"No..." Qin Huaiqiu broke out in a cold sweat. "Sister Shiyu, how did you know?" It couldn't be that he had just revealed it himself, could it?
Shiyu, the Concubine Xian, shook her head and said, "I knew you were Qin Huaiqiu the moment I saw you."
Qin Huaiqiu: "..."
Concubine Xian asked, "Where's your sister?"
Just thinking about this annoyed Qin Huaiqiu. "She ran away."
"Ah?"
Qin Huaiqiu sighed and said, "Thanks to her, she ran away on the day she was supposed to enter the palace. The palace servants had already checked her virginity. If I hadn't come in, the heads of all the Qin family members would probably have been hung on the city wall."
Concubine Xian sighed and said, "Lian'er is too willful."
Qin Huaiqiu knew that Qin Huailian's behavior was more than just willfulness. Her running away was almost like playing with the lives of the entire Qin family. If it weren't for this, he wouldn't have been willing to take such a big risk to replace her in the palace.
"Sister Shiyu..."
Concubine Xian stopped him and said, "In the palace, you'd better call me Concubine Xian."
Qin Huailian nodded and said, "Sister Concubine Xian, did you see Lian'er when she was supposed to enter the palace?"
Concubine Xian shook her head and said, "Those who haven't officially become concubines can't be seen by the people in the harem."
Qin Huaiqiu said, "Do you know if anything unusual happened in the palace on the day Lian'er was supposed to enter? Like the emperor acting strangely?"
Concubine Xian thought for a while and said, "I only remember that the emperor urgently summoned the left prime minister into the palace that day. Although it's not uncommon for the left prime minister to enter the palace, it was the first time he was summoned so urgently. Then the empress dowager rarely went to the imperial study. I don't know anything else."
"The empress dowager?"
Concubine Xian nodded.
Qin Huaiqiu asked again, "Does the emperor have any physical problems?"
Hearing this, Concubine Xian blushed instantly and said, "Where did this come from?"
Qin Huaiqiu hesitated for a moment and asked, "Is the emperor not interested in women?"
Concubine Xian nodded and said, "I heard that the emperor is not interested in such things."
Qin Huaiqiu continued to ask, "Is he completely not interested in women?"
Concubine Xian's face turned even redder. She shook her head and said, "I only know that the emperor doesn't like me..."
That's it. Qin Huaiqiu smiled. Which newly - wed husband doesn't fulfill his duty on the wedding night?
Si Kongting must be impotent.
Keep pretending! I'll let you keep pretending!
He even married three women and left them as childless widows. Si Kongting, you really deserve to be punished by heaven.
Concubine Xian suddenly remembered the main thing. She quickly said, "I came here to tell you something."
"Hmm?"
Concubine Xian said, "You should be careful of Concubine Shu. She has a strong competitive spirit and is very jealous. Her father is Liu Cheng, the current minister of rites, and he is a favorite of the emperor."
Qin Huaiqiu nodded and said, "Don't worry, sister. I've already experienced her."
Concubine Xian covered her mouth. "She came to see you?"
It was more than just coming to see me.
Qin Huaiqiu said, "It was her who pushed me into the lake yesterday."
Concubine Xian exclaimed and said, "But she said that the two of you saw a snake and you were so scared that you fell in. Because everyone heard her scream."
Qin Huaiqiu said, "Was the snake never found?"
Concubine Xian nodded.
Qin Huaiqiu sneered. He originally thought he only had to deal with Si Kongting, but now it seems he has to deal with at least Concubine Shu too.
"However, this isn't a good way. You should find Lian'er back as soon as possible," Concubine Xian said. "After all, if the emperor turns over your name card one day, this..."
Qin Huaiqiu didn't know how to explain to her that it was almost impossible for the emperor to turn over his name card. No, to be precise, it was impossible for the emperor to turn over anyone's name card. He sighed and said, "Father has already sent people to look for her. There should be news soon."
He said this just to comfort himself.
