Consort Zhuang doesn't want palace intrigue; she just wants to raise her child and live a caref

Chapter 295 involves the 4th Prince

Su Nuannuan and her entourage returned to Cuiwei Palace, tidied up briefly, and prepared to visit the Emperor.

She turned to Li Quan and instructed him, "I'm leaving this to you. Make sure everything is in order." Li Quan respectfully acknowledged and then continued to direct the palace servants.

Su Nuannuan, carrying her two children, hurried towards the Hall of Diligent Governance. Before she even reached the entrance, Li Desheng came to greet her. Upon seeing Su Nuannuan, he immediately bowed and said, "This servant greets Consort Zhuang, Prince Yong, and Princess Jianping."

Su Nuannuan waved her hand, signaling him to stand up, and then asked anxiously, "Chief Steward Li, how is the Emperor now?"

Li Desheng hurriedly replied, "Your Highness, the Emperor is still unconscious, and the imperial physicians are doing their best to save him. His Highness the Crown Prince is currently overseeing the country, and Your Majesty the Empress has also been staying here."

Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan frowned slightly, her worry growing. She took a deep breath, composed herself, and continued, "May I go in and see the Emperor?"

Li Desheng hurriedly replied, "Her Majesty the Empress has issued an edict saying that the Imperial Concubine has returned and we can go straight in."

Su Nuannuan nodded, indicating that she understood. She turned to the two children and said, "You two, come with me to see your father. Then, go and help your elder brother, the Crown Prince, with his duties. It's not easy for him to handle state affairs all by himself."

"Yes, Mother Consort," Canglan Jingcheng and Canglan Jingyao bowed.

After Li Desheng gave them permission to leave, Su Nuannuan led her two children through the outer hall of the Qin Zheng Hall and soon arrived at the inner hall.

Upon entering the inner palace, Su Nuannuan led her two children to bow to the Empress: "Your Majesty the Empress (Your Majesty the Empress) greets you." Her voice was clear and respectful, and the two children obediently followed suit.

The Empress sat on the couch, looking somewhat tired. She nodded slightly and replied, "You're back."

Su Nuannuan noticed the Empress's tired look and suggested with concern, "Your Majesty, please go and rest for a while. I will take care of things here."

The Empress glanced gratefully at Su Nuannuan and nodded, "Then I'll leave this place to you for now. I'll go take a short rest." As she spoke, her gaze fell on the Emperor, who lay unconscious on the bed.

Seeing this, Su Nuannuan quickly nodded and replied, "Alright. However, Your Majesty, you must leave someone to speak with me about the Emperor's condition."

After a moment's thought, the Empress instructed Yingchun, who was standing nearby, "Yingchun, you stay here."

Yingchun bowed respectfully and said, "Yes."

Ying Qiu stepped forward and carefully helped the Empress to rest in a side hall of the Qin Zheng Hall.

After the Empress's figure disappeared at the entrance of the side hall, Su Nuannuan withdrew her gaze, turned to Yingchun, and said slowly, "Tell me about the Emperor's condition!"

After bowing to Su Nuannuan, Yingchun began to tell her about the Emperor's coma.

After hearing this, Su Nuannuan's relaxed brows furrowed instantly, and her face turned somewhat gloomy.

"What did Her Majesty the Empress say?" Su Nuannuan pressed.

"Her Majesty the Empress said that we should wait until the Emperor wakes up before taking any action," Yingchun said with a hint of helplessness.

“How can Your Majesty be so soft-hearted at a time like this?” Su Nuannuan was clearly not satisfied with the Empress’s decision, and her brows furrowed even more. “This concerns the Emperor.”

"Because this matter involves the Fourth Prince," Yingchun explained.

"Does Jingxu know about this?" Su Nuannuan asked quickly.

"He knows. He's currently under house arrest by the Empress."

"Was Jingxu involved in this matter?" Su Nuannuan asked immediately afterward.

“No, that’s not true.” Yingchun quickly shook her head. “When it was discovered that Consort Qin had poisoned him, the Fourth Prince simply didn’t believe it.”

"That's good, otherwise it would be such a pity for that child." Su Nuannuan breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this, but still couldn't help but sigh, "Jingxu is already in a wheelchair, why is Consort Qin still so restless? What's the point of her continuing to fight for that position?"

The former Consort Qin was so kind and unassuming. She never fought with others and always got along well with everyone, playing together. In particular, to avoid being drawn into the vortex of the struggle for the throne, she even said something like "make Jingxu cut his hair short" to show that she had no interest in the throne.

However, when exactly did Consort Qin undergo such a drastic change? Su Nuannuan pondered deeply, recalling every detail of the past. Finally, she suddenly realized that everything had changed from the moment Consort Qin was conferred the title of Imperial Noble Consort.

After being conferred the title of Imperial Concubine, neither Su Nuannuan nor Imperial Concubine Li changed their ways. Su Nuannuan did so because she couldn't bear to see her son toiling on the throne; while Imperial Concubine Li did so because she had no biological children, only adopted the Second Prince and the Third Prince, both of whom were disabled and unable to inherit the throne.

However, under the instigation of her maternal family, Consort Qin gradually began to harbor thoughts of vying for the throne. Later, she even sent someone to assassinate the Crown Prince. If it weren't for the intervention of the Fourth Prince, she would probably have been completely stripped of her title and even banished to the Cold Palace, never to rise again.

In order to control his mother, the fourth prince went so far as to use medicine to paralyze himself. He even made a decision that as long as his mother was alive, he would never stand up again.

Given that things have already come to this point, why would Consort Qin still act this way? Su Nuannuan was utterly baffled by this; she simply couldn't understand what Consort Qin was thinking.

"I understand. You may go and take care of Her Majesty the Empress!" Su Nuannuan instructed Yingchun.

"Yes." Yingchun bowed respectfully, then turned and walked towards the side hall of the Hall of Diligent Governance.

After watching Yingchun leave, Su Nuannuan turned her gaze back to the Emperor, who was still unconscious, and couldn't help but sigh again.

She suddenly realized that she seemed to sigh particularly easily today, and in just a short while, she had already sighed twice. This was not a good habit, Su Nuannuan thought to herself.

"Jinse, take a look at the Emperor," Su Nuannuan instructed Jinse, who was waiting nearby, with a solemn expression.

Her heart was filled with doubt and unease; she simply couldn't trust the imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital. After all, the Emperor's illness had dragged on for two days without a clear diagnosis. Were these physicians truly dedicated to finding an antidote, or were they merely stalling for time?

Su Nuannuan felt increasingly uneasy, so she decided to have Jinse examine the Emperor's pulse to determine his true condition.

Upon hearing this, Jinse immediately stepped forward and carefully took the Emperor's pulse. She held her breath and focused intently on the Emperor's pulse, not missing any subtle changes.

Time passed second by second, and finally, Jinse let go of her hand.

"Jinse, how is the Emperor's pulse?" Su Nuannuan asked impatiently, her voice revealing a hint of nervousness.