Chapter 60. A hangover remedy with a drug called "Qianji".
Upon hearing this, Shen Mi froze on the spot. As soon as Zhou Fanyin released her hand, she staggered back a few steps until her lower back leaned against the edge of the incense table, barely managing to support herself.
She knew that Gu Zhan was always cold and indifferent, but even tigers don't eat their cubs, so how could Gu Zhan possibly do such a thing?
Shen Mi recalled that when Gu Zhan wanted the child from her, he said that he would use the child to consolidate his position as heir apparent. Whether from the perspective of kinship or from the perspective of the power he valued most, Gu Zhan had no reason to harm the child.
She couldn't think of any reason.
Moreover, the matter from back then was clearly settled. It was Zhou Fanyin who was jealous and took advantage of the crowd at the Thousand Autumn Banquet to push her into the Taiye Pond, creating the illusion that she had accidentally fallen into the water due to the crowd. However, the palace servants who were with her saw it, which is why Zhou Fanyin was unable to escape by chance.
Shen Mi pondered the various motives in her mind and did not intend to believe Zhou Fanyin's words. "Don't talk nonsense! Many people saw it clearly at the time. It was you who pushed me into the water and killed my child!" As she spoke, she tried to pull Zhou Fanyin away again.
This time, Zhou Fanyin didn't dodge her movement. She just looked at her and sneered, "I am currently carrying His Highness Prince Wei's child. If Sister Shen acts impulsively and something happens to the child, you should think carefully about the consequences."
Shen Mi subconsciously looked at her lower abdomen.
After the scandal broke at the Thousand Autumns Banquet, the Emperor was furious and originally intended to demote Zhou Fanyin to commoner status and then order her to commit suicide. It was only through the desperate pleas of Prince Wei and Consort Li that Zhou Fanyin's life was spared, and she was allowed to reflect on her actions in the Great Xiangguo Temple in front of the ancient Buddha and the green lamp.
The King of Wei and Zhou Fanyin were each other's wives, and the Li family and the Zhou family were related by marriage, which is why Consort Li pleaded for Zhou Fanyin.
If she did the same thing, would Gu Zhan ask the official to protect her? She wasn't sure. Although Gu Zhan always called her his wife, he never gave her the respect a husband should give to his wife.
Needless to say, the Empress had already instructed her to be more sensible and relinquish the position of Crown Princess to a noblewoman from Bianjing whose family could support Gu Zhan, even before the imperial decree was issued. It's likely that once the Empress hears the news, she will be even more convinced than the Emperor that she has lost her decorum and manners, and she won't even face confinement at the Daxiangguo Temple.
Zhou Fanyin's words made her doubt the events of that year. She hadn't figured out the truth yet, hadn't been able to avenge her child, and couldn't die yet.
Besides, what did the child do wrong?
Zhou Fanyin pushed her back then because she was jealous. What does that have to do with the child?
Shen Mi took a breath and released Zhou Fanyin.
Zhou Fanyin withdrew her hand, looked at Shen Mi, and said, "You've been with His Highness the Crown Prince for so many years, you should know better than me what kind of person he is who will stop at nothing to achieve his goals, right?"
Shen Mi's vision blurred for a moment.
Zhou Fanyin is absolutely right; Gu Zhan is exactly that kind of person.
Zhou Fanyin observed her expression and continued, "You weren't actually pregnant with His Highness's child at first, were you? You conceived later, and the actual month of conception doesn't match the well-known timeline at all."
Shen Mi moved her lips, quickly forcing her mind to regain its clarity.
"That's utter nonsense! Five years ago, at the Emperor's birthday banquet, I was already six months pregnant. How could I be faking a pregnancy!"
Zhou Fanyin smiled and shook her head, saying, "Sister Shen, you might fool others with this, but you can't fool me. Before you, I was already the mother of two princesses. How could I not know what changes a pregnant woman's body undergoes at six months of pregnancy? You were too thin back then, too thin to support the normal growth of a baby at that stage of pregnancy." She stared into Shen Mi's eyes and continued, "And His Highness the Crown Prince framed me for pushing you, and used this opportunity to force His Highness the Prince of Wei to go to his fiefdom, thus solving the problem of your baby being too far along in the pregnancy. Killing two birds with one stone, don't you understand?"
