After Xiao Qin'er returned from the palace, she fell ill that night.
The disease came on very severely and the high fever did not subside.
The imperial physician diagnosed the patient and said that he fell ill due to excessive worry, stimulation, and catching a cold from the wind.
Liu Yi had just finished teaching his son a lesson when he had to face his wife's illness.
While the imperial physician was going to prescribe medicine, he called the maidservant beside Xiao Qin'er and asked, "What's going on? You came to the palace to pay your respects today, why would you be upset?"
"I don't know either."
"Then tell me what you know."
The maidservant said, "Madam was fine while she was in Cining Palace and Weiyang Palace. Later, she went to see Xiao Zhaoyi and sent me away, not asking me to stay and serve her. Therefore, I don't know what Madam said to Xiao Zhaoyi. After she said goodbye to Xiao Zhaoyi and walked to the Imperial Garden, Madam vomited. She vomited violently."
Liu Yi frowned, "Vomited?"
The maid nodded heavily, "Your Highness, I dare not lie to you. Madam vomited once in the Imperial Garden. After returning, she vomited twice more, even vomiting yellow bile. Madam kept trying to stop us from calling the imperial physician, and she locked herself in a sulk."
Liu Yi was surprised.
So Xiao Qin'er and Xiao Zhaoyi had a conflict, and was she provoked by Xiao Zhaoyi?
He looked at Xiao Qin'er lying unconscious on the bed, all kinds of thoughts swirling in his mind.
"Take good care of Madam, and report any unusual situations promptly."
"I understand."
Liu Yi left the upper room, returned to his study, and called the eunuch Wang Shun.
"Do you know what the conflict is between Madam and Xiao Zhaoyi?"
The eunuch Wang Shun was bewildered. "Madam and Xiao Zhaoyi are sisters. Logically, there shouldn't be any conflicts between them."
Liu Yi's face darkened. "That's reasonable, but from what the maid said, it's clear that Madam was provoked by Xiao Zhaoyi. What kind of provocation could cause her to vomit once in the Imperial Garden before even leaving the palace, and then vomit twice after returning?"
The eunuch Wang Shun asked cautiously, "Your Highness, would you like me to ask someone about this?"
Liu Yi thought about it and shook his head to reject it.
"The emperor hates it most when someone gets involved in the palace. When the lady wakes up, I will go ask her."
Xiao Qin'er fell into a coma for a whole day and night due to her illness, which alarmed the Xiao family and the palace.
The palace sent people to inquire about the matter.
At the Xiao family's side, Mrs. Xiao went straight to the door.
It was not until the evening of the next day that Xiao Qin'er woke up slowly.
After waking up, the fever subsided and he was able to take medicine and eat something.
After the imperial physician examined her, he said, "Madam, you are now well again. However, you must be careful. The weather is unpredictable this season, so be careful not to catch a cold. Also, Madam, please relax and don't worry about anything."
Mrs. Xiao was very grateful to the imperial physician.
Xiao Qiner's illness was severe, and she was really scared. She was afraid that something might happen to Xiao Qiner, and the two children would be the most pitiful.
After sending the imperial physician away, Madam Xiao took Xiao Qin'er by the hand and said, "You heard what the imperial physician said. Don't worry too much about anything. I was almost scared to death by your illness this time."
Xiao Qin'er felt weak all over, her face was pale, and her lips were a little chapped.
"It's tiring for my mother to worry."
"You're my daughter. If I don't worry about you, who else should I worry about? Look at you. What's so hard to get over that you've made yourself sick? Even if you don't think about yourself, you should think about the two children. You know how pitiful a child without a mother is."
"Not again."
Xiao Qin'er said weakly.
Madam Xiao sighed, "I won't ask you what happened. Just think more about the children when you do things in the future."
Xiao Qin'er nodded and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The mother's not asking her the reason is the greatest consideration for her.
Madam Xiao continued, "When you were unconscious, several ladies from the palace came to visit you and brought you gifts. The palace also sent people to deliver medicinal herbs."
Xiao Qin'er covered her lips and coughed twice, "When I get better, I will come to thank you one by one."
"I heard that the eldest lady is pregnant. She came to visit you, but we didn't dare let her into the house for fear of spreading her illness."
