Story of Yanxi Palace: Fu Ying's banner will never fall

Wei Yingluo took the opportunity to measure Yonglian's size and observed him in great detail - observing his expression, smelling his breath, asking about his symptoms, and feeling his pulse, but she was unable to find anything unusual.

As Mingyu said, the Second Prince was in good health and had no obvious signs of illness.

Besides, the Second Prince is now over eight years old and has long passed the age of a young child. It should be difficult for ordinary diseases to cause his sudden death.

Normal illness would not cause him to die suddenly. Someone must have framed him. There must be an unknown conspiracy behind this.

Wei Yingluo thought to herself: Based on her sister's inexplicable hints and reminders, and considering that there might be some connection between her and Concubine Gao.

More importantly, considering what Concubine Gao said today, it can be inferred that if something unexpected happens to the Second Prince in the future, it must be related to Concubine Gao, but I have no evidence.

At this moment, they were in Concubine Gao's bedroom in Chuxiu Palace.

Jiapin had a flattering look on her face, and she flattered Concubine Gao: "Your Highness, don't worry. I have arranged everything properly. It will be done in three days!"

Jiapin said flatteringly, hoping to gain the trust of Concubine Gao. However, Concubine Gao replied in a long tone and with a weary look: "Jiapin, if your so-called "letter of surrender" ends in failure, you know the consequences."

Faced with Concubine Gao's warnings and threats, Jiapin kowtowed repeatedly in fear and apologized, saying that this action would be foolproof and asked the Concubine to give her another chance.

"You, are doing this for your newly born Fourth Prince. Don't involve me in this." Concubine Gao raised her eyes slightly, her eyes full of disdain, and glanced at Concubine Jia with a smile.

She thought to herself: This woman's actions are clearly intended to kill someone with a borrowed knife so that her son can stand out! But... it doesn't matter. Anyway, I have nothing to do, so I can see what kind of troubles can happen in the harem to relieve my boredom.

"Your Majesty, please understand. Although I have selfish motives, I am really thinking about your Majesty! Look at the Queen, she is so glorious all the time. Not only does she have an outstanding legitimate son, but she is also favored by the Emperor. And what about you, Your Majesty? In terms of appearance and family background, which one is not better than the Queen? It's a pity... Alas!"

Jiapin's tone was sarcastic, and her words revealed her jealousy of the Queen and her dissatisfaction with her own situation.

It turned out that Jiapin had just given birth to the third prince, and she thought that she would rise to prominence because of her son. But who would have thought that the emperor did not care about them, but always favored the second prince born to the queen.

How could Concubine Jia not feel resentful when there was such a huge difference between them? So, she racked her brains to get rid of the Second Prince, and at the same time, she did not forget to instigate Concubine Gao to join in.

"Haha, why do you need to say more? I naturally know my own abilities!" Concubine Gao responded with a smile on her lips while fiddling with the armor on her fingertips nonchalantly.

Concubine Gao has always been very fond of flattery, especially those praising her appearance.

"But don't be too greedy. The queen's son is the legitimate son. Don't even think about comparing your son to a legitimate son."

Concubine Gao continued to speak directly and sharply. She knew that Concubine Jia would definitely be unhappy if she spoke like this, but it was enough for her to be happy. Why should she care what others think?

Although Concubine Gao was very satisfied with Concubine Jia's flattery and fawning, she knew very well in her heart that her efforts were in vain. The Emperor always wanted a legitimate son and loved the Queen very much.

And I was just begging the emperor to come and see me more often. If I had a son, or no, a daughter too, wouldn't I be less lonely?

On the other hand, Wei Yingluo was still searching for possible clues in the prince's residence, and constantly recalled the illness of the second prince in the previous life. She had discussed this matter with Ye Tianshi and the master before entering the palace.

At that time, Yonglian's first symptoms were dizziness and rapid heartbeat, followed by abdominal swelling and a strong feeling of vomiting.

