Chu Jinyao also became serious when she heard Qin Yi's question. She stood up and pondered for a while, as if she was hesitating about something, and finally said, "Is it the queen?"

Qin Yi was surprised for a moment, and then asked with interest, "Why do you think so?"

"I just guessed." Chu Jinyao said.

"Of course I know." Qin Yi didn't care much, he still wanted to hear Chu Jinyao's reasons, "Although they may not really be able to touch me, but putting this aside, Prince Su is older and has a good reputation in the court, and Prince Lu is the legitimate son and is also supported by some old ministers. In the harem, the queen, concubine Shu, and concubine Li all have motives. Why do you think it's the queen?"

"Because when we were in the Western Palace that day, the dancer stole the limelight as soon as she appeared on the stage. With the queen's personality, she would never give such a woman a good look. But at that time, she took the initiative to take us outside to watch the dancer dance. I felt something was wrong at the time, and then something really happened."

Qin Yi was obviously stunned when he heard this reason: "Just because of this?"

"Yes." Chu Jinyao said frankly, "Women are mostly jealous, and the empress is especially intolerant. How could she do something to enhance the prestige of others? Something must be wrong when it is abnormal. Moreover, no matter how bold the eunuchs in the Western Palace were, how could they dare to present beauties to the emperor without informing the empress. So in my opinion, the empress must have known what would happen next, so she brought everyone out to watch."

The angle was very tricky, and Qin Yi was speechless. Chu Jinyao looked at Qin Yi's expression and said in surprise, "Am I right?"

"It's hard to say now, but it's almost certain. There aren't many people who can push such a big power in the harem and the front court at the same time." Qin Yi glanced at Chu Jinyao and said, "But I'm not as observant as you, and I can't find out that something is wrong just because a woman is jealous." Qin Yi analyzed the power behind the person who spoke out from a political perspective, combined with the trends in the previous few incidents, and then deduced that it was the queen. Chu Jinyao's perspective was obviously very unique, and what was even more unique was that she guessed it right.

Chu Jinyao chuckled and said, "Your Highness, although the harem is not as turbulent as the previous dynasty, and you can see the big picture from the small details, but since you are a human, you must have your own selfishness. You can figure out a lot by mixing with women."

Qin Yi was completely speechless. It seems that he still neglected the power of the women in the harem. Although Chu Jinyao relied on intuition to lock on the queen, unlike Qin Yi, she only had a vague outline of the whole thing and didn't understand many specific details.

Chu Jinyao pestered Qin Yi to talk, and Qin Yi declined for a moment, then took over and said, "The emperor went to the Western Palace to hold a banquet, and the queen must have known about it a long time ago. As you said, even if the servants in the Western Palace wanted to please the queen, they dared not completely bypass the queen. The queen got the news, so she planned to play along with the dancer and let her change into a green dress and have her catch fire in front of everyone, so that she would have a handle to pull everything to the Eastern Palace. As for the ministers of the previous dynasty, the younger ones were taught by the Four Books and Five Classics. "The head of the family, you always use the saint's set to restrict me. If you want to be a saint, go ahead and be one. What do I want to do? It's none of their business. This group of young people can't stand being provoked. As long as someone in the court starts it, they really think that the East Palace is immoral, and then they will be angry. Even if the old fox feels something is wrong, he will not speak out. In this way, as long as someone incites them, someone will say what they want to say. "

Chu Jinyao's brows wrinkled more and more as he listened: "Aren't you afraid of them saying this to you?"

"What are you afraid of?" Qin Yi smiled, "If you impeach the crown prince, it's for the people and the country, if it's not, it's not afraid of power. Can I punish them? That will only make them more honest."

The impeachment system of this dynasty is very extreme. Chu Jinyao could only sigh after hearing it. She wanted to comfort Qin Yi that the innocent are innocent, but suddenly found something wrong: "Your Highness, you said on the day I fell into the water that Concubine Lian was just passing by. As early as that time, when the impeachment had not yet come, you guessed everything that happened later?"

"Yes." Qin Yi said slowly. Chu Jinyao looked at him, speechless for a long time. She had been worried for the past few days that Qin Yi was depressed because of impeachment. In fact, he had guessed from the beginning that the queen would use this to make a fuss, including the fact that he was impeached and resigned. Maybe he had guessed it.

