Spring arrives and the land smiles

While Qingyan was cured of the poison, in Shengjing, the struggle between Yunxuan and Ningyuan was intensifying.

The man dressed as a servant, having received the message from Censor-in-Chief Wang Xian that "Lord Fu has confessed," eagerly returned to report.

"Did he really confess?" Prince Jin sat in the main seat of the side hall of the palace, and as soon as he picked up the purple-gold teapot, he threw it on the table.

"Your Highness, it's true, as Lord Wang himself said," the servant-like man flattered.

Upon hearing the confirmation again, the Prince of Jin lost his earlier joy and dismissed the man.

“In Jiuzhou, I’m afraid Wang Xian can’t be trusted.” The Prince of Jin picked up the exquisite purple-gold teapot again, stroking it carefully in his hand, and asked the man standing beside him.

Dan Jiuzhou, waving his feather fan, smiled calmly and said, "The prince never expected anything from him, so how can you say he's unreliable?"

“You old rascal,” the Prince of Jin said with a feigned smile, glancing back at him, “I’m leaving this matter to you.”

"I accept your command, Jiuzhou." Shan Jiuzhou bowed respectfully.

The Prince of Jin laughed and slowly walked out of the side hall.

Shan Jiuzhou was the top strategist under the Prince of Jin. Although he was over forty years old, he looked much younger than his actual age because he did not like to grow a beard. Perhaps because he was good at scheming all his years, his eyes always showed shrewdness. In Qingyan's words, they were "sharp and bright".

Yunxuan and Ningyuan were still under house arrest, so they would get together at Bolanzhai every day to discuss countermeasures. At this time, Yunxuan was talking to Ningyuan about Shan Jiuzhou.

Ning Yuan had heard of Shan Jiuzhou. Shan Jiuzhou had made significant contributions in the Battle of Qingxia Pass, making them arch-enemies.

As the two were discussing, Qing Huan sent someone to inform them, and the two hurriedly got up to go to the main gate to greet him.

"Your Highness Prince Rui," the two greeted.

Qing Huan, supported by his personal eunuch, entered the room and gestured to the two men to get straight to the point: "I heard that the Censorate has interrogated Yun Xuan."

“It is Wang Xian, the Imperial Censor,” Yunxuan replied.

"Do you have an explanation?" Qing Huan continued to ask.

Yunxuan told Qinghuan the most important parts of the process, and Qinghuan pondered for a moment before nodding:

"If I remember correctly, you seem to have treated Chen Jinzhi quite well."

"Your Highness, please forgive my rudeness. I never imagined that he would turn against his father after the Prince of Lin married off his illegitimate daughter to him." Yunxuan smiled dismissively, clearly not taking this person seriously.

Hearing Yunxuan's tone, Qinghuan stopped asking questions.

However, the Prince of Lin, the younger brother of the Prince of Jin, is even more noteworthy.

"Your Highness, is there any news about Yan'er in Yushan?" Ning Yuan asked. These past few days, all the news about Qing Yan could be obtained from Qing Huan.

"For now... everything is fine." Qing Huan receives messages from Si Cheng to Lingfeng Pavilion every day, but the words "everything is fine" now bring worry.

The situation in Shengjing is already turbulent. If Prince Jin is unable to deal with Qingyan, that would be ideal. However, if Prince Lin, who is far away in the eight prefectures of Lin, takes action instead in order to lull them into a false sense of security, then things will be difficult to control.

As the three fell silent simultaneously, a servant from the Bolanzhai Pavilion requested an audience:

"My lord, the Imperial Guards on night patrol gave me a letter. It's for General Ning."

"Come in." Yun Xuan allowed him to enter.

The eunuch respectfully handed the letter to Ning Yuan and then withdrew.

There was no signature on the envelope. Ning Yuan opened the letter and saw that it was from Cheng Ming.

"Shan Jiuzhou has already taken action."

Upon hearing this, Yunxuan took the letter from Ningyuan's hand, examined it carefully, and a smile appeared on his lips.

"It's good that we can spend a few more days with him, which will also give Yan'er some time."

Yunxuan turned back and explained the contents of the letter to Qinghuan in detail. Qinghuan then gave a few instructions to his personal guards before leaving.

