Chapter 36 The Grand Show Begins, Cheng Rui Falls Critically Ill

Jiang Nan immediately stopped smiling and put on a serious expression.

"Hmm? Did I? Did I smile?"

"Of course there is."

Wang put down her needlework and pointed at her.

"Her smile was practically reaching her ears, Chunlan. Tell me, did Her Majesty just now smile?"

Chunlan, who was standing quietly to the side, suppressed a laugh and nodded obediently.

"Her Majesty did smile just now."

Jiang Nan was exposed on the spot, but she wasn't embarrassed and just waved her hand dismissively.

"Oh, I was just thinking about something happy, is that not allowed?"

Wang glared at her reproachfully.

"Don't try to fool me. That smile of yours is clearly malicious. You're obviously up to no good. Are you plotting something against someone again?"

Jiang Nan, having been hit where it hurt, didn't deny it; instead, she moved closer with great interest.

"I'm waiting for our Empress to make her move. Have you forgotten? Didn't I say that she planned to frame me for Prince Chengrui's affair?"

Upon hearing this, Wang's face turned pale, and she nervously grabbed her sleeve.

"Little sister, what time is it? How can you still be laughing? This...this is a huge disaster. Aren't you worried at all?"

"Worried? Worried about what?"

Jiang Nan casually pulled back her sleeve and even leisurely took another sip of plum juice.

"I am not a clay figure. If Hesheli wants to throw mud at me, she'll have to see if she has the ability to do so."

She put down her bowl, her tone carrying an almost arrogant confidence.

"So what if she is the Empress? Without any real evidence, you think you can frame me with mere words? Hmph, I am not the kind of soft persimmon who can only cry and be manipulated by others."

She clenched her fist, her knuckles cracking slightly, and a smile that was a mixture of anticipation and defiance appeared on her face.

"I'm actually hoping she'll make her move soon. It'll be a good opportunity for me to see what tricks she has up her sleeve. In the end... who will take care of whom is still uncertain."

Wang looked at her eager posture, as if she were about to start a fight.

It was both funny and worrying, and in the end, I could only sigh helplessly.

"You... really..."

She simply couldn't find the right words to describe her audacious younger sister.

Jiang Nan said no more, leaned back on the pillow, and closed her eyes.

She seemed to already see the impending storm, and far from being afraid, she was not.

Instead, it was filled with the excitement of watching a play and... personally taking the stage to perform.

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Two days later, in the early morning, Jiang Nan was sitting in front of her dressing table in Yongshou Palace.

Fangruo and Chunlan styled her hair, preparing her for her daily routine of paying respects at Kunning Palace later.

The head eunuch, Zhao Deyi, walked in with hurried but deliberately quiet steps.

With a solemn expression, he bowed and spoke in a low voice.

"Your Majesty, news has come from Zhongcui Palace that Prince Chengrui... is probably in bad shape."

Jiang Nan paused slightly in her hand holding the jade comb. Her eyes flickered for a moment in the mirror before returning to calm.

She gently put down the comb and sighed silently in her heart.

"Is the Emperor aware of this?"

She asked in a calm and even voice.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor has received the news, adjourned the court session early, and has already gone to Zhongcui Palace."

Zhao replied in a low voice.

Jiang Nan nodded, her eyes slightly cold.

Kangxi went... Empress Hesheli must have arrived long ago as well.

Right now, she's probably standing by, playing the role of a virtuous stepmother, heartbroken and indignant.

She stood up and gave Zhao Deyi instructions.

"Go and inform Sister Wang to prepare herself so that she can come with me to Zhongcui Palace."

She paused, her tone carrying an undeniable decisiveness.

"The Crown Prince is critically ill. All the concubines in the palace should visit and comfort him, otherwise His Majesty will be unhappy. In addition, everyone in Yongshou Palace today, after I leave, shall immediately close the palace gates. No one shall enter or leave without my written order. Zhao Deyi, you shall also come with me."

Zhao Dexin's scalp tightened, and he immediately understood his master's deeper meaning.

This means personally going to the eye of the storm to confront the Queen's conspiracy.

This is also a severe test of his ability and loyalty.

He immediately bowed, his voice resolute.

"Yes, Your Majesty. This servant understands and will certainly protect Your Majesty."

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A moment later, Jiang Nan, dressed in his best, arrived with Wang Shi, Zhao Deyi, Chunlan, and several trusted palace maids and eunuchs.

After leaving Yongshou Palace, we headed towards Zhongcui Palace.

The atmosphere on the palace road was noticeably more solemn and oppressive than usual, with palace servants hurrying along and looking grave.

Wang followed beside Jiang Nan, and couldn't help but lower her voice to remind him with concern.

"Little sister, please be very careful today."

Jiang Nan glanced at her sideways, a smile that was almost excited curving her lips.

"Don't worry, sister. I'm well prepared. I want to see how Your Majesty plans to put on this show. Please don't make it too rough, or I'll lose too badly."

Wang looked at her, who seemed completely unconcerned and even eager to try.

My anxiety was strangely dispelled, and I could only nod helplessly.

The group soon arrived outside Zhongcui Palace.

There were several times more eunuchs and palace maids standing outside the palace gates than usual, all holding their breath and bowing their heads, not daring to make a sound.

Emperor Kangxi's imperial guards stood solemnly on both sides, the atmosphere so heavy it seemed frozen.

The chief eunuch, Liang Jiugong, was anxiously waiting at the palace gate when he saw Jiang Nan and the others.

He immediately came forward, his face showing unprecedented heaviness and anxiety, and spoke quickly in a low voice.

"Oh my, Consort Jiang, you've finally arrived! The Emperor, the Empress, and... the Empress Dowager are all inside. The imperial physicians... the imperial physicians all say that the young prince has caught a very severe cold, with a persistent high fever, and medicine is ineffective. It looks like... it looks like he's about to pass away."

Jiang Nan was slightly surprised upon hearing this.

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang has also come? But upon further reflection, it became clear.

Yes, after all, he is Kangxi's only son at present, and her great-grandson.

It's only natural for her to come and see her child off as he/she is leaving.

She nodded calmly, said nothing more, and led Wang and the others into Zhongcui Palace.

Inside the east side hall, the atmosphere was so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

The ground was covered with a dark mass of imperial physicians, eunuchs, and nannies kneeling on the ground, all of them ashen-faced and trembling like leaves.

Emperor Kangxi's face was ashen, and he paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back.

His chest heaved violently, and he would stop every now and then to shout sternly at the people kneeling on the ground.

"Useless, a bunch of useless people. You can't even take care of a child. What use are you to me? You imperial physicians are all good-for-nothings. You can't even cure a common cold."

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuangwen sat regally on a rosewood armchair covered with thick bedding.

His face was solemn, his brows were furrowed, and his eyes, though weathered by time, remained sharp.

At this moment, they are filled with undisguised sorrow and reluctance.

She stared intently at the small cradle in the inner room, as if she could see through the curtains and into her dying great-grandson.

Empress Hesheli stood beside the Empress Dowager, bowing slightly.

With one hand gently supporting the Empress Dowager's arm, and the other holding a silk handkerchief, he was whispering words of comfort.

His face was etched with just the right amount of sorrow and worry.