Chapter 172: Donggong even moved directly into Xiao Bingzhi’s own residence…

Qi settled in a small courtyard adjacent to the Wutong Courtyard at the Duke of Weiguo's mansion. Perhaps to rekindle their mother-daughter bond, she spent most of her day with Cui Lingyan. Even though she knew she disliked her nagging, she couldn't help but nag. Cui Lingyan deliberately avoided her, even wanting to send her back to the Ningshou Marquis's residence. However, at this critical juncture, so many people were watching the Duke of Weiguo's mansion, and her, the former Crown Prince's wife. So, despite her annoyance, she held back, fearing Qi's temper would flare up, using her filial piety to pressure her, which would then be used as a pretext for slander.

But perhaps because of her bad mood, after spending a few days together, even though Cui Lingyan tried hard to hold back her emotions, she was still a little irritable and had trouble sleeping at night.

Seeing that she looked unwell, Birou asked the kitchen to prepare some tranquilizing medicine. However, after drinking it for a few days, not only did her condition not improve, but one morning when she went to Qingdeyuan to pay her respects to Old Madam Dou, she actually fainted in front of the old madam. The old madam was terrified, and the maids and servants in the house were also in a mess. It was still the old madam who made the decision and sent a letter to invite the imperial physician from the palace to come to the house secretly.

Old Madam Dou wanted to keep it a secret and not make it too conspicuous, but now so many people were watching the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion that in less than half an hour, the news of Cui Lingyan's fainting spread, and the high-ranking families in the capital and the palace all knew about it.

It was said that Cui was pregnant, but the decree to appoint her as the Crown Princess had not come down yet. Cui was anxious and resentful towards the Crown Prince and the Emperor, which made her so angry.

It has to be said that Cui is really ignorant. The prince has just entered the Eastern Palace and is so busy. Even if the memorial to appoint a princess is submitted, it may not be approved by the emperor in a day or two. She is his wife who was married through matchmaking, and she married Xiao Bingzhi in place of Cui Linghui, who was unwilling to get married, after Xiao Bingzhi was poisoned by the second prince. There is some affection between them. She seemed smart and insightful in the past, but how could she lose her composure when faced with important things? She is so unstable and does not trust her husband, the prince, at all.

Although this woman is the legitimate daughter of the Ningshou Marquis's family, she grew up in another family's home since she was a child. It is true that she is not worthy of the position of Crown Princess.

Cui Lingyan didn't know that within half a day after she fell into a coma, a lot of rumors had arisen. Most of them said that she was not worthy of the position of Crown Princess. Some even said that with her personality, she should ask to be a concubine and give up the position of Crown Princess to avoid being ridiculed by others and causing dissatisfaction among the Crown Prince.

Duke Wei's Mansion

As the rumors outside grew more and more outrageous, Qi's eyes were filled with worry, her face extremely gloomy. In front of the old lady, she couldn't help but say, "Yan girl was married into the Duke of Weiguo's mansion through matchmaking, and she and His Royal Highness had a relationship of mutual support. Even now that His Royal Highness has returned to the palace and taken charge of the Eastern Palace, he must not forget this relationship. Not to mention, Yan girl is pregnant and about to give birth. How could she bear such grievances? His Royal Highness, if not considering the relationship between husband and wife, you must also consider the child."

When Qi saw Old Madam Dou standing aside, she wanted to pull her sleeve and say a few words to her in a hurry, so that she would promise to go to the palace to persuade His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. The old madam had been Xiao Bingzhi's grandmother for many years, so her words were always more useful than those of the people in their Ningshou Marquis Mansion.

She opened her mouth and was about to speak when she heard footsteps outside. Then, she saw Xiao Bingzhi, wearing a dark green brocade robe with dragon pattern, walking quickly in.

The noise inside and outside the house stopped for a moment, and Qi swallowed all the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

Seeing the aura and majesty surrounding Xiao Bingzhi, Qi felt even more uneasy and nervous.

