The next day, Princess Chaoji went to Zhao's house. She originally wanted to visit the Empress Dowager Song, but the Empress Dowager Song was unwell and closed the door to see no guests, so she took the little prince out of the palace.
Every time Mrs. Zhao looked at Princess Chaoji, she felt a familiar strangeness, awkward and uncomfortable, especially when Princess Chaoji stood beside Zhao Qinglin, the feeling was even worse.
"Qinglin, I haven't seen her for a few years, she looks more and more attractive, even I feel ashamed after seeing it."
Princess Chaoji smiled slightly, looking at Zhao Qinglin, she became more and more intimate, at least compared to Yun Le, Princess Chaoji was closer to Zhao Qinglin, her cousin.
"Qinglin's willow-like posture can't be compared to that of her cousin. Cousin, please don't flatter Qinglin."
Zhao Qinglin smiled shyly, and the two chatted for a while before Mrs. Zhao said, "Qinglin, take advantage of this time to take a look at the young master."
The purpose of Princess Chaoyi bringing the young master was to let Zhao Qinglin see each other, and even the young master's illness was just an excuse, just so that Chaoqi could return to Shengjing.
When the young master was mentioned, the smile on Princess Chaoji's face faded by three points, she took a small sip of tea, and then said, "This child has an excellent sense of smell, but he is a little blind. It's not clear who is who."
Zhao Qinglin nodded, "Qinglin go and have a look first."
After finishing speaking, Zhao Qinglin followed the maid to the next room. The young master is three years old this year, a lively and active age, but he can only stay in the room.
There were a few maids accompanying her to talk, they were unusually well-behaved and sensible, neither crying nor fussing, their bodies were thinner than children of the same age, holding the maids' sleeves tightly in their hands, with an innocent smile on their faces,
Zhao Qinglin approached the young master, and the young master's nimble eyes opened wide, as if they were soaked in water, they were black and bright, until Zhao Qinglin shook his hand in front of him, the young master blinked.
"Hey, let my cousin take a look."
The young master raised his eyes ignorantly until the servant girl held the young master's wrist and handed it over. Zhao Qinglin smiled, and placed two fingertips on the young master's slender wrist.
Zhao Qinglin frowned, and quickly withdrew her hand. Before leaving, she couldn't help but look at the young master, pursed her lips, and told the servant girl, "There are some newly made pastries in the house. Get some, so I can take care of the young master." son."
"yes!"
Zhao Qinglin turned her head and entered the room, looked down at Mrs. Zhao, and shook her head invisibly. Although Mrs. Zhao had been mentally prepared, she couldn't help but sigh.
"How?" Chaoqi raised his eyes and asked, "If you have anything to say, you can just say it, there are no outsiders here, and I can bear it."
Only then did Zhao Qinglin speak, "Young master is poisoned in the mother's womb. He didn't receive care in the later stage, so he gradually lost his vision. After a long time, his sense of hearing and smell will also decline, and his body will become weaker and weaker. The young master is too old. Little, there are a lot of medicinal properties left in the body, and the medicine has no effect. As the saying goes, medicine is three-part poison, and the little boy is destroying the body while detoxifying."
Princess Chaoji smiled wryly, and the last hope was shattered, "Qinglin's medical skills are really superb, maybe this child shouldn't have come to this world, why bother to suffer such a big crime."
Zhao Qinglin's eyes flickered slightly, she couldn't bear it, she moved her lips, but she didn't continue to speak after all.
"This child has never left the medicine jar since he was born. It is a sin to live, and it has caused me to be restricted by others."
Speaking of this, what else does everyone not understand.
Changing the subject, Princess Chaoji said again, "Three days later, it happens to be the child's third birthday. I want to hold a birthday banquet in the palace. Grandmother, aunt, and Qinglin need to help me make arrangements."
Before Mrs. Zhao had time to speak, Mrs. Zhao agreed directly, "Princess, why are you being polite? We are all a family, and we should be helpful or not."
