Chapter 120 Breaking the Stalemate
Li Xiaoxiao looked at the few gold locks that had lost their luster, but the fluorite inside was still clearly visible sparkling in the sunlight.
The Crown Princess's sobbing gradually turned shrill: "I know the Crown Prince's position is hard to hold. From the day I married into the Eastern Palace, I was prepared to be attacked and framed. But if you have any tricks up your sleeve, just use them on us. Why hurt our children? They're only a few years old! What crime have they committed?!"
Her eyes were bloodshot, and she was once again trapped in extreme pain from which she could not extricate herself.
Li Xiaoxiao reached out and pressed down on her shoulder, saying firmly, "They've committed no crime. The guilty party is the one who harmed them with the poisoned stone. In that case, don't let him get away with it, no matter who he is!"
The Crown Princess suddenly looked up at her.
She believed that Li Xiaoxiao couldn't possibly be unaware that the murderer was most likely the Crown Prince's closest confidant, but no one dared to say something like, "Don't let him go!"
Li Xiaoxiao said, "Your Majesty, the best outcome to break this deadlock is for you both to live well and healthily, so that his plans fail, for him to watch the Crown Prince ascend the throne, for Aze to grow up safely, and for the Eastern Palace to continuously give birth to one healthy and lively child after another. If the Crown Prince and Your Majesty live to be a hundred years old, that would be the best reward for him."
The Crown Princess smiled gently and wiped away the tears in her eyes: "Miss Li, you live a more enlightened life than we do."
She was simply reminding her not to dwell on the pain of the past, but to live in the present and look to the future—that's what they needed to strive for.
The Crown Princess said, "You're right. Only by living a long and healthy life can we truly avenge those who poisoned us. Whether it's me, the Crown Prince, or Zezhi, none of us can fall at this time. What is the antidote you mentioned? No matter how difficult it is, I will do it. I need to recover and watch the day that wicked person gets their comeuppance!"
Li Xiaoxiao said, "The first step to detoxification is to keep these poisonous stones away from you. The best way is to seal them with lead blocks and bury them in a deep pit in a deserted place."
The Crown Princess gently shook her head and sighed, "These poisonous stones are still useful, so I can't get rid of them for now."
She took a deep breath, her expression hardening. "The reason we didn't throw away the poison stones is because His Highness the Crown Prince has already begun investigating who was responsible. These poison stones need to be kept as evidence. It's not that we haven't found anything over the years, it's just that we haven't thought about it that way. There are some things we just can't figure out. Now that we know where the poison stones came from, the scope has narrowed down, and many things can't stand up to scrutiny."
She glanced at Li Xiaoxiao and said, "I believe that the Crown Prince will soon catch the real culprit and bring justice to our lost child."
Li Xiaoxiao felt a chill run down her spine. So that's how it is. It seems that the Poison Stone really is the key to breaking the deadlock. The Crown Prince already has someone he suspects and has taken action.
That makes sense now. She always thought the Crown Prince was too weak to find anything. All these years later, if Zhang Li and Third Aunt were still committing crimes, who knows how many offenses they would have done!
Since these stones cannot be dealt with for the time being, Li Xiaoxiao suggested packing them in a box and placing them in a corner away from people or in a dark room, so that they could be taken out when needed.
Since it is a natural mineral, as long as it is kept away from people, the radiation range is always limited, and it will not cause any serious consequences in a short period of time.
The Crown Princess nodded and called Taxue in: "Take a box and carefully pack these gems one by one, put them in a large chest and lock it, then put it in a corner on the second floor of the treasury, so that no one can get close."
Ta Xue accepted the order and soon brought several boxes. She carefully put the gems into them, then placed them in a large chest, locked it, and had two eunuchs carry it out.
The Crown Princess said, "The poison stone has been taken away. Miss Li, what should I do next?"
Li smiled and said, "Next, Your Highness must first take care of your health..."
