Chapter 178 Beat Him

Next to a remote corner.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you crying?" The palace maid looked concerned, bent slightly and asked softly.

"The drought in Jincheng has been quite severe recently. My hometown is in Jincheng, woo woo."

The two palace maids covered their faces with their hands, their shoulders trembling constantly, and they cried bitterly.

"Don't worry too much. Didn't His Majesty arrange for the eldest prince to go to Jincheng? If the case was serious, how could His Majesty arrange for the eldest prince to go there?"

The first palace maid gently patted the second palace maid's back and comforted her softly.

"I haven't received a letter from home for a while. The last time I received one, I heard that Jincheng was not only infested with bandits, but also plague and dysentery. I don't know how my family is doing now, wuwu."

The second palace maid sobbed and her tears rolled down like beads from a broken string.

"Everyone says that His Majesty loves and values ​​the eldest prince the most. If the situation in Jincheng is really as serious as you said, why would His Majesty send the eldest prince there?" The palace maid frowned slightly and said with a firm look.

"I heard that the eldest prince hasn't sent any news back for several days, but His Majesty has been hiding it from the Empress. Maybe the eldest prince has already..."

The second palace maid seemed to be hesitant to speak, and her voice was trembling.

On the way back to Kunning Palace, Jun Jiayue, who was originally in a good mood, heard the discussion of the two palace maids and was stunned for a moment.

Then he shouted angrily, "What are you talking about? My eldest brother is in the capital, how could he go to Jincheng?"

Jun Jiayue had heard from her mother that the ladies in the harem had been cutting down on expenses recently and praying for Jincheng. She had also heard from her mother about the dangers facing Jincheng.

But she had no idea that her eldest brother had gone to Jincheng.

The two palace maids who were talking in a low voice with their backs to each other heard the princess' voice and were so frightened that their faces turned pale. They ran away without turning their heads or greeting the princess.

Jun Jiayue had never seen a palace maid being so disrespectful to her before. She stomped her feet in anger and wanted to yell and have someone arrest her, but she had sneaked out today and no one was following her.

She was angry and anxious, her face wrinkled, "Damn it, I haven't even seen what these two palace maids look like."

The two palace maids ran away very quickly and soon disappeared from Princess Ruixi's sight.

When I turned a corner where no one was around, a eunuch appeared.

"You two have done a great job, this is for your benefit."

The eunuch had a sinister smile on his face as he secretly handed something to the two palace maids.

The two palace maids immediately smiled with joy, their eyes shining, "Thank you, eunuch."

"Keep your mouth shut. If you are discovered, no one can save you." The eunuch lowered his voice, his eyes revealing a threat.

"Yes, eunuch." The two palace maids nodded repeatedly, their faces full of flattery.

When Jun Jiayue returned to Kunning Palace, she felt an uncontrollable fear in her heart when she thought about her elder brother being in such a dangerous place in Jincheng. Her eyes quickly filled with tears, which swirled in her eyes as if they would burst out at any time.

She trotted into the hall with her short legs.

"Mother, mother, wuwu, your son wants to see my eldest brother, wuwu."

Jun Jiayue sobbed and cried as she ran towards her mother, looking like a frightened deer, eagerly seeking comfort.

Su Jingyao was sitting on the couch. When she heard Jun Jiayue crying, she was a little surprised and frowned slightly.

What happened to this little devil today? Who else in the palace could make her suffer such injustice?

"Ning An, why are you crying?"

Su Jingyao stretched out her hand, gently pulled Jun Jiayue to her side, and asked in a soft tone.

"Mother, I miss my eldest brother. Can you please allow him to have dinner in Kunning Palace?"

Jun Jiayue tightly tugged at Su Jingyao's sleeve, with tear marks on her face and her wet eyes filled with desire.

"Your eldest brother is now in the court and is very busy. Ning An can't act willfully, okay?"

