The next day, an anonymous letter was secretly placed on the desk of Prince Cheng, Xia Yonglin, by an unknown person. Just waking up, Prince Cheng had no idea what it was. He casually opened it and scanned through it. After a quick read, his eyes popped wide open. He was so furious that he almost choked. Then he angrily swept all the breakfast the maids had brought onto the floor.
On the same day, Xia Yonglin secretly sneaked into the Yonghe Palace and stayed there for a whole day. No one knew what he had said to Qi Yan.
Later that day, an imperial edict suddenly came from the Shanhe Hall, pardoning the Crown Prince of all charges. It also ordered Shan Chenghuai to arrest the “real” arsonist. Several junior officials from the Busi Hall were arrested and were to be publicly beheaded on the Discipline Platform that day.
As the executioner's blade fell, the case of the burning of the Xingtian Statue was officially closed.
The truth of the matter, along with the wronged souls hovering above the Discipline Platform, was swept into the torrent of history.
At the time of Shen, Shen Qingfeng came to the Eastern Palace again.
Most of the imperial guards outside the Eastern Palace had already been withdrawn. Only Tian Che and another soldier were left cleaning up the mess.
The soldier was the first to spot Shen Qingfeng. He paused for a moment, then immediately walked over and bowed to Shen Qingfeng, saying, “Sir Shen.”
Shen Qingfeng recognized this person. His name was Gong Tan. He was a left-string guard of the imperial guards and an old acquaintance that Lu Yan had once mentioned to him.
Shen Qingfeng smiled and said, “You've been working hard, Guard Gong.”
Tian Che stepped forward. He looked at Shen Qingfeng with a strange look in his eyes. After a while, he said, “You came quite quickly, Sir Shen.”
Shen Qingfeng looked at him and replied, “I wouldn't dare. You left quite slowly, General Tian.”
Although Tian Che had served in the imperial guards for many years, his unyielding nature remained unchanged. He didn't get too close to Xia Yonglin, nor did he side with Xia Chuli's faction. In his own words, he was loyal to King Xia Jie. But since King Xia Jie supported Xia Yonglin, to a certain extent, Tian Che could be considered half of Xia Yonglin's retainer.
Tian Che glanced at Shen Qingfeng but said nothing. He simply bowed to him and walked straight past him.
Gong Tan was taken aback. He turned around and looked at Shen Qingfeng. He hesitated for a while, then followed Tian Che into the distance.
Outside the Eastern Palace, only Shen Qingfeng was left.
Shen Qingfeng didn't seem to mind Tian Che's rudeness. He lowered his head to straighten his clothes, then stepped forward and pushed open the palace gate.
The Eastern Palace was still the same as before. The interior decoration and vegetation hadn't withered away because of Xia Chuli's downfall. Looking at the irises budding in the courtyard, Shen Qingfeng couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Fire and smoke would soon pass, but all things in nature would endure. This was exactly what it meant.
He walked slowly. Along the way, he passed some maids who bowed to him one by one. Shen Qingfeng only nodded slightly in response.
Xia Chuli's bedroom was deep inside the Eastern Palace. Shen Qingfeng slowly walked through the corridor, strolling as if he were sightseeing. He didn't know how long he walked before he finally reached Xia Chuli's bedroom. He stopped in front of the door. Just as he was about to reach out and push the door open, he suddenly heard a faint noise behind him.
Shen Qingfeng was startled. He turned around and just saw a corner of a red robe suddenly disappear behind a red pillar.
Shen Qingfeng paused. He withdrew his hand and stood there for a long time. Then he lifted his foot and walked over.
“I pay my respects to Miss Qi,” Shen Qingfeng said.
A sudden gasp came from behind the pillar, then all was quiet.
Shen Qingfeng just waited. Before long, the red hem of the robe flashed out from behind the pillar again. Qi Mengmeng slowly poked her head out. Then, supported by Xiao Qing, she walked out from behind the pillar. She looked at Shen Qingfeng timidly, as if she had something to say but hesitated.
Shen Qingfeng asked, “Do you have something to say, Miss Qi?”
Qi Mengmeng bit her lower lip. She looked in the direction of Xia Chuli's bedroom, then turned to Shen Qingfeng and asked, “Are you... are you going to see His Highness the Crown Prince?”