The Crown Princess was puzzled. Wasn't her purpose in detoxifying to recuperate? Why was she emphasizing this point repeatedly?
Li Xiaoxiao said, "No, no, no, what I mean is that you must gain weight. I know that Dawu considers fair skin and thinness to be beautiful, and thinks that a woman's body is most beautiful when it is slender. But people who pursue being too thin often lack vital energy and blood, which is very detrimental to recuperation. Since Your Majesty wants to take good care of your health, you must abandon your previous ideas and gain weight first so that you will have the strength to fight against the toxins."
The Crown Princess seemed to understand something: "You're right. Preserving our lives is the most important thing right now. Everything else can wait. Miss Li, from today onwards, you are my doctor. I will do whatever you say."
The Crown Princess is actually so obedient to advice?! That's wonderful! Li Xiaoxiao thinks that if they really do as she says, it's not impossible for the Crown Princess to fully recover her health!
Since the goal is to fatten up, it's natural to eat more and nourish the body. The Eastern Palace has no shortage of nourishing foods. With a command from Taxue, all kinds of tonics and soups, such as bird's nest soup, donkey-hide gelatin soup, snow frog, and ginseng, were served in a continuous stream. Li Xiaoxiao glanced at them and only ordered that one bowl of soup be left, while the rest were all taken away and replaced with rice or steamed buns.
Then stir-fry a few light but appetizing dishes.
Ta Xue asked in bewilderment, "Your Majesty needs to nourish your body; how can you only eat white rice and steamed buns?"
Li Xiaoxiao said, "You don't know this. A person with a weak constitution cannot tolerate strong tonics. Only staple foods can provide Her Majesty with enough calories and strength. Those soups and broths can only refresh her and don't have much effect."
The Crown Princess quickly instructed Taxue to do as Li Xiaoxiao instructed. Before long, the kitchen served only a few light stir-fried dishes and two bowls of rice.
Li smiled and said, "Please, Your Highness."
The Crown Princess took a deep breath and began to eat elegantly.
As a result, after chewing slowly for a long time, only a small layer of rice went down, and the vegetables were hardly touched.
Li Xiaoxiao covered her forehead. It was a miracle she was still alive after eating like that.
The Crown Princess ate for a long time, but she felt that she had probably not eaten nearly as much as Li Xiaoxiao wanted. No matter how hard she tried, the food seemed to be stuck in her throat and she could not swallow it. Her stomach seemed to be sealed off and she kept rejecting the food she ate.
Li Xiaoxiao sat down opposite her, picked up a steamed bun, and started eating it in front of her.
The steamed buns in the basket disappeared one by one at a visible speed. The maids serving her were stunned and watched as she ate one steamed bun and then another with vegetables in four or five bites, finishing the whole bun in no time.
These steamed buns look really delicious; they made their mouths water and wished they could eat them with her.
Even the Crown Princess, who had the least appetite, couldn't resist picking up a steamed bun and eating it like she did.
Only when her hands were empty did she realize with surprise that she had actually eaten a whole steamed bun.
You should know that she might not even be able to eat half a steamed bun a day normally.
She finally understood why she had said that Ze Zhi ate a lot at her house. Having someone with such a good appetite to eat with really does make you feel hungry without you even realizing it.
However, the Crown Princess was still weak. After eating a steamed bun and managing to drink half a bowl of soup, she could eat no more.
Li Xiaoxiao knew that recuperating couldn't be rushed, so she asked the Crown Princess to have someone find a secluded courtyard with plenty of sunlight and prepare four large curtains before sunrise the next day to enclose a space three zhang long and two zhang wide in the courtyard.
Although she didn't quite understand why she did this, the Crown Princess still sent people to make preparations. The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight shone into the courtyard, Li Xiaoxiao followed the Crown Princess to a secluded courtyard in the East Annex of the East Palace. The Crown Princess had already instructed people to make a space with curtains on all four sides according to Li Xiaoxiao's request.