Su Jingyao gently touched Jun Jiayue's head and spoke patiently.

"But I just heard that my eldest brother went to Jincheng. Yesterday, my mother said that Jincheng was hit by drought and epidemics. I don't want my eldest brother to go there, wuwu."

Jun Jiayue's voice was tearful and her body was shaking slightly.

She was really afraid that her eldest brother would be in danger. She didn't want him to get sick. She missed him.

When Su Jingyao heard this, her eyes darkened instantly and her expression became solemn.

She gently wiped the tears from Jun Jiayue's face and comforted her softly.

"How could your eldest brother go to such a dangerous place? Someone must have spread the rumor. Where did Ning An hear it from?"

"My son..."

Jun Jiayue then remembered that she had just sneaked out without telling the palace maid. She hesitated for a moment and her head drooped.

When Jun Jiayue saw her mother's expression suddenly froze, she felt panic in her heart.

He quickly admitted his mistake: "Mother, I made a mistake today. I just ran away and when I came back, I met two palace maids discussing this matter in a low voice."

"Don't be angry, mother. I will never do such a thing again."

Her voice was tearful, her little hands grasped the corner of Su Jingyao's clothes, and she looked at her mother pitifully.

"Does Ning An know which palace those two palace maids are from?" Su Jingyao asked seriously.

"I did not see their faces, and they were very unruly. When they heard my voice, they not only did not greet me, but also ran away directly."

Jun Jiayue's little face was puffed up with anger.

"It's okay. What they said is wrong. It's time for dinner. Let's eat."

Su Jingyao held Jun Jiayue's hand and prepared to go to eat, but when she turned around, her eyes met Miaoyun's. There were mixed emotions of unknown meaning and a hint of ruthlessness in her eyes.

Has she been too kind to the women in the harem over the years?

Miaoyun naturally understood her master's thoughts. She nodded slightly, then hurried out.

Everyone in Kunning Palace was kept in the dark about the eldest prince's trip to Jincheng. Either the eldest prince did not go at all, or His Majesty deliberately blocked the news.

If Miaoyun wanted to find out the truth of this matter, she had to ask people outside the palace.

When Miaoyun came back, Su Jingyao had already spent a lot of effort coaxing Jun Jiayue back to her own palace.

After all, she is only an eight-year-old girl with a simple mind. She can quickly put her troubles behind her if she is coaxed.

But Su Jingyao was in a very heavy mood. She frowned and felt more and more uneasy. Maybe the news Ning An brought was correct!

"Master, the eldest prince was sent to Jincheng a month ago, and his correspondence with the capital was completely cut off ten days ago."

Miaoyun's voice was trembling as she told her master the news with difficulty.

Because she knew too well how much the master valued the eldest prince. If something unexpected happened to the eldest prince, Miaoyun couldn't imagine how devastated the master would be.

Su Jingyao pursed her lips, which turned slightly pale, and clenched her hands into fists in her sleeves, trying her best to control her surging emotions.

"Go to the Qianqing Palace." Her voice was cold.

She had to know whether her son had really been missing for ten days or whether the father and son were setting up a trap.

Su Jingyao took a deep breath. She couldn't panic or lose her composure now.

However, before she could step out of the palace, Jun Zechen strode in.

Seeing that she was about to go out, his eyebrows slightly raised, eyes full of surprise, "Yaoyao is going out?"

"I originally wanted to go to the Qianqing Palace to see His Majesty, but now that His Majesty is here, there's no need to go." Su Jingyao looked calm and spoke in a cold tone.

Jun Zechen felt a little comforted when he heard her say this, but he didn't notice anything unusual about her. He took her hand and walked towards the warm pavilion.

He teased, "Why did you want to come to the Qianqing Palace to see me? Don't you like this big bed in Kunning Palace?"

Su Jingyao had no mood to flirt with him at the moment, her brows were tightly furrowed.

"Your Majesty, I haven't seen Xingxing for a month. I miss him. Call him now."

