"Tang'er, oh Tang'er. You really are..." Shu Chengfeng shook his head, then pinched her chin, lifted her head, and kissed her.
"Don't worry, I can handle this. I will protect you and Bao'er even more."
Yan Nangui stared wide-eyed: "I am..."
"Yes, yes, you're worried about me, not yourself." Shu Chengfeng interrupted her with a laugh: "Quick temper."
Yan Nangui rolled her eyes at him again: "Your Majesty should investigate thoroughly. If the Empress passes away now, who can guarantee that they will definitely be able to take the Empress's position?"
Shu Chengfeng patted her hair: "Don't worry. Get ready, we'll go to Bailu Prefecture in a few days."
The wild geese nodded as they returned south.
At Consort Ke's residence, Murong Yan sighed, "It's not good that Her Majesty the Empress is ill at this time."
Consort Ke frowned: "Judging from the news everywhere, I'm afraid there's something fishy about Her Majesty the Empress's illness." She was thinking of taking action.
But we can't be in such a hurry.
They didn't dare say much, they just sighed to themselves, and then it was time for them to leave.
After the Murong family had all left, Consort Ke asked, "What exactly happened? Is there any news from the palace?"
"There's no news right now. I'm afraid... things have become stricter in the palace now. This matter concerning Your Highness... is so strange." Wu Yu frowned.
"Do you think it was Consort Xiang who did it?"
Wuyu nodded: "After thinking it over, she's the most suspicious..."
At this moment, Consort Xiangxian had just returned from Fengxiang Palace.
His face was as black and bluish-black as the bottom of a pot.
"I think Her Majesty the Empress's health... is not good." Lingjiao sighed.
"I'm afraid His Majesty now doubts me as well."
“Your Majesty did not do it, and there is no evidence. How could that be?” Lingjiao hurriedly said.
"Evidence? Is there evidence for everything? The Empress suddenly became like this. The imperial physician said she ate something she shouldn't have, but they don't know what it was. What do you think His Majesty will say when this gets to his ears?"
Evening Glow also chimed in, "Your Majesty, if you haven't done anything, you're always innocent. Others can't do anything about it. His Majesty isn't someone who can't distinguish right from wrong. If someone really harmed Your Majesty, then Your Majesty is the mother of the nation, how can he not investigate? If His Majesty investigates resolutely, the truth will come out."
Consort Xiangxian sighed and waved her hand, "I understand. You all should go about your business."
In the harem, who didn't wonder if Consort Xiangxian was the one who did the Empress's deeds?
Or perhaps she was a concubine?
Or perhaps Consort Ke?
In any case, the seed of doubt has been planted.
Qin Tang and his entourage had to speed up their journey because the Empress's condition was worsening.
After all, it wouldn't look good for His Majesty to rush back once the Empress had passed away.
So, what should have been a month or so in Qintang, instead took half a month to get to Bailuzhou.
It's not short to get from Qintang to Bailuzhou.
We traveled for two days.
The Seventh Princess has suffered quite a bit these past two days.
Upon arriving in Bailu Prefecture, local officials and General Huo's entourage came to greet him.
This naturally includes Yan Nanji.
However, it was nighttime, and there was no time for idle chatter.
There was no imperial palace in Bailu Prefecture, so Yun Ji came early in the morning to prepare accommodations.
His Majesty and his entourage stayed at General Huo's villa.
The seventh princess whimpered, sounding like she was crying, but she wasn't.
Others were fine, but the emperor was heartbroken and hurriedly ordered someone to carry him to rest.
We'll have to wait until tomorrow to discuss any issues that may arise.
The seventh princess finally calmed down, nursed, and went to sleep.
That night, His Majesty was exhausted and did not come to the backyard.
Everyone went to bed early. The next morning, His Majesty took the princes to Bailu Academy.
Regardless of whether or not to avoid suspicion, Yan Nangui met directly with Yan Nanji and his wife.
Yang looked unwell, as if she wasn't feeling well.
As she was being helped in and about to kneel, Jiangxiang stopped her, saying, "Second Madam, please don't stand on ceremony, sit down."
Yan Nanji refers to Yan Nangui, whom I met last year, when the old lady was about to pass away.
But when we met again now, it felt much more distant and awkward.
He's matured a lot now; Yang has already given birth to three children.
"We weren't originally going to come so soon, but because the Empress is seriously ill, we arrived a little earlier. We won't be able to stay for more than a few days; His Majesty has already set a date for our return," Yan Nangui said.
Madam Yang nodded: "It's all as it should be, but Your Highness has had a long journey, and the Seventh Princess has suffered."
"It's alright. When I came out, I was just worried about the child. I didn't think too much about it. It was all just a coincidence," Yan Nangui said.
Ms. Yang nodded.
Yang and Yan Nangui were not very familiar with each other. Although they exchanged letters every year, they had never met in person.
"Why does my second sister-in-law look so haggard?"
"She caught a cold these past few days, but she didn't dare not come in to see me, so she's taking medicine," Yan Nanji said.
"Your health is the most important thing. I'll have the imperial physician take a look at you in a bit," Yan Nangui said.
Madam Yang thanked her profusely.
"How are your nephews and nieces at home? I've prepared things for them. I'll take them back with me in a bit."
"Thank you very much, Your Highness. It's quite a lot for them every year. They don't need it," Yan Nanji said shyly.
"It's just because I feel sorry for the child." Yan Nangui retorted, her tone less than friendly.
After chatting for a while, Yan Nanji still arranged for Yang to go and check on the Seventh Princess first: "Don't get too close, lest you pass on your illness to the child."
Madam Yang knew that he had something to say to the Empress, so she tactfully left.
Yan Nangui waved his hand, telling everyone to leave, but he refused to speak.
She herself has no objection to the "wild geese returning south" policy, but the real "wild geese returning south" should have this attitude, so what's there to say?
"Is Your Majesty doing well in the palace these days?"
"That's fine, Second Brother, please speak your mind," Yan Nangui said.
"I know you resent me. I don't really have anything to say. These past years in Bailu Prefecture, I've come to understand things I couldn't before. I know I was foolish back then. But after all, we're blood relatives, and I didn't think of these things before. Now I understand. In short, I still hope Your Majesty is well."
Yan Nangui glanced at him but said nothing. He neither expressed resentment nor gratitude.
"The Empress is not good. Once she is gone, His Majesty will definitely appoint an Empress. I'm just asking you, if you have the will, our family is not incapable of competing for her."
Yan Nanji's personality is different from that of her elder brother, Yan Nanxu.
He was more direct.
Yan Nangui sighed, "Why fight over the Empress's position like this? Whether I have the Empress's position or not is not important. What matters is that my second brother knows I will not have any more children. In the future, how will I, as a daughter of the Yan family, live? My father is getting old and will one day be unable to protect me. If it were just me, that would be one thing; I could simply go with His Majesty on the day he passes away. But I also have my daughter. If Rong Ning has someone protecting her today, she certainly won't let me mistreat her. What if my daughter is also mistreated after I die?"
"No, even if Father gets old, there's still my elder brother and me. I'm already a third-rank official," Yan Nanji said.
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