"Give me five points of sweetness again... How sweet is this?" Yinzhen said, feeding himself a spoonful, then frowning and leaning closer to Qian Shengyan, handing it back to her without a word, then pursing his lips, "Too sweet."
Qian Shengyan gave him a sidelong glance, annoyed. She had known all along that he was like this—he had a sweet tooth but couldn't eat too much sweet food.
After Yinzhen finished feeding her, his own portion was served. He took a bite, glanced at Qian Shengyan with a smile, and said nothing more. He finished eating quickly, rinsed his mouth, and then prepared to go to sleep.
"I have given the order that we should rest tomorrow morning, and neither of us needs to get up early." Yinzhen put his arm around Qian Shengyan's shoulder and stroked it gently, while pondering unfinished matters. "I have entrusted Consort Yu to investigate your poisoning, but... I don't think there will be any results."
Qian Shengyan listened with "hmm" sounds, knowing that they probably wouldn't be able to find anything.
As for the source, it must be food from the banquet, but this is the first time to spend the Mid-Autumn Festival in the Summer Palace, so it is inevitable that she will be a little restrained. Qian Shengyan cannot completely ignore the old people who used to serve Emperor Kangxi, but she also has to be on guard. If there is any external interference during this period, it will be hard to say.
By now, the food at the banquet had long been cleaned up, and Qian Shengyan had thought that even if the investigation continued, at most it would just be a minor eunuch or princess taking the blame, which was really not very interesting.
Now they don't need any evidence; they can simply see who the beneficiaries are to know who it is.
Yinzhen patted her shoulder: "Does your stomach still hurt?"
"...It doesn't hurt anymore," Qian Shengyan whispered. Actually, she wanted to ask the newly appointed nobleman what to do, but she felt she couldn't bring herself to ask.
It's really embarrassing that I caused the toxicity to occur prematurely because of my own popularity with a minor nobleman...
“The Dzungars are eyeing us covetously, and the Borjigit also harbor rebellious intentions. I do not want to cause any unnecessary trouble, so I bestowed the title of Noble Lady upon her.” Unexpectedly, Yinzhen explained to her in detail, “She has such intentions. Whether the title is given to Hongli or Yunli, I am afraid it would not be good.”
Qian Shengyan nodded; she understood. To be able to openly seduce the Emperor at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet—even if she became a prince's concubine—was she truly content?
"I'm going to Suicheng Hall..." Yinzhen wanted to explain, but felt it would be too embarrassing. He was silent for a moment, but finally added, "I'll be out soon."
Qian Shengyan: ...
I almost forgot, that strange feeling has returned...
"You didn't even come to see me." In the darkness, Yinzhen held the person in his arms tighter, his tone tinged with grievance. "You just went to sleep? You didn't even wait for me to come back?"
Qian Shengyan: ...
What's going on? Why do I suddenly feel like she was wrong about tonight?
She felt inexplicably guilty, but still managed to answer, "Your Majesty, I have been poisoned!"
So if you're feeling tired, you need to go to bed early!
Yinzhen chuckled softly, holding her even tighter. A sentence, seemingly a sigh and a sigh of helplessness, rang in her ear: "If there is a next time, remember to come find me."
"If you come, I will go with you, okay?"
Because she had gone to bed late, Qian Shengyan also woke up late. Yinzhen kept his word and did not go out in the morning. When Qian Shengyan opened her eyes, she saw him sitting by the bed reading a letter. When he saw her open her eyes, he smiled and said, "You're finally awake, otherwise I would have called the imperial physician again."
"What time is it?" Qian Shengyan rubbed against his hand that was touching her cheek, still feeling a little sleepy.
Yinzhen didn't say what time it was, but only asked, "Are you hungry? Get up and eat something?"
Qian Shengyan was indeed quite hungry, so Yinzhen called Qingxue and others in to help her get up. He himself stood by the bed, and Su Peisheng helped him put on his clothes, saying, "Folguochun came twice this morning, but I didn't let her in."
"Hmm?" Qian Shengyan looked at Qingxue upon hearing this. Qingxue whispered, "This servant asked the princess, and the princess said that she just wanted to come and pay her respects to her master, and there was nothing urgent."
Seeing Qian Shengyan nod, Qingxue continued, "The Sixth Prince got up early this morning, had breakfast, and went horseback riding again. His master and guards followed him, so you can rest assured, Master. The little princes also got up early today. The wet nurses have already fed them. It's warmer now, so the little princes have been taken out to sunbathe."
This was a routine. Every day, Qian Shengyan would ask her children what they were doing. Qingxue and the others naturally kept a close eye on their young masters, and they would know the answer whenever Qian Shengyan asked.
On the other side, Su Peisheng was also speaking in a low voice: "Consort Yu investigated for most of the night yesterday. Because the Emperor ordered a secret investigation, it was quite difficult. So far, they have only found some problems with a little maid who served wine..."
"Yes." Yinzhen nodded. "Continue the investigation, investigate thoroughly, and don't hide it from Borjigit."
"Yes." Su Peisheng understood that this was a warning shot.
Qingxue happened to be talking about this too: "His Majesty ordered Consort Yu to investigate the matter of the master's poisoning. I have observed that Consort Yu is very concerned... By the way, Noble Lady Ru came to Yanbo Zhishuang Palace early this morning, saying that she wanted to pay her respects to the master."
"And then?" Qian Shengyan asked curiously.
Since Consort Ru is a mistress, Qingxue and the others certainly couldn't stop her. At most, they could only ask her to wait. But looking at the sky outside, she hadn't gotten up early. Could Consort Ru have been waiting for several hours?
"After the Emperor woke up, he knew that Consort Ru was waiting, so he sent her back and told her not to come to Yanbo Zhishuang Palace unless necessary," Qingxue said, her smile barely concealed.
Actually, she had already been very tactful. The Emperor's original words were: "Tell her to go back and stay there properly, and not to wander around aimlessly."
Qian Shengyan paused for a moment, then frowned and said, "Call her over later."
As the emperor's newly appointed concubine, and now in charge of the harem, it's not appropriate for her to avoid seeing him.
Qingxue understood this reasoning, but she wasn't in a hurry: "Master, you should have your breakfast and medicinal meal first, and rest a bit before seeing her."
After saying that, she leaned closer to Qian Shengyan and told her what she had just gotten from Su Peisheng yesterday. Qian Shengyan's brows furrowed even more as she listened: "Pajamas? Where did she get them?"
"That's what we're talking about. Because of that nightgown, even Eunuch Su almost believed her." Qingxue frowned as well. "The nightgowns our mistress wears are all sewn by our own people; no one outside has ever seen them..."
“No, Folgochun has seen it, and she has it too.” Qian Shengyan pursed her lips, and after a moment sighed, “Qiqige has been deliberately befriending Folgochun for quite some time now. If someone really learns it and wants to imitate it, they can make it in no time.”
Qingxue also remembered this matter and frowned as well.
Qian Shengyan was pondering how to tell Folgochun about this when someone came to report that the princess had pushed Qiqige into the water. She had just finished her medicinal meal and hadn't even had a chance to see anyone when the princess arrived.
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