"Since you know, why..." "

Why didn't you stop it, right?" Qin Yi smiled and said, "Jinyao, in my position, sometimes I am not afraid of open or hidden attacks, but I am afraid that they will not take action. There is no perfect plan in the world. As long as they take action, there will be opportunities."

While the Queen and the Prince of Lu were looking for an opportunity to bite off a piece of meat from Qin Yi, Qin Yi was also watching them. When masters fight, if you can't kill with one blow, you have already lost.

It turned out that he had expected everything. Chu Jinyao had to admit that she had been worrying for nothing for several days. She sighed, "You were right to always dislike me before. I am not worthy of being your opponent. Thank you for your mercy."

Qin Yi smiled and tapped Chu Jinyao's head, "That may not be the case. The Crown Princess was able to deduce the real murderer based on the Queen's words. It was quick and accurate. With this sharpness, you can enter the East Palace as a staff member."

Chu Jinyao knew that Qin Yi would seize on her words "most women are jealous" to make a fuss. Sure enough, he mentioned it again and again, and he didn't know what it meant to quit while he was ahead. Chu Jinyao rolled her eyes at him unhappily and said, "Since the fire was deliberately started by the Queen, what about Concubine Lian? How did she fall into the water?"

"It's hard to say." Qin Yi said indifferently, "Ask her who she offended. I'm afraid there are many people in the harem who want her to have an abortion."

Yes, the Queen carefully arranged a trap. When everyone was panicking and the situation was in chaos, she took the opportunity to push Concubine Lian. It really cost nothing. On the contrary, the Queen had important things to do and certainly didn't want any complications. No wonder Qin Yi dared to say that Concubine Lian was implicated. At that time, Concubine Shu, Concubine Life, Concubine Hui, or any other concubine might have taken action, but not the Queen. At that time, Concubine Lian dragged her into the water. The Empress was furious, but there was nothing she could do. She could only include the falling into the water incident in the harem rumors.

Chu Jinyao understood the whole story, and then the most critical question remained: "Your Highness, we saw with our own eyes that day that the dancer was dancing well, why did her skirt suddenly catch fire?"

Qin Yi sighed: "I've been thinking about this problem too. It's not difficult to break the current situation, but it's a pity that we can't hit them hard by bypassing this key point."

"You clearly said that you would teach me how to play chess today, but you were thinking about the fire." Chu Jinyao snorted and glared at him with a smile, "I will never believe what you say again."

Qin Yi pinched Chu Jinyao's face with amusement: "You are making excuses."

Chu Jinyao dodged Qin Yi's hand, put the piece down and asked: "Your Highness, what exactly does the Queen want to do by making such a big fuss?"

She wants to bring down Qin Yi with this unfounded sky fire? It's a bit naive. Qin Yi has done nothing wrong in recent years. The only thing that people criticize is his bad temper. However, his bad temper and inability to unite the court officials are not wrong in the eyes of the emperor. So, what does the young Queen Qi want?

Chu Jinyao waited for a while but didn't get a reply from Qin Yi. Chu Jinyao raised her head in confusion and saw Qin Yi said calmly: "Didn't you tell me not to think about the outside world?"

Chu Jinyao was immediately blocked and couldn't speak for a long time. After a while, she said faintly: "Your Highness, you really hold a grudge and are so petty."

Qin Yi snorted coldly and didn't answer. Chu Jinyao was thick-skinned and stared at him with a curious look. Qin Yi was really at a loss, so he vaguely said: "There are some people in the folk who originally wanted to occupy one mu of land, but they were afraid that the other party would not agree, so they proposed to take ten mu for free. The other party naturally would not agree. After making a big fuss and even alarming the government, he proposed that if ten mu was not enough, then give him one mu of land. Most of the others agreed."

Chu Jinyao seemed to understand what he heard. Qin Yi smiled but didn't say anything. He gently tapped Chu Jinyao's forehead and said, "Wait for a moment." Then he stood up and went out.

Chu Jinyao rubbed his forehead and vaguely felt something, but it was gone in a flash.

Because Qin Yi was being mysterious and refused to explain clearly, Chu Jinyao had been thinking about this matter all day. In the afternoon, a palace maid brought a bowl of ointment from outside. Chu Jinyao was stunned when she saw it: "What is this?"

"Replying to the Crown Princess, the new medicinal materials have arrived this year. The kitchen has boiled two grams of ointment and sent it to the ladies and the Crown Princess to nourish their bodies."

