A strong smell of medicine filled the bedroom. The empress dowager sat at the head of the bed with a pale face, a thin quilt covering her waist.

Emperor Jingxuan stood by the bed with a serious expression.

Judge Hu carefully felt the Queen Mother's pulse and stood up.

Emperor Jingxuan asked, "What happened?"

Judge Hu replied respectfully: "From the pulse, it seems that the Empress Dowager is suffering from a deficiency of both Qi and blood. She is also overly worried and had a seizure a while ago, which is why she is bedridden."

"You have been saying these things for a few days. I am tired of hearing them. I just want to know when the Queen Mother's illness will improve."

"I will change a new prescription for the Queen Mother. Illness comes like a mountain falling and goes away like a thread being pulled out. If the medicine is too strong, it means the side effects are also great and harmful to your health, Your Majesty."

Emperor Jingxuan took a deep breath, pinched his aching eyebrows, and forced himself to calm down.

"You step back," he said.

"Yes." Judge Hu took a few steps back before turning around. He raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his forehead and immediately went to the Imperial Hospital to write a prescription.

Emperor Jingxuan came to the stool in front of the bed and sat down, and ordered the palace servants: "You leave."

Eunuch Fu glanced at Nanny Xi who was beside the Empress Dowager.

Nanny Xi said to the Queen Mother, "I will be waiting outside."

The Queen Mother nodded slightly.

Nanny Xi and Eunuch Fu withdrew with a group of palace servants.

Emperor Jingxuan looked at the sickly empress dowager with a complicated expression: "Hu Yuanpan said that the queen mother was too worried. Your son has been busy with official duties recently and neglected your mother. It is your son's fault."

The Queen Mother said nothing, but turned her face away calmly.

Emperor Jingxuan sighed, "Mother, are you going to never forgive your son? It's been ten years. He is your son, but am I not? Is it because I was killed that you will feel better?"

The Queen Mother still stared at the wall stubbornly.

"Take care of yourself, mother. I will come to visit you another day."

After Emperor Jingxuan finished speaking, he stood up and left Yongshou Palace.

The night is as dark as ink.

Emperor Jingxuan was walking on a quiet winding path, with Eunuch Fu holding a lantern for him.

Emperor Jingxuan said self-deprecatingly: "The anniversary of the death of Prince Nanyang is approaching again, it's like this every year."

Eunuch Fu didn't dare to respond.

Prince of Nanyang was the eldest son of the previous emperor, and Emperor Jingxuan was the fourth son of the previous emperor. Both were born to Concubine Hui at that time, who is now the empress dowager.

The two brothers joined forces to defeat the queen and the prince, but then they turned against each other and fought against each other.

Emperor Jingxuan sneered, "I sometimes wonder, if it was me who lost, would my mother also become estranged from my elder brother because of me? I know what she thinks in her heart. She thinks that my elder brother is the eldest son and should be more qualified to inherit the throne than me. Do you know what she said to me?"

Eunuch Fu said awkwardly, "I don't know."

Emperor Jingxuan said sarcastically, "She told me that if the Prince of Nanyang inherited the throne, he would definitely not kill me! Do you believe it?"

Eunuch Fu paused and said, "I don't believe it."

It doesn’t matter whether he believes it or not. What Emperor Jingxuan wants to hear is that he doesn’t believe it.

Emperor Jingxuan looked into the endless night, a sinister look flashing through his eyes: "I don't believe it either! If Prince Nanyang wins, my fate will be the same as his! The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit, why does my mother blame me?!"

Eunuch Fu didn't dare to respond.

Emperor Jingxuan: "Forget it, let's go back to the palace."

Eunuch Fu asked, "Which lady's palace will your majesty visit tonight?"

In the past, whenever Emperor Jingxuan was most irritable, he liked to go to Concubine Xian's palace.

Empress Xian was a beautiful and eloquent woman who knew how to relieve Emperor Jingxuan's sorrow.

However, tonight, Emperor Jingxuan hesitated for a moment and said, "Let's go to Kunning Palace to see the queen."

Eunuch Fu: Are you sure you're going to see the Queen? Not to eat some snacks from Princess Jingning? -- It was late April, and the day for Su Cheng and Qin Jiang's competition was approaching.

But Su Cheng's talent really made the two of them look sideways.

From the beginning, he couldn't even defeat Qin Canglan with one move, but now he can take ten moves from Qin Canglan.

Although there is a bit of cunning in it, as the saying goes, all is fair in war, and if you take it, you take it.

As his performance became more and more outstanding, Su Cheng's "wages" were increased from ten taels a day to twenty taels a day, and the highest he earned in one day was fifty taels.

Su Cheng was very satisfied.

He thought that if he continued to do this for another year or two, perhaps he would be able to buy a house in the capital for his daughter.

"Don't you think Cheng'er is recovering too quickly?"

The old marquis stared at Su Chengwen who was practicing archery on the grassland.

Qin Canglan asked from the side: "Is it fast?"

The old marquis thought for a moment and said, "Faster than when you and I were young."

Qin Canglan said with pride: "That's right! A good father will have a good son! Don't you see whose son it is!"

The old marquis glanced at him with a complicated expression: "When I think of such a good seedling being delayed in the countryside for thirty years, I really want to kill you."

When Qin Canglan mentioned this, he instantly lost his confidence.

He coughed angrily and said, "Well, at worst you can teach him more on my behalf in the future. He is still young and is ready to take on important tasks."

The old marquis asked curiously, "Why does your son want me to teach him?"

Qin Canglan's eyes flashed, and the righteousness said: "You ... aren't you taught hard? Besides, it's not as heavy as me, I'm afraid that I will break him."

The old marquis snorted coldly: "I almost thought you were leaving your last words."

Su Cheng was making good progress, but two nights before the competition, something happened to Su Ergou.

He is gone!

After Su Qi and Su Yu finished today's classes, they went to Su Ergou's class to find him and go home together.

Their schoolwork was heavier than Su Ergou's, and their classes ended half an hour later.

Su Ergou would usually do his homework in the classroom while waiting for them.

But today when they went to the classroom, they unexpectedly came back empty-handed.

"Did you go to the toilet?" Su Yu asked.

"Then let's wait." Su Qi said.

After waiting for half a quarter of an hour, Su Ergou didn't come over, so Su Qi went to the toilet to look for him. Su Yu continued to wait at the classroom door, in case Su Ergou came back and missed them again.

But Su Qi searched all the toilets in the Imperial College, but didn't see any trace of Su Ergou.

"Second brother." Su Yu asked, "Where is Ergou?"

"Not found." Su Qi shook his head.

Su Yu said strangely: "It shouldn't be like that. Ergou is very obedient. He won't not wait for us."

They went to school together for nearly a month. Su Ergou never ran around. If he was not seen occasionally, it must be because he went to the toilet. He would be back after a while.

The two of them noticed something was wrong at the same time.

"Second brother..."

"Don't panic." Su Qi forced himself to calm down.

It's okay for them to make a lot of noise on weekdays, but at critical moments, they cannot make a mess.

Su Qi frowned and said, "Well, you go find Master Cen. I remember he taught Ergou's class this afternoon. I'll go to the dormitory and ask Ergou's classmates. We'll meet at the main entrance of the Imperial College."

Su Yu: "Okay!"

(End of this chapter)