Chapter 120 Choosing to remain silent was merely a way to protect oneself.

The group was led by the Prince of Jin, followed by the Princess of Jin, the Prince of Xiang, the Prince of Jing, and others.

Not long after they entered, Prince Lin and his wife also walked into the main hall.

Princess Lin looks to be in good health.

As soon as she entered, more eyes turned to her.

Looking into her eyes, one could see mostly confusion, astonishment, curiosity, and worry.

A few days ago, many people heard about the Princess Consort of Lin's "serious illness." It was said that her condition was so severe that she could not get out of bed, and all the doctors and imperial physicians in the capital said that she could not be saved and that the Prince of Lin should prepare for her funeral.

It's only been a few days.

Isn't Princess Lin perfectly fine?

How did the rumor start? She's going to die.

That's utter nonsense.

Yun Si glanced at them as well.

Prince Lin was indeed a clever man; he understood immediately.

On the surface, he seemed indifferent to Princess Lin, as if he didn't care at all.

Princess Lin, on the other hand, hasn't changed much; she's still as cautious as ever.

But when he saw Yun Si, he couldn't help but wave and greet her.

Yun Si nodded in response.

"The Emperor has arrived, the Empress has arrived, Consort Shu has arrived, Consort Hua and Consort Zhen have arrived."

As the eunuch's high-pitched announcement rang out, Emperor Jiaqing and Jiang Xinyu, among others, slowly stepped into the Qionghua Palace, surrounded by palace servants.

Everyone in the hall immediately stood up and bowed.

Yun Si lowered her eyes, but out of the corner of her eye she keenly noticed that Emperor Jiaqing's steps were slightly hesitant.

She subtly raised her eyes, her gaze landing on Emperor Jiaqing's calves.

Beneath the black and white dragon robe, his right leg seemed slightly stiffer than his left, and his knee bent very little when he walked, almost imperceptible unless one looked closely.

Has the cold poison not been completely eliminated?

The Prince of Lin used her prescription and was fine long ago.

It seems the imperial physicians didn't pay enough attention to this cold poison, and over time, it will surely leave hidden dangers.

Clearly, Prince Lin and his wife knew about this, but they both chose to remain silent and watched helplessly as Emperor Jiaqing was invaded by the cold poison.

On the surface, Prince Lin risked his own safety to save Emperor Jiaqing, but in reality, knowing the dangers of this cold poison, he didn't even offer a single word of warning.

The royal family truly has no sense of kinship whatsoever.

Of course, he deserves it.

Actually, it's not hard to understand.

The reason why Prince Lin did not remind him was that he was afraid of causing trouble for himself.

Your heart is hard to fathom.

If he were to offer a warning, given Emperor Jiaqing's suspicious nature, he would certainly suspect that he was colluding with the assassin.

How could he know so much about something that even the imperial physicians didn't know?

Although this suspicion wasn't entirely unfounded, given that he had indeed colluded with the Northern Yan people.

But the assassination at the hunting grounds was definitely not ordered by the Prince of Lin.

Therefore, King Lin chose not to speak, simply to protect himself.

Born into royalty, they may seem to enjoy endless glory, but in reality, they walk on thin ice, and kinship is a luxury they dare not even dream of.

"All of you, rise."

Emperor Jiaqing's voice was gentle yet dignified, with a faint smile on his face. His gaze swept over the crowd, making him appear like a benevolent monarch.

Yun Si could feel a strange chill emanating from him.

I've had this feeling before, but back then I didn't understand many things. Now that I know, I see things much more clearly.

What lies hidden deep in his eyes is an unfathomable cunning and ruthlessness.

"Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, so please don't stand on ceremony and enjoy yourselves to the fullest." Emperor Jiaqing smiled and raised his hand, gesturing for everyone to take their seats.

Jiang Xinyu stood beside him, dignified and gentle, with a smile in her eyes, perfectly embodying the image of a national mother.

Beside him, all the concubines wore smiles, creating a harmonious atmosphere.

After everyone was seated, Emperor Jiaqing looked at the Seventh Prince on his right and asked with a faint smile, "Seventh Prince, you must have had a long journey. Did you stay in Da Qin last night?"

"In response to Your Majesty, I greatly admire Great Qin. The land and water are excellent, the people are kind, and the people are wonderful. I even have sweet dreams at night."

