Your Majesty, the princess is fleeing famine with her child!

Chapter 378 Something is fishy

Shoukang Palace.

Concubine Cui twisted the handkerchief in her hands, looking a little uneasy.

She raised her eyes to look at Queen Mother Cui who was sitting at the head of the table, and said in a trembling voice, "Aunt, will there be any problem?"

The moment Concubine Cui learned about the Third Prince’s plan, she was almost scared to death.

She could never have imagined that the Third Prince was so courageous!

But when she thought about the future of them and the Cui family, the fear in Concubine Cui's heart was diluted.

If Xiao Jingyi were to take the throne, how could they and their son live happily ever after? The Cui family would also inevitably fall.

In that case, you might as well give it a try.

Besides, Xiao Jingyi is not in the capital right now, which is really a godsend opportunity.

With the help of Empress Dowager Cui and Duke Cheng'en's Mansion, great things can be achieved.

Jing** really fell ill as they had planned, but no one has been able to see Jing** so far, and it is impossible to find out what his condition is or whether he really has smallpox.

Even when Concubine Cui and Empress Dowager Cui went to the Purple Palace in person, they were turned away.

Concubine Cui couldn't help but feel a little nervous. She was afraid that the matter would be exposed, but she also hoped that the plan would go smoothly.

Queen Mother Cui picked up the teacup, took a sip of tea, then raised her eyelids and glanced at Concubine Cui.

"You've been in the palace for so many years, why are you still so impatient?"

Empress Dowager Cui frowned. If she hadn't protected her, with Concubine Cui's temper, she would have been eaten up in the harem long ago.

All the palace servants in the hall were sent out, and now there were only the two of them in the hall.

Imperial Concubine Cui pursed her lips and said, "Your Majesty has even stopped me, your aunt. If I don't see it with my own eyes, I will feel uneasy..."

After all, Empress Dowager Cui was an old lady who had lived in the palace for decades. She defeated all the concubines of the previous emperor and had the last laugh. Naturally, she was more stable than Concubine Cui.

"I am the emperor's mother, the empress dowager of a country, and you are a first-rank imperial concubine. The emperor has not appointed a queen, so no one in the harem can surpass us."

"If His Majesty has anything, he must come to us to explain it."

"It was reported this morning that His Majesty is ill. His Majesty does not want to see anyone at this time. If we force him to see us, it will arouse suspicion."

"After two or three days, if His Majesty still doesn't want to see anyone, I will force my way into the Purple Palace and no one will be able to say anything."

Queen Mother Cui paused for a moment, then looked at Concubine Cui and said in a deep voice, "Look after the harem for the next few days and make sure there is no trouble."

"Especially those concubines who gave birth to the princes, they must be held in the palm of your hand."

"With them in hand, when things get bad, those princes will be cautious and submit obediently."

Concubine Cui has been managing the harem for many years and has already mastered how to control the concubines.

He immediately lowered his eyes and responded obediently, "Don't worry, aunt."

Two days passed like this, and Jing** was still bedridden.

This time, all the princes and princesses gathered outside the Purple Palace and knelt down to ask to come in to serve the sick.

Empress Dowager Cui, Concubine Cui and several other high-ranking concubines also came.

This time, Eunuch Gao did not stop everyone.

Upon seeing this, Empress Dowager Cui entered the Purple Palace first.

Just as she stepped over the threshold, Empress Dowager Cui thought that Jing ** was seriously ill and most likely had contracted smallpox, so she immediately stopped walking towards the inner hall.

She is old and in worse health than Jing**.

If you were close to it and got infected with smallpox, you would probably die within a few days.

Although I have asked my trusted imperial physician to prescribe some anti-epidemic medicine, nothing is absolute.

She dared not take this risk.

If it weren't for the Third Prince's great cause, Queen Mother Cui would not have wanted to take this risk.

It’s just that some things are for the sake of face, and in order to avoid being criticized, you still have to do it.

That's why she had to come to the Zichen Palace.

Queen Mother Cui changed her mind and did not continue to walk in. Instead, she waved to the imperial physician waiting beside her and asked, "How is your majesty?"

The imperial physician bowed and replied, "Your Majesty has caught a cold and is getting better, but your Majesty is getting older and your body is not as strong as before. I am afraid you will need to rest for a few more days before you can recover."

Queen Mother Cui glanced at the imperial physician and was unsure whether Jing ** really just caught a cold or smallpox, but she ordered the imperial physician to keep silent.

Fortunately, Empress Dowager Cui brought her trusted imperial physician with her.

"It's just a minor cold, and it hasn't been cured after several days of treatment. What's the point of keeping you?"

Queen Mother Cui pretended to be angry and turned her head and said, "Doctor Zhou, go and check on His Majesty."

She gave a subtle look to the trusted imperial physician.

The trusted imperial physician nodded imperceptibly, stepped forward immediately, and went into the inner hall to check Jing **'s pulse.

Since Queen Mother Cui had spoken, no one else dared to disobey.

While Imperial Doctor Zhou went into the inner hall to check Jing**'s pulse, Empress Dowager Cui was waiting in the outer hall.

A clever palace servant immediately brought a chair over and Queen Dowager Cui sat down.

Since Queen Mother Cui did not move, the other princes, princesses and concubines naturally did not dare to pass her to enter the inner hall. They could only stand aside and wait.

The third prince hid his hands in his sleeves and clenched his fists secretly, feeling both excited and nervous.

With the help of Empress Dowager Cui, he would soon find out whether his father was infected with smallpox.

The eldest prince observed the reaction of the third prince's group calmly, and secretly sighed in his heart.

Looking at this situation, I'm afraid he feels that his great ambition is about to be accomplished.

It’s a pity that I encountered this variable.

It won't be long before the Third Prince's faction will be completely defeated, and he will be the final winner.

The other princes and princesses who were still kept in the dark were confused and worried.

They didn't understand why they had to stand in the outer hall waiting. Didn't they come to visit their father who was ill? Why didn't they go into the inner hall to see how their father was doing?

I was also worried about Jing**'s health.

As long as Jing ** was around, no matter how unfavored they were, they were still princes and princesses and could live a stable and comfortable life.

However, if something happened to Jing**, without the protection of his father, life would naturally not be as comfortable as it is now.

When the new emperor comes to the throne, if you have a good relationship with the new emperor, you can get a nice fiefdom and live a rich and leisurely life there.

If the relationship is not good, let alone the fiefdom, it is hard to say whether you can save your life.

Therefore, except for those who are ambitious and can't wait to get to the throne, the other princes and princesses still hope that Jing** can live well.

After waiting for a long time, Doctor Zhou finally came out.

Queen Mother Cui suddenly grabbed the armrest of the chair and straightened her body slightly. "How is your majesty?"

Doctor Zhou bowed and said, "Your Majesty, your Majesty's cold has improved. He will be fine after a few days of rest."

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Cui's face froze, and she thought to herself that maybe something went wrong, so Jing ** really just had a cold and did not have smallpox.

However, the next moment, she saw Doctor Zhou winking at her and she immediately understood.

Doctor Zhou must have something to say that he is not comfortable saying in public.

It seems that there is something strange about Jing**'s illness.