Chu Jinyao asked the palace maid to put the things down. She slowly stirred it with a spoon. The things in the bowl were in the form of a condensed paste. There was a cool medicinal smell in the nose, which was not pungent, but rather had a refreshing feeling. The old eunuch who came to deliver the things saw it and said hurriedly, "Crown Princess, this two-edition paste is the most famous tonic in the palace. It is made from ginseng, cooked rehmannia, etc., but it does not cause internal heat like using ginseng directly. Instead, it is used as medicine, mild and long-lasting, nourishing yin and nourishing the skin, and is most suitable for women's physique. If you take it on time every day, it will not only nourish yin and detoxify, but your complexion will also get better and better. However, there are not many people in the Yu Kitchen who can make medicinal food. No matter how hard they try, they can only make a few bowls every day. Many ladies have nowhere to ask for money. This is the first batch of ginseng that arrived this year. It has the best effect as medicine. Many ladies came to the Yu Kitchen to say hello. The servants were concerned about the difference between the noble and the humble. After the soup was ready, they did not dare to make it public, and sent it to the Crown Princess first."

"What about the Empress?"

"The Empress has two bowls, which have been delivered."

"I didn't know there was such a thing." Chu Jinyao smiled, took a bite with a spoon, and said, "It tastes really good. You are thoughtful, go out and claim your reward."

The old lady who delivered the things saw that Chu Jinyao was indeed satisfied, and she responded happily, and went out to claim her reward. As soon as the people left, Chu Jinyao's smile disappeared immediately. Linglong brought the basin over, and Chu Jinyao waved her hands and said, "No need. No one dares to tamper with something that is delivered openly." In fact, Chu Jinyao was embarrassed to say the real reason. She didn't intend to eat it, but she accidentally swallowed it just now.

So, she could only bite the bullet and continue.

Linglong thought so too and put down the thing in her hand. Chu Jinyao leaned on the armrest and sighed slowly: "I didn't think it was a big deal at first, but this eunuch gave such a long speech, praising this ointment to the heavens and the earth. This is too deliberate."

Linglong became more worried after hearing this: "Crown Princess, you just tasted it, do you need to call the imperial physician over?"

"That's not necessary." Chu Jinyao laughed, "I guess this medicine is indeed a tonic, otherwise the queen wouldn't dare to send it to me openly. The eunuch just now hinted that eating this can beautify the skin, just to induce me to eat more, preferably once a day. I think the problem lies here, this ointment is indeed nourishing, but if you eat too much, I'm afraid it won't be good. I just took a sip just now, it's okay."

Linglong was still worried, and planned to call the imperial physician in the name of checking Ping'an's pulse to check Chu Jinyao's pulse. There is no harm in being cautious, so Chu Jinyao agreed.

As they were talking, Nanny Hong came in. When she saw the things on the table, she was stunned, and then she came to look at Chu Jinyao's face. Chu Jinyao saw it clearly and said directly: "Madam, just say whatever you want to say. You don't have to look at my expression."

Madam Hong smiled awkwardly and asked: "Crown Princess, is this Liangyi Cream?"

Madam Hong saw that Chu Jinyao did not deny it, and she understood in her heart: "Crown Princess, Liangyi Cream is indeed a palace tonic, but it is a little cautious to take it."

"Oh?"

Seeing that Chu Jinyao didn't stop her, Nanny Hong scooped a small piece with a spoon, put it to her nose and smelled it, and nodded: "Indeed, this recipe is a cold recipe. It's right to eat these heat-reducing recipes in spring, but the Crown Princess is born with a cold body and fell into the water a few days ago. If she eats this often, it may be harmful to her offspring."

Nanny Hong's words shocked everyone. A woman's offspring is so important. If she eats this often, it will lead to infertility. The thoughts behind it are too vicious. Linglong's face was angry. Chu Jinyao stirred a few spoonfuls with a spoon and pushed it away respectfully.

What she feared most was that the Queen of Qi would do something in this regard. She was the Crown Princess. If the Eastern Palace didn't have a legitimate son for a long time, this would obviously be extremely disadvantageous. Although it cannot be proved that it was the Queen who did this, there are many people in the harem who don't want her to get pregnant, including the Queen, Concubine Shu, Prince Su, and Prince Lu. The mastermind behind this is really deliberate, and he actually used the excuse of beauty to attract her. Which woman doesn't love beauty? If she is not on guard and really takes medicine every day, wouldn't she be harmed for life? Chu Jinyao originally didn't plan to rely on medicine to get pregnant. After today's trick, she doesn't even want to take the monthly peace medicine. Medicine is three-point poison, and moving more is more effective than any panacea.

