Concubine Xue smiled and leaned towards the emperor, holding the ginseng soup. "Your servant can only use this soup instead of wine to wish Your Majesty good health and all the best." Her sugary voice caught everyone's attention.
Song Jinyu heaved a sigh. Zhongli Mingye looked at her amusedly. "The people in the palace are very idle on weekdays. It has troubled my beloved concubine so much."
He secretly traced patterns on her palm, making Song Jinyu extremely nervous.
Not long after, Concubine Xue was so eye - catching that all the concubines present were jealous. Concubine Xue fixed her eyes on Zhongli Mingye and gave a strange smile.
Suddenly, she fell to the ground. Everyone stood up at once! The emperor was startled. "Shishi, Shishi? Quick, summon the imperial physician!"
The crown prince suddenly spoke up. "Why do we need an imperial physician? The Princess of Yu Prince has studied medicine under Tianmen Mountain and is highly skilled. Why not ask her to take a look at Concubine Xue?"
Song Jinyu was about to step forward, but unexpectedly, Zhongli Mingye grabbed her. "This prince has always said that the princess only knows a bit of superficial knowledge. We can't afford to delay the treatment of Concubine Xue!"
His cold glance swept over the crown prince, showing his killing intent. The crown prince, Zhongli Chengze, angrily sat down and said no more.
The imperial physician rushed over, and Concubine Xue was already bleeding. Fortunately, the treatment was timely, and the fetus was saved.
"The ginseng soup is problematic!"
The emperor's face darkened instantly. With a wave of his hand, all the things on the table fell to the ground!
Zhongli Mingye watched the scene coldly. The queen was very nervous because it was she who had organized today's banquet.
Although she loathed Concubine Xue, she would never cause trouble at this time.
Unfortunately, the enraged emperor wouldn't listen to her defense. This time, the emperor didn't confine the queen to her quarters.
The most terrifying thing was that the emperor realized that there had been frequent problems at the palace banquets, which meant that his control was slipping. In this huge imperial palace, there had even been a poisoning incident.
Someone had tried to harm his favorite concubine right in front of him. The crown prince was trembling and his eyes were blank.
The queen had caused trouble repeatedly, which had already angered the emperor. He hoped that the matter of Concubine Xue's ginseng soup had nothing to do with the queen, but...
"Investigate it for me!"
On the way back, Song Jinyu was in a bad mood. "Every time there's a palace banquet, someone always causes trouble."
"Isn't your father tired of it?"
Zhongli Mingye added, "There have been no new - born children in the palace for several years. Pregnant concubines can hardly give birth to a dragon heir."
"Isn't he curious?"
"So... this matter... won't end well." A strange light flashed in his phoenix eyes. I'm afraid his good father was about to take action again.
The queen knelt on the ground, swearing to heaven and earth. "Your servant would never harm Concubine Xue!"
"Please, Your Majesty, investigate clearly!"
The emperor stood with his hands behind his back and didn't look at her. "Xueru, we've been married for over thirty years."
"Since Chengze was born, I've made him the crown prince."
"What on earth are you not satisfied with?"
Under his questioning, the queen slumped to the ground. "What did your servant do wrong to make Your Majesty angry?"
"Since Concubine Jia, why have there been no new - born children in the palace? How many concubines have had miscarriages? You must know."
"Why?"
Despair was written all over her face. The queen understood that the emperor didn't care who the mastermind behind the ginseng soup was. Today, he was going to deal with her.
Maybe the ginseng soup was actually given to Concubine Xue by the emperor himself.
The emperor's tone was calm. His disappointment with the queen was not only about her management of the harem but also about her upbringing of the crown prince.
After midnight, the emperor left and confined the queen to her quarters again. "I can't let the crown prince have a mother who has committed a crime, but... from now on... this will be your cold palace."
Eunuch An sent a message to Zhongli Mingye late at night. The latter showed no sign of joy on his face. "Father still doesn't want to depose the crown prince!"
"After all, he's the son he raised with his own hands."
Leaving the queen alive, even if he dotes on Concubine Xue, it's just to neglect the queen.
A few days later, news came from the court that the emperor had betrothed Chen Mingzhu, the eldest daughter of Duke Chen Jiacai of the State - Assisting Duke's Mansion, to the crown prince.
Zhongli Shuoyi was very disappointed. "Father may not really want to depose the crown prince." Although he had orally decreed to depose the crown prince that day in the court, as time passed, he still couldn't make up his mind.
Tapping on the desk, Zhongli Mingye looked pensive. "The crown prince has committed a serious crime, yet he is still valued by Father."
"On one hand, he neglects the queen, on the other hand, he betroths the crown prince to the eldest daughter of the State - Assisting Duke's Mansion."
The wind direction in the court was quietly changing, and the court officials could see it clearly. In the Great Xia Dynasty, the eldest legitimate son has always been respected. The emperor won't easily depose the crown prince, otherwise, it may lead to chaos.
Seeing this, Zhongli Mingye sneered. If they really had a deep father - son relationship, why did he suppress him again and again? Was it really to test their brothers?
The emperor was truly replicating the fate he had once experienced onto his sons.
The matter of Concubine Xue's ginseng soup didn't harm her at all. Did this woman act on her own initiative or was she relying on the emperor? Xiao Xueyi's people were full of tricks.
Now that the crown prince had the support of the State - Assisting Duke, did the emperor have other intentions? Zhongli Mingye had been sitting in the study for half a day without taking a step out.
Song Jinyu brought over some clear porridge and side dishes. "Have some food first." She handed him the spoon. "Previously, Du Zhouli wanted to take over."
"Master had already seen his ambition."
"However... he didn't stop him. He just let Du Zhouli and the Elders' Council grow stronger." Master said, "Leave it to the next sect master to kill them and establish his authority."
So, no matter how the Elders' Council expanded its influence, he didn't care. But he also let the young master control the three sects, giving him the absolute ability to fight back.
"From the change of the sect master to the alternation of imperial power, we can never escape these schemes..." Song Jinyu looked at Zhongli Mingye seriously and smiled faintly, recalling the past.
"Master said that if the young master didn't even have the ability to get rid of the Elders' Council, he wouldn't be worthy of being the sect master."
So, the growth of the Elders' Council was within Miao Yunshen's plan. No matter how shrewd Du Zhouli was, he was just a stepping - stone for the young master to ascend the throne.
Zhongli Mingye laughed. "Your master is really something!" He suddenly understood what Song Jinyu meant. In the emperor's mind, the most suitable person to be the emperor must go through a lot of trials. Only then could he control the court officials and the entire royal family.
Her words reminded Zhongli Mingye. Only by truly having the power to fight back in hand could one be truly powerful. If the crown prince was really the one chosen by the emperor, he wouldn't have allowed the forces of his other three sons to gradually grow while not giving the crown prince enough military power.
Military power!
That was the most important thing!
Tianmen Mountain was in decline now, but this was exactly what Miao Yunshen wanted. As the number - one sect in the world, it wanted to break free from the shackles of the Xia Dynasty's royal family. The spiritual medicine was a double - edged sword, always hanging over Tianmen Mountain's lifeblood.
Now it was in seclusion for rectification. In three years, Tianmen Mountain would be reborn. Who in the world doesn't get sick? If there are any high - ranking officials or nobles with serious illnesses, they will still need Tianmen Mountain. So, it's just three years.
Song Jinyu believed that Wen Sirong would surely restore Tianmen Mountain to its former glory.