Faced with such a disease, the so-called "miracle doctors" of the Imperial Hospital were helpless and only gave a vague diagnosis - it was caused by a cold caught during the transition from winter to spring. However, the truth is far from that simple, and there are too many mysteries hidden in it.

After careful consideration and repeated deliberation, the three finally reached a consensus: the second prince was most likely poisoned! And the deadly poison was most likely the powder of Tripterygium wilfordii.

This plant usually grows in dark and humid places on the edge of forests. Its toxicity is so strong that even a tiny bit of its powder can kill a person.

Moreover, the incubation period of the poison is about two hours. The initial symptoms include dizziness, palpitations, abdominal distension and nausea; in the later stages, it will cause convulsions in the limbs, and unbearable pain in the liver and kidneys; within a day, the poisoned person will die.

Only such a hidden and hard-to-detect poison can cause symptoms similar to the cold. If they secretly collude and bribe the people in the Imperial Hospital to make them perfunctory about the Second Prince's illness and not conduct a thorough investigation, then this carefully planned conspiracy can be concealed.

Tripterygium wilfordii is very toxic. Even a small amount of powder is enough to make a man lose his fertility. Even if he fails, Yonglian will not be able to inherit the throne when he grows up. The person who poisoned him has extremely sinister intentions!

There are dedicated people in charge of food and drink, all of whom are the Empress's trusted confidants. Some of them are not easy to take care of, so she only needs to give instructions later. As for other things... Wei Yingluo fell into deep thought.

As for other aspects... Wei Yingluo thought hard.

At this moment, she caught a glimpse of Yonglian holding up the teacup to drink tea, and suddenly she realized where the poison was.

Afterwards, the Queen Mother and Yonglian began to discuss some poetry and literature. Seeing Yonglian's knowledge improving day by day, the Queen Mother was very pleased.

Wei Yingluo pulled Mingyu out of the inner hall and told Mingyu that although the prince was young, there were many people in the palace who were jealous of the empress. Mingyu agreed very much. The two of them gave a scolding to the palace maids, servants in the kitchen, and maids who served the prince before returning to the inner hall.

The Queen looked at Yong Lian with a smile, her eyes full of love. The two sat around an exquisite round table, which was filled with books, writing brushes, inkstones, and paper.

"What great works have you read recently?" the queen asked softly, her tone full of concern.

Yong Lian replied respectfully, "My Lord, I have recently read Li Bai's collection of poems and I quite like the "Song of the Wine" among them."

The Queen nodded slightly, expressing her appreciation: "Well, Li Bai is a poetic immortal, his poems are bold and unrestrained, and his artistic conception is profound. This "Song of the Wine" is a famous piece that is well-known. But, what life philosophy can you comprehend from it?"

Yonglian thought for a moment and replied, "I think the line 'I was born with talents that will be useful' in the poem is very inspiring. It tells us that everyone has their own unique value and mission, and we should not give up the belief in pursuing our dreams easily."

After hearing this, the queen smiled with satisfaction: "Very good! You can understand such profound truths from poetry, which proves that you have really understood it with your heart. Poetry can not only cultivate sentiment, but also enlighten wisdom. I hope you can read more classics in the future and constantly improve your accomplishments."

Then, the queen discussed with Yonglian the works of several other poets and their writing styles. Yonglian was quick-witted and fluent in his responses, showing his extraordinary talent and knowledge.

Time passed quietly, and in the blink of an eye, half an hour had passed. The queen looked at Yong Lian, who was becoming more mature and steady, and was secretly happy in her heart. She knew that this prince would become a pillar of the country in the future, and she couldn't help but feel deeply relieved.

"Okay, Yonglian, in that case, the Empress Dowager will no longer disturb you from studying and practicing calligraphy. Remember to come to Changchun Palace tonight to have dinner with me." The Queen said, looking at Yonglian with loving eyes.

"Yes, Empress Dowager. After I finish practicing calligraphy and reading today's book, I will go to Changchun Palace." Yonglian nodded obediently.

The Queen Mother smiled kindly, and then led everyone away from the prince's residence.