Chapter 70

The princess' question was so sharp that Nanny Zheng couldn't help but raise her eyes and secretly look at Jiashan's expression.

It was hard to tell whether Jiashan was happy or angry. Her beautiful eyes were half-closed, as if she was concentrating on the cup of fragrant drink in her hand.

Madam Zheng's heart began to beat fast. Her face was calm, but there was a dark color in her eyes. She said softly, "The princess' words have made me confused."

Madam Zheng pursed her lips and said, "I remember that the Empress in the past also started to grow when she was about ten years old. When the Fourth Prince was young, he always had no appetite. Maybe this is also the reason."

Madam Zheng paused for a moment and continued, "The Fourth Prince was born prematurely in the middle of summer. The Queen had a bitter summer that year and her appetite was poor. She had severe pregnancy symptoms. But the 'abnormality' that the princess mentioned does not seem to be the case."

"The Fourth Prince was born thinner than an ordinary baby. He was born with congenital deficiencies, which may have affected his slow growth." Madam Zheng smiled, probably seeing through Jiashan's thoughts, and advised, "Now that the hardship has paid off, Princess, don't be paranoid because of Hanzhu's incident."

Jiashan held the Xianglei drink and said nothing.

A soothing incense stick had just been lit in the hall, and the curling incense smoke followed the wind, making Jiashan's face even more hazy. Something indescribable filled her eyes, and she smiled, but the smile did not reach her eyes.

Jiashan said softly: "Maybe, I am really too worried about Zhang Yuankang."

She paused and said softly, "It's so late, and I'm still asking Mammy to chat with me. We have to get up early tomorrow, so Mammy, go and rest first."

Madam Zheng bowed and said, "Your Highness, why should you be so polite to me?"

"No matter what, I will stay by your side." Nanny Zheng had a calm smile on her face, which was the result of her ability to remain calm after going through so many things in the past.

Her voice was soft and full of the same kindness that she had always remembered. Madam Zheng said, "Your Highness should also go to bed early."

Jiashan responded with "OK", and Nanny Zheng left.

Su Yu had also prepared a mattress and quilt for Jia Shan, and walked over slowly and said, "It's getting late, I'll go get some water for His Highness to wash up."

Jiashan looked up at her. Su Yu's face had regained its calmness and stability, as if the incident with the wrong bedding had never happened.

Jiashan's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and she said in a soft voice: "You don't have to keep watch at night. Go to sleep peacefully later."

Su Yu was stunned. They had not brought many people with them when they entered the palace today, and keeping watch had always been their job. Why did the princess say this?

Seeing Su Yu's eyes full of curiosity, Jia Shan finally put on a sincere smile. She smiled and explained, "The prince consort will come in the evening."

Su Yu understood what the princess meant and blushed and said, "Yes."

When it was late at night, Zhan Yue, just as Jiashan had guessed, openly visited Fengyang Pavilion at night.

He was afraid of disturbing others' sleep, so he walked very lightly. Seeing that Su Yu was not on night watch in the side hall, he felt a little strange. He went to the inner room and saw that a small lamp was lit quietly in the inner room.

Jiashan was sitting at the table with her chin in her hands, seemingly in a daze. Under the light, she had almond eyes and rosy cheeks, and was dressed neatly, without even changing her coat.

Seeing this, Zhan Yue had no idea. He walked forward slowly and said with a low laugh, "Are you waiting for me?"

Jiashan said "hmm", and she raised her head to look at him. Zhan Yue was on duty today, so he was still wearing a black flying fish suit, which made him look very handsome. His tall figure was hidden in the night, which seemed to give people a more solid and secure feeling.

Jiashan clenched his handkerchief tightly, and his breathing couldn't help but become a little faster.

Jiashan was in an unstable mood, and Zhan Yue also realized that something was wrong. He looked at Jiashan carefully, walked over to her and sat down.

He raised his eyebrows, took her hand in his own, lowered his voice, and said with a smile: "Can't you sleep when I'm not around?"

He wanted to say a few words to help Jiashan relax and calm down.

Jiashan pursed his lips and showed a bitter smile.

She used the glass nail cover on her hand to gently scratch Zhan Yue's palm. The tingling feeling made Zhan Yue raise his head. Seeing her serious expression, he stared into her eyes and asked, "What's wrong?"

Jiashan looked straight ahead, her eyes unfocused. She said, "Yuankang's eyes are healed."

Zhan Yue nodded: "Yes."

He paused and said slowly, "But I see you look sad and unhappy."

He was extremely cautious and asked carefully, "What happened last night?"

Jiashan was slightly startled, her thick eyelashes drooped on her eyelids, looking very sweet.

She didn't say anything, and Zhan Yue didn't say anything either. He just put one hand on her shoulders and quietly touched Jiashan's back soothingly a few times, as if he was comforting a bewildered baby.

The hot temperature from Zhan Yue's palm penetrated Jiashan's clothes and reached her heart bit by bit, finally giving her a little warmth.

Jiashan raised her eyelids and stared at the tiny flame on the table. She said slowly, "I have some, I dare not check further."

This was a rather incoherent statement, but following the matter of Yuan Kang that she had just mentioned, Zhan Yue was able to quickly figure out the whole story.

