen Wan would get hungry, Yin Shuang said, "We don't know when the Prince will return. Why don't you eat first, Princess?"

Shen Wan was truly hungry, so she said, "Bring the food up."

The maid had just brought the food into the room when Xie Jingyan returned.

Seeing the maid setting out the food, Xie Jingyan said, "Why are you only eating lunch now? Were you waiting for me?"

Shen Wan didn't answer, but asked, "Why did it take you so long to return from the palace?"

Xie Jingyan sat down and said, "I went to the palace to discuss some matters with my father, and it's been so long since then."

Father Emperor...

In private, he always calls you "Your Majesty". Why did he change his address today?

This is very unusual.

Shen Wan's intuition told her something was wrong, so she asked, "Did you have lunch with Father Emperor?"

"Um."

Shen Wan's eyes widened, and she asked curiously, "What do you want to discuss with Father?"

For Xie Jingyan to be able to have lunch with the Emperor, it's definitely because he needs something from the Emperor and is being manipulated by him.

Shen Wan's curiosity was like a cat scratching at her heart, but Xie Jingyan didn't say a word. "You'll find out later."

He served Shen Wan some food and said, "From now on, when I'm not in the manor, you don't need to wait for me to come back for dinner."

Xie Jingyan served food to Shen Wan, then ate it himself.

Shen Wan looked at him, "Aren't you full?"

I was full, but I threw it all up.

However, Xie Jingyan didn't say this, so as not to worry Shen Wan. He said, "I'll eat some more with you."

The two chatted and ate in a harmonious atmosphere. News of Xie Jingyan's visit to the Emperor, his stay in the Imperial Study for over an hour, and his lunch with the Emperor reached Empress Song, Prince Jin, and the First Prince.

They, like Shen Wan, felt that something was wrong.

Ever since Xie Jingyan was demoted to guard the imperial tombs and nearly died there, he became indifferent to the emperor. Later, when he fell from his horse while hunting and broke both legs, his attitude towards the emperor plummeted even further.

When the emperor summoned Xie Jingyan, they thought it was perfectly normal for him to ignore the summons.

It was highly unusual for Xie Jingyan to take the initiative to go to the palace to see the emperor and even have lunch with him.

This matter subtly unsettled Empress Song, Prince Jin, and even the eldest prince.

After all, they knew all too well how much the Emperor doted on Xie Jingyan before Consort Chen's incident. If Consort Chen hadn't had her accident, there would have been no chance for the eldest prince and Prince Jin to compete for the position of crown prince. The position of crown prince would definitely have belonged to Xie Jingyan.

However, given what Consort Chen did, which trampled on the Emperor's dignity, it is impossible for the Emperor to appoint Prince Ling as Crown Prince. Even if the Emperor agreed, the Empress Dowager would never allow it.

Thinking of this, Empress Song felt somewhat relieved, but she was still a little uneasy. She instructed Du Mama, "Send someone to inquire what business Prince Ling had with the Emperor in the palace?"

After Du Mama left, Empress Song sat on the phoenix chair, her eyes dark and unfathomable, and no one could guess what she was thinking.

After an unknown amount of time, Granny Du returned. Empress Song asked, "Did you find out anything?"

Granny Du shook her head and said, "No one knows why Prince Ling went to the palace to see the Emperor, except for Eunuch Yuan..."

Eunuch Yuan was utterly loyal to the Emperor; getting information out of him was a piece of cake.

Du Mama said, "But it doesn't seem to be anything important. His Majesty met with the Right Chancellor, the Duke of Mao, and the Duke of Tan in the middle of the journey, which caused delays. They hadn't finished discussing it by lunchtime, which is why Prince Ling accompanied His Majesty to lunch."

At the end, Granny Du laughed.

Empress Song asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Du Mama said, "Prince Ling had lunch with the Emperor, but he vomited it all up before he even left the Imperial Study."

Empress Song laughed, "Didn't you say that Prince Ling's vomiting problem had improved? Why is he still vomiting after eating?"

It's a wonder she was worried that Prince Ling wanted to compete for the crown prince position. She was just overthinking it. Prince Ling was lucky to have survived. The crown prince position was not something he could even dream of.

The thought of Shen Wan's pregnancy made Empress Song unable to smile.

The Prince of Ling's pulse was normal, but he vomited everything he ate. The Princess Consort of Ling was pregnant, but she showed no symptoms of morning sickness at all.

Could it be that the pregnancy symptoms have gone to the wrong place and ended up on Prince Ling?

Empress Song was astonished by the absurdity of her own idea.

The thought that Fu Shu had inexplicably drunk that cup of tea, and that no one had been able to find out who had switched it, filled Empress Song with murderous intent.

...

It took several more days for Shen Wan to finish embroidering the embroidered screen for Yun Mo's dowry.

The more I look at it, the more satisfied I become.

Yinshuang smiled and said, "My eldest cousin will surely be happy to know that the Princess Consort embroidered the screen for her as part of her dowry."

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