Emperor Qiwen’s words immediately caused the atmosphere in the hall to tighten with tension.

Upon hearing this, the old eunuch immediately stood up and fixed his gaze on Feng Qingyin: “Your Majesty, do you need us to protect… your person?”

Suddenly, Feng Qingyin burst into laughter.

She held the ladle, stirring the dark-colored medicine, her face without a trace of panic.

Feng Qingyin raised her eyes to look at Emperor Qiwen, furrowing her brow slightly: “I wonder who kept sending people to ask me to bring the Little Imperial Prince here? Now that I’ve arrived, I am being questioned.”

“Your Majesty, don’t you find your own words laughable?”

Feng Qingyin lightly curled the corner of her lips, her gaze returning to the medicinal broth.

“Is Your Majesty worried that I will assassinate you? Or poison you? This bowl of medicinal broth was not my doing. If someone wished to kill you, that would be the Imperial Physician, or perhaps the old eunuch down below?”

“Your Majesty.” The old eunuch, seeing this, neither knew whether to stand nor to kneel.

Emperor Qiwen simply smiled faintly, not taking any of this to heart at all.

“If Noble Consort Qing has no intention of poisoning Us, would you be willing to taste this medicine for Us first?”

Feng Qingyin fixed her gaze on the man beside her, feeling increasingly unsettled in her heart.

This wretched old man, so terrified of death — if it weren’t for the Little Imperial Prince being here, she likely would have had trouble even getting through the door.

“Very well.” Feng Qingyin lightly curled her lips, scooped up a little of the medicinal broth with the ladle, placed it in her mouth, and swallowed it with a gulp.

“Your Majesty, if I die tasting medicine for you, do take care of our child — this is the child of both Your Majesty and myself.”

As soon as those words fell, she scooped up another mouthful of the medicine and swallowed it.

“I know that I was once willful and reckless, but now that I am a mother, beyond hoping my child is filial and my husband is in good health, what else could I possibly ask for?”

Feng Qingyin looked at the medicine in the bowl and scooped up yet another spoonful.

“We will drink it Ourselves.” Emperor Qiwen furrowed his brow and passed the child away.

The old eunuch, seeing this, hurried over and took the medicinal broth from Feng Qingyin’s hands.

But what no one noticed was that as the medicinal broth left Feng Qingyin’s hands, a single droplet fell from the special ring on her finger, sliding into the medicinal broth.

Feng Qingyin took her child back into her arms, stood up, stepped a few paces away from the bed, and turned around.

She watched with her own eyes as Emperor Qiwen drank the medicinal broth, and a flash of wicked light crossed the depths of her eyes.

“Does Your Majesty wish to look at the Little Imperial Prince a little longer, or does Your Majesty wish to retire for the night?” Feng Qingyin furrowed her brow and asked softly.

Emperor Qiwen placed the bowl in his hand into the old eunuch’s hands.

The old eunuch set the bowl aside and helped Emperor Qiwen lie down.

“Take him back. In a couple of days, once Our cold has recovered, We will personally come to see Our little Imperial son.”

“As long as Noble Consort Qing conducts herself with propriety, We will not mistreat the two of you, mother and child. You may go.”

Feng Qingyin held the Little Imperial Prince, curtsied, and as she turned to leave, the depths of her eyes were filled with a sinister, bewitching light.

……

The next day, the news of the Emperor’s passing spread throughout the entire imperial palace in no time.

No one came to summon her, and Feng Qingyin remained in her own palace hall the entire time, not having left at all.

It wasn’t until after noon that Zhan Yuheng personally walked into Feng Qingyin’s Qingxiang Hall — this was his first time coming to this place.

“My Lady, it is His Highness the Crown Prince — His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived.” Lingling hurried inside to report.

Feng Qingyin looked at herself in the mirror and rose leisurely to her feet.

“Bring the Little Imperial Prince out to meet his own father.”

Lingling glanced toward the inner chamber, nodded, and stepped inside.

The Emperor had just passed away, yet her Lady showed no concern about these words being overheard by the people inside — though Lingling herself was somewhat worried.

