"Why did you come back now? How did things go?"
Seeing her come out at this time, Gu Yanwei frowned, took off his shawl and put it on her and said, "Why are you not asleep yet?"
"I can't sleep until the results come out." Shen Qingqiu's eyes were filled with anxiety.
Gu Yanwei smiled and then reached out his hand to touch Shen Qingqiu's beautiful hair. Shen Qingqiu was suddenly stunned, and then the Ninth Prince also suddenly stopped. She was also frightened by her sudden action. Even he himself did not expect that he would make such an intimate gesture to Shen Qingqiu.
Suddenly putting down his hand, Gu Yanwei walked forward quickly, but Shen Qingqiu touched his head which had just been touched, smiled sweetly, and seeing Gu Yanwei walking in front, he chased after him.
"You haven't told me what the result is yet."
——
Early the next morning, the princess's residence received the imperial edict.
A long row of servants knelt in the yard, waiting to be punished.
"The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims that the Princess is guilty of treason and should be executed. However, considering the young age of the Crown Prince and the death of his husband, the Emperor has shown mercy and exiled the Princess to southern Fujian. I decree this."
"Thank you, Lord."
Eunuch Liu took the imperial edict, handed it to the servant and said, "Send away all the servants. The princess's mansion will be sealed from today."
"Yes, father-in-law."
On the other side, civil and military officials in Jincheng Palace had already attended court.
"This time I can sit here safely, all thanks to the Ninth Prince. Old Ninth, what reward do you want?"
Gu Yanwei stood up and said, "Reporting to the Emperor, it is not the credit of this son alone that the Emperor was able to escape from danger this time. I dare not take credit for it."
"That's right." The emperor suddenly slapped his thigh and said, "It's all thanks to the princess. Quickly summon the princess in."
"Princess Xuan Kangle."
Following Eunuch Liu's message, Shen Qingqiu walked into the Jincheng Palace under everyone's gaze.
"Your Majesty, your servant."
"Quickly, please don't be polite, Princess Kangle. You have performed a great service this time. Tell me what reward you would like?"
"I dare not take credit for it, it's just that I happened to have seen a case similar to this one."
"I've long heard that Princess Kangle is knowledgeable and well-informed. Today, we have truly witnessed this. But do you really not want a reward?"
"If Your Majesty really wants to reward me, then reward me with ten thousand taels of gold!"
"Ten thousand taels of gold?" The emperor frowned. "In this situation, most people would ask me for a gold medal to save their lives. You are setting a precedent by asking for a hundred taels of gold. What use is this hundred taels of gold to a Princess Kangle like you?"
"In reply to the emperor, more than half a month ago, I was in trouble with the Xiongnu. Fortunately, His Royal Highness the Ninth Prince rescued me. When the Ninth Prince and I were recuperating in a farmer's home in Jingbian, we learned that the people of Jingbian had been living in poverty due to the Xiongnu's constant provocations. So I would like to ask Your Majesty to reward me with ten thousand taels of gold to distribute to the people of Jingbian."
After the entire court was silent for a while, the emperor's hearty laughter suddenly rang out.
"Hahaha, Princess Kangle is indeed extraordinary. Okay, I will do as you wish. Not only will I reward you with ten thousand taels of gold, but I will also give you five hundred shi of grain, all of which will be sent to the people of Jingbian in your name."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Why should I thank you? I should thank you. Not only did you save my life, but you also helped me solve the suffering of the people in Jingbian. I have to thank you. I didn't expect that Marquis Gu would give birth to such a capable daughter."
It was already past noon after the morning court session. Shen Qingqiu was about to go to lunch with the Ninth Prince, but the Eighth Prince's voice came from behind.
"Ninth brother, wait a minute."
Hearing the voice, Gu Yanwei stopped and the Eighth Prince caught up with him.
"Myna." said the Ninth Prince.
The Eighth Prince panted and asked, "Ninth brother, how come you can run so fast?"
"Is everything alright, mynah?"
The Eighth Prince straightened up and looked at Gu Yanwei and said, "Ninth brother, you have done a great deed today. It seems that the emperor will trust you more in the future."
Gu Yanwei lowered his head and prepared to turn around, but was stopped by the Eighth Prince again.
"Ninth brother, I advise you not to touch anything that does not belong to you, otherwise it will only hurt others and yourself."
"I don't understand what mynah means."
The eighth prince sneered, "Do you think that since you saved my father's life this time, he will give you the position of crown prince? Don't dream. Don't forget that your mother is a disaster star. Will you hand over this great country to the son of a disaster star?"
“Eighth Prince, how can you talk like that?” Shen Qingqiu said dissatisfiedly. It was pitiful enough for a child who lost his mother at a young age to grow up in the palace, but he had to have his scabbed wounds torn open by others.
"Oh, Princess Kangle wants to take care of so many things, but there are some things you can touch, and some things you can't touch, be careful not to lose your life."
Then he looked at Gu Yanwei and said, "What? Do you think your father will give you the position of crown prince this time?" As soon as he finished speaking, Prince Qin left with an arrogant laugh.
Shen Qingqiu knew that the position of Crown Prince was vacant and that the princes would definitely fight to the death. However, seeing it happening in front of him, he still felt a little uncomfortable. He wondered if he could accept the Eighth Prince exposing Gu Yanwei's scars like this.
Looking at Gu Yanwei's frown, Shen Qingqiu felt his heart tighten. He wanted to reach out and smooth it for him, but he finally held back.
"let's go!"
Following behind Gu Yanwei, Shen Qingqiu walked slowly in his shadow, until the two of them had reached the door of the bedroom, but she still hadn't noticed.
