reason

"Greetings, Your Highness. Greetings, Your Highness's Consort." Wu Lanyu bowed respectfully to them.

Xiao Yiqing smiled and said, "The sun is hot outside, you must be tired from your journey. I've already had someone brew some plum tea for you. Please have a taste." She handed the tea to Wu Lanyu and then tried to give her a hint with her eyes.

However, Wu Lanyu did not look up. She lowered her eyes, accepted the tea, thanked him, took a sip, and looked at Shangguan Zeyu.

"Your Highness, I heard that Consort is ill. I wonder how she is?" The prince asked with a worried expression.

Shangguan Zeyu neither smiled nor got angry. He looked at her and said...

"Lan Yu, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

Before Wu Lanyu could speak, Xiao Yiqing hurriedly spoke for her.

"Sister Wu probably doesn't know about this, otherwise she wouldn't have said that." She stared nervously at Wu Lanyu, trying to give her some hints with her eyes, but Wu Lanyu wouldn't look at her.

"Your Highness, is it because there was something wrong with the pastries I gave her that my concubine is acting this way?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yiqing instantly turned pale and panicked.

"Sister Wu, you're joking. It's just a snack, what could be wrong with that?" Then, feigning composure, she looked at Shangguan Zeyu and said, "Your Highness, perhaps the concubine has been ill for a long time, and this is just a relapse of her old ailment."

But Shangguan Zeyu ignored her and continued talking to Wu Lanyu.

Why would Lan Yu make such a conjecture?

"Your Highness, when I went to deliver some refreshments to my concubine, she was perfectly fine, chatting and laughing with me. How could she have become so ill in less than half a day?" She timidly looked at Xiao Yiqing, who was trying to appear calm, but whose fear and trepidation were evident in his expression.

Shangguan Zeyu's lips curled into a mocking smile as he asked her.

"Your Highness, what's wrong? Why are you so frightened?"

Wu Lanyu still looked bewildered: "Your Highness, is it because the pastries I gave to Consort were sent by the Princess Consort herself? So..."

"Shut up, you little brat!!" Xiao Yiqing suddenly glared at her, her face contorted with rage.

"Your Highness, how dare I do such a despicable thing under your nose? I beg Your Highness to investigate and give me justice!" Xiao Yiqing said resolutely, and then knelt down on both knees.

Shangguan Zeyu: "I did not suspect it was you, Princess. Doesn't this seem like a case of 'protesting too much'?"

Xiao Yiqing's expression suddenly became flustered and chaotic.

Wu Lanyu, naive and innocent, laughed and said, "Your Highness, you're too hasty and have lost your composure."

Xiao Yiqing glared at her fiercely, like a vicious wolf eyeing its prey, wishing it could pounce on her immediately and kill her.

"Your Highness, I'm so scared! Your Highness, look at the Princess Consort..." Wu Lanyu pretended to be terribly frightened and hurriedly ran to Shangguan Zeyu's side, squeezing into his arms and asking him to protect her.

Before Xiao Yiqing could hide the hatred on her face, Shangguan Zeyu saw it.

"Your Highness! I have never seen you so out of control!! Is it because you feel that Lan Yu has misunderstood you? Don't worry! I have already ordered someone to take the remaining pastries to be examined to prove your innocence!!"

"What?" Xiao Yiqing suddenly seemed to have her soul stolen, and collapsed to the ground.

Wu Lanyu smiled innocently, "Sister, the pastries you asked me to give to Consort Liu were gone before this happened. Consort Liu has been very kind to me. I thought I should keep them; they might be useful."

Xiao Yiqing gritted her teeth and glared at her, her eyes flashing as if to say, "You did this on purpose! You just wait!!"

Wu Lanyu then pretended to be frightened by her fierce side, hiding her entire head in front of Shangguan Zeyu's chest, only revealing the back of her head.

Shangguan Zeyu felt sorry for her and gently patted her back to comfort her, while looking at Xiao Yiqing with displeasure.

"Your Highness! What are you doing? Lanyu is timid and inexperienced. She was just speaking her mind, why are you targeting her? You've frightened her like this!!"

Pain and grievance immediately appeared on Xiao Yiqing's face.

"Your Highness, I didn't!! I just... just..."

Shangguan Zeyu stared coldly at her, waiting for her to finish her sentence, but after hesitating for a while, she ultimately said nothing.

"Your Highness!! Now that things have come to this, I must give the others an explanation! You will stay in Peach Blossom Village and reflect on your actions! I will investigate the facts!" Holding the gloating Wu Lanyu, he was about to leave.

Xiao Yiqing suddenly stood up, spread her arms, and blocked his way.

"Your Highness! You must believe me! I am innocent!!" Tears streamed down her face like pearls.

Xiao Yiqing is indeed beautiful; even her crying is so moving and heartbreaking.

But Shangguan Zeyu's eyes were filled with indifference.

He looked at her intently and said in a clear, resolute voice.

"I am the ruler of this kingdom! I only believe in evidence!! If you, my queen, are innocent, I will surely clear your name!!"

Then, holding Wu Lanyu, he brushed against her left side and left without looking back.

Xiao Yiqing was so angry that her whole body tensed up, as if her body was filled with gas and was about to explode at any moment.

She clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white, and her long fingernails dug into her palms, drawing blood.

Seeing that Shangguan Zeyu and the others had left, Chunhua quickly got up and ran to Xiao Yiqing's side.

"Master, you..."

