Xie Yanci returned to the palace first. As he hadn't slept all night, he decided not to go to court and planned to rest for a while in Changsheng Palace.
When I really lay down and closed my eyes, I saw the skinny baby in the cradle, and I couldn't help feeling suffocated.
He was wary of the Qu family, but he didn't want his child to die from illness. Thinking of the purple skin and the protruding bones, he felt uncomfortable all over.
"Your Majesty, would you like me to add some more ice?"
“No need.”
Eunuch Yang heard the emperor tossing and turning, and understanding the reason, he could not help but persuade him: "Your Majesty, there are people in my hometown who were also born prematurely, and they all looked like this when they were born. But as long as they are well-fed and well-nourished, they will grow up to be no different from ordinary people. Lady Wen's child is a dragon son, which is even more special. Your Majesty, don't worry too much!"
"Chu Mu."
The shadow guard hiding in the dark immediately used his Qinggong to land on the ground: "I am here."
"How's the investigation going into the place where Lady Wen had the accident?"
"People from the Qu Mansion were here before and destroyed the scene. When I led people to investigate again, there was nothing else except this thing that had fallen in the crevice."
Chu Mu placed a brocade box on a low stool. Xie Yanci took it and when he opened it, his expression changed!
He once practiced martial arts with Yu Huai. The opponent's weapon was not a sword or a hammer, but a golden thread thrown from his sleeve, which killed people invisibly.
"Qu Wenhe said that the guards I sent had their throats cut."
Chu Mu's expression changed slightly: "Yes, I also checked the body, and there are traces of blood on the gold thread, indeed..."
"The murder weapon was the golden thread, right?" Xie Yanci surveyed the broken thread in the brocade box, lost in thought. "During the last plowing ceremony, all the evidence pointed to the Imperial Master's intention to kill Concubine Wen. This time, it happened to be him again."
Chu Mu didn't understand: "Your Majesty, don't you believe it was done by the Imperial Master?"
"I have never dared to believe anything that is too coincidental. This matter must not be known to Noble Lady Wen, otherwise, who knows what will happen!"
"I understand."
After Chu Mu left quietly, the emperor looked at the brocade box for a while before looking at Yang Mingrui who was standing next to him.
"What do you think?"
"Ah? Your Majesty, I think you are right!"
"Tsk, if you continue to use this sentence to fool me, I will punish you."
Eunuch Yang said awkwardly, "Your Majesty, I don't understand the tricks of the underworld, nor do I understand the complexities of climbing branches. I simply agree with Your Majesty. I feel that the smoother the investigation of this case, the less likely it is that person's work. Instead of wasting time on the Grand Master, it would be better to find out who his enemies are. Perhaps the real culprit is among them."
Xie Yanci did not respond, but slammed the brocade box shut.
Troubled times...
How could he possibly find out who Yu Huai had an enemy with?
——
Concubine Wen rested in Qu's mansion for two days. She was willing to drink a few mouthfuls of porridge only out of consideration for her mother who had fainted several times. She spent the rest of the time curled up on the couch in a daze.
Qu Wenhe did not persuade her much. Before leaving, he gave her two wet nurses who knew her well and gave her some instructions.
"My child has such a miserable life!" Madam Qu couldn't help crying as she watched the carriage drive away. "She was doing well in the palace, but she rushed home in the middle of the night to make way for the imperial concubine, and this happened! Oh God! Please open your eyes and don't treat my child like this anymore!"
"That's enough! Don't whine in broad daylight, you won't make a fool of yourself!"
Qu Wenhe had a gloomy face and narrowed his eyes. He continued to try to figure out the murderer's motives and turned back to the mansion.
Noble Lady Wen leaned against the carriage like a zombie, not even looking at her newborn son, and did not say a word the entire time.
The wet nurse fed him and whispered, "Fifth Miss, you see, the little prince has finally gained some weight. He's a premature baby, but as long as we take good care of him, he can grow up successfully."
"..." She looked up at the swaddling clothes, reached out and pulled off one corner. When she saw that the baby's eyes took up most of the face, forming a sharp contrast with the thin body, she was still shocked!
His dislike for his own son also reached its peak!
"Fifth Miss, please be gentle. Such a big movement could easily wake the little prince..."
As he spoke, he began to cry out in a hoarse voice.
Her whole face was wrinkled and her skin continued to turn purple. The noise made her upset!
"When we get back to Yanxi Palace, take him to a side hall to sleep."
The wet nurse looked up in surprise: "Fifth Miss, shouldn't His Royal Highness live in the main palace? He'll be easier to take care of by his mother's side!"
"It's noisy."
"Fifth Miss, please be patient," another older nurse also advised. "After all, this is the Emperor's child. What if he wants to visit in person and finds that the Prince is being treated like this? Wouldn't that be your fault?"
That’s true.
She was harmed by a treacherous person and failed to give birth to a smart and clever royal heir, and had lost some of the emperor's favor.
What if I'm accused of mistreating the heir to the throne again...
Noble Lady Wen impatiently chose to compromise: "Alright! Bring him to the inner room and you can take turns to take care of him!"
Mu Tao had been waiting outside the Yanxi Palace since early in the morning. She knew her master was in a bad mood. Something had happened on her way back home, and the prince she had given birth to was weak and needed to be carefully cared for.
"My dear, you're back! Lunch is ready, please go..."
"I'm going to sleep for a while. I have a headache."
Noble Lady Wen had no intention of eating at all. She wished she could go back to that day: even if it ended up with both sides suffering, it was better than enduring the pain alone now!
After entering the inner room, she lay on the bed, while the two wet nurses and Mu Tao prepared the prince's rocking crib.
The swaddling clothes were placed beside her pillow: the little hands, no bigger than leaves, were grasping something. They were not even one ten-thousandth as cute as Princess Zhaohua. In her eyes, they looked more like ugly monsters, disgusting!
Lady Min sighed, turned her back, and chose not to look at this freak.
I don't know how long they were busy before they finally carried the prince to the cradle.
He seemed unaccustomed to the new bed and frightened by the sound of the bell, so he began to cry loudly. No matter how the nurses tried to comfort him, he would not stop crying.
"Is it never going to end?! Didn't we already feed her on the way back in the carriage? Why is she still crying?!"
"In reply to the young lady, His Royal Highness seems to be feeling unwell. How about we ask the imperial physicians to come and take a look? They are definitely more skilled than the doctors in the mansion."
Noble Lady Min got out of bed in a bad mood. After looking at her tearful son, she suppressed the discomfort in her chest and wandered around the room.
This chess piece was destined to be abandoned by her.
Since he won't live long, let his death be more meaningful, and it can be regarded as a way to repay her for the hardships she went through during her pregnancy!
With this in mind, Lady Wen turned around and ordered, "Don't call the imperial physician. You should all comfort them one by one, and when they are tired of crying, they can fall asleep."
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