Chapter 576 Discovering the Person Who Took the Drug
The Qinglian Pond is located on the west side of the palace. It was built by the emperor for his empress when he first ascended the throne. Unfortunately, it later became a place where other favored concubines competed for power.
The area is paved with many blue jade stones, hence the name Qinglian Pond (Blue Lotus Pond).
The pool is filled with hot spring water that was brought in from the mountains near the palace at great expense. No matter spring, summer or autumn, the pool is surrounded by white mist, like a fairyland.
Du Wanchun had never been here before, and hearing Zhou Ruiyuan say this made her quite expectant.
The following afternoon, she followed a group of palace maids to the courtyard of Qinglian Pond, where she could feel waves of heat as soon as she entered.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince said that you should wait for him here first," the palace maid said softly, her head bowed.
Du Wanchun had been in the palace for some time, but she was still not used to being served by so many people. She smiled and told them to leave, "You don't need to follow me all the time. Go and rest for a while."
The palace maids were very fond of the gentle Crown Princess, and obediently arranged the things by the pond before carefully leaving the courtyard.
"Yes, Your Highness."
After Du Wanchun looked up and saw them leave, she slowly walked to the edge of the pool.
The pool is an irregular oval shape, with water flowing from high to low, and its end is nowhere to be seen under the shroud of white mist.
Du Wanchun sat down by the pool and gently scooped up a spoonful of water with her hand.
The pool water was warm, a very comfortable temperature. Putting your feet in, you instantly felt a warm current flow up, and your whole body felt soft.
She squinted her eyes slightly, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "The emperor really knows how to enjoy himself."
Steam rose from the pool little by little.
As Du Wanchun soaked her feet, she felt drowsy and exhausted. She leaned against a nearby table, propped her chin up with her hand, and closed her eyes for a short rest.
The fragrance of pear blossoms filled the courtyard, wafting past her breath and making her feel completely relaxed, as if she were in a secluded pear orchard, peaceful and serene, and her fatigue would recede considerably.
Du Wanchun was waiting for Zhou Ruiyuan to come and soak in the Green Lotus Pond together.
Meanwhile, Zhou Ruiyuan had already arrived at the Han residence with eunuchs and guards.
Upon seeing his sudden grand entrance, Zhou Feng immediately came to greet him at the door.
Zhou Ruiyuan and Zhou Feng were close brothers, so he didn't stand on ceremony and summoned him to the study alone.
Zhou Feng asked in confusion, "Brother, why are you in such a hurry to come to the Han residence to find me?"
Zhou Ruiyuan sat down and asked him, "How is your wife's health?"
Zhou Feng's eyes were a little dark from worry these past few days, but when he thought that both the mother and child were alright, he smiled with relief: "Yan'er's health has improved a lot, and the baby has been saved. The doctor has come to see her several times and said that Yan'er is really lucky to have been able to save the baby under such circumstances. It's really rare."
Zhou Ruiyuan then asked, "Did Doctor Xu tell you why your second sister-in-law suddenly miscarried this time?"
Zhou Feng slowly stopped smiling. "I did say that someone gave Yan'er ten times the dose of abortion pills."
Zhou Ruiyuan then got back to the main topic, "I came here today to talk to you about this matter, second brother. You have to protect your own wife. If someone dares to lay a hand on you this time, they will be even more demanding in the future."
Zhou Feng's expression darkened slightly. "Yan'er and I have been in the capital for several years and have not offended anyone."
Zhou Ruiyuan stood up, paced back and forth at the door twice, then turned his head and said, "Think about it again, are you sure you haven't offended anyone?"
Zhou Feng pondered for a moment, then shook his head again.
Zhou Ruiyuan lowered his voice and asked again, "Where's the woman?"
Zhou Feng frowned slightly, trying to think, when suddenly a voice called from outside the door: "Young Master, would you like to make white fungus soup for Miss tonight?"
It was the cook's voice.
Zhou Feng replied to the outside, "Okay, remember to add more brown sugar, Yan'er likes sweets."
"Yes, son-in-law," the person outside replied softly, then withdrew.
Zhou Ruiyuan opened the window and looked outside. He saw a young woman who looked somewhat familiar. He asked Zhou Feng, "Who is this?"
Zhou Feng followed his gaze and slowly said, "This is the younger sister of He the bricklayer from Changliu Village."
After listening carefully, Zhou Ruiyuan asked, "You mean the bricklayer who built our house in the past?"
Zhou Feng nodded and continued, "That's right, it's that person. A year ago, his younger sister came to the capital to look for her relatives, but unfortunately, her relatives had already passed away. I saw that she was from our hometown and had built a house for our family, so out of kindness, I took her in to work in the shop."
"However, later..." Zhou Feng paused, his voice trailing off.
Zhou Ruiyuan pressed further, "What happened next?"
Zhou Feng sighed and replied, "Later, she repeatedly tried to curry favor with me, saying she wanted to be my concubine."
"To be a concubine?" Zhou Ruiyuan clearly sensed something was amiss.
Fearing he might misunderstand, Zhou Feng quickly explained, "Of course I didn't agree. To avoid making Yan'er suspicious, I gave her some money so she could go back to her hometown."
Zhou Ruiyuan knew that Zhou Feng was always decisive, so he wasn't surprised to hear him say this. But why was this person still at the Han residence at this time?
He cast a questioning look at Zhou Feng.
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