Chapter 80

The fifth prince turned around upon hearing the voice.

The ground was wet from the rain, and under the light of the hall, the rain reflected the human figures.

Qu Dubian ran to his side in three or two steps, tilting the umbrella in his hand, looked at the gate of the Zichen Palace, then looked at the Fifth Prince, and for a moment he didn't know how to persuade him.

"Fifth brother, come back with me first."

The drizzle of autumn rain falls on the umbrella, making a monotonous sound.

The fifth prince raised his head. His face was pale, his lips were purple, and his whole body was cold.

Even though it was early autumn, he was wearing thin clothes and was caught in the rain. He was kneeling outside, and his body was even shivering slightly when the cool night breeze blew.

He said, "I don't believe my mother would harm anyone. She can't think of such a vicious method."

Qu Dubian had no choice but to say, "The matter has not been concluded yet. Fifth brother, if you really kneel here for a night, your body will collapse. Your mother doesn't want to see this."

The Fifth Prince: "Then why didn't Father come to see me? I am the only one who can save her now."

The older he gets, the more he understands his mother's 'control' over him, so sometimes he really doesn't like her and wants to escape, but after all, she is his biological mother who raised him.

He couldn't give up the ten-year relationship easily.

He then kowtowed towards the Purple Palace in an upright manner, "Father! Your son requests to see you!"

Ye Xiaoyuan sighed silently.

Looking towards this towering palace.

The eunuchs guarding the gate all lowered their heads, like silent statues in the rainy night.

Dahei whimpered twice and nudged Qu Watanabe's palm with the tip of his nose. The biped cub's hands were also getting cold.

Qu Dubian squatted down, handed the umbrella in his hand to the Fifth Prince, then took off his cloak and put it on him, "Fifth brother, you wait here, I'll go in and take a look."

He rubbed Dahei's head again: "Be good, block the wind for Brother Wu."

After saying this, he shielded his head with his hands and trotted into the Purple Palace. The eunuchs at the door all knew him and just glanced at him without stopping him.

Dahei sat beside the fifth prince. His thick and dense hair was wet, but it could still block most of the wind.

The fifth prince held an umbrella, and the cloak on his shoulders blocked the cold air outside. A little warmth rose from his shoulders, and his eyes gradually turned red.

-

Emperor Chongzhao was sitting on the kang table in front of the window, reading a book.

He just frowned slightly and didn't turn the page for a long time.

"Father!"

Qu Dubian came in in the rain, his fuzzy hair was wet and stuck into clumps.

Because he ran so fast, no one informed him, and Eunuch Yu was startled: "Oh my God, young prince? Why are you here at this time?"

Emperor Chong Zhao also suddenly woke up, put down the book, and after seeing what he looked like, his face darkened, "It's raining outside! Quick, bring a cotton towel to wipe him."

"fine."

Qu Du shook his head and wiped his hands and face with a cotton towel, "Father, Fifth Brother is outside."

Emperor Chongzhao: "Are you here for your fifth brother?"

Qu Dubian said frankly: "Fifth Brother is my brother. I knew that Concubine Rong was punished, so I hurried to see Fifth Brother. He was not in Changxin Palace. I asked the palace servants and found out that he came here."

He grabbed the sleeve of Emperor Chongzhao's pajamas.

"It's very cold outside, Father, please go meet the fifth brother."

Emperor Chong Zhao: "I know what he came here for, it's to plead for Rong Guiren. I have asked Yu Decai to tell him that we will investigate and deal with it. Now Rong Guiren has only been detained in the inner prison, and has not been convicted. He is still kneeling outside. What can I do?"

Is there any way?

Please comfort him!

Fifth brother is less than ten years old now. You only asked Eunuch Yu to go out and talk to him, and you didn’t show up yourself. How could he not panic when such a big thing happened?

Qu Duanbian finished his inner complaints, "Then tell Fifth Brother to come back with me?"

Emperor Chongzhao: "The eldest, second and third brothers didn't come. Do you know why?"

He placed his palm against his youngest son's slightly cold cheek and pinched it. "To frame the heir to the throne and cause the death of a concubine is a serious crime punishable by beheading. No one wants to get involved in this troublesome matter."

"You are the only one who came to plead for your fifth brother late at night."

The royal family has little family affection, but Xiaoqi has developed a very affectionate and emotional character.

Good and bad.

Qu Watanabe: "Father, please ask Brother Five to come in."