As he finished speaking, his gaze drifted, intentionally or unintentionally, towards a certain place.

Qin Ye remained seated calmly, his handsome face showing little emotion, utterly indifferent.

However, upon closer inspection, one would find that his eyes were cold, and a faint, gloomy aura emanated from him.

This subtle change was probably only noticeable to Yun Si, who was sitting next to him.

Meanwhile, Jiang Wanning, on the other side, was completely unaware and continued to talk to him from time to time.

"That's excellent."

Emperor Jiaqing nodded, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

Inside the hall, the atmosphere was somewhat subtle.

Fortunately, once the banquet began, the singing and dancing masked this atmosphere.

Yun Si kept her head down, trying to minimize her presence.

However, various gazes always fall upon her.

Hu Yanzheng, Jiang Xinyu, Jiang Wanning, and even the Prince of Lin all glanced at her a few times, as if observing and confirming something.

The most important one was the Jiaqing Emperor.

He scrutinized her several times with a strong, oppressive gaze, his eyes extremely cold.

That night when she went to the Prince Lin's residence, although she was sure that no one was behind her, it would be easy for the Jiaqing Emperor to find out about this matter.

Yun Si wasn't sure if he already knew that she had saved the Princess Consort of Lin, but in any case, the occasional glances he gave her revealed a threat.

The way he looked at Princess Lin was also extremely unfriendly.

Of course, these subtle expressions are hard to spot without careful observation.

It's estimated that only those who know the inside story can figure it out.

After several rounds of drinks, the dancers left.

The hall fell silent once more, with only the clinking of glasses and the soft murmur of conversations between the tables.

"Princess Consort."

Jiang Wanning's voice came from a moderate volume: "I noticed that hairpin in your room is quite unique. You wear it often, is there any special meaning behind it?"

Before Yun Si could speak, Qin Ye's eyes tightened.

"It has no special significance."

Yun Si said calmly, "I just like things that are simple and elegant."

"Yeah?"

A calculating glint flashed in Jiang Wanning's eyes.

Do you really think she doesn't know?

Someone had already told her that it was a gift from His Highness Prince Xiao to Yun Si.

It is said to be a keepsake from His Highness's mother. How could Yun Si be worthy of possessing something so precious?

She had to snatch it; she couldn't let Yun Si get it for free.

"Since it doesn't have any special meaning, could you please give it to me, Princess Consort, as an early wedding gift for me and His Highness? Would that be alright?"

Qin Ye suddenly tightened his grip on the wine glass.

Jiang Wanning publicly asked for it. Such an "ordinary" hairpin. If Yun Si refused, she would definitely be called stingy and unable to tolerate Xiao Wang having a concubine.

Therefore, she couldn't refuse.

Before Qin Ye could speak, Yun Si spoke first, "Alright, as long as Miss Jiang doesn't mind that I wore it before, I'll give it to Miss Jiang."

"How could I possibly find it unacceptable?"

Jiang Wanning couldn't wait to walk over and reach out to her: "Thank you for your generosity, Princess. Don't worry, I will cherish this hairpin carefully."

"OK."

Yun Si took the white jade hairpin from her hair and placed it in her outstretched palm.

The moment he got his hands on it, Jiang Wanning frowned.

This feels awful.

The things made by country women are indeed not presentable.

Seeing that she wore it all the time, I thought she cherished it very much, but I never expected that she would give it to me so easily.

Jiang Wanning suddenly wondered if Yun Si might have already stopped wanting this thing, and that her asking for it today was giving her the perfect opportunity to throw it away.

Did she think that this would stop His Highness Prince Xiao from blaming her?

Seeing Qin Ye's expression turn ugly, Jiang Wanning felt that she had done the right thing.

This will allow His Highness Prince Xiao to see clearly Yun Si's true colors.

She's always been disgusted by his mother's belongings.

“Your Highness, Wan Ning loves this hairpin very much and will wear it every day from now on.”

As she was saying this, she was about to put the hairpin in her hair when suddenly a hand reached out and took the hairpin from her hand.

"This hairpin isn't good enough for you. I'll buy you a better one later."

"No, Wan Ning likes this."

Jiang Wanning reached out to grab it, but accidentally flung the hairpin away, shattering it into pieces.

"..."