==Chapter 156==

The carriage traveled unhindered all the way to the East Palace.

A maid jumped out of the carriage, and when the coachman lowered the stool, the maid reached out and helped a woman wrapped in a cloak out of the carriage. A maid also got out of the car behind, and the two of them carried the woman into the gate of the East Palace.

The little chamberlain guarding the gate of the East Palace saw that the person who came was not familiar with it, and originally wanted to stop it, but as soon as the woman's head was raised to reveal her delicate face under the hood, the little chamberlain immediately put down her hand and bowed again and again: "I have seen Princess Chu, Princess Da'an." ”

Princess Chu nodded to him, pulled down her hood and continued to walk inside.

This chamberlain still has some doubts in his heart, why did Princess Chu come to the East Palace today and didn't bring the little emperor and grandson of the Chu Palace, you must know that every time Princess Chu comes during this time, she will bring the little emperor and grandson with her. But after all, this is the master's business, and it has nothing to do with him, so he doesn't question it too much.

The earth dragon was burned here early in the Haoran Palace, and as soon as he stepped in, the whole person warmed up. Princess Chu has been a frequent visitor to Haoran Hall recently, and she has known her up and down, and when she saw that she was about to arrive at the door from a distance, someone went in to report, so when she just stepped into the palace gate, Ruan Ling'er had already greeted her.

"Jiu Niang, you're here, you didn't say you were resting at home in this weather." With a smile on her face, her eyes dimmed when she didn't see the little person she expected. The question that lingered in his mouth circled in his mouth, and finally swallowed it.

She stepped forward with an unchanged smile and took Jiu Niang's hand, "Let's go, follow me in to warm up, I just let someone cook almond tea, and drink a bowl of it strongly, which can also drive away the cold." ”

Jiu Niang smiled and nodded, and took off her cloak under the service of the maid.

Looking at the two maids with raw faces on the side, Ruan Ling'er asked with some doubts: "Why didn't Lianzhi come with you today, and you were replaced by someone to serve?" "For the two maids that Jiu Niang brought with her every time she entered the palace, although Ruan Ling'er was not very familiar, she still knew her.

Jiu Niang replied: "You said lotus branches? She had a cold, so she didn't come, Xiaocui was in the same room with her, and she was also a little uncomfortable. ”

"Your voice?"

Jiuniang covered her mouth with a handkerchief, coughed twice, and said in a dumb voice: "I have also been a little uncomfortable in the past two days, so I didn't bring Mu Mu to the East Palace." ”

Ruan Ling'er couldn't help complaining: "You are really, since you are uncomfortable, just don't come, and no one will blame you, your body is important." She said as she pulled Jiuniang and went inside, "If you are really sick, Your Highness and I will not be upset." ”

Jiuniang didn't care and said: "I'm not as delicate as you think, I was going to take Mu Mu to the East Palace today, but unfortunately I encountered something on the road, and the child was frightened." I thought about it for many days, and it was always a bit bad to send someone to pass the word, so I came to talk to you. ”

"The child is frightened? What the hell is going on? Ruan Ling'er asked anxiously.

Jiu Niang didn't hide it, and told the story of what happened on the road before. Ruan Ling'er was angry and anxious, that is, angry that the two families were too uninteresting, and worried that the child was still young, and whether there would be anything wrong. Jiuniang repeatedly explained that Mu Mu was fine, but she was tired of crying, she thought that her son was not in good spirits, and bringing him to the East Palace would only add to the trouble, so she sent her son back to the house and came to the East Palace in person.

Hearing this, Ruan Ling'er's heart was suddenly filled with guilt.

She knew very well why Jiu Niang would take her son into the palace with her sick body, and even after Mu Mu was frightened, she insisted on coming to the East Palace in person.

That day, the prince mentioned the matter of holding Mu Mu, and she has been worried about it since then, or the prince saw that she was not willing to give up for a few days, so he told her what was going on. It turned out that His Majesty had such a plan, and wanted to pass Mu Mu to the name of the prince, knowing that His Royal Highness couldn't bear it, so he ordered Jiuniang to frequently bring her son to the East Palace, with the idea of establishing a relationship first.

After knowing this, when Ruan Ling'er saw Jiu Niang again, she was always a little restless, she always felt that she and His Royal Highness seemed to have done something sorry for Jiu Niang.

