Yi Hua didn't sleep well. She dreamed that Hong Hui was standing alone in the darkness, with unknown creatures rustling and slowly approaching him from the shadows. Hong Hui seemed completely unaware of all this.

He floated in the air, seemingly being dragged down by something below, like an invisible pillar. Honghui stood on it, his eyes closed, his expression serene.

Yi Hua shouted loudly, trying to warn Hong Hui, but her voice seemed to be blocked by the darkness. The mother and son appeared to be close, but in reality, they were like two worlds apart.

Seeing that Yi Hua was not sleeping soundly, and was constantly muttering in her sleep with cold sweat on her forehead, Yu Xiao guessed that she was having a nightmare.

So she gently nudged Yi Hua's arm, trying to wake her mistress who had just fallen asleep.

If I continue sleeping like this, I might get sick.

Yi Hua opened her eyes, looked at the warm candlelight in the room, and breathed a sigh of relief. The feeling of being swallowed by darkness was just a dream.

That's good. She said there's no such space in the world.

With Yu Xiao's help, Yi Hua drank some honey water to moisten her mouth, which relieved the slight pain in her abdomen.

"What time is it? Has Honghui returned yet?"

Yu Xiao replied, "Master and Prince Honghui haven't returned yet, and it's getting late. Why don't you think about what to prepare for Prince Honghui tonight? I'll tell the kitchen to make it."

Yi Hua nodded: "The child asked for hot pot a couple of days ago, so we asked the kitchen to add some tonight, along with fresh mutton, side dishes, and chewy noodles."

"Yes." According to the rules, pots and pans can only be served after the winter solstice. Fortunately, after they left the palace, there were some things they didn't need to follow the rules for. It was just a matter of preparing a delicious dinner for the child.

Although she had taken a nap, Yi Hua was still feeling a bit tired. She rubbed her eyes and brows, and in a daze, she seemed to hear someone calling "Mother" in her ear.

"Honghui is back?" Yihua asked again not long after.

Granny Chen reached out and touched Yihua's forehead. It was warm to the touch, and she breathed a sigh of relief: "Madam, where do you feel unwell?"

Yi Hua shook her head, indicating that she was fine.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside. Lifting the curtain, Yi Hua saw a somewhat familiar-looking eunuch.

He seems to be Liang Jiugong's junior apprentice in the palace.

"This servant greets the Fourth Prince Consort! Prince Honghui fell off his horse at Shangsiyuan and is currently being cared for by an imperial physician at Consort De's residence in the palace. His Majesty has ordered you to come to the palace!"

What?!

Yi Hua suddenly stood up, and because she hadn't eaten yet, her vision went black, and she almost fainted on the spot.

Her fingernails dug so hard into her palms that blood seeped out, and Yi Hua finally came to her senses: "Thank you for making this trip, Father-in-law. What happened to Hong Hui? Is it serious?"

The young eunuch was very nervous: "Prince Honghui is still not awake. The imperial physicians are taking turns to examine him. Fortunately, he can still be fed the medicine."

Yi Hua quickly changed into a reasonably decent palace dress and gestured to Granny Chen to give the little eunuch a bulging purse: "I forgot to ask just now, is the Prince also in the palace?"

When the young eunuch took the purse, he squeezed it and immediately estimated the amount in his mind, almost bursting out laughing. Fortunately, he remembered what he had come and gone for, and tried his best to make his expression sorrowful, looking somewhat distorted: "Your Highness had some official business today. It was the Fourteenth Prince who sent Prince Honghui into the palace, and other eunuchs went to invite Your Highness."

Upon hearing that Yinzhen was not with Honghui, Yihua's face turned deathly pale. The cramps in her stomach worsened, and she broke out in a cold sweat. While sitting in the carriage on her way to the palace, she didn't even realize that she had pinched Yuxiao's hand until it turned purple.

Yi Hua was used to walking this road, but today it felt exceptionally long. She felt a little lost, and a thought popped into her head.

What will I do if Honghui doesn't make it through?

******

Yonghe Palace

The Ninth Prince, the Tenth Prince, and the Fourteenth Prince knelt at the door, all three looking ashamed and remorseful.

Although the Fourteenth Prince reacted quickly, the pool of blood on the back of Honghui's head still stung the hearts of the three of them.

When the imperial physicians carried Honghui into the palace, Emperor Kangxi was furious upon learning of it and immediately gave each of the three men a kick to the back: "Is this how you uncles act?"

None of the three dared to dodge, and they remained kneeling on the ground in repentance.

Those on duty who were not in charge were all summoned to the palace. Fortunately, Honghui's wound was not that deep, and the bleeding stopped first, but he remained unconscious.

Upon receiving the news, Yinzhen rushed to the palace, arriving much faster than Yihua.

He ignored his younger brothers kneeling at the palace gate and rushed inside, where he immediately saw Honghui lying there.

Kangxi first patted Yinzhen on the shoulder: "Fourth Prince, I know you are anxious. You must trust the medical skills of the Imperial Hospital."

The medical skills of the Imperial Medical Academy?

Yinzhen almost laughed. How did the late Empress die? How did his adoptive mother, the Imperial Noble Consort, die? And how did his sixth brother die? Have the imperial physicians in the palace figured it all out?

Is his son destined to follow in their footsteps and perish in this palace?

Yinzhen entered the room without saying a word and immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.

The imperial physicians were in a flurry of activity, prescribing calming pills for Yinzhen.

At this moment, Yi Hua arrived. Ignoring etiquette, she knelt directly in front of the bed: "Master, how is Hong Hui?"

Seeing Yi Hua's earnest eyes, Yin Zhen couldn't bear to look at her directly, so he looked away and reached out to help her up: "Don't be afraid, Hong Hui will be alright."

“Yes, he will wake up,” Yi Hua murmured, as Yinzhen helped her sit down at the lower seat.

Seeing the commotion inside and outside the room, Consort De said, "Your Majesty, Honghui is blessed with great fortune. With your imperial protection, he will surely turn danger into safety. The three children did not do what they did today. They have been kneeling and sincerely repenting. Your Majesty, why don't you let them go back and reflect on their mistakes in private, so that they can change their impetuous nature?"

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!