Chapter 333 Wei Yanwan 73
After Jiang Yebin said this, Hongli finally calmed down a little: "So, the Queen is fine?"
"The Empress is safe, but she is already weak from her long illness. She needs to be carefully nursed back to health. She should avoid excessive joy or sorrow. Only by keeping a calm mind can she replenish her heart and blood."
Wei Yanwan nodded: "In that case, I'll have to trouble Imperial Physician Jiang to take care of the Queen's health."
Turning around and seeing the emperor's genuine concern, Wei Yanwan felt it was hypocritical. Unfortunately, she had to continue this play with this couple who had long been estranged.
"Your Majesty, although the Empress and Fourteenth Prince are fine this time, the person behind this is ruthless and must be punished. Your Majesty will not tolerate this!"
"I know, I will definitely catch this person. My harem cannot tolerate such a vicious woman!"
Hongli's slogans were loud and clear, but Wei Yanwan didn't believe a single one of them. The Khorchin tribe of Mongolia and the Qing dynasty had a close relationship, mutually reinforcing and supporting each other. He was simply making generous promises out of emotion. Later, when the emperor's heated thoughts cooled, he might not be willing to give a satisfactory answer to the empress and the fourteenth prince, who hadn't been harmed.
"Queen, are you awake?"
Hongli's voice was filled with obvious joy, which made Ruyi, who had just woken up, tremble in her heart. After a moment's pause, she replied in a dry voice, "Why is the emperor here?"
Wei Yanwan handed over a cup of tea and said, "Your Majesty, the Queen has just woken up. Please have some tea to moisten your throat."
Hongli took the teacup and, seeing Ruyi was weak, he fed her two sips himself and explained in a gentle voice, "Just now, the eunuchs from your palace came to report that you were seriously ill and vomiting blood. I and Concubine Ling came to see you."
"The Emperor is very worried about your health."
Wei Yanwan's words made both of them feel a little embarrassed, but they didn't want to break this rare warmth.
Unfortunately, this rare warmth was soon broken.
"Your Majesty, Imperial Concubine Mei and her concubines are here to visit you."
Hongli frowned, feeling unhappy: "Go tell them that the Queen needs to stay in bed and recuperate, and tell them to stay in their own palaces if they have nothing to do."
Rong Pei was naturally willing, and responded repeatedly. She went out to reply more and more firmly, and "invited" everyone to leave.
Bai Ruiji didn't really want to visit, so she was the first to turn around and leave as soon as Rong Pei said that. However, a few people who were on good terms with the Queen hesitated for a while, but seeing Rong Pei's firm attitude, they left quietly.
The strangest thing was Concubine Yu. Everyone in the harem knew that she and the Queen didn't get along. But when she heard that the Emperor was inside and the Queen didn't see them, she turned back every step of the way, with a hint of uneasiness and worry on her face.
Maopin cursed her inwardly, "Stupid!" and before anyone else noticed, she walked over and grabbed her: "Sister, please don't look at it. The Empress is sick, and the Emperor must be in a bad mood today. Let's not think about it."
"I...Oh, yes, let's go."
There was still some confusion in Concubine Yu's eyes, but seeing that Concubine Mao kept winking at her, she didn't ask in the end and was quietly dragged away by her.
The two of them exchanged words, and Concubine Yu was absent-minded on her way back to the palace. As she passed through Jingyao Gate, she heard someone talking from the side, "Who on earth put that substance in Fourteenth Prince's food?"
"How would I know about this? But that thing mostly grows in the south. Maybe it's one of those concubines who came from the south of the Yangtze River to our palace."
"You do have a point. Alas... I just hope this matter can be over quickly. Otherwise, it's really unsettling that the Emperor keeps investigating. The Empress is really something. She and the Fourteenth Prince are fine anyway, so why would she keep holding on to this matter? I think the Emperor might be annoyed too, just hoping someone can find evidence so that this matter can be put to a quick end."
Concubine Yu looked at Concubine Mei's back with a thoughtful look in her eyes.
On the other hand, the Emperor did not tell Ruyi what happened in Xiefang Palace. Firstly, Jiang Yubin had said that the Empress's health could not be frightened again, and secondly, the Fourteenth Prince was fine after all, and telling the Empress would only increase her psychological burden.
So after appeasing Ruyi, Hongli handed the matter of Xiefang Palace to Ling Yunche and Li Yu to investigate, and the spices used by the queen were managed by Yu Hu.
After three days of investigation, although Fourteenth Prince knew that the problem was with the diet, Ling Yunche followed the clues all the way out of the palace and unexpectedly learned that Chunchan, Yanwan's personal maid, had left the palace not long ago to take care of her aunt's funeral, and her aunt died because of accidentally eating too much of that thing.
Ling Yunche certainly didn't believe that this was done by Yan Wan. He was convinced that someone had deliberately framed her. In order to protect Yan Wan, he could only conceal what he had found out.
However, Aunt Yuhu found out some interesting things.
The snow had stopped that day, and Hongli's relationship with Ruyi had eased. The good mood he'd been enjoying for the past few days had completely vanished. Facing the rare warm sunshine, Hongli's face was gloomy and uncertain: "Have you found out?"
"Yes, I've felt my investigation has been going too smoothly these past few days, as if someone has deliberately planted clues before my eyes. Yesterday, the Fifth Prince noticed a eunuch cleaning the Yangxin Palace acting suspiciously, and he informed the guard on duty that day, Jin Bao. He then discovered that Concubine Yu had bribed these eunuchs to gather information about the Emperor's will. Upon learning of this, I suspected Concubine Yu was also involved in the results of the previous two days' investigation, so I sent someone to secretly monitor her. They caught Concubine Yu's personal maid, Duoyan, in the act of secretly engaging in a transaction. These are the confiscated items."
Yu Hu opened a palm-sized box with both hands. Inside was a light red incense pill with a strange fragrance.
"According to Duoyan, this incense pill, when used alone, is a great aphrodisiac for both men and women. However, if you add a few other spices to it, grind it again, and then mix it with benzoin, it will be exactly the same as the incense the Queen used that day."
"What a thoughtful thought." Hongli picked up one of them and sniffed the familiar aroma. He had vaguely noticed that he was always more indulgent in Concubine Yu's palace, but he also felt that she had already been discovered by the Empress once, so she would not be so stupid. He didn't expect her to be even more stupid than he thought, or rather, bolder.
"Go and call Concubine Yu."
Hongli turned the Buddhist beads in his hand and had lost interest in this audacious and extremely stupid woman.
………
In Yongshou Palace, Yan Wan, who was playing in the yard with her three children, smiled and picked up her daughter. She lowered her head and asked her to pin the red camellia she had picked to her ear. Suddenly, two footsteps were heard behind her.
One of them came over and said softly, "Master, Guard Ling is here to pay his respects."
There was still a gentle smile on Wei Yanwan's face. He turned his head subconsciously when he heard her words. Ling Yunche was trapped in place by the pure and gentle smile on Yanwan's face. He didn't even dare to speak to disturb her. He just wanted to see this smile for a moment longer.
"Why did Guard Ling come to my Yongshou Palace?"
Unfortunately, Yan Wan still restrained her smile, and her crow-feather-like eyelashes covered her talking eyes, making Ling Yunche unable to peek into her heart.
Ling Yunche looked around and took two steps forward. Seeing Wei Yanwan holding the child and trying to retreat, he was afraid she would fall, so he stopped and whispered, "Your humble servant came here to ask you something."
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