ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 142

Li Zhizhi spent the better part of the day with Xiao Rulei, finally managing to distract her from the topic of marriage. She secretly breathed a sigh of relief and felt a bit of resentment towards Xiao Yan, certain he had incited this conversation.

At that moment, a eunuch dressed in red entered, greeting the two with a bow. He smiled at Xiao Rulei and said, “The Emperor has come down from the court and has asked for the Princess to come over. He mentioned that the porcelain figurine you wanted yesterday has arrived, and he would like you to take a look.”

Xiao Rulei jumped up excitedly but was reluctant to part with Li Zhizhi. She pleaded, “Sister, please come with me!”

Li Zhizhi glanced at the eunuch, chuckled, and shook her head. “It’s getting late; I should head back. I’ll come to see you next time.”

After pleading a couple of times without success, Xiao Rulei reluctantly said, “You must remember to come back, okay?”

As she reached the door, she looked back three times, earnestly advising, “Sister, you should really think about it again. If you can’t bear to part with Auntie, my brother can also move in with us.”

She emphasized, “We can all discuss this together.”

Li Zhizhi: …

She pressed her forehead, unable to suppress a smile. “You should hurry along now.”

Xiao Rulei followed the eunuch to the Qianqing Palace. A few guards were stationed at the entrance, and the inside was quiet. Sunlight streamed in, casting slanted shadows. She stood at the door, not rushing in but peeking inside.

A young guard couldn’t help but glance at her out of the corner of his eye. Xiao Rulei noticed and looked back at him, staring wide-eyed for a moment before suddenly sticking out her tongue at him in a playful manner.

The guard couldn’t help but want to laugh, but was shot a glare by the commanding guard next to him, so he quickly composed himself, turned his head away, and focused on the front again.

Curious, Xiao Rulei waved her hand in front of his eyes. The guard subtly glanced over again, and Xiao Rulei asked softly, “How long have you been standing here?”

The young guard was taken aback. Just then, a light cough from beside him prompted a low reminder, “Xue Huai, the Seventh Princess is speaking to you.”

The guard, named Xue Huai, straightened up and replied earnestly, “Replying to the Princess, I have been on duty for two and a half hours.”

Xiao Rule sighed, “That sounds really hard.”

“It is my duty to serve the Emperor,” he replied.

“Still, it’s quite tough,” Xiao Rulei said, suddenly remembering something. She fished around in her small pouch at her waist for a while, finally pulling out a handkerchief, which she carefully opened to reveal two pieces of white mung bean cake shaped like little rabbits, quite adorable.

She handed one piece to Xue Huai, smiling, “Here, this pastry was specially bought by my sister from Baxian Building.”

Seeing the girl’s bright and radiant smile, the young guard was momentarily taken aback. Xiao Rulei thought he found it insufficient and explained, “I have to save the other piece for Father, so I can’t give it to you.”

“You should know to be content and happy,” Xiao Rulei solemnly taught him before grabbing his hand, insisting on placing the piece of mung bean cake in his palm, and walked off.

Xiao Rulei tiptoed into the inner chamber, where she saw Emperor Jing Ming leaning against the edge of the couch, his eyes slightly closed as if resting. The court physician beside him was checking his pulse, and upon seeing Xiao Rulei, was about to bow, but she gestured for him to be quiet, signaling him not to speak.

The old doctor opened his mouth, but just as he lifted his b.u.t.tocks, he sat back down again.

Xiao Rulei gently approached Emperor Jing Ming and suddenly reached out, giving his shoulder a firm pat. The old doctor, witnessing this, nearly had his heart jump out of his throat. Good heavens, that was the Emperor! What boldness you have!

Emperor Jing Ming was indeed startled. He suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp as an arrow, but when he realized it was Xiao Rulei before him, his expression softened. He was known for not showing his emotions, and even when surprised, it was hard to tell. Xiao Rulei felt quite disappointed and said, “You weren’t scared, Father Emperor?”

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing Ming placed a hand on his chest and pretended to look frightened, slowly saying, “I was scared to death.”

