In the third month of spring, when flowers were in full bloom, taking advantage of the fine weather, Qi Daiyu planned to take the Eldest Princess to the Imperial Garden to fly kites.
Before flying kites, they first had to make them. Little Cheng was in charge of constructing the kite frames, while Qi Daiyu and the Eldest Princess only needed to draw their desired kite designs.
The Eldest Princess naturally drew her "Mianmian." This time, Qi Daiyu didn't try anything unconventional; she drew the most common swallow-shaped kite.
When the two arrived at the Imperial Garden, they happened to meet the Eldest Prince and the Second Princess.
The Eldest Prince was sitting on the lawn, while the Second Princess was picking flowers from a nearby flowerbed.
"Second Sister!" The Eldest Princess greeted the Second Princess.
"Greetings, Lady Hui." Upon seeing the Eldest Princess, the Second Princess smiled shyly, but she first paid her respects to Qi Daiyu before addressing the Eldest Princess: "Sister."
The Second Princess was four years old this year, adorable and well-behaved, but a bit timid.
Qi Daiyu crouched down, "Hello, Second Princess. Why isn't Consort An with you?"
The palace maid accompanying the Second Princess was Pu Jiu, from Consort An's retinue. Hearing Qi Daiyu's question, she stepped forward to explain, "Consort An has matters to attend to and asked us servants to bring the two young masters out for some activity."
Qi Daiyu looked towards the Eldest Prince. Earlier, the Eldest Prince's wet nurse had held him to pay respects to Qi Daiyu, and now he had been placed back on his cushion.
The Eldest Prince was one and a half years old, able to walk and run, but was said to be extremely averse to moving. If he could be carried by his wet nurse, he would never walk himself. At this moment, he was sitting on his cushion, staring at Qi Daiyu.
He hadn't seen Qi Daiyu much and found her unfamiliar, his eyes now full of curiosity.
He wasn't shy, though.
With his chubby, cute appearance, he was utterly adorable.
Qi Daiyu had zero resistance to such young children and couldn't help but smile at him. In response, the Eldest Prince also smiled at her.
He grinned, revealing his tiny milk teeth.
Qi Daiyu noticed his nose seemed uncomfortable, as he kept rubbing it from time to time. Seeing the flowers in the Second Princess's hand, she suddenly remembered something and asked Pu Jiu and the Eldest Prince's wet nurse.
"Isn't the Eldest Prince sensitive to pollen?" Previously, the Eldest Prince had vomited because his wet nurse had eaten a flower pastry.
Logically, with the Imperial Garden in full bloom, the Eldest Prince shouldn't have been brought here.
Pu Jiu's face changed color, and she looked at the Eldest Prince's wet nurse, "Is that true? Is the Eldest Prince sensitive to pollen?"
The wet nurse lowered her head, feeling bitter: "That is indeed the case. However, the Eldest Prince's symptoms are mild. The imperial physician also said we could let the Eldest Prince adapt to it more; perhaps he would become like ordinary people."
Qi Daiyu frowned. Even so, he shouldn't have been brought directly to the flower-filled Imperial Garden. A child's immunity is weak, and severe allergies can even be fatal. For those allergic to pollen, it can also trigger conditions like rhinitis or asthma.
She glanced at the wet nurse. Given the relationship between Consort An and Consort Shu, it was unlikely she didn't know about the Eldest Prince's pollen allergy. So, what did Consort An mean by having someone bring the Eldest Prince to the Imperial Garden?
Perhaps sensing the awkward atmosphere, the Second Princess said softly, "Mother Consort knows. She specifically told me not to let my little brother get close to the flowers."
"It's just that my little brother insisted on coming out to play..." Speaking up required great courage for the Second Princess; her eyes were already reddening.
Qi Daiyu quickly comforted her: "So that's how it is. Second Princess, Lady Hui is going to take the Eldest Princess to fly kites. Shall we go together?"
The Eldest Princess nodded emphatically: "Yes, Second Sister, let's fly kites together!"
Fly kites? The Second Princess was tempted but dared not agree, instead looking up at Pu Jiu.