But the emperor's order is difficult to disobey, His Majesty's order is never allowed to be refuted, and with the prince's current physical condition, if he can succeed Mu Mu, it is a good thing to have the best of both worlds. Although Ruan Ling'er is not too smart, she still has some understanding of the current form, and these understandings come from her father, Ruan Chengmao, who has not been in contact with her for many years.

Ruan Chengmaosheng shot for the right servant of Shangshu Province, and it was not too difficult to send a message to the palace, he asked people to deliver a message to Ruan Ling'er and didn't say anything, but just analyzed the current situation. In fact, the secret meaning is also to hope that the prince can inherit an heir to his name.

On one side is the crown prince, the pillar of the entire East Palace, her heaven, and on the other side is Jiu Niang, the two have had many years of friendship, Ruan Ling'er is very difficult. She didn't dare to ask the prince what he thought, and she didn't dare to tell Jiu Niang about it, and in just a few days, she lost a lot of weight.

It's just that she serves by the prince's side every day, and others only think that she is caused by hard work, so Emperor Chengyuan rewarded her with a lot of things. At the moment, the crown princess is grounded, and Ruan Ling'er is in the limelight in the East Palace for a while.

Without further ado, Ruan Ling'er welcomed Jiuniang to the warm pavilion, and ordered someone to bring almond tea, and the two talked while drinking tea.

Jiuniang didn't stay long, and after drinking a cup of tea, she said goodbye. Before leaving, she suddenly remembered and said, "By the way, I almost forgot that my Royal Highness got a good medicinal herb." This thing is filial piety from the people below, it is very rare, and we can't use it in our house, thinking that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is properly using, so I ordered me to send it by the way. ”

As she spoke, she took the brocade box handed over by the maid and opened it to show Ruan Ling'er.

Inside is a He Shou Wu that has shown a human form.

The prince has been weak since he was a child, and a big tonic like ginseng must not be used more than at a critical juncture. And He Shou Wu is as famous as ginseng, but the medicinal properties are not as domineering as ginseng, and it is just right to replenish the prince's body.

Over the years, the prince has taken a lot of tonic with Polygonum multiflorum as the main medicine, and the young Polygonum multiflorum has little effect, and the older Polygonum multiflorum is rare. Although royal wealth is within the reach of the world, such things as medicinal materials, especially the top medicinal materials of the previous year, are hard to find. And the palace has treasured the good He Shou Wu for many years has long been eaten by the prince, and Emperor Chengyuan has not ordered his subordinates to collect this kind of thing for so many years, but it is also a drop in the bucket for the prince's body.

Ruan Ling'er has been serving by his side since the prince's illness, and she also knows these things, so when she saw the humanoid He Shou Wu in the box, her eyes lit up, and she looked at Jiu Niang's eyes with gratitude and guilt.

"This He Shou Wu is probably a few hundred years old, Jiu Niang really thank you, it is rare that you and His Royal Highness the King of Chu are so concerned about His Royal Highness, and such good medicinal materials have been taken out."

Jiu Niang smiled nonchalantly, "Let's talk about this." Okay, I won't tell you, I have to go, although Mumu is fine, but I still have some worries. ”

"Yes, then I'll send you out, if there is anything wrong with Mu Mu, you can definitely order someone to send a letter in, so that I don't have to worry."

Jiuniang nodded, forced Ruan Ling'er down, didn't let her send it, and left with two maids.

All the way out of the gate of the East Palace, she couldn't help but glance back. Seeing her like this, the handmaid holding her arm tightened slightly, and said in a low voice, "Princess, we should go back." ”

Jiuniang glanced at her with hatred, with a faint fear in her eyes, and in the end, she still followed the two of them into the carriage and went to the outside of the palace.

*

As soon as Jiuniang returned home, the king of Chu received the news and rushed back from the front yard.

Before returning to the main courtyard, the king of Chu learned from Chang Shun what happened on the road. As the few guards who went out naturally declined, they went to Xingyi to receive ten whips.

As soon as the king of Chu arrived at the porch of the main house, he heard the giggling laughter of the children in the house, and his heart was suddenly relieved. When he entered the house, he saw the monkey boy sitting on a soft couch with a rattle in his hand, sitting and playing face to face with his mother.

"Your Highness."

Before Jiu Niang could get up from the couch, she was pressed back by the King of Chu, and she also sat down on the side.

"Do you want to let Imperial Doctor Liu come and take a look?" King Chu said.