Xiao Qin'er was stunned. "My sister-in-law is pregnant? Is this true?"
Madam Xiao said with certainty, "When they heard the diagnosis was made in the palace, His Highness was overjoyed. Because it wasn't even three months pregnant, the servants in the palace were ordered not to make any public announcement. But everyone who needed to know knew. The East Court also said that the Madam would stay at home to take care of the pregnancy. She even skipped the first and fifteenth day of the lunar month to pay her respects to the palace."
Xiao Qin'er smiled and said, understandingly, "Sister-in-law is confident. She can naturally use the excuse of being pregnant to avoid paying respects to the palace."
"Who said it wasn't true? Even if the eldest lady doesn't rely on the eldest prince, she can still be very respectable in front of others. But don't be discouraged. Zheng'er is smart and studies well. He will definitely have a bright future." Madam Xiao did not forget to comfort Xiao Qin'er.
Xiao Qin'er nodded, "Now I can only count on Zheng Ge'er."
After a pause, she pretended to casually ask about Xiao Zhaoyi, "Why did Seventh Sister want to enter the palace for the selection? Did father force her?"
Madam Xiao hesitated for a moment. "It's been a year since this happened. Why are you asking about it again? When you went to the palace yesterday and saw your sister, did you have any arguments?"
Xiao Qin'er shook her head. "Why would I argue with my sister? I just couldn't bear it when I saw how hard she was working."
Madam Xiao felt uncomfortable when she heard this. "Being the emperor's woman is definitely not easy. Your sister volunteered to enter the palace for the selection. She also told us to keep it a secret from you. You were not in good health at the time, and we were afraid that it would aggravate your condition."
Xiao Qin'er lowered her head and smiled sarcastically.
"Seventh sister really has good intentions."
"Your sister is only thinking about you. You two sisters must help each other."
Xiao Qin'er laughed, "Don't worry, mother. I know."
Liu Yi returned to the palace early.
Upon learning that Xiao Qin'er had woken up and her condition had improved, he hurried to the upper room to visit her.
Seeing him arrive, Madam Xiao gave him a few words of advice and then tactfully left the bedroom, leaving the space for the couple.
Liu Yi sat at the head of the bed, looking at Xiao Qin'er.
Xiao Qin'er looked like she had just recovered from a serious illness, and was much gentler than usual.
"Are you feeling better?" He looked concerned.
Xiao Qin'er nodded, not wanting to talk.
Liu Yi sighed softly, "I heard from the maid that you vomited in the Imperial Garden yesterday after leaving the palace. The imperial physician also said that you were worried about something and were stimulated, which is why your illness has become so severe."
"Thank you for your concern, cousin." Xiao Qin'er's voice was weak and her expression was lazy. She obviously didn't want to discuss this topic.
But Liu Yi had no intention of letting her go.
"What exactly did you and Xiao Zhaoyi talk about? What did she say that irritated you? Today, I went to the palace to pay my respects to my mother and asked someone about it. Xiao Zhaoyi is eating and drinking as usual, and there's nothing unusual."
Xiao Qin'er laughed sarcastically, "She is naturally thicker-skinned than me."
Liu Yi frowned, wondering what the sarcasm in Xiao Qin'er's words meant.
"You and Xiao Zhaoyi fell out? Why? Aren't you sisters?"
Xiao Qin'er raised her eyelids and said, "Can you please stop asking?"
Liu Yi shook his head, "I won't feel at ease until I get to the bottom of this matter."
Xiao Qin'er chuckled, "Do you really want to know?"
Liu Yi nodded, "You should understand that there should be no secrets between you and me."
Xiao Qin'er was furious. "Hasn't there been enough that you've hidden things from me? She gave you a gift without telling me. Why didn't you tell me?"
Liu Yi frowned. "Did you fall out with Concubine Xiao because she gave me a gift? That's really unwise. I had that gift thrown in the warehouse because I couldn't return it."
"Then throw it away! You're using the bookmark she gave you, what's the point? Do you know that if this gets out, it will be bad for you..."
"Don't talk nonsense." Liu Yi interrupted Xiao Qin'er with a serious face, not allowing any doubt.
Xiao Qin'er laughed, "Don't you want to know why I was upset? Okay, I'll tell you. You thought it was just a gift that couldn't be returned, but you didn't know she had ulterior motives.
