Chapter 257 Don’t trust him?
Pei Chen looked up in surprise.
The emperor continued, "You should continue to investigate the attack on the Third Prince. There is only one day left until the three-day deadline."
"I don't want any speculation, I want solid evidence."
Pei Chen's heart dropped, and his mood was very complicated...
Your Majesty, do you... not trust him?
All the information he had found out about the Third Prince has been reported to you one by one, and Your Majesty has also been informed that all the evidence was destroyed by the Third Prince himself.
But His Majesty still asked him to continue investigating...
Pei Chen had mixed feelings, but he didn't dare to show anything on his face. He could only lower his head and say, "I obey your order."
"Go ahead," the emperor said, before reminding him, "Business is more important. Don't let personal feelings interfere with it."
Pei Chen responded with a yes, then turned and left.
As soon as he left, the emperor looked at Li Dajian, "Li Changhai, do you think what the Marquis of Zhenbei said is true?"
Li Dajian hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, this is a political matter, and I dare not make any irresponsible comments."
The emperor chuckled and was in a good mood. "I allow you to discuss it."
Li Dajian thought for a moment and said, "I don't know if there is anything wrong with this matter, but I know that my Xia Kingdom is full of elite soldiers and generals, and has suppressed the Northern Frontier for more than 20 years! The Northern Frontier's capture of the two cities of Xia Kingdom in one fell swoop is really..."
"Yes." The emperor sighed. How could he not have doubts?
But there are not many people who can get these things.
The emperor's expression turned stern, and he ordered, "You go and investigate the matter of Hu Yanyuan and the people he worked with yourself."
Li Dajian had a bitter look on his face and immediately responded with fear and trepidation.
The emperor saw this and said meaningfully: "Li Changhai, of all people, I trust you the most."
Li Dajian quickly knelt down respectfully, "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. I will definitely live up to your expectations!"
Li Dajian went to arrange these matters. After the emperor finished dealing with state affairs, he turned around and went to the Yanx Palace.
Now, he can only feel relaxed in the Yanx Palace, with Concubine Shu and Xiaowu.
…
Pei Chen soon heard the emperor's order. He heard that the emperor rejected his request and asked Li Dajian to investigate the matter.
Pei Chen burst into laughter on the spot.
It's not that he looked down on Li Dajian or thought that Li Dajian was incompetent, but he was just good at his craft. He knew more about the situation in the northern border and had more dealings with the people in the northern border.
Your Majesty, do you... not trust him?
"Marquis Zhenbei." Pei Chen's thoughts were interrupted by Zhu Qing.
Pei Chen collected his thoughts and looked at the steward, "What's going on?"
"The Crown Princess asked me to tell you something..." Zhu Qing did not explain Xiao Ji's situation in detail, but only asked Pei Chen not to mention Xie Yao in front of Xiao Ji in the future.
Being as smart as Pei Chen, he naturally understood it immediately and was afraid that something had happened.
"Okay." He raised his hand and rubbed his temples, his face full of fatigue. "Crown Princess, you have worked hard these days."
"Once I finish what I'm doing, I'll go visit His Highness with Yingying."
Zhu Qing smiled and said, "My Lord, the Crown Princess said that there is no rush for this matter. Your Highness is in a stable condition now. As long as he rests well, he will be fine."
Of course, Zhu Qing's voice was very low when he said this.
Now, in the eyes of outsiders, the prince doesn’t have many days left to live, and only a few people know Xiao Ji’s true situation.
"Okay." Pei Chen's brows relaxed a little.
The two exchanged a few words and said goodbye. Zhu Qing returned to the Crown Prince's Mansion. "Crown Princess, the Marquis said that His Majesty rejected his request to investigate Hu Yanyuan and his collaborators, and asked the Marquis to continue investigating the Third Prince's affairs."
"But didn't the Marquis say... that there are no clues about the Third Prince's case, and that it is also related to Hu Yanyuan?"
Xie Yao put down the teacup in her hand and said calmly, "It's expected. After all, the Marquis and our prince are close friends."
Zhu Qing was a little indignant and whispered, "But our prince... is the crown prince!"
The crown prince is the foundation of the country and will inherit the throne in the future, but the emperor not only does not train him, but also guards against him everywhere...
Even Zhu Qing couldn't help but feel sorry for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince when he thought about this!
Xie Yao said: "Thunder, lightning, rain and dew are all grace from the Lord."
What she and His Highness want... they will fight for it themselves!
Besides, His Highness is still the Crown Prince, which means he is already one step ahead of others.
However, Zhu Qing's words also reminded Xie Yao of something... Although the emperor was dissatisfied with Your Highness in the past, he disguised it pretty well.
