The one who came was Zhuying. When Old Madam Song saw her, she first breathed a sigh of relief—at least nothing had happened in the palace, otherwise Consort Song wouldn’t have been able to send Zhuying out. With a smile on her face, she first received the bestowals sent by Zhuying’s attendants, then smilingly invited the accompanying Xiao Huozhe to go to the side hall to have a meal and some refreshments. After the stewardess had led the people away, she had Yulan lower the curtain.
Zhuying stepped forward two paces and curtsied to Old Madam Song, saying softly: “Old Madam, please set your mind at ease. Matters on Miss Six’s side went relatively smoothly.”
Although Song Chuyi had consulted with Song Chengru before entering the palace, Old Madam Song’s heart had still been suspended. Now hearing Zhuying say this, she could truly relax. She slowly nodded, then heard Zhuying say: “The Crown Princess has specially asked Miss Six to stay for a few days. News should be sent out shortly. Her Ladyship was afraid you would worry and specially sent me out first to convey a message to you.”
Old Madam Song’s smile faded—having experienced many things, she was no longer easily flustered. Why would Consort Song be so concerned as to specially send a reminder? Unless what she was reminding about was something else entirely.
Zhuying walked forward two steps, gently bowing toward Old Madam Song, her expression respectful but her tone firm as she repeated Consort Song’s words: “Miss Six is clever and quick-witted, but when a tree stands out in the forest, the wind will surely destroy it. She has now offended two Highnesses at once, and Her Majesty the Empress is probably also displeased in her heart. Those who are too unyielding are easily broken. Although Miss Six did this for His Highness the Crown Prince and Her Highness the Crown Princess, since she immediately made a fuss before His Majesty, I’m afraid they may not necessarily appreciate her kindness either.”
Seeing Old Madam Song frown, Zhuying felt somewhat apprehensive—ever since the matter with Grand Empress Dowager Rongxian, Consort Song had stopped interfering in Miss Six’s affairs. Everyone knew Miss Six was the precious treasure of the Old Master and Old Madam’s hearts. She hesitated for a while, but still steeled herself to clearly convey to Old Madam Song what Consort Song had instructed: “They’re family—even if bones are broken, tendons still connect them. Moreover, the Eastern Palace’s honor and disgrace are one and the same. By doing this, Miss Six may not necessarily make His Majesty happy either. Offending so many people at once like this—what’s the point? Setting that aside, His Majesty has always been wary of ministers privately forming factions. The Old Master is already at the pinnacle of ministerial rank as a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet. This time Miss Six sought Commander Lai’s help, and people will inevitably associate the Old Master with Commander Lai. If this touches His Majesty’s sensitivities and causes His Majesty to become suspicious of the Old Master, that would be yet another layer of trouble…”
The First Madam of the Song household couldn’t interject. Now she managed the household affairs in the residence, but the ones truly in charge were still Old Master Song and Old Madam Song. These major matters weren’t for her to comment on. Over these years, she had also thoroughly understood the way of things. After Zhuying left, she stepped forward with lowered brows and downcast eyes to speak of Madam Du’s matter: “She refuses to leave. Hearing that someone from the palace had come, she became even more unwilling to move, saying she must see you.”
Consort Song’s reminder had exhausted Old Madam Song’s last bit of patience. She glanced at the First Madam of the Song household. Seeing that she understood, she added: “If someone from the palace comes to convey news, come report to me immediately.”
When Madam Yu was about to take her leave somewhat later, Old Madam Song grasped her hand again, covering the back of her hand: “If a letter comes back from Duanhui’s side, also send someone to notify me. The way Xiaoyi is now, I’m worried too…”
But she waited until evening without anyone coming to report. There was also no movement from Madam Yu’s side. She couldn’t help but worry increasingly. Even Xiang Mingzi sensed her anxiety and silently replaced the forehead band at her temples. Only after she had calmed down did she console her: “Before entering the palace, Xiaoyi had already consulted with Grandfather before making the decision. She’s a person with a sense of propriety. She knows in her heart what can and cannot be done. Don’t worry about her. If there’s no news today, tomorrow after Grandfather returns from court, there will be news…”
The Eastern Palace was in complete chaos. The Crown Prince’s mouth was drooling and he had suffered a stroke. More than half of the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital of Medicine came. Later, His Highness the Crown Prince was injured and personally escorted back to the Eastern Palace by Prince Zhennan and the Prince Consort. This time, the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital of Medicine came out in full force, making an extremely large commotion. Prince Dongping waited in the outer hall, feeling his hands and feet were ice cold.
Originally, he had arranged with Qian Ying and Huang Yiqing to come plead guilty to the Crown Prince, but unexpectedly, upon arriving, he heard the news that the Crown Prince had suffered a stroke and could neither speak nor move. He was somewhat dazed for a moment, yet vaguely felt somewhat relieved.
When the imperial physicians came out to discuss prescriptions, he went straight into the inner chamber. Looking at his father on the bed with his mouth and eyes askew, he almost didn’t dare recognize him. In his memory, although his father had also appeared sickly, he had never been this disheveled before. Zhou Weiqi knew this was irreversible. The secret delight in his heart immediately disappeared without a trace. He leaned against the edge of the Crown Prince’s bed, crying his heart out with tears and snot.
Although the Crown Prince had suffered a stroke and indeed couldn’t speak about the poison coming from the ginseng he had presented, from now on he had also lost the Crown Prince’s protection. Thinking of the dangerous road ahead, and thinking about how difficult life would be in the future, he was truly heartbroken.
The Crown Prince exerted all his strength. His curled fingers trembled laboriously, but he could still only emit intermittent “en en ah ah” sounds, unable to utter a single complete word. He couldn’t help but feel disheartened. His entire face flushed bright red, veins bulging at his temples, and tiny red dots appeared under his eye sockets and on his eyelids.
In his current state, how could he possibly look like he could recover? Prince Dongping felt even more discouraged. Remembering what Qian Ying and Huang Yiqing had said earlier—that Han Zhengqing wanted the entire Eastern Palace to suffer misfortune—he couldn’t help but tremble slightly. Now Zhou Weizhao had also been injured, and they still didn’t know his condition. This exactly fulfilled what Qian Ying and Huang Yiqing had said—Han Zhengqing just couldn’t stand to see the Eastern Palace doing well. So would the next step be for the Imperial Guard to come arrest him?
The moment this thought flashed through his mind, he actually felt he had gained some strength. He struggled to stand up and walk outside—he couldn’t just wait passively for doom. Now that the Crown Prince had met with trouble, if he could make that food-tasting fire tender keep quiet, then no one would think of him.
But when he told this to Qian Ying and Huang Yiqing, both men shook their heads at him.
“There’s no need for that, Your Highness.” Huang Yiqing looked at him as he sat down across the long table: “Now that the Crown Prince’s poisoning and His Highness the Crown Prince’s incident have occurred, the authorities have already determined it was the work of Yangquan rebel party members like Ma Yuantong and others… The Imperial Guard won’t investigate further. You can set your mind at ease.”
Zhou Weiqi’s stiff brain moved slightly. He felt his stiff limbs could also gradually move. He asked hesitantly: “What do you mean?” He seemed to have understood something and asked hesitantly: “The Imperial Grandfather, he…”