Chapter 89 Let's welcome her into the family after the adoption ceremony is over.
Instead...
His Majesty's anger was caused by her.
How could Yun Si possibly stay there?
“A-Wu”.
She placed her hopeful gaze on A-Wu: "Take me secretly into the palace."
Just as A-Wu was about to agree, Lan Xin and Lu Yu objected in unison.
"My lord, don't rush. At this time, His Highness will definitely be surrounded by a large group of people. Even if you go, you won't be able to show yourself, and you'll easily be discovered."
"Yes, my lord, please wait patiently. Let A-Wu go and check the situation first to make sure His Highness is alone before we go."
Hearing what the two said, Yun Si gradually calmed down.
They're right.
We must not lose our composure.
Even if you enter the palace, you must ensure that you can be of help, not a hindrance.
As Yun Si waited for those few hours, she became increasingly calm.
What is happening now has never happened in my previous life.
Unable to foresee the consequences, she could only proceed cautiously, taking one step at a time and acting according to circumstances.
Yun Si spent the afternoon in the pharmacy, making thorough preparations for entering the palace that evening.
Although the palace had the best medicinal herbs, without her prescription, those herbs could not exert their maximum medicinal effect.
Eighty strokes of the military rod are no small injury; an ordinary person would likely be beaten to death on the spot after such an ordeal.
Qin Ye has martial arts skills, so even if he gets a little better, it probably won't be by much.
Yun Si prepared anti-inflammatory drugs, antipyretics, hemostatic drugs, painkillers, and medicine to clean wounds and help them heal quickly.
She spent several hours preparing these medicines, and by the time she had finished, it was already late.
Lanxin, Lu Yu, and A Wu stood guard at the door, their three pairs of eyes watching her with concern.
"My lady, you ate very little for lunch, so you must eat something for dinner. Otherwise, how will you manage when you enter the palace without any strength?"
Lan Xin was good at persuasion; once she said that, even if Yun Si didn't have much of an appetite, she would immediately agree.
"Okay, let's eat something first before we set off."
In situations like this, she needs to be extra careful to take care of herself.
"Okay."
Upon hearing this, Lansing was immediately delighted and went to fetch the food.
Yun Si forced herself to eat quite a lot until she felt a bit full, at which point she stopped.
As time went by, the night deepened.
She waited patiently until almost midnight before deciding to set off.
As soon as the door opened, A-Wu pushed her inside.
"What's wrong, A-Wu?"
Ah Wu looked serious and lowered her voice, saying, "Sister, do you remember when we went out before, someone was secretly following us?"
"Remember,"
Yun Si nodded: "Two of them were together, and one was alone. You never saw the two together in the manor, you only saw the one alone."
She explained the situation clearly before asking, puzzled, "Why bring this up all of a sudden? Is there something wrong with it?"
"At first, I wasn't sure if the two together were shadow guards from the Prince's mansion, but later I confirmed they were. As for the one alone, I always thought he was, but..."
A hint of doubt and confusion flashed across Awu's face. She seemed not to understand whether this lone individual was a secret guard or a shadow guard from the Prince's mansion.
If so, then he is always elusive and rarely in the manor; if not, then this person has been in the manor since the first day she arrived at Prince Xiao's manor.
"But what?"
"I can't quite explain it either. This person has been away from the manor for a long time, but I just discovered that he's been guarding this big tree outside Qiwu Garden for almost an hour now, and he hasn't left yet."
After listening to A-Wu's words, Yun Si remained silent for a moment.
She quickly extinguished the candles in the room, leaned back on the soft couch, and regulated her breathing little by little.
Seeing this, A-Wu followed suit, regulating her breathing and pretending to be about to fall asleep.
I waited quietly for a long time.
Ah Wu has amazing hearing; she can hear everything happening outside.
"He's gone."
"Ah Wu, is this person much more capable than the other secret guards in the manor?"
Yun Si sat up from the soft couch, a fierce glint flashing in her eyes.
Ah Wu thought for a moment and analyzed, "He is much more formidable. Every time he hides, he deliberately avoids the mansion's guards, especially staying far away from An Ye. If he gets too close, he will definitely be discovered. Or perhaps we are overthinking it; the mansion's guards actually know of his existence."
Upon hearing this, Yun Si nodded slightly.
Awu's analysis is not without merit.
The Shadow Guards of Prince Xiao's Mansion were not to be underestimated; it was impossible for them to remain completely unaware that someone had infiltrated the mansion.
However, the person who could attract A-Wu's attention must have some problems.
“Awu, when he comes again, remember to tell me right away.”
To find out if he is indeed a member of the Xiao Prince's Mansion, we can lure An Ye over and test him.
"Understood, sister." Awu nodded solemnly.
Once she was sure the person had left, Yun Si quickly packed her things and had A Wu take her to sneak into the palace.
Both were dressed in black, and under the cover of darkness, they entered the palace through the towering walls and successfully sneaked into the inner palace.
...
Let's go back to noon.
As usual, Qin Ye hurriedly went to the Ministry of War after the morning court session.
Recently, the Ministry of War is developing a new weapon. We need to finalize the detailed blueprints as soon as possible, forge one first, and see how it performs.
If successful, it could replace the old repeating crossbow, which was both wasteful of materials and had poor lethality.