Emperor Chongzhao was silent for a while: "Only this time."

He patted Qu Watanabe's shoulder and asked someone to bring him a cotton blanket to cover him.

When the Fifth Prince heard the summons, he quickly stood up from the ground. His knees went weak and he almost fell to the ground. It was Ye Xiaoyuan who helped him up.

The fifth prince said gratefully, "Thank you very much."

Ye Xiaoyuan picked up his umbrella, stood outside the palace, and said softly, "Come in quickly, Fifth Prince."

The fifth prince walked quickly into the Purple Palace, and when he saw Emperor Chongzhao, he lifted his skirt and knelt down.

"Father."

He repeated the words of plea that he had pondered over countless times.

Emperor Chongzhao nodded, "Yes."

The chill of the autumn rain on a cold night finally brought some hope to the fifth prince's eyes, and he kowtowed to Emperor Chongzhao.

"Father, can I go to the inner prison and see——"

Emperor Chongzhao raised his hand: "Okay."

The Fifth Prince's words were immediately cut off.

Emperor Chongzhao: "We have met and talked, you can go back to Changsheng Palace. I was thinking that you would go to the prince's residence in two or three months when you are old enough, but now Changsheng Palace is empty, you can move out in advance."

The fifth prince's heart suddenly sank.

He couldn't help but look up at the majestic father in his mind. There was only calmness in his father's eyes, without a trace of warmth.

The fifth prince suddenly felt that it was colder in this palace than outside in the wind.

Emperor Chongzhao: "Xiaoqi, go with your fifth brother."

Qu Watanabe: “Yeah.”

He supported the fifth prince, and the two of them walked out of the palace together.

Silence all the way.

When they reached the fork, Qu Dubian said, "Fifth brother, come back to Shunning Palace with me. Let's go back and drink some ginger soup. Changxin Palace is too far away. You will be freezing cold when you return to the palace."

The fifth prince gently pulled his hand away.

"No need, Xiao Qi."

Qu Duanbian stopped.

The Fifth Prince: "I'll go back and clean up. Also, thank you for today."

He held the umbrella Qu Duan gave him and patted the cloak on his shoulders, "These are enough, it's not cold."

After saying goodbye, the fifth prince turned and took another path.

Qu Dubian stood at the intersection and watched his back disappear into the darkness. Only when he could no longer see him did he say, "Banban, Dahei, let's go too."

Ye Xiaoyuan sighed in his heart and hummed.

-

Shunning Palace.

It was quiet and peaceful.

The drizzling autumn rain was blocked outside the eaves.

The small kitchen was bubbling with steam, and hot ginger soup with brown sugar was simmering in the pot.

Qu Dubian was squatting in the bathtub, wearing only a pair of shorts, leaning on the edge of the tub, his fair little face slightly flushed from the smoke.

While Concubine Xuan was nagging, she added herbs that could dispel the cold into the soup, as if she was making soup.

"Autumn rain may not seem obvious, but it is actually the easiest to chill the human body. I just touched your cold hands. If you don't get rid of the cold completely, you will suffer when you wake up the next day."

Qu Dubian stirred the water in the wooden barrel - it was already dark brown.

"Empress Xuan, did you start preparing this as soon as I left the house?"

Concubine Xuan said, "It's your business if you want to go out, and it's my business to take good care of you. The herbal soup was given to me by your grandmother. It is said that when marching in the northern border, if you get a cold, you can get better by being fumigated by the medicinal vapor of this herbal bag."

"The medicine drives away the cold and penetrates the skin. It's normal for you to feel a little stuffy."

Qu Duan took a few deep breaths and dug into the barrel, "Well, okay."

After soaking for about a quarter of an hour, he came out of the tub, washed off the medicine on his body with hot water, and drank a bowl of ginger soup to drive away the cold. Only when his whole body was warm did Concubine Xuan allow him to go to bed.

Qu Dubian dried his hair and sat cross-legged on the bed to eat snacks.

Only at this time did he have the energy to sort out his thoughts. While listening to Ye Xiaoyuan's detailed account of what happened in Fengwu Palace today, he analyzed the several stages of the whole incident.

Paragraph 1: Ding Changzai became pregnant, and then rumors spread that the fetus in her womb would harm the Sixth Prince.

It is extremely similar to the rumor when the original owner's mother was murdered, and this rumor seems to be tempting Concubine Lan to take action against Concubine Ding.

