Chapter 30 The Crown Princess
"What crime have they committed?" Pei Ji suddenly chuckled, his smile not reaching his eyes. "Deputy Commander Xie arrived at the right time, blocking the way just outside the palace wall." He tapped the table with his fingertips. "Even if the palace guards failed, Deputy Commander Xie would be there to clean up the mess."
"Bang!"
The token in Xie Wuqi's hand accidentally fell to the ground.
He hurriedly bent over to pick it up, cold sweat dripping onto the blue bricks from his forehead. "It is my honor to share your worries, sir."
Pei Ji's eyes passed over his trembling fingertips: "It's hot today, Deputy Commander Xie's official uniform is soaked with sweat."
The cicadas outside the window chirped shrilly, and Xie Wuqi felt a sticky sensation on his back.
"I'll take my leave." Xie Wuqi bowed and was about to leave when he suddenly heard the sound of cups clinking behind him.
Pei Ji picked up the teacup, his eyes blurred by the mist. "Deputy Commander Xie, do you know what the thief said before he died?"
Xie Wuqi paused.
"He said..." Pei Ji blew away the tea foam, "The badge of the East City Military Commission was left under the crabapple tree in the west courtyard."
“Bang!”
The token on Xie Wuqi's waist fell to the ground. He turned around suddenly and met Pei Ji's half-smile.
"Your Excellency is joking." Xie Wuqi forced a smile.
"I also find this absurd." Pei Ji put down the teacup. The crisp sound of the porcelain bottom hitting the table startled the sparrows under the eaves. "I think it was the thief who was randomly biting."
"I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly!" Xie Wuqi almost fled.
Pei Ji looked at his staggering back, a sneer appearing at the corner of his lips.
"Sir, His Royal Highness the Grandson has awakened."
The next moment, guard Ling Ji flashed in and said, "His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin invites you."
…
Luo Zhaohan had a good physique, and after taking the right medicine, he opened his eyes within an hour.
"Zhao Zhao!" Qin Wan leaned forward with her red eyes, and placed the back of her hand against her forehead to test her temperature. "Finally you're awake. Does your chest still feel stuffy?"
Luo Zhaohan blinked to adjust to the light, his throat feeling like it was burning with charcoal: "Mom... where are the others? The thieves..."
Before he finished speaking, the bead curtain outside rustled.
Chao Yinzhen rushed in, her skirt in hand, tears still stained on her face. "You scared me to death! If anything happens to you, how can I face Madam Luo?"
Luo Zhaohan pieced together the truth from Chao Yinzhen's disjointed words: this was the Zizhuyuan side room of Prince Duan's mansion, and the Crown Princess, who had just been detoxified, lay in the main room. As for when she was unconscious, it was Qin Wan who carried her across half the mansion, followed by Lord Pei from the Dali Temple.
Hearing Pei Ji's name, Luo Zhaohan dug his fingertips into the quilt.
The chaotic dreams she had when she was unconscious suddenly came to her mind - Xie Wuqi was hugging Liu Yueli, the couple was smiling smugly at her, and then in the blink of an eye, Pei Ji was standing in a pool of blood.
"Did the princess reveal anything when she came back?" She hurriedly grabbed Chao Yinzhen's wrist, "The Crown Princess's matter..."
"Don't worry." Chao Yinzhen held her cold hand. "She came in through the corner gate wrapped in a cloak. Mother personally met her. People outside just thought it was a sick maid in the mansion."
Luo Zhaohan was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when she saw Chao Yinzhen suddenly take two steps back and bow to her solemnly.
"What are you doing!" Luo Zhaohan tried to hide in a hurry.
"My mother said that you are the savior of Prince Duan's Mansion." Chao Yinzhen's voice trembled, "Do you know that today was originally... originally..." Before he finished speaking, tears fell on the floor tiles.
It turned out that at noon, Prince Duan came out of the men's changing room and happened to see the young eunuch leading Prince Jin to the women's courtyard.
The prince felt something was amiss and followed him, only to stop him at a fork in the road.
"If the Prince of Jin and the Crown Princess share a room..." Chao Yinzhen's teeth chattered. "Not only will the Crown Princess die, but our entire family will be buried with the Crown Prince!"