Li Xiaoxiao had a chaise lounge placed inside the curtained area, and then had Taxue send all the eunuchs out of the courtyard, leaving only palace maids. She found four people to guard the four sides of the curtain to prevent anyone from getting close, and then brought the Crown Princess to the chaise lounge: "Your Highness, please take off your clothes and lie on this chaise lounge to sunbathe."
The Crown Princess was startled and instinctively covered her chest: "You, what did you say? Take it off?"
Li Xiaoxiao said, "Yes, it's mid-July now, the time of year when the sun is at its strongest. This courtyard is located in the east, so the sun shines in as soon as it rises. We should catch the first rays of sunlight and bask in it for an hour every day. It will be very good for your health."
The Crown Princess had never heard of such a thing. She actually made her take off her clothes in broad daylight, in front of everyone, just to sunbathe her back.
Seeing her shocked expression, Li Xiaoxiao had to explain, "Sunbathing has many benefits. It can warm the meridians and promote blood circulation, replenish yang energy, expel dampness and detoxify, and regulate qi and blood. You must be avoiding the sun every day in pursuit of fair skin, but getting some sun exposure is very good for your health."
This is too outrageous! How can a married woman expose her body in front of everyone?
The Crown Princess hesitated, unable to bear the thought of being completely naked behind only four thin curtains.
Li Xiaoxiao's gaze gradually turned serious: "Your Majesty, didn't you say you would listen to me in everything? It's just an hour of sunbathing on your back, not like you're going through fire and water. Why can't you accept that? Besides, there are only palace maids left in the courtyard, and Taxue is the person you trust most. What else do you have to worry about?"
Upon hearing this, Ta Xue couldn't help but look at the Crown Princess and pleaded in a low voice, "Your Highness, please listen to Miss Li. Let's sun it for an hour today and see the effect. If it doesn't work, we won't sun it tomorrow."
The Crown Princess took a deep breath. She wasn't afraid of death, so why would she be afraid of a mere sunburn?
She finally nodded, opened her arms and let Taxue take off her clothes, then helped her onto the chaise lounge.
It was the first time the Crown Princess had been naked in broad daylight in the wild, and she was very nervous. After lying down, her body stiffened, and she dared not move at all.
Li Xiaoxiao looked at the Crown Princess's thin body lying on the bed, her shoulder blades protruding high. She felt that the bed seemed a bit hard, so she asked a maid to bring out a quilt that the Crown Princess usually used and placed it under the Crown Princess.
The Crown Princess was covered by thick, soft bedding, which concealed her chest. Then a towel was draped over her buttocks, covering both of her private parts. Feeling somewhat relieved, she finally relaxed and began to feel the warmth of the sunlight.
The soft light of the rising sun shone on her exposed skin, and soon she felt as if she were soaking in water, but it was even more comfortable than being in water. Every pore on her body felt relaxed, and her tense emotions slowly dissipated. She tilted her head and fell into a deep sleep, even emitting soft snores.
Ta Xue was so excited that she couldn't help but squeeze Li Xiaoxiao's hand tightly.
Li Xiaoxiao gave her a gentle nod, and the two of them slipped out from behind the curtain. They left the maidservant to watch over them and sat down on a stone bench under the shade of a tree.
Ta Xue said in a low voice with delight, "It seems that your method of sunbathing your back is really good. The Crown Prince did not return last night, and the Empress suffered from insomnia again. Even though she kept her eyes closed all night, she could not sleep for more than two hours."
The Crown Princess's declining energy and weight are due to her inability to eat and sleep.
Unexpectedly, the Empress fell asleep after just a brief exposure to the sun on her back, and even started snoring. Only those who are sound asleep can snore. Ta Xue wished that the Crown Princess could sleep a little longer and make up for the sleep she missed last night.