However, opinions within the Ministry of War were polarized on this matter. Only one group agreed with Qin Ye, while the other group, led by the Minister of War, consistently disagreed with reforming the repeating crossbow.
Qin Ye had been working on the improvements for many days and was preparing to go back for testing today. However, before he could even leave the palace, he was summoned back by Eunuch Xu, the chief eunuch of Emperor Jiaqing.
"Your Highness!"
Eunuch Xu hurried out with small, quick steps, saying, "Your Highness, please wait."
Qin Ye stopped and looked over indifferently: "Eunuch Xu, what is it?"
Grandpa Yu wore a smile, but his true emotions were completely unreadable.
Those who could serve Emperor Jiaqing were naturally not ordinary people.
His smile deepened, and he said respectfully, "Your Highness, it is a good thing that His Majesty has asked you to go to the Imperial Study."
Upon hearing this, Qin Ye frowned slightly.
"Thank you for your trouble, sir."
Upon arriving at the Imperial Study, they discovered that Prime Minister Jiang was also there.
Qin Ye stepped forward calmly, bowed deeply, and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty. What are your instructions, Your Majesty?"
After the Jiaqing Emperor finished his court session, he had changed into a comfortable set of clothes.
Over his white undergarment was a black, flowing, unhemmed dragon robe, which gave him a profound yet approachable and languid air.
Yes.
This is just the surface.
He sat at the tea table, while Prime Minister Jiang sat on the other side.
Qin Ye bowed slightly to him, and he simply nodded in response.
Since his last visit to Prince Xiao's residence and being refused, he has not contacted Qin Ye privately again.
In the imperial court, he never made things difficult for Qin Ye.
Unexpectedly, he was waiting for him in the Imperial Study with Emperor Jiaqing today.
Immediately, Qin Ye understood the situation.
"It's certainly a good thing that I called you here."
Emperor Jiaqing was in a good mood today and personally brewed tea, pouring a cup for both Prime Minister Jiang and Qin Ye.
"Come here and taste my tea ceremony."
Prime Minister Jiang picked up his teacup, cupped his hands in greeting to Emperor Jiaqing, and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
A very casual expression of gratitude.
Emperor Jiaqing waved his hand: "You old fellow, you're only doing this because of Prince Xiao. Otherwise, if you wanted to drink tea personally brewed by me, you could be dreaming."
"Your Majesty is right."
Prime Minister Jiang did not refute, picked up his teacup, and drank it without ceremony.
The emperor bestowed tea upon Qin Ye, who naturally could not refuse it.
He stepped forward calmly, picked up the teacup, and took a small sip.
The Jiaqing Emperor stared at him: "How is it?"
Qin Ye replied: "Okay."
Emperor Jiaqing: "Just one word?"
"...Good tea."
"..."
After a moment of silence.
The Jiaqing Emperor's voice came again, this time with a hint of authority in his tone.
"You have performed well recently, and I am very pleased with you."
"Thank you, Father. Your son will work even harder in the future to share your burdens."
"Um."
After that introduction, let's get to the main point.
What are your thoughts on establishing a successor?
The topic shift was so sudden and unexpected.
Such a sensitive topic is one that no one dares to answer casually.
Qin Ye remained calm and composed, his voice unhurried: "Father, you are in your prime. I don't think there's any rush in choosing an heir."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jiaqing smiled slightly.
"I am old, and my health is not as good as it used to be."
At this moment, Prime Minister Jiang, who had not spoken until now, finally spoke up: "Your Majesty, you are not old, but you have worked hard for the country. You should indeed take good care of your health."
Emperor Jiaqing sighed.
"I have only six princes, and those capable of shouldering great responsibilities are even fewer..."
The topic became increasingly sensitive as the conversation progressed. Qin Ye's expression remained unchanged, but his heart sank slightly.
"Never mind, let's not talk about this."
Emperor Jiaqing then changed the subject, his tone tentative: "The Empress has no children and has always told me that she wants to adopt a child. Prince Xiao, are you willing?"
That's a very direct question.
Qin Ye hurriedly knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I am grateful for your kindness, but..."
He looked hesitant.
Emperor Jiaqing said, "Speak freely."
"However, as the Empress Dowager, if she were to acknowledge me as her son, I would become the legitimate heir, and I fear that..."
You're overthinking it.
Obviously.
Qin Ye's genuine reaction pleased Emperor Jiaqing.
If it were any other prince, they would have agreed without hesitation.
But then he frowned again: "I know you have ambitions, but hiding them too deeply is not a good thing. It's better to reveal some of them appropriately."
"Your subject...will heed your teachings."
Seeing this, Emperor Jiaqing was truly satisfied this time.
"If that's the case, then it's settled. We'll have the Empress hold an adoption ceremony later, and that'll be it."
"…yes."
Qin Ye's attitude was always respectful, only occasionally revealing a few concerns and fears, but more than anything, it was obedience and ambition.
Up until this moment, Emperor Jiaqing was extremely satisfied with his performance.
"There is one more thing."
His gaze fell on Qin Ye, his eyes deep: "Your mother intends to betroth her own niece to you as a concubine. The eldest daughter of the current prime minister is not a bad thing for you to be a concubine. After the adoption ceremony, you can bring her into the family."
The Jiaqing Emperor's tone was not one of discussion, but rather of notification.
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