Cold sweat instantly broke out on Luo Zhaohan's back.
She finally pieced together the scattered clues - the cakes handed over by the little grandson, the trust that the Crown Princess and Prince Jin had in their child, if both of them took the Chinese medicine at the same time, were led to the same place, and were caught in the "affair"!
Oh My God!
"When that thief saw that the Prince of Jin hadn't fallen for his trick, he immediately replaced him with someone else?" Her voice grew even hoarser. "Who is this person with such great connections?"
The chirping of cicadas outside the window suddenly became shrill.
Chao Yinzhen wiped his tears and nodded. "Less than half an hour after my brother stopped the Prince of Jin, something happened in the west guest room. If it weren't for your alertness, a big mistake would have happened!"
Just as she finished speaking, hurried footsteps were heard outside. Qin Wan came in with a bowl of medicine. Seeing her daughter's pale face, she hurriedly interrupted, "Princess, please let Zhao Zhao rest for a while. She shouldn't be too stressed after the fever has just subsided."
Chao Yinzhen then realized that he had lost his composure and quickly stopped talking.
Amid the sound of the copper clock, Luo Zhaohan stood up, supporting his sore waist.
The twilight coming through the diamond-shaped window reflected on her pale face, revealing the dull pain in her chest.
"Princess, the Crown Princess wants to see Miss Luo."
Qin Wan was awakened by the maid's report outside the door.
The woman tightened her grip on the handkerchief, but saw her daughter had straightened her back: "Mother, Zhao Zhao will be back soon."
When Chao Yinzhen pushed the door open and walked in, Luo Zhaohan was tucked her hair behind her ears.
Smoke curled up from the jade incense burner in the main room. The Crown Princess leaned on a soft pillow with a twined branch pattern, with Buddhist beads on her wrist pressing down on half a scroll of blood-stained scriptures.
When Princess Duan stood up to offer her seat, Luo Zhaohan smelled a faint scent of blood.
"No need to bow." The moment the Crown Princess extended her hand, half of the gauze on her sleeve was exposed. "Miss Luo, do you know what I was thinking when you grabbed my sleeve?"
Luo Zhaohan lowered his eyes and stared at the twin lotus flowers on the brocade quilt: "Your Majesty's phoenix body is precious."
"I was thinking, this girl's hands are so cold." The Crown Princess suddenly chuckled, her fingertips touching the beating pulse on Luo Zhaohan's wrist, "It's exactly like the warmth of my hand when the Crown Prince held it the night before he left for battle."
When Chao Yinzhen left, he brought a draft into the hall, and the silver bells on the bed curtains jingled.
"Your Majesty, I guarantee with my life that I will never tell anyone what happened today!"
"Miss Luo, did you think I was going to silence you?" The Crown Princess suddenly coughed, the golden phoenix embroidered on the corner of her handkerchief stained with blood. "If I wanted you dead, I should have ordered you killed just now. How could you have had the chance to get close to me?"
Luo Zhaohan pinched his fingertips into his palm.
"Your Majesty, this is not what I meant."
The Crown Princess shook her head gently, her smile fading. She gazed at the elegant azure bed curtains and whispered, "Miss Luo, you're still in your teens, and perhaps haven't yet grasped the unwavering resolve of a mother protecting her child. If today's plot fails to kill me, then from now on, I will remain resilient and live forever. All of this is for both my child and the Crown Prince."
When mentioning the late prince, the princess's face was filled with deep sadness, but she quickly regained her composure.
"Miss Luo, I summoned you here this time. In addition to expressing my gratitude, I also hope that you can assist Master Pei."
"When the Crown Prince was alive, he treated Lord Pei like a brother, and I, therefore, have no doubts about Lord Pei."
"If Lord Pei asks about this, Miss Luo, you don't need to worry about me at all. Just tell Lord Pei everything you just witnessed without reservation."
Luo Zhaohan stared at the Crown Princess, who remained calm and composed after experiencing such a shocking change, and then he deeply realized that she was not as fragile as he had imagined.
At this moment, her heart was filled with respect and admiration, and she nodded slightly to show her obedience.
"I understand."
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