Gu Yanwei suddenly stopped, and Shen Qingqiu bumped into his back unexpectedly, causing his nose to hurt so much that tears were about to fall out.
"Are you okay?" Gu Yanwei turned around, gently held her hand, and carefully examined her red nose. Seeing Gu Yanwei's handsome face magnified in front of him, Shen Qingqiu blushed unconsciously.
Looking at her, Gu Yanwei suddenly laughed and gently held her hand in his.
"Do you know my mother?"
This is the first time I heard Gu Yanwei mention his mother since I entered the palace for so long.
Shen Qingqiu nodded and said nothing.
Gu Yanwei took her hand and walked towards the hall. "My mother was the most beautiful woman in the palace. She was gentle, virtuous, well-educated and well-mannered. She was the most favored woman in the harem at that time. Until her death, I remember that my father would come to my mother every time he left court, and she would play with me every day." Gu Yanwei had a smile on his face when he said this.
"When I was seven years old, my mother became pregnant again. My father was very happy and gave my mother the title of Imperial Concubine." His eyes suddenly drooped.
Shen Qingqiu knew something about the Ninth Prince's biological mother. Later, the child was born, but was stillborn when he came out of the womb. The child was yellow all over, even his eyes were yellow. Everyone said that the child was ominous, and some even said that the child was a monster. Gradually, because of this child, the emperor began to neglect her. In the end, there were even rumors that the Ninth Prince's biological mother was a disaster star, so she gave birth to such a child.
But Shen Qingqiu knew that the child was not a monster. The yellow color of his body might be due to jaundice, but as for the cause of death, although it is still unclear, it is definitely not like the rumors in the palace.
"My mother's body was already worn out when she gave birth to the child. After that, she had trouble eating because of the rumors. After countless days and nights of insomnia, her body finally couldn't take it anymore. When she died in my arms, she had lost her beautiful appearance. Her hair was all white, and she looked like an old woman in her fifties."
It was the first time Shen Qingqiu heard Gu Yanwei talk about his mother. Although she knew a little about her mother before, she still couldn't avoid feeling distressed when she saw the pain in his eyes.
But she knew clearly that in this palace there were many intrigues and deceit. Whoever was the most favored would be the most hated target by many women in the harem. Whether it was the birth of a stillbirth or the legend of a disaster, someone must have been framing her.
When Shen Qingqiu woke up the next day, Gu Yanwei had already gone to court.
"Chen Jie." Shen Qingqiu dressed up and called Chen Jie over.
"Princess."
"Do you know what happened to Concubine Shu?"
"Why did the princess suddenly mention Concubine Shu?" Chen Jie asked with some confusion.
"I heard the Ninth Prince mention the matter of Concubine Shu yesterday. Chen Jie, you have been with the Ninth Prince since he was a child. Do you know that Concubine Shu gave birth to a stillborn baby?"
Chen Jie nodded. "Back then, Concubine Shu had a difficult delivery. The baby was so big that she couldn't deliver it. She almost died. Who would have thought that after the baby was born, the result would still be..."
"Distressed labor due to large fetus?"
Chen Jie nodded. "Afterwards, this incident made Concubine Shu regret it a lot. When she was pregnant, she suddenly became very hungry and ate a lot of delicacies every day."
Shen Qingqiu frowned, "Each palace has limited food and clothing expenses. Does Empress Shufei eat delicacies from land and sea every day?"
"Speaking of this, I also found something very strange back then. The Empress had always hated Concubine Shu, but ever since Concubine Shu became pregnant, she became particularly close to her. Concubine Shu's food, clothing, and daily expenses were all taken care of by the Empress, and she had a constant supply of delicacies from the mountains and the sea every day."
Shen Qingqiu nodded, "That's no wonder."
Chen Jie frowned and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Unless the queen loved to eat so much during her pregnancy, it was inevitable that the fetus would be too large and difficult to deliver."
"My princess, are you saying that unless what happened to the queen back then was not an accident at all, and was not caused by her, but was planned by the queen long ago?"
Shen Qingqiu nodded, and Chen Jie asked again in confusion: "But the child died at birth, and his whole body was yellow."
"That's not some reincarnated monster." Shen Qingqiu sighed and said, "It's jaundice, caused by the mother eating too many nutritious foods during pregnancy. The baby will be fine as he grows."
"I see. Now think about it, when Concubine Shu gave birth, the Queen was in Anchen Palace the whole time. After the child was born, she immediately sent someone to call the Emperor. She was also the first one to talk about the demon's reincarnation."
Shen Qingqiu nodded, "It seems that what happened back then is closely related to the Queen. Doesn't the Ninth Prince know about this?"
Chen Jie shook his head. "When Concubine Shu gave birth, the Emperor sent the Ninth Prince to accompany Marquis Gu to Jiangnan for disaster relief. By the time the Ninth Prince came back, Concubine Shu would have already gone."
"So he never doubted it?"
"The status of the Concubine Shu was originally humble. When she was alive, she was favored by the Emperor. But now that she has passed away, His Highness the Ninth Prince naturally has no one to take care of him. It is difficult for him to even survive in this palace, let alone investigate the cause of his mother's death."
Shen Qingqiu nodded and stood up and said: "You stay in the palace and don't need to watch me. I'll go out to the garden and take a look."
"good."
Shen Qingqiu was walking alone in the Imperial Garden. It had been so long since what happened, and now there was no evidence. It was not easy to report the Queen.
As they were walking, they heard the laughter of a palace maid in the distance, "Look, look, that kite is flying so high."
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