Inside the palace.
Murong Lanxin was standing in front of the East Palace gate, but was stopped by Rendong: "I'm sorry, Princess, the emperor has ordered that the prince should rest and recuperate, and it is not appropriate to visit him."
Murong Lanxin looked anxious: "I am very worried about the prince's condition. It's okay to just watch him from a distance through the screen."
"Please don't make things difficult for me, Princess." Honeysuckle lowered her head slightly and stood there, not intending to give in.
She had been ordered not to let anyone in.
Murong Lanxin sighed and handed over the thing in her hand: "This is the hawthorn cake I made by myself. I don't know if it will suit the prince's taste. Just take it in."
Rendong took it and stood there with a smile. Finally, Murong Lanxin turned around and left.
She walked a few steps and looked back at Donggong, her eyes full of worry.
She held the embroidered hibiscus purse with tassels hanging from the edge of her skirt, squeezing it intermittently. There was a sunken star inside, with a faint fragrance lingering around. It was her favorite smell in the past, but at this moment, she seemed not to smell it and walked back dejectedly.
Return to the Queen Mother's Palace.
Seeing her expression, the Queen Mother couldn't help but frowned: "What? The prince's illness has not improved?"
"Replying to the Queen Mother, I did not see the Crown Prince. It may be because he is extremely ill. No one can see him at the moment. It is said that the Emperor has issued an order."
"Really? What should we do? The imperial doctors in the palace are on duty in the East Palace?" The Queen Mother sat up and a look of worry appeared on her face.
"There was no imperial physician. I heard from the palace servants that it was the Crown Princess who treated the Crown Prince herself."
"How can this be possible? No matter how good she is, she is only fourteen years old. No matter how skilled she is in medicine, if something serious happens, she will have no idea what to do. I have to talk to the Emperor and ask the imperial doctors to at least stay with her. If she has a way to save the patient, then do it. The others can watch from the side so that they can be reminded." The Queen Mother stood up and walked out.
Murong Lanxin did not dissuade him, but just followed behind him, walking quietly as if there was no such person.
The Queen Mother met the Emperor.
The emperor also had a worried look on his face. He put the cinnabar pen aside and stood up: "My son sees the queen mother."
"No need to be polite." The Queen Mother sighed and sat on the sandalwood chair beside her. She held the stone blue pillow with her index finger and thumb, caressing the fine embroidery stitches on the stone pillow intentionally or unintentionally, and said, "How is the poison of the prince? I am very worried, so I sent Lan Xin to check, but Lan Xin was stopped outside. I heard that it was the emperor's order, and I didn't want to disturb the prince's recovery, but I was too worried, so I wanted to ask if the prince's injury has improved? What can I do? He is my eldest grandson, the hope of Dongze, and there can't be any mistakes."
The emperor sighed: "The Crown Princess is treating his injuries now, but there is no improvement. He is only hanging on for a breath."
"Then the doctors in the Imperial Hospital should take turns on duty, and also replace Qingran. After all, she is still a child."
"The doctors can't do anything for the prince's illness, but the princess has some solutions, so other people can't help. The prince's affairs are determined by fate, so the queen mother shouldn't worry too much, and she should take care of her own health."
"Ah, I really hope to exchange my life for the prince's. I am just an old man and can't be of much use to the country or the family. The prince is still young and beautiful. Alas..."
"Queen Mother, please don't think like that. Your children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. It is important for you to take care of your health now. If there is any news about the Crown Prince, your son will be the first to tell you."
The empress dowager had nothing to say when she saw this, and left with a sigh. The emperor respectfully escorted her to the door of the imperial study and watched her leave. The humility in his eyes changed, becoming cold, scrutinizing, and even with a hint of hatred.
The emperor returned to the imperial study, closed the door, sat in front of the dragon table, and said in a low voice: "Come out."
The curtain of the inner room was lifted, and Dongfang Jin walked out, dressed in the clothes of a palace maid. The emperor felt a little sad that she had to dress like this in her own palace.
Dongfang Jin came to see him just now, and the two were just halfway through their conversation when the Queen Mother arrived.
"Father, I have said everything I need to say. Next, I will stay indoors and wait for that person to fall into my trap."
"I know what you just said, but this suspicion cannot be without basis. You know what to do." Emperor Yunqi's face seemed calm, but his hand holding the red pen was trembling. In the end, he simply put the pen down, closed the letter and threw it away. "Now that you are sick, it doesn't matter. The villains everywhere are ready to make a move. It really makes me feel strange."
Dongfang Jin didn't know what was written on the memorial, but he knew that someone must have reported the princes' actions behind the scenes.
He didn't expect that his illness would bring him several benefits. He was about to close the net, and the people who harmed him and his mother in the past would also be exposed. Perhaps it was time to close the net.
