After returning from the East Palace, Lu Qipei had a good talk with Qi Yang again. She firmly said that the prince would not find anything, and Qi Yang was at a loss from the beginning, but gradually calmed down.
For the next few days, the East Palace was very calm, and it seemed that the penetrating test that day did not exist at all.
Qi Yang was worried for a while, and when he saw that everything was as usual, he really let go of his heart. But because the prince knew about these things, even if he didn't verify it, once he became suspicious, Qi Yang would no longer be able to trust him as before.
On the other hand, Lu Qipei also took the time to go back to the Lu family, reminding Qi Bo to restrain everyone and not let the prince get the hang of it. At this point, even if Qi Bo was still resentful and dissatisfied with Lu Qipei, he still executed it well. And Lu Qipei never doubted Qibo's execution ability. After all, he was the one who could keep his power under Xie Yuan, so he had to go north to plot!
At the beginning of August, King Wu was finally found, but unfortunately he is no longer the fresh look he had when he left Beijing in high spirits.
What Mingzhou sent back to the capital was a coffin. The people in the coffins were wearing brocade robes and crowns, but their bodies had already passed through blisters and long-distance transportation in this hot weather, and they had long since become corrupt.
It is said that Princess Wu opened the coffin and saw that she could not restrain herself from crying, and she became seriously ill afterwards. However, there are also rumors that the body of King Wu was too corrupted, and Princess Wu was vomited and frightened again, and then fell ill. But in any case, the Wu Palace has indeed lost its owner, and the emperor's son is just like this, and there is one less.
The emperor didn't value the rest of the princes except the prince, but after all, they were all the emperor's parents. Even if he had been prepared for the news that King Wu was being rushed by the flood, he was still very sad when he heard the news of his son's death.
It just so happened that an autumn rain in August dispelled the heat that lasted the whole summer in Beijing, and the emperor fell ill accidentally.
After all, it is an elderly person who cannot stand the toss of illness. Don't look at the fact that the prince has been ill in the past three years. He has to rest in bed for a while every now and then, but he is young and can slowly recover after his illness. The emperor was different. It was obviously just a minor illness, but it seemed to destroy his health, making the people who were originally in good spirits gradually appear old.
Qi Yang has always had a knot in the emperor, but at this time, she couldn't help but worry: "Today I went to the palace to meet, and when I looked at the emperor, the brilliance in his eyes seemed to be a little less than before, and there were silver threads in his temples. "
As she spoke, she looked at Lu Qipei, her eyes were filled with worry and vulnerability that she hadn't even noticed herself.
Lu Qipei hugged her and patted her on the back lightly as if to comfort her, but he couldn't say more comfort - people are born, old, sick and die, which no one can stop, even if you are the emperor and rich all over the world. What's more, the emperor is not doing well now. He just got sick and got older. He will get older every day.
Qi Yang naturally understood this truth, and after worrying about it for a few days, and after asking the imperial physician how to be well, he gradually let go of his heart. After a while, she went to Xuanshi Hall more, but the East Palace went less.
The emperor was aware of this, and one day held Qi Yang's hand with a smile: "The emperor is the most caring. I was sick, everyone ran diligently, and when I was cured, one by one disappeared. The emperor is always thinking about me, and recently even your imperial brother has not gone anywhere."
Qi Yang felt a little stunned when he heard this, and immediately smiled: "What is your father's words? My son used to go to the East Palace frequently, but it was because the emperor's brother was weak and was always sick. Now that the father is sick, of course, he is more than the emperor's brother. more important."
The emperor laughed when he heard what she said, and if he believed it a little, or whether he believed it or not, it was not something that others could speculate. He raised his hand and stroked his daughter's hair on the temples, and said, "Your brother is benevolent and self-disciplined, and you will be a wise monarch in the future. You have been close to him since you were a child. This is a love that no one else can exchange. It's the little things that separate from him."
Qi Yang raised his eyes stunned, and he looked at the emperor as if he knew everything, but he had warm eyes. Her heart suddenly felt sour, and all the grievances and knots in her previous life seemed to have disappeared at this moment.
Seeing that her eyes were a little red, the emperor was stunned and smiled again: "Why, are you wronged? If the emperor is really wronged, don't hide it, and now the father and the emperor are in charge of you, if it is the crown prince who makes you wronged Now, I will scold him for you!"
Hearing this, Qi Yang couldn't help laughing again, as if time had returned to a young age. But she also knew in her heart that this kind of warmth only existed for a moment and a half, and was broken by herself in a short while: "No, the emperor didn't make me wronged. It's just that there was some misunderstanding between me and the emperor. It's a little unpleasant... I really can't hide anything from the father."
The emperor didn't ask the specific reason, and after saying a few words at random, he pushed Qi Yang and said: "Go and tell your emperor brother early, so as not to have a long time and really have a bad relationship."
After this conversation, the emperor seemed to be really old and began to care about his children.
Qi Yang sighed in his heart that after coming out of the Xuanshi Palace, he went to the East Palace.
At this time, it's been less than half a month since the prince's last showdown. In terms of the frequency of Qi Yang's entry into the palace in the past, she only came to the East Palace once or twice less than usual. In the meantime, the emperor was sick, and others could not see that she was estranged from Donggong.
