“Your Majesty, Anping was sitting in her seat when someone came over and said that the Fifth Prince wanted to see me. The person’s expression was rather serious. Although I knew this was not proper, the Fifth Prince must have sent someone to see me for something important, so I followed that person out.”
"However, that person first took me to Yunshu Palace, and then said that the Fifth Prince was not there, and then took me to another place."
"I suspected that someone wanted to use the Fifth Prince to harm me, so I was just about to leave and return to the main hall when, unexpectedly, that person attacked me from behind. I fainted and when I woke up, I was here."
Because of excessive blood loss, Xu Yanyan's face grew paler and paler. Even though she tried her best to speak, her voice was still very soft. Fortunately, it was quiet inside, so everyone could hear what Xu Yanyan said.
Xu Yanyan's words don't prove anything. Although Xu Yanyan said that the person was arranged by Zhou Wenli, this is just that person's verbal statement and doesn't prove anything.
After all, it cannot be ruled out that someone else might be using Zhou Wenli's name to call her out.
"Do you still remember what that person looked like?" the Empress asked slowly.
“I remember, I’ll definitely recognize him if I see him again.” Xu Yanyan nodded.
"That's good. Now you should rest and recover. His Majesty will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly." The Empress comforted her for a moment, then turned and left.
As soon as the Empress left, most of the others in the side hall also left, leaving only a few palace maids who were responsible for taking care of Xu Yanyan, as well as Madam Xu, Xu Yingying, and Qu Qingxi.
Knowing that her presence might make Xu Yanyan and her mother uncomfortable, Qu Qingxi walked up to Xu Yanyan, said a few words of comfort, and then turned and left.
After Qu Qingxi left, Xu's mother finally breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly went to the bedside to look at Xu Yanyan.
Seeing Xu Yanyan's pale and haggard appearance, Xu's mother couldn't help but shed tears and choked out, "Yan'er, you've suffered so much."
Her daughter, whom she and her husband cherished, was first unexpectedly sent to marry a foreign ruler by the eldest prince of Zhou. Now that she has finally returned, she is suffering such hardships in the palace. Why is her daughter so unfortunate?
"Mother, I'm fine, don't worry. The wound has been treated, and the Emperor and Empress have summoned the imperial physician. I'm alright," Xu Yanyan comforted her with a smile.
"Sister." Xu Yingying looked at Xu Yanyan with teary eyes and tightly held Xu Yanyan's other hand.
"It's really nothing, you don't need to worry so much."
Then, Xu Yanyan looked at the palace servants and said, "You may all leave now. I need to say a few words to my mother and sister."
"Yes." The palace servants, having received their orders, respectfully withdrew.
"Mother, time is of the essence, so I'll get straight to the point. Yingying is getting on in years, so you can introduce her to some suitable families. Father won't tell you about matters of the court, but our family's situation is special. If Yingying doesn't find a suitable family soon, she might attract the attention of others."
Xu Yanyan grasped her mother's hand and spoke solemnly.
Although Xu Yingying was a little embarrassed and her face turned red, she knew that her sister was doing it for her own good, so she did not move away but stood quietly to the side.
"Yan'er, your father has also mentioned the matter you mentioned to me. However, your father said that we are afraid we can no longer make decisions about Ying'er's marriage." Madam Xu smiled bitterly. How she wished she could find a suitable family for her daughter as soon as possible.
Her husband's status already determined that their daughters could not be easily married off.
“Mother!” Xu Yanyan frowned. “It’s all up to us. If you and Father don’t find a way, are you just going to watch Yingying marry the Crown Prince?”
This is the palace, and walls have ears, so Xu Yanyan lowered her voice when she mentioned the Crown Prince.
She had no other choice. Normally, she would never have the chance to talk to Xu's mother about these things. She was a princess who had returned from a political marriage, so she couldn't be considered a daughter from an ordinary family who had been married off. Even if she returned to the capital, she couldn't go back to her parents' home.
Normally, there are many rules and regulations, so she can hardly find the time to talk to Xu's mother about this matter. Today is the perfect opportunity. She is worried that if she doesn't speak up now, it will be too late if something happens to Yingying.
"Could it really be him?" Xu's mother was somewhat surprised, wondering why Xu Yanyan would mention the Crown Prince.
"Then, Mother, who else do you think could be involved?" Xu Yanyan stared at her mother, sighing inwardly. Her mother still didn't understand just how deep the waters ran.
"I'll discuss this with your father when I get back. Yan'er, you don't need to worry about it anymore. You need to take good care of your health now. We'll figure out a solution."
Xu Yanyan is injured again, and her mother feels bad that she has to worry about these things for them.
Seeing that her mother had agreed, Xu Yanyan didn't say anything more. Although she had already asked the Prince of Nanqing for help in case the Emperor wanted to bestow a marriage between Yingying and the Crown Prince, she was worried that her parents might not take any precautions in advance.
Even if the Prince of Nanqing intervened, there was nothing he could do.
In another side hall, the emperor stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the person on the bed. Zhou Wenli was still unconscious and had not yet woken up. The imperial physician first treated the wound on Zhou Wenli's chest, and then prescribed some medicine for him.
"Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince was already injured. He was attacked by the men in black just now, and his wounds reopened, causing him to bleed a lot. He also suffered internal injuries and needs to recuperate properly."
The imperial physician bowed respectfully and addressed the emperor.
"You were injured before? When did that happen? When did the Fifth Prince get injured again? Why didn't I know about this?" The Emperor frowned slightly upon hearing that Zhou Wenli still had wounds.
Almost instantly, he thought of the last time someone kidnapped Xu Xingfeng. That night, when the guards of the prison reported the incident, they specifically told him that the leader had been stabbed in the chest by the Prince of Nanqing, and the wound was quite deep.
If Zhou Wenli had been injured for any other reason, they would have made a big fuss about it and taken the opportunity to question them. But now that Zhou Wenli is seriously injured, there is no news at all.
That means the person who led the prison break that night was very likely Zhou Wenli?
Why would Zhou Wenli, a prince of the Zhou Kingdom, kidnap Xu Xingfeng? Could it be that Zhou Wenli has some connection with the Xu family?
The emperor was born and raised in the palace. From a young age, he knew that many things did not happen by chance, and that almost everything had a purpose. He was also good at connecting the fragmented clues and eventually piecing them together to form a truth and facts.
Thinking of this, the Emperor frowned even deeper. One was a minister of the Ling Dynasty, and the other was a prince from another country. If they were in contact, then…
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