Chu Jinyao asked Linglong to pour out the things, and then instructed the remaining few confidants: "If the kitchen sends two more ointments in the future, don't say anything, keep them first, and pour them out quietly later. In addition, everything from outside, no matter what it is, must be carefully checked, understand?"

No matter who doesn't want her to get pregnant, it's not appropriate to make a fuss at this stage. Chu Jinyao temporarily accepted the things, which can paralyze the other party and give herself a chance to obtain evidence, which is better than shouting out without any evidence now.

Several maids held their breath and agreed. Chu Jinyao looked at Madam Hong and said, "Madam, you have done a great job today and deserve a great reward. What do you want?"

Madam Hong bowed her head and said, "I dare not ask for a reward from the Crown Princess. I don't have any other skills. I have been in the palace for a few more years and know a thing or two about the medicines in the harem. I am lucky that the Crown Princess did not give up on me."

Chu Jinyao smiled faintly. Madam Hong showed her usefulness and then secretly reminded Chu Jinyao of her original promise. Chu Jinyao understood what Madam Hong was thinking, so she said, "Don't worry, Madam. It's only two years. As long as you can survive safely, your freedom will be yours."

These words were more of a threat than a coercion. Although Madam Hong smiled, she felt nervous. It would have been fine if the Crown Princess had used kind words to persuade her, but she used both kindness and force, and was ruthless, which made Hong Mam unable to figure out Chu Jinyao's thoughts, and she was unconsciously in awe of her.

After Hong Mam left, Linglong packed up her things and said with lingering fear: "Fortunately, we found out early, otherwise it would have been bad."

Chu Jinyao thought of her menstruation coming on time, and she felt a little anxious. She and Qin Yi have been married for almost five months, but there is still no movement in her belly. Although she and Qin Yi are not big yet, and Qin Yi has never been anxious about children, but they are in a special position. Qin Yi needs a legitimate son, and Chu Jinyao also needs one.

So, Chu Jinyao really wants to get pregnant.

Not only Chu Jinyao, but others have been staring at her belly. More and more people mentioned this matter vaguely, and some even sent her prescriptions for having a child. Chu Jinyao was very anxious, but she never planned to get pregnant by taking medicine or folk remedies.

She is trapped in the palace every day, having nothing to eat and clothes to wear. She is already fragile enough. If she has to take medicine frequently and rely on medicine for conditioning, she will get sick even if she is not sick. Chu Jinyao still thinks that more exercise is necessary to keep healthy, but this idea is undoubtedly a bit crude in the aristocratic circle where weakness is the norm. Chu Jinyao couldn't help but say it when she thought of this: "My grandmother always asks me to take medicine to condition my body. I think this is a disease of the rich. I used to run around in the mountains and the women around me did all kinds of work, but they never got sick. When I was five years old, I was chased down the hillside because I was playing a prank..."

Chu Jinyao suddenly stopped. Linglong was terrified when she heard it. The Crown Princess actually rolled down the hillside? The reason turned out to be that he was being chased and beaten for playing a prank on someone? Linglong didn't know what to complain about, but when she saw Chu Jinyao stop, she was very surprised: "Crown Princess, what's wrong with you?"

On the fifth day after the impeachment, the East Palace still hadn't made any statement, which made the righteous people in the court even more angry. The impeachment system, which was originally well-intentioned, became more and more extreme. The literati were proud of dying for their advice, but their "death advice" became more and more a means to please the emperor, rather than really pleading for the country. For example, now, the prince, who has always been clear-headed in political affairs, just didn't act according to the ideas of the civil officials, and they became surprisingly angry.

Things are getting bigger and bigger. On one side is the eldest son who doesn't ask questions and is obedient, and on the other side is a group of civil officials who are filled with righteous indignation. The emperor is also in a difficult position. In fact, if Qin Yi came out and admitted his mistakes now, admitting that he had neglected self-reflection recently and that his words and deeds did not meet the requirements of a saint, and then apologized, the civil officials would have a step down, and the emperor and the inner cabinet would also be able to smooth things over. However, the crux of the problem happened to be here. When Qin Yi dared to shoot arrows and kill a maid in front of the emperor, he refused to give in even when the emperor, his own father, was angry, let alone a group of naive and arrogant officials. It would be better to expect the emperor to be diligent one day than to let Qin Yi take the initiative to admit his mistakes.

