Deep Palace Pet Peach Blossom Flawless

Others may not know or recognize them, but the prince is very familiar with the Phantom Guards and Li Zhong and his subordinates. If the queen mother was really just sick, why would the emperor place these people at the gate of Fengqi Palace?

A trace of worry flashed across the prince's eyes. When he arrived at Dongde Hall, he washed up and came out. The princess was already waiting in the hall with two concubines and several maids for an audience.

"Your Highness, your concubine, pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! May His Royal Highness live a thousand years, a thousand thousand years!"

The Crown Prince quickly gave the Crown Princess a light hand. Looking at her slightly bulging belly, his expression brightened slightly. "Crown Princess, there's no need to be so polite. Sit down!"

After thanking him, the Crown Princess sat on the right side of the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince glanced around the hall, his face grim. "I've been away for a while, but I heard that my concubine Zhang is pregnant. Why can't I see her?"

The smiles on the faces of Concubines Ma and Jiang, who were standing at the head, faltered. They lowered their heads slightly. The Crown Prince looked at the Crown Princess, who said, "Your Highness, it was my fault for not taking good care of Zhang. She...had a miscarriage!"

The prince's face turned cold in an instant, and the atmosphere in the palace became oppressive, making people dare not breathe loudly.

"Let's all go out!"

Concubine Jiang looked at the prince unwillingly, and she and Concubine Ma took the lead in turning around and leaving the hall.

The Crown Princess was sitting in her seat, feeling rather restless. The Crown Prince asked, "My mother has been ill for a few days. Have you ever been to Fengqi Palace?"

The Crown Princess nodded and said, "Not only me, but also several princes, princesses, and other ladies have been there, but they were all stopped."

"Has no one seen the Queen Mother?"

The Crown Princess shook her head: "No one!"

The prince fell into deep thought. No matter what, his mother wouldn't disappear, right?

The Crown Princess whispered, "Your Highness, although my men cannot get close to Fengqi Palace, there is something very strange. After all, in a palace that large, the sounds of people moving and talking must be heard! But the entire Fengqi Palace is so quiet, as if there is no one inside."

The prince's eyes grew darker. "You and I will go to Qianzheng Palace together later. Father is ill!"

The Crown Princess had just received the news, "Your Highness, won't you take a rest for a while?"

The Crown Prince shook his head, his sharp eyes fixed on the Crown Princess. "I'll ask you in detail about Zhang's affairs when I get back. Apart from anything else, I only have these few people in my harem right now. You're in charge of the affairs of the Dongde Palace harem, so don't tell me you know nothing!"

The prince's mind was as clear as a mirror. The princess might not have taken action, but she might have stood by and watched, allowing another woman to attack Zhang.

The Crown Princess's eyes immediately filled with tears. "It was all because of my mismanagement that Zhang Shi lost her child! But Your Highness, I am also pregnant. How could I bear to see Zhang Shi lose her child? I feel the same pain and am deeply saddened."

The Crown Princess was about to kneel down and apologize, but the Crown Prince held her back. "I didn't say I was going to punish you. Well, come with me to see my father first. Yun'en, please see what nourishing herbs I have in my storehouse, and also the gold and jade jewelry in my storehouse. Give them all to Zhang!"

After the Crown Prince gave his instructions, he took the Crown Princess to the Qianzheng Hall. A group of noble people were standing in the side hall of the Qianzheng Hall. When they saw the Crown Prince come in, they all knelt down and saluted.

The eldest prince and the second prince are still on the way. They are not in as much of a hurry as the crown prince, so naturally they have not yet arrived at the imperial city.

Therefore, the palace was filled with the Third Prince, his wives, princesses, and several high-ranking concubines. The Crown Prince waved his hand and called out, and before the Third Prince and the others could react, he had already led the Crown Princess straight into the bedroom.

The Third Prince's face darkened slightly, but he quickly adjusted his attitude. The Crown Prince's mother was finished, his family was finished, and they could slowly deal with the affairs of the court. The Fifth Prince, impatient, began to complain, "When did His Royal Highness return? He didn't even pay his respects to Father first, and arrived at Qianzheng Palace so late!"

The most important thing is that he actually ignored them and went in first! This makes people angry and jealous!

The Third Prince said calmly, "Why are you so angry? Don't you know that your Seventh Brother and Seventh Sister have already been imprisoned? Now there's just one more Crown Prince!"

Imperial Concubine Jiang and Concubine Wan exchanged a glance, and Imperial Concubine Jiang soothed them, "His Majesty has just regained consciousness. Princes and princesses, please be patient. His Majesty will summon you when he remembers you!"

The Third Prince and the others were quite respectful to Imperial Concubine Jiang. The Third Prince said yes, but in his heart he sneered. Yes, they were waiting to be summoned, but that person's children could come in and out anytime they wanted without any hindrance! How unfair!

In the bedroom, the Seventh Princess was throwing herself into the arms of Emperor Shenwu with tears in her eyes. She had heard a lot of gossip in the past few days. Although she quickly asked the people around her to clean it up, she was still affected mentally.

