After Lou Yan locked himself up for half a month, he finally left the house.
When Xiao Chengye learned the news, he immediately sent a message asking him to enter the palace.
Lou Yan did not delay, changed his clothes, entered the palace, and went straight to the Emperor's Qinzheng Hall.
When Xiao Chengye saw his son, his heart suddenly became sour, and his tone became much darker: "How...how did you become so thin?"
His proud third child had become so thin in just a short period of time. The clothes on his body were empty.
Lou Yan's face was not very good, and there was still a circle of black and blue under his eyes. Faced with Xiao Chengye's concern, he just said lightly: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I'm fine."
Xiao Chengye: "..."
He felt choked in his heart and felt a little uncomfortable.
Before that, this son had called him "Father". But now that Lou Shulan passed away, this son changed his words again and was unwilling to call himself "Father" anymore.
Xiao Chengye sighed, but in the end he just said: "You...take good care of your body and don't let me worry."
Lou Yan agreed in a low voice, then looked up at Xiao Chengye and said, "Your Majesty, there is something I want to do."
Xiao Chengye now feels guilty for his son, not to mention doing one thing, even ten things.
"What do you want to do?" Xiao Chengye looked at Lou Yan and his tone was almost flattering: "As long as I can help you, I will definitely help you."
Lou Yan looked at Xiao Chengye steadily and said word by word: "Simple, I just want the truth."
Xiao Chengye: "...What do you mean?"
"She has always been in good health and rarely gets sick. Why did she suddenly contract tuberculosis just a few months after entering the womb?"
"Also, the doctors at the Imperial Hospital are all leaders in their profession. Why can't they even distinguish between tuberculosis and wind-cold? Why did they treat tuberculosis as wind-cold for so long? If Princess Anshun hadn't discovered something was wrong and exposed the truth, wouldn't that be the case?
She didn't understand until her death why a little Fenghan killed her?"
Every time Xiao Chengye heard a sentence, the muscles on his face twitched. By the time Lou Yan finished speaking, Xiao Chengye's face was already extremely ghastly and terrifying.
He stared at Lou Yan and said in a deep voice: "You mean, someone deliberately harmed her?"
Lou Yan: "I want to check."
Xiao Chengye closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then calmed down: "Third brother, no one wants her to get sick, but this has already happened, you..."
"I want to investigate!" Lou Yan's eyes turned red and he said every word, "I must investigate."
Xiao Chengye pursed his lips, and then said: "The harem is not something you can check if you want."
Lou Yan nodded and said, "Your Majesty does not allow it."
Xiao Chengye said nothing.
Lou Yan didn't say much more and just said, "In that case, I'll leave first."
After that, he turned around and walked out.
"Stop!" Xiao Chengye stared at Lou Yan's back and said in a deep voice: "What do you want to do? Don't mess around, otherwise I won't be able to protect you if something happens."
Lou Yan was silent for a moment, turned to look at Xiao Chengye, and said softly: "You are the emperor, you are rich in the world, and you have many worries. But I am different. I only have her, and I have no worries."
After saying that, he strode out of Qinzheng Hall.
Xiao Chengye frowned tightly, and after a while, he suddenly said: "Come here, send someone to keep an eye on the third prince. If there is anything suspicious about him, tell me immediately."
——
Qin Zhen was holding a jar of wine in her hand, standing by the window of Hongxue's room, looking down at the bustling crowd downstairs.
"You should drink less," Hongxue couldn't help but advise: "Drunkness is harmful to your health."
Qin Zhen smiled, raised her hand and shook the wine bottle in her hand: "Where are you going? Don't worry, you won't get drunk."
She turned around and sat by the window and asked, "Has Xiao Yao been here recently?"
Hongxue's eyes dimmed for a moment, then she shook her head and said, "Maybe he is busy with something. He hasn't been here for a long time."
I just paid him money on time every month, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Qin Zhen remembered that there were rumors in the palace recently that the queen suddenly fell ill, and Xiao Yao was afraid that he would stay with the queen to take care of her illness.
She didn't know whether this rumor was true or not before, but now it seems that it is true.
Qin Zhen couldn't help but sneer in her heart, is this a change of fortune?
It was midsummer when Lou Shulan died, but now that autumn has just begun, the queen fell ill.
Qin Zhen felt that this was probably retribution.
She put down the wine jar in her hand and stood up, waved to Hongxue and said, "Let's go."
Hongxue was stunned and a little disappointed: "Can't you stay a little longer?"
"No," Qin Zhen sighed, and said helplessly: "If someone catches me coming to a brothel, I will end up in a miserable place."
Her eldest brother would knock her on the head, and that pervert Lou Yan would give her painful tongue-numbing medicine. She couldn't afford to offend either of them.
Qin Zhen came out of Wanyan Building, bought a lively crucian carp on the street, and prepared to enter the palace with it.
Since Lou Shulan left, Qin Zhen has not entered the palace so frequently. Calculating carefully, the last time she entered the palace was half a month ago.
She thought that since the queen was ill, she might be able to go and watch the fun.
When she walked to the palace entrance carrying the fish, she happened to see the prince and his entourage coming out of the palace.
Qin Zhen turned her eyes and saw Lou Yan behind the prince.
The two's eyes met for a moment and then quickly moved away.
When Xiao Jue saw Qin Zhen, his eyes lit up and he walked over quickly.
"Zhen Zhen!" Xiao Jue's face was filled with joy, and his eyes were almost glued to Qin Zhen's face: "You... what are you doing?"
Before the sweet words came out of his mouth, he saw the fish in Qin Zhen's hand, and his expression suddenly became speechless.
Qin Zhen raised her hand to lift the fish and hit it on Xiao Jue's face: "What do you mean by this fish?"
Xiao Jue's expression changed and he quickly backed away, but he was still splashed with water by the crucian carp, and the tip of his nose was filled with a fishy smell.
Xiao Jue's face darkened: "Qin Zhen!"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!" Qin Zhen quickly put the fish down: "Are you okay?"
Xiao Jue pursed her lips, raised her hand to wipe the water from her face, and said patiently: "It's okay! It's just that you, the princess, are carrying fish like a mountain village woman?"
Qin Zhen lowered her head, feeling a little disappointed: "I... I heard that the Queen has been feeling unwell recently, so I went to the market to buy this fresh crucian carp. This kind of fish stew is the best way to nourish the body."
She looked up at Xiao Jue and said cautiously: "Isn't she your queen mother? I, I just want to do something for you."
Xiao Jue was still a little unhappy at first, but when he heard this, his heart suddenly softened.
"You don't have to do this," Xiao Jue said softly, "There are imperial doctors taking care of you, so you don't have to worry."
Qin Zhen: "I just want to do something for you."
Xiao Jue was so happy that he no longer disliked the smell of the fish. He actually took the fish and said: "You are so thoughtful, my mother will be happy to know. Let's go, I will accompany you in."