Shen Qingfeng nodded and replied, “Yes.”
After hearing this, Qi Mengmeng hesitated for a while and then asked, “Is he... is he okay?”
What she really wanted to ask was whether Xia Chuli's condition had improved after she bandaged him that night. After all, the wound medicine she had stolen from the Qi Mansion with great difficulty should have worked well. But since she had gone secretly that night, she didn't dare to ask like this.
Shen Qingfeng said, “His Highness the Crown Prince is slowly recovering. If you're worried about His Highness, Miss Qi, you can go in with me.”
Qi Mengmeng was shocked. She waved her hands hurriedly and stepped back repeatedly, saying, “No, no... I won't go in...”
Shen Qingfeng said, “Well, I have something to discuss with His Highness the Crown Prince. Please excuse me for not accompanying you.”
After saying that, Shen Qingfeng turned around and was about to leave. But unexpectedly, Qi Mengmeng suddenly called out to him. He turned back and asked again, “Do you have anything else to say, Miss Qi?”
Qi Mengmeng bit her lower lip, lowered her head, and frowned. She seemed to be struggling with how to speak. Shen Qingfeng waited quietly. After a while, Qi Mengmeng finally moved her lips and said, “Could you... please help me check on His Highness the Crown Prince's current physical condition? I... I'm a little worried.”
Shen Qingfeng understood and advised, “If you're worried about His Highness the Crown Prince, Miss Qi, you can definitely go in with me and take a look.”
“I... I'd better... forget it...”
Shen Qingfeng nodded and lowered his voice, saying, “May I say one more thing? You're the future Crown Princess, which means you're half the mistress of this Eastern Palace. The Crown Prince is already your nominal husband. So, Miss Qi, please come in with me?”
These words from Shen Qingfeng were truly from the bottom of his heart. He didn't want Xia Chuli and Qi Mengmeng to end up like they did in the previous life. Although Qi Mengmeng was indecisive, she wasn't a bad person at heart. Just thinking about how she had been driven crazy by Xia Chuli in the previous life, Shen Qingfeng couldn't let it go for a long time.
In fact, he hoped that Xia Chuli would be well.
He hoped that there would be someone to accompany Xia Chuli in harmony, and he hoped that Xia Chuli would become a wise emperor.
Qi Mengmeng looked at Shen Qingfeng. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she still stood there motionless. She seemed to be trying hard to break through the shackles in her heart. Xiao Qing comforted her beside her, but it seemed that she didn't listen to a single word.
“Let's... forget it,” Qi Mengmeng said dejectedly after a while. She let out a soft sigh. It seemed that many words were hidden in this sigh. She paused for a moment, then bowed to Shen Qingfeng and said, “Sir Shen, please help me check if His Highness the Crown Prince is well. Then I can finally set my mind at ease.”
Seeing that he couldn't persuade her, Shen Qingfeng gave up and said, “Okay.”
After hearing this, Qi Mengmeng gave Shen Qingfeng a faint smile. Although the smile was beautiful, it was tinged with bitterness. She bowed to Shen Qingfeng again, then slowly walked out of the courtyard supported by Xiao Qing.
Only then did Shen Qingfeng walk back to the house and push open the door.
The room was filled with the smell of medicine. Shen Qingfeng wrinkled his nose. He stepped forward, walked around the screen, and instinctively looked at the bed. But he saw that most of the quilt on the bed was thrown aside, and the bed was empty.
Shen Qingfeng was startled. He quickly looked around and saw that Xia Chuli was standing in front of the half-closed window in his thin undergarment with his hands behind his back. The shadows of bandages could be seen on his exposed forearms and neck.
Xia Chuli seemed to sense Shen Qingfeng's gaze and slowly turned his head to look at him.
Shen Qingfeng met his gaze and felt that there seemed to be some strange meaning in Xia Chuli's eyes.
He took a deep breath and quickly walked to Xia Chuli's side. He whispered, “You're still injured. Go back to bed and lie down quickly.”
Xia Chuli lowered his head. He neither looked at him nor moved an inch.
“A Li?”
Xia Chuli suddenly looked up at him. His expressionless face suddenly made Shen Qingfeng's heart skip a beat.
“What did you just say to Qi Mengmeng?”