Elsewhere, He Huaichen waited impatiently in the side hall of Fengyi Palace, but heard the servant's voice asking him to go back. Of course, he couldn't just leave like that, and he stubbornly waited for Fu Yijing to come back.
Almost as soon as Fu Yijing opened the door curtain, He Huaichen rushed forward and said, "My Lord and Queen, I have been looking forward to your return with great anticipation. Finally, I have finally received your return."
Fu Yijing frowned. "Because something happened to Mei Rongze, I haven't slept all night. I'm going to rest now. No matter what He Fanghua has to say, please go back first."
He Huaichen wanted to tell Fu Yijing right away about how he pushed the princess into the water, but with servants on both sides, he could only hint at her, "Have you forgotten? My Lord and Queen, it was you who called me here that day..."
Before he could finish his words, Fu Yijing pushed him away with an impatient look on his face and walked past him.
Zhiqi gave He Huaichen an apologetic smile and said, "Sorry, please go back. Our master is tired and needs to rest. He won't see any guests for the next few days."
He Huaichen wanted to chase after her, but was pushed out of the gate of Fengyi Palace by several servants. He was so angry that he stamped his feet, but because the walls had ears, he couldn't say anything.
On the way back to his bedroom, he heard his servants talking about "Her Royal Highness's illness seems to have improved". He felt his legs go weak and he leaned on his servant Luyi to avoid losing his composure in public.
Not long after returning to his chambers, He Huaichen fell ill. For half a month, he was so anxious he couldn't sleep, and his condition worsened. He knew he couldn't sit there and wait for death any longer. If he wanted to save himself, he had to kill Ling Xihe before she woke up. Only with her death could the events of that day be buried forever.
However, Chenyou Palace was full of servants, and Lu Jinshu had to personally guard Ling Xihe's bedside all night long. How could it be easy to kill Ling Xihe quietly?
Lu Yi came to He Huaichen's bed with a medicine bowl in her hand, "Master, you haven't taken your medicine today..."
Before he could finish his words, He Huaichen had already kicked him in the stomach. Lv Yi fell to the ground in a mess, and the medicine was all over him.
He Huaichen cursed, "You useless piece of shit! I asked you to bribe the servants of Chenyou Palace and secretly put poison into Ling Xihe's drinking water. Ten days have passed, and you still haven't succeeded. What's the point of keeping you here, other than wasting food?"
Lu Yi knelt on the ground, trembling. "Chenyou Palace is managed by Empress Lu, like an iron wall. I really can't find anyone I can bribe. If I bribe any servant, I'm afraid that the servant will betray you before the poison even reaches the Crown Princess's drinking water."
He Huaichen kicked him in the heart again, "Excuses! All you said are excuses! If you can't do what I ordered, then die!"
Lu Yi spat out a mouthful of blood, but she didn't even dare to wipe it off. She crawled to her knees at He Huaichen's feet and said, "Master, please give me another chance. Ten days, no, five days, five days is enough. I will find a way to kill the Crown Princess."
He Huaichen glanced at him coldly and said, "At most three days. If Ling Xihe is not dead, then you will go to see the King of Hell for her."
Lu Yi kowtowed deeply to He Huaichen, and after getting his permission, she wiped the blood off her face and staggered out.
He couldn't help but let a bitter smile slip across his lips. Forget three days, even if he were given three, there was no way he could quietly kill the Crown Princess. The five days he'd just bought himself were nothing more than a cowardly attempt to stay alive, hoping to stay a few more days in this world. Following such a master, his doom was doomed from the very beginning.
Four days flew by in the blink of an eye. Lu Yi had originally believed that the heavens had sealed the door to his life, but that night, he discovered a crack in the window. According to reliable sources, the Empress Dowager would go to the Lingyin Taoist Temple to fulfill a vow the next morning and had specifically requested that the Emperor and the Queens of the East and West Palaces accompany her.
If this were to happen, there would definitely be some vacancies in the Chenyou Palace's staff. Lv Yi hadn't failed to bribe anyone during this period. As long as Lu Jinshu didn't stay by her bedside day and night, he still had a chance of succeeding.
After Lu Yi reported this news to He Huaichen, He Huaichen burst into laughter, "It really is God's will! This is clearly God's blessing on me."
Is this a favor? I hope so. Lu Yi thought so, but she didn't dare show any worry on her face. Otherwise, He Huaichen would definitely think he was cursing him and kick him a few times without any explanation.
…
The next day.
Fengyi Palace.
Zhiqi held up a red sandalwood jewelry box inlaid with sapphire blue pearls and placed it in front of Fu Yijing. He smiled and said, "We are going to the Lingyin Taoist Temple today, so it's not convenient for us to wear something too fancy. I think this white magnolia hairpin is a good choice. It's not too flashy, but very elegant. It can really highlight your orchid-like temperament."
Fu Yijing didn't even look at the elegant white magnolia jade hairpin. Instead, he took out the gilded peony hairpin with kingfisher feathers that he often wore from his jewelry box. "You know, I love to dress luxuriously these days."
Zhiqi tightly grasped the white magnolia hairpin in his hand, his face full of embarrassment, "But this will show that you are not respectful enough to the gods..."
Before he could finish his words, he heard Fu Yijing's laughter, "Do you really think I will go to Lingyin Taoist Temple today?"
The expression on Zhiqi's face became even more confused.
Fu Yijing didn't keep it a secret any longer. "The Empress Dowager's visit to the Lingyin Taoist Temple to fulfill her vow was just a pretext. It was to get Lu Jinan away from Chenyou Palace. It would make it easier for the villain who framed the Crown Princess to sneak into Chenyou Palace and poison her while Lu Jinan was off guard."
Zhiqi's eyes widened. "You're saying... actually, today's trip to the Lingyin Taoist Temple was just a ploy designed by His Majesty and Empress Lu to lure out the snake?"
A mocking arc appeared on Fu Yijing's lips. "He Huaichen can't sit still anymore. He will definitely fall into the trap this time. Just wait and see. It won't be long before news comes from Chenyou Palace. We just have to wait here patiently for He Huaichen to get into trouble."
Zhiqi was somewhat unwilling to accept this. "Xuanming Fairy offered His Majesty the brilliant plan of setting fire to the grasslands, and His Majesty graciously allowed General He to atone for his sins. This is also a favor you, Master, did for the He family. If He Huaichen's conspiracy against the Crown Princess were to be exposed, he would be in great trouble. It wouldn't matter if His Majesty executed him, but then there would be no one to repay this favor. Wouldn't Fairy have helped the He family in vain?"
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