Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

Chapter 148: Relax and Don’t Work Hard

Qing Lan shook his head, glanced at the food on the table, and said, "The Master has instructed that if His Highness the Ninth Prince insists on kneeling and refuses to rest and eat properly, then he cannot say anything. The Master will investigate anything His Highness wants to investigate."

"...You, you guys?!" Qi Xiao was speechless. He lowered his head, picked up the chopsticks and forced himself to eat a few bites. As he ate, he was able to suppress his sobs.

Bai Xiqiao sighed. Tang Ling was the only one who could control Qi Xiao... Tang Ling must really love Qi Xiao, otherwise how could she do this? She always thought of Qi Xiao, even when she came yesterday, without caring about anything. Forget it, it was beyond his control, beyond his control.

Qi Xiao ate very quickly, wishing he could swallow everything without chewing. He just took two mouthfuls of rice and considered it finished.

Bai Xiqiao was so angry that his teeth ached, but he still had to sit down and serve Qi Xiao the food: "Eat well, understand? How old are you? Do you want me to feed you mouthful by mouthful?"

Qinglan saw this and couldn't help laughing. The King of Chu looked like this and was even teased and scolded by his own guards. This should not be seen easily, so it was quite cute.

Qi Xiao forced himself to eat half a bowl of rice and tasted a bite of each dish. He finally managed to finish his lunch.

"Can we talk now?"

Qinglan stepped forward and handed Qi Xiao a small porcelain bottle: "I only found this."

Qi Xiao frowned and pulled out the cork, but the bottle was empty.

"what is this?"

"I don't know." Qing Lan shook his head. "There's a scent of Aconitum left in this bottle."

Qi Xiao was shocked: "It is indeed poisonous!"

"Raw Aconitum is extremely poisonous, but when boiled and used as medicine, it is indeed an excellent remedy for dispelling wind and dampness, and is suitable for Concubine Lin's condition. We need to check the records of the Imperial Hospital to confirm whether this medicine was given by the Imperial Hospital."

Qi Xiao handed the small porcelain bottle to Bai Xiqiao: "Take it to Doctor Fang for a checkup."

Bai Xiqiao nodded and was about to leave when he heard Qinglan say, "The pulse report the Imperial Hospital gave me last time was very sloppy, and the records are probably incomplete. I'm afraid it's a bit of a headache. Is there anyone close to Concubine Lin who can ask?"

"Call Liu Shuang."

Liu Shuang arrived quickly: "Liu Shuang greets His Majesty the Ninth Prince."

Bai Xiqiao placed the small porcelain vase in front of Liu Shuang and asked, "Have you seen this?"

Shuang Liu thought for a moment and said, "I've never seen it before."

Bai Xiqiao handed the small porcelain bottle to Liu Shuang: "Look carefully and think carefully."

Liu Shuang thought about it again, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "It seems, it seems that I have seen it before."

"Sometimes I've seen him, sometimes I haven't. In the end, have I seen him or not?"

"This porcelain vase is not from Qiyun Palace. I can confirm this." Qi Xiao called her here at this critical moment. Liu Shuang knew the seriousness of the matter. This porcelain vase was definitely not an ordinary item. She didn't dare to be careless, let alone say anything nonsense. She thought carefully for a long time before saying, "I took a quick look and it was in the hands of the Majesty, but the Majesty took it away quickly, so I can't confirm it completely."

"You said it was in my mother's hands?"

If it was truly aconite poison, how could it have ended up in Concubine Lin's possession?! Concubine Lin had been ill for so long, she couldn't even leave Qiyun Palace. She had to constantly urge the Imperial Hospital for medicine. Where did the aconite poison come from?

"This servant dares not deceive Your Highness."

"When did you see it?"

"It was the day before we moved from Qiyun Palace to Xixing Palace."

"That day, no, in the three days before we moved in, who went to Qiyun Palace?"

Liu Shuang said, "It was the Mid-Autumn Festival. Besides His Highness's frequent visits, Eunuch Zhang came once. The Empress Dowager and the Empress both gave gifts. Concubine Zhao and the other ladies in the palaces also sent people to bring small gifts to Her Majesty."

