Eighth Prince's Mansion

Guo Luoluo looked at the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree: "Are you sure the Emperor wants me to enter the palace?"

The young eunuch paused for a moment: "It is to invite you to the palace to take care of the Eighth Prince. His Majesty... has no other intentions, so please rest assured, Princess Consort."

Guo Luoluo accepted the imperial decree speechlessly, gave the little eunuch a reward, and didn't think about what serious matter he had imagined from her question.

Regardless of why the Emperor relented and allowed her to enter the palace to see the Prince, the Eighth Prince's wife was both excited and thrilled. She even started rummaging through her chests and drawers to pack her clothes and kept changing her jewelry, hoping to impress the Eighth Prince.

With a heart full of trepidation, Guo Luoluo entered the palace and was first taken to Yikun Palace.

Looking at the emaciated Guo Luoluo, Yi Hua had no desire to say anything more to her. This was a woman who placed love above all else; for the sake of her beloved Eighth Prince, she was willing to sacrifice all her own interests.

This was unbelievable to Yihua. Her few conversations with the Eighth Prince's wife had all been unpleasant. Yinzhen said he wanted to arrange for the couple to meet so he could find out what they were planning to do next.

Yi Hua had no intention of probing; Guo Luoluo was too stubborn to talk back, so there was no need to waste her breath.

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects. Your Majesty's beauty is even more radiant than before."

"I wonder if Your Majesty still remembers what happened when you first married the Fourth Prince? At that time, you were not the only one favored by the Emperor. I am very curious about what happened in between."

"Oh, that's none of your business," Yi Hua said indifferently. "Yu Xue, take Eighth Princess Consort to Eighth Prince's place."

Watching Guo Luoluo's retreating figure, Yi Hua was somewhat lost in thought. Why did she bring up such distant events? Those events were sealed away in her memory, precious memories belonging to the original owner, and she hadn't touched them at all over the years.

At the same time, Yi Hua was also afraid that she had received the original owner's memories and completely forgotten where she came from.

Honghui had his own sources of information. He was unusually agitated and, after thinking for a moment, went to the small Buddhist shrine in his room.

This small Buddhist shrine had been with him since birth, and it remained so after he entered the palace. Without Yihua's permission, Honghui moved it over himself.

Kneeling on the prayer mat, Honghui clasped his hands together and silently prayed in his heart.

"Mother, your son is unfilial for not visiting you for so long."

"A lot has happened since I returned from the Yuanmingyuan. I have been very busy every day, especially after my eighth uncle burned down the imperial tombs. Some things are completely out of my control."

"What I have discovered, Father Emperor must have also noticed, after all, Mother Emperor is too stupid."

“Mother, you have always protected your son from heaven, and you have also protected her. If Father Emperor has to punish you this time because of public opinion, I might do something irrational. You can understand that, right?”

"It's been so many years. Have you been reincarnated? I haven't had any dreams related to you since."

"Your subject wishes to protect Your Majesty."

Thinking this, Honghui respectfully kowtowed several times: "Mother, if I anger Father, I may never be able to come to see you again. Don't worry, wait for me."

******

When Guo Luoluo saw the Eighth Prince, she immediately burst into tears. She dared not touch him even slightly, for fear that he was in great pain. She knelt before the bed and cried miserably for at least half an incense stick's time before slowly stopping.

"Why are you crying? I'm perfectly fine," Eighth Master said with a smile.

Guo Luoluo's tears, which she had just stopped, started flowing again.

"What did the imperial physician say?"

"With proper care, Grandpa will still be able to walk freely, but the burns on his face and body will leave scars."

"What kind of idea did that beast Nian Gengyao give me?!"

"No wonder Liang Gong suddenly came to the imperial tomb and brought a lot of kerosene. It turns out you inspired him."

"I was just grasping at straws in my desperation. We've been setting things up for so long and it's time to close the net. How can you not be in the capital?"

"Thank you for your hard work." Eighth Master tried to give a tender look, but Guo Luoluo saw it as a ferocious expression.

Guo Luoluo gritted her teeth and forced a smile, cursing those familiar names over and over in her mind, wishing for her handsome and dashing Eighth Prince!

Although Eighth Master was showing signs of gaining weight, he was still a handsome fat man, not the dark-skinned man lying in bed unable to move as he is now.

"It's no trouble at all. Let's just wait and see her trapped in this siege!" Guo Luoluo said angrily.

"How long will it take for the rumors to reach the capital?"

"No more than three days."

"good!"

"You've taken good care of Hongwang." Eighth Master softened his tone as he thought of this. "This child will take care of you in your old age, so I can rest assured."

“Hongwang is a filial son. He thinks of you every day. After we leave the palace, we will see him get married and have children, and we will be able to hold our little grandchildren.” Lady Guoluo liked this child. She deliberately ignored the complicated emotions in her heart and looked forward to a bright future with the Eighth Prince.

Just as the couple were chatting, an uninvited guest arrived at the Forbidden City.

From the Kangxi era, or rather from the Shunzhi era, the Qing Dynasty revered Buddhism and Taoism. During the Kangxi era, a royal temple was even built in the capital to provide a safe place for the Aisin Gioro family to pray and offer incense.

Yinzhen (the Yongzheng Emperor) leaned more towards Taoism, but the spread of Buddhism continued, especially the abbot of this temple, who was highly respected and frequently came to the palace to give lectures.

The abbot, whose Dharma name was Mingjue, had a white beard and walked briskly with a cane. He looked like a sage.

When he came to request an audience, Yinzhen gave him ample face and granted him an audience immediately.

At that time, there were several important officials and the ninth and thirteenth princes in the Hall of Mental Cultivation. When they saw that the emperor wanted to see Master Mingjue, they all wanted to take their leave, but they were kept behind.

This was rather strange. Zhang Tingyu first looked at the two highly trusted princes, and sure enough, the Ninth Prince and the Thirteenth Prince kept their eyes down, looking completely uninterested.

That means there is definitely something fishy going on.

Master Mingjue did not kneel before Yinzhen, but instead put his hands together and recited a Buddhist name.

This was an honor bestowed by Emperor Kangxi, a privilege reserved only for the abbot. Yinzhen nodded: "Greetings, Master. May I ask if there is any urgent matter that brings you down the mountain in such a hurry?"

"Your Majesty, I have just looked up to observe the celestial phenomena and discovered an ominous star above the palace. I fear that evil spirits have infiltrated the palace and are detrimental to Your Majesty's health. I urge you to investigate thoroughly."

"A demonic star?" Yinzhen frowned, indicating that he did not care much. "I have read a few books, and there is indeed such a saying. However, a demonic star has not appeared in the world for at least a hundred years. Master, you must have misunderstood."

"This old monk dares not speak presumptuously. There is also an Imperial Observatory in the court. Your Majesty can ask the Director of the Observatory to come and inquire."

"Yes, Master is right. Summon the Director of the Imperial Observatory!"