The backyard of the council hall in Yushan mining area.

Qingyan's wound was too deep to move, so Sicheng summoned Zhuier from the post station to take care of her. Although the conditions were very simple, Zhuier was quick-witted and provided all the necessary supplies. Qingyan was not a delicate person and was quite casual about keeping things simple during this special period, which made Luoqing pay even more attention to her health.

"Eat this." Luo Qing sat by Qing Yan's bedside and held a dark red pill to her lips.

Qingyan didn't open her mouth to eat it, but instead brought her nose close to sniff it.

A strong smell of blood filled my nostrils.

"What is this?" Qingyan frowned in disgust.

"Pills made from roasted blood grass and yulan flower," Luo Qing replied.

"What is it for?"

"The blood-burning herb is warm in nature and can disperse stagnation and resolve blood stasis, and the orchid flower..." Luo Qing suddenly stopped halfway through his sentence, blushing. At this moment, Qing Yan was staring at him with her big, round eyes, looking at him with a thirst for knowledge, which was quite lively and charming.

"You wouldn't understand even if I told you, um... anyway, it's good for your health, um... just take it." Luo Qing looked embarrassed and quickly stuffed the pill into Qing Yan's mouth.

Qingyan was caught off guard by the sudden insertion of a pill into her mouth. She bit Luo Qing's finger involuntarily, and her tongue accidentally licked Luo Qing's fingertip as she rolled the pill away.

Luo Qing felt a tingling sensation in her fingertips, and then her brain went blank.

At first, Qingyan didn't notice Luo Qing's unusual behavior and was particularly annoyed that she had just bitten Luo Qing's finger:

"Sorry, I didn't mean to."

After saying that, he gently rubbed the marks left by Luo Qing's fingers and blew on them.

Now, Luo Qing was completely paralyzed.

When he came to his senses, Luo Qing's face was so red it looked like it could bleed. He pulled his hand back helplessly and ran out of the room as if he were being chased by a ghost, forgetting to even take his first-aid kit.

"Hey, hey..." Qingyan pointed at Luo Qing's medicine box, intending to remind him, but found that he had already disappeared.

Qingyan stared blankly in the direction Luo Qing had run off to, and muttered to herself, "What's going on here?"

"Princess." Zhui'er brought in a bowl of nourishing soup.

Qingyan let Zhuier feed her the medicine, showing great awareness of being a patient, but the taste of the medicinal food made her frown.

"Why does it taste so bad? Zhui'er, your cooking skills have deteriorated."

“This has nothing to do with my skills,” Zhui’er said indignantly. “It’s all because Young Master Luo added four or five kinds of medicinal herbs to the soup. I feel sorry for you just smelling it.”

"Then hurry up and make me some pearl dumplings." Qingyan laughed as she drank.

Seeing that Qingyan had an appetite, Zhuier was overjoyed. After feeding Qingyan, she quickly went to make pearl dumplings.

"Go and call Sicheng here," Qingyan instructed as Zhuier was leaving.

Before long, Sicheng stood in front of Qingyan's bed.

"Anything to say?"

She hasn't reported anything for three whole days. Could it be that because she was poisoned, everything outside is calm and the rivals are holding back, waiting for her to fully recover before competing against her?

Obviously not.

Si Cheng was startled, stole a glance at Qing Yan, and quickly lowered his head again.

"Aren't you going to talk?" Qingyan's voice rose an octave.

Si Cheng still didn't answer, but instead knelt down with a thud.

With this kneeling gesture, Qingyan understood eight or nine parts of the situation.

Qingyan never doubted the loyalty of the Lingfeng Pavilion's secret guards, and she was absolutely certain of Sicheng's loyalty. So today's obvious non-violent non-cooperation must have been at someone's behest, using the excuse of worrying about her injuries to keep her from having to worry, which is why Sicheng was persuaded.

Thinking of this, Qingyan's face darkened. Looking at Sicheng, who was kneeling motionless by the bedside, her voice became calm:

"Either you speak, or you get out. It's up to you."

"Princess!" Si Cheng suddenly looked up. This was the second time the princess had asked him to leave, and Si Cheng was getting anxious.

