The Hundred Flowers Banquet has ended.
At the banquet, there were quite a few concubines who sang and danced for the emperor.
Gu Jiangli had too many things on her mind and had no time to appreciate the beauty around her.
She still has a lot to do and cannot be careless.
After the banquet ended, everyone in the Imperial Garden dispersed.
A gentle breeze carries the refreshing fragrance of flowers.
In the dim night, a white figure stood beside the peony flowers. Not long after, another person appeared in the Imperial Garden.
The next one was an elderly man, around fifty years old.
He bowed to the person in front of him and said, "Your Highness, I have inquired with the imperial physician, and Consort Yun is indeed pregnant. This is not a tactic she used to gain favor."
"She got pregnant after only three months in the palace, that's amazing."
The white-clad youth's voice sounded extremely cold, a stark contrast to his vibrant demeanor during the day.
He turned his head slightly and asked again, "Can you confirm whether Consort Yun is carrying a boy or a girl?"
The old man shook his head with a troubled expression. "It's very difficult. Even if there were imperial physicians who could tell the gender by taking the pulse, they wouldn't easily reveal this. The imperial physicians in the palace are too tight-lipped."
"Can't your people infiltrate the Imperial Hospital?"
"This... perhaps because of His Majesty's matter, the Imperial Hospital has been under strict security, making it difficult to place our people there."
"waste."
The boy crushed the peony in front of him, and the broken petals fell to the ground.
The old man shuddered. "Your Highness, perhaps we should put His Majesty's matter aside for now? How about we deal with Consort Yun first? After all, His Majesty won't be gone for a long time before he completely goes mad and dies, but Consort Yun's child is due in less than a year. If it's a girl, that's fine, but if it's a boy, Your Highness..."
Prince An turned around, his gaze icy cold. He spoke in a sinister tone, "Why must we choose one person to deal with? Can't we kill both of them together? Consort Yun's child, like Qi Heng, is a threat to me. So let them die together."
The old man was deep in thought, seemingly considering how to implement it.
Prince An suddenly asked again, "How much longer will Qi Heng have to wait before he dies?"
The old man made a rough estimate: "It will take at least two more years."
"Then let him die even faster. We've been doing this for so many years, increasing the dosage shouldn't be detected."
"This... Your Highness, increasing the dosage further would be too risky."
"Risk? Lord Ning, are you only realizing today that what we're doing is risky? We've weathered so many years, and now you're scared?"
"No, Your Highness, that's not what I meant. It's just that... Consort Yun has been by Your Majesty's side these days. Consort Yun is a cautious person, and she is originally from Yunjiang. If she finds out, all our plans over the years will fail."
"What are you afraid of!" Prince An roared, startling several birds in the surrounding trees. "She'll be a dead woman anyway! What are you worried about if she's dead?"
"Yes...yes, I will do it."
Prince An took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. "Lord Ning, please don't blame me for being angry. The plan has changed, and we can no longer proceed as leisurely as before."
"Yes, Your Highness understands. Then... what are Your Highness's plans regarding Consort Yun?"
Prince An sneered, "We can't keep Consort Yun's child, but there's no guarantee she won't get pregnant again after her miscarriage. Besides, I just saw that Qi Heng can barely control his urge to kill when Consort Yun is around. Her existence is also a threat. We might as well just kill Consort Yun."
"However, don't think about killing it with one blow yet. Send someone over to scout out the situation first."
After pondering for a while, Ning Song nodded and said, "Your subject understands."
"We need to act quickly with Qi Heng, understand?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will take care of it immediately."
Ning Song took his leave.
A gentle evening breeze rustled the leaves of several trees around the Imperial Garden, and a few birds flew away from the treetops.
Prince An strolled around the Imperial Garden, selected the most beautiful flower, picked it with his own hands, crushed it, and then turned and left.
————
Even after the Hundred Flowers Banquet, Gu Jiangli still went to Jing'an Palace every day.
Unlike before, she no longer had to wait for the emperor to be present before entering. Even if the emperor was not present, she did not have to wait outside the hall. Instead, she could go directly into the hall, rest, and wait for the emperor to return.
The emperor was probably worried that she would be bored, so he allowed her to read books in Jing'an Palace to pass the time.
Gu Jiangli didn't really enjoy reading. She didn't even need to look at what books were on the emperor's bookshelf to know that she definitely wouldn't understand them.
The books there were most likely about governance and military training; she would fall asleep as soon as she turned a page.
So it's better not to watch it.
Gu Jiangli would wander around inside whenever he had free time, pretending that he was taking a walk.
On a bright and sunny noon, Gu Jiangli was playing with ornaments on the table when she suddenly felt something flashing in her eyes.
Upon closer inspection, she realized that the glaring object came from a garment that was hanging neatly in the room.
Gu Jiangli slowly approached and discovered the reason for the light that was blinding her.
The gold thread depicting the dragon claws on her clothes came undone, and the golden light reflected off it under the sunlight dazzled her eyes.
She remembered that this dress was a birthday gift from Prince An to the emperor. It was very valuable and exquisitely made. Logically speaking, the gold thread should not have come undone.
Gu Jiangli sensed something was wrong and reached out to check the condition of the golden thread.
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