Every time the prince opens his eyes, he sees

Gu Huai's eyes lit up. He had always praised Lu Yaoyao's craftsmanship. "Then I must try it. The plum wine brewed by Yaoyao must be the most delicious thing in the world."

As they talked, they walked towards the stone table in the yard, where several exquisite porcelain cups and a small jar of plum wine were already placed.

Lu Yaoyao gently opened the lid of the jar, and a rich aroma mixed with the sour and sweet taste of plums and the aroma of wine instantly spread out, intoxicating her.

She brought the wine to the table. Gu Huai couldn't wait to pick up a glass, took a sip, then closed his eyes and savored it carefully, a satisfied smile on his face, "Good wine, good wine! Yaoyao, your craftsmanship is really amazing."

Seeing Gu Huai enjoying himself, Lu Yaoyao felt very happy. She also took a sip. It was sweet with a hint of alcohol, just right for this autumn afternoon.

"By the way, Yaoyao, I've always felt uneasy about Xie Qingyu's illness." Gu Huai suddenly put down his wine glass with a serious expression.

Lu Yaoyao frowned slightly when she heard this, "Why do you think so?"

"It's my intuition. Xie Qingyu is a deep and complex person. His sudden illness, and reportedly worsening, is too much of a coincidence. Especially now, the situation is delicate, with various forces secretly competing against each other. I have to be extra cautious."

Lu Yaoyao was silent for a moment, feeling the same way. "Okay, then you should be alert. Xie Qingyu is a sinister person. I'm afraid he's up to something shady again."

Gu Huai nodded, "I understand."

The two continued to drink and chat, enjoying the rare quiet time.

On the other hand, although Xie Qingyu was taken care of meticulously by Bishui on the surface, his health was getting worse and worse in the East Palace. Even the imperial physician could not find the specific cause. He could only say that it was due to overwork and he needed rest.

However, Xie Qingyu did not reduce his government affairs because of this. Instead, he became more diligent, as if he wanted to prove his health and ability with actions, which aggravated his condition.

Bishui saw this and felt relieved, but on the surface she had to pretend to be worried and affectionate. "Your Highness, the imperial doctors in the palace mostly use the same method to treat illnesses, and they only see a few patients. Why don't we go find a skilled doctor from the folk to take your pulse again?"

"No need. I don't think I'm in any trouble either. It's just that things haven't been going well lately, I'm under a lot of pressure, and I haven't had enough rest. Okay, please stop arguing around me. I still have to review memorials and send them to the palace for my father to review."

"Yes, Your Highness." Bishui retreated respectfully.

Xie Qingyu sat at the desk, clearly feeling dizzy and having difficulty holding a pen, but he still forced himself to focus on the memorial.

After barely finishing reading a memorial, he was sweating from exhaustion, and the comments he wrote were crooked.

After closing the memorial, he took another one and forced himself to read it. He wrote the verdict with a red brush, but this time he didn't write a single word. Instead, the red brush moved uncontrollably, leaving a long scratch on the memorial.

"Damn it, can't I even hold a pen and write?"

He was so angry that he pushed all the memorials to the ground, and they fell all over the floor with a crackling sound.

He wanted to stand up and go for a walk, but he suddenly felt chest tightness and shortness of breath, his vision went black, and he fainted.

When he woke up again, he struggled to open his eyes, and saw a pitiful face.

She is his beloved woman.

At this moment she was wiping her tears with a handkerchief.

"I'm not dead yet, why are you crying?"

Bishui held his hand and whispered, "Your Highness, you're finally awake. Do you know how scared I was to death by you? How could you have fallen and fainted?"

"I don't know, I just feel like I can't breathe suddenly."

"Your Highness, I have invited a common doctor. He is very skilled. Can I ask him to examine you?"

Xie Qingyu wanted to refuse, but looking at Bishui's eyes full of worry, he finally nodded.

The folk doctor was brought in soon. He was about fifty years old, with white hair and beard, but his eyes were extremely sharp.

After a thorough examination, the doctor's expression began to relax.

"Your Highness, you are in good health and nothing is wrong with you."

"Nothing wrong? But recently I've been feeling weak in my limbs, chest tightness and shortness of breath."

"It may be due to overwork and worry. Your Highness should relax from now on. I will also prescribe two doses of medicine later, and Your Highness should take them together."

Xie Qingyu pondered for a moment and nodded, "Okay, I understand. Come, give the doctor a hundred taels and send him out in a good way."

After sending the doctor away, Xie Qingyu immediately asked his personal guard to go to the palace to ask for leave from the emperor.

The emperor was already very dissatisfied with the way he had handled things recently, and now that he was citing illness as an excuse to not attend court, he was even more disappointed in him.

In the following days, Xie Qingyu began to reduce his government affairs and try to rest as much as possible.

But his health did not improve, but got worse.

The entire Eastern Palace was filled with gloom and sorrow. Except for Bishui, no one had not been severely scolded and punished by Xie Qingyu.

At the same time, Lu Yaoyao and Gu Huai were also closely monitoring Xie Qingyu's condition.

They all felt that Xie Qingyu's sudden illness was no accident and there must be an ulterior motive behind it.

"Yaoyao, do you think Xie Qingyu is really sick or faking it?" Gu Huai asked.

"I'm not sure. You'll know only when you see it."

"How about this, there will be an important banquet in the palace tomorrow. As the crown prince, Xie Qingyu must attend. I will take you there tomorrow. You will disguise yourself as my servant."

"it is good."

The next evening, the palace was brightly lit and the banquet was about to begin.

Lu Yaoyao changed into men's clothes, cleverly hid behind Gu Huai, and played the role of an inconspicuous servant.

In the banquet hall, officials from all walks of life were dressed in gorgeous clothes and chatting and laughing, while Xie Qingyu sat in the most conspicuous position, with a pale face and a thin body, which was very different from his previous image of the sinister and cunning prince.

He coughed occasionally and seemed unable to even lift his glass.

Gu Huai brought Lu Yaoyao and approached quietly, trying not to attract attention.

Lu Yaoyao observed Xie Qingyu carefully, thinking secretly in her heart.

Xie Qingyu's illness looks quite real.

"General Gu, you are here too." An official came forward to greet him, interrupting Lu Yaoyao's thoughts.

Gu Huai responded with a smile, and at the same time signaled Lu Yaoyao with his eyes to stay alert.

The banquet continued with singing and dancing in a peaceful atmosphere, but Lu Yaoyao felt an undercurrent surging.

Just as the banquet was about to end, Xie Qingyu suddenly stood up and announced that he was not feeling well and needed to leave early.

The guests all looked at him with concern, while Xie Qingyu slowly left the banquet hall with the help of his servants.

Seeing this, Lu Yaoyao immediately winked at Gu Huai, and the two of them followed quietly.

After passing through the winding corridor, they came to a remote palace and saw Xie Qingyu being helped into the palace, while the servants were waiting outside.

Lu Yaoyao and Gu Huai found a secluded place to eavesdrop and heard Xie Qingyu coughing non-stop, as if all his internal organs were about to be coughed out.

"He seems to be really ill." Gu Huai said.