Chapter 9 Instigation

Huo Lin suspected the true cause of his father's death and had long ago had his medical records and all prescriptions seized and preserved.

But when it comes to whether he could be sure that the work hadn't been tampered with by someone else, Huo Lin really had no idea.

"Before returning to Beijing, my father's health was taken care of by military doctors."

“The military doctor has followed my father for many years and should be trustworthy.”

"But... I didn't know anything after returning to the capital."

If that's the case, then things will be easier to handle.

By simply comparing the two medical records and prescriptions, one can easily find the differences and traces of tampering.

Liu Xi shook her head. "It's probably not that simple."

"General, do you know that there is another reason behind the Empress Dowager's illness?"

"Although the symptoms are mild, they are indeed consistent with the symptoms that your father had in the early stages of his illness, as described by the general."

"While I cannot produce any evidence at the moment, I dare to guarantee that this strange poison was definitely made by the Imperial Concubine."

Huo Lin's brows furrowed suddenly.

"How dare the Imperial Concubine poison the Empress Dowager?"

"She didn't want to harm the Empress Dowager Kang Jian; she just wanted to use this method to scare everyone in the palace so that they would think that the evil concubine who had been executed had returned."

Hearing this, Huo Lin's doubts were finally resolved.

He looked worried, and Liu Xi reached out and patted him lightly on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, I won't grant her wish."

"This is actually an excellent opportunity for us. I had Xia copy the medical records and retrieve the dregs of the medicine from Physician Wang. If the general has someone he trusts, he can take it to him and have him examine it."

Huo Lin stared at the girl, barely a teenager, speechless with shock.

She was not yet sixteen years old, and the childishness in her eyes had not yet fully developed, yet she was so calm and composed, undaunted by danger.

How did she manage to remain steady and determined in the face of all the open and covert attacks within the palace?

Thinking of this, Huo Lin even felt a little ashamed.

Now he is over twenty years old, but he is powerless to find out the truth for his father on his own, so as to comfort his soul in heaven.

With a tone of emotion, Huo Lin's voice trembled slightly.

"The princess possesses extraordinary courage and thoughtfulness, far surpassing my own abilities."

"General, why do you underestimate yourself? I live deep in the inner palace and am a woman. All matters of the court can only be handled by you. Without you, no matter how well I consider things, I would be powerless to act."

Liu Xi placed the envelope in Huo Lin's hand. "I will have Xia send the medical records and medicine residue here. I will wait for the general's good news."

With this matter settled, Liu Xi was finally able to devote herself entirely to the Imperial Concubine and the "baby" in her womb.

Three days later, good news came from Jinle Palace.

Your Highness, you are pregnant!

The imperial concubines gathered at Jinle Palace to celebrate the Consort's pregnancy. Even the Emperor, who was extremely busy in the court, visited the Consort at Jinle Palace for three consecutive days.

Seeing her overjoyed and smug expression, Liu Xi walked over to Liu Yan, who was standing silently to the side, and pretended to be concerned.

"Ayan, how's your archery and horsemanship training going these days?"

Liu Yan stared intently at the concubine's belly, his tone harsh.

"What, are you so eager to use me to impress the Emperor?"

It seems that Liu Xi's recent secret bringing Liu Yu into her palace has not yet been noticed by those with ulterior motives.

We should treat Xia Xia well when we get back.

Instead of continuing Liu Yan's sentence, Liu Xi sighed in a mocking manner.

"Ayan, there's no need to be sad. The child in the Consort's womb is still small. Even if it's a prince, it won't shake your position in the Consort's heart."

Liu Yan's hands clenched tightly.

"The Consort is just too happy about her first pregnancy, which is why she has neglected Ayan. Perhaps after some time, everything will return to normal."

Now, Liu Xi could even hear the sound of Liu Yan clenching his teeth and grinding them together.

She suppressed her smugness and reached out to ruffle Liu Yan's hair, only to be abruptly brushed away by him, as expected.

Immediately afterwards, Liu Yan strode away, and to vent his anger, he even overturned a glass vase on the table next to him.

The piercing sound reached the hall, instantly silencing the previously bustling noise.

The ladies were terrified, especially the Imperial Concubine, who instinctively protected her belly.

Xu Jieyu looked at Liu Yan's retreating figure and said with dissatisfaction.

"This fifth prince is born to a vixen, and his character is immoral. He's so old, yet he still doesn't know any manners."

Others chimed in with agreement.

"Yes, how could someone who isn't the Imperial Concubine's biological son inherit her noble qualities?"

Liu Xi stood calmly under the shade of the tree, showing no intention of avoiding the gaze of the Imperial Concubine, even when their eyes met.

She even gave the imperial concubine a provocative smile, as if to say...

Ha, so this is the guy you've been so careful to support.

The Imperial Concubine was no fool; she immediately realized that Liu Xi had secretly stirred things up, causing Liu Yan to lose his composure in front of everyone.

Although she was pregnant, she didn't know if it was a boy or a girl. She still had to make the most of Prince Liu Yan.

Liu Xi shrugged and turned to leave.

The fear is that the Imperial Concubine won't be angry, and that she'll be content to let things go and focus on her pregnancy.

"Don't disappoint me, Your Highness."

The following day, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau supervisor knelt outside the Imperial Study, begging His Majesty to allow him to go into seclusion, claiming that Mars was in conjunction with Antares again and that he needed time to calculate the person with the corresponding destiny.