Princess Chaoyi nodded, and pulled Zhao Qinglin to smile again, "Qinglin, the queen mother likes you very much. In the past, I was not with the queen mother. Thank you for staying with the queen mother for nothing. The queen mother still talked about you yesterday."
Zhao Qinglin naturally understood what this meant, and blushed in embarrassment, "Auntie loves Qinglin very much, and it is Qinglin's blessing that Qinglin can accompany Auntie to relieve boredom."
Only then did Chaoyi laugh when he heard the words, "Okay, I sure as hell saw you right, it's getting late, I should go back."
After seeing off Princess Chaoyi, Mrs. Zhao glanced at Zhao Qinglin, "Is there really no cure for the young master's illness?"
Zhao Qinglin nodded, "Young Master is already dying of illness, there is still half a year at most."
Hearing this, Mrs. Zhao let out a long sigh, and the guilt in her heart dissipated a lot. The young master is a burden to Princess Chaoyi, so it's better...
Mrs. Zhao said with a cold face, "In the past few days, everyone is well prepared to make sure nothing goes wrong."
Everyone nodded when they heard the words, Mrs. Zhao wished that the day of the birthday party would come immediately, and she would pull Concubine Xiao off the horse.
Zhao Qinglin was equally excited, this incident might be her only turning point.
Beside
Concubine Xiao has been carefree and happy these few days, watching the maids in the yard bustling around, preparing things for the big wedding.
"Miss, this wedding gown has been embroidered for nine layers, and it should be finished in the day after tomorrow. When the time comes, Miss will wear this wedding gown, it will be extremely beautiful and famous in Shengjing City!"
Hongxiu has been very busy these days, her busy feet don't touch the ground, she has to watch the embroiderer embroider the wedding dress, and follow the housekeeper to clean up the dowry. She can't wait to divide a person into eight petals for use.
"Miss, I feel that there are too few dowries. The Prince's Mansion is empty. We can bring in as many people as we want. Don't worry as long as we need it. The number of maidservants prepared before is less than a hundred."
Qing Yu is also very busy.
Xiao Yu raised her lips and smiled lightly, "Don't worry, there is plenty of time."
Hongxiu stomped her feet, "Miss, time is in such a hurry, the big wedding is only a few days away, and there are many things that I haven't had time to prepare carefully."
Concubine Xiao covered her mouth and smiled, pointing to the two cups of tea on the table with her slender fingers, "Sit down and rest, I'll give you a credit later, why not?"
When the servant girl got angry with the master, Hong Xiu dared to do so, and Miss Xiao was not angry at all.
"Miss, an invitation from the palace." Caiju trotted and handed the invitation to Concubine Xiao.
Concubine Xiao took a look at it, closed it again and put it on the table, "You two have a good rest for two days, and follow me into the palace for a banquet in the future. As for the marriage, let's put it aside for now."
Now that Miss Xiao said so, the two maids didn't insist, and nodded, "Yes."
In a blink of an eye, it was the day of the banquet. Xiao Concubine wore a simple and elegant light blue long dress, covered with a white gown, and had two embroidered pouches around her waist.
These two embroidered pouches were embroidered by Luo Jinyan. The embroidery is unique, and there are all kinds of fresh petals inside, with a faint fragrance.
"It's a pity, I lost a sachet, this embroiderer is not even as good as the embroiderer." Hongxiu regretted.
Xiao Concubine's expression flickered when she heard the words, "When I get back to Quanzhou, I'll ask Jinyan for some more. This sachet is really good."
"This time the servant girl will follow suit."
After everything was settled properly, Concubine Xiao brought the two of them into the palace together. It was not too early or too late. There were already several ladies chatting in the garden. There were many seasonal melons and fruits on the table, and the delicate and beautiful pastries were still steaming. , I can't help but whet my appetite.
He had just taken two steps when there was a bang, and Xiao Concubine was caught off guard.
"Oh, I didn't mean to."
The girl was still holding a plate of pastries in her hand, and she was a bit fat, Xiao Concubine stood forward, looking very petite, all the pastries in her hands were scattered on the ground, with a look of regret.