Because she was too partial to Yan Yatou and had little affection for her daughter, she did not have much confidence as a mother-in-law in front of this son-in-law. Not to mention that now Lu Bingzhi became Xiao Bingzhi, the noble Crown Prince, she could no longer maintain her airs as a mother-in-law.

Xiao Bingzhi saluted Madam Dou, walked quickly to the bed and looked at Cui Lingyan. He saw that her face was pale, her brows were furrowed in coma, and she was still a little uneasy. The air pressure around her dropped a little. He sat down beside the bed, held Cui Lingyan's hand, and then winked at the imperial physician who followed behind him.

The imperial physician was Doctor Pei, who had removed the poison from Lu Bingzhi. He had also met Cui Lingyan before, so he did not believe the rumors outside that the prince also wanted Cui Lingyan to ask to be a concubine and give up the position of the crown princess. What's more, he had been with the prince for so many years and knew the prince's grudge between the late queen, the current emperor, and Concubine Shu. The prince had not been able to let go of that matter for so many years, so how could he be like the current emperor, forcing his first wife to that point and doing such a heartless thing.

He took a few steps forward, knelt on the ground and took Cui Lingyan's pulse, and asked the maid Cui Lingyan about her diet and daily habits in recent days. When he heard Birou report that Cui Lingyan had been sleeping restlessly in recent days, he thought of the rumors outside and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. The decree to appoint the Crown Princess had not come down, and Cui was naturally uneasy when she heard those rumors. No wonder she couldn't sleep restlessly.

Imperial Physician Pei naturally hesitated to say these words, fearing that Xiao Bingzhi would feel that Cui Shi didn't trust him as a husband. Life was difficult for women, and Cui Shi had suffered much from her mother's partiality since childhood. Even her marriage to Xiao Bingzhi was forced upon her, a fate that had blessed her. As an imperial physician, he didn't want to create a thorn in the Crown Prince's heart by being too nosy and taint Cui Shi's impression of him.

Thinking of this, he carefully took the pulse again, frowned for a long time before opening his eyes. He looked at Cui Lingyan's complexion, and there was a bit of suspicion and confusion in his eyes.

Looking at his movements and expression, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense.

Qi was worried and couldn't help but walk forward and ask, "Imperial Physician, what happened to Yan girl? Why did she suddenly faint? When will she wake up?"

Doctor Pei didn't answer her. He seemed to be sniffing something carefully. Then he stared at the purse on Qi's body. When Qi felt a little uneasy, he said, "Madam, what kind of fragrance is in this purse? Why do you wear it every day?"

As soon as he said this, everyone's eyes fell on the purse worn by Qi. No one was stupid, and everyone knew what the imperial physician meant by saying this.

Xiao Bingzhi's face suddenly turned cold, his eyes full of chillness, and Old Madam Dou also looked at Qi in disbelief.

Qi was startled by their gazes and subconsciously took a few steps back. After a moment's thought, she took down her purse and threw it in front of Doctor Pei. Her voice became a little higher, trembling with anxiety and panic: "Yan girl came out of my belly. How could I, as a mother, harm her? Besides, I'm not stupid. No one in this capital city is more eager for Yan girl to give birth to this child safely than me, a mother, and the Ningshou Marquis Mansion. How could I think of harming her?"

As Qi spoke, her face gradually turned paler.

She was trapped in the harem and didn't have much cunning, but at this moment she also sensed a trace of fear and uneasiness. She knew that there were countless people in the capital hoping that something would happen to Yan Yatou, preferably with one death and two lives, so that the position of Crown Princess would be given up.

At this time, it is not easy for others to see Yan Yatou, but as a mother, as long as she visits in person, due to filial piety and reputation, neither Yan Yatou nor Old Madam Dou can avoid seeing her, so as not to give others a handle.

So, she stayed at the Duke of Weiguo's mansion and stayed with Yan Yatou for a few days.

But in these few days, something happened to Yan Yatou.

Qi's mind suddenly exploded, and she realized belatedly that she was probably being used and plotted against.

Her voice trembled and her eyes were red. She didn't dare to look at Cui Lingyan lying on the couch. She just stared at Doctor Pei, hoping that Yan's fainting this time had nothing to do with her.

