Chapter 547: Past Events in the Eastern Palace
After day and night consultations at the Imperial Hospital and repeated acupuncture treatment by the old imperial physician who was stationed at the Imperial Hospital, Yan Xiuyun finally woke up on the second day.
After asking, Dong Lanxin learned that Yan Xiuyun was still weak at this time, and his condition was only temporarily suppressed by acupuncture points. However, the specific treatment plan still needs to be discussed and studied by the Imperial Hospital.
Fortunately, Yan Xiuyun was in good health. After waking up, he looked energetic and continued to handle government affairs on a daily basis.
Regarding Yan Xiuyun's illness, he personally ordered that it be kept strictly confidential, and only a few people closest to him knew about it.
The harem temporarily regained a brief peace.
…
A few days later, the afternoon sun shone on the corridor with red walls and green tiles, revealing the figures of a group of people.
"Eunuch Li, may I ask how long it will take?"
A woman holding a little boy of seven or eight years old asked the young eunuch who was leading the way.
The woman was Li Yao's mother, Yue.
"Madam, don't worry. Concubine Rong is now living in Fangmiao Terrace. We will arrive there just a little further ahead." The young eunuch answered, holding a long box in his hand.
Upon hearing this, Yue frowned slightly, but said with a smile:
"I didn't expect that Yao'er, now that she has been conferred the title of Imperial Concubine, would still live in such a remote place."
"Madam, you are wrong." The young eunuch smiled with a flattering tone.
“Although Concubine Rong still lives in the former Fangmiao Terrace, His Majesty has issued an order to rebuild a palace for her.
When the new palace is completed, the imperial concubine will naturally move in.
Speaking of which, His Majesty's favor towards Concubine Rong and the little prince is truly extraordinary. In this non-holiday season, he allows you and the little prince to visit them in the palace."
“She is the empress, and also my daughter.
My daughter just gave birth to a child, how can I, as a mother, not care about her?"
"Yes, yes."
As they were talking, they walked to a corner and Yue's youngest son Li Yuan bumped into someone head-on and fell to the ground.
Li Yuan cried out "Ouch!" and cursed, "Who bumped into me?"
After he stood firm, he saw that the other person was a teenager about the same age as himself, and he glared at him even more angrily.
Upon seeing this, the young eunuch knelt down immediately and said, "Your Highness, it was my fault that I was not paying attention when I walked. I didn't notice Your Highness..."
When Yue heard that it was the prince, she hurriedly pushed her son gently and asked him to apologize.
Li Yuan was reluctant, but under his mother's gaze, he had no choice but to bow perfunctorily:
"I'm sorry, Your Highness."
Yan Ning rubbed his forehead which was hurt by the collision and glared at Li Yuan. Seeing that he was not from the palace, he didn't bother to care.
He waved his hand like a little adult and said nothing was wrong, glanced at Yue, and continued walking forward.
Li Yuan rolled his eyes behind him and cursed something with his mouth.
Several people continued walking towards Li Yao's bedroom.
…
Fangmiao Terrace.
Upon hearing that his mother and younger brother were coming, Li Yao came out to greet them personally, invited them into the house, and asked someone to bring the little prince over.
Yue was overjoyed holding the little prince.
Li Yao pinched her brother Li Yuan's face.
"Yuan'er has grown taller again."
The family was chatting about some trivial matters, and Yue asked the young eunuch to fetch the box she had brought.
After opening it, there was a scroll of painting inside, which looked quite old.
The painting shows Li Yao, her parents, and the baby in Yue's arms, a family of four.
After seeing this, Li Yao was a little surprised:
"Hey, wasn't this painting said to have been lost a few years ago? How come it was found again?"
“It was left behind the cabinet in your father’s study. No wonder it has not been found all these years.
A few days ago, a craftsman came to work at home and accidentally found it.
It’s rare for our family to get together now, so mother wanted to send this painting to you.”
Li Yao smiled and picked up the painting, examining it carefully.
Yue murmured nostalgically:
“Alas, mother still remembers that it was the Mid-Autumn Festival seven years ago, Yuan’er’s full moon banquet.
At that time, Your Majesty had not yet ascended the throne. You were supposed to attend the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet in the East Palace, but you returned to our house and stayed for a month.
It's rare for a family to get together, so your father specially found a painter to paint a portrait of our family.
Fortunately, I found it, otherwise it would be such a pity..."
After Yue said this, Li Yao also remembered.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival of that year, Yan Xiuyun, who was still the crown prince, was assigned to Qingzhou to investigate the people's sentiments. He was away for three months and did not return until the end of the year.
The Crown Prince was away, and the entire Eastern Palace was deserted. The Queen at the time sympathized with the Eastern Palace concubines' longing for their loved ones during the Mid-Autumn Festival, and showed them special favor, allowing them to reunite with their families.
Only then was she able to return to her parents' home and stay for a month.
