The eldest daughter's scheming, the crown prince's exclusive favor to the venomous concubi

Murong Yu shook his head and said, "Women, don't they just want a few things? As long as you give them the right things, how could a woman slip through your fingers? Take the Crown Prince's wife, for example. I believe the Crown Prince has given you immense honor and favor. Otherwise, how could the Crown Prince's wife be so devoted to him, willing to go through fire and water for him?"

After saying this, Heli Hong's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. Murong Yu was slightly taken aback, then said, "I observe that the Princess Consort has a difficult temperament. Is there some kind of rift between her and the Prince? Why don't you tell me? Perhaps I have a way to resolve this?"

"Your Highness should worry about yourself! Murong Chuan is coming soon. Not only do you want his position, but you also slept with his woman. He will probably cut you in two."

"Hehe, with the Crown Princess in charge, I'm quite afraid of Murong Chuan. By the way, since the Crown Princess is here, why don't you take a look at my father and see what's wrong with him? Is there any antidote?"

Herihong raised an eyebrow and said, "What do you need the antidote for? You forced your way to this position just so you could have this throne?"

“Of course I should sit in this position, but how can I do it without the Imperial Seal? I don’t know where that old man has put the Imperial Seal. I’ve searched the Imperial Study, the Golden Palace, and this palace, but I still can’t find it. And to make matters worse, that old man can’t speak and is just watching me make a fool of myself.”

When Murong Yu said this, she was practically gritting her teeth.

His hatred for Murong Qianqiu was no less than that for Bai Jianan.

From birth, everything about him was covered up by Murong Chuan. He never had the chance to show himself, and in order to save his life, he could only indulge in wine and women, making others see him as a hopeless good-for-nothing.

Finally, Murong Chuan was on his last legs, and he could make his move. So what if it was a struggle for the throne? Even if it meant bloodshed for miles, he would still seize the throne.

Looking at Murong Yu's ferocious face, Heli Hong scoffed inwardly, but said outwardly, "That's right. I noticed that His Majesty's complexion is rosy, but he is unable to move his body and his aura is faint. I have already guessed that it is caused by Gu worms."

However, I don't know what kind of Gu worm it is, and I can't forcefully remove it. Making it speak temporarily is still an option.

As she spoke, Heli Hong walked towards the dragon bed. When she reached Yue Leyun's side, she suddenly smiled and said, "You're blocking my way, Crown Princess."

Yue Leyun gripped the quilt tightly with both hands, glared fiercely at Heli Hong, and then shrank back to the corner of the bed. Murong Yu stepped forward, patted her shoulder, and comforted her, "Don't be angry. She is our benefactor. Just wait to become your empress!"

Yue Leyun remained silent, burying her head in the brocade quilt, her eyes concealing the murderous intent within.

Heli Hong didn't even glance at the two of them, but instead approached Murong Qianqiu and whispered to him, "Father, I apologize."

Murong Qianqiu's eyes were wide open, filled with pleading for help, but Heli Hong seemed not to see them. He stretched out his hand, and an insect crawled out from his wrist, heading straight for Murong Qianqiu and then entering his nostril.

Murong Qianqiu immediately let out a "hmm," and after a while, she suddenly gasped for breath and whimpered.

Murong Yu immediately laughed: "The Crown Princess is indeed very capable. I've been here for a day and a night, and I haven't seen this old man say a word. I say, Father, since you can speak now, why don't you tell me where the Imperial Seal is? As long as you issue an imperial edict to pass the throne to me, we will still be father and son, and I will still take care of you in your old age."

Murong Qianqiu took a few deep breaths before angrily cursing at Murong Yu: "You unfilial son, you actually colluded with the Miao people to treat me like this! You will be punished!"

"Retribution? Father, it's not us who are suffering retribution, it's your crown prince son. You don't know yet, do you? The poison in your body wasn't inflicted by us, it was your crown prince son. He's hoping you'll die soon."

Murong Yu looked at Murong Qianqiu with schadenfreude. Seeing his wide eyes and disbelief, she continued to laugh, "Don't disbelieve me. If you don't believe me, ask the Crown Princess. Everyone in the palace is in a panic, afraid that they will be the next ones to die from the insects. That's why so many people have come here to avoid your son who is covered in insects."

Murong Qianqiu wasn't worried about Murong Qianqiu's affairs; what he was worried about was whether he could continue to live. Seeing that Murong Yu would not let him go at all, he immediately turned to Heli Hong and said, "Hong'er, you know that I have always treated you as my own daughter. You and Nan'er cannot help the evildoers and let them do whatever they want to me."

Heli Hong bowed to Murong Qianqiu and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Although the Second Prince speaks somewhat incoherently, his actions are generally quite proper."

At this moment, the Crown Prince is wreaking havoc in the palace, an irreversible fact. If the Second Prince hadn't sealed off the area, the Emperor would likely have already been devoured by those Gu worms.

Murong Yu immediately chimed in, "Yes, yes, yes, I'm protecting you, protecting you, Father! You should just hand over the Imperial Seal and pass the throne to me! Your crown prince son is no longer a reliable candidate."