What a performance! It was enough to bewitch people.

As Liu Xi walked through the palace, hearing more and more doubts around her, she felt increasingly satisfied.

She called Zhu Zheng over and handed him her birth date and time.

"In a few days, the Imperial Observatory will use my birth date and time to make a fuss. I want you to use this time as a reference to calculate that the Consort's due date roughly coincides with my birth date and time."

"At that time, you will use the excuse that the Consort's unborn child is unwell to go to the Imperial Study to meet His Majesty."

After receiving the order, Zhu Zheng cautiously inquired.

“The matter of faking a pregnancy is inherently risky. If His Majesty discovers it, it would be a serious crime of deceiving the emperor.”

"Why doesn't the princess just point out that the Consort is faking her pregnancy? That way, there'll be no need for you to go through all this trouble."

Liu Xi threw the ink-stained brush into the bowl of water, and after stirring it a few times, the water in the bowl became murky.

"The real pain is the forced loss after gaining something, the joy she felt when she ultimately destroyed everything with her own hands."

"I want her to experience what it means to harm others and ultimately harm yourself."

Yes, Liu Xi could have used a simpler and quicker method to avoid being falsely accused by the Imperial Concubine of being a reincarnation of a demon.

But that would be too easy on the evildoers.

In the following days, Liu Xi had a rare period of leisure.

She spends her days sitting in the courtyard of Yihuai Pavilion, passing the time by supervising Liu Yu's archery practice.

At lunchtime, Liu Yu tentatively inquired about Liu Xi's plans.

"My father has no shortage of princes with superb riding and archery skills. How can I, a half-baked amateur who has only crammed at the last minute, possibly win the competition?"

That's a good question. In a daze, Liu Xi even had the illusion of returning to her past life.

Liu Yan had asked her the same question before.

The difference is that Liu Yan only commands her in a questioning tone, while Liu Yu in front of her only has sincerity and inquiry in her eyes.

"Our victory lies in our cleverness."

Having learned from her past life, Liu Xi knew that during the archery competition at the court assembly, the third prince of the Northern faction would come up with an extremely difficult and unsolvable problem.

He ordered all the sacrificial deer and antelopes to be brought up, and declared that if anyone could pick out the most valuable one, he would admit defeat; otherwise, he would take all the tributes back.

In his previous life, Liu Yan, with Liu Xi's guidance, casually selected a magnificent red deer and ordered his servants to kill the other red deer and antelopes, thus cleverly winning the competition.

This time, Liu Xi decided to make the show even more entertaining.

She instructed Professor Huo Lin to teach Liu Yu the technique of shooting three arrows with one bow, so that he could catch everyone off guard when they were hesitant.

"I assure you, as long as A-Yu masters the 'Chain Arrow' technique, A-Yu will definitely steal the show at the court assembly."

Liu Yu adopted a confident demeanor, "Don't worry, sister, I won't let you down."

He has an exceptionally high level of comprehension; calling him a genius would not be an exaggeration.

Liu Yu deliberately concealed his strength, just to get Liu Xi to pay more attention to him.

As if suddenly remembering something, he placed a piece of stuffed meat into Liu Xi's bowl and asked in a casual tone.

"Why hasn't General Huo come recently?"

Liu Xi sighed helplessly, "The affairs of the palace are complicated, and he also has to lead the Imperial Guards on patrols everywhere. Perhaps he can't spare the time."

Liu Yu was very satisfied with this.

"It's okay, with my older sister here, I can practice very well."

Before he could even celebrate for long, Huo Lin arrived in a hurry that evening.

Liu Yu shot all three arrows into the bullseye, trying to prove with his actions that he no longer needed his master, but in return he received a remark from Huo Lin.

"Your aim is good, but your power is lacking. Take fifteen steps back and practice again."

After saying that, he wandered over to Liu Xi's side and chatted with her about something.

Liu Yu's face turned cold, and her bright puppy eyes were no longer cute and innocent, but instead revealed a chilling sadness.

It even has a sharp, fierce edge to it.

He took an arrow and, when no one was paying attention, shot it fiercely, splitting the arrow that had been stuck in the center of the target in two.

Huo Lin handed the candied melon he brought from outside the palace to Zhi Xiang, giving her careful instructions.

"The princess has a sweet tooth, and eating too much sugar will cause her toothache. Please keep an eye on her, Miss Zhixiang, and make sure she doesn't overindulge."

Liu Xi shouted, "I heard everything!"

Huo Lin walked up to her and bowed, but Liu Xi gently kicked his knee.

"You're the one who brought me candy, and you're also the one who wouldn't let me eat candy. You've played both the good guy and the bad guy."

"It is my honor to make the princess smile, and it is my duty to protect the princess's health and well-being. These two things are not contradictory."

Sweet words and clever talk, Liu Xi secretly chuckled.

"His Highness's archery skills have improved considerably; it must be because the Princess has been diligently guiding him."

Liu Xi waved her hand, "Ayu is so clever, she's saved me, her older sister, a lot of trouble."

"However, General, don't neglect him just because he has good talent. Today, A Yu asked why you haven't come to Yi Huai Pavilion for several days."

Huo Lin stammered for a moment, and the hand that was peeling the orange paused.

"Does the princess wish for me to come every day?"