Do you know what she said to me? She hates me, she's jealous of me. She hates me for taking you away from her, and she came to the palace on her own initiative to get revenge on me. She likes you! She likes you!
After laughing, Xiao Qin'er started crying.
"Do you know what this means? If anyone knew, not only would she die, but you wouldn't have a good ending either. You asked me why I vomited in the Imperial Garden. It was because I felt nauseous. I had a burning heart and a burning lung. Now that you know the truth, are you satisfied?"
Xiao Qin'er lay directly on the bed, biting the quilt and sobbing.
The emotions that had been pent up from yesterday until now finally became too much to bear and were released.
Liu Yi's face was frozen in disbelief.
"Are you kidding me?"
Xiao Qin'er wiped her tears and said, "I also hope that I am joking."
Liu Yi's face was gloomy. "Besides you and her, does anyone else know about this?"
Xiao Qin'er shook her head. "I only told you. I didn't say a word to Mother."
Liu Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, "From now on, don't mention this matter again, just pretend it never happened."
Xiao Qin'er looked at him blankly with tears in her eyes.
Liu Yi gritted his teeth and said, "Don't worry about what Xiao Zhaoyi thinks. After all, she is my father's woman. You must remember this."
Xiao Qin'er nodded subconsciously.
"Don't meet her unless it's necessary."
"What about you?" Xiao Qin'er asked cautiously.
"Of course I won't meet her either." Liu Yi said firmly and decisively.
The stone in Xiao Qin'er's heart finally fell.
"But we have to be on our guard against her. You said she hated you because you married me, didn't you?"
Xiao Qin'er nodded, "She blamed me for stealing you."
Liu Yi smiled coldly.
Liu Yi lowered his voice and whispered, "You don't want anything to happen to me, and you don't want anything to happen to the child. So listen to me, stay away from her, keep an eye on her, and make up your mind when necessary."
Liu Yi emphasized the word "determination".
Xiao Qin'er's heart skipped a beat. "What are you going to do?"
Liu Yi said lightly, "I'm just reminding you that for the sake of our family, if necessary, don't hesitate to sacrifice someone."
Xiao Qin'er looked confused.
Seeing her reaction, Liu Yi's face darkened. "Do you still have sisterly feelings for her? Are you reluctant to let her go? Don't forget that her actions will harm our family."
Xiao Qin'er shook her head repeatedly, then nodded again and again, "I know, I won't be soft-hearted."
She would also harden her heart for the sake of her children.
What's more, Xiao Zhaoyi had no sisterly feelings towards her.
Liu Yi held Xiao Qin'er's hand and said, "Take good care of yourself. Your illness scared the two children."
Xiao Qin'er's eyes were red again. "I was provoked by her. I was disgusted."
"I'm sorry for wronging you."
Xiao Qin'er threw herself into Liu Yi's arms and burst into tears.
The couple hugged each other, each with their own thoughts.
"Your Highness, Madam. The First, Second, and Third Madams learned that Madam had woken up, and they each sent people to visit her, bringing gifts."
The maid said outside the door.
Xiao Qin'er separated from Liu Yi and said, "Thank the three ladies for me. Tell them that I just woke up and am weak, and I'm grateful for their kindness. I'll go and thank them in person another day when I'm better."
"As you command."
Liu Yi said, "Could it be that the three sisters-in-law made an appointment to send people to visit at the same time?"
Xiao Qin'er wiped her tears and said, "The palace is so small, and everyone is staring at me. Naturally, I can't hide the news that I woke up."
Liu Yi took a handkerchief and wiped her tears. "Get well soon. I heard that my sister-in-law is pregnant, so we have to work harder to catch up."
Xiao Qin'er rolled her eyes at him. "I'm still sick, and you're talking about this. Are you deliberately trying to provoke me?"
Liu Yi smiled and said, "I mean it sincerely. We must give Zheng Ge'er a legitimate brother."
Xiao Qin'er snorted, "You already have a bastard son, so why bother about the legitimate son?"
"Look at what you said. No matter how many illegitimate sons you have, they are not as valuable as legitimate sons. I'm putting this on hold. No matter who it is, no one can surpass Zheng Ge'er."
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