Li Yao suddenly noticed that his younger brother Li Yuan had not spoken a word since he entered the door. He was pouting and looked unhappy.
"What's wrong with you?" Li Yao was even more surprised when she saw that Li Yuan was covered with some dust.
Yue said it was nothing first, mentioned the incident of running into the prince on the road, and reminded her son to be careful with his words and actions when entering the palace in the future.
Li Yuan curled his lips and turned his head away.
"Come to think of it, the prince seems to be about the same age as Yuan'er, but he looks much more mature." Yue smiled.
Li Yao also laughed, with a somewhat sarcastic tone:
"He is one year younger than Yuan'er. He doesn't have the liveliness that Yuan'er has."
Yue said, "One year younger than Yuan'er? I really can't tell."
Li Yao picked up a piece of cake and said, "Yes, the prince just had his birthday banquet last month. Unfortunately, His Majesty was not in the capital at that time, so I was too lazy to go to the birthday banquet."
"Last month. The prince was born in August."
Yue said casually, and suddenly thought of something, lowering her voice and teasing:
"I went to a banquet at the home of Lord Yan of the Ministry of Personnel a few days ago. Their young master and the crown prince were born in the same year and month.
Madam Yan also complained, saying that she had asked an expert, who told her that August of that year was a "bad month" and that children born in bad months would not be able to become high officials in the future.
It seems that the prince’s future fortune will be…”
The mother and daughter looked at each other and giggled.
Li Yao was in a good mood. During the chat, she mentioned the old stories of the Eastern Palace and recalled:
"I remember that year, according to the imperial physician's calculations, the Crown Princess should normally give birth to the Emperor's eldest grandson in September, avoiding the unlucky month.
Who would have thought that she would fall down while walking on the road and suffer a miscarriage. She gave birth to the baby in August.
Mother, tell me, is this God's will——"
Li Yao stopped talking halfway, and the smile on her face suddenly froze.
It was as if lightning flashed through my mind.
Yeah, why didn't I think of it before...
Dong Lanxin originally planned to give birth in September, but because of a miscarriage, she gave birth to Yan Ning in August.
But what if it wasn’t a miscarriage?
If she was supposed to give birth in August, according to the normal ten-month pregnancy period for women, she should have been pregnant in October of the previous year...
But His Majesty was not in the capital at that time!
Li Yao didn't hear a word of what Yue said next.
At this moment, she could almost hear the sound of her own violent heartbeat.
She remembered that when she found Dong Lanxin's maid before she came to Beijing and forced her to tell her about the affair between Dong Lanxin and Xiao Yuan, the maid said there was a handkerchief embroidered with love poems, but she had destroyed it.
Li Yao then asked her to imitate the embroidered handkerchief to prove the affair between Dong Lanxin and Xiao Yuan.
Although the perjury was later exposed by Qin Yuwei, Li Yao believed that Dong Lanxin and Xiao Yuan were absolutely not innocent, they just did not leave any evidence.
Now that I am sure of this, let's think back...
If Dong Lanxin had taken advantage of Yan Xiuyun's absence from the capital to have an affair with Xiao Yuan and secretly conceived a child...
A month later, the emperor returned to the capital. After serving him in bed, she pretended to be pregnant, and finally concealed the actual month of the fetus by creating an accidental "miscarriage"...
Then it all makes sense!
However, Li Yao soon realized another problem.
Although the above speculations make sense, they are ultimately just my own guesses. Without any evidence, it is impossible to easily overthrow the queen.
Evidence… Evidence…
Yes, Dong Lanxin was the Crown Princess at the time, and she was pregnant with the Emperor's eldest grandson. The imperial physician who was responsible for taking her pulse was definitely not an ordinary person. How could he not know the actual month of the baby in her belly?
So if Dong Lanxin wants to deceive everyone about this matter, she must bribe the imperial physician!
…
The sun is shining brightly and birds are singing on the branches.
Li Yao was holding the little prince in the yard to bask in the sun. Feicui hurried over and said softly:
"My lady, the matter you asked me to investigate has some clues."
Li Yao raised her eyes and winked at her, asking the wet nurse to take the little prince away, and then asked everyone else to leave.
Jade then spoke:
"Back in the Eastern Palace, the imperial physician who was responsible for taking the Crown Princess' pulse was named Ju Yuanqing. He was solely responsible for the Crown Princess's physical conditioning and pulse diagnosis when she was pregnant.
And Ju Yuanqing is no longer in the Imperial Hospital."
"Gone?" Li Yao narrowed her eyes slightly. "When did it happen?"
"Soon after the Crown Princess gave birth, he resigned from the Imperial Hospital.
He was from Jiangzhou, and before leaving, he told several of his good imperial doctors that he planned to return to his hometown and inherit his family's clinic.
"Jiangzhou? So close..." Li Yao rolled his eyes and came up with an idea.
“Send someone to inquire about it. If you see the person, be sure to bring him to see me.
Remember, do it in secret.”
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