Second paragraph: The Queen suppressed the rumors and invited Concubine Lan and Concubine Ding to meet and talk it out.

However, the rumor was suppressed without attracting widespread attention, unlike the incident involving the original owner's mother.

After talking it out, it became clear that Concubine Lan and Concubine Ding were on a peaceful relationship.

The third paragraph: Imperial Concubine Lan gave cloth to Ding Changzai, who suffered a difficult delivery a few months later. Fengwu Palace found out that the cloth given by Imperial Concubine Lan had been contaminated by blood-activating and blood-stasis-removing drugs.

Paragraph 4: Concubine Lan pointed out that the cloth she gave to Concubine Ding was once given to her by Concubine Rong. Then, Eunuch Yu searched Concubine Rong's palace and found the remaining cloth that had not been given away, all of which were stained with drugs.

Paragraph 5: Concubine Rong had no way to defend herself and was thrown into the inner prison. The Fifth Prince pleaded for her on a rainy night.

The source of the rumor could not be determined, and it was impossible to trace it under the Queen's suppression.

It is not clear whether Concubine Lan is truly innocent.

It is not clear whether Concubine Rong took the initiative to frame the royal heir to please Concubine Lan, or whether Concubine Lan eventually believed the rumors, instructing Concubine Rong to frame the royal heir, and finally let her take the blame.

But what is clear is that neither of them is the beneficiary of this incident.

After Ding Changzai died, the little princess was just a baby in swaddling clothes, let alone benefit from it.

Qu Watanabe: "Banban, who do you think will raise the little princess?"

Ye Xiaoyuan: "After all, she has to be a concubine. A princess is not a prince. Perhaps your majesty will consider a queen who has experience in raising children."

"Today I found an opportunity to get close to the delivery room. The little princess who was brought out was very thin. I don't know who has the courage to catch her."

He covered Qu Dubian with a quilt.

Qu Dubian turned over and lay on the pillow.

The city is shrouded in fog and covered in clouds.

Although this incident still did not allow him to find out the mastermind behind the harm of Concubine Yun, at least the suspicion of Concubine Lan and Concubine Rong was reduced a lot.

-

The second day.

When Qu Dubian woke up, he felt dizzy and had a slight cough.

Concubine Xuan asked someone to ask for leave from the academy and invited the imperial physician. Imperial Physician Yang came with a suitcase on his shoulder, looking very familiar with the place.

Doctor Yang placed his fingers on the wrist and stroked his beard. "Well, it's just a common cold. According to what the queen said, the little prince was exposed to the wind and rain last night, so he should have had a fever. But fortunately, he took a hot bath last night and drove away the cold, so the symptoms are much lighter."

In fact, apart from the simulation, Qu Dubian seldom gets sick, only two or three times a year. Sometimes he relies on the simulator to do whatever he wants, staying up late and blowing cold wind, without any sense of weakness.

He initially replaced illness with a simulator, but later stopped doing so.

Always replacing, it makes me feel less alive.

Qu Dubian shook his head and said, "I feel fine, no need to take leave." Apart from feeling a little drowsy, there was no other problem. According to his physical condition, he would be almost well in two or three days even without taking medicine.

Ye Xiaoyuan: "Your Highness still wants to go to school."

Concubine Xuan: "He wants to go see the Fifth Prince."

Qu Dubian smiled awkwardly.

Is it that obvious?

Concubine Xuan patted his head gently and said, "You, just lie down first. If you feel better in the afternoon, you can go out again."

"It hurts, Madam Xuan, your grip is so strong."

"Don't be weird, lie down."

Looking at the child pretending to be angry on the bed, Concubine Xuan's eyes showed slightly complicated emotions.

After spending all these years together, she got to know this kid's personality. He was always smiling and making others happy, but in fact, no one knew what was going on in his heart. He had a lot of things on his mind, but he never took the initiative to talk to anyone about them.

Occasionally, he would reveal one or two different emotions, but would quickly cover them up heartlessly.

He seems to not care about many people and many things, but if they are really considered as his own people, he will always take good care of them.

It is a good thing for children to have their own ideas, so most of the time she just takes care of them and rarely interferes. At most, she just gives some advice and helps within her ability.

Brotherhood is rare in the royal family, and Xiaoqi's character is even rarer. The emperor didn't know how much he had to burn to get a child like him.

But she didn't want to see Xiao Qi subconsciously putting himself behind friendship.