Chapter 24: You are shooting yourself in the foot!
Qi Ling turned around, folded her hands at her waist, and quickly bowed. She said anxiously, "Even if the evidence is overwhelming, my elder sister is eloquent. Father, please don't let her words alone and let old feelings guide you. This would be unfair."
Emperor Shengde smiled at Qi Ling and said in a resounding voice, "Ah Ling, is this what you think of your father? A tyrant? He has no ability to distinguish right from wrong?"
Qi Ling was somewhat confused. She felt as if things were going in the wrong direction. She lowered her brows and replied ambiguously, "My son, that's not what I meant."
Emperor Shengde turned to face Qi Xin and said sternly, "Xin, tell me, have you done anything against human ethics?"
"Your son, no." Qi Xin did not dodge at all. He stood in the room and faced Emperor Shengde's intimidating gaze.
Emperor Shengde asked in return, "Then, can you withstand the search?"
"My son's innocence is beyond verification. The Imperial City Army barging into my daughter's resting place is no different from wanton slander." Qi Xin finished speaking and turned to Qi Ling. "Fourth sister, you are easily influenced by others and inevitably fall prey to the instigation of trespassers. If you are so certain that this princess has had an affair with a man outside her family, why not produce some evidence to avoid damaging our sisterly bond?"
"You!" Qi Lingqi was blocked and for a moment, he was speechless.
At the same time, Qi Xin looked over Emperor Shengde's shoulder and met the eyes of Prince Yuyang.
An hour ago, Prince Yuyang was enjoying a hearty drink with his colleagues. In a daze, a little maid took the opportunity to serve the dishes and, hiding a small note under her wide sleeves, stuffed it into his palm.
When he saw the handwriting between the desks in the moonlight, he sobered up immediately:
Someone tampered with the food served at the ceremony, and Princess Xiangning accidentally ingested it. This medicine is unusual; I've seen it in Yue Country and know how to use it. Soon, there will undoubtedly be trouble. If I'm unable to successfully escort the princess out of the palace for treatment, I hope the Emperor's uncle will assist. If I'm safe, the princess will be safe, too!
Although Prince Yuyang was reluctant to wade into the murky waters of royal strife, he also didn't dare to risk the safety and reputation of his beloved daughter. His princess had passed away, and he had ultimately failed to keep his vows of eternal love. If he lost his daughter, what would be the point of living alone in this world?
He had no choice but to follow Emperor Shengde and his entourage to the back garden.
When Qi Xin and Qi Ling confronted each other, he had only watched from the other side, because the authenticity of the note was difficult to verify, and until the last moment, it was better to stay out of trouble. However, until he saw the corner of the purple sachet next to the inkstone screen.
Even if it had turned to ash, he would have recognized the peach-shaped sachet with a golden horse pattern on a purple silk background. The late princess loved violets[1] and not only had they bloomed all over the Yuyang Palace, but when her daughter was one month old, she used purple silk as a base and personally carved her zodiac sign on it with gold thread to celebrate her daughter's birth.
It can’t be wrong, it can’t be wrong.
Prince Yuyang stepped back, lowered his head, and, with his thumbs pointing upward and the remaining four fingers interlaced, he saluted repeatedly, saying, "I think that your brother's family affairs don't need to be brought to court. It's just a minor quarrel between sisters, and it can be resolved by Empress Yuan and Consort Chu[2], who can then educate them. What do you think?"
Emperor Shengde nodded, feeling that his younger brother, after a few years of silence, had become increasingly discerning. He placed his hand on his folded fingers, turned to face the remaining ministers, and said slowly:
"Brother Ye, what you said makes sense. I've troubled you all with this journey. It's my fault for not raising my daughter well, and I've disturbed your interest. I hope you will take this as a warning and spend more time guiding your children in the right direction. If there's nothing else, you can all go home on your own. I'm sorry I won't see you off."
"I will take my leave."
