Yuwen Lan still remembered that four years ago, he led his troops to fight against the Xiongnu in person. After the great victory, he returned to the capital. Just as he was about to arrive at the capital, he received news from the palace that the late emperor was seriously ill.

He did not take a rest and immediately rode back to the palace overnight. When he arrived at Qianming Palace, he saw exactly that scene -

the late emperor had just vomited blood, and there were still traces of blood on his robe, but he had already stopped breathing -

at that time, everyone said that the late emperor died of weakness due to long-term cultivation and alchemy, and he did not want to eat or drink.

Could it be...

No, that possibility just came up, but he immediately denied it.

- This matter could never be related to the queen

mother! It must be that this bastard Zhang was holding a grudge and deliberately wanted to alienate the relationship between them.

Yes, what a sinister intention this person has? He took out this letter before he died. If Xun Lan read it, Xun Lan would definitely carry such a heavy burden in his heart. Whether he said it or not, it would be a sin. He

would definitely not be able to live a good life in the future.

Or like now, if he saw it, he would intend to alienate the relationship between them.

This bastard!

Yuwen Lan gritted his teeth silently, but said to Doctor Xun with a normal face, "It's okay, go down, the Queen Mother will finish the treatment in half a month, take good care of her, and don't let anything go wrong." Doctor

Xun, who never knew what happened, hurriedly bowed his head and replied, then he carried the medicine box and left the hall.

Yuwen Lan threw the letter into the incense burner, then summoned Fu Hai inside and ordered, "Pass the order, Zhang Shengkang is guilty of a heinous crime, his body shall be whipped for three days and thrown into a mass grave, and the body shall not be collected."

Fu Hai quickly agreed and went out to make arrangements. As he walked, he wondered in his heart, could it be that he had found out what evil Zhang Shengkang had done that made the king issue such an order?

~~

Ganlu Palace.

Yuwen Lan came a little late tonight, and Yan Shu was almost asleep when she heard the sound of the door.

Before she could get up, he had already got on the bed, and without waiting for a word, he held her in his arms.

Yan Shu was still a little confused, and she hummed and said, "I waited until the key was down, but I didn't see Your Majesty. I thought you were not coming."

Yuwen Lan's voice was low and deep, "I was busy late, so I came here just now."

He paused and asked her, "How was your day?"

Yan Shu said half asleep and half awake, "Very good."

Hey, it's really a pleasure to send that bastard to the west today. If she didn't have a baby in her belly, she would have wanted to drink three hundred cups to celebrate!

Yuwen Lan listened silently, and then said, "Go to sleep."

Yan Shu hummed, moved her body, found a comfortable position in his arms, finally closed her eyes, and soon fell asleep.

Yuwen Lan lowered his eyes and reached out to touch the top of her head.

If there was anything unusual, she would have known it long ago, wouldn't she?

And just now, he didn't hear anything unusual from Yan Shu's heart.

So, Zhang Shengkang was really slandering.

In the darkness, he closed his eyes and fell asleep. He

slept very lightly that night, and when Yuwen Lan woke up, it was still dark.

Although there was no court meeting this morning, he didn't want to sleep anymore, so he got up, dressed, and went to Qianming Palace.

The cold wind along the way made people sober. When he came to Yu's study and read the memorials for half an hour, the sky outside the window gradually turned pale.

Fu Hai had been waiting by the side, thinking about serving the king a meal, but before he could move, he saw the Jinyiwei coming to report, "Your Majesty, the news just came from Minyue this morning, saying that a Taoist was captured, and it seems to be the White Crane Immortal."

Yuwen Lan said, "Is he alive?"

But he heard the Jinyiwei say, "The people of Minyue said that they chased him into the mountains and forests at that time. Seeing that there was no way to escape, he simply jumped off the cliff. It is unknown whether he is dead or alive." Jumped

off the cliff?

Yuwen Lan frowned, thought for a while, and said, "This person has many tricks, don't trust him easily, let them find the body first, and make sure to confirm whether it is really the White Crane Immortal. Don't take the Red Lotus Sect lightly."

The Jinyiwei agreed and then left the hall.

Yuwen Lan thought for a moment and picked up the memorial again.

——There are so many important matters to deal with, why bother with something that happened four years ago?

What's more, he didn't believe it.

~~

Seeing that a few more days passed, the capital had already entered November.

The first snow had fallen, and the weather was getting colder.

Fortunately, there were floor heating in the palace, especially in Ci'an Palace. Fearing that the empress dowager would catch a cold, the palace servants heated the floor heating to make it especially warm.

