Qi Xiao lowered his eyes, concealing the complex expression in his cold gaze.
He had a meal with Xiao Yuehan in the palace. The two were very affectionate and stayed for quite a while before leaving the palace in the afternoon.
Upon returning to the Prince's residence, he immediately summoned his guards and asked in a stern and urgent tone, "I heard that Lin Wanyue went to the Second Prince's residence with Lin Yanping a few days ago? Do you know anything about it?"
"This..." A bead of cold sweat dripped from the guard's forehead as he nervously replied, "This subordinate does not know."
Qi Xiao is a very cautious person.
He had previously sent people to investigate the Lin family's doorstep, but after Liu Shuhua's incident, he withdrew all of them, fearing it would alert Lin Wanyue.
Now that the guard was suddenly asked about Lin Wanyue, he naturally didn't know how to answer.
Qi Xiao's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a dangerous glint, and he said coldly, "Since you don't know, why don't you hurry up and investigate!"
The guard was about to leave immediately upon receiving the order when Qi Xiao added, "Be careful not to let anyone find out."
"Your subordinate obeys. I will investigate secretly and without letting anyone find out!" The guard then quickly left.
...
It was no secret that Lin Wanyue and Lin Yanping went to the residence of the Second Prince Qi Rong together. Although they were traveling in plain clothes, they did not deliberately conceal their actions.
Qi Xiao's men easily found out the relevant information and immediately came to report: "Your Highness, I heard that the little princess and the old prime minister went there suddenly that day. His Highness the Second Prince was not in the mansion at the time. It was only after the Second Prince's wife sent people to search for him many times that they managed to bring His Highness the Second Prince back from Shuiyue Tower."
"What did they suddenly go there for?" Qi Xiao knew his second brother's character very well; it was common for him to be out partying instead of staying at home, so he wasn't surprised.
I'm just very curious why Lin Wanyue and Lin Yanping would suddenly go to see Qi Rong. Could it be that they have some kind of relationship?
Qi Xiao was aware of the slight kinship between Lin Yanping and Qi Rong, but he didn't usually pay much attention to it.
If Lin Yanping truly wanted to help Qi Rong, his second brother wouldn't have fallen to such an incompetent state; he would probably have already been openly and covertly fighting against the emperor.
It shouldn't have taken so long for things to start between these two.
The guard shook his head with difficulty: "Your Highness, the Second Prince's Consort is very shrewd. All the people we sent in before have been eliminated by her, and now no one can pass on the message."
"We don't know what the little princess and the old prime minister wanted to see the second prince, but we heard that since the little princess and the old prime minister left, the second prince hasn't left his house at all these days. Several madams in the brothel even sent pimps to invite the second prince over, but he refused them all!"
"Is that so... there's definitely something fishy about this." Qi Xiao frowned and paced back and forth in his study.
He could hardly believe that Qi Rong hadn't left the house for several days in a row, and even refused to go out when invited.
There's something strange about this whole thing!
It should be noted that Qi Rong went to that kind of place the day after his marriage. The Second Prince's wife had a fiery personality and caused a scene several times, but she eventually calmed down.
Even the Second Prince's wife couldn't control Qi Rong and make him stay at home obediently.
But now, Lin Wanyue and Lin Yanping only stayed at their house for less than an hour, yet they were able to make Qi Rong behave himself. There must be something wrong here.
Unfortunately, the Second Prince's residence was guarded too tightly, so he couldn't send anyone in to investigate. As a result, he could only guess, but he really couldn't figure out what method Lin Wanyue had used or what deal they had made in secret.
Qi Xiao grew increasingly angry and kicked the guard in the stomach long ago.
"..." The guard was kicked but didn't dare to fight back. He just rolled on the ground clutching his stomach. Qi Xiao, annoyed by his appearance, kicked him a few more times.
"Get out! Useless things. You can't even find out anything here. What use are you to me?" Qi Xiao said coldly.
He was kicked because he hadn't wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and he crawled out.
Qi Xiao looked at the trail of blood on the ground and thought that Lin Wanyue also found him quite annoying, so he should find a way to get rid of him.
Unfortunately, this little girl Lin Wanyue actually managed to win the favor of both the Regent and the old Prime Minister, and even the Emperor treated her differently. These people must have been secretly keeping an eye on her, making it extremely difficult to take action against her.
After thinking for a while, Qi Xiao finally had no choice but to give up and prepare to find an opportunity to go with the flow.
Not long after, someone outside sent another message to Qi Xiao, about the palace.
…
As the weather grew hotter, everyone took off their heavy clothes and put on lighter garments, making their movements even more graceful.
Qi Yuan's health improved day by day. Not only did he no longer frequently summon imperial physicians as in previous years, but when he took his pulse every three days, his pulse was also getting better and better.
Having spent a long time in the Imperial Hospital, Lin Ziqiu would occasionally come to check on Qi Yuan when he was taking a patient's pulse.
"Your Majesty, I see that your health is getting better and better. It's not fun to stay cooped up in the Imperial Study all day. My brother said there's a football match at the training ground this afternoon. Would you like to come with me to watch?" Lin Ziqiu invited Qi Yuan.
"Isn't the training ground for martial arts practice? Why is there a football match there?" Qi Yuan also became interested. He wanted to go and play, but he hesitated because he was afraid he hadn't finished reading the official documents at hand.
Lin Ziqiu scratched his head. He didn't know much about these things either, so he could only think of his second brother's words and explained, "My brother said that they are not just reckless men. It's not enough to just strengthen their bodies. They also need to learn strategies and the ability to command others. So they need to practice occasionally. The Cuju (ancient Chinese football) match is a good way to practice these things."
Qi Yuan thought for a moment and said, "Then...then I want to go and see too!"
He was a little worried that his uncle wouldn't agree when he said this, but to his surprise, Qi Sichen immediately nodded in agreement when he mentioned it in the afternoon: "I think what Ziqiu said makes a lot of sense. It's not good for your health to stay in the Imperial Study all day. Since there's a football match this afternoon, why don't you go and play too?"
"Lin Zheyun may look simple-minded, but he's not stupid at all; he actually has quite a few ideas."
Qi Yuan immediately became excited, and even his speed in reviewing memorials increased significantly.
By the afternoon, he had actually finished reading all the official documents he needed to complete that day, and then excitedly ran to the training ground.
This shocked everyone else in the training ground.
Is this still their frail and sickly emperor?
They actually want to participate in the Cuju (ancient Chinese football) competition with them!
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