Shen Mi kept herself calm and said, "If you're going to say that you were wronged, why didn't you say so back then? Why bring it up with me five years later?"
Zhou Fanyin said, "You were unconscious at the time and didn't know that after the Crown Prince pulled you out of Taiye Pond, he almost pressed you hard. Who would have thought that he would lay a hand on his own flesh and blood? So all the smears and mudslinging were poured on my head. If you don't believe me, you must know this palace maid, right? She used to serve you." As she spoke, she dragged Caiyun in front of Shen Mi.
Caiyun knelt down in front of Shen Mi with a thud and kowtowed to her: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. When I pushed you into the water back then, it was truly because His Highness's command was hard to disobey. I dared not disobey His Highness's orders. In the past five years, I have often had nightmares, dreaming that the little prince came to take my life. I have always been uneasy. More than a month ago, I returned to Bianjing and heard that Your Majesty would regularly come to the Daxiangguo Temple to pray for blessings. So I have been staying in the temple, hoping to see Your Majesty and tell you the truth of what happened back then."
Shen Mi frowned and looked down at Cai Yun, "You mean, you were the one who pushed me back then?"
Caiyun didn't look up, her voice trembling with tears, "Yes, five years ago, before the Thousand Autumns Banquet, His Highness the Crown Prince instructed me to follow you the next day, and when everyone gathered to watch the 'Flying Dragon in the Sky' performance, he would push you into the water and immediately frame the Princess Consort of Wei. After that incident, His Highness didn't want the Princess Consort to know the truth, so he banished me from the Eastern Palace."
Shen Mi's heart was pounding; she had never imagined that there was more to the story than met the eye.
No, she quickly realized, ignoring Caiyun and looking at Zhou Fanyin: "How do I know that this palace maid wasn't someone you went to great lengths to find in order to exonerate yourself?"
Seeing how quickly Shen Mi reacted, Zhou Fanyin suddenly felt uncertain.
The woman before her was nothing like the timid and submissive woman she had seen at various banquets in the palace five years ago, nor was she as easy to get along with as she had been back then. She had brought up the very thing that Shen Mi valued most, yet she was still able to remain calm.
Zhou Fanyin glanced down at Shen Mi and saw that her hands, hidden in her sleeves, were clenched tightly. She felt confident again. "Exonerate? There is no need for that at all. So many years have passed. I'm afraid that apart from you, even the child's biological father has almost forgotten that poor child. Who else will remember? The reason I was released from the Great Xiangguo Temple and returned to the Prince of Wei's residence is because I was pregnant with His Highness Prince Wei's child. His Majesty did not want the royal bloodline to be lost outside."
Shen Mi's pupils contracted.
Since their reunion, Gu Zhan has indeed mentioned to her more than once that they should have another child, but he has never mentioned the child who died in Taiye Pond back then. Only she would often wake up in the middle of the night. The fact that the Emperor could disregard the past and release Zhou Fanyin from the temple, and that Gu Zhan had never mentioned a word about this to her, is enough to explain everything.
She was momentarily stunned.
But she didn't want to show any vulnerability in front of Zhou Fanyin. Even if Gu Zhan didn't mention anything about the outside world to her, she wasn't stupid. She could vaguely guess that now that the Prince of Wei had returned to the capital and Zhou Fanyin was pregnant, she was probably fighting fiercely with Gu Zhan outside.
Although she no longer harbored the same infatuation with Gu Zhan as she once did, she was still, in name, Gu Zhan's Crown Princess. Her personal grudges with Gu Zhan were a matter between the two of them, but to the outside world, she absolutely could not allow Zhou Fanyin any opportunity to take advantage of her.
When the Prince of Wei and Gu Zhan vied for the throne, she and Zhou Fanyin were no longer just sisters-in-law, but political enemies who were locked in a life-or-death struggle.
When Shen Mi was with her father and brother, she often heard them talk about military strategy. One of the sayings was: "The best strategy is to subdue the enemy without fighting; the best strategy is to attack their minds."