Li Xiaoxiao said, "There is no specific antidote for the poison of the Poison Stone. The only way to fight it is for Your Majesty's body to fight it. The stronger you are, the weaker it is, and the weaker you are, the stronger it is. The rising sun is very beneficial to the body. Before Your Majesty fully recovers, it is best to set aside an hour every morning to sunbathe your back. But only an hour is enough. After an hour, the sun will become too strong. Sunbathing for too long will not only cause sunburn, but it will also not do any good to your body."
Ta Xue noted it down and decided to suggest that the Empress postpone her daily affairs by an hour after she woke up, as it was more important for her to take good care of her health.
Ta Xue then thought of the Crown Prince: "Can Your Highness also sunbathe?"
Li smiled and said, "Of course he can, but His Highness the Crown Prince practices martial arts. He can practice shirtless during his morning exercises, so there's no need for him to go out in the sun."
The Crown Prince's symptoms are much milder than the Crown Princess's. Moreover, he practices martial arts and sweats more easily, making him physically stronger than both the Crown Princess and Aze. Therefore, once he is away from the poisonous stone, he should recover the fastest.
The two chatted for a while, and soon an hour had passed. Even though Taxue was reluctant to wake the Crown Princess who was fast asleep, Li Xiaoxiao still insisted on waking her up.
The sun was already quite hot, so it wasn't advisable to stay in the sun any longer.
The Crown Princess was fast asleep when she was suddenly woken up. However, she did not experience any dizziness or headache. In fact, because she had had a good sleep, she felt much more energetic.
When it was time to eat, perhaps because she had a good nap, she found that her appetite had improved considerably. For the first time ever, she drank a bowl of thick bird's nest porridge and ate half a fist-sized steamed bun.
The Crown Princess was invigorated to see such a good effect from just sunbathing her back.
For the next seven or eight days, the Crown Princess strictly followed Li Xiaoxiao's advice to take care of her health. Her skin inevitably tanned, but miraculously, her previous paleness and weakness disappeared a lot, and even the bumps on her skin disappeared, making her skin much smoother to the touch. Her spirits improved day by day, and even her most severe insomnia improved a lot. She also gained a few pounds.
Seeing that her spirit and body had recovered a lot, Li Xiaoxiao asked the Crown Princess to get several loads of round pebbles and pave an oval-shaped pebble path so that the Crown Princess could walk barefoot on it for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea every day.
When the Crown Princess first started walking, her feet hurt terribly, so she would walk for a while and then rest, and slowly she was able to walk for the duration of a cup of tea.
Seeing that she had adapted, Li Xiaoxiao suggested that she increase the time appropriately, ideally walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn each day.
Foot massage can promote blood circulation and improve sleep. The Crown Princess would sweat profusely after each massage and feel pain at the time, but afterwards she would feel comfortable all over and sleep better at night.
Those who served him closely saw this and were delighted.
As the Crown Princess's health gradually improved, Li Xiaoxiao became increasingly restless.
She promised her family she would return home within a month, but she had already stayed at the East Palace for almost ten days. Apart from seeing the Crown Prince on the day she entered, she had spent the rest of the time treating the Crown Princess and hadn't even seen the Crown Prince once.
Not only the Crown Prince, but also Pang Shi and Wan Quan could not be seen.
The Eastern Palace was so large that she was either in her own courtyard or taking care of the Crown Princess's health. If the Crown Prince didn't summon her, she wouldn't even get to see him, so naturally she wouldn't know how things were progressing.
Li Xiaoxiao knew that the Crown Prince must have gone to investigate the real culprit, but so many days had passed, how come there was no news at all?
Moreover, she wrote a letter to Meng Guanqi on the day she entered, explaining her whereabouts, but Pang Shi did not return, and she did not receive a reply, nor did she know how he was doing now...
Has the candidates' rally and march already begun? Have their dialogues with the court yielded any results? Also, at such a crucial time, I've heard that the Crown Prince is leaving early and returning late every day. What exactly is he doing? Will it affect the current situation?
