Several people responded in unison and surrounded Meng Qi as they walked out. Song Bairan stood in the corridor and saluted Meng Qi.
"Mother, when will you be back?"
"Your grandmother has been back since she recovered from her illness. You should be obedient and listen to your big brother in the outer courtyard, okay?" Meng Qi said with a smile.
Song Bairan now spends some time with Song Baimo in the outer courtyard every day. Yuan Zhao is worried, saying she's afraid it will affect Song Baimo's studies, but Meng Qi knows she's worried about him getting bullied. But with Song Baimo's personality, who could he possibly bully?
She was actually happy to see the two brothers love each other, especially since Song Chengze would take the throne in the future. Brotherly closeness was always better than the intrigues among Emperor Jing'an's sons. Furthermore, based on past life experiences, Song Chengze wouldn't have any children for at least the next five years. The better the relationship between the two sons, the better for Song Chengze's future.
"Well, my current calligraphy was taught by my brother. My elder sister also wanted to go, but Concubine Wu didn't allow it." Song Bairan said a little depressed.
"Big sister is a girl. She learns differently from you. If you want to play with her, just go find her in her yard."
When Zhao heard Meng Qi say this, she understood that she was telling her not to invite Song Nongyu to Jing'an Garden to play.
――――――
When Meng Qi arrived at Kunning Palace, there were many people standing in the main hall, and everyone had a worried look on their faces.
The Crown Princess saw her and waved. Meng Qi held out her hand, her face filled with anxiety. "Does Crown Princess know what's going on? The eunuch who went to announce the decree won't answer any questions. It's really frustrating."
The Crown Princess took Meng Qi's hand, patted it, and whispered, "Your Highness the Crown Prince and I came here last night. When we arrived, Fifth Brother and his wife were already here."
So soon? Logically, the Crown Prince and Princess lived in the palace, so even if they arrived, they would have been the first. Was the message from Kunning Palace late, or were Prince Cheng and his wife already prepared?
Meng Qi thought about this and felt that her guess in the car might be wrong. Could it be that the Queen's "illness" was fake? No, it wasn't fake, but she made it up?
"What disease?" Meng Qi asked in a low voice.
The Crown Princess looked around and lowered her voice, "It's not an illness, it's just that she was frightened."
"Scared? What happened? Who scared you?"
"Yesterday, the Empress wanted to go to Chengtian Palace to meet the Emperor to discuss the Emperor's birthday. However, the Emperor was not there, but had gone to Furong Palace. The Empress thought that since he was out, she might as well go to Furong Palace to wait for the Emperor."
Meng Qi nodded. The emperor's birthday was less than two months away. Every year, the empress personally celebrated the emperor's birthday.
The Hibiscus Palace the Crown Princess was referring to was the palace where the late Grand Empress Dowager resided. Since her passing, the Emperor had decreed that not a single blade of grass or tree in the palace be disturbed, leaving all furnishings and decorations as they were during the Empress Dowager's lifetime. Eunuchs and maids were constantly tending the palace, and the Emperor would periodically visit Hibiscus Palace. On certain fixed dates, he would visit without fail, though the significance of those dates was unknown.
Yesterday was also a fixed day. Every year on this day, the emperor would go to Furong Palace after the court was dismissed, and usually would not leave until lunch time.
"It's said that when the Empress went looking for him, the Emperor was in the main hall of Hibiscus Palace. The Empress didn't dare to disturb him, so she went to the east side hall to wait. Perhaps he was tired from working a while ago, and he actually fell asleep. Madam Sang said that when she saw the Emperor come out to call for the Empress, she saw that the Empress had her eyes closed and her forehead was covered with sweat. Madam Sang thought it was because of the heat in the room, so she woke the Empress."
Meng Qi nodded, "Could it be that something is entangled with it?"
The Crown Princess hummed, "Because the Emperor had given the Minister of War and the Minister of Personnel a lunch treat, he asked the Empress to return first and discuss the matter later. Nanny Sang said that the Empress had agreed at the time, and the situation was already not good, but she didn't dare say more seeing the Emperor's anxious look. When they returned to Kunning Palace and changed the Empress's clothes, they found that she was actually soaked with sweat and her body was very cold.
"Madam Sang thought she had caught a cold, so she soaked her in hot water and used a warming cloth. She felt much better by the afternoon. But just as she was getting rubbed, the sleeping queen suddenly started screaming. She started sweating again, her whole body was icy cold, her teeth were chattering, and she was looking out the window, clutching her chest and gasping for air. She looked terrifying."
"Did the Crown Princess see what happened at that time?" Meng Qi asked.
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