Before the assembled officials, Jiang Qingwan, not wanting to offend Mo Yunzhao, curtsied and said, "Your Majesty, please get into the sedan chair first. I will follow in the Prince's carriage."
Before Mo Yunzhao could say anything, she summoned Qing Sui and Ye Qi.
"Qinghui, you drive with me into the palace. Yeqi, you take your men back to your residence. If the prince returns, just tell him I am in the palace."
Ye Qi lowered his voice and said, "Your Highness, be careful."
Jiang Qingwan nodded and, with Qinghui's help, returned to the carriage.
Mo Yunzhao did not force him any further and boarded the sedan chair amidst the officials' homage.
The chief eunuch's high-pitched voice rang out.
"Let's return to the palace!"
As Ye Qi watched the carriage disappear into the distance, a sense of unease settled in his heart.
At this moment, there was nothing they could do but take their men back to their residence.
...
Jiang Qingwan originally thought it was a banquet hosted by the officials, but she didn't expect it to be a private banquet.
At the large table, only she and Mo Yunzhao were present.
After the palace maids finished serving the dishes, Mo Yunzhao waved his hand to dismiss everyone around him, not even the chief eunuch.
"Sister-in-law, you've worked hard. I had the Imperial Kitchen prepare these delicacies. Please try them and see if they suit your taste."
Jiang Qingwan was indeed hungry after walking for a while.
She wasn't afraid of being poisoned or drugged, and started eating without hesitation.
It must be said that the imperial chef's skills were superb.
Meat dishes are tender and juicy, while vegetarian dishes are delicate and refreshing.
Mo Yunzhao personally poured her the wine.
"Sister-in-law, tell me the truth, has the Nine Dragons Formation truly been restored?"
Jiang Qingwan drank the wine without hesitation.
"The Nine Dragon Stone Carving has been destroyed. It is impossible for me to have it recarved in such a short time. However, the formation is complete, and the scattered dragon energy has gradually gathered. If Your Majesty does not believe me, you can send someone to check."
Mo Yunzhao was overjoyed.
"I naturally believe what my sister-in-law said herself. Let me have another drink."
He poured her another glass.
Jiang Qingwan found the drink novel.
"What kind of wine is this?"
She had tasted many kinds of wines and spirits under her master's guidance, but she couldn't tell the difference in this one.
Seeing that she liked it, Mo Yunzhao placed the entire jar next to her.
"The fruit wine brewed by the imperial chefs themselves is good for health and women especially love it. In the past, it was only sent to the Empress Dowager's Kunning Palace..."
He didn't finish his sentence.
Jiang Qingwan has already been informed in detail about Mo Yunhan's visit to the palace to find Lady Liu.
She naturally knew about the Empress Dowager's imprisonment, but she was too lazy to say more. She drank several cups of wine and ate half a bowl of rice. She stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your hospitality. It is getting dark, and I am full. I will take my leave now."
Mo Yunzhao pointed to the jar of wine.
"Please take this back, sister-in-law."
Jiang Qingwan narrowed her eyes slightly.
She really couldn't figure out what this person meant.
After bowing again in gratitude, he prepared to leave with the wine jar in his arms.
Mo Yunzhao suddenly spoke in a low voice.
"If I die, the throne shall be passed to Xiao Jiu. I ask my sister-in-law to protect him and the Great Zhou."
These words sent chills down one's spine.
Jiang Qingwan didn't know how to answer.
After a few moments of silence, he nodded slightly and said something polite.
"His Majesty is in the prime of his life and will surely live a long life."
Mo Yunzhao sighed again.
"There are only the two of us here, so why should my sister-in-law deceive me?"
Jiang Qingwan's gaze fell on Mo Yunzhao's face.
This person's fate is unusual, and there are other factors interfering, so she really can't calculate it.
She remembered what Bai Shuo had said before, and her heart skipped a beat.
Could it be that this person is testing her for what she might say?
Her patience ran out immediately.
"Your Majesty, please speak frankly about what you have to say."
Mo Yunzhao was not angry at her frankness; on the contrary, he was quite pleased.
"In that case, I will speak frankly."
“Sister-in-law should know Master Bai Shuo. He used to cultivate the Nine Dragons Formation with you, but he harbored evil intentions and died in the imperial mausoleum. This matter is not your fault. However, sister-in-law, perhaps it is more than that. This Master Bai Shuo has been refining health-preserving pills for me. I have been taking them for many years, but I have stopped for many days now. My body is becoming more and more tired and unable to wake up.”
"I told my sister-in-law that I truly meant for Xiao Jiu to succeed me after my death. But I also know that Xiao Jiu's ambitions lie elsewhere, and my sister-in-law probably doesn't like life in the palace either. Since my sister-in-law is comparable to Bai Shuo, I wonder if she could refine some elixirs for me again?"
So that's what it was for.
Jiang Qingwan sat down again.
"Whether it works or not, we'll know after the inspection."
She gestured for Mo Yunzhao to extend his wrist, and her pale fingertips, imbued with wisps of spiritual energy, touched it.
She was just worried about how to get a closer look at what Mo Yunzhao had done to Mo Yunhan, and now this opportunity had come.
The spiritual energy flowed through Mo Yunzhao's meridians.
Mo Yunzhao felt a tingling sensation all over his body, and his gaze involuntarily lingered on Jiang Qingwan's extremely beautiful face.
The look in his eyes reveals a man's possessiveness towards a woman.
Jiang Qingwan was completely focused on her work and did not notice the strange look in his eyes.
Sure enough, someone had indeed placed a soul-draining talisman inside Mo Yunzhao's body.
It's estimated that the pills Bai Shuo gave him used someone else's fate as a catalyst.
And the person who acted as the intermediary was probably Mo Yunhan.
She sneered inwardly.
Now that she had found it, she broke the spell.
Perhaps the fate of the Great Zhou Dynasty can be restored to normal and return to the right path.
She immediately mobilized her spiritual power and was about to take action when the flustered voice of a young eunuch suddenly rang out from outside the door.
"Something terrible has happened! The Emperor Emeritus is critically ill!"
Mo Yunzhao quickly stood up.
Jiang Qingwan had no choice but to withdraw her hand.
The chief eunuch bowed and entered.
"Your Majesty, news has come from the Hall of Mental Cultivation that the Emperor Emeritus has vomited several mouthfuls of blood and is unconscious. Zhong Yuan and the people from the Imperial Hospital are all here, and they say... he is in critical condition."
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