The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. Seeing that the Crown Princess's health was gradually improving, she felt that once she wrote down the maintenance methods and handed them to her, her mission would be successfully completed. She was going to go find Meng Guanqi.
She rarely stayed up late to write down several pages of health maintenance methods, which can be summarized in one sentence: eat more, exercise more, sweat more, and if possible, learn a set of boxing and practice it every day to gradually build up your foundation so that toxins will naturally be eliminated from your body.
The next morning, after the Crown Princess finished sunbathing her back, she took out the maintenance formula and handed it to her: "Your Majesty, you have been doing very well these days. As long as you continue to do it, your health will get better and better. This is the maintenance method for later. If you continue to do it for two or three years, your health will be restored to what it was before."
The Crown Princess was incredibly clever; she immediately understood the implication: "Are you leaving?"
Li smiled and said, "My mission in the capital is complete. It's time to go back."
Thinking of Meng Guanqi, she added anxiously, "My young master is still outside. He came with his headmaster and classmates. I only wrote him a letter the day I came in. I don't know how he is now after all these days."
The Crown Princess, however, said meaningfully, "Things are not peaceful in the capital lately. Miss Li, you should stay in the Eastern Palace for a few more days. Once this turmoil has passed, I will send someone to accompany you back to Biyang County."
Something's not going well? Li Xiaoxiao was taken aback: "What happened?"
The Crown Princess said, "Haven't you noticed that the Crown Prince hasn't been in the Eastern Palace at all?"
She found it. How could she not have noticed? Wasn't he out looking for the murderer? Did he find him or not?
Seeing the Crown Princess's enigmatic expression, Li Xiaoxiao's imagination ran wild. Wow, could it be that the Crown Prince is overstimulated and wants to launch a coup?
But he'd been holed up in the Eastern Palace like a sick cat for so long, how could he have had time to prepare for a coup? Could it be that the emperor was the one who poisoned him?
Li Xiaoxiao was so frightened that her hair stood on end, and she no longer cared about avoiding suspicion: "Your Majesty, is the Crown Prince perhaps overstimulated and planning to force the abdication?"
The Crown Princess was startled and immediately stepped forward to cover her mouth: "What nonsense are you spouting? You're talking about treason, how could the Crown Prince do such a thing?"
Li Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that it wasn't a rebellion or a coup. It seemed that the mastermind behind this was not the emperor, which made things much easier.
After learning from Aze that the fluorite was a gift from the Empress, Li Xiaoxiao had repeatedly wondered who the mastermind behind it all was. The worst-case scenario was the Emperor. If it really was the Emperor, then the Crown Prince wouldn't need to struggle anymore; he could just accept his death.
Thankfully it wasn't the emperor, but if it wasn't the emperor, then who could it be?
Li Xiaoxiao never doubted the Empress. The Empress was not her stepmother. What reason would she have to harm the Crown Prince and kill her own grandchildren?
If the empress was neither possessed nor insane, a normal mother and grandmother would never do something so immoral.
The most likely explanation is that someone used her to deliver these poisonous stones to the children.
Li Xiaoxiao felt that the Crown Prince must have made a big move, and it was at a crucial moment, otherwise the Crown Princess would not have stopped her from leaving the East Palace.
She just said that the Crown Prince has not been completely without finding anything over the years.
How should this sentence be understood?
She thought about it carefully and suddenly realized that they had stopped investigating because the clues ended with the Empress.
Very likely.
Whether in the court or among the common people, the Empress's attention and concern for the Crown Prince were evident to all. She stood up for the Crown Prince time and time again alongside the Emperor, which showed how much she valued and cared for him. When the Crown Prince's people investigated the Empress, they would likely subconsciously think they had been misled, so they did not continue to investigate further. The Crown Prince might not even have mentioned it to the Empress.
Now that the Emperor and Empress have been ruled out, the Crown Prince is likely to follow the clues he has already discovered and continue to investigate, which may directly uncover the mysterious mastermind behind the scenes!