It was obvious that Zhou Fanyin was trying to make her panic in order to win her over psychologically.
Even if what Zhou Fanyin and Caiyun said was true, she couldn't show the slightest cowardice in front of Zhou Fanyin.
After letting all her thoughts run through her mind, Shen Mi made sure that there was no trace of the emotion Zhou Fanyin wanted on her face, and simply said, "I have my own judgment and conclusion on this matter, so there's no need for you to worry about it, Sister Zhou."
Seeing that further discussion was pointless, Zhou Fanyin decided to stop there and simply watch the show unfold in the Eastern Palace with Gu Shen.
So she nodded. “That’s all I have to say. Sister Shen is a smart person and should be able to distinguish right from wrong.” Then she lightly kicked Caiyun, who was kneeling on the ground, with her toe, signaling her to get up.
After Zhou Fanyin turned around, Shen Mi's composure and calmness, which she had been trying so hard to maintain, completely collapsed, and she stared blankly at the Buddha statue in front of her.
When they came to their senses again, Caiyun and Zhou Fanyin had already left.
A sense of unease immediately arose in her mind. If Caiyun really intended to wait for her at the Daxiangguo Temple, why would he walk with Zhou Fanyin?
However, there was no trace of the two in the hall. She was about to chase after them to the back hall, but when she heard Gu Zhan's voice behind her, she had no choice but to stop.
Gu Zhan walked up to her, glanced at the incense table, and asked, "Have you offered the ever-burning lamp?"
Having just experienced that ordeal, Shen Mi had no idea how to deal with Gu Zhan.
Was it true that Gu Zhan instructed Caiyun to push her into the water to frame the King of Wei back then? Or was it Zhou Fanyin's instigation of Caiyun in what she said today?
When Gu Zhan saw that Shen Mi was silent, he looked at her and noticed that her brows were furrowed, her face was pale, and her lips were almost bloodless.
His tone was somewhat anxious, "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Should we go back soon?"
Shen Mi composed herself, looked into Gu Zhan's eyes, and tentatively said, "I just saw Princess Wei, and it suddenly reminded me of the child who died in Taiye Pond five years ago."
She didn't bring it up directly; she wanted to see what Gu Zhan's attitude was towards the child.
When Gu Zhan heard her mention Princess Wei, his brows furrowed. "What's she doing here? Did she hurt you?"
Seeing that Gu Zhan cared nothing for the child and only about why Zhou Fanyin was there, Shen Mi's heart sank. However, she still continued, "She's pregnant. How much harm could she possibly do to me?"
Gu Zhan put his arm around her waist. "That's good."
Shen Mi pursed her lips and repeated what she had just said, "The moment I saw her, I thought of our child from back then."
Gu Zhan was momentarily stunned when he thought of the child he had lost because of his indifferent act of standing by after weighing the pros and cons.
However, he quickly detached himself from the situation, saying, "It's all in the past. We'll have children in the future."
Shen Mi lowered her eyes, her heart filled with intense disappointment, and only responded with a soft "Mm".
But she couldn't figure out what she was thinking, so she decided to check the events of that year again from other sources.
She still couldn't believe it; she couldn't believe that Gu Zhan would do something so cruel.
Shen Mi was preoccupied with what Zhou Fanyin and Cai Yun had just told her. She had originally planned to stay at Daxiangguo Temple a little longer after offering incense, but now she wasn't in the mood. She simply relit the eternal lamp for her mother and then told Gu Zhan that she was a little tired and wanted to go back to rest early.
Gu Zhan didn't ask any further questions and nodded in agreement.
*
Caiyun's parents, brothers, husband, and children are now in the hands of the King of Wei. She dares not disobey Zhou Fanyin. After coming out of the back hall of the Buddhist temple, she has been following behind Zhou Fanyin ever since.
The King of Wei had been waiting for Zhou Fanyin in the back hall with a cloak in his arms. When he saw her come out, he reached out and put the cloak on her. "Put the cloak on quickly, don't catch a cold."