"I was afraid that he would be frightened, who would have thought that this kid had a big heart, but he was a little wilted before, but now it's quite good."

King Chu nodded: "It's better to let the nurse pay attention, some children are frightened and don't show it at the time, and they are prone to fever afterwards." ”

Jiu Niang glanced at King Chu in surprise, how could he still understand this?

The king of Chu was a little embarrassed by her, and said, "This king listened to Chang Shun." ”

Jiu Niang nodded, and didn't think much about how Chang Shun, an inner attendant, knew this, but remembered this in her heart, and was ready to explain it later.

After playing for a while, Mu Mu also showed a little fatigue at this time, Jiu Niang asked Lianzhi to call the nurse, and after repeated instructions, she asked them to hold the child down.

At this time, it was almost noon, and it was time for lunch, and it happened that the king of Chu also came back from the front yard, so Jiu Niang ordered to go down and set the meal.

After a while, lunch was brought up, and a few lotus branches were set up outside, and after they were arranged, they invited two people to use them. After lunch, according to Jiuniang's habit, she wanted to take a nap for a while, and the king of Chu had something to do in the front yard, so she went back to the front yard.

Jiuniang slept until she knew the hour, and when she woke up, she saw that the sky outside was still gloomy and oppressive, and it seemed to be colder than in the morning. She asked her son first, and then asked the king of Chu, only to know that the king of Chu was summoned to the palace not long ago and has not come back yet.

She asked Lianzhi to serve her, put on a homely dress, put on a cloak, and went to the east chamber, she still remembered that she was afraid of Mumu's fever.

In the east chamber, the earth dragon burned warmly, and there were only two nurses in the room. The two of them sat on the edge of Mu Mu's small bed, whispering and doing needlework. Seeing that Jiu Niang was coming, the two hurriedly got up and saluted, Jiu Niang waved her hand, and went to the small bed to see her son.

Mu Mu was still asleep, his little face was red, and his expression was peaceful. She first reached out and touched her son's forehead, and then reached into her clothes to feel if there was any sweat, and after learning that Yiqiē was normal, her heart calmed down.

"You pay more attention, if there is anything wrong with the little master, come in time."

"Don't worry, the princess, the slave and maid don't dare to leave for a moment."

As she was talking, there was a sudden noise outside, followed by a rush of footsteps outside the door, Jiuniang frowned and was about to say something, when she saw Xiaocui hurriedly walking in, her face full of anxiety that could not be concealed.

"What's wrong?"

"There is someone from the palace, just outside, accompanied by Steward Sun."

Jiu Niang's heart couldn't help but rise, she didn't think about anything else, but thought of the King of Chu who was called into the palace and didn't come back, did something happen to the King of Chu?

Don't think about it, she went outside with Xiaocui, and saw a lot of people standing in the huge courtyard.

At the head were Sun Yi and a person dressed as an inner attendant, who was surrounded by many Jin Wuwei who were dressed in full armor, and on the periphery were many guards from the Chu Palace.

As soon as Jiu Niang walked out, everyone's eyes were focused on her.

"I don't know ...... this chamberlain."

The waiter looked like he was smiling, and raised his hand to interrupt Jiu Niang's words: "Okay, Princess Chu, our family is ordered by His Majesty to take you into the palace for a walk." ”

Sun Yi didn't care about anyone at this time, came to Jiu Niang's side, and whispered in her ear: "There are many people in the palace, and a group of Jin Wuwei and Yulin Army are surrounded outside the gate, and the subordinates wanted to inquire about what was going on, but no one said anything at all, and they didn't even give a gap in the report, so they forcibly broke in." ”

Although Sun Yi said it implicitly, it had already revealed the severity of the current shape, it stands to reason that if there is nothing to do, the people in the palace are all in the front yard, and it is impossible to break into the residence of the ladies in the back house, and there are so many Jin Wuwei, and the palace of the king of Chu is besieged......

"Can you tell us what happened? You also know that my Royal Highness is not in the house, and I am a woman in a Taoist family, and I am also worried when facing this situation. ”

Jiu Niang smiled and glanced at Sun Yi, and Sun Yi hurriedly stepped forward and stuffed something into the hands of the waiter.

In fact, Sun Yi had tried this trick a long time ago, but the other party did not accept it, and now he can only hope that this chamberlain can look at the princess's face and be somewhat tolerant.