Nowadays, people are becoming more and more direct and don’t even pretend anymore.
The Third Prince some time ago has even set his sights on the Fifth Prince... The Emperor seems to be very anxious?
Just then, Yuyan walked in from outside and whispered, "Crown Princess, the Crown Prince is here."
Um?
Xie Yao was startled for a moment, then stood up and walked outside, only to see Xiao Ji standing under the eaves outside the main hall with a confused look on his face.
"Your Highness?" Xie Yao called out.
Xiao Ji pursed his lips, paused, and said, "I was walking and walking and finally... I arrived here."
He didn't know what was going on. He was originally staying in the study room, but when he came to his senses, the person was already outside the study room.
Xie Yao was stunned for a moment, then looked up at the sky.
It's time for dinner, so...
Xie Yao looked at Xiao Ji with mixed feelings. Before she could say anything, a maid came in from outside and reported, "Crown Princess, dinner is ready. Would you like it to be served?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone understood.
In the past, no matter how busy Xiao Ji was, he would always make time to have dinner with the Crown Princess, and he had been doing so since not long after his marriage.
"Since Your Highness is here, why not have dinner together?" Xie Yao stepped aside and invited Xiao Ji in.
Xiao Ji hesitated for a moment, but still stepped into the door.
Xie Yao quickly told the maids to serve the meal, and then the servants naturally left the room, leaving only Xiao Ji and Xie Yao in the main hall.
Xiao Ji still felt a little unnatural.
But the first piece of food he picked up with chopsticks naturally fell into Xie Yao's bowl.
Another awkward moment followed.
Xie Yao turned away silently, feeling sour and swollen in the heart. His Highness remembered everything, even the dishes he picked were her favorite, but he only forgot about her. But at this moment, she was still... reluctant to remind him.
I was afraid that he would become unwell again because of the stimulation.
Xie Yao buried her head in the food in the bowl in silence. Xiao Ji felt as if he was sitting on pins and needles, with a shallow and dense pain in his heart.
Within the tolerable range, it continues...
Although Xie Yao really wanted to spend more time alone with His Highness, the presence of the taciturn Xiao Ji sitting next to her reduced her appetite.
He put down his chopsticks after taking a few bites and said, "I'm done, enjoy your meal, Your Highness."
Xie Yao ended so suddenly that Xiao Ji was still a little confused. He held the chopsticks and looked up at Xie Yao, "...Okay."
He picked up a piece of food with chopsticks, then put it down again, "I'm done eating too."
The food on the table was barely touched.
Xiao Ji sat in the main hall for a while, and Xie Yao took the initiative to say, "It's getting late, Your Highness, I won't keep you here."
Xiao Ji only felt a pain in his heart and his mind felt a little empty, but he really couldn't remember what had changed.
He was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay."
Xiao Ji stood up and left the main hall. When he reached the door, he turned around and glanced at Xie Yao again...
The afterglow of the setting sun poured in through the window, and the room was clearly divided into light and dark. Xie Yao sat in the dark, and even though she was wearing a bright dress, she looked dull at this moment.
Xiao Ji seemed to be frozen in place, his brows furrowed, and he felt a constant pain in his heart...
"Sinan!"
Xie Yao noticed that something was wrong with Xiao Ji, and subconsciously stood up and took a step forward, but then stopped rationally and called out "Si Nan".
Si Nan walked quickly into the courtyard and quickly supported Xiao Ji. He supported Xiao Ji and walked out with a somewhat forceful attitude, "Your Highness, I will take you back to the study!"
Xie Yao looked at Xiao Ji and Si Nan's backs with complicated thoughts in her eyes.
In the end, he just sighed and didn't say anything else.
Xiao Ji was supported by Si Nan and left the main courtyard for a long time before he finally came to his senses and pulled his hand out of Si Nan's hand, "I'm fine."
Si Nan glanced at Xiao Ji, and hesitated to speak, "Your Highness, you are weak, you can't rush it."
When he went to help His Highness, the Crown Princess was extremely worried.
But he really didn't dare to say this to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, fearing that it would make His Royal Highness react even more strongly...
"Yeah." Xiao Ji nodded to show that he understood.
He also saw that the Crown Princess... was very worried about him.
Just thinking about this made his heart ache...
So they really loved each other in the past.
Xiao Ji returned to the study, while Xie Yao stayed in the main room. During the long night, both of them tossed and turned, feeling that something was missing.
Late at night, Xie Yao simply got up.
Candles were soon lit in the main house, and Xie Yao sat by the window reading and checking the accounts.
At the same time, on the roof of the main house, a dark figure sat alone on the eaves, with candlelight reflected in his eyes...