Zhou Fanyin smiled and nodded to the Prince of Wei. "Shenlang is thoughtful." She tied the ribbon on the collar of her cloak and said, "So what if I pushed the Crown Princess back then? From today onwards, there is only a wicked Crown Prince, a Crown Princess who has been used, and the Princess of Wei who has suffered 'unjust suffering' for five years."
King Wei took her hand and glanced at Caiyun, who was following behind the two of them.
Caiyun was so frightened that she almost shrank into a quail and didn't dare to make a sound.
The Prince of Wei turned his head to look at Zhou Fanyin and said, "My mother misses you very much. I have already submitted a petition to the palace. After you have settled in the mansion for a while, you can come with me to the palace to see my mother. The Emperor has been worried about various things lately. I heard from my mother that his health is not very good. You and I can also take our two daughters to the palace to see the Emperor."
"Yes, I'll follow Shenlang's arrangements."
*
On the carriage ride back to the East Palace, Shen Mi's mind was in turmoil. She had grown accustomed to Gu Zhan's touches and advances, but after what had happened with Zhou Fanyin at the Great Xiangguo Temple, she instinctively avoided any attempt by Gu Zhan to get close.
Gu Zhan noticed her unease and asked, "What did Zhou say to you?"
This sentence pulled Shen Mi back from her wandering thoughts.
Why was Gu Zhan so concerned about what Zhou Fanyin had said to her, yet he avoided talking about the child when she mentioned it?
Gu Zhan moved closer to her and said, "You can tell me anything you need to do. I am your husband."
Shen Mi's fingertips were gently held by her, and she couldn't pull them away. She deliberately looked away, avoiding Gu Zhan's gaze, and only said, "She didn't say anything. When I went in, she was already planning to leave. We just exchanged glances."
Caiyun was not in her hands, and she still hadn't figured out whether what happened back then was really as Caiyun said, or whether it was all Zhou Fanyin's design. After all, the timing of Zhou Fanyin and Caiyun appearing together in the Buddhist temple today was too coincidental.
It was as if they were waiting specifically for her.
Therefore, she did not want to ask Gu Zhan directly now, because she knew all too well that no matter whether Gu Zhan did it or not, he would never admit it.
Moreover, at such a critical juncture, there are far too many people who want to see the Crown Prince make a fool of himself. If what Zhou Fanyin mentioned is completely unfounded, she won't be fooled. If it is true, she also has her own way of dealing with it.
After returning to the East Palace, Gu Zhan noticed that Shen Mi was in a bad mood and assumed that she missed her mother too much. He wanted to accompany her back to Qingluan Palace to comfort her, but Yang Ping was waiting at the door. As soon as he saw him, he said, "Your Majesty, I have some things I would like to say to you."
Gu Zhan looked at Shen Mi.
Shen Mi took the initiative to release Gu Zhan's hand and bowed slightly to him: "Your Highness has important business to attend to, you don't need to worry about me."
For her, it was only when Gu Zhan wasn't around that she was able to calm down and think about the matter properly, recalling what happened back then and Zhou Fanyin's words.
"Okay." Gu Zhan reached out to brush the snow off her shoulders and went to the Hall of Diligent Governance with Yang Ping.
Upon entering the Hall of Diligent Governance, Gu Zhan instinctively walked towards the seat of honor, pulled out a round-backed chair, and gestured for the palace servants to serve him and Yang Ping tea.
After all the palace servants had left, he turned to Yang Ping and asked, "Uncle, what do you want to say to me?"
Yang Ping didn't touch the cup of tea, but said, "I heard that Wang Chengxian refuses to change his story, insisting that Shen Yu and Shen Cong betrayed the Dangxiang many years ago, and that he himself was entrusted to him by Shen Cong before his death?"
Gu Zhan has been troubled by this matter recently, but Yang Ping's words are true, and he did not deny them. He only said, "Wang Chengxian has obviously been caught by the Wei King's faction. The Shaanxi Military Commissioner is Li Xiang's classmate, and the current Prefect of Yanzhou is his son-in-law. Wang Chengxian's wife and children are in Yanzhou. There is conclusive evidence that he is colluding with the enemy. But the difficulty lies in the fact that he has accused two people who have already died in battle to frame me."
