However, the old lady and the emperor had a past relationship, while Yan Ning's heart had already been completely given to Fu Kang'an. Yan Ning didn't know how to let the old lady understand her feelings.
The night was deep and still, and though it was summer, the air was eerily cold. Seeing Juxiang busy in the inner room, Yan Ning's thoughts turned to Zhuxiang. Zhuxiang looked delicate, but she was incredibly stubborn; she already felt unworthy of Zhao Xing. Now, it seemed she was about to give up on the idea of being with Zhao Xing altogether.
Supported by Juxiang, Yan Ning arrived at the side room where Zhuxiang lived. There were no candles lit in the room, and Zhuxiang's two tear-filled eyes shone brightly in the dark night, which pained Yan Ning.
Yan Ning embraced the trembling Zhu Xiang. She didn't know what to say, but felt guilty and stayed with her until dawn. Zhu Xiang fell into a deep sleep in her arms.
She ordered Steward Luo to invite Dr. Jin, the most reputable doctor in the capital. After examining Zhu Xiang's pulse, Dr. Jin shook his head and said, "Miss Zhu Xiang vomited blood because of a sudden attack of anger. I am not knowledgeable enough to determine why you cannot speak."
Yan Ning didn't believe that someone so angry could be rendered speechless. Just as she was about to explode in anger and order Steward Luo to fetch other doctors, Doctor Jin stopped her.
"Madam General, please calm your anger. Yesterday, I went to the Fifteenth Prince's residence to examine two servants. Their symptoms were identical to Zhu Xiang's, but they lacked the blessings of Miss Zhu Xiang. They left in a hurry before I could examine their pulses! Now, Miss Zhu Xiang is blessed by Madam General. Although she cannot speak for the rest of her life, she has still been blessed with a lifetime of happiness!"
Yan Ning looked at Doctor Jin, who was around fifty years old. Although he was of a sensible age, even if he had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to act recklessly in the Fucha Mansion. These words, mixed with those of monks and Taoists, must have been given to him by someone else.
She recalled the pair of almond-shaped eyes she had vaguely seen when she fainted. Was he afraid that she would lose her composure and cause a disaster?
Yan Ning looked at Zhu Xiang's sleeping face, her brows furrowed. Yes, right now, she could still see Zhu Xiang sleeping beside her. She waved her hand, instructing Butler Luo to see Doctor Jin out.
After Butler Luo saw Doctor Jin off, Yan Ning asked him to go to the Fifteenth Prince's residence to inquire about the situation.
At noon, the Eighth Prince's residence sent someone to bring Delin over. Delin's lively and energetic appearance reassured Yan Ning considerably. She only kept Delin for a short while before having him taken to the Peony Hall. The sudden rift between her and the Old Madam could only be resolved by Delin and the child in her womb.
When Steward Luo returned, he told Yan Ning that two servants from the Fifteenth Prince's residence had reported a death, saying that the boy had died suddenly from an illness, and the family had no choice but to hastily prepare the body intact and take it home.
Upon hearing this, Yan Ning felt uneasy and ordered someone to send one hundred taels of silver to each of Xiao Luzi and the maid's family to appease them.
Inside the main hall of the Fifteenth Prince's residence, Yongyan sneered at Heshen. "Lord Heshen, you have such keen ears! Even though there are so many other residences nearby, you managed to get here so quickly after Lady Fucha fainted in my mansion!"
Heshen's eyes were like crescent moons, and his silver-white robe was adorned with jade pendants. Unlike Yongyan's princely air, he was like a piece of translucent jade from a snow-capped mountain, his gentle warmth always carrying a faint hint of feminine charm.
He knew that Yan Ning's visit to the Fifteenth Prince's residence must be about De Lin's matter. But given her usual "nature," she would have gone to him for such a thing, so why had she come to the Fifteenth Prince alone? Although he knew that Yan Ning would not have any tenderness towards him, he still deceived himself into believing that she had come alone because she was afraid of putting him in a difficult position.
Thinking of this, Heshen's crescent-shaped eyes curved even deeper, and he said gently, "If I hadn't come in time, would Your Highness have had to personally escort Lady Fucha back to her residence?"
Yongyan was speechless for a moment. Rumors of his discord with Fukang'an had been circulating in the court for some time. Fukang'an had only been gone from the capital for a few days when his wife fainted in her own residence. If word got out, everyone in the capital would suspect that Yongyan's purpose in targeting Fukang'an was nothing more than coveting his wife's beauty.
If such rumors were to reach the Emperor's ears, even if the Emperor did not favor Fukang'an, Yongyan would still be seen in the Emperor's eyes as someone who bullies subordinates and their families and is lustful.
When Heshen did this, others only thought he was currying favor with Fukang'an.
Yongyan was filled with resentment. He knocked over the covered bowl on the table and said coldly, "How dare you, a mere royal servant, hide spies in my residence?"
Heshen remained calm and said, "Since Your Highness knows that there are Eleventh Prince's men in the mansion, what use is it to execute two servants who can testify in the future? Your Highness has been so angry lately, you should stay in the mansion and calm down!"
Yongyan clenched his fist on a tea stain. He knew that Heshen had spoken out of turn regarding Bao Yanning, but he had no better way to quell the matter at the moment.
Before long, news of Yan Ning's slip of the tongue at the Fifteenth Prince's residence finally reached the palace. Although the details were not clear, they still enraged the Emperor.
Although he had already placed the edict establishing Yongyan as the crown prince behind the plaque of "Upright and Bright," he was now in the reign of Emperor Kangxi, and Yongyan's arrogance at the slightest hint of trouble made him resentful towards Yongyan.
To avoid implicating Yan Ning in this matter, Yongyan closed the gates of his mansion, calmed himself down, and took the blame for his arrogance.
The summer rain-seeking ceremony had become a regular ritual, and the Emperor himself was supposed to attend the Changyu ceremony at the Temple of Heaven. However, in early spring of this year, the Emperor appointed Yongyan to go in his place. But as the day of the Changyu ceremony approached, it was the eleventh prince Yongxing and the seventeenth prince Yonglin who went in place of the Emperor.
Since the Eighth Prince Yongxuan crippled his leg, the position of Crown Prince in the court has gradually shifted to the Fifteenth Prince Yongyan.
Now, out of nowhere, Yongyan has become arrogant and conceited. When the wife of the Third Master Fu of the Fucha Mansion begged him to release his eldest son Delin back to the mansion, he became arrogant and indifferent, causing the pregnant wife of the Third Master Fu to faint.
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