His expression was indifferent, but his hand was still on her shoulder, with firm and strong force.

"What did you find out?" Zhan Yue asked softly.

Jiashan lowered her eyebrows, pursed her cold lips, and told the story of what happened in the evening.

"Su Yu and Nanny Zheng have both been by my side for a long time." Jia Shan closed her eyes and rubbed her brows. "Twelve years ago, Su Yu was only seven years old. Although she was more sensible than other palace ladies, a child of that age, no matter how sensible she is, will not be more mature and stable than Nanny. Compared with Su Yu, Nanny Zheng is naturally more trusted by the Queen Mother."

"There are some things that Su Yu couldn't possibly notice but Nanny couldn't." Jiashan's voice was very soft and her tone was extremely slow, making it very clear at night.

Thinking of what Madam Zheng had said just now, Jiashan's lips trembled. She said in confusion, "Madam's reaction was really too quick. She didn't even recall it, and she told me directly that there was nothing wrong with my mother's pregnancy."

"Su Yu's panic is more normal." Because Jia Shan had been sitting at the table for a long time, her hair was a little messy today, with a lot of loose hair on her temples.

She casually tucked it behind her ear, and there was a look of unshakable worry on her pretty face.

Jiashan said: "The two of them behaved in different ways. But they both told me that something must have happened when my mother was pregnant with Yuankang."

Jiashan lowered her head and looked at the pale back of her hands. She rubbed them unconsciously. Jiashan looked straight at her and whispered, "Is it possible that——"

She dragged out her tone and asked woodenly, "Did the Queen Mother keep it a secret herself at first?"

If one person lies, it means that one of them has a problem. But if both of them choose to hide it from her, then maybe it has nothing to do with betrayal.

Jiashan's palms were cold, like a corpse. After saying this, she remained silent for a long time, not even daring to think about it anymore.

Zhan Yue glanced at her and said slowly, "I haven't seen their expressions, so it's hard to draw a conclusion. However, there are indeed three possibilities."

"First, the Queen's pregnancy is indeed abnormal. Su Yu knows it, but Nanny Zheng doesn't."

"You just ruled out this possibility." Zhan Yue analyzed calmly, "Secondly, this pregnancy is not abnormal, and Nanny Zheng did not lie. Su Yu's behavior is because she knows something that Nanny Zheng does not know, so she is afraid."

Jiashan took a deep breath.

"There is a third one." Zhan Yue gently held her hand.

Jia Shan couldn't help but shudder. Zhan Yue pondered for a moment and said slowly, "The third option is what you said. This pregnancy was abnormal, but for some reason, they chose to keep silent."

"It could be that the Queen signaled to them, or it could be someone else," Zhan Yue said.

Jiashan sat quietly, with purple-blue eyes due to sleepiness. Her face was slightly gloomy. She must have thought about these three possibilities in her mind and had a rough guess at this moment, which was why she was planning to stay awake all night.

Some conjectures are unreasonable, like this one.

After Yuankang was born, the Queen Mother's health gradually deteriorated. In those days, childbirth was like a gate of hell for women. Imperial Physician Gong had said at first that the Queen Mother had a very dangerous time giving birth to Yuankang, and she almost died several times.

But she still gave him the nickname "Yuankang", hoping that the child would be healthy and safe throughout his life.

Jiashan's face was gloomy and she clenched her teeth.

Zhan Yue saw that she had a haggard look on her face and her brows were tightly furrowed. He knew that she was making things difficult for herself, so he held up her face with one hand.

"Even if there are abnormalities, it doesn't mean anything." Zhan Yue's voice was low and hoarse, but it seemed to be able to penetrate people's hearts directly.

Zhan Yue said: "I think it's probably not what you think."

He stroked her fragrant hair and lowered his eyes slightly: "Perhaps something else happened when the Queen Mother was pregnant, which caused them to not dare to speak nonsense."

"It cannot be proved that this abnormality was the key to Yuan Kang's blindness. It cannot be proved that the Queen Mother knew about the abnormality and caused Yuan Kang to become blind."

Zhan Yue pinched her face carefully and whispered, "If you think too much, you will get more and more scared."

"A mother is strong," Zhan Yue said, "especially the mother of the world."

Zhan Yue said: "She may have taken on more than you think."

Zhan Yue's words were clear and logical, and finally some light appeared in Jiashan's confused eyes.

Her black and white eyes blinked gently. Jiashan pursed her lips slightly, as if talking to herself, or as if asking for Zhan Yue's opinion: "Should we continue the investigation?"

"Investigate." Zhan Yue's answer was decisive. "No matter what we find out, we will share the responsibility."

"Is it okay?" His hands were placed on Jiashan's cheeks, warm.

Jiashan couldn't help but rub her face against his palm. She nodded and said, "Okay."

Zhan Yue's eyes were hot, and he was about to do something, but he saw Jia Shan suddenly looked at him deeply. The eyes were soft and gentle, which made Zhan Yue's heart even hotter.

Jiashan called out in a low voice: "Yanqing."

Zhan Yue slowly raised his eyes, and Jia Shan said, "Sit with me for a while."

"It's too dark tonight." Jiashan said softly.