Emperor Yunqi understood it in his heart, but when he thought that it might be the Queen Mother, he couldn't accept it. He knew that the Queen Mother liked Murong Shu when she was young, but she wouldn't want to kill Yun'er and her son, right? That was her daughter-in-law and grandson. This made him unable to understand. If he hadn't been holding back, he would have almost been exposed in front of the Queen Mother.
Dongfang Jin briefly explained his thoughts to the emperor. Emperor Yunqi knew that the matter was of great importance, so he reminded him again that solid evidence must be obtained, otherwise he was not allowed to reveal a single word.
Dongfang Jin took advantage of the fact that there were few people around and left the imperial study.
When they returned to the East Palace, An Qingran came out to greet them cheerfully: "How was it? Did the Emperor reprimand you?"
An Qingran has been worried, and they are taking a risk by suggesting that the Queen Mother is the murderer behind the incident.
They couldn't find the reason why she did this. Could it be that she wanted Murong Shu's son to take the throne?
An Qingran always felt that things would not be that simple.
Dongfang Jin held her hand with a normal expression on his face, but his palms were slightly wet, and he was probably not as calm as he looked inside.
"Father asked us to find evidence and do everything according to our instructions." Dongfang Jin's beautiful eyes were half-closed at this moment. While speaking, the corners of her mouth were slightly raised. She looked calm and generous.
An Qingran's heart miraculously calmed down. With him around, nothing was a problem.
So, she smiled: "Does that mean that from today on, the prince will be grounded again?"
Her tone was relaxed and her eyes were playful. Dongfang Jin looked majestic the moment before, but immediately, a sly smile appeared on his lips. He bent over, picked her up, and quickly kissed her. An Qingran punched him twice with her pink fists. Under his domineering gaze, her neck turned red with shame. Dongfang Jin strode towards the bedroom: "Qingqing means..."
At this point, she had been laid on the bed. Dongfang Jin kissed her brow with a faint smile, as light as a spring breeze. An Qingran couldn't help but close her eyes. At that moment, she felt as if a flower rained down from the sky. If she sniffed carefully, she could smell the scent of ambergris, Dongfang Jin's favorite scent, which occasionally appeared in her dreams. The delicate and close kisses almost suffocated An Qingran. She felt that the bright yellow in the room was flowing and shaking, as if golden light filled the room, and as if the sun dazzled her eyes...
After a long time, everything became quiet, and An Qingran heard the birds singing melodiously among the trees in the yard, the sound was extremely cheerful.
Resting her head on Dongfang Jin's shoulder, her head of black hair was mingled with her own, so tangled that she couldn't even tell them apart. An Qingran stroked it carefully, as if it were a toy from her childhood, and she was delighted beyond words.
Dongfang Jin's beautiful eyes narrowed, and the corners of her mouth were not a smirk, but a gentle one. She reached out and gently touched her small nose: "Qingqing, you are becoming more...capable."
"Are you capable?" An Qingran looked at him in confusion.
But he was full of teasing in his eyes. He didn't think he was saying anything nice, but was probably referring to how relaxed and carefree he was just now. He glared at him unwillingly, but Dongfang Jin smiled proudly: "Qingqing has grown up..."
Hearing this, An Qingran's heart moved. She was a few years older than him. Since when did she become like a little girl? The grudges of the past life seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye. If the person behind her gave up from now on, she was not willing to continue to make vicious calculations.
Who wants to be a shrew?
"What's wrong?" Dongfang Jin saw that she was gloomy, and couldn't help but move closer. When his beautiful eyes came closer, An Qingran looked up and saw herself in her eyes. There was a trace of confusion, which only flashed by, and then she became clear. In this life, not for anyone else, but just for the person in front of her, she would be a real shrew and defend her territory.
No matter who he is, just come at me.
In order to create enough momentum, she instructed Rendong again, and what she had to do was not to let any palace maid go out, and not to let any outsider come in. The people from the Imperial Hospital naturally had the emperor's orders and would not come, and what they did was to create mystery.
Dongfang Jin was very happy with this arrangement.
He was comfortable whether sitting or lying down, but An Qingran had to be within his sight. If she left for a moment, he would follow her and boil medicine with her, or watch her busy stewing soup. He was very troublesome and An Qingran had no choice but to smile bitterly, but her heart was very sweet.
Everyone in the palace knew that the Crown Prince's condition was getting worse and worse, because the Eastern Palace was under martial law and no one was allowed to go in or out. Shu Guifei was in the Jiaoxiang Courtyard, but she was always keeping an eye on what was going on in the Eastern Palace. She was getting more and more impatient, because no one knew the situation. She was the most anxious and even went to the Empress Dowager's palace, but the Empress Dowager told her not to interfere. She really had no idea what to do. She did accept all the things that the palace servants had sent her, but she was worried because no one could see them.
So, she packed up simply and walked to the gate of the East Palace, but found that the gate was closed. There were only two eunuchs guarding outside. When they saw her coming, they bowed.
"I want to see the prince, go in and inform him."
Concubine Shu stood there, speaking in a calm tone.
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