Chapter 183 No Abnormality
Pei Tingyue was speechless.
Yang looked at him with tears in her eyes.
Xie Chen pulled her down to the bed, washed her face again, and gently coaxed her to sleep. Seeing that she had fallen into a sweet dream, he got up and left the bedroom.
The moment he stepped out of the bedroom, his face suddenly turned cold and his eyes were filled with indifference.
He first called Yun Shu over and asked, "Has your queen been unhappy these past few days?"
Yun Shu stammered, "No... not at all..."
Xie Chen asked again: "What has she done in the past few days? Tell me more specifically."
This time, Yun Shu spoke without stumbling, "After arriving at the temporary palace, the Empress only allowed us to pay our respects to the Emperor at Qiwu Palace on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month. Apart from those days, the Empress would rest a little longer in the morning, getting enough sleep before getting up to eat. After dinner, sometimes she would carry us to visit the Imperial Concubine, and sometimes we would go for a walk near the Imperial Lake. After noon, after a short rest, it would be evening. Sometimes, she would send us to Chaoyang Palace to ask if the Emperor was free. If not, after dinner, she would play with us for a while before going to bed."
This day is so monotonous and boring.
He mostly eats and sleeps every day. Apart from this, there are only him and Xiao Si left.
Xie Chen was silent for a moment.
His knuckles occasionally tapped his knees.
"You've served her for so long, have you noticed anything unusual?"
Yun Shu fell into a long silence, and after a while, she said, "The Queen has been in a bad... bad mood recently..."
She recounted in detail some of the recent events.
Xie Chen nodded.
He waved his hand to dismiss the others and summoned the accompanying judge Xia to come over. "Go and take Concubine De's pulse first."
Judge Xia went in quietly and returned to the hall after a while.
Xie Chen asked him, "Is there anything wrong with Concubine De's health?"
"Her Majesty the Virtuous Consort is in good health and everything is going well."
After hearing this answer, Xie Chen was not happy at all. Instead, his face became even gloomier. He calmly told Pei Tingyue about her abnormality.
Judge Xia pondered for a moment and then replied respectfully, "There's a folk saying that after giving birth, if a woman doesn't receive care from her husband, her temperament changes dramatically. She'll often sleep more and become irritable at the slightest inconvenience. These symptoms can be alleviated if she receives care from her husband. Concubine De's behavior is similar to this. If this is true, Concubine De needs the Emperor's constant companionship."
Xie Chen's eyes were filled with an unbreakable thick emotion. He lowered his eyes and turned the ring on his finger, recalling what had just happened.
The woman had just had her sweet dream disturbed, and she was extremely irritable before even opening her eyes. However, after seeing him, she softened like a gentle spring breeze.
It is indeed similar.
But Xie Chen was certain that these were not the symptoms Xia Yuanpan described.
He slowly opened his lips, his voice filled with boundless coldness, "Will this disease cause people to lose their minds?"
Judge Xia was stunned for a moment, then said, "No."
Xie Chen narrowed his eyes and said, "But Concubine De's temperament has greatly deteriorated, her mind is in disarray, and she can no longer think of anything."
He knew the woman well; she wasn't a vicious person at all. Slashing someone's face for no reason was already strange.
The weirdest thing was that when he said it was damaging to her reputation, she actually replied, "So what."
This sentence shows that she didn't consider her own reputation at all, nor did she think about Xiao Si.
Perhaps what finally comforted her was not the word "virtuous concubine" but the word "equally famous".
This incident further proves that her mind has become confused and she has no ability to think at all. Only when she meets him or talks about him can she regain her clarity of mind.
Judge Xia remained silent.
He lowered his head and began to think carefully.
After a thin layer of sweat broke out on his forehead, he bowed and replied, "In my humble opinion, Her Majesty the Virtuous Consort must have been poisoned."
Xie Chen was not surprised at all.
There was a dark current in his dark eyes, like a deep pool that had never melted for thousands of years.
It's really good. The woman was assassinated by someone using despicable means after being away from him for only a few days. The harem is really not peaceful.
He wanted to see who was not afraid of death.
He suppressed the murderous intent in his eyes and asked, "How do I cure this poison?"
