"What's wrong? What are you looking at?"
Gu Lin looked at the stunned Jiang Yu and asked softly.
"Zhong Lian'er handed in a note saying it was an order from Pei Jian." Jiang Yu smiled faintly at Gu Lin, but Gu Lin found the smile extremely irritating.
Gu Lin took the note and glanced at it. His eyes narrowed sharply, and the next second he looked at Jiang Yu's stomach.
“Ayu…”
“Pei Jian is not a man who acts arbitrarily. There must be something wrong with him asking Zhong Lian’er to inquire about my delivery.” Jiang Yu expressed her suspicion in the most calm voice.
“Ayu, perhaps Pei Jian wanted to take advantage of the chaos during your childbirth to invade Dayu, rather than doing anything to you.”
"But my weakness suddenly disappeared, and we still haven't found out why."
Jiang Yu stared intently at Gu Lin. "Ah Lin, this concerns the child. I can't take any risks."
Jiang Yu tightly protected her stomach with both hands, her eyes filled with a resolute determination that startled Gu Lin.
"You only have three months left until your due date. Don't worry, I will definitely find out the truth about this matter."
Gu Lin gripped Jiang Yu's hand tightly. "Actually, there's one more thing..."
"I suspect that Pei Jian's serious injury back then was faked, and that he wanted the Jiang family's blood."
"Jiang family blood? I remember, it was Pei Zhi who came to Dayu to ask for blood."
A ruthless glint flashed in Gu Lin's eyes. "I only found out about this a few days ago. I was thinking that you shouldn't be emotionally unstable right now, so I wanted to find out the truth before telling you."
"Adding to the news about Zhong Lian'er, A-Lin, do you believe in so many coincidences?"
Jiang Yu was suddenly pulled into Gu Lin's arms, and she could hear his heart pounding.
"But I'm not afraid. I know you and Ayan won't let anything happen to me, and I won't let anything happen to myself either."
Jiang Yu nestled against Gu Lin's chest. "I want to see Mei Chu tomorrow."
"good."
......
The next day, Mei Chu appeared before Jiang Yu looking exhausted.
“You must be under a lot of pressure lately, Wanji, make some tea for Dr. Mei.”
Mei Chu was accompanied by a young boy, who was clearly somewhat reserved as it was his first time entering the palace.
Upon hearing this, Mei Chu quickly replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. These are all things that I should do, but I am incompetent and have not yet been able to find the reason why the deficiency symptoms have disappeared."
"I heard you've been reading ancient medical texts lately."
"This is the only way we can do it." Mei Chu smiled bitterly. "By the way, this is my newly accepted apprentice. He's a promising talent for alchemy."
"What's your name?" Upon hearing this, Jiang Yu turned her gaze to the silent boy, who looked to be about the same age as Gu Qingyan. Although his demeanor was reserved, it was still within the bounds of politeness.
"Tao Yun, a commoner."
"Have you been reading ancient medical books lately?" Jiang Yu didn't press Tao Yun's case further, but instead continued her conversation with Mei Chu.
Tao Yun nodded. "There are too many ancient books, so I help my master look at them."
"Then I'll give you another task." A glint seemed to flash in Jiang Yu's eyes. "Go and investigate whether the Pei family of Longyou has ever had any major incidents before, and find out their background."
"The Pei family of Longyou?" Tao Yun quickly realized. "Your Majesty, don't worry, I'll start investigating as soon as I get back."
"Your Majesty suspects..."
"It's most likely related to the Pei family, but we don't know what the Pei family did to me yet, and I can't think of any opportunity for them to take action."
Upon hearing this, Mei Chu's expression also turned serious. "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will definitely find out the truth about these matters."
"I believe you."
After Mei Chu left, Jiang Yu sat on the recliner in the courtyard for a long time, so long that she didn't even notice when Gu Qingyan came over.
"Mother."
"It's Ayan." Jiang Yu was heavy and had some difficulty getting up. "How are the preparations for the palace examination going? It's about to start soon."
"Everything is ready. I have asked Prime Minister Zhuo to help with the preparations."
Gu Qingyan helped Jiang Yu up, saying, "I know about those things. I was worried about you."
"Silly child, your mother is now the Empress Dowager of Dayu. You and your father will protect me. How could I possibly get into trouble?" Jiang Yu said casually. "If Ayan is really worried, then do your mother a favor."
"What's up?"
Seeing Gu Qingyan's serious expression, Jiang Yu couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Help the Empress Dowager drive the Pei family into a desperate situation."
"Forced into a corner?"
"People only act rashly when they are driven to the brink. Now that we have disrupted the Pei family's supply of medicinal herbs, it is obviously only a minor injury to the Pei family. Pei Jian is still happily watching the Gong family and the Yun family fight each other."
"I understand." Gu Qingyan's eyes shone brightly. "I'm so angry and have nowhere to vent. Tomorrow I'll send people to destroy the Pei family's businesses that have moved into the open."
“For every one Pei Jian transfers, I’ll destroy it.”
“By the way, you could pay extra attention to Pei Zhi.” Jiang Yu looked thoughtful. “I always felt that Pei Zhi and Pei Jian were not the same kind of people.”
"I understand."
......
The Pei family of Longyou.
"Young Master, the Patriarch hasn't invited you to the front yard recently."
Pei Zhi was sipping her tea when she heard the maid's words and paused. "Perhaps Father has been quite busy lately."
“But…” The maid looked troubled. “I feel that this time is different. When I went to the front yard to deliver food to the master, the attitude of the master’s confidants towards me was different.”
"Do you feel that my position in my father's heart is no longer what it used to be?"
"This servant dares not."
The air was silent for a moment, then Pei Zhi slowly revealed a smile.
Even those around her could sense it, so how could she not sense it as well?
She felt no disappointment at her father's refusal to let her go to the front yard; instead, she felt a rare sense of peace.
She might not really be the best heir in her father's eyes.
"Alright, I'm not blaming you. At most, we can go back to the way we were back then." Pei Zhi patted the maid's shoulder. "We can still contribute to the Pei family."
As she spoke, Pei Zhi's gaze fell on a small porcelain bottle placed high up. She had finally managed to refine that medicine.
This is her biggest trump card.
"Alright, I'll do as you say, young master."
The master and servant exchanged a smile, while Pei Jian leisurely sipped his wine on the other side.
"This is a letter written to you by the eldest and second young masters."
The subordinate handed two letters to Pei Jian, saying, "Both young masters are eager to see you."
"You want to see me now?"
Pei Jian's lips curled into a strange smile. "It seems you've figured out quite a few things over the past few years."
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