"Miss Zhou, why are you so careless?"
A girl covered her mouth in surprise, then looked at Concubine Xiao again, "Girl, your skirt..."
Concubine Xiao lowered her head, her skirt had already been stained with a lot of pastries, which was very conspicuous against the light-colored long skirt.
The girl surnamed Zhou was annoyed and guilty, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, I didn't know what tripped me just now..."
Concubine Xiao raised her lips and smiled, "It's okay, just change again."
That Miss Zhou obviously didn't expect Concubine Xiao to be so eloquent, she shrank her neck gratefully, her facial features narrowed into a slit, "Thank you very much."
Xiao Concubine saw that she was charmingly naive, her eyes were clear, without a trace of impurity, and she didn't look like she was doing it on purpose.
Just at this time, a little palace maid came towards Concubine Xiao, "Princess Yihe, Empress, please go over and talk."
Seeing that the corners of Concubine Xiao's skirt were stained, the little maid said, "Princess Yihe, there is a yard for changing clothes in front."
Xiao Concubine nodded, and first took the two maids to change clothes. It was also a light pink long dress, and she was three points charming, and her appearance was stunning.
"Miss, there is something wrong with the aroma in this room." Qing Yu squeezed her nose tightly, the smell of the stove was faint, if you didn't smell it carefully, you wouldn't notice anything unusual.
Xiao Yu covered the tip of her nose, and a sharp look suddenly flashed in her eyes.
While changing clothes, the yard suddenly became lively, "Look for it quickly, why is the rabbit raised by the young master missing, and the young master is crying."
Concubine Xiao immediately took people out, and the little maid was crying, "Princess Yihe, the little son's rabbit is missing, can you ask the two sisters to help find it."
Just at this time, Madam Yu came over and angrily reprimanded the little maid in a low voice, "Hurry up and look for it, the young master is about to cry and his voice is hoarse."
"yes!"
Aunt Yu raised her eyes and looked at Concubine Xiao, "Princess, Madam, please go over."
Concubine Xiao nodded, glanced at Hongxiu and Qingyu, "Just help the young master find it."
"yes."
With a twinkle in Yu Yumo's eyes, she led the way to find Queen Zhao.
Entering Fengqi Palace, Empress Zhao sat on the first seat and waited. There were two other people beside her, one was Zhao Qinglin, and the other was a young woman. Xiao Concubine heard someone calling her princess, so she knew the identity of this person .
Probably today's protagonist, Princess Asaki.
"Yihe has met the Empress." Xiao Concubine bowed half-squatting.
Only then did Empress Zhao turn her eyes to look at Concubine Xiao, and said calmly, "Get up, there is no need to be polite."
"You are Princess Yihe, and I am Princess Chaoyi, who is indeed quite pretty." Chaoyi couldn't help being amazed, no wonder Brother Huang was fascinated, he really has the capital.
Concubine Xiao raised her red lips, "Princess is overrated."
The four of them were chatting, when Princess Chaoyi suddenly said, "Yihe, I prepared a gift for you before I came, you can follow me to have a look."
"Go ahead, Ben Gong and Qing Lin go for a walk, don't delay too long, the palace banquet will start soon."
Empress Zhao didn't give Xiao Concubine a chance to speak, she just stood up and followed Zhao Qinglin out the door.
Before leaving, Zhao Qinglin raised her eyes and glanced at Xiao Concubine quickly, a smile curled up at the corner of her mouth, and soon disappeared.
Concubine Xiao acted as if she didn't know everything, and followed Princess Chaoyi straight ahead, and suddenly said, "I heard that the young master is seriously ill. It's really distressing to suffer so much at such a young age, let alone the princess, the mother."
The smile on Princess Chaoji's face was somewhat perfunctory, "It's all fate, I just blame his bad fate, and this mother, I can't suffer for him, what can I do?"
When passing by a room, Xiao Yu vaguely heard the cry of a child, and glanced at Princess Chaoxi out of the corner of her eye, only to see that Princess Chaoqi had no expression on her face, without any emotion.
