"What's that noise?" Yun Beiming turned around to look when he heard the noise, only to see that it had started raining heavily again outside.
[Third Imperial Uncle, how long have you been staying in Shu? Your accent is quite Sichuanese, it's rather amusing.]
Yun Duoduo took a sip of the hot rice porridge, and the porridge warmed her up nicely.
She looked at the light rain outside, felt the warmth inside the imperial kitchen, and saw the satisfied Sun Huohuo, the smiling Third Prince, and the busy cooks in the imperial kitchen.
She felt a warm feeling in her heart, and her heart was filled with strength.
[There's an empress from Northeast China, a third imperial uncle from Sichuan, and an imperial grandmother who seems to have a Hebei accent—it's quite a sight.]
However, the Empress Dowager had lived in the capital for a long time and held a high position, so she spoke in a formal Mandarin accent. It was really not easy to hear her occasionally reveal her Henan accent.
After the group had eaten and drunk their fill, they sat in the imperial kitchen, looking out at the gray sky.
"What delicious food are you eating?" Yun Yishu came running over, panting.
After a morning of hard work in the outhouse, Yun Yishu was a little hungry. Hearing that Yun Duoduo and the others were in the imperial kitchen, he came over to check. Unexpectedly, it started to rain when he was halfway there.
"Shu'er's here, come sit down. Aunt Wu, another bowl of hot noodle soup!"
"Okay!"
"Oh dear, Third Brother, you're soaked."
"Quickly, change the Third Prince's clothes!" Aunt Wu shouted, and a young eunuch went to find clean and fresh clothes for Yun Yishu to change into.
Yun Duoduo looked at her third brother, who was visibly losing weight rapidly.
Yun Yishu slurped up the noodles in her bowl and quickly finished them.
The rain outside gradually stopped.
"Let's go, your royal uncle will escort you back to Fushuang Palace." Yun Beiming stood up, and the children also stood up. They wiped their mouths.
Following behind Yun Beiming, they left the imperial kitchen.
After bowing their heads in greeting, the palace maids and nannies in the imperial kitchen began to pack up their belongings.
As soon as I stepped outside, I saw the figure of a tall and straight young man.
"Brother Jinzhi!" Yun Duoduo's eyes showed surprise, and she happily ran over and grabbed one of Jin Jinzhi's fingers.
Her hands were too small, while Jin Jinzhi's hands were very big. Every time they went out, she would hold one of his fingers.
"Jin Zhi? What brings you here?" Yun Beiming was also somewhat surprised.
"Your subject pays respects to Your Highness Prince Ning."
“Wherever the little princess is, that’s where I will be,” Jin Jinzhi said calmly.
"No need for formalities. Now that you're here, you can escort them back. I also need to go back and study the herbs."
"Yes, Your Highness, rest assured." Jin Jinzhi bowed.
"Duoduo, tomorrow after noon, your Third Imperial Uncle will go to Fushuang Palace to teach you how to identify medicinal herbs," Yun Beiming said, bending down to Yun Duoduo.
"Okay, thank you, Third Imperial Uncle!" Yun Duoduo nodded vigorously.
"Third Imperial Uncle, bye-bye!" Yun Duoduo waved her hand. Although Yun Beiming didn't understand what "bye-bye" meant, he still waved back at Yun Duoduo.
"Goodbye, Sanhuang Su," Sun Huohuo said softly. He had been with Yun Duoduo for a long time and had learned many strange words.
...
Inside Changqiu Palace, Consort De remained under house arrest, but Yun Beiye permitted Yun Yishu to visit her once a month.
On this day, the sky was clear and the air was fresh. Ah Xiang carried a basket of newly made pastries from the Imperial Kitchen and brought the Third Prince Yun Yishu to visit Consort De.
"My son, my beloved eldest son, come and let me see you!" Consort De looked haggard, but when she saw her son, her spirits immediately lifted.
"Mother!" Yun Yishu rushed forward and hugged Consort De.
“My son, you don’t seem to be getting any fatter. Chunhua, quickly give the Third Prince the recipe I got earlier. This child needs to lose weight.”
"Losing weight? This prince's belly is full of money, I can't lose weight!"
"If my belly gets smaller, I'll have no money left!"
"What nonsense are you spouting? Your mother told you to read more books and not be so uncultured. It's laughable if word gets out."
Ah Xiang stood aside, watching the two with a smile, showing no intention of leaving.
Seeing that Ah Xiang seemed to have something to say to her, Consort De dismissed the palace maids serving her.
Ah Xiang placed the things in her hands on the table, and the palace maids in Changqiu Palace came out of the hall and closed the doors and windows.
"Ah Xiang, is there something you want to say to me?" Consort De asked with some confusion. Logically speaking, Changqiu Palace and Fushuang Palace had never had any contact. It was just that she had hosted the first birthday banquet, but so much time had passed since then.
Could it be that Shu'er has caused some trouble at Fu Shuang Palace?!
Ah Xiang noticed the change in Consort De's expression and comforted her, saying, "Your Majesty, there is no need to worry."
"Your Highness, the Third Prince will not continue to gain weight; he will only get thinner."
"What do you mean by that?" Consort De looked at her warily, her face full of confusion.
Consort De didn't like the people in Fu Shuang Palace. Although the little princess was a very cute girl, the harem had never been quiet since she was born. Her own son was granted the title of Prince Wuzhu just because he read the little girl a few bedtime stories, which put Shu'er in the spotlight.
Moreover, she was confined to her home in part because of this girl.
“The Third Prince has been poisoned by a Gu. Someone has planted a Golden Silkworm Gu in his stomach, which is why he is always hungry and keeps eating.” Ah Xiang lowered her voice and whispered in Consort De’s ear when no one was around.
"Your Highness, don't you find something strange about the Third Prince?"
Consort De frowned. She knew her son best and couldn't just listen to Ah Xiang's side of the story. However, her son had started to feel hungry frequently and was becoming increasingly irritable.
"A while ago, around the time of the first birthday banquet, Consort Nan from Beiliang came to celebrate the little princess's first birthday. Consort Nan was originally from Hongxiu Kingdom, a descendant of the medical clan, and was especially skilled in witchcraft."
“That day, Consort Nan came to Fushuang Palace and happened to meet the Third Prince. She noticed the Third Prince’s unusual condition and cleansed the Gu poison from his body. Now, I make a soup with realgar, garlic and calamus every day for the Third Prince to drink.”
Seeing that Consort De did not speak but instead pursed her lips, Ah Xiang continued to speak in a low voice.
"The Third Prince was unaware of the Gu poison, nor did he know that this was a medicinal soup to remove the Gu poison. He only thought that what I gave him every day was the Sanqing Cleansing Soup."
"Poisoning? Why should I believe what you're saying?!" Consort De could no longer listen and stood up angrily.
[How could his precious son be poisoned by a curse?!]
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