However, Doctor Pei opened the purse and poured the dried flower petals and scented powder into his palm. After carefully pinching a little and tasting the powder, his expression suddenly became solemn and serious.

"This incense powder is mixed with Baizhuoxiang. The smell is harmful to pregnant women. It can easily cause convulsions and sleepless nights. Over time, it can also cause hallucinations. If a miscarriage occurs, two people could die!"

As he finished speaking, the last bit of color faded from Qi's face, and her legs went limp and she collapsed to the ground.

Xiao Bingzhi's face was icy. He turned to Madam Dou and said, "Bingzhi will take Yan'er to the palace and will come back to visit you in a few days."

Madam Dou, thinking that the Emperor had not yet issued the decree appointing the Crown Princess, was worried that Xiao Bingzhi's actions would displease the Emperor. However, seeing Xiao Bingzhi's expression, she offered no advice. She simply nodded and said, "It's better to ask Yan to go to the Eastern Palace. If Yan doesn't come to the palace for a day, there will be countless gossips outside. You've only been in the Eastern Palace for a few days, and I wonder if those people outside are crazy or something, spreading such rumors. That's one thing, but there are actually people who want to harm Yan and her unborn child."

"I'll feel more at ease if Miss Yan lives in the Eastern Palace." Old Madam Dou thought about the slander against Cui Lingyan outside, and finally said to Xiao Bingzhi: "It's normal for Miss Yan to be sensitive because she is pregnant. Don't listen to those rumors outside. You are husband and wife. Don't forget how you treated her in the past."

Xiao Bingzhi nodded: "Yan'er is Bingzhi's first wife. Bingzhi will naturally love and respect her. How could he let anyone bully her?"

This time he had just entered the Eastern Palace and was busy with affairs. He was caught off guard for a moment and did not expect that someone would use Qi's men to capture Bai Zhuoxiang. It was really hateful!

Xiao Bingzhi came in a hurry and took the unconscious Cui Lingyan to live in the East Palace, and moved directly into Xiao Bingzhi's own bedroom.

This action caused a huge shock in the court and the harem, so much so that at the next morning court, an imperial censor impeached Xiao Bingzhi, saying that his action was disrespectful to the emperor.

Xiao Bingzhi was also in the court. Upon hearing this, he said coldly, "Cui is my legitimate wife. As my principal wife, she is also the Crown Prince's principal consort. Why can't she enter the Eastern Palace? Or is it that one of the nobles has a daughter in his family, and one of them is eyeing the position of Crown Princess?"

His words were so ruthless that they slapped several people in the face, causing them to turn red and white. Thinking back to when this prince was still the Duke of Wei, although he seemed aloof and taciturn, he wasn't the type to speak harshly. How could he suddenly return to the throne and become the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace, and instead become so vicious and merciless?

It's okay to think about this in your heart, how can you say it in the court?

Xiao Bingzhi shut up the censor and court officials with a few words, but he didn't know that it was not over yet. The next moment, he reported to the emperor that someone had used Qi to give Cui Lingyan Baizhuxiang, and asked for the emperor's order to let the Jinyiwei investigate the matter thoroughly.

This incident was like a stone that stirred up a thousand waves. The court was full of discussions, wondering which court official had the courage to attack Cui at this time. Cui was fine, because she was pregnant with the emperor's grandson.

If they were not court officials, they would be the emperor's princes or concubines.

The atmosphere was so heavy that one could hear the sound of a pin drop.

The prince spoke frankly about this matter during the morning court session. He probably had already guessed it in his mind and was forcing the emperor to give him, the newly recognized prince, an explanation.

If the emperor really wanted to compensate his son, he would naturally order the Jinyiwei to conduct a thorough investigation and would most likely not cover up for him. Otherwise, there would inevitably be a rift between father and son, which is naturally not what the emperor wants to see.

No one dared to break the silence.

After a long while, the Emperor spoke, "I will do as the Crown Prince ordered. I will have the Imperial Guard conduct a thorough investigation. If anyone is found to be responsible, I will punish them severely!"