"Your Highness, I have seen the Empress. She is indeed ill and cannot even get out of bed. The imperial physician who examined her said that the Empress has been suffering from worries and anxieties for many years, which has affected her health. She fell ill again when the weather turned cold, and she is now unable to hold on any longer."

Eunuch Li stood below, bowing his head to report, while Qian Shengyan remained silent, turning her gaze to Wanyan Wenliu.

Wanyan Wenliu calmly stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, when we went to compile the list half a month ago, Your Majesty was in good health and spoke with a strong voice. She did not appear to be sick or weak.”

"Alas, what kind of illness is it that has come on so fiercely, tormenting Her Majesty the Empress to this state in just half a month?" Qian Shengyan sighed. "Where is the imperial physician in charge of Her Majesty's health? I need to have him come to Yongshou Palace as soon as he is finished. I am really worried."

With the Imperial Noble Consort's words, "as soon as possible," Imperial Physician Yu, who had just come out of Changchun Palace, hurriedly went to Yongshou Palace. After seeing the Imperial Noble Consort, he reported everything to her, not daring to conceal anything.

"It seems that the weather has turned cold and Her Majesty the Empress has caught a cold. She has not recovered yet, and Her Majesty is worried too much, so she thought..." Qian Shengyan sighed, "You should take good care of Her Majesty the Empress first. I will talk to the Emperor about this matter slowly."

"Yes, Your Highness, you've worked hard." Imperial Physician Yu replied and then left.

For a moment, no one spoke in the hall. Qian Shengyan frowned and thought for a while before dismissing the other servants. She turned to Qingxue and said, "Does Her Majesty the Empress intend to use that Granny Chang to harm the Emperor?"

Her guess startled Qingxue, who immediately knelt on the ground and murmured, unable to answer.

After asking the question, Qian Shengyan had a clear understanding of the situation.

Ulanara wouldn't, but Shushen might.

However, would Ulanara agree? She wouldn't dare, nor should she be willing.

What if Ulanara was not acting voluntarily? Was she kidnapped? Or even... poisoned?

Would Granny Chang dare to have such audacity?

It's not impossible, after all, the other side is probably going to make a move against the emperor.

Qian Shengyan's mind raced, and she called Wanyan Wenliu back: "When we went to do the statistics that day, what did you think of that nanny?"

“Your Majesty, I remember that the old woman was very old and should be enjoying her retirement.” Wanyan Wenliu frowned and thought carefully. “At that time, Xiao Xuan was anxious and pulled her out directly. The old woman could barely keep up with her pace.”

After saying this, Wanyan Wenliu remembered something else: "There were too many people just now, and I originally wanted to wait until Your Majesty had some free time to report to you. However, the results of that Granny Chang's investigation this morning show that she is indeed a former employee of Yuqing Palace."

Qian Shengyan's brows furrowed: "Come and explain to me in detail."

In the middle of the morning, after discussing state affairs, Yinzhen listened to Su Peisheng's report as he walked out. He frowned slightly: "Is the Empress so ill?"

"I caught a cold and have some emotional distress, so I can't get out of bed," Su Peisheng said in a low voice.

Another reason is the Empress's age; she's almost fifty, and it's unlikely she'll recover from her illness. But he dared not say so, since the Emperor was older than the Empress.

Yinzhen hesitated whether to go to Changchun Palace to see her. Although he disliked Ulanara, he thought she was just confused and wouldn't be so desperate as to never see her again. Besides, he knew that they were both around the same age, and he was afraid that every time they met, it would be the last time they would see each other.

In that dream, because Qian Shengyan was not around and he didn't like to go, the entire harem was like stagnant water. Ulanara didn't cause much trouble either. After she gave up on having more children, the two could be considered to treat each other with respect.

Even so, Ulanara died in the ninth year of Yongzheng's reign. Although it is still three years away from the dream, her life was not smooth, which may have led to her early death.

As he pondered this, he walked out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation and bumped into Qian Shengyan, who happened to be coming out as well. Despite his lingering worries, Yinzhen still smiled and took her hand: "Where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?"

"Your Majesty, I happen to have something to discuss with you." Qian Shengyan pursed her lips. "It concerns Changchun Palace. Please grant me your permission."

The two returned to the inner palace of Yongshou Palace. After Qingxue served tea and snacks, she withdrew to the outside. Qian Shengyan hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Does Your Majesty remember that Princess Shushen once visited Changchun Palace when we were in Mulan?"

"Hmm." Yinzhen nodded, somewhat puzzled. "Haven't almost half a year passed?"

“Yes, but… the number of people when Princess Shushen came and left didn’t match up. Your Majesty and I both thought it was because a palace maid was missing. But when the Palace Attendant was compiling the rosters of each palace and distributing benefits a while ago, we found that there was an extra old nanny in Changchun Palace.” Qian Shengyan skipped over the details and only said, “The old nanny claimed to be surnamed Chang. Her Majesty the Empress said that she used to work in the Laundry Department, but the Palace Attendant checked the rosters of the Laundry Department for the past two years and found that there was no nanny with the surname Chang.”

Yinzhen frowned and gave a soft "hmm," signaling her to continue.

Qian Shengyan slowly said, "Later, I remembered that Princess Shushen had entered Changchun Palace, so I had someone investigate."

She pursed her lips, seemingly a little afraid, and grabbed Yinzhen's hand, even unconsciously scratching it before saying, "It turns out that this Granny Chang's name and age match... match a nanny who used to serve the Crown Prince's concubine in Yuqing Palace..."

"That concubine was Shushen's biological mother."

After saying this, Qian Shengyan didn't speak again, and Yinzhen didn't say anything either. After a moment, he sighed deeply: "...So that's how it is."

The emperor is a figurehead. The incident in the side hall of Yongshou Palace and the alteration of Qian Shengyan's prescription, although no concrete evidence was found after investigation, no evidence does not mean no suspicion. Especially after Changchun Palace was sealed off, the harem became quiet. No one would believe that these things had nothing to do with Changchun Palace.

Even Yinzhen (the Yongzheng Emperor) did not expect that Princess Shushen would get involved in this.

Now, why is an old nanny being sent in? To be taken to Changchun Palace, and then what?

Yinzhen's expression suddenly turned cold. He felt that Ulanara was unlikely to commit regicide, but what about the remnants of the former crown prince's faction?

Perhaps they don't want anyone to sit on the throne, but whoever sits on the throne will be an enemy to them.

He gave a deep, cold laugh: "Employing an old nanny for half a year, does Ulanara dare to say she knew nothing about it? She even dared to get involved in such a scheme?"

"Perhaps...perhaps Her Majesty the Empress is unaware of this, which is why she fell ill." Qian Shengyan frowned deeply. "When Wen Liu and the others went to Changchun Palace half a month ago, Her Majesty the Empress was still in good spirits. How come she can't get out of bed after only half a month?"

Yinzhen lowered his brows even further, and after a moment he sneered: "Su Peisheng! Go and summon Tulichen."

He wanted to go and see what kind of den of dragons and tigers awaited him at Changchun Palace!