Yang Ping pondered for a moment and then asked, "May I ask Your Highness, what is His Majesty's intention?"
"The Emperor's will?" Gu Zhan curled his lips into a mocking smile. "Back then, in the Battle of Yanzhou, several cities in the north fell in succession, and the Great Qi almost perished. It took many years to recover. The reason is all too obvious: it's the rule of 'strengthening the trunk and weakening the branches' established since the founding of our dynasty. The Great Qi's elite troops are all in the capital region, while the border defenses, which should have been strengthened, were neglected, leading to the disaster of that year. However, the Emperor insists that the ancestral laws cannot be changed. For the Emperor, admitting that the defeat was caused by someone colluding with the enemy and betraying the country is probably the best choice. A hundred years from now, historians and the world will only condemn those who 'colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country.'"
Yang Ping looked at Gu Zhan and said, "Since Your Highness has already seen through the Emperor's thoughts, why not go along with the Emperor's wishes and stop here to avoid displeasing the Emperor."
Gu Zhan finally looked up from his teacup and coldly stared at Yang Ping, saying, "Uncle is confused. Gu Shen is using this matter to attack me. If I do this, wouldn't I be going along with Gu Shen's wishes?"
Yang Ping said, "The reason why the Prince of Wei was able to use this to attack Your Highness is simply because Shen Yu and Shen Cong are the Crown Princess's father and brother. However, if Your Highness and the Crown Princess divorce, then Your Highness will have no connection with the Shen family. Even if the Prince of Wei wanted to attack Your Highness, he would be powerless to do so. This is the best solution for both sides."
Gu Zhan snorted coldly, ignoring Yang Ping's words, "Uncle, you should not mention this again. I have my own ways. I will not give up either love or the world."
Yang Ping stood up anxiously from his seat. "Your Highness, please reconsider. After Your Highness inherits the throne, you can choose any woman in the world. Why should Your Highness focus all your attention on the Crown Princess?"
Gu Zhan ignored him, saying, "If I were to divorce her because of this, I would be unworthy of being a husband."
After saying that, he stood up and left Yang Ping alone in the Hall of Diligent Governance.
After returning to Qingluan Palace, Shen Mi was filled with thoughts. She didn't know where to seek further information about this matter. The more anxious she became, the less effective she was. Before long, she developed a severe headache and lost all interest in waiting for Gu Zhan, so she went straight to bed.
Hearing the palace servants greeting Gu Zhan, she instinctively wanted to get up and greet Gu Zhan in return, but Zhou Fanyin's words from earlier that day lingered in her mind, so she clutched the corner of the quilt and pretended to be asleep.
After Gu Zhan took off his outer robe, he saw Shen Mi lying on the couch with her eyes closed. He guessed that she must be asleep, so he didn't disturb her. He simply hugged her in his arms as usual. Then he felt that his mother's back seemed to stiffen slightly, but she didn't make any other movements. He assumed that he was cold and had chilled her, so he moved back a little without saying anything.
After meeting Zhou Fanyin, Shen Mi repeatedly forced herself to recall what happened back then, but it was always a blur. She didn't know who else she could get the answer from besides asking Gu Zhan directly, so the matter was delayed until the New Year's Eve palace banquet.
During the New Year's Eve palace banquet, Gu Zhan, as usual, prevented her from getting close to Zhou Fanyin, saying that he was afraid Zhou Fanyin would use her unborn child to frame her.
Upon hearing Gu Zhan's words, Shen Mi felt a chill run down her spine.
Why would he think Zhou Fanyin had such thoughts?
She recalled that in the Buddhist hall of Daxiangguo Temple, Zhou Fanyin said that Gu Zhan wanted to use her unborn child to frame the King of Wei.
Why such a coincidence?
Shen Mi dared not think any further.
When she went to the side hall to change her clothes, Zhou Fanyin stopped her again. However, this time Zhou Fanyin did not reminisce with her much. She only said, "I know that it is hard for Sister Shen to accept what happened back then. I suppose you don't want to grow old with such a cold and heartless person. I can help you." As she spoke, she took out two small porcelain bottles of different colors from her sleeve. "The white bottle contains a drug that can induce sleep. If you hate the murderer who killed your child, use it. The blue bottle contains a unique sleeping potion. Just a little bit is enough to make him unconscious. You can also escape him and live the life you want."