Time passed quickly, and Xie Yao sat there until the dawn. She looked towards the window as if she had sensed something.
I saw nothing.
She lowered her head and smiled bitterly. What was she expecting? His Highness had forgotten all about her. Now all that was left were some old instincts.
"Crown Princess." Zhu Qing advised in a low voice: "You have been sitting all night, why don't you take a nap? You don't have to worry about His Highness. His Highness is in good health now, and there is still a long time to come."
Xie Yao smiled and said nothing, but still closed the account book and prepared to go to bed.
Meanwhile, in the study.
Si Nan was leaning against the study door with a sword in his arms, when he heard footsteps. He squinted his eyes and took a look, then he woke up instantly!
He looked at the person walking towards him, and then looked at the closed door behind him, "Your Highness, when did you run away?"
It would be fine if he ran away, but Qiao Qiao looked so pale and dark-eyed now. To put it bluntly, he didn't look like a human, but more like...
Xiao Ji glanced at Si Nan and walked straight forward.
Si Nan didn't dare to say much. He silently opened the door of the study first, invited his prince in, and then hurried to urge the kitchen to bring the medicine that his prince wanted to take.
Even though His Highness did not take care of his own body, he was sure that if anything went wrong with His Highness's health again, the Crown Princess would definitely make trouble for him!
At Si Nan's insistence, Xiao Ji drank a bowl of medicine before going to bed.
But as he lay on the couch, he seemed to smell a faint fragrance that did not belong to him. He did not feel disgusted, and even felt very safe, but... it felt like millions of ants were gnawing at his heart at the same time.
But maybe it was due to the effect of the medicine, but after Xiao Ji got used to the pain, he fell asleep quickly...
The same is true for Xie Yao.
The two masters of the Prince's Mansion got up very late today, so that the entire Prince's Mansion was unusually quiet.
Not long after, a young eunuch from the palace arrived at the Prince's Mansion, and then the entire Prince's Mansion was like an oil pan into which clean water was dropped, and it boiled instantly!
Zhu Qing didn't dare to delay for a moment after hearing the news, and rushed directly to Xie Yao's bedside to wake her up, "Crown Princess, it's bad! There's news from the palace that His Majesty is in a coma!"
Xie Yao was woken up and only heard the last sentence.
She suddenly woke up and sat up, "Really?"
Zhu Qing nodded immediately, "It was someone from the palace who came to deliver the news. His Majesty did not attend the morning court today because he fainted when he stood up this morning."
"The palace is now in chaos. Concubine Shu has sent word that Concubine Li wants to take advantage of the situation to take control of the palace and has surrounded the Yanxi Palace."
"If you and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince do not enter the palace, I'm afraid that Concubine Shu's life will be in danger!"
Even though Concubine Li has not been favored recently, she has been favored for more than 20 years after all and has never really fallen out of favor, so she has no shortage of status or manpower in the palace.
Shufei was favored during this period, but she had only been in the palace for a short time. In addition, the emperor fainted in Shufei's palace, which gave Concubine Li a reason.
"Enter the palace immediately!" Xie Yao said immediately: "Also, go to the Princess's residence and invite my aunt to enter the palace with you."
"Has anyone gone to inform His Highness?" Xie Yao asked as she got up to wash and change her clothes.
Zhu Qing followed Xie Yao in an orderly manner and responded, "Someone has already gone to inform His Highness, please rest assured, Crown Princess."
Because the matter was urgent, Xie Yao kept everything simple. When she took Zhu Qing and Zhu Xin out of the main courtyard, she saw Xiao Ji standing outside the main courtyard at a glance.
"The carriage is ready, let's go." Xiao Ji didn't say much. After he finished speaking, he turned around and left first, and Xie Yao followed immediately.
This was the first time that the couple had been alone in such a small space since Xiao Ji woke up.
To be fair, the carriage in the Prince's Mansion was very large, but for Xiao Ji, the distance between them was still too close. He could hear Xie Yao's breathing and heartbeat.
He wanted to speak, but he didn't know what to say, so he had to remain silent.
Fortunately, with the emperor's coma hanging in the balance, the couple had no time to think about anything else, and Xie Yao even took the initiative to mention the matter.
"Your Highness, I think the first thing to do after entering the palace is to ensure the safety of Concubine Shu. What do you think?"
Xiao Ji: “…”
He met Xie Yao's calm eyes and couldn't help but have some doubts in his heart. Could such a calm person really have loved him so deeply and recklessly in the past?
"Your Highness?" Xie Yao frowned and called out again.
Xiao Ji withdrew his thoughts and nodded quickly, "What the Crown Princess said makes sense."
Xie Yao added: "I want to see the Concubine Shu first, please help me, Your Highness."
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