Song Wenyue took the Sixth Prince to the Qiankun Palace. Yuwen Wuji felt his mental state was deteriorating. The head of the Imperial Hospital said that the poison he had been given only caused him to frequently fall into a coma, and did not cause much damage to his body. He was given acupuncture and medicine, but he still felt that the poison had not been completely eliminated.

But no matter how he asked the imperial physicians, they all gave the same answer: that the toxins in his body had been cleared and that he now needed to take good care of himself. They said that his excessive sleepiness was due to overwork and that he should handle as little state affairs as possible.

"Your Majesty, please rest." Li Wei brought him a cup of warm water and rubbed his temples.

Yuwen Wuji looked at his still limping leg and said, "You've had a tough time these past few days."

Upon hearing this, Li Wei hurriedly knelt down, saying in a trembling voice, "This servant dares not take credit!"

Yuwen Wuji waved his hand, "Get up, you have indeed worked hard."

Li Wei remained silent for a while before getting up from the ground.

"In the blink of an eye, you are the only one left by my side."

The veteran officials he had promoted either died of illness or were denounced and defeated in power struggles.

He sighed, and Li Wei stood respectfully beside him, like the most loyal dog he had ever raised.

Yuwen Wuji sighed for a while, then a young eunuch came in and said, "Your Majesty, someone from the Ministry of Justice has come to report something."

Yuwen Wuji gave Li Wei a look, and he went out. He returned shortly after and said, "Your Majesty, the people from the Ministry of Justice say that Tong Qian didn't make it and is dead."

Yuwen Wuji closed his eyes and said after a long while, "Another one is gone."

He wasn't heartbroken about losing such a veteran minister, but rather felt a sense of crisis, like the saying "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold."

His henchmen have been pulled out one by one, so won't it be his turn next?

"Your Majesty, Tong Qian never revealed the whereabouts of the missing money until his death."

At this point, Yuwen Wuji's eyes turned fierce. The Ministry of Revenue calculated that the confiscated funds did not match the amount Tong Qian had confessed to, by almost 20%. Even 20% was enough for him to build a canal from Jiangzhou to Yunzhou.

And then there's the silver that Ye Cang lost...

Someone, right under his nose, learned of his ministers' embezzled funds before he did and devised a plan to seize them.

Who would do that?

Prince Xuan? Prince Yan? Crown Prince? Or... the Xie family?

When the thought of the Xie family came to mind, a chill ran through Yuwen Wuji's heart.

"Have Chengcheng send some men to keep an eye on Xie Liwei and the Xie family, making sure they pay attention to every detail!"

Li Wei nodded in agreement, and then Song Wenyue arrived with the child.

Yuwen Wuji had indeed not seen the child for a long time. After playing with the child for a while, he became exhausted and asked her to leave.

Song Wenyue obediently agreed, but before leaving, her eyes held a thousand unspoken words as she looked at Yuwen Wuji. Just when Yuwen Wuji thought she would cry and beg him, she had already turned and left.

Yuwen Wuji frowned. "Li Wei, go and find out if Consort Zhen has encountered any difficulties recently."

Li Wei pursed his lips and said, "Your Majesty, there's really no need to investigate this matter. Ever since you fell ill, the Imperial Noble Consort has been in charge of the inner palace. When Consort Zhen was summoned before, many people saw her limping out of Yikun Palace."

Later, several rumors circulated that palace maids in Gyeongbokgung Palace had died from food poisoning while tasting dishes...

As Li Wei spoke, he glanced at Yuwen Wuji, and seeing that his face was growing increasingly gloomy, he continued, "Consort Zhen specifically instructed me not to tell you about this matter, for fear of delaying your recovery. But just now, I noticed that the young prince's spirits seemed to be not as good as before, so I couldn't help but speak up!"

Yuwen Wuji sneered, "What a fine Imperial Noble Consort! Both Imperial Noble Consorts were truly outstanding!"

Li Wei dared not respond, but Yuwen Wuji instructed, "Have Chengcheng strengthen patrols at Jingfu Palace to ensure the safety of the young prince."

The next day, Lu Yinghong brought the medicinal soup as usual, but this time it was Li Wei who delivered it, and she didn't get to see the Emperor. She had heard that the Emperor had summoned Song Wenyue when she brought the child over the day before.

Unfortunately, I don't have any children!

On her way back to the palace, she encountered Consort Shu picking plum blossoms in the Imperial Garden and couldn't help but go up to her and make a few sarcastic remarks.

"Why are you still admiring the plum blossoms here, sister? You both have children, but Wenyue is much better at taking credit than you are."

Consort Shu calmly picked the plum blossoms one by one and said with a smile, "After all, it's been a long time since we've seen children in the palace, unlike the Fifth Prince, who is about to leave the palace to establish his own residence."

Lu Yinghong naturally understood the implication in her words: the Sixth Prince was still young, but the Fifth Prince was already capable of sharing the Emperor's burdens. In this respect, the Fifth Prince's age already surpassed that of the Sixth Prince.

"Hmph, it's not certain who will win!" Lu Yinghong turned and left.

Consort Shu stared at her retreating figure, a murderous glint in her eyes. If she dared to lay a hand on the Fifth Prince, she would kill her before she did!

"Yesterday she sent someone to Chuxiu Palace to select concubines who had not yet served the emperor. Did she find a suitable one?"

"Your Majesty, we have chosen the daughter of a minor official of the seventh rank in the border town."

Consort Shu frowned slightly. How could a woman of such low status be allowed to enter the palace during the imperial selection?

"Let's see what she's going to do."

Soon, Consort Shu received the news.

That night, Chengcheng was patrolling the palace with his imperial guards. When he reached the inner palace, a palace maid ran towards him in a panic, crying out, "Commander Cheng! Commander Cheng! Help, Commander Cheng!"

Cheng Cheng's sharp eyes looked at her. When she met the man's gaze, the palace maid felt as if she were nailed to a spot several feet away by his eyes.

"Commander Cheng, please save our master!"

"What's the rush? All the palaces are locked, so why are you here?"

"This concerns my master's life. Please, Commander Cheng, come with me. I beg you!" The palace maid knelt down with a pleading expression. The imperial guards behind Cheng Cheng were curious, but they were also afraid that they might learn some royal secrets and lose their lives.

Chengcheng glanced at her and said to his subordinates, "You continue patrolling, I'll be back in a bit."

Seeing that he agreed, the palace maid quickly got up and led the way.

Chengcheng followed, passing through familiar palace paths, knowing where each path led.

"How is your master?"

“A thief has broken into my master’s room, but my master has not yet been favored by the emperor. If this matter were to be spread, I fear that even his life would be in danger. That is why I dared to ask the commander to search my master’s room.”

Chengcheng: "..."

Although he is a warrior, does he seem to be that simple-minded?

They even came up with such a flimsy excuse, as if they were afraid he wouldn't realize they were after him? On one hand, they said they were afraid of ruining their master's reputation, while on the other hand, they stopped him in front of so many imperial guards.

But his face showed anger and anxiety: "This matter concerns the lives of all the ladies of the palace, why didn't you say so sooner! Lead the way quickly, let me catch the thief!"

The palace maid was secretly delighted to see that he had fallen for her trick.