Shaking her head, Yun Xi said,
"Since the medicine has been delivered ahead of schedule, let's start the show earlier. If the Seventh Prince of the Ying State really takes a fancy to Yi Zhen when he comes, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to avenge my grudge."
After a moment of silence, Yi Yuan's eyes flickered slightly as he said,
"Maybe I should handle this matter. You don't know how partial the Emperor Brother is to Yi Zhen. When I entered the palace in my youth, I saw with my own eyes that Yi Zhen pushed the Fifth Princess into the flower bushes and scratched her eyes. But the Emperor Brother only said it was a momentary slip during the kids' play. Although he carefully comforted the Fifth Princess, he didn't punish Yi Zhen at all."
"I'm afraid... I might anger the Emperor Brother then, and you'll suffer along with me."
"Ah?"
Yun Xi was quite surprised.
"Everyone outside says that the Fifth Princess's eye injury was caused by her own fall when she was being playful in her childhood. I didn't expect it was actually done by Yi Zhen."
"So,"
Yi Yuan stretched out his finger, wanting to poke Yun Xi's cheek, but suddenly stopped. Instead, he stroked her black hair. With gentle eyes and brows, he said,
"I'll handle this matter. The Emperor Brother has always taken extra care of me. Even if he really gets angry, considering my father's sake, I think it'll be all right."
Yun Xi's heart skipped a beat. Blinking her autumn - water - like eyes, she looked at Yi Yuan. Controlling the inquisitiveness in her eyes, she asked,
"Why? Did the old Prince do a favor to the Emperor?"
"Sort of."
With a faint smile, Yi Yuan said,
"The Emperor Brother ascended the throne according to the imperial edict left by the late Emperor when he was critically ill. At that time, the plague had just ended under the treatment of the Great Master Qing Yi, and the court was in turmoil. Inside, the various princes were eyeing the throne covetously, and outside, the Ying State was watching like a hawk.
"The Emperor Brother's maternal family had a weak foundation, and his birth mother wasn't in the late Emperor's favor. No one thought the late Emperor would pass the throne to the Emperor Brother. Especially the First Prince and the Sixth Prince at that time. One had prestige, and the other had power. Although both sides suffered heavy losses during the plague, they were still more powerful than the Emperor Brother.
"It was my father who, by himself, led the army to defend the imperial city. He joined forces with the Grand Tutor Cao, Shen Zhai, Su Zhongjie and others to persuade the officials and stabilize the court. Only then did we have the current situation."
"O—"
Yun Xi elongated her voice, full of curiosity.
"But... if the late Emperor didn't even care about the current Emperor, how could he suddenly think of the current Emperor at such an important moment as passing on the throne before his death?"
Frowning slightly and thinking for a moment, Yi Yuan said,
"It's said... that the Emperor Brother once helped a concubine whom the late Emperor favored most, and thus caught the late Emperor's eye. That lady was very grateful and often spoke well of the Emperor Brother in front of the late Emperor. Therefore, the late Emperor thought of the Emperor Brother first at the most critical moment."
"The concubine most favored by the late Emperor..."
A name popped up in Yun Xi's mind.
"Could it be... Concubine Qing?"
After all, it was almost common knowledge in the Great Yin. Yi Yuan didn't notice Yun Xi's strangeness and nodded, saying,
"That's right.
"Since the late Emperor and my father were very close, I often accompanied my father into the palace and met Concubine Qing a few times.
"Remembering my happy childhood, a faint smile appeared on Yi Yuan's face unconsciously.
"Although I was young at that time and couldn't remember her appearance clearly, I always felt... she didn't belong in that deep palace."
Yi Yuan didn't continue. He looked at Yun Xi and smiled, asking,
"Why are you suddenly interested in these past events?"
Startled, Yun Xi retorted without thinking,
"No. I just rarely hear you talk about the old Prince and the old Princess, so I'm just curious for a moment."
