freenovelworld Chapter 697: The Blood Letter Hidden in the Wall Bricks
Chapter 697: The Blood Letter Hidden in the Wall Bricks
On the day when the emperor returned to Beijing, the sky turned pale, and then the sun slowly rose, and the golden warm sunlight spread across the earth.
When An Lingrong learned that the imperial carriage had entered the city, she led everyone in the harem to the palace gate to welcome him.
"The Emperor is back in the palace today. What a beautiful day!"
"Yes, I heard that the spring plowing went smoothly this time, so the emperor returned to the palace early!"
......
"Your Highness, has the Seventh Prince written to you? Tell me quickly..."
......
"The garden is beautiful. I wonder if you'll be going there this summer to escape the heat?"
......
"emperor......"
......
"Father...Emperor..."
A childish voice suddenly sounded in the midst of a group of people's casual chat, attracting special attention.
Concubine Hua couldn't help but roll her eyes.
In late February in the capital, even when the sun came out, the wind blowing at the palace gate was still a bit chilly.
In order to win favor, Zhen Huan really didn't take the child's body seriously.
Concubine Hua glanced at An Lingrong standing in front of her and resisted the urge to mock Zhen Huan.
The emperor's dragon chariot has become apparent and will be arriving soon.
She is really looking forward to it!
As the bright yellow ceremonial procession got closer, silence fell in front of the palace gate.
A cool breeze blew by, and An Lingrong slowly raised her head.
I saw dark clouds appearing in the sky at some point, slowly spreading towards the sun.
When we returned, the sky was covered with dark clouds, which was not a good sign.
As soon as the dragon chariot stopped, An Lingrong led everyone forward to pay their respects.
"Your Highness, I respectfully welcome you back to the palace!"
"You all get up!"
A majestic voice came from the dragon chariot, and then Xiao Xiazi came trotting over to deliver the message.
"Your Highness, the Emperor said he was feeling a little tired and asked all the masters to go back first."
Xiao Xiazi's voice was loud, and everyone who came to pay their respects could hear it.
An Lingrong responded gently.
"it is good......"
"Emperor Father...Emperor Father..."
The childish voice interrupted An Lingrong again.
She smiled slightly and took the lead to step aside to make way for the emperor's dragon chariot.
Seeing this, the others also followed An Lingrong.
Only Zhen Huan walked towards the dragon chariot holding Lingxi, and she spoke softly.
"Your Majesty, Lingxi..."
However, the emperor did not give Zhen Huan any chance to speak.
"Empress Zhen, the palace gate is very windy. This is not the good place we agreed to be. You should take Lingxi back as soon as possible."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your consideration."
Zhen Huan's face changed and she stepped back with the child in her arms.
She had only taken two steps when she heard a voice behind her.
"Xia Zi, I have something to discuss with the Imperial Consort. Please ask her to come... to the Yangxin Palace."
Although the emperor's words changed quickly, Zhen Huan knew that he wanted to invite An Lingrong to the dragon chariot, but he was afraid that she would be criticized, so he changed his method to summon her.
The sudden cold wind blew straight into people's hearts.
Seeing that her master's face looked strange, Qingluo hurried forward to support the person and reminded him in a voice that only the two of them could hear.
"Master, I saw Princess Lingxi yawning. Maybe she's dozing off. Let's go back first."
She uttered a word with difficulty.
"it is good."
Zhen Huan watched the bright yellow dragon chariot slowly start to move. As it passed in front of her, she inadvertently met a pair of black and white eyes through the gap.
The Emperor actually dotes on the Sixth Prince to such an extent!
Zhen Huan unconsciously exerted force on her hands, causing Lingxi in her arms to struggle in pain and reach out to Qingluo who was standing beside her.
Concubine Hua sneered and walked towards her sedan chair.
Zhen Huan, this woman, can't even take care of her own daughter, but she actually wants to please the emperor and raise the prince next to her under her name.
Let her have this last sweet dream.
