"...The Crown Princess and His Highness the Crown Prince are deeply in love. If the tunnel collapses and buries His Highness alive, it would be normal for the Crown Princess to suffer a shock upon hearing the news, resulting in the death of both her and her unborn child."

Xuanjia continued, "Now that the empresses in the harem are pregnant, it's only a matter of time before the emperor wants to have more princes."

"His Highness the Crown Prince is of noble birth. He led a group of craftsmen to die for the Tianyuan Grand Canal. After his death, he will carry the spirits of the craftsmen and guard the Tianyuan Grand Canal for all eternity. The Prime Minister believes that it is time for His Highness the Crown Prince to sacrifice himself."

The emperor ordered Yun Zhuo to excavate the Grand Canal in order to create a prosperous era for the Zhou Dynasty, and also to make Yun Zhuo take responsibility for any landslides.

This was something the emperor and the prime minister had agreed upon long ago.

However, what was mentioned earlier was that in sections prone to collapse, "accidents" would occur, burying the craftsmen alive and using their souls to guard the Grand Canal. Yunzhuo would not be moved in these sections for the time being.

After Yun Zhuo builds his mausoleum, then...

However, things have changed, so Yun Zhuo has no choice but to die first.

The construction of the Grand Canal involved countless people, and among these countless people, there were many more of their own.

Therefore, when Xuanjia fired a signal flare on the mountaintop, the craftsmen received the message and immediately began to create a landslide, burying Yun Zhuo and all the craftsmen around him alive.

A sinister smile flashed in Xuanjia's eyes. Now he could report back to the Prime Minister and the Emperor.

...

Ye Qingxue returned to the Crown Prince's residence, her heart pounding wildly. Granny Xing gave her some calming pills left by Xiangsizi, but they had little effect.

They then invited the imperial physician to take their pulse.

The imperial physician said, "The Crown Princess's pulse is thready and rapid, especially on the left cun position, which is a sign of fluctuating heart fire. However, the foundation of all six pulses is stable, the five internal organs are in harmony, and there is no substantial pathogenic factor."

"As the saying goes, 'Surprise disturbs the mind, and overthinking stagnates the mind,' so no matter what happens to the Crown Princess, she must keep her mind at ease so that her health can be fine."

"I will prescribe another prescription for the Crown Princess to regulate her heart fire and calm her mind."

Ye Qingxue lay on the couch, so tired that she had no strength left. She simply waved her hand, signaling Granny Xing to send the imperial physician out.

"Should I drink the prescription given by the imperial physician?" Granny Xing asked after sending the imperial physician back, stepping forward to massage Ye Qingxue's swollen legs and feet, her expression full of worry.

"We've already taken the calming pills left by Xiangsizi, but they weren't very effective. I imagine the prescriptions from others aren't much better either," Ye Qingxue said.

Aside from heart palpitations, she didn't actually have any physical ailments; she just felt as if she was about to lose something important...

Or perhaps they are an extremely important person.

She dared not think too deeply about it.

"Granny Xing, send someone to the city gate to wait for Qiu Shen's news," Ye Qingxue said.

Granny Xing responded and left.

When she returned, Ye Qingxue said again, "Granny, please go to the drawer in the study and bring me the name that Lord Pan sent earlier."

"Hey!" Granny Xing went to get the list again. The Ministry of Rites had chosen ten names for the young prince, all of which were written on red paper.

The clouds are white, the clouds shine, the clouds are cranes and nobles, the clouds are brave and wild, the clouds are clear and peaceful...

Ye Qingxue's gaze fell on the solemn and noble names one after another. The Ministry of Rites had chosen auspicious characters for the young prince's name.

Especially the color "ji bai" (既白), which means dawn breaking in the east and symbolizes new life, perfectly suits Xiao Bao's situation.

However, Ye Qingxue's favorite name was Yun Zhaolin: "'Brightly shining in the heavens, illuminating the earth below,' Granny, do you think His Highness the Crown Prince will choose the same name as me when he returns?"

Seeing her trying to appear cheerful, Granny Xing smiled and encouraged her, "You and His Highness the Crown Prince are of one mind, it's a match made in heaven. The one you've chosen is surely the one he's chosen too!"

Ye Qingxue gently stroked the three characters "Yun Zhaolin" with her slender white fingertips, a smile appearing on her lips.

Suddenly, her belly twitched. She placed her hand on it and could feel the little one pushing against her belly, quite vigorously.

Ye Qingxue took Xing Mama's hand and placed it on her stomach: "Mama, look, he's kicking me!"

"Yes, yes, the little prince is kicking the Crown Princess! He'll definitely be a healthy and lively child when he's born!" Granny Xing laughed along.

After lunch, the sun began to set.

The June sun was scorching. Ye Qingxue was heavy, and even with an ice basin in the room, she was still sweating profusely and couldn't take a nap. Granny Xing had no choice but to fan her while wiping her sweat with a handkerchief.

Ye Qingxue suddenly sat up: "Why don't we go for a walk in the courtyard?"

Forcing yourself to lie in bed like this is just another form of torture. Maybe going out for a walk would make you feel better.

The flowers in the courtyard were blooming in large, vibrant colors, a beautiful sight. The Prime Minister's men had not yet left, and the Crown Prince's men were temporarily unable to act—nor was there any need for them to act at the moment.

Ye Qingxue sat in the pavilion, feeling no breeze at all. After some time, she suddenly brought up a topic.

"Granny, do you think Xiangsizi's journey to the Southern Frontier went smoothly? Will he be able to bring the antidote back safely?"

Granny Xing paused, realizing that Ye Qingxue was extremely flustered and desperately trying to find a topic to distract her.

But no matter how hard she tried, every topic of conversation was related to the Crown Prince. Could it be that His Highness the Crown Prince had really encountered some misfortune?

Granny Xing could only try her best to say something positive: "They will definitely be found. As the crown prince, the prince has a noble destiny and is protected by the gods!"

"The future prosperity of the Great Zhou Dynasty still needs Your Highness to create it; the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty still need Your Highness to protect them! Heaven will surely protect the Acacia Seed and help it find the antidote and bring it back safely!"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!