He still remembered that Xiang'er was such a lively and cheerful girl, and she also had the cuteness and innocence of a little girl. He didn't know when it started, but his Xiang'er became more and more depressed. How long had it been since he saw her smile?
It was probably from the moment he became the crown prince that he shouldered the responsibilities of being the heir to the throne and the emperor, yet he still greedily wanted to keep her by his side.
He was the one who harmed her...
Gu Qilan closed his eyes, tears welling up in his eyes. He let them fall freely, murmuring, "Xiang'er, if you hadn't met me, you wouldn't be depressed all day... and even be poisoned now..."
Thinking of this, the tenderness and sadness in Gu Qilan's eyes faded away, replaced by only cold murderous intent.
"Song Qu." he called.
Song Qu, who was waiting outside, pushed the door open and came in: "The servant is here."
"Call Yan Xiu."
Song Qu was startled and quickly nodded his head.
Yan Xiu is the leader of the Dragon Shadow Guard, who are specifically responsible for protecting the emperor and doing various things that are inconvenient to be put on the table. They may lurk beside any official and keep an eye on the court officials' every move for the emperor.
If the emperor uses Yan Xiu, I'm afraid the court will be in turmoil again.
…
Concubine Jing's funeral was grand and lavish. The emperor posthumously conferred the title of Concubine Jiayu on her and buried her in the secondary mausoleum of the imperial tomb.
Traditionally, all concubines except the empress were buried in the concubines' mausoleum, even the noble concubine who was the same as the empress. Only the empress could be buried in the imperial mausoleum with the emperor.
The imperial mausoleum and the secondary mausoleum are prepared for the situation where the emperor has multiple queens, that is, successors.
The fact that Concubine Jiayu was buried in the secondary mausoleum despite her status as a concubine shows how much the emperor valued her.
Not long after the funeral of Concubine Jiayu, someone in the court impeached the Chief Censor Lan Feng for corruption, abuse of power, forming a clique for personal gain, and accepting bribes of more than tens of thousands of taels of silver. After investigation, the accusation was confirmed to be true. The emperor immediately ordered Lan Feng to be dismissed and imprisoned, and his mansion was confiscated.
Those who formed a clique with Lan Feng for personal gain were all implicated. Some were dismissed from their posts, while others were imprisoned. For a time, people in the court were in a panic.
Ning Yuxi didn't have time to think about what happened in the court because the poison in the emperor's body had taken effect.
She had discovered something wrong with the emperor's body before, but fortunately it was temporarily contained by Wang Yuanpan's father. However, the emperor, overcome with grief and anger over Concubine Jing's death, drew out the poison, which led to his fainting.
The imperial physician diagnosed something unusual at the time, but the emperor did not ask them to make it public. Ning Yuxi only learned about it in recent days. It was because Ning Yuxi knew about this matter before, so the emperor told her this time.
Shengchen Palace.
Ning Yuxi sighed silently as she watched the emperor, who looked sick and haggard but still insisted on reviewing memorials and handling state affairs.
"Your Majesty, please take a rest."
Gu Qilan looked up at Ning Yuxi: "You're here."
As soon as he finished speaking, he couldn't help but cover his lips and cough. Ning Yuxi hurried forward to help him calm down: "Your Majesty, you should rest well now. If your health collapses now, what's the point of talking about the future?"
Gu Qilan stopped coughing and said calmly: "I'm fine, I know my own body."
"Your Majesty!" Ning Yuxi said with a slightly stronger tone, "Even if you don't think about yourself, think about the children. They are still so young. Yesterday, I went to Chonghua Palace to see Cheng Zhao. The first thing he said when he saw me was, "How are you feeling? Have you had a good rest?"
"And Chengyao and his sister. Before I came here, they insisted on coming with me to see Father. Knowing that you were ill, they've been very well behaved these past few days. They said they didn't want you to worry about them while you were ill..."
Ning Yuxi's tone was choked with sobs, and her eyes gradually turned red.
Gu Qilan put down his pen, took Ning Yuxi's hand and said soothingly, "Okay, I promise you will have a good rest."
"Then Your Majesty, please go to the bedroom and get some sleep now. I heard that you haven't slept well these days." Ning Yuxi insisted.
Gu Qilan said helplessly: "Okay, I will go to bed right away."
"No, let's go now. I will accompany you and supervise you to sleep for an hour!" Ning Yuxi became more and more demanding.
Gu Qilan had no choice but to agree. When he saw her slightly red eyes, a touch of warmth flashed through his heart, and his heart, which had been gloomy since Concubine Jing's death, had some color.
Gu Qilan was lying on the bed. He thought he would toss and turn, but he felt a long-lost peace. Maybe it was because there was another person beside the bed.
Gu Qilan suddenly said, "The poison in my body has begun to take effect, and Judge Wang is helpless."
Ning Yuxi was shocked: "Can Judge Wang tell me what kind of poison it is?" Generally, when a toxin attacks, one should be able to trace the cause and find the pathogen.
The emperor shook his head.
Ning Yuxi felt a sinking feeling in her heart. She had just secretly examined the Emperor's pulse, but had found nothing. However, her rudimentary medical skills were naturally no match for those of Elder Wang, and now even Elder Wang couldn't diagnose the problem...
After a moment of silence, Ning Yuxi spoke to comfort him, "Your Majesty, don't worry. My brother sent a letter a few days ago saying that he had spotted Divine Doctor Zhong in the Jiangnan area. He has already sent more people to look for him. I believe that Divine Doctor Zhong will be found soon, and your poison will be cured by then."
"You should take good care of yourself now, otherwise no matter how good your medical skills are, they will not be enough to make up for your disregard for your own health."
Gu Qilan twitched the corner of his lips slightly, and just as he was about to speak, Ning Yuxi raised her index finger and pressed it against his lips: "Shh, Your Majesty, stop talking and take a rest. I will stay here for an hour, not even a moment less!"
Gu Qilan raised his hand and pinched her cheek, and under Ning Yuxi's protest and urging, he finally closed his eyes and rested.
When the emperor's breathing gradually became long and steady, Ning Yuxi's innocent expression faded, and a hint of worry appeared between her brows.
I’m afraid the emperor’s health can’t wait any longer, so I hope my brother can find Doctor Zhong as soon as possible.
Gu Qilan only slept for two quarters of an hour longer than his usual nap. He usually only slept for half an hour. Although he slept for two quarters of an hour longer, it still did not reach the one hour required by Ning Yuxi. Ning Yuxi also knew that she could not force it, so the extra two quarters of an hour was given for her sake.
Just as he was helping the emperor to get up, Song Qu, who was outside the room, heard a voice saying, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
"Come in."
Song Qu bowed and entered the room: "Your Majesty, Concubine Lan is gone."
Ning Yuxi was slightly startled, but only for a moment. A few days after Concubine Jing's death, Concubine Lan fell ill. She had been treated on and off for more than half a month but there was no improvement.
Ning Yuxi stood beside the emperor and looked up at him quietly, but saw that the emperor's expression did not fluctuate at all.
He said calmly, "The palace just held the funeral for Imperial Concubine Jiayu, so we shouldn't hold another grand ceremony. Let's keep her funeral simple!"
"Yes." Song Qu responded respectfully.
At this time, a young eunuch came in from outside the door and announced: "Your Majesty, the Empress is here."
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