The corner of Xiao Yu's mouth curled up into a sneer, rubbed her forehead, swayed as she walked, she was overjoyed at Princess Yi, and hurriedly asked, "What's the matter?"
Concubine Xiao shook her head, "It's Xu's first visit to Shengjing, and I feel a little uncomfortable."
"There's a gazebo ahead, why don't you go and rest for a while, I'll get it myself, and I'll look for you when I come back."
Concubine Xiao nodded, "Alright."
The two separated, a smug smile flashed in Princess Chaoji's eyes, and she went back the same way, bypassing a courtyard, where Queen Zhao and Zhao Qinglin were already waiting.
"how?"
"Don't worry, Queen Mother, you are already in the gazebo..."
At this moment, a scream pierced the sky above Fengxi Palace.
"It's not good, the young master fell into the river."
Princess Chaoji listened, tightly clutching the brocade handkerchief in her hand, with a flash of unbearable eyes.
Zhao Qinglin suddenly put her hand on the back of Princess Chaoyi's hand, "Cousin just needs to take good care of her body, and she will be able to conceive again in a year."
Hearing this, Princess Chaoyi's frown relaxed a lot.
That scream drew the lady from the imperial garden not far away, and a little palace lady shouted while running.
"Princess Yihe pushed Xiao Shizi into the river."
Everyone was shocked when they heard the words, and hurriedly followed to see the situation.
When people rushed to him, they saw a small figure floating in the middle of the river, dressed in expensive clothes, it looked like a young master.
"Xin'er!" Princess Chaoyi knelt by the river, crying so much that she almost fainted.
Queen Zhao said angrily, "What are you still doing, go to the imperial doctor!"
When the guards salvaged the young master, the young master's face was as pale as paper, and the little man was soaked in the water, dripping wet, without a trace of life.
"Princess, the young master has passed away..." Yu Momo tremblingly moved her finger away from the tip of the young master's nose.
"Xin'er!" Princess Chaoyi screamed, punching and kicking a group of court ladies, "How do you take care of the little prince, I want you to pay for it!"
Those little maids immediately kowtowed and begged for mercy, "Her Majesty the princess knows that the little son loves to play by nature, and he insisted on a little rabbit. The servants had no choice but to take him out, but they didn't see it. The little princess bumped into Princess Yihe in the gazebo. The young master made a noise and threw him out in a fit of anger. When the slaves arrived, the young master had already fallen into the river, but Princess Yihe said that she wanted to teach the young master how to behave, and that the slaves were not allowed to rescue him..."
"Princess, please forgive me. The slaves saw Princess Yihe dump the young master in a fit of anger, and said that Princess Chaoyu deliberately looked down on her and dared to fool her with an unpopular hairpin. The young master deserves to be so seriously ill." .”
More than 20 servants and servants knelt at their feet to testify. The wives were shocked, and then they became angry, "It's too much, how can you be so vicious and feel sorry for a child!"
Princess Chaoyue was trembling with anger, her lips turned pale.
"Princess Yihe is so ruthless that she doesn't even let a child go. Poor young master is only three years old."
"Princess Yihe is arrogant and indulgent. Even the Empress Dowager doesn't pay attention to her. She has been taught badly."
"How can such a temperament be worthy of being the princess of Xiyue, and I don't know what Dongming's purpose is. The prince is not allowed to take concubines, and even the side concubine is not allowed to enter the prince's mansion. It is too much!"
Mrs. Zhao clenched her fists with righteous indignation. There was one leader in the crowd, and the rest immediately followed suit. Especially seeing the three-year-old child lying alone on the ground, one couldn't help but be moved.
"That's right, such a woman is not worthy of being a crown princess, and she must not be allowed to confuse the crown prince. Because of her young age and good looks, she becomes more and more indecisive."
Princess Chaoyi was crying miserably, and Empress Zhao clenched her fists tightly, "It's unreasonable, where is Princess Yihe?"
Empress Zhao looked around, but she didn't see Xiao Concubine's figure, so her brows twitched.