"I said."

"The two imperial sons-in-law were impeached by nearly one-third of the officials of the Six Ministries, Nine Temples, Five Directorates, and One Ministry. They are currently under house arrest in Xuanhua Palace."

"What? Ah—" Qingyan was shocked, which aggravated her wound, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Princess." Si Cheng quickly stood up, checked Qing Yan's wound, and was relieved to find that it hadn't reopened.

"It's alright. Where is Prince Rui?" Qingyan asked. With such a big matter, her brother would definitely take action.

“His Highness Prince Rui said that if the princess insists on asking, he should tell the truth,” Si Cheng replied.

"Since that's the case, why don't you hurry up and tell me?" Qingyan laughed in exasperation.

"His Highness Prince Rui told the princess not to worry, as they have already devised a plan, and the two princes-in-law will surely escape unharmed."

"If that's the case, why did you hide it from me?"

“His Highness Prince Rui said—” Si Cheng paused again.

"What did brother say?" Qingyan asked impatiently again.

“His Highness Prince Rui said that you like to worry unnecessarily, and if it concerns General Ning, you become restless and lose your composure.” Si Cheng finished speaking in one breath, his breathing rising and falling.

Qingyan's eyes widened, momentarily speechless at the sharp words.

"Ahem, that may be true, but we still need to be mindful of our responsibilities," Qingyan coughed lightly to cover her embarrassment. "In these extraordinary times, you should have someone communicate with Prince Rui, and do not delay."

"Also—" Qingyan paused, hesitated, changed her tone, and continued.

"Sicheng, remember this: there will be no next time with me." Qingyan said each word clearly, her voice not loud, but very sharp.

Without a second thought, Si Cheng knelt down on one knee and said, "Your subordinate knows his mistake and will never repeat it."

Qingyan smiled faintly and waved her hand to indicate that she should step down.

Soon after, Zhui'er brought in freshly made pearl dumplings.

The room was filled with a fragrant aroma.

"Princess, try it quickly and see if my cooking skills have improved." Zhui'er quickly picked up a piece and put it to Qingyan's lips.

The glutinous aroma of meat made Qingyan's mouth water, and she opened her mouth and took a bite of half of it.

"Spit it out."

Before she could even swallow, Qingyan saw Luo Qing rush in like a gust of wind, grabbing her chin with a terrified expression and forcing her to spit out the pearl dumpling in her mouth.

The sight frightened Zhui'er so much that she trembled all over, and the plate in her hand fell to the ground with a thud, scattering pearl dumplings all over the floor.

"You can't eat it," Luo Qing said sternly, her face turning pale with anxiety.

"Why?" Qingyan looked at him in confusion. Did he think that Zhuier would poison her?

Luo Qing gave Zhui'er a reproachful look and asked with a serious expression, "Did you put hawthorn in the meatballs?"

"Yes, after crushing the hawthorn and adding sugar, it's just the right balance of sweet and sour, and the princess loves this flavor the most." The method was the same as before, leaving Zhui'er completely bewildered.

Luo Qing sighed softly: "Hawthorn and blood-repelling grass are incompatible. Hawthorn will neutralize the medicinal properties of blood-repelling grass. If you eat this dish, all the pain you endured from having your flesh cut out and bones removed will be for nothing."

Upon hearing this, Zhuier knelt down abruptly, her voice trembling with sobs as she confessed her grievances: "Princess, I...I didn't know! Princess, how could I possibly harm you? Waaah—"

Zhui'er spoke and cried at the same time. Qingyan glanced at her, then looked at Luo Qing, unsure whether to explain to Luo Qing first or comfort the stammering little maid who was frightened. She couldn't help but smile and reached out to pat Zhui'er's head.

"Alright, stop crying. Go make some pearl meatballs without hawthorn. I'm still hungry."

"Princess, you don't blame me?" Zhui'er raised her head, her tears turning into a smile.

"If you don't go and make something to eat soon, I'm going to blame you."

"Wait, let me write down the foods the princess needs to avoid for you." Luo Qing walked to the table, picked up a pen, and wrote them down.

Zhui'er stood up, took the money, and quickly left.