Chapter 104 An Lingrong 45
"The porridge that the princess had eaten was delicious. Concubine Hua was very thoughtful."
Seeing that the princess had no problem eating, the three royal leaders all relaxed. The emperor also relaxed a little and held his daughter in his arms.
"Ah, ah!" The little baby chattered in baby talk that no one else could understand, making everyone in the room smile like an aunt.
Just when the atmosphere in the room was harmonious, the little girl suddenly pouted and started crying again. Yinzhen quickly asked someone to get some toys, and then hurriedly picked up the child and walked around the room.
He walked over to Zhen Huan and Ling Rong and lifted the pendants on their headbands in an attempt to attract the children's attention.
An Lingrong scoffed silently inwardly. Big Fatty was always so clueless about things like this. It was obvious that Concubine Cao's use of Concubine Hua's phoenix-peony golden hairpin to tease the princess was just an excuse. It was a stroke of luck that he not only remembered it but also believed it.
Unexpectedly, when the little girl came in front of her, she stopped crying, struggled with her little hands, her face turned red with anxiety, and kept yelling at her.
What does this mean? Is this little thing imitating her mother and trying to touch my porcelain?
Ling Rong looked up in confusion. Everyone in the room was looking at her, especially Concubine Cao, who was staring at her intently, as if she was afraid that she would do something to the princess in public.
"Wen Yi wants you to hold her." The emperor was surprised and held the child a little closer. Sure enough, the little guy cried even more urgently.
Lingrong glanced at Concubine Cao again, whose eyes were almost popping out, and suddenly smiled brightly, "I also think the princess is very kind."
As he spoke, he reached out and hugged the girl. Everyone saw that Wen Yi, who had been crying and sweating just now, finally stopped, but his facial features were still wrinkled.
When the servant brought the toy, it was of no use. The child was crying because he was uncomfortable, so he would not pay attention to the toy in the man's hand.
Yinzhen was not annoyed. Seeing his daughter resting comfortably in Lingrong's arms, he said casually, "This child really likes you, don't you think, Concubine Cao?"
Cao Qinmo noticed the emperor's question and could only smile awkwardly. Meeting Lingrong's half-smile, she lowered her eyes, not daring to meet her gaze.
The Empress Dowager nodded in satisfaction. Seeing Lingrong's familiarity and her patience with the child, she knew she would be a virtuous and loving mother in the future. This is how a concubine should be: serving the Emperor and caring for the heirs with diligence, thoughtfulness, respect, and gentleness.
"I see you're quite skilled in holding a child."
"Yes, I am the eldest sister in the family and have raised younger sisters." Lingrong observed Wen Yi while speaking. Seeing her little mouth pout and she was about to spit out milk, she hurriedly handed the child to Concubine Cao without leaving any trace.
"The child seems to be feeling unwell. Sister Cao, please ask the imperial physician to take a closer look."
"It's hard for you to care about Wen Yi so much."
"Perhaps it's because I'm going to be a mother too, and I can't bear to see my child suffer." Ling Rong touched her round belly and said something meaningful. Cao Guiren, who was holding the child, froze in her expression. She was glared at by Concubine Hua, but she could only act according to the plan.
Cao Qinmo glanced at Zhen Huan imperceptibly and was about to speak with a smile when the child in her arms suddenly burst into tears and vomited out all the porridge she had just eaten.
"Why did you vomit again?" The Queen Mother and the Queen looked at the princess anxiously.
The emperor looked at Jiang Shen lying on the ground and said, "The imperial physician is useless. If you can't cure the princess, you should go and stay with your brother."
Jiang Shen, kneeling on the ground, trembled all over, his heart groaning with pain. Ever since his brother Jiang Cheng was used as a scapegoat by Concubine Hua, he had been terrified all day and had long since refused to wade into the murky waters of the harem. Unfortunately, now that he was in the sea, there was no way he could easily get ashore.
Thinking of his next plan, he, threatened by Concubine Hua, could only bite the bullet and speak: "Your Majesty, I have examined the princess's pulse for several days and found nothing abnormal. That is why I considered it to be due to the seasonal cold and indigestion. But later, I saw that the princess had no other symptoms besides vomiting. I dare to speculate that the princess's stomach may be in trouble due to consuming food that is irritating to the stomach. Please allow me to examine all the meals the princess has consumed over the past month."
"allow."
The emperor sat with a solemn look on his face, obviously having a premonition of something. Zhen Huan, standing beside Ling Rong, exchanged a knowing glance with her, waiting for Concubine Hua's drama to unfold.
Jiang Shen pretended to check the bowls of baby food and soon fixed his eyes on the bowl of yam and red date porridge.
"Your Majesty, I'm afraid the problem lies with this bowl of yam and red date porridge. To be cautious, please ask the eunuch who tasted the food to help you judge."
"...Xiao Xiazi."
"Your Majesty, there's nothing wrong with this yam and red date soup. It's just mixed with some tapioca starch."
“Tapioca?”
"Cassava flour is a specialty tribute from Southeast Asia, used to make snacks. It's non-toxic and tasteless, but children have delicate stomachs and intestines, so eating it can cause them to be unable to digest it and lead to vomiting. Over time, this can lead to weakness and death."
"Who is so cruel that he wouldn't even spare a child?" Before the three harem officials could say anything, Concubine Hua jumped out impatiently, her words filled with urgency: "Your Majesty must not tolerate this person."
"Hua Fei is very sure that someone deliberately murdered her." The Queen Mother at the top glanced at Hua Fei who was standing next to the Queen. Her original worry about the princess had turned into annoyance.
"I just think that the imperial kitchen is an expert in this field and will definitely not make such a mistake in the princess's meals." Hua Fei also realized that her attitude was inappropriate, and she hurriedly explained and stopped talking casually.
Putting aside her attitude, this was not wrong. The emperor immediately ordered people to investigate the matter.
Soon, Xiao Xiazi presented the results of his investigation to the emperor: "Your Majesty, in the past month, only... Sui Yuxuan sent someone to the imperial kitchen to get cassava flour. Apart from them, no one else has."
"Sister, why did you do this? If you have any dissatisfaction with me, just come to me. Wen Yi is still so young. How can she, how can she endure such torture? Wuwuwu..."
Seeing that Concubine Cao was determined to take it upon herself, Zhen Huan knelt before everyone and said, "Sister, what you said is so unreasonable. I have no grudge against you. Why would you resort to such means to harm an innocent baby girl? Don't you think that's ridiculous?"
Concubine Cao paused and simply stopped talking to her. She just knelt there and sobbed.
Zhen Huan, however, would not allow them to continue to slander her. She said righteously, "Since something like this happened to the princess, it's understandable that Concubine Cao lost her composure for a moment, but I, a concubine, must not allow anyone to casually slander me."
"Slander? You are the only one in the palace who has to eat cassava flour this month. The evidence is solid and you still want to quibble?" Hua Fei chuckled, and it seemed that she couldn't wait to catch her.
"That tapioca flour is what I use to make snacks." Zhen Huan said this, glancing at the seated Ling Rong. Seeing her nod slightly, she continued, "Besides, Concubine Yi was also in the Suiyu Pavilion that day and accidentally spilled the tapioca flour. The eunuchs and maids on duty in my palace that day all knew about it."
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