Today is the last day of the empress dowager's last course of treatment. Although Yan Shu's belly is as big as a ball, she still came here today to accompany the empress dowager and asked Doctor Xun to take her pulse.

At this time, seeing that Doctor Xun had taken his finger away from the pulse, she hurriedly asked, "How is it?"

Doctor Xun hurriedly said, "Please rest assured, the Empress Dowager's illness has been cured. You don't have to worry about the old illness. But when the weather is cold, you still need to pay attention to wind protection and keep warm to avoid catching a cold."

Hearing this, Yan Shu was finally completely relieved and hurriedly said to the Empress Dowager, "Congratulations, Your Majesty, you don't have to worry about it anymore." The

Empress Dowager nodded and said to Doctor Xun, "You have done a great job in treatment, and I should reward you. . "

Doctor Xun knelt down and said, "It is a doctor's duty to treat patients, not to mention that you have been so kind to me, I dare not ask for a reward."

The Queen Mother said, "If you don't ask for a reward, that's your business. It's my business to give a reward, so don't be polite."

Then she ordered the palace servants, "Give Doctor Xun fifty taels of gold, a pair of deerskin gloves, and a pair of cloud boots. It's cold today, and you have to keep warm when you walk back and forth."

Hearing this, Doctor Xun had to kowtow and thank him, his face full of panic.

Yan Shu was so excited that she almost stood up and clapped her hands -

humph, her boss is so generous! If he likes someone, he will throw real gold and silver at him, so domineering!

At this moment, the Queen Mother said to her, "Next, I am just waiting for your baby to be born. It will only take about a month, right?"

Without waiting for Yan Shu to answer, Doctor Xun hurriedly said, "The Queen Mother is right. In half a month, the heir will be full-term. It will be normal for him to be born any day." The

Queen Mother nodded and said, "I'll have to trouble you to worry about it and take good care of Concubine Yi."

Doctor Xun hurriedly agreed.

At this moment, the cotton curtain of the palace door was lifted, and a tall figure wearing a crane cloak came in.

Everyone in the palace hurriedly saluted, and the Queen Mother asked, "Why did Your Majesty come here at this time?"

Yuwen Lan said, "I remember that today is the last day of my mother's treatment, so I thought of coming to see how she is doing."

Wen Ya Yan Shu hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, don't worry, the Queen Mother's illness has recovered."

Yuwen Lan breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "That's good."

But Yan Shu asked him again, "Why is Your Majesty's shoulder wet?"

Yuwen Lan hummed, "It's snowing outside." Snowing

again? Yan Shu's eyes lit up.

But the Queen Mother sighed, "Your Majesty is still like when he was a child. He doesn't like to hold an umbrella when it snows. What if he catches a cold?"

Yuwen Lan smiled and said, "I came here in a sedan chair, but I got a little snow when I got off the car and walked a few steps. Don't worry, mother."

The Queen Mother didn't say anything then.

But Yan Shu smiled and said, "It's the most suitable day to eat hotpot on a snowy day. How about a mutton hotpot for dinner?"

Well, since everyone present knew that she was a foodie, she didn't pretend. Today was the day when the boss recovered, so we should celebrate!

But the queen mother smiled and said, "You two go and eat. I'm not used to the taste."

Yuwen Lan also said, "The queen mother really doesn't like mutton."

Yan Shu had to agree. It was not good to force the boss to eat it. Only she and the emperor could eat it.

But the queen mother told her again, "It's cold on a snowy day. It will probably freeze tomorrow. You don't have to come. Stay in the palace. Don't make any mistakes at this moment."

Yan Shu hurriedly agreed.

Then she left with the emperor.

When they left the palace, they saw snowflakes floating in the sky. The two boarded the Yu sedan chair and headed to Ganlu Palace together.

Yan Shu was already hungry, and all she could think about was the delicious mutton hotpot. She couldn't help but say, "I'll ask the Yu kitchen to prepare six plates of mutton later."

Yuwen Lan raised his eyebrows, "So much? I only need two plates."

But she was startled and said, "Oh, yes, there's your majesty, so eight plates."

Yuwen Lan, "..."

So his was not included in the six plates of mutton just now?

~~

After finishing the hot pot and taking a bath, the two got on the couch together.

Without the cotton-padded coat and outer robe to cover it, Yan Shu's belly became more visible, and it was round like a watermelon.

Yuwen Lan saw it and couldn't help but ask, "It's so big, will it hurt?"

Yan Shu hummed and said, "It doesn't hurt now, but I don't know how painful it will be when I give birth."

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw a bulge on her belly.