Shen Mi stood there stunned, but Zhou Fanyin simply shoved the bottle into her hand and left.
Gu Zhan quickly came over, and Shen Mi subconsciously hid the bottle in her sleeve. When Gu Zhan asked her questions, she made up an excuse to avoid the question.
The two bottles of medicine in her arms made Shen Mi uneasy. She had never felt her heart beating so fast, and she even avoided Gu Zhan's approach and touch.
She didn't know what she was afraid of, excited about, or nervous about.
After returning to the East Palace, she was supposed to go to the bathhouse separately from Gu Zhan, but after Gu Zhan went into the bathhouse, she went to find Yang Ping instead.
If what happened back then was indeed done by Gu Zhan, then there is one person who would definitely know, and that is Gu Zhan's uncle, Yang Ping.
Yang Ping never expected the Crown Princess to come looking for him, and he never expected Shen Mi to ask him about what happened back then.
He had been trying to persuade His Highness the Crown Prince to divorce Shen. He argued that if His Highness did so, then whatever Shen Yu and Shen Cong did, which had been dead for ten years, would no longer be a pretext for the Prince of Wei to attack His Highness. However, His Highness remained unwilling.
Regarding the matter Shen Mi asked, Yang Ping did indeed give His Highness this idea back then, but His Highness firmly opposed it at the time, and he was powerless to change it.
He didn't know why Shen Mi would ask him about this, but then he thought that if he acquiesced to it, Shen Mi would not be able to accept continuing to be with His Highness. If Shen Mi took the initiative to propose a divorce to His Highness, he could achieve the same goal.
So he straightened his clothes slightly, pretended to look regretful, and said, "Your Highness was also helpless about what happened back then."
Shen Mi's breathing trembled: "So, he instructed the palace maid to push me into the water, right?"
Yang Ping sighed deeply, but did not deny it.
Shen Mi guessed Yang Ping's unspoken meaning: everything Cai Yun said was true.
Gu Zhan is truly a cold-blooded and heartless person.
It was Gu Zhan who killed their child.
The last straw that broke the camel's back landed lightly on her back.
Shen Mi took a moment to catch her breath, and like a walking corpse, slowly walked back to the Qingluan Palace.
She didn't know how she calmed herself down, nor how she bathed and changed her clothes. Looking at the two bottles of medicine that Zhou Fanyin handed to her, she could barely walk.
Should she drug Gu Zhan and escape, or poison him with a cup of anesthetic to avenge the "killing of her son"?
She held the two bottles of medicine in her hands, looking at the hangover soup that Cuiwei had prepared for her, and wondered which one to pour down.
The sound of children crying filled her ears, but before her eyes lay all that she had experienced with Gu Zhan over the past six years.
She closed her eyes, and two lines of tears slowly flowed down her cheeks. Her hand trembled unintentionally, and when she opened her eyes again, what she had spilled was the powder of the drug "Traction Poison".
Shen Mi was so frightened that she threw the bottle away.
She stood there stunned for a long time, murmuring, "Perhaps, it's time for everything to end."
Shen Mi composed herself in front of the mirror, then carried the bowl of hangover soup laced with anesthetic back to her bedchamber.
Gu Zhan remained calm and simply asked, "Why are you so slow today?"
Shen Mi pursed her lips and lowered her eyes, "Go and prepare a hangover soup for His Highness."
As she spoke, she handed the hangover soup to Gu Zhan, saying, "Your Highness, please have some, so you don't have a hangover headache."
Gu Zhan took the porcelain cup from her hand.
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Author's Note: Some readers who have been following along might have noticed that the part about Mei Bao's miscarriage was revised at the time, and the plot differs significantly from the original. If there are any misunderstandings, please go back and reread chapters 26, 27, and 28 to avoid any mismatches in the plot. [pat on the head][pat on the head][pat on the head]
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