Concubine Xian sat for a while and then went back. Qin Huaiqiu was very happy. After all, besides Qin Lan, he had another person to talk to in the palace.
After Concubine Xian left, Qin Lan came in. He told her everything about Concubine Xian in detail and then said, "During the battle of Suiye City, you were on a mission in the Central Plains, so you don't have any impression of Shi Congwen and his daughter."
Qin Lan nodded and said, "Indeed. Do you think what Concubine Xian said just now is credible, young master?"
Qin Huaiqiu said, "I've interacted with Sister Shiyu. She's a very reliable person. Since she could recognize me from the beginning and didn't expose me, from this point of view, she's trustworthy."
He was helped back to the bed by Qin Lan and said, "However, I think what she said just now confirms my guess."
"What guess?"
"Lian'er's entry into the palace back then was most likely because she accidentally knew something. This thing made the emperor summon the left prime minister into the palace, and the empress dowager also rushed there in a hurry."
Qin Lan thought for a while and said, "I still think it's related to the emperor's hidden illness."
Qin Huaiqiu nodded to affirm her idea. "I agree. If it were a military secret, it wouldn't be the empress dowager's turn to step in. So this thing must be related to the internal affairs of the royal family. At present, the biggest and most troublesome thing in the royal family is the emperor's hidden illness."
Qin Lan said, "Anyway, we've at least confirmed that the emperor won't ask the young master to serve him."
The stone in Qin Huaiqiu's heart finally fell to the ground. If he had only had a fluke mentality at first, now it was finally confirmed.
He drank the medicine brought by Qin Lan and soon began to feel drowsy. He fell asleep after a while.
On the other side, in Cining Palace.
Si Kongting was guarding the empress dowager's bedside and waved everyone away.
The empress dowager was so angry that she had a heart attack. The imperial doctor had just come to give her the last acupuncture treatment. After taking the medicine, her complexion had improved a little.
Si Kongting sat on one side. Just as he put down the medicine bowl, the empress dowager spoke, "Yesterday, was it you who sent Lian'er back to the palace?"
Si Kongting lowered his head and didn't say a word.
The empress dowager sighed and said, "I know Lian'er is a bit spoiled, but she's at least a sixteen - year - old girl. How could you let her walk back from the imperial garden in wet clothes?"
Si Kongting found out early this morning that the Concubine De had a fever. Although he felt a little guilty in his heart, he still didn't send anyone to inquire after her. He thought he needed to teach the Concubine De a lesson.
In fact, Qin Huaiqiu didn't care at all whether Si Kongting sent someone to check on him.
To be precise, if no one deliberately mentioned it, Qin Huaiqiu would just eat and sleep as usual, and Si Kongting wouldn't even cross his mind.
The empress dowager sighed and said, "Lian'er was specially calculated by the imperial astrologer for me. Her horoscope matches yours perfectly, and your fear of women doesn't affect you when it comes to her. Why are you just not willing to accept her? Are you resenting me for issuing the imperial edict to help you marry her without asking for your opinion?"
Si Kongting quickly lowered his head and said, "Your son doesn't dare." Although he was very unhappy about the empress dowager's actions, his dislike for Qin Huailian was not because of this.
The empress dowager said, "I know you're afraid of women, but I'm old and don't have many years to live. My only wish is to see you have an heir..." As the empress dowager said this, she was on the verge of tears.
Si Kongting was startled and said, "Mother, what are you talking nonsense about? You'll live as long as the sky. Don't talk like this."
Seeing this, the empress dowager held Si Kongting's hand and said, "You may not like Lian'er's personality at first, but I can see that she's not a domineering woman. You should try to get in touch with her more."
Si Kongting really couldn't say no in front of the empress dowager. He could only agree first.
Unexpectedly, the empress dowager said again, "When you go back from here later, pass by Kunning Palace on the way. Go and see her?"
Si Kongting gritted his teeth and said, "Yes, your son knows."