Qi Xiao took a deep breath. In previous years, Qiyun Palace would have been deserted and no one would have cared about it. But this year he was back and was valued by His Majesty, so the Qiyun Palace also became busy. Now that something happened and needed to be investigated, it became troublesome.

"The various palaces sent us festival gifts. Mother couldn't possibly have seen them all while she was ill. Liu Shuang, just think about who Mother met and what gifts she personally reviewed."

"Your Highness has only seen the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and the people in Consort Zhao's palace. And you've only seen the rewards given by the Empress Dowager and the Empress."

There was no need for the Queen Mother to resort to such means, so it would have been the Queen and Concubine Zhao.

"Did your mother say anything at that time?"

Liu Shuang fell into deep thought again. Concubine Lin was very ill, and she was only awake for a short time each day. She spoke very little to Liu Shuang, but she remembered everything clearly; there was nothing special about it.

"The Empress has mentioned Your Highness the most recently. She said she wants Your Highness to be more relaxed, not work too hard, and return to Fuzhou as soon as possible."

Relax? Stop working so hard? Go back to Fuzhou? Is it to stop Qi Xiao from continuing his investigation?

After Concubine Lin passed away, Qi Xiao had to observe mourning. At least before the coffin was buried, it was impossible for Qi Xiao to go to the Dali Temple, let alone investigate the case of military pay.

Qi Xiao's eyes darkened, and he was filled with murderous intent. Liu Shuang didn't know what she had said wrong. She just felt that Qi Xiao was extremely sinister and terrifying at the moment, which made her fearful and trembling uncontrollably.

"Your Highness...Your Highness, I dare not lie to Your Highness!" Liu Shuang kowtowed heavily and fell to the ground, trembling.

Qi Xiao waved his hand and said, "Liu Shuang, go down first. Just pretend you don't know what I asked and what you said."

"Yes, yes, I know." Liu Shuang returned the small porcelain bottle to Bai Xiqiao with trembling hands, then retreated tremblingly, and only breathed a sigh of relief after leaving the inner courtyard.

Bai Xiqiao watched Liu Shuang walk away, and when he turned around, he saw Qi Xiao crushing the teacup in his hand, and blood was flowing on half of the table.

"Xiao'er, let go!" Bai Xiqiao shouted hurriedly, "Someone come!"

Qi Xiao's eyes were red, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Brother, it was me who killed my mother. It was me!"

"What nonsense!"

"It's me! It's me! It's me! If I hadn't been holding on to the Ministry of Revenue and Luo Yu's case, how could they have used such insidious means to force me to let go?! It's all my fault! It's me..."

Qi Xiao was extremely angry. Grief, guilt, anger, and hatred burst out all at once, as if to drown him alive.

Why is this happening? !

He came back to Yuanjing just hoping to show some filial piety and spend some time with his mother!

"It's all my fault! Why wasn't I the one who died?! Why couldn't they poison me?!"

Before Qi Xiao could do anything extreme, Bai Xiqiao grabbed his wrist and pressed his fainting point, knocking him down. Qi Xiao's current state was even more terrifying than when he knelt before Concubine Lin's spirit, refusing to eat or drink.

The rain had stopped, but the sky was still gloomy, making people feel uncomfortable and depressed.

Qi Xiao's condition was very bad after Concubine Lin's accident. Tang Ling was anxious, but there was really little he could do to help. He had become accustomed to having Qi Xiao around. He couldn't sleep well at night and was always waking up. He would take Qinglan to Yangxizhai to find Chi Yue before dawn.

Tang Ling gave Qinglan a lot of instructions, nagging like an old maid in the marquis's mansion. Qinglan had never seen Tang Ling so long-winded, nor had he seen him so upset. Even when they were marching and fighting, Tang Ling had never been like this.

When Tang Ling was upset, she would copy books, any book would do, and she would write every stroke neatly and carefully, without putting any thought into every word.

When Huang Zexian came, he saw Tang Ling copying a book and felt something was wrong.

"Son."

"Uncle Huang, please take a seat." Tang Ling put down her pen, sighed deeply, and after tidying up a bit, she made a cup of tea for Huang Zexian. "Uncle Huang, do you want to see me about something?"

"Ah, well, there has been some progress on the peace talks, and I'd like to discuss it with you, sir."