Chapter 206 A Long Day

"It's inside. The six ministers may come in with me to take a look."

The eldest princess stood up, and the six ministers followed her into the gate of Taiji Palace.

As they stepped inside, the coolness of the main hall greeted them, instantly restoring their clarity of mind.

Upon entering, he saw the Empress Dowager and the Empress. After paying his respects, he visited His Majesty and inquired about the reason for his visit.

The Empress simply stated that she had been held hostage by Prince Rui and was currently unconscious.

The six ministers met with the Empress Dowager, the Empress, the eldest princess, the crown prince, and the second prince, all of whom were present.

Combined with the palace coup he had heard about when he entered the palace, he now had no choice but to believe that it was all true.

While everyone could only worry in their hearts, they also admired Prince Rui's brilliant methods.

The Crown Prince led everyone back to the East Palace, and as soon as he entered, he repeatedly instructed his men to use plenty of ice.

He then had chilled mung bean soup served to all the court officials.

Feeling the coolness, after a bowl of chilled mung bean soup, everyone felt alive again.

I couldn't help but think to myself, "The Crown Prince is truly benevolent."

Seeing the grateful expressions on the faces of his ministers, the crown prince thought to himself, "This is exactly the effect I wanted."

If you disobey or don't work properly in the future, I have plenty of ways to deal with you.

While the Crown Prince was holding a meeting, the Eldest Princess finally came to her senses and went to the side hall to see her son and daughter-in-law.

The side hall was filled with calming incense, creating a tranquil atmosphere.

The palace servants served them carefully, not daring to utter a sound.

The princess glanced at the sleeping couple on the bed. Both of them were pale, one with a bandage wrapped around his forehead and the other with a bandage wrapped around his arm.

The eldest princess sighed, turned around, and left.

The servants outside followed her out, and the eldest princess asked:

"Is he or she alright?"

"The Princess Consort has lost too much blood and needs to rest in bed."

Although the prince's arm is not seriously injured, it will likely take some time to recover.

The princess nodded, breathed a sigh of relief, and looked up at the sky in the distance, which had turned a yellowish-orange color.

"This day...it's been so long..."

The eldest princess murmured.

...

When Xiao Ling woke up, he found that the daylight outside had become dark.

He turned to look at Xie Yunyu beside him, and seeing that she was still asleep, he didn't disturb her.

When news of the palace coup reached the Princess's residence, the Duke of Qi was extremely anxious.

No wonder they insisted I take the day off today, now I understand.

But soon he heard that the Imperial Guards were arresting the remaining followers of Prince Rui all over the streets, and he breathed a slight sigh of relief.

However, he remained uneasy about the safety of the three people in the palace.

That night, Xiao Ling and the other two stayed overnight in the palace. As it was getting dark, they sent someone back to inform the Duke of Qi of the situation.

The Duke of Qi was relieved; it was good that everything was alright.

That night, the Duke of Qi had both children brought over and placed in the same bedroom as him.

She assured herself that she would see her two children the moment she opened her eyes.

Perhaps the child sensed that something was wrong, because he slept very well throughout the night.

Even Yuan Xi, who usually cries and fusses, didn't cry or fuss at night.

The Duke of Qi woke up several times during the night, and finally got out of bed with dark circles under his eyes when morning arrived.

Then Xiao Ling and Xie Yunyu appeared at home, one with a bandage wrapped around her forehead and the other with a bandage wrapped around her arm.

Duke Qi's heart jumped again, and he looked behind the two men again and again.

"Where is your mother?" Duke Qi asked hurriedly.

Seeing his nervous expression, Xiao Ling quickly reassured him:

"I'm doing well. I'm in the palace keeping my grandmother company."

Xie Yunyu then asked the Duke of Qi, "Father, where are the children?"

"Everything is fine inside the house."

Xie Yunyu ignored her headache and rushed into the house to check on the child.

Xiao Ling and the Duke of Qi walked and talked behind.

After listening to Xiao Ling's brief account of what happened in the palace yesterday, the Queen of Qi broke out in a cold sweat.

That was incredibly dangerous.

"Father, you should go to the palace later."

"Go see my mother, see His Majesty and Grandmother. I need to go to the Eastern Palace to help."

Duke Qi nodded, turned around and went back to change into his court robes for the palace.

Xie Yunyu stayed at home to take care of the children and recuperate.

