Lin Zan frowned slightly and asked Bixia to change his clothes, then he hurried to the front hall.

At this moment, the emperor was sitting there with a serious face. When Lin Zhan stepped into the front hall, he knelt down immediately without saying a word.

"Your Majesty, Lin Zhan occupied my bath and used my things. Maybe Lin Zhan has been ambitious for a long time and wants to replace me. Your Majesty, you must make the decision for me!"

Although Concubine Qin was sitting below, she looked at the emperor with loving eyes and threw him a wink from time to time, which made Empress Liu Qiuchan feel very disgusted.

But no matter how disgusting it was, it was nothing compared to what Concubine Qin said. Although the emperor had a good appearance, he was already over forty years old, and Lin Zan was only nine years old.

Concubine Qin actually wrongly accused a nine-year-old child of having evil intentions towards the emperor.

This made Lin Zhan feel a little sick, and he quickly looked up to explain, "Your Majesty, please check. I was just led into the hot spring by a little Taoist priest. I didn't even know that the hot spring was prepared for the imperial concubine."

"Nonsense, don't you know that the expenses around the hot spring are all prepared according to the imperial concubine's specifications? You used my things and you say you have no ambition." Imperial Concubine Qin turned around, as if she had become a different person, and scolded Lin Zan with a vicious look on her face.

How could Lin Zan know this? She had always been well protected in the palace, and Liu Qiuchan doted on her, and the things she used were always the same.

Therefore, Lin Zan was used to using those things on a daily basis and had no idea that they were things that only the imperial concubine could use.

Liu Qiuchan finally spoke up. "Empress Qin, be careful with your words. Your Majesty, Lin Zhan is the only sister left after Queen Lin passed away. She is still young, so how could she have such complicated thoughts?"

"Father, I brought a little Taoist priest to lead the way for Lin Zhan. Concubine Qin asked the maidservant beside her to prepare the hot spring. The little Taoist priest didn't know about it, which led to this misunderstanding. Please understand clearly, Father."

Jun Beiqi walked in at this time, followed by a little Taoist priest. The emperor asked the little Taoist priest a few questions.

The young Taoist priest also told everything and explained that the reason why Lin Zhan entered the hot spring was just an accident.

"Even if entering that hot spring was an accident, then Lin Zhan using the things I prepared is not an accident. Having lived in the palace for a long time, doesn't Lin Zhan know what should be used and what should not be used?"

Concubine Qin continued to insist, but the emperor did not seem willing to pursue the matter any further and just rubbed his brows.

"Forget it. This incident was just an accident. Why should the imperial concubine speculate on what dirty thoughts a child might have? Besides, your use of lynching in the Taoist temple will not happen again." After the emperor finished speaking indifferently, he stood up and left.

Concubine Qin bit her lip angrily, then looked at Lin Zhan coldly and said, "You are really lucky."

After she finished speaking, she snorted and left. Lin Zhan breathed a sigh of relief, fell down, and was held back by a pair of strong hands.

"Are you okay?" Jun Beiqi stood beside Lin Zan and asked worriedly.

Lin Zan shook his head, but soon fainted. Liu Qiuchan quickly called the accompanying imperial physician to treat Lin Zan.

"Miss Lin, you have a cold caused by evil wind entering your body and alternating hot and cold temperatures. I will prescribe some medicine for you to take." The imperial physician said to Liu Qiuchan.

Liu Qiuchan nodded and waved her hand to let the imperial physician leave. Then she let Lin Zan sleep in her room, and finally met Jun Beiqi in another room.

"I never thought that Concubine Qin would use such a dirty reason to slander Zhan'er. If it weren't for the emperor's order, I really wouldn't want to bring Zhan'er here and let her fall into this situation."

Liu Qiuchan frowned and said with emotion, while Jun Beiqi stood there with a serious look on his face. "The Qin family is showing signs of revival. Father's thoughts are really hard to guess."

"Forget it. I don't know if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has thought carefully about what I mentioned before. If he can get the help of the Grand Tutor, the Crown Prince's power will be greatly consolidated." Liu Qiuchan suddenly said to Jun Beiqi.

Jun Beiqi's face darkened, and he said, "Your Majesty, there is no need to mention it again."

Just one sentence made Liu Qiuchan understand the prince's intentions, and she couldn't help but feel anxious. "I heard that the Qin family is also in contact with the Grand Tutor. If Prince Heng marries Tang Xiu, wouldn't it help the Qin family's power, and Concubine Qin's arrogance will be even more uncontrollable."

But it was obvious that Jun Beiqi didn't seem to want to listen to these words. He stood up, bowed and left, leaving Liu Qiuchan alone there, feeling very angry.

The next morning, Lin Zhan woke up groggily. She felt her throat burning, her eyes sore, and her nose dry. She was so familiar with this feeling that she couldn't recover for a while.

"Zhan'er, you're awake. Drink the medicine quickly." When Liu Qiuchan saw that she woke up, she took the medicine from the palace maid next to her and handed it to Lin Zan.

Lin Zhan smelled the bitter medicine, but he didn't act pretentiously. He drank it all in one gulp and then spoke. "Sister, do I have a cold?"

"You just took a hot spring bath yesterday, and you were dragged out to be beaten with a stick in your dishevelled clothes. You were so shocked that evil wind entered your body, so naturally you caught a cold." Liu Qiuchan said with a sigh.

Lin Zhan looked a little unhappy and nodded. "Concubine Qin really is always trying to harm me, but I didn't expect the emperor to let this matter go without any explanation."

Listening to her words, Liu Qiuchan seemed to hear a hint of dissatisfaction with the emperor in her tone.

Then he sighed and said, "The emperor intends to balance the power of the harem. Although he favors Concubine Qin, he will not lose face for me, the queen."

"Besides, the emperor still has some remaining love for you, so it helped. Don't worry, sister will find a chance to get it back for you."

Listening to Liu Qiuchan's words, Lin Zan smiled but didn't take it to heart. After all, some things still depend on oneself and everyone has their own difficulties.

However, the emperor's itinerary will not be delayed because Lin Zhan caught a cold.

The convoy was divided into two groups at the foot of the mountain. Lin Zan and Tang Xiu and their group returned directly to Qinglan Courtyard, while the emperor and others returned to the palace.

Just like that, Lin Zhan returned to Qinglan Courtyard with a cold, but before leaving, Qinglin, the guard beside Jun Beiqi, handed a package to Bixia beside Lin Zhan.

At this moment, Bixia brought the bundle to Linzhan and said, "Miss, would you like to open it and take a look?"

Lin Zan nodded, opened the bundle, and his eyes lit up.