Her Power and Favor Span the World

Chapter 22

Yuwen Hao returned to his mansion feeling uneasy.

He saw her using a needle to inject something into His Majesty, but didn't know if it was poison or something else.

Although His Majesty seemed a little better, that liquid made him lose consciousness. It could have other effects too, like mind control.

Yuan Qingling didn't understand these things before. Could someone be teaching her from behind the scenes?

Was it her father Jing Hou Yuan Baloon?

He didn't have the guts. Yuan Baloon was just an opportunist.

Yuwen Hao thought of more serious consequences. Yuan Qingling was his queen. If what she did to His Majesty was exposed, he would certainly be blamed for orchestrating it behind the scenes. No one would believe he was uninvolved.

The more he thought about it, the more anxious he felt. He ordered Tang Yang to summon Lv Ya and her wet nurse.

They served Yuan Qingling closely. Any unusual behavior wouldn't escape the wet nurse.

Lv Ya had accompanied Yuan Qingling to the palace, but was told to tell her wet nurse that Yuan Qingling was staying at Qian Kun Palace to care for His Majesty's illness. This greatly surprised the wet nurse.

Hearing the prince's summons, the two hurried over.

"My prince!" Upon entering the study, they bowed.

Yuwen Hao glanced at the wet nurse, recalling her grandson's matter, and casually asked, "How is Brother Huo?"

"Thank you for asking, my prince. He's recovered well."

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Yuwen Hao was a little surprised. "It seems Doctor Li's skills are quite good."

"Yes...yes!" The wet nurse hesitated before responding.

Yuwen Hao was adept at reading people. He glanced at her. "Is wet nurse hiding something from me?"

The wet nurse was startled. "I wouldn't dare!"

"You've served me since I was little. You must be loyal to me. You surely wouldn't hide anything from me." Yuwen Hao spoke coldly, his face icy.

The wet nurse shivered. She quickly kneeled. "This old servant has sinned. I didn't mean to conceal anything."

Yuwen Hao's eyes flashed a cold light. "Speak!"

The wet nurse had no choice but to say, "To tell my prince the truth, Brother Huo wasn't cured by Doctor Li, but by the princess. She instructed this old servant not to mention it to anyone."

Tang Yang was surprised. "The princess? When did she learn medicine? At that time, my prince punished her with thirty hard strikes for injuring Brother Huo."

The wet nurse confessed everything that happened that night when Brother Huo was in danger. She ashamedly said, "This old servant misunderstood the princess."

Yuwen Hao and Tang Yang exchanged glances, both shocked.

"Let me ask you, have you seen her with a box? That box..." Yuwen Hao suddenly froze. When she entered the tent, she didn't have a box. But after going in, the box appeared from somewhere. Later in the side hall, the box wasn't with her.

"There was a box!" Lv Ya quickly said, "It was full of medicines I'd never seen before. I hadn't seen that box before either."

Yuwen Hao asked again, "Has anyone come looking for her recently? Or did she go out to meet someone?"

The wet nurse shook her head. "Since the princess married over, hardly anyone visits her. She hasn't returned home the past few months either."

Tang Yang added, "Indeed. The gatekeepers record the princess's comings and goings. I saw that the last time she returned home was three months ago, for half a day, before coming back furious."

The wet nurse felt guilty for betraying Yuan Qingling. She was also worried about her condition, so she said, "Ever since my lady was caned, she hasn't gone out. My prince ordered us not to bother her. So she treated her own injuries. Before taking the Zijin decoction, she had a high fever. Now that the medicine has worn off, I wonder if she can endure it in the palace."

Yuwen Hao recalled how she forcefully endured the pain to feed His Majesty porridge, trembling all over. The effects of the Zijin decoction had already worn off then.

He wasn't worried about Yuan Qingling, just afraid she would lose composure and implicate his mansion and mother.

After a moment of silence, Tang Yang said, "My prince, thirty heavy strikes were indeed too harsh."

Even a small servant would need days of rest after that.

A frailer maid might even lose her life.

My prince truly hated Lady Yuan.

Yuwen Hao coldly said, "Her actions deserved death, not just a beating."

If not for implicating his mother and the imperial family's reputation, he would have cast Yuan Qingling out long ago.

The wet nurse plucked up her courage and said, "My prince, it seems the princess changed into a different person."

Yuwen Hao looked up at her. His heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"

The wet nurse said, "The princess always acted arrogant even when at a disadvantage. But that day, when she saved Brother Huo, her attitude and tone... She even apologized to this old servant. I wouldn't have imagined it before."

The wet nurse's words confirmed Yuwen Hao's suspicions.

He recalled her using her head to hit him before entering the palace, gritting out, "Killing people leads to decapitation, don't go overboard."

She would never speak like that, knowing she was in the wrong. In the mansion, she only dared to bully servants, never daring to be so rude before him.

But today, she spoke as if she was the aggrieved one.

And her resistance in the side hall...

In his mind's eye, her resolute and cold face appeared, echoing her words in the side hall.

He had to get to the bottom of this.

In the Empress's Mingfeng Palace:

After Prince Qi came to pay respects, he first went to check on his eighth brother, Yuwen Lu, leaving Chu Mingcui alone with the Empress.

Chu Mingcui was the Empress's niece. Once Prince Qi left, Chu Mingcui dismissed all the palace attendants.

Seeing this, the Empress knew something was up. She sat up straight and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Aunt, do you know that Yuan Qingling was kept at Qian Kun Palace by His Majesty to care for him?"

Having just returned, the Empress didn't know about this. Hearing Chu Mingcui mention it, she was slightly surprised. "Princess Chu's wife? His Majesty is allowing her to care for him?"

But she soon waved her hand dismissively. "If she's caring for him, that saves me the trouble of running back and forth. I've been exhausted these days."

Chu Mingcui sighed. "Aunt, you're muddled. Don't you see?"

The Empress smiled. "I know your worries, but don't be anxious. Whatever the Fifth Prince does is futile. His Majesty deeply resents him now."

Chu Mingcui slowly shook her head. "Aunt, now that His Majesty is lucid, everything has changed."

The Empress was startled, her expression slowly becoming grave.

Indeed, His Majesty still valued His Majesty's opinion greatly in the matter of appointing a crown prince.

And His Majesty had always favored the Fifth Prince. If Yuan Qingling took this chance to make suggestions, the Fifth Prince still had a chance.

But...

The Empress looked up. "Doesn't the Fifth Prince detest Yuan Qingling?"

Chu Mingcui slowly smiled. "Even if detested, a useful person can be tolerated."

The Empress' heart sank. She immediately said, "The Empress Dowager worked tirelessly caring for His Majesty's illness. The Crown Princess should stay by her side today to display filial piety."

Chu Mingcui stood and bowed. "Your daughter-in-law understands."