Xiao Rulei then smiled triumphantly. The Emperor gestured for her to sit beside him, and an attendant hurriedly brought over a brocade box. The Emperor indicated for it to be opened.

Xiao Rulei lifted the lid, revealing a beautiful porcelain doll resting on bright yellow satin. It was as white as jade, with big eyes and a small mouth, rosy cheeks, a hair bun, and dressed in a light yellow garment with a small pouch at the waist. It looked exquisite.

“Wow!” Xiao Rulei exclaimed, picking up the doll for a closer look. She joyfully remarked, “This is A’yang!”

What amazed her the most was that the doll’s arms and legs could move; it could sit and lie down. Xiao Rulei adored this new toy and, remembering something, quickly handed over a piece of mung bean cake wrapped in a handkerchief to Emperor Jing Ming, saying, “Father Emperor, eat this.”

Emperor Jing Ming was very pleased. He carefully picked up the mung bean cake, just about to take a bite when suddenly, with a loud crash, the porcelain doll fell to the ground, shattering into pieces and scattering fragments everywhere, causing the palace servants to gasp in shock.

Emperor Jingming looked up and saw Xiao Rulei clutching her stomach, her face pale. She suddenly vomited blood.

“A’yang!”

The small rabbit made of mung bean cake rolled onto the floor, tumbling to a stop next to the shattered porcelain…

Soon, the news reached the Princess’s residence. When Li Zhizhi followed the Grand Princess to the palace, the guards blocked them outside the Ganqing Gate, respectfully saying, “Please wait a moment, Your Highness and the Princess, while I report this matter.”

Li Zhizhi immediately asked, “How is the Seventh Princess now?”

“I don’t know,” replied the guard before leaving.

Li Zhizhi’s expression changed slightly, and she anxiously glanced at the Grand Princess. The Grand Princess immediately took her hand to comfort her, saying, “It’s alright, our A’yang has good fortune and will be fine.”

However, even so, there was still an inescapable worry hidden in her eyes. The Grand Princess only knew that Li Zhizhi had entered the palace to see Xiao Rulei today, but she never expected that such an incident would occur in the blink of an eye!

After a while, a person hurried out from inside the hall. He was tall and slender, dressed in a dark-colored banquet robe; it was Xiao Yan. He approached them, calling out, “Aunt, Zhizhi.”

The Grand Princess quickly asked, “How is A’yang?”

Xiao Yan’s expression was grave as he led her toward the main hall, answering, “Fortunately, the imperial physician was nearby and provided timely treatment. She has taken the detoxification soup and is no longer in danger.”

The Grand Princess and Li Zhizhi both let out a sigh of relief. She repeatedly said, “That’s good, that’s good.”

The Grand Princess then asked, “Have you found out what happened?”

Xiao Yan frowned and replied, “Not yet; Father is currently interrogating the people around A’yang.”

As they spoke, the three of them reached the front of the hall. The Grand Princess entered first, while Xiao Yan lagged a step behind, walking alongside Li Zhizhi. She subconsciously turned her head to look, only to meet those familiar phoenix eyes, causing her to be slightly taken aback.

Xiao Yan softly said, “Don’t worry.”

After a moment, Li Zhizhi gently responded, “Mm.”

The two entered the hall together, which was extremely quiet. They saw Emperor Jing Ming sitting at the edge of the couch, his expression stern. In front of him knelt a group of palace servants, all of them terrified, shaking like leaves in the wind. Some were so frightened they had begun to cry, their sobs faintly audible.

“I will ask again,” the Emperor’s voice carried an undertone of anger. “Who did this?”

A palace maid trembled and replied, “Your Majesty, please spare me. I truly don’t know. The Princess only ate some pastries today; she didn’t eat anything else.”

Li Zhizhi’s heart suddenly sank. Sure enough, Emperor Jing Ming asked, “What kind of pastries?”

“Just some ordinary snacks, like pea cake and kidney bean cake. It was… it was brought by Princess Zhao Hua.”

In an instant, all eyes turned to Li Zhizhi. The Grand Princess’s expression changed, and she immediately said, “Your Majesty, there must be a misunderstanding; Zhizhi—”

The Emperor raised a hand to stop her words, his sharp gaze scrutinizing Li Zhizhi, making it impossible to discern his thoughts. He then instructed a nearby eunuch, “Bring the item here.”

