Everyone in the inn had their own thoughts. Wei Junzhai was often deserted. The four ladies, Zhao, Qian, Sun and Li, hid in their rooms and dared not show their heads. Concubine Yi leaned against the railing with a resentful look in her eyes.
Concubine Xian accompanied the Queen back to the palace to recuperate, while Concubine Jinrou was imprisoned in the palace. This should have been her time to shine, but Concubine Xiang followed her.
Xiang Fei made the emperor run around in circles, and it was difficult for her to even see the emperor. What's more, Master Xun He and his apprentice were guarding against her like a thief, so she was helpless and had no idea what to do.
As the journey progressed, the number of people accompanying him continued to decrease, the Third Prince's illness became more serious, and the Emperor took the initiative to find the Empress Dowager to confide in her.
"Mother, the mountains are high and the roads are long. My third brother is seriously ill and it is not advisable to move."
"Qian'er's illness is not serious. The Imperial Master has divined that all the bad things will go wrong once he reaches Wuliang Mountain."
The empress dowager was stubborn. The previous emperor passed away early, and she raised his two young sons alone. She carefully supported her eldest son to ascend the throne. When she was young, the empress dowager was wise, courageous and intelligent.
In her later years, the empress dowager seemed like a completely different person. She became stubborn, domineering, and short-sighted.
Aunt Fang reached out and took the hand warmer that was still warm, and naturally replaced it with a new hand warmer that had just had the charcoal fire replaced.
"It's very cold in the snow, Queen Mother, please take care of yourself."
"I am a decayed man, and death is inevitable. Qian'er is still young, and has the best years of his youth."
"It's all the fault of that crazy Taoist priest in Wei Junzhai. His nonsense delayed Qian'er's treatment."
Aunt Fang straightened her back and pricked up her ears. When the Queen Mother got angry, someone would lose their life. She had to listen carefully, write down every word the Queen Mother said, and then relay it to the people below.
"Wei Junzhai is incompetent, and he is dismissed from his position as Imperial Preceptor and given twenty lashes of the cane."
Aunt Fang went out backwards to pass on the message, and the eunuchs ran to Wei Junzhai's residence to look for someone, but it was empty and no one was found.
The leading eunuch touched the quilt and found it was still warm. He hurriedly ordered people to search everywhere. After a search, they found Wei Junzhai deep in the bamboo forest.
Wei Junzhai was beaten with a stick and wrapped in a torn straw mat. Two eunuchs carried him and threw the straw mat hard, causing it to roll down the hillside.
A bright red bloodstain appeared on the white ground.
There were many wolves in the mountains, and the blood on Wei Junzhai's body attracted the wolves.
When the two eunuchs saw that Wei Junzhai was surrounded by wolves, they thought he would not survive and went back to collect the reward.
Aunt Fang asked, "How were the people dealt with?"
"The wolf ate it."
"really?"
"Absolutely true."
Aunt Fang reported the truth to the Queen Mother, and after hearing it, the Queen Mother's brows relaxed.
"Let's set the table."
The Queen Mother was in a good mood and had a good appetite, so she ate half a bowl of rice.
Aunt Fang brought some nourishing soup, and the Empress Dowager drank it in small sips.
After dinner, Aunt Fang chatted with the Queen Mother, who ordered her to take out the wooden box under the pillow, which contained two jade pendants.
The jade pendants are warm to the touch and are delicately carved with two lifelike red carps. The two jade pendants form a circle when put together, and are topped with necklaces.
Aunt Fang didn't recognize the double carp jade pendant, so the Empress Dowager asked her to deliver it to the Emperor, and she did as she was told.
After delivering the things, she came to report to the Queen Mother.
"Empress Dowager, the Emperor likes your gift very much and wears it close to his body."
"I just want him to wear it close to his skin."
The double carp jade pendant was divided into two, one tied around the emperor's waist and the other hung around the third prince's neck.
Gu Yinwei could not see anything strange about the double carp jade pendant, but she instinctively realized that it was ominous. She advised the emperor not to wear it close to his body all day, but the emperor refused her on the grounds that "it was given by an elder, so it should not be given away."
Except for bathing every day, he always wears the jade pendant.
Gu Yinwei had been on guard for many days, but didn't see any clues, so she stopped trying to persuade him.
Seven days later, the heavy snow finally stopped and the convoy set off again. The Third Prince's condition finally improved and he lifted the curtain and waved.
"Royal brother, do you dare to come and race?"
"Why not?" The emperor jumped out of the carriage and chose a red date horse.
Two horses were running one after the other, followed by a large group of guards.
The accompanying concubines all lifted the curtains to look out. Aunt Fang also lifted the curtain. Outside was a happy scene of brothers in friendship and respect. The happier they were, the more anxious the empress dowager became.
Aunt Fang noticed the Queen Mother's displeasure and slowly lowered the curtain.
The Queen Mother supported her head with her hands, her eyes filled with sorrow.
The emperor and the third prince who were racing horses were unaware of the queen mother's sorrow. They waved their whips and ran forward.
"Brother Huang, you have to run faster, or I will catch up with you."
"Just chase me, my dear brother. I will never lose to you."
The two of them chased each other, and the guards behind them were far behind.
After running about twenty or thirty miles, the winner was finally decided, and the winner was the Third Prince.
The emperor dismounted and held onto a tree trunk to catch his breath. He could have run faster just now, but it felt like there was a fire burning in his chest. He felt that all his strength was burned out, and he had to stop to rest.
"Royal brother, please don't let me down on purpose. I've never won a horse race with you. What happened to you today? Did you not get enough rest?"
"It's okay, I'll just rest for a while."
"I'm glad my royal brother is okay."
"Wuliang Mountain is not far from here, about two hundred miles away. Once you reach the mountain, your illness will be cured."
"Thank you for your kind words, my royal brother."
The two waited for a moment, and the guards caught up with them. Fugui sniffed and suddenly realized something was wrong.
"Your Majesty, the Third Prince, please mount your horse quickly. There are wolves nearby."
The emperor hurriedly mounted his horse, but the third prince lost his balance and fell off.
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