Chapter 52: Mentally Prepared, But Not So Much Prepared
After the Crown Prince left, the Empress locked herself in her room.
The emperor and Qin Jinzhi were sensible and did not disturb her.
"I'm going out for a walk. You should go back and review the memorials. Be careful, or your grandmother might come out and take her anger out on you."
The emperor knew that the empress needed some peace and quiet, so he said to Qin Jinzhi, "Don't cause any trouble."
Qin Jinzhi waved and left without looking back.
As soon as she stepped out, Feiyan, who was hiding in a corner, called out to her, "Princess, I'm here!"
Qin Jinzhi asked, "Which direction did the Crown Prince go?"
"I just heard His Highness the Crown Prince say that he is going to pay his respects to Consort Shen."
A hint of mockery flashed in Qin Jinzhi's eyes. The Crown Prince was quite respectful to this young woman who was a few years younger than him, and he would pay his respects to her every time he entered the palace.
The route from the Empress's palace to Consort Shen's palace would inevitably pass through the Imperial Garden.
Qin Jinzhi turned to Feiyan and said, "Keep an eye on Grandmother, I'll be back in a bit."
She walked quickly toward the Imperial Garden.
Qin Jinzhi walked very fast and soon caught up with the Crown Prince.
"Uncle!"
The Crown Prince turned around in response, his face full of displeasure. "I have no blood relation with Princess Jinzhi. It would be better if Princess Jinzhi addressed me as Crown Prince."
Qin Jinzhi wasn't angry. "I have something to say. Please come over here."
When the Crown Prince heard her words, he thought she was going to persuade him about his relationship with the Empress, and his face became even more impatient. "My mother and I are, after all, mother and son. We don't need an outsider like you to advise us on our matters."
Qin Jinzhi's face showed a hint of contempt, "Are you sure you want to talk about your affair with the Empress Dowager in front of everyone?"
The Crown Prince frowned. He was surrounded by guards, palace maids, eunuchs, and occasionally, concubines who came to admire the flowers in the Imperial Garden. If people heard that he was at odds with the Emperor and Empress, the officials' attitude towards the Crown Prince would waver.
Qin Jinzhi raised her hand and pointed to the pavilion in the middle of the lake in the Imperial Garden.
The prince looked around and realized that the pavilion in the middle of the lake was indeed a good place to talk.
He wasn't afraid of being overheard, and he also had some warnings to say to Qin Jinzhi.
When the two arrived at the pavilion in the middle of the lake, the Crown Prince stood by the pavilion with his back to Qin Jinzhi and said, "Speak quickly what you have to say, I still need to pay my respects to the Imperial Concubine later."
Qin Jinzhi scoffed, "The Crown Prince visits Consort Shen so frequently, anyone who didn't know better would think she's your own mother."
The Crown Prince said sternly, "Shut up! How dare you criticize the Imperial Concubine?"
Qin Jinzhi narrowed her eyes, her expression somewhat puzzled, "Why would the Empress Dowager give birth to such a fool as you!"
The crown prince could hardly believe what he had just heard.
What did you just say?
Qin Jinzhi slowly approached, saying, "I'm telling you, you're an idiot."
"Insolence! Don't think that just because your father and mother favor you, you can do whatever you want! I am the Crown Prince, and based on what you just said, I can chop off your head."
Qin Jinzhi suddenly curled her lips into a smile, "Then when you come out of the water, remember to exterminate my entire family."
She kicked the prince into the water with a sudden kick!
"ah!!!"
Qin Jinzhi stepped over the railing and sat down on it.
"Uncle, haven't you heard the saying 'One person shouldn't enter a temple, and two people shouldn't look into a well'?"
The crown prince struggled to bring his head above water, shouting, "Qin Jinzhi! How dare you plot against the Crown Prince! When I get up here, I'll chop off your head!"
Qin Jinzhi tilted her head as she watched the Crown Prince struggling, "We'll have to wait until you can get up."
The prince's eyes widened in terror. "You're going to kill me?!"
Qin Jinzhi said casually, "You are neither good at literature nor martial arts, you can't share the burden of the Emperor's grandfather, and you always make the Emperor's grandmother angry. Since that's the case, you might as well go die."
"Qin Jinzhi! You are treasonous! How dare you plot against the future emperor! Help!
