The Imperial Palace.
Xiao Dezi handed over the palace pass and quickly entered the Empress Dowager's palace.
At that moment, the Empress Dowager had just finished drinking the medicinal meal sent by the imperial physicians, and her maid, Ye, handed her tea to rinse her mouth.
After rinsing his mouth and clearing away all the things, the nanny then ordered someone to summon Xiao Dezi into the room.
Xiao Dezi explained the Crown Prince's recent situation in great detail.
The Empress Dowager's eyes, which had been expressionless, suddenly lit up, as if two strands of her white hair had turned black.
"Are you telling the truth?"
“Absolutely true,” Xiao Dezi knelt on the ground, his face almost wrinkled from smiling. “It was said by Princess Kang Le herself, not a single word is wrong.”
The old nanny, standing to the side, almost burst into tears upon hearing the news. "Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! There is hope for the Crown Prince's leg ailment to be cured!"
The Empress Dowager's face was beaming with a smile, and her eyes gleamed with a faint light, as if the slightest movement would cause moisture to well up in her eyes.
She quickly covered her face with a handkerchief, then clutched it tightly and said, "Yes, I've been waiting for so long, and finally there's some progress. I can die with a clear conscience before my eldest grandson!"
Upon hearing this, the nanny quickly interrupted with words that were considered unlucky, only saying pleasant things, "The Empress Dowager will surely see the Crown Prince marry and have children."
People like to hear nice things. Knowing it is one thing, but they also harbor illusions, especially those in high positions.
The Empress Dowager was naturally pleased to hear this. She turned to Granny Ye and said, "Quickly take stock of all the tonics that the Emperor sent a few days ago and have Xiao Dezi deliver them to Binyu."
Then she thought for a moment and said, "The Princess of Kang Le has done a good job in treating her, so go and pick out a few pieces of jewelry in a youthful style for her."
With a smile, Granny Ye accepted the order and led the group toward the Empress Dowager's residence.
After Granny Ye found all the items, Xiao Dezi stood respectfully to the side, listening to Granny Ye's instructions and writing them down one by one.
Before Xiao Dezi left the palace, the Empress Dowager said again, "Go back and tell Princess Kangle that as long as she can cure the Crown Prince, I will reward her handsomely!"
"yes!"
...
After leaving the palace, Xiao Dezi quickly delivered the items to Lu Qiqi's courtyard.
News of the Empress Dowager's reward quickly spread throughout the Lin'an Marquis's residence.
Xiao Dezi discreetly informed the Empress Dowager of her promise, so as not to let anyone with ulterior motives know about the Crown Prince's leg ailment in advance.
Lu Qiqi naturally knew the reason behind it, since the Empress Dowager did not mention the leg ailment at all in the reward, only that she had taken care of Song Binyu for many days.
Xiao Dezi smiled and refused Qingdai's money pouch, then left with his men.
As Lu Qiqi watched the group disappear, she glanced back at the jewelry bestowed upon her by the Empress Dowager, and a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips.
It seems that Song Yanqing won't need to exert himself in front of the Empress Dowager. It's likely that the Empress Dowager will soon relent on her relationship with Song Yanqing.
Thinking of Song Yanqing, Lu Qiqi mentally estimated the days. Song Yanqing hadn't come to the Marquis of Lin'an's residence these past few days, presumably because the marriage of Wu Qi had kept him tied up.
She said, "Qingdai, I made some hibiscus cakes. Pack them in two food boxes and send them to room nineteen."
Upon hearing this, Qingdai simply covered her mouth and laughed, without saying a word.
Nineteen is a person of the Prince of Libei. When two food boxes are sent over, it is obvious that one of them will definitely enter the Prince of Libei's residence.
Lu Qiqi didn't hear any movement for a while, so she turned to look at Qingdai. When their eyes met, Qingdai hurriedly replied, "Yes! This servant will go and do it right away."
Having said that, she quickly lifted her skirt and left.
...
During Wu Qi's stay in the capital, he never had a day off. He was either attending the flower-viewing banquet hosted by the Empress or taking advantage of the flower-viewing banquet to attend the tea-tasting banquet hosted by the official's wife.
After several days of searching, not only was there no news of the woman in red from the border town, but even the credit for Tadar's death was attributed to her.
Such news undoubtedly made Wu Qi suspect that the woman in red was not in the new capital, or that she was a member of the Shadow Guard.
But she had never heard of any women among the Shadow Guards.
Unable to obtain any information for a long time, she was sleepless all night, and her splitting headache became increasingly severe.
After a few days in Beijing, she had to rely on thick layers of makeup to cover the dark circles under her eyes and the weariness on her face.
Post station.
The door opened gently, and Wu Qi paused as she picked up the teacup. She quickly looked up and saw Rui Xin enter the room.
Ruixin removed his Tatar attire and changed into Jin Dynasty clothes. Apart from his darker skin, he looked no different from the people of Jin.
The door closed, and Wuqi picked up the kettle on the table and poured her some water.
Ruixin plopped down on the round stool, picked up her water glass, and gulped down the water in one go, letting out a satisfied sigh.
Uchi's patience was about to run out. "How is it?"
Ruixin glanced at her expression, put down her water glass, and looked at her directly. "I found out."
"The sound of a child crying came from the Prince of Libei’s residence after the New Year, which coincides with the time when the Great Jin army returned to the capital."
However, the woman never stepped out of the Prince's residence, seemingly intentionally hiding herself from everyone's attention.
Wu Qi never expected that the woman was hiding in the Li Bei Prince's Mansion. No wonder she hadn't been able to find out anything about her in the capital for so long.
She said, "In that case, let's find a way to avoid the Shadow Guards. Tonight, you will come with me to the Prince of Libei's residence."
Ruixin was about to agree, but before she returned to the post station, she received a portrait, so she didn't say anything. Instead, she took out the portrait and asked Wuqi to identify the person in it.
As she unfolded the portrait, she said, "I had previously passed the message on to the people in the building. This is the portrait they gave me, along with a letter."
Wu Qi stared at the woman in the portrait, her pupils suddenly dilating. "That's right, it's her!"
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