Who could this person be?
The Crown Princess looked at the little girl in front of her, her eyes darting around, sometimes suddenly realizing something, sometimes looking confused, and couldn't help but laugh: "Why don't you ask us if we've found out who the real culprit is?"
Li Xiaoxiao feigned ignorance: "Huh?"
To be honest, she had been avoiding mentioning this matter in front of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess because she herself did not want, nor did she want the Meng family behind her to be involved in this turmoil, and this had always been the case.
She couldn't stand by and watch as the person behind the scenes harmed the child; she simply couldn't tolerate it anymore.
Her original plan was to tell the Crown Prince the news and let him investigate it himself, and then she would make a quick getaway. However, when she saw the Crown Princess, who was half-dead from radiation poisoning, she softened and stayed.
As it turned out, the clever Crown Princess realized that she was avoiding the topic.
The Crown Princess sighed and patted her head: "Silly girl, from the day you saved the Crown Prince and then Zezhi, both you and the Meng family have been naturally tied to our Eastern Palace. Especially since you traveled all the way to the capital to tell us about the Poison Stone, and have been helping me recuperate in the mansion for so long, those who care have already seen it and remembered it. It's too late for you to sever ties now."
She couldn't help but laugh: "Do you think that if you sneak in and sneak out, no one will notice you were here?"
Li Xiaoxiao nodded blankly.
The Crown Princess laughed and said, "That's because they discovered you could cure my illness. Whether it was His Majesty, the Empress, or my family, they all firmly blocked any prying eyes from entering your residence, not allowing anyone to approach. Not even the palace maids or eunuchs dared to say a single word to you. Don't you find that strange?"
Li Xiaoxiao was stunned: "Not only does your family know about my presence here, but the Empress knows, and even the Emperor knows?!"
The Crown Princess looked at her innocent face and couldn't help but pinch her cheek with a smile: "Of course, you're in the palace. What in the palace can be kept from the Emperor and Empress?"
Moreover, in order to recuperate, she even postponed the handling of palace affairs for a whole hour. How could such a big matter not reach the ears of the Emperor and Empress?
Li Xiaoxiao's face fell immediately. So she was the only one being careful, but all these big shots had installed surveillance cameras and had been watching her every move all along?
She's such a simple-minded person; she's definitely not suited to live in a place like the capital, a den of dragons and tigers! She wouldn't even know when she died!
Since she was already considered a member of the Crown Prince's faction, there was no way to avoid it, so she decided to go all out and finally asked the question she was most curious about: "So, in that case, has the Crown Prince caught the murderer?"
The Crown Princess's smile vanished. She turned and sat down gracefully, taking a sip of her tea. "We already know who it is. His Highness is now wielding his sword, cutting off his wings one by one. He can't escape."
Li Xiaoxiao gasped. In just over ten days, the Crown Prince not only locked onto his target but also launched an attack?
She finally felt the power of being the crown prince. It turned out that all these years of wasted time were because she was unaware that the person who harmed her was right beside her, which was why she was trapped in the authorities and couldn't get out.
She couldn't help but ask, "Who was it? Was it the Third Prince or the Second Prince? Did one of them bribe someone close to the Empress?"
Aside from the prince, she couldn't think of anyone more suspicious.
The Crown Princess sneered, "Neither."
Neither? But who else could be the prince if not someone who could secretly train assassins and keep making the crown prince suffer setbacks?
A flicker of pain crossed the Crown Princess's eyes: "He was someone who wouldn't have suspected a thing, even if he killed us. He was only twelve years old when he did it..."
Li Xiaoxiao's mind went blank. The prince who was only twelve years old three years ago, the sixth prince?!
The Crown Prince's younger brother?!
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Author's Note: The mystery is solved! Some clever readers guessed it beforehand [666], and my heart skipped a beat – I was so flustered! [Shut up]
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