The eunuch left and returned shortly with an intricately carved, gold-painted red lacquer tray, on which lay a piece of kidney bean cake, white as snow, shaped like a small rabbit. Li Zhizhi’s heart sank; this was indeed the cake she had bought for Xiao Rule, as she found its design very cute and had brought it to cheer her up.

The old doctor used a silver needle to test the pastry and saw no change. After thinking for a moment, he cautiously touched it with his fingers and gently pinched it. His fingertips picked up a layer of fine white powder, resembling glutinous rice flour.

He brought the powder to his nose to sniff it and then tasted it, immediately spitting it out. He reported to Emperor Jing Ming, “Your Majesty, this substance is the powdered form of Chuanwu. After processing, it can be used in medicine, but taken raw, it is highly toxic. Fortunately, it was sprinkled on the pastry, and the Princess didn’t consume much, plus she received timely medical attention, so she’s not in serious danger.”

As he spoke, he recalled that this pastry was given to Emperor Jing Ming by Xiao Rulei, and he nervously added, “Fortunately, Your Majesty did not eat it just now.”

Everyone’s expressions changed at once; if the Emperor had eaten it, the situation would have been far more serious!

Li Zhizhi’s face turned pale, her gaze dropping to the ground as her mind raced. The pastries she bought wouldn’t have been problematic before entering the palace; they must have been poisoned after being brought inside.

Li Zhizhi carefully recalled the previous situation. Upon meeting Xiao Rulei, she handed the pastries to the palace servants. However, Xiao Rulei had a habit of disliking the oil paper used to wrap pastries, always feeling it had a smell. Therefore, she ordered someone to place the pastries on a serving plate. It was likely at that moment that someone secretly tampered with them.

This was indeed her oversight, and a heavy feeling settled in Li Zhizhi’s heart. Just then, she suddenly felt a gentle tug on her sleeve. In the next instant, a hand took hold of her wrist, giving it a light squeeze, as if to comfort her.

She didn’t need to turn around to know it was Xiao Yan.

The atmosphere in the hall remained tense, and many gazes were fixed on Li Zhizhi. The palace maids kneeling on the ground let out a sigh of relief, as if they had narrowly escaped disaster. The person who had spoken earlier hurriedly said, “These pastries were brought by Princess Zhao Hua. We truly had no knowledge of this. Please, Your Majesty, spare us!”

Xiao Yan looked at her, his phoenix eyes filled with icy suppressed anger. He stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Li Zhizhi, and pleaded with Emperor Jing Ming, saying, “Father, this matter should have nothing to do with Zhizhi.”

The Grand Princess immediately interjected, “Your Majesty, there must be some hidden circ.u.mstances. How could Zhizhi possibly harm A’yang?”

Emperor Jing Ming remained silent for a long time, his expression heavy, making it difficult to discern his feelings. Xiao Yan’s heart sank as he recalled chaotic thoughts from years ago—his eldest brother, a toppled wine cup, and the ink-soaked paper, with every word dripping with blood…

A long-lost fear surged within Xiao Yan. He instinctively tightened his grip on Li Zhizhi’s hand, holding it firmly as if by doing so, he could keep her by his side.

Xiao Yan pressed his lips together, his jaw tense. In the next moment, he suddenly knelt down, intensifying his tone as he addressed Emperor Jing Ming, “Someone must be using this opportunity to plot against A’yang and frame Zhizhi. I implore you to see clearly, Father.”

Everyone was taken aback, never expecting that the first to kneel would be the Crown Prince himself. Li Zhizhi was also stunned and then quickly followed suit, pleading, “Your Majesty, this matter is absolutely not my doing. I am willing to swear on my life.”

The hall fell silent, with the sound of a pin dropping audible. Emperor Jing Ming looked at the two before him, momentarily speechless. After a moment, he furrowed his brow slightly and coldly mocked Xiao Yan, “I haven’t said anything yet. Why are you in such a hurry? Do I look like a foolish person without brains?”

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