She said the Empress Dowager wanted to harm me.
Upon hearing these words, the Empress Dowager was so startled that her hand trembled for a moment, and the food she was picking up fell onto the table.
She subconsciously looked at Xiao Lanchuan.
The dim candlelight reflected in his eyes, making them appear exceptionally soft.
He remained the same humble and gentle gentleman.
But behind it all, it seemed, lurked demons and ferocious beasts, making one tremble with fear and dare not look directly at them.
The Empress Dowager suppressed her panic and smiled, "Does my son believe me?"
She was gambling that her care for him over the past twenty years had earned him his deep trust.
Xiao Lanchuan didn't say whether he believed it or not, but continued, "She said that the Empress Dowager doesn't want me to have children, so she tries every means to harm my offspring. Last time it was Consort Qin, and this time it's Consort Nan."
The Empress Dowager was clearly losing her composure; her hands were sweating with nervousness, and she had to try her best to restrain herself, pretending to be angry as she slammed her hand on the table.
"How dare she frame me and try to sow discord between my son and me!"
She spoke while observing Xiao Lanchuan.
Seeing his expression harden, she thought she had really been exposed this time.
Just as she was wondering what to do, Xiao Lanchuan said slowly, "Mother is right, she just wants to sow discord between us."
Did you really believe it?
The Empress Dowager's eyes brightened slightly.
Xiao Lanchuan looked at her, his gentle demeanor softening, replaced by an air of imperial authority.
"I have discovered that she is a spy from the Yun Kingdom."
The Empress Dowager was stunned for a few seconds.
"At first, she couldn't withstand the torture and said that the Empress Dowager wanted to harm me. But the Empress Dowager is so good to me, how could I believe her? So I had the torture continued, and she finally confessed that she was a spy from the Yun Kingdom."
Xiao Lanchuan took out a cloud-shaped jade pendant. "This was found on her. It was used by them to pass messages."
The Empress Dowager looked at the familiar jade pendant, and as if she had just remembered something, her body trembled, and her face turned somewhat pale.
How could Granny Zhang be a spy from the Yun Kingdom?
Wasn't she the most loyal to her, and even risked her life to save her?
The Empress Dowager was completely flustered at this moment.
When Xiao Lanchuan discovered that Granny Zhang was a spy from the Yun Kingdom, he was indeed quite shocked.
Zhang Mama has been by the Empress Dowager's side for seven or eight years. If she is a spy, does the Empress Dowager know about it?
Judging from her reaction, she seemed unaware.
So why did she poison him?
This reason seems to have become his obsession.
In his past life, he searched for the answer but could not find it; in this life, he must find out the reason.
That's why he never killed the Empress Dowager.
"Therefore, Your Majesty, to guard against any spies, I will have someone thoroughly investigate the entire harem, including Xianxi Palace."
Upon hearing that Xianxi Palace was to be investigated, the Empress Dowager, still in a daze, nodded blankly.
It wasn't until Xiao Lanchuan left that she realized something. She quickly called over a young eunuch, whispered a few words in his ear, and the eunuch hurriedly left.
She reacted quickly, and before Xiao Lanchuan could arrange for anyone to come to Xianxi Palace to inspect, she had all the stolen goods taken away and destroyed.
Even though everything was done smoothly, the Empress Dowager became even more uneasy.
Xiao Lanchuan deliberately delayed for some time until he heard someone hurriedly leaving Xianxi Palace, then he ordered his men to thoroughly investigate the six palaces.
No matter how busy Xiao Lanchuan was, he would always take some time each day to visit Yilan Palace.
I was busy today and only had time in the evening.
When he arrived, he didn't ask anyone to announce his arrival; instead, he asked Dai Xue, "What is she doing?"
There were still candles burning inside the hall, so she must not have slept.
Dai Xue replied, "Baolin just fell asleep. She was very tired, but she kept thinking that the Emperor hadn't come yet and kept waiting. Just now, I saw that she was very tired, and I coaxed her for a long time before I could persuade her to go to sleep. However, she still asked me to leave the lamp on, in case the Emperor couldn't see the scene in the palace when he came."
Xiao Lanchuan stood at the entrance of the palace, his expression uncertain.
These were just ordinary words, yet they inexplicably brought him a sense of warmth, something he had never felt in the palace, calming his turbulent heart.
She always found a way to please him.
When Xiao Lanchuan went in, Nanzhi was indeed sleeping, and the air was filled with a warm atmosphere.
The pregnant woman was afraid of the heat, so she covered herself with a thin brocade quilt, turned to the side facing the wall, her beautiful and lively eyes closed, only her thick and long eyelashes visible.
Her little hands were still gently protecting her belly, as if she had just told her child a story before bedtime.
Xiao Lanchuan never imagined he would have children; many times, he felt that everything he was experiencing now was just a dream.
But when he touched her face and embraced her waist, the delicate and soft touch told him once again that this was not a dream.
Almost as soon as he touched the girl's waist, Xiao Lanchuan felt her body stiffen for a moment. Seeing that she hadn't opened her eyes yet, he leaned in and bit her ear.
He could clearly feel her tremble slightly, but her eyes remained closed. He knew she was awake and pretending to be asleep, so he started to play a prank on her, but with very gentle force.
Nanzhi couldn't keep up the act any longer, so she turned around and hooked her arms around his neck.
She looked at him, her eyes seemingly sparkling with the light of snow, filled with the gentle warmth of spring.
Her voice was low as she began, "Your Majesty."
Her gaze was like a hook, directly capturing his heart.
"I heard you miss me a lot?"
"No."
She denied it with a smile, as if it were an endless spring, with peach blossoms in full bloom, displaying their most beautiful colors.
Xiao Lanchuan wasn't angry. He simply cupped her face in his hands, his voice slightly hoarse, and said, "It's because I miss you."
Nanzhi was stunned, as if shocked by his words.
Before she could react, his long fingers slipped into her hair, a cool touch sending ripples through her, and then things quickly spiraled out of control.
As their lips touched, Nanzhi clearly sensed how deeply he was moved.
And so was she.
She grabbed his clothes and responded to him passionately.
Xiao Lanchuan, who always does whatever he likes and never cares about the lives of others, did not cross the line this time.
He pulled his hand out from under her clothes, kissed her chin, then kissed the corner of her eye and between her brows, then held her close, lay down beside her, and slowly calmed his breathing.
Nanzhi knew this was a good sign; he was becoming more considerate of her and the child. But the fact that it was all over between the two of them, all that passion between them, felt somewhat unsatisfying.
When will these three months finally pass?
It's only the second month now, there's still more than a month to go.
As she was calculating the time, she suddenly felt her shoulders tighten; it was Xiao Lanchuan calling her.
"Don't you miss me?"
He stared at her with a deep, unsettling gaze, as if he had just remembered to settle scores later.
Nanzhi knew that it was time to appease him, so she quickly stroked his chest and began to say things that didn't reflect her true feelings.
"No, of course I miss His Majesty."
How much do you want to?
I can't sleep because I miss you.
"Weren't you sleeping like a log just now?"
Nanzhi was almost angered by him. She puffed out her cheeks and stopped talking.
Later, the man patted her back, as if to comfort her, but what he said was—
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