Xia Yuanpan replied, "This type of poison that damages the mind should generally be avoided in the early stages. Once the accumulated poison in the body slowly dissipates, the condition will improve. If Your Majesty is concerned, I will prescribe a detoxifying and calming prescription for Your Majesty."
Xie Chen nodded calmly, "After I've written the prescription, you shouldn't come to Chaoyang Palace for a while. Go to Ningxiang Pavilion and check everything carefully, including food, clothing, housing, and transportation. When you find out everything, come back and report."
Judge Xia received the order and left the hall.
Xie Chen sat on the couch for a while, then looked at Liang Yao. "I have to be with Concubine De these past few days, so I don't have time to look after Yuzhou. You should bring Yuzhou to the care of my mother."
Since the woman has fallen into the trap, Xiao Si will not be spared either.
Song Lingyun has been busy recently and is afraid that he has no time to see Xiao Si. The Queen is in poor health and has a lot of things to do, so the Queen Mother's place is the most suitable place for her to go.
He also had another selfish motive for handing it over to the Queen Mother, as she would need it in the future.
Liang Yao agreed immediately.
*
Jiangzhou Palace.
The Queen Mother's residence.
Renshou Hall.
After the Queen Mother Qin finished washing up, she recited Buddhist scriptures on the Arhat couch and was about to get up and go to sleep.
A palace maid suddenly entered the hall and announced, "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, Chief Steward Liang is here."
Queen Mother Qin was a little surprised.
Liang Yao actually came at this hour, it seemed that there must be something important.
She strung the Buddhist beads on her wrist, picked up a cup of tea to moisten her mouth, and said in a light voice: "Let him in."
Not long after, Liang Yao came over with a smile on his face, followed by many palace maids, among whom Yun Zheng was holding Xiao Si.
Queen Mother Qin was slightly startled and quickly asked Nanny Meng to take Xiao Si and place him on the couch beside her.
"This is?"
Liang Yao smiled and said, "The Empress Defei has been feeling unwell these past few days, and the Emperor has to stay with her. This leaves the Fourth Prince with no one to look after him, so he can only be sent to the Empress Dowager. I hope the Empress Dowager will have mercy on him."
Queen Mother Qin gently touched Xiao Si's face, and Xiao Si giggled, which was very cute.
"Yuzhou is my grandson, so of course I am willing."
Liang Yao's smile widened. "Then I'll have them clean up the side hall and make room for the Fourth Prince to rest, without disturbing the Empress Dowager's peace and quiet."
Queen Mother Qin waved her hand and said, "It's the middle of the night, what are you doing? Yuzhou, stay with me. Okay, go back and report to the Emperor."
Liang Yao bowed and left.
An hour passed before everything was tidied up and Xiao Si was sleeping soundly in the rocking couch.
Queen Mother Qin sat beside the couch, slowly rocking Xiao Si's small sandalwood couch. She asked Aunt Meng in a calm voice, "What do you think about this?"
Madam Meng sighed, "I'm afraid the masters in the harem are causing trouble again."
Queen Mother Qin nodded.
This is why she was worried and wanted Xiao Si to sleep with her. Keeping him under her watch would reduce the risk of accidents.
She sighed and said, "There's never any peace in this harem. It's just endless fighting. When the fighting stops, another group of young and beautiful women arrives, and the cycle repeats itself without stopping."
The two sighed.
Before going to bed, Queen Mother Qin asked worriedly, "Yan'er, haven't you had any bad thoughts lately?"
Madam Meng shook her head and said, "No, Fuling reported that Baolin has been very well behaved recently."
"If she continues to be so obedient, I will love her. In two years, I will restore her position."
Nanny Meng smiled and said, "The Queen Mother is tough on the outside but soft on the inside. She appears serious towards Baolin, but in reality she is thinking about him."
Queen Mother Qin sighed, "Ah, I don't ask her to know how good I am. I just hope that she can live a good life and do her duty. This is my wish."
Nanny Meng helped her lie down and said soothingly, "It's getting late, Empress Dowager, don't worry about it. Go to bed early."
After everything fell silent, Nanny Meng left the hall.
She asked someone to call Fuling over, and after confirming that Qin Baolin had done nothing abnormal recently, she went back to keep watch with peace of mind.
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