The ministers remained silent, yet their minds were fully aware of the situation. His Majesty's move was simply a warning to them to mind their own business. All under heaven are subject to the emperor. Even if the emperor was in the wrong, it was not their place to interrogate him. Minding one's own doorstep was the key to survival in this turbulent court.
Fortunately, the Imperial Censor Xirang is still under house arrest today, otherwise he would have had the opportunity to give some advice.
Qi Ling watched with eager eyes as the ministers dispersed, like sand slipping through fingers, leaving nothing behind. Her face was full of colorful expressions as she continued to argue, "Father, Father, I am not..."
Emperor Shengde leaned over and whispered in her ear, "Isn't this embarrassing enough? Come with me now, and don't make me say it again."
Qi Ling was helpless. Finally, he glared at Prince Yuyang and Qi Xin with hatred, then left with Emperor Shengde.
Qi Xin then invited Prince Yuyang in, closed the door, and said frankly, "I thank the Emperor's uncle for his help. I also ask the Emperor's uncle to prepare the carriage. I will take the princess back to the Princess's residence."
Prince Yuyang held her wrist and said sternly:
"The princess used me to escape, but I will not hold it against you for Tiantian's sake. I will find someone to treat my daughter myself, so you don't have to worry about it. Tiantian is kindhearted. On the day you returned to the capital, she risked her own life to save you. I am deeply worried. I just want to live a peaceful life with my daughter. I beg the princess to have mercy on her and let her go. From now on, please don't let her suffer this kind of torture again!"
"I understand that the emperor's uncle loves his daughter dearly, but if you insist on doing so, not only will you not be able to help the princess, but you will also delay the best time for her treatment. By then, you will regret it." Qi Xin saw that his expression had softened, turned around, opened the cabinet, and said with a forced smile:
"If the uncle wants to do something for the princess, there is one thing he must do—"
Qi Xin pulled him out by the bed curtain and kicked him in front of Prince Yuyang: "This man tried to do something bad to the princess before, but was stopped in time by this junior. As for how to deal with him, please let your uncle decide!"
Prince Yuyang's eyes gradually darkened, his knuckles crackled, and he said darkly, "This prince, I understand."
Then he turned the bone ring on his middle finger, and a small spike popped out.
The tied-up boy had his mouth stuck by the bed curtain. At this moment, he could only swing up and down and left and right like a stranded fish, struggling desperately based on his survival instinct.
Prince Yuyang knelt on one knee, grabbed the servant, and said to Qi Xin without looking up:
"The sedan chair I arrived in is right outside the gate. After exiting through the side gate of the palace wall, take the palace token from Tiantian and immediately drive the palace carriage. Please, Princess, take my daughter away first, so that she won't be upset by the scene that's about to happen."
Qi Xin helped the already dejected Qi Tian up from behind the inkstone screen, and left the room amid the sound of fists flying blood and flesh.
She took off the palace token with the word "Yuyang" engraved on it from Qi Tian's waist and returned to the Princess's Mansion unhindered. She handed a note with only the number "nine" on it to Xing'er who was waiting at the gate of the mansion, whispered the words "Gu Yi Piao Hao" in her ear, and helped Qi Tian into the mansion.
About half an hour later, someone finally knocked on the door of the Princess's Mansion.
A maid came hurriedly over and said, "Your Highness, a doctor who calls himself Shuangjiang wants to see you. Do you think you can let him in?"
In order to relieve Qi Tian from her suffering temporarily, Qi Xin directly pressed her sleep acupoints and wiped the sweat that frequently oozed out of her beside the couch. Upon hearing this, he waved his hands repeatedly without turning his head: "Come in quickly!"
Shuangjiang placed the medical treasure box on the ground and bowed, saying, "I am Shuangjiang, your humble servant, and I am honored to meet His Highness Jialing."
"Please get up quickly." Qi Xin raised his hand, then looked around and landed on Xing'er, who had just come in with Frost, and ordered, "Everyone, please go down first."