Murong Qianqiu glared at Heli Hong and said, "Don't forget what you promised me."

Heli Hong smiled and said, "I did promise the Emperor, but has the Emperor ever kept his promise? Our cooperation is the same as my cooperation with the Second Prince."

Moreover, all of this was arranged by the Crown Prince himself. I was merely following my husband's orders. Your Majesty, as the saying goes, "Those who understand the times are wise." The Crown Prince's moral failings are a fait accompli. The Third and Fourth Princes are also observing from the sidelines, waiting for an opportunity to act. They completely disregard Your Majesty's safety. Your Majesty, who else can you rely on?"

Upon hearing this, Murong Qianqiu felt utterly disheartened. He felt a surge of blood rushing to his head, and blood immediately flowed from his seven orifices, causing him to faint.

Upon seeing this, Murong Yu immediately roared, "What's wrong with the old man? Princess Consort, quickly treat him!"

Heli Hong said impatiently, "I'm not a doctor. He's just having a stroke from anger. You should find the imperial physician."

Upon hearing this, Murong Yu was about to speak when an old man with a white beard, who had been standing in the crowd, shakily stood up and said to Murong Yu, "Your Highness, please forgive us. The Imperial Hospital has been overrun by Gu worms, and all the medicinal herbs have been destroyed. Now, we can only keep His Majesty alive by using acupuncture and ginseng."

Upon hearing this, Murong Yu raised an eyebrow: "You can?"

"This humble servant is the Director of the Imperial Medical Academy."

Murong Yu immediately smiled and looked at the head of the academy with satisfaction, saying, "Alright, then come and give Father the acupuncture. Make sure Father lives well. Murong Chuan is hoping that I will kill Father so that he can kill me in a legitimate way. I can't let him succeed."

The acupuncturist immediately got up and went to the dragon bed. He performed acupuncture on the emperor without looking at him. When the emperor finally opened his mouth and exhaled, the acupuncturist used the knife of the guard next to him to cut a piece of the old ginseng hidden in his bosom and put it under the emperor's tongue.

Seeing this, Murong Yu asked, "Is this ginseng truly effective?"

The chief physician immediately replied, "Of course it's effective. This ginseng is a century-old ginseng that was brought as tribute from the Northwest. It has been kept in the Imperial Hospital. When those Gu worms came, besides bringing out some insect-repelling herbs, the only other thing I brought out was this old ginseng."

Murong Yu immediately replied, "Good, well done. Don't worry, you can continue to hold the position of head of the academy. Once this matter is over, I will definitely reward you handsomely."

The abbot immediately expressed his gratitude, then stood aside, letting out a deep sigh of relief and wiping the cold sweat from his brow.

While the palace was in turmoil, Jian Yue's side was remarkably quiet. Hei Feng had left at some point, and Xing Ke and Jia Banwen only said that he had gone where he was supposed to go. Jian Yue didn't dare to ask, so she could only leave Qilin Pavilion alone.

Bai Jianan followed behind her, but dared not get close. Heaven knows what happened to Jian Yue that night. Since last night, she had ignored him and was even less welcome than before.

He pondered for a long time but still couldn't figure out where he went wrong. He wanted to ask, but after seeing Jian Yue's gloomy face, he chose to remain silent and follow.

Jian Yue knew that Bai Jianan had been following her, but for some reason, she just didn't want to talk to him.

They finally managed to meet, cleared up the misunderstanding, and could be together. She shouldn't have gotten stuck on this and started thinking about all sorts of unnecessary things.

But she still couldn't face Bai Jianan, so she could only avoid him like this.

Arriving at a fabric shop, Jian Yue went inside and said to the shopkeeper, "Could you please show me the most expensive, most beautiful, and ugliest fabric in your shop that you can't sell?"

The shopkeeper paused, looked at Jian Yue, and after a moment said, "Miss, are you here to buy cloth or to smash up the shop?"

Jian Yue smiled and raised an eyebrow, saying, "So what if I smash up the shop? Your wife said that I can smash up this shop as much as I want, and she'll pay for it."

The shopkeeper immediately came out from behind the counter, bowed to Jian Yue, and said, "Please come in, young lady. My lady has been waiting here for a long time."

Jian Yue nodded and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

Seeing Jian Yue follow the shopkeeper to the back, Bai Jianan followed her into the shop, but did not go to the backyard. He stood by the fabric, frowning as he looked at it. When the shopkeeper came out, he smiled and said to him, "Could you please show me the most expensive, most beautiful, and ugliest fabric in your shop that you can't sell?"

The shopkeeper was taken aback, looked Bai Jianan up and down, and sneered, "Young master, you're dressed so well, why are you talking so rudely? You're here to buy something? You look more like a competitor trying to cause trouble."

Bai Jianan paused, something was wrong. What the shopkeeper said was different from what he had just told Jian Yue. After thinking for a moment, he continued, "So what if I smash the shop? Your wife said that I can smash this shop as much as I want, and she will pay for it."

The shopkeeper glanced at him again, then suddenly beckoned to the backyard and said, "Someone, there's a troublemaker here. Get him out of here."