In the palace, the emperor was frowning as he looked at a letter of denunciation.
After reading it, the emperor crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it on the ground.
The eunuch next to him was so frightened that he immediately knelt down.
"I despise witchcraft and sorcery most of all, yet someone dares to openly curse me. Immediately order a thorough investigation of the Grand Tutor's residence; if discovered, no one will be spared!"
Eunuch Liu: "Yes!"
Xu Ruyun's father, Grand Tutor Xu, and his family were about to leave for Qiuqiu's full moon celebration when they were surrounded by guards, and everyone was stunned.
Grand Tutor Xu: "Eunuch Liu, what is the meaning of this?"
Eunuch Liu: "Grand Tutor Xu, someone has reported that the Grand Tutor's residence is harboring witchcraft and sorcery. His Majesty has specially dispatched this old servant to thoroughly investigate. Please forgive me!"
With a wave of his hand, Eunuch Liu sent the guards rushing to the Grand Tutor's residence to search everywhere.
Xu Ruyun's mother grabbed Xu Taishi's arm.
"Master, we have never practiced witchcraft. Who is framing us?"
Grand Tutor Xu patted his wife's hand and said, "Don't be afraid, Madam. We are upright and have nothing to fear. Let them investigate!"
After finding nothing amiss at the Grand Tutor's mansion, Eunuch Liu and his men headed straight for the Buddhist hall mentioned in the whistleblower's letter.
When Eunuch Liu saw the kind-faced Bodhisattva in the Buddhist hall, he even made a special effort to bow to her.
"Please forgive us, Bodhisattva. We were only acting under orders and have disturbed your peace. Amitabha!"
Although Eunuch Liu spoke kindly, he showed no mercy in his actions. Every nook and cranny of the Buddhist hall was thoroughly searched by his men.
"Found it! Found it!"
A guard leaped down from the roof beam, carrying a brocade box in his hand.
Eunuch Liu: "This is it! According to the letter, this contains the sorcery used to curse His Majesty! Open it quickly and take a look!"
The servants quickly opened the brocade box, only to find it contained scriptures praying for the Emperor's well-being. Inside, written in gold, were devout prayers for the nation's fortune and for His Majesty's good health and longevity.
When the emperor received the brocade box, he was so shocked that he couldn't say a word and stared in disbelief at what was inside.
The Emperor thought to himself: "What a huge blunder! Not only did they not harbor any ill intentions, they were also incredibly loyal. They were even secretly praying for my safety. Alas! After this incident, how am I supposed to maintain the relationship between ruler and subject from now on..."
The emperor, who was having a headache, suddenly received a letter by carrier pigeon.
It was the princess's imperial physician who sent a message saying that the princess's illness had been cured by Xu Ruyun's daughter, Qiuqiu.
The Emperor was overjoyed. He had been worried about how to save face, and this was the perfect opportunity to attend Qiuqiu's full moon celebration and ease the tension between the Emperor and his subjects.
Inside the bustling Qi residence, only Qi Jiating sat uneasily, watching the outside world.
Outside, everything was calm as usual.
At this point, the Grand Tutor's mansion will probably be raided, right? When Qi Jiating comes out to claim credit again, the Emperor will surely reward him handsomely.
Then he could divorce Xu Ruyun and openly bring his cousin back to the mansion. Everything went so smoothly.
Qi Jia was secretly pleased with himself.
At this time, the imperial procession had already arrived outside the Qi residence.
Eunuch Liu called out in a loud voice, "His Majesty has arrived!"
Everyone was in an uproar.
"His Majesty has arrived?"
"Why is Your Majesty here?"
"Your Majesty is so busy with state affairs, I heard you didn't even attend the little prince's full moon celebration, how could that be..."
Before everyone could finish their discussion, the Emperor had already eagerly entered the Qi residence.
Everyone kowtowed and paid their respects.
"Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
Your Majesty: "Rise, my beloved ministers!"
Qi Jia hurriedly found the emperor a seat of honor.
It seems the Grand Tutor's mansion is finished; from now on, it's the Qi family's world! Qi Jia thought to himself.
Unexpectedly, the Xu family arrived shortly afterward.
Qi Jiating: They're all alright? What happened?
The Emperor hurriedly struck up a conversation with Grand Tutor Xu.
"Grand Tutor Xu, I heard that you have a new, clever and lovely granddaughter, so I have come to offer my congratulations!"
Grand Tutor Xu hurriedly kowtowed to express his gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty! My granddaughter is not worth Your Majesty making a special trip for. Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The Emperor said, “It’s worth it! Of course it’s worth it! The Xu family has been loyal to the court and to me, and they deserve the best! Guards, bring up my congratulatory gifts!”
Two eunuchs carried a heavy box.
The Emperor personally opened the box, and a golden mountain made of gold appeared before everyone.
Wow, this is Kingsoft!
"The Qi family's daughter is so lucky!"
[His Majesty the Emperor is so generous! I love this gift!]
The emperor heard the voice of a baby, but when he looked around, there were no other children besides the baby.
But how could a baby like her possibly speak?
The emperor was a good man and diligent in his duties. Alas, it's a pity he trusted those Taoist priests too much, consuming so many elixirs, and died young. What a pity!
The emperor's hand trembled as he picked up the cup, and he almost dropped it when he heard those words.
What? Die at forty? What I want is immortality! How come taking elixirs not only fails to grant immortality but also leads to my premature death?
If anyone else had said these words, I would surely punish them for the grave offense of disrespect. But these words were spoken by a mere baby. Who is she? Could it be…?
The Emperor looked around, but his gaze finally settled on Qiuqiu.
Currently, besides Chuchu, he can't find another child here.
The Emperor looked at Qiuqiu and said, "May I hold her?"
Xu Ruyun: "Of course!"
To be held by the Emperor, that must be an immense honor.
Even the current princes are rarely held by the emperor.
The Emperor carefully accepted the chick.
Chiu Chiu stared intently at the Emperor with her big eyes.
[Your Majesty, if you truly value your life, then listen to Qiu Qiu and stop taking those elixirs.]
The emperor glanced at the others but showed no reaction.
Now he was certain that the voice was coming from the little one in his arms.
The fact that the baby didn't speak means that he was the only one present who heard Chiu Chiu's thoughts.
As the supreme ruler, one might possess this special ability by nature.
The emperor thought proudly: Fortunately, this baby reminded him that he needed to go back and verify as soon as possible whether what Qiuqiu said was true. If it was true, then Qiuqiu had truly saved his life.
Xu Ruyun stared blankly at the Emperor and carefully took the chick.
"Your Majesty, let me do it. The child is heavy, don't tire yourself out."
"I'm not heavy. I want to help the Emperor; there are still many things I can do for him..."
Xu Ruyun thought to herself: Luckily, only she could hear Qiuqiu's thoughts. Otherwise, if the Emperor had overheard her boastful words, she would surely have been punished.
The Emperor handed the chick to Xu Ruyun.
Your Majesty: "I heard that Lady Qi cured my younger sister's cold ailment?"
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