Fan Shoufu, who knew the prince's character well, felt bitter in his heart. Because the prince resisted passively, Fan Shoufu was also angered, and the memorials impeaching the chief minister were thrown out. At this time, some people took advantage of the chaos and proposed that perhaps they could follow the example of Emperor Lizong's reign. In order to protect the succession of the throne, in addition to the crown prince, another prince should be left in Beijing. The Eastern Palace would still be the Eastern Palace, but if anything happened to the crown prince, the other prince would be useful.

This was definitely caused by people from other forces. Since the crown prince had been appointed, wouldn't leaving another prince undermine the legitimacy of the crown prince? If it were normal times, this idea would definitely be scolded by the ministers, but now that there was a big fight in the court, and Qin Yi's attitude of refusing to admit his mistakes made some civil officials dissatisfied, this statement was actually echoed by some people.

The emperor also gradually realized that the matter was serious. He really didn't understand why it was just a small matter, so why did it develop to this point today? These days, he has no interest in listening to music, and he has rarely visited his beloved concubines in the harem. Instead, he goes to Kunning Palace to talk to Empress Xiaoqi about his troubles.

This is the reason why Empress Xiaoqi is still favored. Using her beauty to please others can gain a few days of favor. The most important thing is to cater to the emperor's inner needs. Because the emperor is only willing to talk to Empress Xiaoqi from the heart, Empress Xiaoqi can have such a great influence in the front court and the harem.

Empress Xiaoqi smiled sincerely and pretended to listen carefully to what the emperor said about this period of time. Her smile today really came from the heart. Empress Xiaoqi has been assisted by God recently. The East Palace has repeatedly stumbled under her calculations, and things are going very smoothly. Empress Xiaoqi was ecstatic. She also prepared many tricks, but she didn't expect that none of them would work. Empress Xiao Qi secretly felt disdainful. She had prepared so much to scheme against Qin Yi, but now it seemed that it was nothing more than this.

The Eastern Palace did not fight back. Although Empress Xiao Qi found it strange, she also thought that her plan was too powerful, so that the Eastern Palace could not even fight back, so she did not take it to heart. After the emperor finished speaking, Empress Xiao Qi pretended to sigh and frowned in distress: "I have been in the harem, and I don’t know how many days have passed. So many things have happened outside. The prince has helped the emperor to rule the world over the years. The elders in the inner cabinet also support the prince. Even I have heard of the prince’s reputation for virtue and ability. How could anyone be dissatisfied with the prince?"

These words did not sound very comfortable for the emperor. The emperor frowned and ignored her, but continued, "I can't understand how such a trivial matter could have developed into what it is now."

The emperor was truly immersed in his sorrow and did not notice that Empress Qi was staring at his profile. She had a gentle smile on her face, but it was a smile that made people shudder. "Your Majesty, you just said that someone proposed to follow the example of Emperor Lizong and keep an extra prince in the capital?"

"Someone has said so."

"What do you think?" The voice of the Little Queen was a little anxious, and although the emperor was easily persuaded, his expression was firm as he shook his head: "No. Lizong kept the princes in Beijing at the beginning because the crown prince was young and he was afraid that the crown prince would not live to see adulthood, so he kept one more. Now Qin Yi is older and has even married, so there is really no reason to keep another prince. Moreover, if I really do this, the people below will inevitably think that I am dissatisfied with Qin Yi and intend to appoint another crown prince. After all, he is my son, and I know that although he is arrogant and domineering, he is a talented person. I can rest assured to let him take over this ancestral foundation in the future."

The light in the Little Queen's eyes gradually dimmed, and finally turned into jealousy and resentment. She rolled her eyes, and suddenly came up with an idea. She smiled and said, "Your Majesty's fatherly heart is really touching. It's a pity that the Crown Prince has never been close to us and cannot understand the Emperor's painstaking efforts. Your Majesty, you see that there have been many accidents in the palace recently. The fire that day was also strange. First, the Crown Princess fell into the water, and then the Crown Prince was impeached. The Eastern Palace seems to be very unlucky. Otherwise, we invite someone to the palace to perform a proper ritual to remove the bad luck for the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess?"