Just as Yi Hua was shouting until her throat was dry and burning, Consort Yi arrived, followed by the gentle-looking Fifth Prince and the limping Ninth Prince.
"Is Honghui awake?" Consort Yi asked quickly and loudly as she entered. "These two children kept it from me. If Ninth Prince hadn't been punished, I wouldn't have known such a thing had happened in the palace! Consort De, I've brought Ninth Prince here. If you're still angry, you can give him another beating."
Another beating?
Consort De clenched her fist tightly in her sleeve, her face showing no sign of displeasure: "The children are just playing around, it's nothing serious. As long as Honghui can wake up, then everyone will be happy."
"This is a century-old ginseng sent by my family. The ones sold outside are not of good quality. It's to help Honghui improve his health. If you need anything, sister, send someone to my place to find it. No matter what kind of elixir it is, I guarantee I will find it for you." Consort Yi put down the apology gift. Seeing Yi Hua's kind heart, she sighed and glared at her good-for-nothing son.
If anything were to happen to Honghui, given the petty and narrow-minded nature of Consort De's family, they would surely try to trip him up every day.
The Fifth Prince bowed to Yinzhen and said, "Fourth Brother, it's all Ninth Brother's fault. As his elder brother, I failed to discipline him properly. If you want to blame someone, blame me."
Yinzhen was so angry he almost laughed. Did he expect that after Honghui was injured like this, he would have to comfort the Ninth Prince instead?
Consort Yi seemed to have thought of something and asked, "The eunuch who brought the message was unclear. I vaguely heard that the fourth prince was with him at first, but then he had something to do and left."
"It's strange, really. This official business is certainly important, but the Ministry of Revenue isn't without a Minister in charge, so why did they come looking for the Fourth Prince?"
Yinzhen twirled the ring on his finger. He had thought of this the moment he received news of Honghui's accident. The vice minister surnamed Niu was already under close surveillance by his retainers.
What roles did the ninth, tenth, and fourteenth brothers, and even the fifth brother who doesn't care about anything, play in all of this?
Several possibilities flashed through Yinzhen's mind, but he rejected them one by one. It was too early to say anything now; he was determined to investigate thoroughly!
coincide?
Absolutely not!
"Thank you for your concern, Consort Yi. I will visit my ninth brother in person another day. Honghui is ill and it is inconvenient for him to receive many guests. Please leave now," Yinzhen said coldly.
Out of consideration for his impending loss of his son, Consort Yi reluctantly left with her two sons.
Back in the palace, Consort Yi dismissed her attendants and quietly asked, "Tell me, why did you take Honghui to ride horses?"
The Ninth Prince looked somewhat bewildered: "The Fourteenth Prince was looking for me."
"Hmph!" Consort Yi curled the corners of her mouth. "The fourteenth prince has always been dissatisfied with the fourth prince. This is because there is no traitor within the family that can attract outsiders. Let's wait and see."
The Ninth Prince understood and retorted, "The Fourteenth Brother likes Honghui very much, and the Fourth Brother doesn't forbid Honghui from playing with the Fourteenth Brother. Mother, you've misunderstood."
Consort Yi glared at him: "If it's not him, it's you and the Tenth Prince. Everyone knows the Tenth Prince is a simpleton, but he's on His Majesty's radar, so no matter how much trouble he gets into, someone will cover for him. So tell me, who else do you think would be so intolerant of Honghui?"
The Ninth Prince jumped up abruptly, pulling at his bruised buttocks: "Mother, what does this have to do with me?!"
"Good luck to you," Consort Yi said with exasperation. "Think carefully, who else knew you were going to the horse farm? Who instigated this? Who was pushing things along behind the scenes?"
"If you can't figure it out, even your mother can't protect you." Consort Yi threatened the Ninth Prince. She wanted to teach this foolish son a lesson, to make him learn who he could associate with and who he couldn't!
******
Honghui felt warm all over, as if he were soaking in a hot spring and someone was giving him a massage. He was thoroughly enjoying himself.
Here, he met a gaunt woman who looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't place where he had seen her before.
The woman looked at him with affection: "You've grown so much."
Honghui stared at her face curiously: "Who are you? Do you know Honghui?"
"Who am I? Hahaha! Who am I?" The woman suddenly laughed, her voice sharp and piercing. Honghui was not used to such a loud voice, so he subconsciously moved away from her.
"Honghui! Honghui!" It was as if someone was calling his name in his ear. Honghui tried to hear it, but the voice was faint. However, he knew that it was his mother's voice.
"Where is this? Is my mother here too?" Honghui wanted to leave but couldn't find a way out, so he could only ask the woman in front of him.
"Of course your mother is here!" the woman suddenly exclaimed, "You shouldn't be here, get out!"
With a powerful push, her body burst through the darkness, and when she reached Honghui's side, she was even thinner, as if she had shed a layer of skin after walking through the darkness.
"Get out! Don't come back!" The woman memorized Honghui's face and forcefully pushed him out of the darkness.
Following the direction of the voice calling him, Honghui glanced back before walking out. The woman had been completely swallowed by darkness, leaving not even a single hair behind.
"Mother," Honghui called softly, his voice like a thunderclap in Yihua's ears.
"Honghui!" Yihua exclaimed in surprise, "Where do you feel unwell? Tell your mother, okay?"
Yi Hua's voice was extremely hoarse at this moment, as if she were speaking through shards of glass.
Honghui reached out to touch his head, but Yihua stopped him: "You can't touch your head. Let the imperial physician take a look at you."
Upon hearing this, the imperial physician came over to take the prince's pulse and finally breathed a sigh of relief: "Good, good, it's good that the prince has woken up. He should rest in bed for the time being and get up only after the wound on his head has healed. He should not ride a horse for three months to avoid dizziness and vomiting."
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