asleep, oblivious to it all. Otherwise, she would know how Ma Tao died, smashed to death by the very vine he had been protecting.After the sound ceased, Yun Rou leaned on the banister, gasping for br...Ripple knew in her heart why Rong Shijun's cough had escalated into tuberculosis. She bore a hand in this, after all; her own secret guards were diligent and dedicated. When she returned to the palace with these attendants, the two books of scriptures also went back to Rong Shijun's chambers.

Moreover, since he hadn't fully recovered, he spent the most time in his room. Naturally, he was most influenced by the scriptures. Besides, his close attendant also started coughing at this time, though it hadn't turned into consumption yet.

"Mother Empress"

The eldest princess looked at her mother's expressionless face. For some reason, her heart skipped a beat.

"How are Nana and the others doing"

The ripples opened their mouth and asked.

"The little girl and her friends hid in the passage that day and were not discovered. When they came out, they had their eyes covered, so they were not frightened. They were just very clingy to me and my husband these past few days."

The Great Princess immediately spoke.

The eldest daughter, Nannan, is sensible and understands what happened. Though she didn't witness it herself, she remained relatively calm. The second son and youngest daughter, while younger, sensed something was wrong from the expressions on their parents' faces. They didn't cry or fuss, but clung tightly to them.

"Call your daughter here and let her accompany me to see Rong Shijun."

"Yes, Mother Empress!"

Although she didn't know why the Empress hadn't mentioned anything about Mei Yuan Zheng, the eldest princess still held back from asking. She asked her attendants to bring her elder daughter, Nuan Nuan.

Ripple did not change out of his ceremonial robes and, accompanied by a large entourage, went straight to Jun Rongshi's "Palace of Tranquility."

"Granddaughter has met the great-grandmother!"

Nannan wore a pale pink dress today, with twin buns and simple hair accessories - just small plush balls in the same color. Her little face was adorable, fair and delicate, like a porcelain doll. It seemed she had been told to behave beforehand, her expression serious, like a little adult.

"My dear granddaughter, come here to grandma."

The ripples softened their expression and smiled kindly at the little girl.

Nannan took two quick steps and came to her grandmother's side. Her grandmother was dressed in a magnificent ceremonial robe, exuding an air of authority. Nannan extended her small hand, which her grandmother grasped. Afterward, she looked up and displayed a cheerful smile.

Ripples took Nannan's hand, dismissed the female attendants around her, and only brought the eldest princess into Rongshijun's bedroom. Faint coughs came from behind the window curtains. Seemingly hearing the movement, Rongshijun asked in a low voice:

But what about He (or, Her)

"Father, it's me! Mother Empress has come to see you, as well as our little one."

The Great Princess stepped forward and spoke.

"Don't come any closer, cough cough, don't spread your illness to the Empress and Nannan, cough cough, you shouldn't come here recently either."

"When Rong Shijun tried to speak, he coughed twice. It seems he's really quite ill."

The ripples didn't come closer, she just sat on a chair by the window at the bedside, and waved to the Great Princess. The Great Princess immediately stepped forward and lifted the curtain, and everyone could see Rong Shijun's face.

He stood before them dressed in a white inner robe, his hair loose and unkempt. His complexion was pale, his cheekbones sunken, and he lacked any semblance of vitality. He held a handkerchief to his mouth, coughing violently. The force of his coughs brought an unnatural flush to his face. When the tickling in his throat finally subsided, he raised his head and looked at them.

Looking at the empress in her morning attire, he felt a strange nervousness and was momentarily stunned.

"Grandfather, how are you feeling Nannan and the Empress Dowager have come to visit you."

The sweet voice of the little girl broke the stagnant atmosphere inside.

"Good boy, Grandfather is fine, he's just getting old. Don't get too close to Grandfather, lest you catch his illness."

Facing his most beloved granddaughter, Rong Shijun spoke in a gentle tone.

Then, the granddaughter will stay here and keep you company.

Nuannuan looked at Rong Shijun's face, seemingly understanding something. She curtsied and came to Lianyi's side, nestling against her grandmother obediently, her big eyes fixed on her father and grandfather.

Ripple gently patted Nannan's back, comforting the little girl, then spoke:

"Just after the morning court session, He'er came to me, wanting me to ask Lao Mei, the retired imperial physician, to treat your cough. At the time, I didn't reply her, thinking it would be better to explain things to you in person."

The ripple of her words drew both the father and daughter's attention to her.

Since Mei Yuanzheng has already retired and is getting up in years, let's not trouble her back and forth.

"Empress"

The Great Princess's face froze, and she looked at the ripples with some disbelief.

As for why Lord Rongshi has contracted this illness and the cause of it, I'm afraid only he knows best.

Upon hearing this, Rong Shijun even forgot to cough, abruptly raising his eyes to look at the Empress. He didn't even have time to conceal it.

"Phoenix Head!"

Ripple softly called out.

"Subordinates are here."

"Take things down."

Ripples softly instructed.

"Yes!"

In the next instant, a black figure leaped down from the beams of the room and placed two books on the table beside Lianyi.

"May I ask if you recognize these two scriptures"

When Rong Shijun saw that the two scriptures had been taken from the rafters of his bedroom, he realized that it was too late.

And the eldest princess' pupils shrank. These two books were personally delivered by her to the Empress, how could they appear in her father's room She suddenly realized something, turned her head and looked at her father.

Why is Mei Yuan retiring and returning to the countryside

When these two books of scriptures were placed in my bedroom, Mei Yuanzheng immediately noticed something amiss. Although the books had been scented with incense, he could still discern the harmful substances hidden within them.

This kind of thing will slowly invade a person's internal organs, harming the lungs. However, if an unskilled doctor diagnoses it initially, they would treat it as an ordinary wind-cold cough, missing the best treatment time. After entering the lungs, it will slowly turn into tuberculosis, and eventually the disease will reach its final stage.

Anyway, Mei Yuan has already retired from the capital. How could he discover that there was a problem with the scriptures Any problems are decided by Lian Yi.

After her words fell, the eldest princess's legs went weak and she knelt on the ground. As for Rong Shijun's expression, it calmed down instead. After coughing twice and wiping away the blood from his cough, he chuckled self-deprecatingly before speaking:

"So the Empress had Ma Yuan check my pulse, just to confirm if I had an ordinary cold or if it was caused by that chronic poison."

"Yes, I also found out that you were copying scriptures with a veil over your face. As for offering incense to the small Buddhist hall, it is true, and it is quite far from where you live. The three incense sticks you pray with every day are not lit by yourself as the Great Princess claimed, but by your maidservant."

So the queen returned the scriptures to me, letting me face the consequences myself.

"Yes, after all, if word got out that you assassinated the king, He'er and Nanny would lose their chance to inherit the throne."

Ripples said softly.

This startled the Great Princess, who raised her head. Meanwhile, Rong Shijun's coughing grew more intense. being protected but suffering backlashIf Lian'yi knew the emperor's true thoughts, she would definitely think his way of thinking was problematic.The magistrate of Jingzhao Prefecture didn't want to...