Her eyes lit up, and she touched her belly with a smile, and said to the little guy inside, "Baby wants to tell mom that he will be good and won't hurt mom for a long time, right?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw the bulge rolling in another direction.

——As the birth approached, the little guy's fetal movements became more and more obvious and varied, with the bulge rolling and even raising his hands and legs, making people look forward to his appearance more and more.

Yuwen Lan couldn't help but put his hand on it and smiled, "Baby will definitely listen to mom."

As soon as she finished speaking, she saw another bulge on the little guy, as if responding.

Yuwen Lan's heart was filled with tenderness, and he said, "The baby is a good child. It's late at night, go to bed early, so that your mother can sleep well."

Not to mention, the little guy in the belly seemed to understand what he said, and gradually he really stopped moving.

Yan Shu's eyes lit up, "It seems that the baby can really recognize your majesty's voice and is very obedient."

Yuwen Lan raised his eyebrows and said, "Of course, my baby will be as smart as me."

Then he kissed her forehead again and said, "Go to bed early."

Yan Shu nodded, closed her eyes in his arms, and fell asleep.

That night, the snow fell silently outside the window, and Yuwen Lan dreamed of the scene of the child being born a month later.

He held his baby in his arms, and the little guy raised his hands and kicked his legs, smiled at him vigorously, and called him dad.

In his dream, he thought, this is indeed his child, he even speaks earlier than ordinary people, he is really smart!

~~

There was a court meeting the next day, Yuwen Lan got up early as usual and went to Qianming Palace.

The snow had stopped last night, and the weather was indeed very cold.

In the court, ministers reported important matters one after another, and Yuwen Lan asked with concern, "Did the snow last night cause any disaster? Were any people frozen?"

The Minister of Revenue hurriedly said, "Please rest assured, Your Majesty, the snow last night was not heavy, so it did not cause a disaster. This morning, Jingzhao Prefecture has opened three porridge factories and shelters in the city, so there should be no problem."

Yuwen Lan nodded and said, "Not only the capital, but all places where snow falls should follow suit. If you are short of silver, you can apply to the Ministry of Revenue, but you must strictly control it to prevent those with ulterior motives from enriching themselves. The court's silver must go to the benefit of the people."

The Minister of Revenue hurriedly agreed.

However, the Dali Temple Minister stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I received a report from Jingzhao Prefecture this morning that there have been cases of pregnant women having miscarriages in the capital recently. A doctor noticed something was wrong and reported the case to Jingzhao Prefecture."

When this was said, everyone was a little surprised.

Someone said, "Could it be that the weather was cold and icy, and the pregnant woman accidentally fell down?"

However, the Dali Temple Minister said, "This is probably not the main reason. According to statistics from Jingzhao Prefecture, there have been only two snowfalls recently, and neither was heavy, so there was no ice on the road. Moreover, most of the pregnant women stayed at home to avoid the cold and rarely went out. However, they had miscarriages out of the blue. This is quite strange."

After the voice fell, Yuwen Lan frowned and said, "How many such cases have there been?"

The Dali Temple Minister hurriedly said, "According to the report from Jingzhao Prefecture, there have been more than ten cases in the past half month."

In half a month, there have been more than ten cases?

In other words, there is one almost every one or two days?

Yuwen Lan has already thought of a person.

- He still remembers that Yan Shu once mentioned to him that the White Crane Immortal used human placenta to make elixir...

In addition, the Jinyiwei said a few days ago that the White Crane Immortal fell off a cliff. After he ordered an investigation, he has not received any news yet.

He paused and was about to give orders.

Unexpectedly, the Dali Temple Minister said, "I still remember that about four years ago, such an incident happened in the capital. Many pregnant women gave birth in a short period of time, but it was in summer, not in the severe winter like now."

When these words came out, Yuwen Lan was stunned again.

The summer four years ago...

wasn't it almost before the death of the previous emperor?

At that time, the Taoist White Crane was still in the palace, accompanying the late emperor in his Taoist practice all day long...

Could it be that this person had already started to use this method to refine the elixir?

Then... did the late emperor know about it?

While he was thinking about it, he heard the Dali Temple Minister say again, "Your Majesty, I think there may be someone behind this matter, and we should investigate it thoroughly to prevent more pregnant women from being harmed."

Yuwen Lan came back to his senses and spoke immediately, "Yes, order Jingzhao Prefecture, Dali Temple, and the Ministry of Justice to investigate this matter immediately, and the Beijing Guards to immediately send people to investigate in the capital. If there are unidentified Taoists, they will be arrested immediately. I suspect that the Taoist White Crane has already arrived in the capital."

As soon as these words came out, everyone immediately agreed, not daring to neglect them.