But that was someone else, and Qi Yang and the Crown Prince, who were the parties, naturally understood that their brother and sister had been separated since then—not only were they well aware of it, but even the emperor saw it. Maybe the time is longer and others can see it, but fortunately, the emperor reminded that the two brothers and sisters will not drift away in the end.
In the front hall of the East Palace, the crown prince was discussing matters with several ministers, and when he saw Qi Yang's arrival, he did not show any difference.
After dismissing a few of his subordinates at will, the crown prince greeted Qi Yang as usual: "The imperial sister is here, take a seat. The father and emperor have been in poor health recently, you may not have been here for a long time, and you just came over from the Xuanshi Palace today, right? ?"
Qi Yang nodded, seeing that the prince's face was no different, he just sat down beside him with peace of mind.
The maid of the East Palace quickly brought tea and snacks, and was immediately dismissed by the prince with a wave of his hand, and she was the only two left in the huge front hall. This time, even Lu Qipei was not around, so the two brothers and sisters could really talk openly and honestly.
The prince held the tea and didn't drink it. The slightly hot temperature through the tea cup warmed his palms, which were cold after the fall: "The imperial sister is here today, and she must have something to say to Gu."
Qi Yang didn't drink tea either, holding the tea cup like that of the prince: "No matter what the emperor thinks, I believe in the concubine."
Her straight-to-the-point words were so straightforward that the prince was taken aback. The prince wanted to laugh but couldn't, and when he talked about business, he became even more serious, and said to her in a rare solemn tone: "The emperor is so emotional, I am very disappointed."
To tell the truth, Qi Yang was almost brought up by the prince. He taught her to read and write, and taught her to write and reason, and he spent even more effort than his own children. And the more you give, the more you expect. Seeing that Qi Yang has been estranged from the East Palace recently, the crown prince was actually disappointed because of her children's love. Now that I hear her speak again, I don't need to mention the mood.
Qi Yangming saw the disappointment in the prince's eyes, and his heart suddenly became heavy. But there were some things she had to say, and there were some things she couldn't escape, so she straightened her back and said, "I'm not being emotional, I'm here to reason with the emperor today."
The prince's face softened a lot when he heard the words: "Then you say, Gu first listen."
Qi Yang looked at the prince, his bright black eyes frank and pure: "I don't know where the emperor found the news about Xie Yuan, but it is unwise to suspect the concubine. You don't need to mention her appearance with Xie Hongyi, I have seen this too, but apart from this, has the imperial brother seen what the concubine has done to be unfaithful to the king, detrimental to the country, or hinder you and me?"
The prince was dumbfounded when he heard the words. After thinking for a moment, he shook his head and said, "Gu don't know. Maybe she didn't do it, maybe Gu didn't find out."
Hearing this, Qi Yang couldn't help but twitch his mouth: "Brother Huang didn't find out, so he started to suspect someone?" After speaking, he continued without waiting for the prince to say anything, "Brother Huang needs to know, there are people in this world who know each other. , it's not very unusual. Even if the concubine was born exactly the same as that of the Rongguo Xie Yuan, what does it mean? In this world, there may be someone who was born exactly the same as you and me. "
It's not easy for the prince to refute this. His suspicions are inherent in royal people, and so should Qi Yang, but she is now completely blinded by emotions. However, the prince is not an arbitrary person, and he suddenly opened his mouth that day, in fact, most of it was for temptation.
It's a pity that Lu Qipei was too stable, he didn't try anything, but Qi Yang couldn't hold his breath first.
Facing Qi Yang's questioning at the moment, the prince also had a headache. At the same time, he still felt a little incredible: "Even if Gu has not produced evidence, but such an important matter, Huang Mei, have you really never doubted the concubine? Not a little bit?"
Qi Yang shook his head, his face full of confidence: "No, not at all."
The prince stared at Qi Yang for a long time, and naturally saw that what she said was true, but still felt unbelievable - Qi Yang was taught by him, and he was the most similar to him. He thought she would calmly face anyone, any thing.
Of course, the prince at this time did not know what kind of waiting and searching Qi Yang had experienced, and what kind of desperate loss he had experienced. When you think you are hopeless, you will find it again, that kind of cherishing can no longer be controlled by reason. Fortunately, what she met was Lu Qipei, the bright wind and the moon, and Lu Qipei who had a loss with her. She would never use her, let alone betray her.
The two brothers and sisters looked at each other silently, and Qi Yang suddenly said, "Brother Huang, have you forgotten? Before we talked about Xie Yuan that day, the concubine was reminding you to pay attention to your own safety. She has never had bad intentions towards you."
The prince was dumbfounded, and the doubts in his heart may not have subsided, but he also knew that Qi Yang was right. At least at this time, Lu Qipei not only did not harm him, but he did everything possible to help him and protect him in the past few years, and the proposal that day was not even half selfish.
The emperor is right, the prince will be a benevolent prince, so he can't do the ruthless sternness that he would rather kill the wrong than let go.
After a long time, he sighed: "Perhaps you are right."