Chapter Eighty-One

  The crown prince didn't eat enough at night, and was scolded by the emperor again. Adding to that, he saw the emperor and Lin Yi getting along harmoniously in Changkung Palace, so his mood wasn't good. He went back and fell asleep as soon as he lay down.

  As a result, he was woken up by hunger in the middle of the night and got out of bed to ask his attendants to find him something to eat.

  It was late at night, and the kitchen had already extinguished its fire. The prince felt that it would take too long to rekindle the fire and prepare food, so he ordered someone to find some pastries to temporarily satisfy his hunger.

  The prince drank tea and ate dry pastries, feeling wronged in his heart, with tears welling up in his eyes.

  In his heart, he thought that his father had wronged him, snatching away the woman he loved.

  But looking at the emperor's face, which seemed to know nothing, he became even more disheartened and didn't even know how to express his grievances. He had some broken thoughts that he wanted to let him know, but was also afraid and dared not let him know. His rational mind knew that this was not only his father, the emperor, but also the ruler who held the power of life and death, yet he detested this rationality of his own.

  The housekeeper saw that he was eating with a difficult expression, and then advised: "Your Highness, let the kitchen cook some hot food again, make some simple dishes, it's also very fast."

  The prince said: "No need." After finishing, he viciously bit a mouthful of pastry in his hand.

  He thought of the emperor's rebuke today that his homework had not improved, and in recent days, he had indeed been intentionally slackening off, venting his discontent.

  But this venting is useless except for making things difficult for himself, the Emperor still doesn't know anything and will only think that he didn't work hard enough. And his good-for-nothing second brother, heard that recently he often takes his own writings to show off to the Emperor.

  The crown prince was annoyed in his heart, and he threw the pastry back onto the plate. He said somewhat sulkily: "Go fetch my books, I want to read through the night."

  Mr. Fang was greatly surprised, as the prince had been lazy and refused to study hard for these days, he was also anxious and his eyes were about to burst into flames, just short of kneeling down to beg the prince to focus on his studies. Now that the prince finally agreed to read books, Mr. Fang was naturally delighted. However, after taking a look at the time and weather, he advised: "Your Highness, why not wait until tomorrow?"

  The prince scolded: "Let you go get it, where did so many useless words come from."

  The housekeeper hastily replied with a yes, made eye contact with the palace staff beside him, and ordered someone to light up the lamps in the room.

  Lin He heard that the crown prince was ill on the second day.

  Lin Xiao asked the eunuch who had come to report to her: "He was fine yesterday, how could he be ill?"

  The eunuch replied: "Your Highness stayed up all night reading books and felt unwell in the morning, probably because you caught a chill last night."

  When did the prince's body become so weak? It's already summer now, and it can be cool at night.

  Lin Xuan was somewhat suspicious that the Crown Prince was pretending to be ill, but still had someone go and invite a doctor, personally going to Yanqing Palace to visit the Crown Prince.

  The crown prince lay in bed, looking as if he really was ill.

  Lin Xiao asked him: "Your Highness, where are you uncomfortable?"

  The prince looked at her and said in a spoiled tone: "My head hurts, my feet hurt, my hands hurt, I'm uncomfortable all over."

  Lin Yan lowered her eyes, signaling the imperial physician to come and take his pulse.

  The crown prince looked at her and said: "I'm ill, you'll come visit me every day, won't you?"

  "Your Highness has the blessing of the dragon's aura and will surely recover soon."

  The imperial physician finished taking the pulse of the crown prince, then stood up and nodded to Lin Xiang, seeming to want to say something but hesitating. After a while, he said: "In spring and summer, nights are bitter, Your Highness probably has some liver qi stagnation, and the air is not circulating smoothly."

  That's just no illness, just bad mood.

  Lin Yan glared at the prince on the bed, but the prince didn't feel a bit guilty, instead he smiled back at her, Lin Yan thought this child was beyond salvation.

