Chapter 323 Dead? !

The eldest prince arrived very quickly.

Children seemed to change after not being seen for a few days. Compared to when he first came to the palace, the eldest prince seemed to have grown taller, and his back was straighter than before. He no longer held the hand of his wet nurse, and his walking seemed a little unsteady.

"You are here for your father and your Highness, and for Concubine Xi."

There was a hint of curiosity on his little face, and he didn't understand why his father would summon him to Anlan Pavilion today.

Hawking Chi waved his hand to decline the greeting and did not ask him about this matter. Instead, he asked what he was doing before.

"The Grand Tutor said that the autumn hunting season will soon be here. If you want to hunt good prey, you must have a good bow, so he has been leading me to make bows these days." The eldest prince answered seriously.

Yun Qin had not expected that the eldest prince had such a rich extracurricular life. Not only did he go out for hiking, but he also had handicraft classes. This tutor was quite interesting.

Huo Jinchi seemed to be accustomed to the style of the Grand Tutor. He just nodded and said, "If you do well, your father will take you to the autumn hunt this year."

"Really, thank you so much, father!"

The eldest prince was very surprised, but Yun Qin frowned slightly when she looked at Huo Jinchi.

The eldest prince is so young, is it really okay for him to go to such a dangerous place as a hunting ground?

I have to say, there is a huge difference between the ancient and modern views on child-rearing. Who would take such a young child to a place where swords and knives are rampant?

Noticing her gaze, Huo Jinchi turned to look at her and asked with a smile, "Do you want to go too?"

Before Yun Qin nodded or shook her head, he continued, "Then I'll take you with me."

Then I really thank you, Yun Qin rolled her eyes in her heart, who cares about that.

The eldest prince looked at Yun Qin with a smile, "It's great that Your Majesty is going too."

But when he thought of his mother, the expression on his face suddenly dimmed.

Yun Qin noticed the change in his expression and said quickly, "Tingchun, the kitchen has just made some snacks. Let's have them brought over for the eldest prince to taste."

"What new snacks has Her Majesty made?" the eldest prince asked curiously.

"Sachima."

"Sachima, what kind of strange name is this?" The eldest prince became more and more curious.

Yun Qin didn't know how to explain it, so she made up a story, "I saw it in a travelogue. It might be some dialect or the phonetic translation of another ethnic language. Anyway, that's the name."

"Your Majesty has read so many books." The eldest prince sighed.

Yun Qin glanced at Huo Jinchi with some guilt, afraid that he might find out something.

It's better to use less of this kind of thing in the future.

Huo Jinchi didn't have any suspicions. He didn't have as much time to read leisure books as Yun Qin. He had never read many of the travel notes she gave him, so it was not surprising that there were some strange foods in them.

The snacks were served quickly, and they looked like something I had never seen before.

The eldest prince took a sip and said it was delicious.

After eating it, Huo Jinchi said it was good. He ate one piece and took another one.

It's like I've forgotten the important thing.

Yun Qin glanced at him and had to speak herself.

She told the eldest prince what happened to Rong Xin that day again, and finally asked him, "Your Highness, have you ever seen that old nanny?"

The eldest prince still remembered that Nanny Zheng, who had left the palace, had once asked him not to tell anyone else about the old nanny, but his father and Concubine Xi were not others.

When he heard this, he immediately said, "I have seen her and talked to her."

"You talked to her?" Hawking Chi took it seriously. "What did she say to you?"

When his father asked, the eldest prince quickly put down the snack in his hand and answered politely, "Father, it's not an important question. The nanny seemed a little confused. She actually asked me if I still remember my biological mother."

"I told her that her biological mother, Consort De, had not come to the palace, but she kept shaking her head. Then Madam Zheng came back and chased her away."

After hearing this, both of them frowned. Why did the nanny ask about the eldest prince's biological mother?

Seeing the expressions of the two people, the eldest prince was a little uneasy and asked: "But is there anything wrong?"

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I just told your father that I was going back to the palace, and then I remembered about this matter, so I chatted with Your Highness." Yun Qin said with a smile.

The eldest prince also smiled. He really enjoyed chatting with his father and Concubine Xi like this.

After talking for a while, the eldest prince's class was about to start, so Yun Qin prepared another sachima for him to take away.

"If Zi Yan doesn't come, I won't be able to eat something so fresh."

Yun Qin saw the eldest prince off, and when she came back she saw Huo Jinchi holding a piece of sachima with a cold tone.

"This has just been prepared. You are making it sound as if I am deliberately not giving it to Your Majesty."

Yun Qin really hadn't thought of it before, but she couldn't help feeling guilty. She immediately changed the subject and said, "Your Majesty, it seems that Madam Zheng should know something. Would you like to send someone to ask her?"

Although she had asked Nanny Ruan to inquire at the orphanage, Nanny Zheng was very cunning and did not reveal any information at all.

I heard that he was sick recently, but I don’t know whether it is true or not.

Huo Jinchi didn't want to argue with her about snacks. He put down the sachima in his hand and nodded slightly, "I'll ask someone to ask."

——

Two days passed in a blink of an eye. People inside and outside Anlan Pavilion started packing their boxes. Finally, news came from Hawking Chi.

When Yun Qin heard from the visitor that there was some progress, she handed over the affairs in the palace to Rong Xin and Dan Xue, and brought Ting Chun to Yu Qian.

"Your Majesty, have you heard the news?"

She asked as she entered the room.

Huo Jinchi was sitting on the couch marking documents. When he heard this, he raised his eyes and looked at her.

Yun Qin realized it later and then remembered to salute, but just as she was about to bend down, Huo Jinchi stopped her.

"Okay, come and sit down."

Yun Qin did not bow, but sat opposite Huo Jinchi, "I am also a little anxious. After all, I have been investigating this matter for so long, and finally there is some clue."

"I'm afraid I'll disappoint you." Huo Jinchi closed the memorial in his hand and put it on another pile. Then he said, "The nanny died of illness in the hospice today."

"What? Dead!?"

Yun Qin almost blurted out a curse word, and then asked: "How did he die? What disease did he die of?"

"Epidemic." said Hawking.

"Where did the epidemic come from in this season?" Yun Qin thought it was ridiculous.

Huo Jinchi's eyes were filled with chills. "So I sent someone to investigate, and they found that the cotton core in her quilt had been replaced with cotton wool stained with the blood of plague patients at some point in time."

The epidemic happened in the spring, so this cotton wool didn’t come from a dead person?

"So vicious!" Yun Qin felt a chill in her heart, but she was very familiar with this feeling. Her eyes were cold, "Then has the emperor found out who did this?"

Huo Jinchi glanced at her and naturally noticed the coldness in her eyes. He did not keep her in suspense and continued:

"A few days before she fell ill, a few elderly nurses came to the hospice..."

He didn't say the rest, but Yun Qin understood and said in a cold voice: "Why would the palace suddenly release some maids when it's not a festival? Now that Concubine De is in charge of all palace affairs, this matter must be related to her."