Duoduo blinked. “Second Uncle, Third Uncle, and the others are all filial.”
Otherwise, why hadn’t Grandfather shown favoritism? His attitude toward every one of the princes seemed more or less the same.
Perhaps, in Grandfather’s eyes, filial piety alone was not enough.
The Empress Dowager hadn’t expected Duoduo to bring up the other imperial grandsons. After a moment of surprise, she shook her head.
“Filial piety comes in different forms, you know!”
Duoduo smiled and pretended not to understand.
At the Li residence, a eunuch was kneeling before the Emperor.
“This servant pays his respects to Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty!”
“Rise.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty!” Eunuch Li rose and quickly stole a glance at the Emperor’s expression.
“Your Majesty, you look healthier and healthier!”
“It’s truly wonderful news!”
The eunuch’s face was full of delight.
After hearing this, the Emperor was reminded of what Duoduo had said. Because of the gu worms inside his body, he appeared to be growing younger and younger.
The thought made a flash of anger cross the Emperor’s face.
Eunuch Li, who had been watching him closely, was startled and immediately lowered his head.
“Xiao Lizi, I summoned you here because there’s something I want to ask you.” The Emperor’s tone was even, revealing little of his emotions.
“Yes.” Eunuch Li answered respectfully.
“Do you remember whether there are any consorts in My harem who came from Southern Xinjiang?”
The Emperor had thought for a long time, but he still couldn’t remember who it was.
Eunuch Li raised his head in surprise.
He hadn’t expected the Emperor to summon him just to ask about this.
Seeing the eunuch’s expression, the Emperor’s face turned stern.
“What? You don’t remember?”
Eunuch Li hurriedly lowered his head and apologized.
“Your Majesty, please give this servant a moment to think!”
His mind began racing.
Suddenly, he remembered someone.
“Your Majesty, there is indeed one!”
The Emperor leaned forward. “Who?”
Eunuch Li bowed.
“Your Majesty, do you remember? The Eighth Prince’s mother was from Southern Xinjiang.”
The Emperor carefully searched his memories.
The Eighth Prince’s mother?
Who was she?
In the Emperor’s mind, even the appearance of his son, the Eighth Prince, was only a vague blur, let alone the woman’s.
With three thousand beauties in his harem, it was impossible for the Emperor to remember every single one of them.
Seeing the Emperor’s bewildered expression, Eunuch Li hurriedly explained.
“Your Majesty, the Eighth Prince’s mother was a palace maid who cleaned your study.”
“One day, you favored her, and she later gave birth to the Eighth Prince.”
Eunuch Li forced himself to reveal the Eighth Prince’s origins.
The Emperor frowned and thought for a while.
It seemed there really had been such a thing.
Since she had only been a palace maid, he hadn’t taken her to heart. Later, when he heard that she had given birth to a prince, he had ordered the Ministry of Internal Affairs to raise her rank.
“Then the Eighth Prince’s mother…” The Emperor hesitated.
There were only a dozen or so consorts who had given birth to princes. How could he have no impression of this woman at all?
Eunuch Li lowered his head. “Your Majesty, the Eighth Prince’s mother has already passed away.”
The Emperor felt a strange sense of relief.
But then his heart tightened again.
No!
Duoduo had clearly said that he had been afflicted with a Heart-Linked Gu. If that woman was dead, how could the gu worm inside him still be alive?
The more the Emperor thought about it, the more suspicious it seemed.
“Are there any other consorts in the harem who came from Southern Xinjiang?” His tone was extremely stern.
Eunuch Li didn’t understand why the Emperor was so fixated on the words “Southern Xinjiang” today.
“Your Majesty, this servant will have to go back and investigate.”
“You still need to investigate?” The Emperor’s anger was on the verge of erupting.
Eunuch Li hurriedly explained, “Your Majesty, this servant means that if you want to find out whether there is anyone from Southern Xinjiang in the harem, we can’t investigate only the consorts.”
“It’s possible that someone serving one of the consorts is from there as well.”
“This servant means that I should go back and investigate everyone.”
“That way, there won’t be any oversights.”
After hearing Eunuch Li’s explanation, the Emperor’s expression eased somewhat.
But until he caught the person responsible, he couldn’t sit still.
Having finally suppressed his emotions, the Emperor changed the subject.
“How has the palace been lately?”
Eunuch Li’s heart tightened, and he lowered his head.
“The Fifth Prince replaced everyone serving in the palace.”
The Emperor couldn’t hold back any longer. He slammed his palm onto the table.
“What is Fifth Brother trying to do?”
“He’s already impatient to replace everyone with his own people!”
“I’m not dead yet!”
Eunuch Li was so frightened that he dropped to his knees with a thud.
“Your Majesty, please calm down!”
“The Fifth Prince suddenly developed headaches while handling official matters.”
“He said someone must have tampered with him, so he replaced every person serving him!”
“Suddenly developed headaches?” the Emperor repeated.
Eunuch Li hurriedly nodded.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Prince Ling also suffered from headaches when he was overseeing the government.”
“This servant heard that Prince Ling vomited blood several times after returning to his residence.”
Eunuch Li hesitated before continuing, “It was very similar to Your Majesty’s condition.”
The Emperor froze.
He had vomited blood because someone had poisoned him, which had stirred the gu worm inside his body.
Then what had caused the Second Prince’s symptoms?
“Did the imperial physicians examine him?” the Emperor asked, holding on to a sliver of hope.
“Imperial Physician An from the Imperial Medical Academy examined him.”
“They said it was because of the hot weather. Prince Ling had too much internal heat, which caused him to vomit blood.”
Ever since learning that his own vomiting of blood was caused by the gu worm inside his body, the Emperor no longer believed what the imperial physicians told him.
He wondered secretly whether the Second Prince had also been afflicted with a gu worm.
But how could he confirm it?
It wasn’t as though he could send Changle to Prince Ling’s residence and have her worm bite the Second Prince.
Given the Second Prince’s temperament, he would probably cut the worm in two with his sword.
Wouldn’t that put Changle in danger?
The Emperor shook his head, his brows tightly furrowed.
Eunuch Li heard no reply from the Emperor. He cautiously raised his head and stole a quick glance at him.
He saw the Emperor staring at him with an expression so dark and unreadable that Eunuch Li was startled and hurriedly lowered his head again.
The Emperor thought for a long while, but still couldn’t come up with a good solution.
“Is the Second Prince still vomiting blood?”
Eunuch Li hurriedly replied, “Your Majesty, there haven’t been any reports of it recently.”
The Emperor couldn’t help feeling puzzled.
“Did the Second Prince vomit blood in the palace, or only after returning to his residence?”
“This servant had people look into it. Prince Ling vomited blood several times while he was in the palace.”
“After returning to his residence, he vomited blood as well and even fell unconscious.”
“However, I heard that the episodes have become less frequent lately.”
The Emperor had a feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.
Could the person who had planted the gu be in the palace?
The closer a worm was to its master, the more frequently it would act up?
Just like him.
Ever since he had left the palace, the gu worm inside his body seemed to have quieted down.
If that was the case, then the Second Prince must have been afflicted with a gu worm as well!
Once the Emperor realized this, an inexplicable sense of panic began to spread through him.
“Who else has suffered from the same symptoms besides the Second Prince?”