Seeing Xie Yunyu's weak condition, Xiao Ling was worried and asked Gu Yu to pack up and send Xie Yunyu and the child to the Xie residence.

Zheng felt heartbroken looking at Xie Yunyu, whose head was wrapped in gauze.

Then she saw that Xiao Ling's arm was also wrapped in gauze. She opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't say anything.

He directed the people to take Xie Yunyu and the child back to her small courtyard.

Xiao Ling went directly to see Old Master Xie.

Yesterday afternoon, the Imperial Guards started arresting people on the streets, causing chaos and confusion. He knew something was wrong.

Seeing that Xiao Linglai was still injured, he asked:

"Was there a palace coup yesterday?"

Xiao Ling nodded and briefly explained the situation.

"How is His Majesty?"

"Grandpa Xie asked with concern."

"Fortunately, the imperial physician provided timely treatment, but she still needs to recuperate well."

Grandpa Xie nodded in agreement.

"Why was Yu'er in the palace yesterday?" Old Master Xie asked.

"It was quite a coincidence yesterday. I was supposed to accompany my mother to the palace to see the Empress Dowager, but we just happened to run into each other."

Xiao Ling didn't dare tell the old man the truth at all, so he could only use euphemisms to whitewash the situation.

"She bumped her head and bled a little. The imperial physician said it was nothing serious, she just needed to rest."

There are many things to do in the palace from now on, and I have to go to the palace every day, so I can't take care of her at all. Therefore, I thought of sending her back to be raised.

I'm sorry for causing trouble for my family.

The old man waved his hand and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? You can rest assured that Yu'er is at home."

Matters of the palace are matters of state, far more important than family affairs; matters of state should take precedence.

Xiao Ling was once again impressed by the old man's profound sense of righteousness.

Just before leaving, they ran into Xie Yunman, and the two left the mansion together and got into Xiao Ling's carriage.

On the way, Xiao Ling explained the matter to Xie Yunman in detail.

Xie Yunman's heart pounded wildly upon hearing this.

Because the weather has been too hot these past two days, Xie Yunman suffered from heatstroke and was resting at home. She happened to not go to the palace these past two days, and that's when this big incident happened.

I didn't go to the palace, but Xie Yunyu did, and she got injured...

Xie Yunman was filled with worry and repeatedly asked Xiao Ling:

"Is Yu'er really alright?"

"Don't worry, there's nothing seriously wrong. The imperial physician examined me yesterday."

He just bumped his head and will need to rest for a while.

Xiao Ling repeatedly assured him.

Xie Yunman's emotions gradually calmed down.

When the two arrived at the palace, the Duke of Qi had already arrived and was visiting the Empress Dowager and the Emperor in the Taiji Palace.

The eldest princess was sitting under the round window in the Taiji Palace, quietly eating the red bean porridge and crystal dumplings that the Duke of Qi had brought from home.

After visiting His Majesty, the Duke of Qi chatted with the Empress Dowager for a while. Seeing that the Princess had finished her meal, he personally went over to pack up the food box and took it out of the palace.

The Crown Prince and Xiao Ling summoned the Second Prince and the Fifth Prince to read the memorials.

At the age of thirteen, the fifth prince was at a very active age and couldn't sit still at all.

He kept drinking water, going to the toilet, and stretching...

Seeing that the Crown Prince and Xiao Ling got up to leave, he stood up as well.

"What are you doing?" the prince asked.

"Wherever you go, I'll go?"

The Fifth Prince said this with a straight face.

Xiao Ling replied expressionlessly:

"We're going to the front to discuss matters with the court officials. Are you coming?"

The Fifth Prince quickly waved his hand upon hearing this.

The crown prince rubbed his slightly aching brow and said:

"Fifth brother, you're all grown up now. Father is currently in a coma. Shouldn't you help your older brothers share the burden?"

Please read through these memorials first and help your second brother categorize them.

"Second brother, approve what you can first, and leave the rest for me to see when I get back."

The Fifth Prince glanced at the Crown Prince, then at the Second Prince who was intently reading the memorials, and had no choice but to return to his seat.

He sighed heavily and picked up the memorial beside him to continue reading.

The Crown Prince took Xiao Ling with him.

Seeing the two disappear, the Fifth Prince pouted resentfully and said:

"Second brother, when will we finish reading all these memorials?"