The eldest princess glanced around and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I have something important to report to you."
Empress Li frowned slightly, then dismissed her attendants. "Yonghe can speak now."
Bai Chuxiao dropped her disguise and said in a deep voice, "Empress, it's me."
Empress Li was shocked and exclaimed, "What are you doing here? Where is the Crown Prince?"
Bai Chuxiao made a shushing gesture, "What I'm about to say, Your Majesty, must not be uttered."
Empress Li suddenly felt uneasy. Bai Chuxiao's sudden appearance, the Crown Prince's disappearance, and Emperor Wenxuan's unusual absence made her feel that something major was about to happen.
"The Crown Prince has been captured by Chu Wenzheng," Bai Chuxiao said slowly, seeing that she had gradually calmed down.
Empress Li looked flustered and whispered, "What is Chu Wenzheng trying to do?"
Bai Chuxiao said in a deep voice, "The Empress is borrowing your maidservant. There seems to be some trouble with His Majesty, and I need to stay in the palace to try and see him."
The Empress knew nothing, and explaining so much to her was pointless. However, compared to Chu Wenzheng and Chu Tianling, she had no choice but to temporarily side with the Empress and the Crown Prince.
Empress Li had no doubts and said, "Fine." Given the current situation, she had no choice but to trust Bai Chuxiao.
The eldest princess said worriedly, "Xiaoxiao..."
Bai Chuxiao smiled faintly, "Princess, you should leave the palace first to avoid arousing suspicion."
The eldest princess had no choice but to nod helplessly; if she didn't leave the palace soon, it would indeed become suspicious.
Bai Chuxiao gave Empress Li some more instructions on being wary of Consort Wei, then slipped away to Fusang Pavilion. Although the inner palace seemed relatively safe, she still needed to inform her mother first.
"Mother Consort"
When Consort Jing saw her, she didn't seem too surprised, but simply smiled and said, "Xiao Xiao, why did you suddenly come back?"
Seeing her smile, Bai Chuxiao felt a little more at ease and slowly asked, "Has Mother noticed anything unusual in the palace lately?"
Consort Jing thought for a moment and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty does seem a bit off."
Bai Chuxiao frowned. Consort Jing was unassuming, yet incredibly meticulous, possessing a keener sense of smell than Empress Li.
Consort Jing asked with some concern, "Has something happened?"
Bai Chuxiao nodded. "Prince An is going to rebel. Logically speaking, with General Cheng commanding the Imperial Guards, the palace shouldn't be under his control. But for some reason, it seems His Majesty isn't receiving any messages. I plan to go to His Majesty's place later to investigate."
Consort Jing suddenly grabbed her hand and said in a deep voice, "Don't worry about His Majesty. Go to the Northwest immediately to find the Seventh Prince and your maternal grandfather. You are a capable child. Since you were able to enter the palace, I believe you will definitely find a way to leave the capital."
Bai Chuxiao frowned slightly. "Mother, how can I leave you in the palace? If His Majesty is alright, then so be it. But if anything changes, I will take you away immediately."
She didn't have any deep feelings for Emperor Wenxuan. Protecting him was merely because, in the current situation, it was more advantageous for them to be alive. Consort Jing had protected Chu Tianze since childhood, so their mother-son bond was naturally different. Now that Chu Tianze was not in the capital, she at least had to protect his few remaining relatives.
Consort Jing shook her head, "You leave immediately. Don't worry about Mother Consort. We concubines are insignificant; nothing will happen to us."
If the situation is truly that serious, she would probably already be under surveillance. It would be incredibly difficult for Xiaoxiao to get her away; in fact, it's likely that no one would be able to leave.
Bai Chuxiao looked at the darkening sky outside and said in a deep voice, "Mother, get ready. I'll go see His Majesty and come right back."
Without saying another word, she quickly disappeared into the night and made her way to the front hall. There was no sign of the emperor in the imperial study. Bai Chuxiao frowned slightly. Emperor Wenxuan was a very diligent emperor. He was usually in the imperial study reviewing memorials at this time. Could he be resting?
Thinking of this, Bai Chuxiao quickly headed towards the place where Emperor Wenxuan usually rested.
The side hall of Zichen Palace was completely quiet.
Zhang Yuandao was sweating profusely as he applied acupuncture to Cheng Song. A short while later, Cheng Song coughed up blood. Zhang Yuandao silently breathed a sigh of relief and slowly removed the silver needles.
Emperor Wenxuan asked in a deep voice, "How is it?"
Zhang Yuandao bowed and said, "Your Majesty, the poison has been cleared, and General Cheng should be out of danger."
Emperor Wenxuan said calmly, "Why haven't you woken up yet?"
Zhang Yuandao took Cheng Song's pulse and said cautiously, "The poison is potent, but General Cheng is in good health. He should wake up in about an hour."
Emperor Wenxuan said in a deep voice, "Go back and continue searching for the prescription, do you understand?"
Zhang Yuandao lowered his head, "Yes."
Jinzhong understood and bowed, saying, "Imperial Physician Zhang, you've worked hard examining His Majesty's pulse. This old servant will escort you back."
Inside the side hall, Emperor Wenxuan stared blankly at Cheng Song on the bed, thinking that he should wake up as soon as possible.
Two soft sounds suddenly came from outside the hall. Emperor Wenxuan's eyes turned cold. "Who?"
Bai Chuxiao quietly entered the hall, saying, "It's me, Father Emperor."
Emperor Wenxuan frowned slightly. "Has something happened in Yunzhou?"
He sent someone to summon her and the Crown Prince back, but they shouldn't be able to get here so quickly. The fact that this girl is here suggests things are probably worse than he imagined.
Bai Chuxiao glanced at Cheng Song lying on the bed and said calmly, "Didn't Father receive the message I sent back?"
Emperor Wenxuan glanced at the person lying outside, his eyes turning cold. After Cheng Song was poisoned, the people guarding him every day were replaced by hidden guards. Now it seemed that there was a traitor among the royal hidden guards he trusted most, who had intercepted the news.
"Is the Crown Prince alright?"
Just as Bai Chuxiao was about to explain the situation, she heard footsteps outside.
Emperor Wenxuan's heart sank. "Go to the back first, and remember to keep Azi's portrait safe for me."
Bai Chuxiao's eyes narrowed, and she darted behind the bed.
"My dear brother, how have you been?" Chu Wenzheng strode in.
Emperor Wenxuan immediately understood and said sternly, "Chu Wenzheng, I believe I have treated you well over the years."
Chu Wenzheng laughed loudly a few times, "Not stingy? What a joke! I am the only remaining direct descendant of the previous dynasty. This empire should have been mine all along. Why should I have to care about your opinion?"
Emperor Wenxuan slowly spoke, "This empire was conquered by me, and I have a clear conscience sitting on this throne. When the world was in chaos, you never contributed a single bit, yet now you want to reap the benefits without lifting a finger."
Chu Wenzheng smiled enigmatically, "A clear conscience? Chu Wenxuan, you can say that so frankly, I truly admire you."
Emperor Wenxuan stared coldly at him, when Chu Wenzheng suddenly spoke loudly, "Nephew's wife, have you heard enough? I know you're here."
Bai Chuxiao no longer hid her words and said with a smile, "Uncle, you are truly capable."
Chu Wenzheng raised an eyebrow, "It's truly impressive that my nephew's wife has managed to leave Yunzhou."
Bai Chuxiao moved swiftly towards Chu Wenzheng, her shadow hovering around his neck as she said with a faint smile, "Since you know this, how could you be so careless as to not even bring a skilled fighter?"
Chu Wenzheng, however, remained unfazed, merely observing the two with great interest.
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