Jing Yan had never heard of autumn fatigue before and was quite puzzled: "Autumn fatigue?"
Yue Jiang nodded solemnly, "I've been feeling quite tired since autumn started, and I'm constantly yawning, which is rather impolite to others."
"Shang Yu saw it and said that I was feeling tired in the autumn. He told me to take care of myself and rest well, so I need to take good care of myself."
"Your Highness, haven't you felt tired these past few nights?"
Her excuse of feeling tired in autumn was genuine, and so was her thirst for knowledge.
Jing Yan: "..."
"Aren't you tired every night? Don't you know how tired I am?"
Yue Jiang: "..."
Jing Yan can be cunning too.
Yue Jiang mentioned feeling tired in the autumn, and Jing Yan, understanding her situation, didn't force her.
The two slept in each other's arms at night.
***
Yongshou Hall.
With the arrival of envoys from various countries imminent, Empress Dowager Cheng frequently summoned Jingyi to her side and occasionally guided her to play with Yu Chuxuan.
“Jingyi, your cousin Suyun has left the palace, and Jingning’s wedding is just around the corner. You don’t like going to Changshou Palace anymore, so only the Ninth Prince is left. You can invite him to Yongshou Palace to play with you when you have time.”
Jingyi frowned in fear at the thought of Yu Chuxuan's frail body, how his back would droop after just a few coughs.
“Grandmother, the Ninth Prince of Yu Kingdom is a sickly man. Last time I asked him to accompany me to the Jiaofang Palace, he almost collapsed before he could even take a step.”
"My mother also told me not to disturb him, so I really don't dare to play with him anymore. What if he dies? I'll be in big trouble."
Although Jingyi was carefree, Yu Chuxuan was a hostage of the alliance and could not be bullied at will. She dared not provoke him and invite trouble.
Empress Dowager Cheng: "It's not that serious, is it? I heard that there's a young doctor in the Eastern Palace who has excellent medical skills and has managed to control the Ninth Prince's condition. How come it's still so serious?"
“Anyway, I’m not going,” Jingyi muttered resolutely.
Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Cheng lowered her eyelids to look at Jingyi, knowing full well that this girl was easy to manipulate, but she couldn't pretend at all when faced with something she absolutely disliked.
If Yu Chuxuan didn't have such an illness, it would be easy for young men and women to fall in love, but now it's a difficult situation.
Empress Dowager Cheng patted Jingyi's head, who was resting on her lap, and said deliberately.
"Alright, if you don't want to go, then you don't have to go. I'm not forcing you to play with him. It's just that I heard Jing Lu and Jing Ning often visit him, and I wanted to get you to play with them together."
"I didn't expect the Ninth Prince's condition to be so serious. He really needs to rest well. He lives in the East Palace, and if something happens to him, it will be difficult for the Crown Prince to explain."
Just as Jingyi was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Empress Dowager Cheng's words made her worry again.
Yu Chuxuan has been unable to rest properly lately, as the people of the Longevity Palace have been seizing every opportunity to invite him out.
If he gets too tired one day and something happens to him when he returns to the East Palace, wouldn't his elder brother be held responsible?
“No, I need to have a serious talk with my brother and ask him to move Yu Chuxuan to another place,” Jing Yi suddenly stood up.
Empress Dowager Cheng sighed and pulled her back, gently scolding Jingyi for being impetuous: "Jingyi, your grandmother is old and not as energetic as before. Whatever you do, I will help you."
"Especially since your second brother injured his leg and will be a cripple for the rest of his life, I treat you and the Crown Prince as my own grandsons, but there are some things I cannot say directly."
"The Jade Kingdom's envoy is coming again. What will the Jade Kingdom think if they find out that we not only failed to take good care of them, but also moved their prince back to the palace?"
"Grandmother, don't be sad. Father will definitely not mistreat Second Brother," Empress Dowager Cheng said sadly. Jingyi had witnessed everything that had happened at Yongshou Palace.
Although Father Emperor was not the biological son of Empress Dowager Cheng, Empress Dowager Cheng had an orphan in the past, and Cousin Suyun could keep her company. Even if Second Brother was not good, he was still a decent person.
Now that all that's left of Yongshou Palace is an empty shell, she's still willing to help her brother, the Emperor.
Jingyi clenched her sleeve to wipe away her tears, and sobbed.
“Grandmother, I understand. The envoy from the Jade Kingdom is coming. We can’t drive him out of the East Palace at this time. Then… then I will go to the East Palace and keep a close watch on him so that the people from the Longevity Hall won’t disturb Yu Chuxuan’s rest.”
Empress Dowager Cheng nodded in satisfaction, took out a red embroidered sachet from her sleeve, and gave instructions.
“Jingyi, this sachet was placed before the Buddha by the Empress Dowager, and later it was taken out to be blessed by a master. It contains incense ash offered to the Buddha. Although it may not be effective, it is still a token of our goodwill.”
"Let's give this to the Ninth Prince on behalf of the Empress Dowager and wish him good fortune."
The sachet is small and square, with a swastika embroidered on the front and a knotted opening. Overall, it is exquisite and beautiful.
In Jingyi's eyes, she only felt that Empress Dowager Cheng was kind and loving, and immediately stuffed her into her bosom.
"Grandmother, your constant worship of Buddha is the greatest blessing. I believe this sachet will surely protect the Ninth Prince."
Empress Dowager Cheng remained silent, waiting for Jingyi to continue.
Jingyi pondered for a few moments at the meaningful look on Grandmother Cheng's face before breaking into a smile.
“I know you definitely don’t want the Longevity Palace to have anything to say about it, so I will definitely not say that you instructed me to do it.”
Empress Dowager Cheng was satisfied, and then simply raised her hand and waved it twice. Jingyi said nothing more, curtsied, and took her leave.
After seeing Jingyi off, Consort Cheng entered from the side hall, unable to understand Empress Dowager Cheng's actions.
"Aunt, the Ninth Prince of the Jade Kingdom is so weak, it wouldn't be surprising if he died in the palace. Would it be better to let the Longevity Palace be embroiled in the Ninth Prince's murder case than to bring these two together?"
Empress Dowager Cheng glanced at Consort Cheng, her face turning ashen: "Nonsense! The death of the Ninth Prince of Yu Kingdom in Jing Palace is the responsibility of the entire Jing Kingdom. How can you blame Changshou Palace alone?"
"I dislike the one in the Longevity Palace, but I don't want the entire Jing Kingdom to suffer the consequences of the Yu Kingdom. The Ninth Prince must not only not die, but as long as he is in the Jing Kingdom, he must be safe and sound."
"For Jinglu's sake, I sacrificed Jingyi, hoping that with Jingyi's intervention, their plans would fail, and you two could live more freely in the palace in the future."
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