Who knew that the waiter seemed to have received some hot potato, raised his hand and threw the thing in his hand, and when the thing rolled out, he found that it was a gold ingot weighing ten taels. He looked disdainful and sneered: "Okay, Princess Chu, Your Majesty is still waiting there, you still don't delay, go with our family." ”

Jiu Niang's heart suddenly fell into a bottomless abyss, but her face was silent, and she whispered to Sun Yiyi: "Take care of the mansion, guard the door, if Your Highness and I have not come back, the little master will be the mainstay." The affairs of the house will be handed over to you and Xingyi, and the outside affairs will listen to the opinions of Changfeng and Yang Jia......"

"Princess Chu, don't force our family to be rude!" The chamberlain urged again.

Jiu Niang could only press down the worry in her heart and walked to the side of the inner servant, and as soon as the person walked over, she was surrounded by several Jin Wuwei.

Lianzhi covered her mouth tightly, trying her best not to cry, Xiaocui didn't say a word, and squeezed to Jiu Niang's side, but was pushed out.

Jiu Niang smiled and shook her head at them: "Help me take care of Mu Mu." Before she could leave this sentence, Jiu Niang was pushed and taken away.

Although these people had a very bad attitude, they still prepared a carriage for Jiu Niang.

Sitting in the carriage, on the way to the palace, Jiu Niang forcibly suppressed her worries and forced herself to analyze the current situation.

The king of Chu has not come back from the palace, but the palace of the king of Chu is surrounded by people, although these people have scruples in their words, but the arrogance under their appearance is obvious......

Jiuniang still understands this kind of behavior and behavior, as the saying goes, stay three points for being a man, and see each other in the future. Especially those who serve in the palace, those who are smart will not do things too much, unless they are sure that the other party has no room to turn over, they will step on it with all their strength. Since he can pass on the oracle of Emperor Yuan on behalf of Emperor Yuan, he must not be an ordinary person in the palace, he must know something, so he will have such an attitude......

So what's going on in the palace? Or did the king of Chu do something that caused the wrath of Emperor Chengyuan? This matter must be strict to the point that Emperor Chengyuan will dispose of the Chu Wangfu regardless of the current situation...... So what's going on? Could it be the crown prince......

Along the way, Jiu Niang's mind was chaotic, like a mess, and she couldn't pull out the thread.

I don't know how long it went, but the carriage suddenly stopped.

Jiuniang was called out of the car and pushed into a palace. It seemed that she was in the palace, and several middle-aged palace people took her into a room, and without talking to her, they turned around and went out and locked the door from the outside.

Jiu Niang's heart suddenly fell to the bottom.

*

At the same time, in the East Palace, the atmosphere in the Haoran Hall was tense.

There were several imperial doctors around the bed, Fu Tai stood aside, his face full of worry and anger, Ruan Ling'er sat aside and wept silently. And Emperor Chengyuan, who was angry just now, had already regained his calm at this time, but his face was gloomy and frightening, and the light in his eyes appeared from time to time, making people dare not look at his face directly.

"What the hell is going on?"

A thunderous voice suddenly sounded in the temple.

The imperial doctors immediately knelt down and said in a hurry: "This poison is not a strict poison, if ordinary people are poisoned by this poison, as long as the treatment is timely, it will not be a big problem, but His Royal Highness the Prince's body is different from ordinary people......"

With a 'snap', a tea cup shattered on the ground, and the fragments splashed everywhere, and several imperial doctors didn't dare to hide despite the fragments scratching their faces.

"Don't tell me this, Imperial Doctor Hu, come on!"

"The toxins in His Highness's body have been discharged, and as for the result, it depends on whether His Highness can wake up." The only one standing next to the bed replied.

Compared to those imperial doctors, he was much calmer. In fact, where is calmness, but after more experience, I am numb and don't feel afraid. The prince's body has always been in his hands, and he has long been walking on the edge of the cliff with his head in his hands, and the worst outcome has been predicted, the difference is only early and late.

Imperial Physician Hu has long had this kind of awareness, and the day the prince died was the day he died.

Emperor Chengyuan sneered: "You'd better pray that the prince is okay, otherwise I will let you all be buried with the prince!" ”

Dropping this sentence, Emperor Chengyuan brushed his sleeves away.

He didn't go far, but went to a nearby palace. The door of this palace was guarded by four guards at this time, Ruan Ronghai pushed the door forward, and then bowed down to invite Emperor Chengyuan to enter, and there was only one person inside.

It was the King of Chu in a wheelchair.