As for the Eldest Prince, upon hearing about kite flying, he immediately raised his arms for his wet nurse to pick him up: "Fly kites! Go see kites fly!"
Pu Jiu had no choice but to say, "Then we must trouble Lady Hui."
The group then walked towards a more open area.
Qi Daiyu gave her swallow kite to the Second Princess. With the help of palace servants, the kites of the two princesses were soon soaring in the sky.
"It's flying! It's flying!"
"Sister, your kite is flying so high!"
"Second Sister, yours is high too!"
The Eldest Prince was just there for the excitement, sitting on his cushion and enthusiastically clapping for them.
Qi Daiyu watched this scene from the side, a smile unconsciously appearing on her face. This scene, this feeling, was almost like a spring outing. She couldn't help but use her "phone" to capture this moment.
After kite flying, Qi Daiyu escorted the Eldest Princess back to Kunning Palace and took the opportunity to mention the Eldest Prince's matter to the Empress.
"Perhaps it's just me being overly concerned," she said.
The Empress shook her head to reassure her, "Your concern is justified. The health of a prince cannot be neglected."
The Empress immediately instructed Mei Yi to summon an imperial physician from the Imperial Hospital to conduct a thorough examination of the Eldest Prince. At the same time, she sent someone to Cining Palace to request the Empress Dowager to assign a senior maid to care for the Eldest Prince.
Qi Daiyu was somewhat surprised.
The Empress noticed and smiled, "What? Wondering why I'm not sending someone myself to care for the Eldest Prince? Although the Eldest Prince is also my son, he is being raised by his birth mother. If I interfere too much, it might invite suspicion from others. It's different if the Empress Dowager sends someone."
A grandmother caring for her grandson is the most natural thing.
Qi Daiyu mustered her courage to ask, "Your Majesty, aren't you worried about the Eldest Prince..."
Actually, she had pondered the Empress's attitude towards the Eldest Prince. Based on her drama-watching experience, it wasn't impossible for an empress to deliberately raise a prince to be incompetent. But now, it seemed the Empress harbored no ill will towards the Eldest Prince.
"I am not unconcerned about the Eldest Prince distinguishing himself in the future. It's just that I am confident that if the Eldest Prince is outstanding, my Sheng'er will only be more outstanding than him." As she said this, the Empress's face was filled with confident and resolute radiance.
Her son would definitely be the best.
She would also provide the Second Prince with the best education.
Qi Daiyu was touched and was just about to speak when Li Lu requested an audience outside the room.
"Let him in."
Li Lu hurried in, looking anxious: "Your Majesty, the Northern Li have attacked the border! The Emperor is furious and has ordered Marshal Jiang to mobilize the army to meet the enemy! The border... war is coming!"
The book in the Empress's hand instantly fell to the floor.
Northern Li was located to the north of the Zhao Kingdom. Its domestic environment was harsh, making grain cultivation difficult. Its royal family was perpetually embroiled in strife, leading to widespread chaos and hardship for the common people. Northern Li often sent troops to harass the Zhao border, committing murder, pillage, and abducting grain and women, causing immense suffering to the border populace.
Until ten years ago, Marshal Jiang led troops to the border and formally engaged Northern Li in war. The battle lasted for two years, during which Zhao forces captured four Northern Li cities, striking such fear into the Northern Li army that they eventually surrendered, paying an enormous sum in reparations to sue for peace.
After the Zhao army withdrew from Northern Li, the late Emperor did not recall the main force but ordered it to garrison the border to prevent Northern Li from reneging.
After Jiang Yuan ascended the throne, he continued his father's policy, likewise not recalling the army.
And so, they had been guarding the border for eight years.
For eight years, the two nations lived in peace. Who could have imagined that Northern Li would invade again now?
In an instant, heroes across Zhao Kingdom rose with fervor. Some condemned Northern Li, others extolled the military achievements of the old Marshal Jiang. The more hot-blooded ones even wanted to enlist and head straight for the border to join the fight, though that was unlikely. The Zhao military had its own systems and would not send new recruits to the front lines.
In short, whether inside or outside the palace, all eyes were fixed on the border.
