The following day, news came from the palace.
Consort Rong, who was practicing meditation at Hanshan Temple, suddenly fell ill.
I heard that she had a high fever and her symptoms were dangerous. Even in her coma, she kept calling out the Third Prince's name.
Consort Rong's maternal family petitioned to bring her back to the palace to recuperate.
However, Emperor Jingyuan knew perfectly well why she had been banished from the palace. Before the Empress recovered, he did not want her to approach the palace, so he only sent a royal physician to Hanshan Temple to take care of her.
Also traveling with them was the Third Prince, Pei Jin.
In the pouring rain, Pei Jin, his face grim, boarded the carriage surrounded by palace servants.
The trusted servant worriedly said, "The Crown Prince is eyeing you covetously. It's too risky to leave the palace at this time. Let's ride to the temple as fast as we can and return as soon as possible."
Pei Jin forgot the gloomy sky, his brows furrowed with melancholy.
After Pei Feng learned that he was the one secretly contacting Song Tingyue, he was furious and wished he could get rid of him as soon as possible.
Last time, when he caused trouble in the palace, Emperor Jingyuan gave him a few words of reprimand, but because it was in the palace, Pei Feng did not dare to be too presumptuous.
His departure today presents Pei Feng with an excellent opportunity.
But he had no choice but to take the risk.
Everyone in the palace knew that the Third Prince was filial and grateful, and treated his adoptive mother, Consort Rong, with utmost respect and deference.
Ignoring her at this time would not only lead to unpleasant rumors, but even Emperor Jingyuan would doubt his filial piety.
"Isn't it too coincidental that Mother's illness came about?" Pei Jin murmured.
"You suspect there's something fishy going on?" the servant asked in surprise. "The messenger was from Master Jinghui's side. This person has no dealings with the First Prince, so the news shouldn't be false."
Pei Jin remained silent for a moment.
"I hope so."
With Pei Feng's abilities, he naturally couldn't win Jing Hui over.
In other words, if someone can even command Jinghui, it shows how powerful they are, and my trip... is probably going to be very dangerous.
Pei Jin shook her head, dispelling the unease in her heart.
"Have the people from the General's Mansion arrived yet?"
To prevent Pei Feng from harming him, before leaving the palace, he sent someone to deliver a message to Song Tingyue, asking her to find a group of people to escort him.
The servant nodded: "Your Highness, rest assured, the general's guards are already following behind."
Pei Jin's expression relaxed a little.
About half an hour later, the carriage rolled over the muddy mountain road and stopped behind the gate of Hanshan Temple.
Due to the heavy rain, the imperial physician's carriage was left behind and could not be seen through the thick rain curtain.
Pei Jin could only enter the temple gate first, stepping up the winding stone steps, and immediately saw Jing Hui standing in the center of the main hall.
"Master," he asked, "how is my mother's condition?"
Jinghui bowed to him and said, "Your Highness, please come with me." After saying that, she turned and went into the inner hall.
Behind the main hall was a dark corridor. Pei Jin followed it, making several turns, until she arrived at a slightly brighter room.
Consort Rong was not among them; Pei Jin met someone else.
"Brother, Crown Prince?"
He gazed at the handsome man with black hair and a golden crown before him, and countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.
"Did you arrange this? Did you deliberately lead me here?"
Pei Jin looked wary, but a wave of horror washed over her.
"Jinghui...is she one of yours?"
No, not just Jinghui.
On the way here, he noticed that there were few people around the temple halls, and perhaps the entire Hanshan Temple had already been bought off by Pei Xuan.
"My brother, the Crown Prince, is usually a man of few desires and is the most aloof of the princes. Who would have thought that he secretly formed a faction and that his disguise skills are truly remarkable."
Now that things have come to this point, Pei Jin is not afraid to reveal his true colors.
"If Father Emperor knew you had such great ambitions, would he still feel comfortable letting you be the Crown Prince?"
Pei Xuan gave him a cold look, neither denying it nor mocking him, saying, "When it comes to disguise, who in the palace can compare to you?"
"How is my mother?" Pei Jin asked.
"Hand over the snow grass, and she will be fine."
Pei Xuan said calmly.
"Otherwise, you won't even be able to leave the temple."
Pei Jin tensed up: "You dare to harm your own siblings? If Father finds out, he won't let you off!"
"It was Pei Feng who harmed his own brother."
Pei Xuan glanced at the heavy rain outside the window.
"The assassins Pei Feng hired should be arriving soon. I just need to stop the guards from the General's Mansion and clear the way for them. Once it's done, I can present the evidence of his murder to the Emperor."
Pei Jin gritted her teeth.
"When I die, Pei Feng will be convicted, and Pei Xi is a useless and incompetent person. At that time, even without the Empress's recovery, the entire Dayong will belong to you alone."
"Pei Xuan, you've really got a good plan!"
Pei Xuan looked at him coldly: "Your time is running out."
"How do I know you won't break your promise?" Pei Jin retorted.
Pei Xuandao's voice was calm as still water, yet it carried a chilling coldness.
“If my mother cannot be saved, I don’t mind killing you right now to pay for her life.”
Pei Jin's heart tightened, and she took a deep breath.
“The grass is rare, and I only have one, which I keep in the shelf of the third row of bookshelves in my bedroom.”
Pei Xuan got the answer and left without lingering for a moment.
The guard followed his footsteps and asked in a low voice, "Master, are we really going to protect Pei Jin back to the palace?"
“Pei Feng hates Pei Jin to the bone. If we don’t let him vent his anger, wouldn’t it be a wasted trip?”
Pei Xuan smiled coldly.
Pei Jin should have known the consequences for daring to poison his mother.
"Leave him alive, don't let him die."
Jiang Wan once said that Pei Jin was cunning, and to prevent him from lying about the antidote, she spared his life until the Empress recovered.
That night.
Pei Jin was carried back to the palace.
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