“Have they found anyone yet?” Song Chuyi also set down what she was holding and looked up at Qing Ying who had entered, asking the same question as Academician Chen. The corners of her mouth seemed to carry a trace of cold laughter, but looking closely, there was no expression at all.

Qing Ying made an affirmative sound and looked at Song Chuyi. “It’s like issuing a broad call for heroes. They even went to invite the Taibai Immortal.”

The Taibai Immortal had only left Jin region to travel and cultivate. Otherwise who knew where these people would have gone to invite such a great Buddha as the Taibai Immortal. Thinking about it, Qing Ying couldn’t help but mock sarcastically, “This really is something—they’re certain His Majesty has been poisoned, so they’re completely fearless. Worried that Zhang Tianshi might cure him or that we might make a move, they even went to invite the Taibai Immortal who’s as renowned as Zhang Tianshi.”

“What’s so strange about that?” Qing Tao thought more thoroughly than her. “These people have schemed and plotted for half their lives—isn’t it all for today? Think of it from another angle. Right now we want to help our maternal uncle, aren’t we planning to stir up trouble in the northwest so they create chaos themselves, giving our uncle a chance to catch his breath?”

“How clever you are.” Qing Ying gave her an annoyed look. Seeing her stick out her tongue, she couldn’t help but laugh again. She turned back to look at Song Chuyi. “By the way, Your Highness, Noble Consort just sent word saying that Miss Mingzi is pregnant. She’s asking if you’ve prepared anything to give…”

Song Chuyi’s eyes lit up with genuine happiness. “Mingzi is pregnant?! How come… why didn’t Grandmother notify me…” At the same time, she was so surprised she kept calling for Nanny Xu and Nanny Xu, asking if there were any gifts to send.

When she had been pregnant with Ran’er back then, Old Madam Song had already passed away and Li Shi had complete control. No one from her natal family sent her any gifts or followed any customs, so much so that He Shi constantly used the lack of natal family support to mock her repeatedly. Therefore she well knew that after a woman became pregnant, the natal family should send things.

Hearing that Mingzi was pregnant, Nanny Xu and Nanny Xu also had faces full of smiles. After explaining that sugar money should be sent in the first three months, they watched Song Chuyi instruct the steward nanny to prepare. The two exchanged glances and felt somewhat troubled—Miss Mingzi was pregnant, but their own young lady still had no news.

After all, it had been nearly half a year. They worried, but didn’t voice it for Song Chuyi to hear. Recently the court had been in tumultuous uproar, and His Highness the Grand Prince had become the target of public criticism. What was the point of bringing this up now?

Zhou Weizhao himself didn’t feel he had become the target of public criticism. When he entered and saw things being sorted and picked through everywhere, with a pile of items already stacked on the table, he sat down somewhat surprised and looked at Song Chuyi. “What’s all this? Are you moving house?”

Ziyun could barely hold back her laughter. Since His Highness had been with the young lady, he had become worldly, but unfortunately his joking skills were still not quite there.

Sure enough, Song Chuyi told him matter-of-factly, “Mingzi is pregnant. I’m selecting things for her.” As she spoke, her eyes couldn’t hide the laughter within them, shining brilliantly.

Seeing her happy, Zhou Weizhao felt extremely pleased inside as well. He even looked through things with her. Finally, after Song Chuyi finished organizing, he circled behind her to massage her shoulders. “You’ve heard, right? The Taibai Immortal has been found. The Imperial Guard went to bring him back.”

“I heard.” Song Chuyi nodded. “I also heard that Minister Wang, who was originally imprisoned in the imperial prison, was transferred by the Three Judicial Offices to be held at the Supreme Court. Was he pressured by Liang Tong?”

He really was forced by Liang Tong with no other choice. This man would cry at the drop of a hat—crying for the Late Emperor, crying for Emperor Jianzhang, and crying for the common people of the realm. His prestige among the people was now extremely high. If the Cabinet didn’t handle matters he brought up, court officials would immediately jump out asking if the Cabinet was paying lip service while acting contrary.

Cen Biliang wiped the sweat from his forehead, cursed, and looked at Grand Secretary Chang. “These hotheads!”

It was precisely because they were hotheads that they were easy to instigate. These people weren’t greedy or grasping, had no bad intentions, only a self-righteous loyalty and enthusiasm, thinking they were all like Wei Zheng. Getting them to make a fuss was too easy.

Grand Secretary Chang waved his hand dismissively. “Never mind all that. Where are the people now?”

Cen Biliang snapped shut the document in his hand with a thud and said quite seriously, “They’ve reached Tongzhou. They said they can enter the city today.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Eunuch An came in with a shrill voice. “The Taibai Immortal has been brought here, along with several famous physicians from Hebei Circuit and people from the Tang family of Shu. Empress Dowager asks all the lords to go see together.”

Of course they had to go see. Though Grand Secretary Chang was already old, his movements weren’t slow at all. He immediately stood up, straightened his official robes, and hurried toward Xuanzheng Hall.

The imperial physicians surrounded the area three layers deep inside and out. Seeing the Taibai Immortal and others dusty from travel, they quickly made way. Physician Hu glanced at the Taibai Immortal entering and felt very uneasy inside.

Why did they find a Daoist priest again? If they wanted to find a Daoist priest who could treat illness, who could be more suitable than Zhang Tianshi of Longhu Mountain? And Zhang Tianshi just happened to be in the capital…

Before he could finish thinking, His Highness the Grand Prince came hurrying over. Not long after His Highness entered, Grand Secretary Chang and Lord Cen all came in as well. Xuanzheng Hall was surrounded so tightly not even water could leak through.

At this moment there was no regard for those elaborate formalities. Empress Dowager Lu sat behind the screen and gently asked the Taibai Immortal and others to take turns diagnosing.

The Taibai Immortal was annoyed inside. He hadn’t wanted to come, but if he didn’t come, what would happen to the Taixu Temple in Jin region? He could only take the pulse while holding back his anger. As soon as he did, his expression changed drastically. With a gloomy air, he looked around at the surrounding crowd and began questioning, “Originally it was the imperial physicians who were treating him. Couldn’t a single imperial physician see what the problem was?”

Physician Hu was somewhat bewildered. Looking around and seeing Imperial Physician Sun and the others were also bewildered, he steeled himself and shook his head. “His Majesty’s pulse is sometimes calm and strong, sometimes chaotic, and at times we can’t even find a pulse. It really makes one…”

“Isn’t this clearly a sign of poisoning?!” The Taibai Immortal rebuked sharply with displeasure. “This isn’t illness at all—he’s clearly been poisoned!”

Xuanzheng Hall became so quiet for a moment it was suffocating. Eunuch An felt his heart jump to his throat.

It really was… poisoning?!

Empress Dowager Lu also seemed frightened into a daze. Grand Secretary Chang’s face darkened, becoming extremely serious. He glanced at Zhou Weizhao, then looked at the Taibai Immortal. “For the Immortal to say this, is there evidence?”

This was exactly the same as the rumor circulating among the people that His Highness the Grand Prince had poisoned and plotted against His Majesty!

Grand Secretary Chang’s single sentence seemed to bring everyone back to life. The atmosphere in the hall was like boiling water, bubbling furiously.

The Taibai Immortal found this rather strange. “What evidence is needed? His Majesty has dark circles under his eyes, the whites of his eyes have turned greenish-blue, his tongue is blackish-purple, he has no appetite and remains unconscious. If these aren’t symptoms of poisoning, what are they?!”