An Lingrong was worried about her son and did not take Zhen Huan's little action to heart.
As soon as the dragon chariot entered the palace, she got on the sedan chair next to it.
Seeing her son with his hands hanging down in the Yangxin Palace, An Lingrong pretended to be frightened and walked forward.
"Your Majesty, what happened to Hongzhan? I noticed his left hand hadn't moved. But what happened in the garden?"
An Lingrong was anxious and stepped forward to take off Hongzhan's cloak.
When she saw the bandaged left shoulder, her eyes turned red with heartache.
Hongzhan hurried to comfort him.
"Mother, I only have a small cut on my shoulder. Doctor Wei said the wound has scabbed over and won't need medicine soon."
"Rong'er, Hongzhan is fine. I called you here today to inform you. I have to test Hongzhan's homework every day, and it's not convenient for him to come and go. I want him to stay in the side hall of the Yangxin Palace."
As soon as the emperor finished speaking, An Lingrong knelt on the ground with a plop.
"Your Majesty, this is absolutely unacceptable. I know you love Hongzhan, but this action of yours will cause criticism from both the court and the harem."
Hongzhan can live in the Yangxin Palace, but definitely not today.
An Lingrong knew very well that once the emperor made a decision, it would be difficult to change it, but she did not dare to bet whether the emperor would vent his anger on Hongzhan.
She kowtowed three times.
"Your Majesty, I was wondering why you returned to the palace early. Now that I saw Hongzhan's injured left shoulder, I know the reason."
"Your Yangxin Palace is the safest place in the palace, but Hongzhan is still young, and as his mother, I don't want him to become a target of public criticism."
"Your Majesty, please reconsider."
Hongzhan also knelt beside An Lingrong, without saying a word, and made his position very straightforward.
He knew that the emperor was frightened by the assassination in the garden, but it was indeed unjust for him to live in the Palace of Tranquil Longevity.
The harem couldn't cause any big waves, but that might not be the case in the previous dynasty.
The lessons he learned included such topics as young ruler and unstable state, hens crowing at dawn, and external relatives' monopoly of power. Only a few important officials could interfere with what he was learning.
Hongzhan knew that he was still weak and had no ability to protect his mother.
Only when his mother takes another step forward can he feel at ease.
He and his confidants planned the incident in the garden for this reason.
"Hongzhan can live in the Yangxin Palace because... you..."
The emperor looked at the mother and son kneeling on the ground with a headache, and stepped forward to help them up.
"Forget it, we'll discuss this later. Hongzhan, you should go back to the prince's residence first."
After the two left, the emperor glared at Xiao Xia Zi with dissatisfaction at the teacup on the ground.
"Why do you think the Imperial Concubine doesn't want the Sixth Prince to live in the Yangxin Palace?"
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Concubine has always been well-behaved. I suspect that the favor you bestowed upon her was too great, and it frightened her."
Xiao Xiazi complained silently in her heart that the late emperor, considering that the newly born deposed crown prince had lost his mother, had taken him to the Qianqing Palace to live for a few days. The censors wanted to stare the late emperor down to pieces.
How will the emperor deal with this situation that even the late emperor couldn't handle?
Xiao Xia Zi felt that when the emperor made a decision, he never considered the perspective of the imperial concubine.
What he did was pushing the Imperial Noble Consort into the fire pit!
The emperor was silent for a while, then waved his hand to let Xiao Xiazi go out.
The candlelight flickered in the hall. The emperor drank the medicine to nourish his body, and the palace maid hurriedly handed him warm water.
At this moment, hurried footsteps were heard, and the emperor, with water in his mouth, widened his eyes.
Xiao Xiazi reported before him.
"Your Majesty, Xiao Dongzi, the supervisor at Jingren Palace, has an urgent matter to report. He said..."
The emperor followed his gaze and waved away the other people in the hall.
"what did he say?"
"Your Majesty, the workers downstairs discovered blood writing hidden in the wall bricks!"