Emperor Shenwu was very pampered with his little daughter, and gave her some instructions. He told the seventh prince and the seventh princess that their mother was recuperating outside the palace these days, so they should stay in their own palaces.

The seventh prince wanted to go to the Wenquan Royal Manor, but was rejected by Emperor Shenwu.

After the Crown Prince came in, Emperor Shenwu frowned slightly: "Didn't I tell you to have a good rest? Why are you here again?"

The Crown Prince shook his head: "My son should stay with Father! Otherwise, how can I feel at ease? Not being able to serve Mother is already unfilial. Father, please don't drive me away!"

Emperor Shenwu stopped talking. He was in a bad mood and asked someone to take the seventh prince and the seventh princess to another side hall to rest, so as to avoid his anger rising again and scaring the two children.

After his youngest son and daughter left, Emperor Shenwu's expression became even uglier, but he tried his best to suppress his emotions. The Crown Prince then asked the Crown Princess to leave as well.

A moment later, Li Xiang bowed and came to the side hall, "Propagate His Majesty's oral order, summoning the Third and Fifth Princes to the audience!"

The two men straightened their robes and walked into the bedroom: "Your son greets the emperor!"

Emperor Shenwu met his two sons and then summoned Concubine Jiang, Concubine Wan, Concubine Liang, and Concubine Han.

"The Queen has been in poor health recently. Imperial Concubine Jiang, I want you to take care of the harem for a while. Please assist Concubine Liang... Concubine Han!"

Emperor Shenwu paused, then passed over Concubine Wan. She was used to it and didn't think anything was wrong. However, Emperor Shenwu knew that in the long run, it would be most appropriate and balanced for Concubine Wan and Concubine Jiang to jointly control the palace, given the eldest prince. Concubine Liang and Concubine Han had no children, so even if they joined forces, they would still be somewhat weaker.

The third prince understood that his father was ready to sideline the queen.

At this moment, the eunuch's shrill voice came, "The Empress Dowager has arrived!"

Emperor Shenwu reached out to lift the brocade quilt, but Empress Dowager Li walked in with a sullen expression, "Emperor, just lie down! How could this happen so suddenly? You and the Empress have both been ill within the past few days. What did the imperial physician say?"

What should I say? He couldn't tell Empress Dowager Li that it was all due to anger. The Crown Prince replied, "Grandmother, my father has been worried about state affairs lately and is extremely exhausted. The Imperial Physician has advised him to rest well these past few days and he will be well soon."

Empress Dowager Li frowned tightly. "What about the Empress? I suddenly heard today that you, the Emperor, sent the Empress to the Wenquan Imperial Manor. Is the Empress seriously ill?"

Emperor Shenwu didn't want to answer, but could only say, "The Empress needs to recuperate for a period of time. I have ordered Concubine Jiang, Concubine Liang, and Concubine Han to take charge of the palace affairs during this period."

Empress Dowager Li looked at the stern and murderous expression of Emperor Shenwu and couldn't help wondering if the Empress was seriously ill. She couldn't help but say, "The Emperor could choose a few docile concubines to go to the Hot Springs Royal Manor to serve the Empress. She would recover faster!"

Emperor Shenwu denied it without a second thought: "No need! The Queen likes quiet and peaceful!"

Empress Dowager Li was even more worried. Although she could not be completely harmonious with Lan Qingwu, she really did not want anything to happen to her daughter-in-law.

The prince persuaded Empress Dowager Li to leave with just a few words. After Empress Dowager Li left, Emperor Shenwu's face became even gloomier. His pressure was so strong that Concubine Jiang and others could not even stand. Emperor Shenwu then waved his hand and asked Concubine Jiang and others to leave.

Concubine Jiang and her companions did not dare to leave Qianzheng Hall too quickly and could only return to the side hall.

Emperor Shenwu summoned several more princesses. He didn't want to speak, but he couldn't avoid seeing them for a long time, as that would make others speculate and cause trouble. So after the princesses paid their respects, Emperor Shenwu immediately asked them to leave. When the third princess followed everyone to leave, her eyes accidentally met the third prince's. The third princess curled the corners of her lips imperceptibly, and the two passed each other.

In the end, only the third prince, the fifth prince and the crown prince were left in the bedroom.

It was time for Emperor Shenwu to take his medicine again, but he didn't want to drink any more of the bitter soup. He knew that he was worried.

The crown prince went out to ask the imperial physician about Emperor Shenwu's condition. When he came back, he saw Emperor Shenwu leaning on the bed with his eyes slightly closed. The third prince was holding a medicine cup and asking Emperor Shenwu to take the medicine.

The Third Prince said softly, "Father, I will help you administer the medicine!"

The third prince stirred the medicine gently, scooped up a spoonful of medicine and fed it to Emperor Shenwu's mouth.