Uneasily rolling her eyes, Yun Xi met Yi Yuan's gaze and forced herself to calm down as she changed the topic,
"I wonder how Senior Brother is doing with the study of the murals. A Yuan, please go and ask for me later."
"Hmm... Since we've decided not to pretend to be poisoned anymore, we should go out and stroll around so that Yi Zhen will have a chance to take action. The Lantern Festival in the palace is coming soon. I'll go with you."
The person in front of him had a pair of almond - shaped eyes that were clear and bright, as if one could see straight to the bottom.
But Yi Yuan knew that this was Yun Xi's way of covering up other thoughts in her heart when she was nervous.
The more she wanted to cover up, the more calm she seemed.
Yun Xi herself didn't even notice this subconscious action.
What on earth was she hiding?
A hint of meaning flashed across his eyes, but Yi Yuan didn't expose her. He responded with a "Sure" and then said,
"After the Lantern Festival, there should be some movement in Shuozhou. I must go there.
"If things go smoothly, it'll only take three to five days. If not, it'll take about ten days. Xie Huaiyue has been keeping an eye on the whereabouts of the Holy Master, and with your father and elder brother there, I'm still a bit relieved. You must, must be careful during this period."
Feeling Yi Yuan's uneasiness, Yun Xi held his long fingers tightly to comfort him and seriously promised.
The news that Yun Xi had found an antidote for the Suji Yin spread out on the same day.
Although Yi Zhen was in the suburbs of the capital and received the news a bit late, she still learned everything on the next day.
The scripture in her hand was instantly crumpled into a ball. Yi Zhen spat out angrily,
"Shen Zhou, that idiot!
"He even managed to find an antidote for the Suji Yin!"
With a "swish", Yi Zhen threw the scripture in her hand away. Her eyes were as venomous as if poisoned.
"Yu An, send the scriptures I copied earlier back to the palace. We'll go to Muhui Peak to pray for blessings in a few days."
"Muhui Peak!?"
Yu An exclaimed in surprise,
"Your Highness, you can't go. That Muhui Peak is extremely steep. Although it's rumored that praying for blessings on that peak is the most effective, the most accidents also happen there every year.
"We don't have enough manpower now. What if something happens to you?"
Staring blankly at Yu An, Yi Zhen's voice was soft but sent shivers down one's spine as she said word by word,
"If nothing happens, how can I return to the palace?"
In the past few days, the atmosphere in the capital, which had gradually cooled down after the New Year, became lively again. People on the streets and alleys were talking about three things.
One was that the young lady of the Yun family had miraculously found an antidote for the incurable poison that could rot the intestines and bones. It seemed that even the heavens were grateful for the Yun family's meritorious deeds in defending the Great Yin. The second was that the Seventh Prince of the Ying State was on his way to the capital, intending to form an alliance through marriage with the Great Yin to reduce wars and seek common well - being. The third was that the Fourth Princess, Yi Zhen, in her sincere prayer for the Great Yin and the monarch, accidentally fell off the cliff when she climbed Muhui Peak to catch the first sunrise and was in critical condition.
The common people all said that the Fourth Princess had always been kind and amiable. Now, she even risked her life to pray for the Great Yin. Her heart was truly commendable. The so - called false accusation of the Queen and harming the young lady of the Yun family by the Fourth Princess at the banquet must have other insides.
In just a few days, the capital and its surroundings were boiling because of these three things.
At this time, Yun Xi was lazily reclining on the small couch, flipping through the files sent by Hun Yuan.
She absent - mindedly listened to Sai Xing angrily complaining about how easily Yi Zhen had regained her good reputation.
Just when Yun Xi's ears were about to get calloused, the maid outside walked respectfully to the door, with her head bowed and eyes averted, saying,
"Miss, the Great Master Hun Yuan is here."
Without even taking her eyes off the files in her hand, Yun Xi replied without looking up,
"Please come in quickly."
As soon as the words fell, Hun Yuan had already entered the room as if he were at home. He said,
"Junior Sister, the result of the mural study is out.
"Good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"