Xiao Yiqing didn't hold back and slapped her hard: "You bastard! You idiot!! What did I tell you? You can't even do this simple thing right?!" Five red finger marks appeared on Chunhua's right cheek in the blink of an eye.

"My lady, I dare not disobey your wishes. I conveyed your words to Madam Wu verbatim." Chunhua's eyes were red, and tears were about to spill over.

"What's going on?" Xiao Yiqing glanced at the tea Wu Lanyu had just drunk, and angrily smashed the teacup on the ground, sneering, "I understand! I understand!!"

Then he gently helped Chunhua, who was kneeling on the ground with her eyes downcast, to her feet.

"I've misunderstood you!!"

Chunhua burst into tears, unable to hold back her emotions.

Xiao Yiqing smiled calmly and said, "Don't cry, I will make it up to you!" Then, with a knowing smile, she slowly walked to her rocking chair and sat down.

"Wu Lanyu! You just wait!! If anything happens to me, you're finished too!!" He smirked maliciously.

Shangguan Zeyu accompanied Wu Lanyu back to Lanhuayu.

On the way back, Wu Lanyu told Shangguan Zeyu that it was none of her business. It was Xiao Yiqing who forced her to do it.

Xiao Yiqing said that she was the princess consort and the mistress of the royal palace. If she didn't listen to her, she would make her suffer, and she even said she would make her prime minister father teach her vice minister father a lesson.

Wu Lanyu said she was worried about her father's safety and agreed against her conscience.

She also said that Xiao Yiqing, relying on her status as a princess and the fact that her father was the prime minister, had been forcing her and Wang Qianqian to do bad things.

She said that if Shangguan Zeyu didn't believe her, he could ask Wang Qianqian. She also said that she could swear to God on every word she said.

Shangguan Zeyu just kept smiling and told her that he would find out the truth and that he would not let any of the evildoers get away with it.

After leaving Lan Hua Yu, Shangguan Zeyu went to Li Hua Ju.

Fuqu was brewing medicine in the southwest corner of the courtyard, while two servants were cleaning.

Upon seeing Shangguan Zeyu suddenly appear, she hurriedly bowed to him.

Zhang Qin said, "Your Highness, the new chef that Steward Cui found will be here today to settle in."

Shangguan Zeyu seemed not to hear him, standing in the courtyard, looking around, and complained, "The place is too small!"

“Your Highness, Pear Blossom Residence is the smallest courtyard in the Prince’s Mansion, and it always has been.”

Shangguan Zeyu seemed to be deep in thought, sighed, then lifted the hem of his robe and went up to the main hall.

Imperial Physician Wang is giving Jiang Yan acupuncture.

Jiang Yan's forehead was covered in silver needles, making him look like a hedgehog.

"Imperial Physician Wang, how is she?"

The imperial physician was too busy to attend to anything else, but upon hearing the voice, he hurriedly stood up and bowed to him.

"Your Highness, you've arrived... Consort Liu has just taken the antidote, and its effects haven't yet appeared."

"What kind of poison did Ruyi get? And what about the old poison you mentioned before? What kind of poison is that?" Although Shangguan Zeyu suppressed his emotions, his deep anxiety and worry were still evident.

Imperial Physician Wang sighed: "I am ashamed to admit that I have been unable to find the poison that Consort Liu was previously poisoned with. My colleagues and I have studied it, but we have not made any discoveries. As for the new poison that Consort Liu was poisoned with, it is called 'Bone-Dissolving Powder'. Long-term use will cause the bones to lose their hardness, making people as soft as noodles and unable to move. This poison is a mixed drug that is often used in brothels to discipline courtesans."

Shangguan Zeyu's face grew darker and darker as he listened, until finally he was as cold as ice, his anger barely contained.

"Zhang Qin, go and investigate the source of this medicine!! Daring to use such despicable methods in the Prince Duan's residence, they must have a death wish!!!"

"Yes, Your Highness."

The imperial physician Wang added, "Judging from the severity of the poisoning, Consort Liu's condition has been present for at least ten years. The most likely culprit is someone close to her who poisoned her!"

Shangguan Zeyu subconsciously looked at Huang Ying, who was standing to the side holding a half-basin of water.

Huang Ying belatedly realized what was happening and timidly glanced at him. Seeing him looking at her with an unfathomable expression, she was so frightened that she quickly put down the basin of water and knelt on the ground.

"Your Highness, it wasn't me, I would never dare to harm my master." Her forehead was pressed tightly against the ground.

Shangguan Zeyu's expression softened slightly, and he looked at Imperial Physician Wang again.

What else should we pay attention to in daily maintenance?

The imperial physician Wang finished removing the silver needles from Jiang Yan's left wrist and said.

"Consort Liu is depressed and burdened by sorrow, her liver qi is stagnant. Her body is exceptionally weak; she must not continue like this, otherwise..."

Shangguan Zeyu understood, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Is there any good medicine to restore the body?"

Imperial Physician Wang sighed, "Your Highness, I do not speak falsely. Consort Liu's health has been in this state for a long time, and it has damaged her very foundation. Just like the roots of a tree are damaged, it is difficult to repair. We can only take good care of her and prevent her from suffering any more. We will leave the rest to fate."

Shangguan Zeyu suddenly felt a tightness in his chest, as if there was a lump of air stuck there, unable to go up or down. He even sighed twice, but it didn't help.

Zhang Qin looked at him with concern.

His expression was forlorn, as if he were disappointed or unwilling to accept it. He stood there for a long time, staring intently at the unconscious Jiang Yan.