When Jun Zechen heard this, the smile on his face froze instantly and he became a little panicked for a moment.

"Now? Isn't it a little late? Xingxing has a lot of government affairs to learn and deal with recently. When he is free, I will naturally let him come to Kunning Palace to see you."

His eyes flickered as he spoke, and he didn't dare look directly at Su Jingyao.

"It doesn't matter. If he's not free, I can go see him. But I'm feeling uneasy today. I won't feel at ease if I don't see him."

Jun Zechen was silent for a moment, not knowing how to continue making up lies. He has never been good at making up lies.

"Yaoyao, Xingxing is fine...he..."

Su Jingyao had been quietly testing Jun Zechen since he came in, but his slightly panicked reply instantly ignited the anger in Su Jingyao's heart, and she could no longer control her temper.

"Xingxing went to Jincheng, didn't he?"

Su Jingyao suddenly interrupted Jun Zechen, anger flashing in her beautiful eyes.

Jun Zechen was stunned for a moment, thinking to himself, oh no, how did she know?

His heart sank. Looking at her sincere eyes, Jun Zechen knew he couldn't hide it anymore. He nodded helplessly, "Yeah."

"Has Xingxing really been missing for ten days?"

Su Jingyao's eyes widened, her voice trembled, and her face turned pale as paper in an instant.

Su Jingyao knew that becoming an emperor required many hardships, but she could not accept Xingxing going through such a life-and-death test no matter what.

She knew too well how dangerous the situation in Jincheng was now. Even if Xingxing had someone protecting her, accidents could happen at any time in a place where the epidemic was rampant.

Moreover, now everyone is eyeing the eldest prince Xingxing covetously. If someone deliberately plots to harm him, Su Jingyao simply doesn't dare to imagine the terrible consequences.

Xingxing is only ten years old!

Tears welled up in Su Jingyao's eyes, and her heart felt like it was being hit hard by a heavy hammer.

She has always been selfish. In her heart, even if Xingxing did not grow up to be as outstanding as she expected, she would still place the throne in front of Xingxing.

Xingxing was her first child, and she gave him most of her love without reservation.

However, this kind of love is not purely selfless, but is mixed with her strong selfish desires.

Su Jingyao never asked Xingxing whether he wanted to be emperor. From a young age, she subtly made Xingxing accept the responsibilities imposed on him by her, the queen mother, and drove him to move forward firmly towards the supreme throne.

She made him study hard and did not allow him to have a happy childhood, but Xingxing never let her down as the queen mother.

So she not only has a deep love for Xing Xing, but also feels guilty.

"Yaoyao, you have to trust Xingxing. He will handle everything. This is a test from me."

“Bang!”

A crisp slapping sound suddenly echoed in the hall, and the sound seemed to be able to shatter people's hearts.

"If anything happens to Xingxing, I will never forgive you!"

Jun Zechen was stunned for a moment, as if he was frozen in place.

An Shun, who had been keeping his head down, just wanted to reduce all sense of existence at this moment. His heart was in his throat.

Oh my god, the Queen actually slapped His Majesty? ! !

When Jun Zechen reacted, he pursed his lips. This was probably the first time he was beaten in his life.

He touched the beaten cheek with the tip of his tongue and stared at her closely with his dark eyes. She was becoming more and more lawless now!

Su Jingyao didn't know whether it was because she was so angry that her emotions were extremely unstable or for some other reason, but she suddenly felt extremely nauseous and wanted to vomit.

She couldn't hold it in for a moment, so she bent over, covered her mouth, and tried to vomit, but nothing came out.

Jun Zechen didn't care about being angry at all, and suddenly panicked, "Yaoyao, what's wrong?"

Su Jingyao's legs went limp, her vision went dark, and she passed out.

Jun Zechen quickly reached out his hand, hugged her waist and picked her up, "Go call the imperial physician!"