After everyone retreated, Qi Xin hurried over, held Shuangjiang's elbows, helped her up, and asked quietly, "Where is he?"
Shuangjiang said in a serious tone, "The Princess's residence is crowded with people, so the Seventh Master can't show up. He's waiting for you at the Guyi Bank. He said that after you've taken care of things here, you can go find him."
"Okay." Qi Xin responded briefly, then moved aside a little. "Come and see what drug she was given."
Shuangjiang squatted beside the couch and placed three fingers on Qi Tian's wrist. She felt that the pulse was too steady, with no signs of Chinese medicine. She said gloomily, "Your Highness, please lift the princess's upper body a little."
Qi Xin walked around to the foot of the couch, supported Qi Tian by the back of her neck, and lifted her up. He then slowly sat down, letting her lean steadily against his shoulder blades, and then held her tightly to prevent her from slipping. "How is it?"
The wrinkles between Shuangjiang's thin eyebrows grew deeper and deeper. She raised her eyes to look at Qi Xin: "What do you think, Your Highness?"
"What?" Qi Xin didn't understand and let Shuangjiang lead his fingers to Qi Tian's wrist.
Frost pressed her fingertips and said, "Your Highness, please put aside your distracting thoughts and feel with your heart."
Qi Xin was silent for a long time, then slowly spoke: "Her pulse feels slow, astringent, and stringy. When you take it deeply, it feels intermittent, like a river blocked and unable to flow freely."
"Yes, why don't you lay her down and feel it?"
"This, steady and strong? Nothing... nothing unusual, right?" Qi Xin felt the pulse, which suddenly became normal, and felt strange. He asked, "Sister Shuang, I don't know much about medicine, so maybe my feeling is not accurate..."
"No, Your Highness should trust your intuition," Frost said frankly. "Your Highness, have you noticed recently that your five senses are extraordinary?"
Qi Xin thought to herself that she had indeed tasted something strange about the coconut-skin taro cake before, but Qi Tian hadn't noticed. She had also clearly heard the sounds of someone hiding outside the back garden wing, and when Qi Ling and her men pushed open the door to look for her, she could tell which wing they were in.
Although she had some doubts about these things, she was limited by the situation and just regarded them as illusions...
However, these phenomena correspond exactly to what was said about Frost Descent.
Qi Xin responded with a complicated expression: "Yes."
"This is actually the power of the blood pill. When the blood pill merged, it washed away all the blood in your body, causing a significant difference in your physical condition. Besides being more irritable, what I can detect is the transformation of your perception." Shuangjiang argued convincingly, and then further explained:
"I am a person of 50% blood, yet I can still sense the slightest instability in the princess's pulse. However, you are a person of superior blood, so your ability is far superior to mine. However, the price you pay is that once you are provoked, you will find it even more difficult to control yourself, and you may even become bloodthirsty and ruthless."
Qi Xin asked, "Then why is her pulse the same as that of an ordinary person when she is lying flat?"
"This is the power of this medicine." Frost's eyes fixed on one place, as if he recalled something, and his fingers unconsciously fiddled with the rings on the medical treasure box.
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The author has something to say: ps——
Qi Tian is a real-life prototype for me. I wonder if you might think her characterization is too pure and innocent. But what I want to say is that this role is not only a reflection of my real life, but also a kind of reverse anticipation for the quagmire I've been trapped in.
From the outset, I envisioned that even if all the other characters, including the hero and heroine, were riddled with holes and tattered, she wouldn't be like that. Like a lotus emerging from clear water, naturally unadorned, she should be a gift of warmth and brightness, a gesture of mercy from heaven, bestowing upon us, struggling to survive in this difficult situation.
I hope you can stop and walk, and meet good friends by the mountains and rivers.
Note:
[1] Violet Flower Language: Eternal love and beauty! (Our Uncle Yuyang is the God of Pure Love, and so is Tiantian!)
[2] Consort Chu is the mother of Princess Jinghe's fourth daughter, Qi Ling (I'll tell you this in case you're confused).
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