The reason the palace was also so focused was naturally because that old Marshal Jiang was the grandfather of the Empress.
Since Consort Shu had been placed under house arrest, the Empress's authority in the rear palace had reached its peak, with no one left to rival her. Presumably, after the victory against Northern Li, the Empress's position would only become more secure.
As a member of the Empress's faction, Qi Daiyu was living happily, her days passing in great comfort.
That day, she went to Qixiang Palace again to keep Qin Saizhu company.
During the midday meal, she instructed the cook in Qixiang Palace's small kitchen to make oden. Skewered with bamboo sticks and placed in bowls, she and Qin Saizhu each hugged a bowl to eat.
Once full, the two sprawled on the couch. Qi Daiyu gently touched Qin Saizhu's belly, which still showed no sign of pregnancy. "When Her Majesty the Empress was pregnant with the Second Prince, her morning sickness was particularly severe. I was originally worried you'd be the same. Never thought my little nephew would be just like his mother, not picky at all!"
Qin Saizhu laughed. "Of course, he takes after me!"
As they chatted idly, the topic inevitably turned to the border situation. Qin Saizhu then remembered something. "By the way, have you heard about the Zeng residence?"
Qi Daiyu: "Which Zeng residence?"
Qin Saizhu: "Zeng Qiming, the Commander of the Capital Guards. The family that Consort Ning's younger sister married into."
Yang Luoniang! That celestial fairy-like girl. Qi Daiyu remembered now. "What happened to them?"
Qin Saizhu wore a look of pity. "Madam Zeng, Consort Ning's younger sister, has passed away! They say she fell ill, and the physicians were powerless."
What?
Qi Daiyu sat up straight.
"How could that be? She was so young. I remember, at the New Year's banquet..." Qi Daiyu paused. She suddenly recalled that Yang Luoniang hadn't attended last year's banquet. Her memory was from the year before last.
Had she already been unwell back then?
"What a terrible shame." Qi Daiyu sighed repeatedly. Beautiful people always evoked pity. Although she had never exchanged a single word with that Yang Luoniang, she still felt regret over her early passing at such a tender age.
"Exactly. These past few days, everyone's attention has been on the border. This matter hasn't caused much of a stir. However, Yikun Palace has claimed illness for several days now." Qin Saizhu couldn't help but think back. When news spread that Yang Luoniang was betrothed to Zeng Qiming, Consort Shu had mocked Consort Ning, sneering that the Yang family was selling their daughter for glory. Now, barely over a year after Yang Luoniang married into the Zeng residence, she had passed away in the bloom of her youth. Who knew what Consort Ning, her elder sister, must be thinking?
Inside Yikun Palace, an atmosphere of solemn silence prevailed. All the palace servants held their breath, and the doors to the main hall were tightly shut. Even Yang Xue and Suihe dared not enter.
This situation had persisted since three days ago, when news of Second Miss Yang's death from illness arrived. After Consort Ning fainted from shock and grief and then awoke, it had been like this.
Anyone who entered would be driven out by Consort Ning.
They all knew Consort Ning was grieving for her younger sister's death.
A young eunuch crept in quietly. Just as Yang Xue was about to scold him, she recognized him as the eunuch responsible for relaying messages from the Yang residence to the palace. She went to meet him. "Is there something else?"
The eunuch whispered his message. Yang Xue's face turned pale. After a long moment, she trudged with difficulty towards the main hall.
Upon opening the door, the room felt lifeless and heavy. Consort Ning sat quietly by the painting desk, not painting, just sitting in silence.
Hearing the noise, Consort Ning looked up. Her eyes were dark and sunken. Yang Xue instinctively shuddered and tremblingly delivered the message sent from the residence: "Your Highness, the Madam... the Madam, due to Second Miss's passing, in her grief... took poison..."
"What did you say?" Consort Ning shot to her feet, strode over to Yang Xue, and gripped her chin.
Yang Xue was forced to look up. "Word came from the residence. The Madam is fading fast... Your Highness, please beg His Majesty to allow you to leave the palace and return to the residence!"
Before she could finish, Consort Ning was already stumbling out the door.