Qin Jinzhi clicked her tongue, "Future emperor? We'll only know in the future, but if you, you idiot, become emperor, I'll really be doomed."
The prince couldn't swim and was exhausted from splashing around.
Qin Jinzhi said as she watched him drink water:
"Your grandmother told you to learn to swim, but you listened to Consort Shen's instigation and said that it was vulgar and improper."
If you learn to swim, you can get ashore by yourself now instead of waiting for someone to rescue you.
"See, even your Consort Shen can't save you."
Glug glug, glug glug.
The prince had begun to sink uncontrollably.
I will definitely kill you!
"Then come and kill me when you're on the throne."
The crown prince sank completely.
After waiting a while, Qin Jinzhi guessed that he should have fainted.
He stood up and jumped into the water.
Before long, they rescued the unconscious prince.
Qin Jinzhi found a spot on the prince's chest and punched it hard.
The prince immediately spat out several mouthfuls of water.
Just as he was about to open his eyes, Qin Jinzhi chopped him in the neck with a chop.
The person fainted again.
Then Qin Jinzhi grabbed one of the prince's feet and dragged him toward a crowded place.
Qin Jinzhi didn't even want to call him stupid. He was a crown prince who couldn't swim, yet he dared to go to the lake with people so casually. He was afraid that others would hear that he was having an affair with the emperor and empress and that his position as crown prince was unstable, so he didn't even bring a eunuch with him.
Even if he had drowned today, no one would know he died in the lake.
After crossing the lake from the path in the middle of the lake, the prince's eunuch hurriedly came over.
"What's wrong with the Crown Prince?"
Qin Jinzhi threw him aside.
"He slipped and fell into the water. Quickly send the Crown Prince back to the Empress's palace and summon the imperial physician."
The eunuch was horrified upon hearing this. "Quickly! Summon the imperial physician!"
His Highness the Crown Prince can't swim. If anything happens to him, his head will be gone!
The eunuch turned to Qin Jinzhi and said, "Thank you, Princess, for saving the Crown Prince. I will definitely report your kindness to Her Majesty the Empress."
Qin Jinzhi waved her hand, and the group quickly walked towards the Empress's palace.
"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! The Crown Prince has fallen into the water!"
The door was suddenly flung open. "What! Why did the Crown Prince fall into the water?!"
The Empress came out and saw the unconscious Crown Prince and Qin Jinzhi, who was soaked to the bone.
Qin Jinzhi was about to sneak back to her room when the Empress caught her red-handed.
In an instant, he understood what had happened; the prince's fall into the water was inextricably linked to this mischievous monkey.
"Quickly, fetch the imperial physician to treat the Crown Prince, and also invite Miss Liu over."
Qin Jinzhi smiled ingratiatingly.
The Empress was both amused and exasperated, and could only say, "Go and send a bucket of hot water to the princess."
When Liu Yiyi arrived at Qin Jinzhi's room.
Qin Jinzhi had already fainted in the bathtub, and there was blood at the corner of her mouth.
Startled, Liu Yiyi quickly checked Qin Jinzhi's breathing.
What are you doing?
Liu Yiyi was startled. "Why are you pretending to faint!"
Qin Jinzhi rolled her eyes. "The lake water was too cold, and it triggered the cold poison. I was just too weak just now."
Liu Yiyi was speechless. She took out a porcelain bottle from her sleeve. "This is a new medicine that can stabilize the Azure Poison in your body. I will have someone urgently search for the Orchid Grass. You really don't care about your life. You knew you had the Cold Poison and still dared to jump into that lake. Couldn't you have called the guards to save him? The Crown Prince is the same. Why did he go to the water's edge instead of the water? He even caused others' Cold Poison to relapse."
Qin Jinzhi scratched her head. "I kicked him down."
Liu Yiyi immediately covered her ears, "I didn't hear anything, pretend I didn't say anything."
Qin Jinzhi scoffed, "After being with me for so long, how come your mental fortitude is still so poor?"
Liu Yiyi looked at her speechlessly, "Nonsense, I was already mentally prepared, just not this much."
"Then don't bother preparing anything. Go and give the Crown Prince some medicine so he won't be able to get out of bed for the next few days."
Liu Yiyi crossed her arms over her chest. "Bodhisattva Guanyin, I seem to have gone mad. I just heard someone telling me to murder the Crown Prince. Please help me regain my senses."
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