Fortunately, the outer and inner chambers were quite far apart, and the people inside should not have heard.

Before Lingling could bring the Little Imperial Prince out, Zhan Yuheng had already strode inside.

“Crown Prince Brother.” Feng Qingyin stepped forward in quick, small steps, heading straight toward Zhan Yuheng.

Had Qing Yun not stepped in front of her, Feng Qingyin might have thrown herself at Zhan Yuheng.

Feng Qingyin stopped in her tracks and cast a resentful glance at Qing Yun.

Qing Yun lowered his head and stepped aside.

“Go stand guard outside.” Zhan Yuheng commanded in a deep voice.

“Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince.” Qing Yun nodded and turned, heading outside.

“What exactly did you do to my Imperial Father last night?” Zhan Yuheng fixed his gaze on Feng Qingyin, his eyes brimming with killing intent.

“What did I do to your Imperial Father?” Feng Qingyin met Zhan Yuheng’s gaze, furrowing her brow.

Suddenly, from behind came the sound of a child crying. Feng Qingyin grew anxious and immediately turned to go back.

“What’s wrong? Wasn’t the Imperial Prince just fine a moment ago? Why has he started fussing?”

“My Lady, I’m sorry! I don’t know what’s wrong with the Little Imperial Prince either.” Lingling came out holding the Little Imperial Prince.

“This servant greets His Highness the Crown Prince.” She curtsied to Zhan Yuheng, then placed the infant she held into Feng Qingyin’s arms.

Feng Qingyin took the Little Imperial Prince into her arms, and her entire being softened with tenderness.

“My child, my dear little one, what is the matter? Are you feeling unwell somewhere? My dear little one, don’t cry! My dear little one, stop crying, all right?”

The Little Imperial Prince was gently rocked in Feng Qingyin’s arms for a moment and ceased crying.

“That’s right — you should listen to your mother, be good and obedient. That’s my dear little one, isn’t it? My dear little one, rest well, be good, rest well.”

Feng Qingyin’s appearance as a loving mother at this moment did not look the least bit feigned.

Once the Little Imperial Prince had completely quieted down, Lingling stepped forward and said softly: “My Lady, let me take the Little Imperial Prince back inside.”

“Mm.” Feng Qingyin nodded. “Be as gentle as possible — it’s not as though you don’t know that the Little Imperial Prince has been rather fussy these days.”

“Yes, My Lady, I understand.” Lingling accepted the Little Imperial Prince with extreme care, glanced at Zhan Yuheng once more, and curtsied.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, this servant takes her leave.”

Zhan Yuheng’s gaze fell upon the Little Imperial Prince, his demeanor noticeably changed from a moment before.

Lingling, seeing that he kept his eyes on the Little Imperial Prince, asked softly: “Your Highness the Crown Prince, would you like to hold the Little Imperial Prince?”

Zhan Yuheng was drawn back to his senses by Lingling’s words. He waved a hand and said lightly: “Take him inside to rest.”

“Yes.” Lingling curtsied once more, turned, and walked into the inner chamber.

“Crown Prince Brother, I truly did nothing to the Emperor.”

Feng Qingyin stepped forward, wanting to take hold of Zhan Yuheng’s sleeve, but he evaded her.

She pursed her lips and said softly: “If it weren’t for your sake, it would have been impossible for me to go and see him.”

“Last night he suspected my motives for coming. And now today you come here to interrogate me — the way you speak makes it sound as though I truly was the one who killed him.”

“You say that Imperial Father harbored suspicions about you last night as well — could it be that you did not do something to him?” Zhan Yuheng’s thoughts were still with the Little Imperial Prince.

He feared waking the sleeping child inside, and could only do his best to suppress his anger.

“I did not.” Feng Qingyin said with a pitiful expression. “That old fellow even made me taste his medicine for him — if you don’t believe me, you can go ask the dead eunuch who served at his side.”

“Today, when I heard that he had passed away, I also found it strange — how was it that I drank the medicine and was perfectly fine, yet he drank it and something happened to him?”

“Crown Prince Brother, just how did that old fellow die?”