Emperor Shenwu opened his eyes, but before he could speak, he felt that everything he saw was gradually losing color, sometimes black and white, sometimes colorful, and shaking. Startled, Emperor Shenwu waved his hands. Fortunately, the third prince was quick-eyed and quick-handed, and quickly moved the medicine cup to prevent the medicine from being knocked over, but the medicine almost spilled.

The third prince screamed, "Father!"

The prince rushed forward and supported the Emperor Shenwu: "Father, how are you?"

The Shenwu Emperor's phoenix eyes were deep and dark, "I'm fine!"

The Crown Prince helped Emperor Shenwu to his feet, took the medicine cup from the Third Prince's hand, tasted a spoonful himself, and then fed it to Emperor Shenwu.

Emperor Shenwu did not refuse this time and slowly drank the medicine.

The Third Prince clenched his fists in his sleeves, but could only step back silently, watching the scene of the father-son love unfold before him with cold eyes!

In the side hall of Wenhua Palace, Concubine Wen was dancing madly, her skirt forming a circular arc. At this moment, she couldn't help but be proud and happy! The entire side hall was filled with her slightly smug laughter: "Hahahahahaha! Hahahahahahaha! It's so refreshing! Lan Qingwu, you have come to this day! Queen, you have come to this day too!"

The Third Princess stood quietly to the side, smiling gently, "Mother, this morning, the Emperor sent word that the Empress was quietly sent to the Wenquan Royal Manor last night! However, it was a few days late, and the Emperor didn't react at first, so I was a little worried!"

Noblewoman Wen paused and smiled, "Silly daughter, your father truly loves the Queen. How could he possibly be willing to accept this if he had to struggle for a few more days and send several more imperial physicians to confirm the diagnosis? Isn't this good news?"

The Third Princess nodded and asked, "So many imperial doctors can't diagnose the Queen's true pulse. This thing is really amazing!"

Noblewoman Wen said proudly, "Because this isn't poison, nor is it medicine! It's truly just a piece of flesh! This mass of flesh and blood will firmly cling to the Queen's body, leaving her speechless! No imperial physician, even a deity, would be able to diagnose anything wrong! After her, it's the Lan family, and finally, the Crown Prince!"

The last words of Concubine Wen were extremely vicious.

"Isn't my father going to take our old friendship into consideration?"

Noblewoman Wen said coldly, "You don't understand. Your father, the Emperor, has been honored and proud his entire life. How could he allow something like this to trample upon his dignity? The deeper his love, the deeper his hatred! Giving her a few more days to live happily is already the limit! Tell your grandfather that his other plan can begin!"

"As for the Queen, she was abandoned in the Hot Springs Royal Manor and will be secretly executed in a few days! Lan Qingwu, this is the ending I wrote for you! Do you like it? Hahahahahahaha!"

Noblewoman Wen began to spin frantically again. The Third Princess shook her head. "Mother, I'm afraid it won't be that easy. The Crown Prince has returned! And although Father has exiled the Empress, he still couldn't bear to take her life outright! How long can this false pregnancy last?"

Upon hearing this, Noble Lady Wen snarled, "Then send someone to the Wenquan Royal Manor. Instead of taking the Queen's life directly, force her to drink a double portion of safflower soup. That fake piece of flesh and blood will flow out of her body, and then the Queen will be accused of deliberately aborting that piece of evil. No one will trust her anymore! Oh! This piece of flesh and blood is incredibly strong. It will cause the Queen unbearable pain, and she'll eventually die of heartbreak and blood loss!"

"If she dies carrying someone else's bastard child, no matter how deep your father's feelings for her are, he will never think of her kindness again! The Queen will only become a disgrace to the Emperor in the future! Ahahahahahahahahahaha!"

The third princess smiled and said, "That's great!"

Noblewoman Wen suddenly stopped. "Now that the hypocritical queen is dead, her child will be next! Heshun, tell me, will your father start to suspect that the queen's child isn't his biological child?"

The Third Princess rolled her eyes at her mother, just like she had when she was little. "Mother, you're overthinking it! Forget it. The Crown Prince looks exactly like Father. Who can say he's not the heir to the throne? Besides, my two little brothers and sisters have more or less inherited Father's appearance. Father is not blind! How could he possibly harm his children, whom he has doted on for so many years?"

The Third Princess laughed again and said, "But without the Queen as a pillar of support in the harem, her children won't have an easy time! Father is so busy that he forgets to eat and sleep, so how can he care about so many things? If the Seventh Princess and the Seventh Princess accidentally encounter an accident, what use will it be later?"

Noblewoman Wen suddenly warned cautiously, "Remember, don't let the Queen live for more than two months. Her pulse will gradually dissipate after more than three months. So—hurry up and send someone to Wenquan Royal Manor to give Lan Qingwu double the amount of safflower soup!"

The Third Princess nodded in agreement. Noble Lady Wen walked up to her and gently stroked her daughter's delicate face. "March is a special month because my daughter was born at the end of March. Over the years, she has hardly had a real birthday. I am sorry for my kindness!"

Wen Guiren began to dance again: "But who could have imagined that success and failure all depend on March!