Yan Yan was quite frightened by the scene. Su Yushan took him and comforted him for a while. After he calmed down a bit, the nanny took the child and carried him behind the screen to breastfeed him.
Hongli had too many things to do and couldn't take care of the child for the time being. He instructed the nanny to look after Yan Yan, and then took Yu Shan's hand and led her outside.
Upon reaching the door, Su Yushan noticed a monk standing outside. A sense of unease arose within her. "Who is this...?"
“This is Master Hongyi. Since the Princess Consort does not trust the imperial physicians, I invited this virtuous master to treat the young princess.”
The princess invited a shaman, so Hongli invited a high-ranking monk. So, was he planning to use magic to defeat magic?
Su Yushan couldn't figure out his intentions, and Hongli didn't say it outright either, only saying that he wanted to take her to Lanzhao Academy.
Su Yushan felt resistant, "I just came from Lanzhao Courtyard. I didn't agree to the Fujin's request, so she must be upset. I won't go and upset her."
Upon hearing this, Hongli's expression immediately turned serious. "What does your wife want with you? Did she make things difficult for you again while I was away? Were you injured or punished?"
Shaking her head, Su Yushan truthfully explained, "The Princess Consort didn't punish me; she just begged me to save the little princess. But that Granny Cui is a heartless person..."
Recalling what happened that morning, Su Yushan felt increasingly frightened. Overwhelmed with emotion, she choked up and couldn't speak coherently. Yunfang then recounted Cui Mama's heinous acts for her.
Upon hearing this, Hongli's veins bulged, and his grip on Su Yushan's hand tightened.
"You and Yan Yan will not suffer in vain. I will seek justice for you!" Hongli insisted on taking Su Yushan to Lanzhao Academy. He was determined to make her see those people get their comeuppance!
After discussing the matter, Hongli invited Master Hongyi to go to Lanzhao Temple together.
Yu Ying had already heard about Xu Cheng being flogged. When she heard that Hongli was coming, she thought he was there to interrogate her. But to her surprise, he didn't mention the incident. Instead, he brought a monk with him.
The monk was about forty years old, with a bright spirit, kind eyes, and a calm demeanor. He first took the little princess's pulse, then looked at the prescriptions written by the doctors and imperial physicians, and then looked around the room where the little princess was staying.
He remained silent throughout, and Yu Ying, growing anxious, couldn't help but ask, "May I ask, Master, have you noticed anything wrong? What's wrong with my daughter? Is she possessed by an evil spirit?"
Stroking his beard, Master Hongyi shook his head. "It is not an evil spirit, but an evil dragon."
Upon hearing this, Yu Ying was immediately alarmed. "What kind of evil dragon has come from? How could it have haunted my daughter?"
Pointing to the ground, the monk said, "This is the earth dragon."
Yu Ying was completely confused and couldn't understand for a moment. "When it's cold, the houses are all heated by underfloor heating. What does that have to do with the child's illness?"
But the monk said, “The little princess has a fever and is already dehydrated. You see she has a cold and are afraid she will catch a chill, so you keep the floor heating on all day long. Little do you know that the room is very hot, her nasal passages are dry, she has difficulty breathing, and her internal heat is very strong, which is why she keeps getting sick and is difficult to cure. If you want to cure her completely, you only need to put out the floor heating.”
Su Yushan initially thought the monk was just someone Hongli had invited to fool people, but after listening to his explanation, she realized that he was a genuine monk who was also very knowledgeable in medicine.
"Really? Just killing the Earth Dragon is enough?" Yu Ying looked doubtful, but Master Hongyi nodded in agreement.
"Buddhism teaches that everything has a cause and effect; the concept of mutual generation and restraint refers to the mutual restraint between things, not between people. When one is ill, one should find the cause of the illness and seek timely treatment, rather than superstitiously believing in the theory of incompatible birth charts."
Seeing that his wife still had doubts, Hongli coldly rebuked her:
"You believe the wizard's words, but you don't believe the sorcerer's words. In your heart, you've already decided that Yan Yan is the one who brought misfortune to your daughter. What's haunting your daughter isn't an evil spirit, but your own inner demons!"
Hongli's words sounded light to her ears, but they felt as heavy as a stone in Yuying's heart. How could she possibly have inner demons? How could she possibly be targeting Yan Yan? She was a qualified wife and a qualified stepmother; she would never have any intention to harm anyone!
"Fourth Master, you misunderstand. I had no such intention. I just didn't expect it to be so simple."
Master Hongyi remained calm and composed. “If the Princess Consort does not believe me, she can test it. Now, extinguish the fire dragon and observe for a day and a night. Let’s see if the little princess will have a fever again.”
"Thank you for your trouble, Master!" Hongli then instructed Li Yu to take the Master to a side room to rest, and to send the Master away after the little princess's condition stabilized.
Master Hongyi bowed and took his leave. After he left, Hongli glanced at Granny Cui and said, "The cause of the little princess's illness has been found. Now, it's time to settle the score!"
To avoid disturbing his daughter's recovery, Hongli took Su Yushan's hand and left the little princess's room, heading towards the main hall of Lanzhao Courtyard.
Judging from the scene, it seemed they were going to interrogate her about giving the young prince medicine. Granny Cui was terrified, but she dared not run away and could only follow silently behind them.
Upon entering the hall, Hongli and his wife went to the seats of honor, while Su Yushan sat down on the chair to the right.
After settling down, Hongli raised an eyebrow and glanced at Granny Cui.
"Yesterday I told you not to give Yan Yan any talisman water, but today you actually took advantage of the master's absence and forced Yan Yan to drink the medicine! A mere servant like you dares to offend the concubine and the young prince, Granny Cui, who gave you such audacity?"
Granny Cui immediately knelt down and tearfully clarified, "This old servant had no ill intentions. I only hoped that the little princess's illness would get better, so I took it upon myself to feed the little prince the holy water."
Such high-sounding words are truly touching! Hongli lowered his eyes and snorted coldly, "So, I should be grateful for your loyalty to the Fujin and the little princess?"
Seeing this, Yu Ying felt sorry for her and took the initiative to speak up, "Fourth Master, what Granny Cui did was indeed inappropriate. I have already reprimanded her severely, and she will never offend Princess Su again in the future."
When Li Yu got into a fight, he was punished by kneeling for two hours. When Granny Cui bullied the young prince, the Fujin (principal wife) only reprimanded him? Su Yushan suddenly felt that the Fujin's rules were really arbitrary!
Hongli also found it laughable, and curled his lips in a mocking smile, "Such a despicable act, and you just let it go so easily? Your favoritism is far too obvious, my lady!"
After all, they had a long-standing relationship, so Yu Ying couldn't be so cold to Granny Cui. "Granny Cui has served me for so many years, always diligent and dutiful, and has never had any improper thoughts. No one is perfect, so please forgive her this time, Fourth Master!"
"Her crimes go far beyond offending Yu Shan and her son?" Hongli said bluntly, staring intently at Granny Cui.
"She invited the sorcerer, and after the sorcerer arrived, he pointed the finger at the young prince. This was clearly a scheme she conspired with the sorcerer to murder Yan Yan!"
The accused Granny Cui widened her eyes and cried out that she was innocent, "Fourth Master, the sorcerer communicates with the heavens, that's the instruction from the heavens! How could an old servant like me possibly instruct a sorcerer?"
“Yes! Ordinary people can’t persuade a wizard, but Granny Cui, you are very capable!” With a sharp look in his eyes, Hongli raised his knuckles slightly, and Wang Jinbao, who understood, stepped forward and presented a box.
Su Yushan couldn't help but wonder what was inside the box.
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