  The imperial physician picked up his medicine box and prepared to leave, but Lin Xiang called out to them: "Wait, the doctors haven't given the prince a prescription yet."

  The doctors looked at each other and said, "What's wrong with this prescription?" A bad mood can only be alleviated by oneself.

  Lin Xiao continued: "Good medicine tastes bitter, let's give Your Highness some bitter but effective medicine."

  The imperial physician immediately understood and put down his medicine box, prescribing a prescription that was extremely bitter but did not harm the body to treat the summer heat.

  Lin Di handed the prescription to the palace maid and said, "Go to the imperial pharmacy and fill the prescription."

  Another eunuch standing beside Prince Yong of Duan's palace said: "From now on, follow the prescription and decoct one dose every day to wait upon His Highness to take."

  Isn't she fond of pretending to be ill? Then let her take her medicine and have a good dose of it.

  Lin Dai returned to Changkun Palace with her entourage, and then a palace servant came to report that Madame Wu Guo Gong had sent a card requesting an audience.

  Lin Dai nodded and had someone go to bring in the Qi family.

  Qī's arrival was met with a loud and fiery atmosphere, his face bearing a heavy expression. After paying respects to Lin Xiǎo, he took a glance at the palace maidens inside the hall.

  Lin Xiao made everyone leave, leaving only Mu Qing behind.

  "Your Ladyship's conversation with my wife yesterday has already been found out by our family."

  Lin Dai nodded and waited for her to continue.

  "Qī continued: 'The girl that the Zhōngshān Marquis's estate plans to send into the palace is the daughter of the Zhōngshān Marquis's paternal uncle.'"

  "Cousin? This palace remembers that among the cousins of Marquis Zhongshan, there isn't a girl named Jiang Xi."

  The aristocratic families go out and socialize, remembering the interpersonal relationships of each government is a basic skill. Lin Xiao started memorizing the complex family relationships and kinship relationships of various governments from the age of five when she learned to recognize characters. Among the elder brothers of the Marquis of Zhongshan, there was such a girl, she couldn't have not known.

  "Madam, the elder brother of Marquis Zhongshan is a man who has recently come to recognize his relationship with the main family of the Zhongshan Hou Mansion." Qi Shi paused and continued: "There was an incident that occurred in the Zhongshan Hou Mansion thirty or forty years ago. Your Ladyship may not know about it, as even I was still young at the time. The grandfather of Marquis Zhongshan had married two wives in succession. His first wife died early, leaving behind a eldest son who is now the father of Marquis Zhongshan. Later, Old Marquis Zhongshan remarried and had another son with his second wife. He was quite fond of this young and beautiful second wife and also doted on their younger son."

  After the death of Old Zhongshan Hou, his father succeeded to the title and drove out his stepmother and younger brother from the Hou Mansion. He did not give them any share of the family property, claiming that he was afraid that his young stepmother could not keep it safe temporarily for his younger brother. On the other hand, he forced his stepmother and younger brother to return to their hometown to observe mourning rites for Old Zhongshan Hou. As a result, on their way back home, the mother and son fell into the river and were said to have died. Everyone suspected that the father of Zhongshan Hou had driven them to death.

  "This person is already dead, and in the capital, there is no longer anyone with this title. The matter of the Zhongshan Marquis's estate was discussed by everyone for a few years, but it has been forgotten. So when you were in the palace, I didn't mention this to you when explaining the relationships between these noble families."

  "Then if you said he was dead, how did he come back to life?"

  Mr. Qi said, "It seems that after they fell into the river and didn't drown, they were rescued and then feared that the Zhongshan Hou Mansion would kill them again, so they married outside and had children until recently when they found their way back to the Hou Mansion to recognize their relatives. The current Miss Jiang Xie should be the granddaughter of the uncle of the Marquis of Zhongshan."

  Lin Yidao said: "According to what you just said, that girl should have a grudge against the Zhongshan Houfu. How could the Marquis of Zhongshan be willing to send her into the palace?"

  Qī shì frowned and said: "I also don't understand."