"It hurts..."
Suddenly, a young girl's cry of pain sounded, reminding everyone of Shen Ningyu's presence.
"Miss Shen, are you alright?"
Zhiqiu immediately walked over to help Shen Ningyu up.
"Let go of me! I won't allow a lowly shuang'er like you to touch me!" Shen Ningyu pushed Zhiqiu's hand away and stood up by herself. Then, she stole a shy, timid glance at Li Jin. "Your Highness, thank you for saving me earlier."
"I was only saving the Seventh Prince," Li Jin replied coldly.
The underlying meaning was that saving Shen Ningyu was merely incidental.
"It wasn't like that at all. You saw me fall and immediately dealt with the snake," Shen Ningyu completely ignored the moment Li Jin supported Ying Yuan just now. "Your Highness, I will remember your kindness to me."
After saying this, Shen Ningyu blushed with embarrassment and ran away.
"..."
Seeing this, Li Jin couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. Li Jin was certain that Shen Ningyu had definitely interpreted it differently. In his previous life, Shen Ningyu often acted like this, frequently misunderstanding his words.
"Is this Miss Shen... alright?"
Zhiqiu was also stunned by Shen Ningyu's words.
Shuang'er held the lowest status in Da Xia, so he didn't mind Shen Ningyu's earlier attitude towards him. However, her interpretation just now truly surprised Zhiqiu.
"Zhiqiu, no need to pay attention to him. Let's go to the Imperial Hospital first," Ying Yuan said, signaling Zhiqiu not to delay because of an unimportant person.
"Yes."
Zhiqiu immediately understood, suppressing his curiosity about Shen Ningyu, and quickly led Li Jin and the others towards the Imperial Hospital.
"Sister Ningyu, so you are here." Not long after Shen Ningyu retraced her steps, Ying Ziheng saw her and walked over happily, blocking her path.
Seeing Ying Ziheng approach, Shen Ningyu performed a bow and said, "Greetings, Second Prince."
Ying Ziheng frowned slightly. "Sister Ningyu, calling me Second Prince is too formal. Just like before, call me cousin directly."
"Father said that propriety must be observed. Moreover, if others were to hear me address you so informally, they would surely criticize you for it. I could not bear to hear such talk about you, Second Prince. I hope you can understand."
These words were what Shen Chaoyan told Shen Ningyu to memorize before attending the palace banquet today, specifically for if she encountered Ying Ziheng saying something similar to what he just said.
Sure enough.
Shen Ningyu's words quickly had an effect. After hearing them, Ying Ziheng indeed became more restrained and did not insist that Shen Ningyu call him cousin.
At the same time.
Ying Ziheng's favorable impression of Shen Ningyu increased even more. "Thank you, Sister Ningyu, for considering me."
"It is only right."
Shen Ningyu responded with a smile.
Unbeknownst to him.
After meeting Li Jin, Shen Ningyu had begun to find Ying Ziheng's presence very annoying, and even that slight fondness she once had for him was gone.
Shen Ningyu subtly avoided Ying Ziheng's gaze. "By the way, may I ask why Second Prince was looking for me?"
"Ah, it's like this..."
Ying Ziheng then told her about the conversation they had earlier.
"Ah, so the Fifth Princess isn't here. No wonder I couldn't find her just now," Shen Ningyu lied without blushing or panting. "Then let's hurry back. I'm afraid Father and Mother will worry."
Ying Ziheng offered eagerly, "Sister Ningyu, let me show you the way."
"Thank you, Second Prince." Shen Ningyu accepted Ying Ziheng's offer, though her gaze drifted back toward the path she had just left, a faint disappointment flickering in her eyes.
If only it were Heir Li standing before me now.
As she looked at Ying Ziheng, Shen Ningyu found herself unconsciously imagining Li Jin in his place.
"Uh... Sister Ningyu, why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?" Perhaps because Shen Ningyu's gaze was too intense, Ying Ziheng soon noticed something unusual and asked, pretending to be puzzled.
In his heart, he was secretly overjoyed.
I knew Sister Ningyu has feelings for me.
"It's... it's nothing... Let's just go quickly." Realizing she had unintentionally mistaken Ying Ziheng for Li Jin, Shen Ningyu stiffened, then walked off, leaving Ying Ziheng behind.
"Sister Ningyu, wait for me."
That night.
As soon as Yang Shaochuan learned the news of Helian Yuxi's suicide from the eunuch who came to report, he immediately relayed it to Ying Zhengjing. "Your Majesty, Consort Shu has taken her own life."
After hearing this, Ying Zhengjing continued reviewing memorials indifferently and said coldly, "Yang Shaochuan, convey Our decree: Consort Shu died of illness in the palace. She is to be buried with the rites appropriate for a consort."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Yang Shaochuan received the order, bowed respectfully to Ying Zhengjing, and immediately withdrew to announce the decree.
"Consort Shu, Consort Shu, you certainly understand Us. Knowing We would secretly bestow poisoned wine, you took your own life before We could act. But do you not know that what We hate most is being manipulated? If you wish to imitate Noble Consort Rong, you must first ask if We agree."
Ying Zhengjing's face instantly darkened.
Ying Zhengjing changed Helian Yuxi's suicide to death by illness and ordered her burial with consort rites merely to preserve the royal family's dignity and to prevent officials from becoming disheartened. After all, Ying Zihui was now a meritorious subject. If it had become known that his birth mother had committed suicide in the palace at that time, it would have inevitably led to public speculation. That was why Ying Zhengjing had issued such a decree.
But after this incident.
Ying Zhengjing was completely disappointed in Ying Zihui.
Imperial Hospital.
When Li Jin and the other two arrived at the Imperial Hospital, before Zhiqiu could even speak, Ying Yuan rushed in first to call for the physicians. "Li Jin is unwell. Quickly, examine him."
"Greetings, Seventh Prince."
The physicians were not unfamiliar with such requests, and initially intended to ignore it. But when they looked up and saw it was the adopted son of the current Empress, they all stopped what they were doing and bowed to Ying Yuan.
As for Li Jin, they only knew he was referred to as the Heir Apparent, but did not know his full name and had never seen him in person. Therefore, when Ying Yuan mentioned the name 'Li Jin' earlier, the physicians had no particular reaction.
Seeing the physicians only focused on bowing to him, Ying Yuan grew anxious. "Hurry up and check Li Jin's pulse."
Li Jin shook his head. "Seventh Prince, there's no hurry. It's not certain that anything is wrong with me."
"No."
Ying Yuan shook his head vigorously, determined not to rest until the physicians examined Li Jin.
"Uh..." At Ying Yuan's incoherent words, the physicians looked at each other in confusion. You want us to check his pulse, but you need to tell us the symptoms first, right?
However, after this exchange between Ying Yuan and Li Jin, the physicians finally understood that the patient was Li Jin. "Honorable physicians, may I ask where Wang Quande, Physician Wang, is?" Zhiqiu knew very well that Wang Quande in the palace had always treated Li Jin's illness. So, after looking around and not seeing Wang Quande among the physicians, he asked.
Wang Quande was the head of the Imperial Hospital. After Zhiqiu's question, a physician immediately replied, "Chief Wang has gone to Consort Chun's place to take her routine pulse."
This was troublesome.
A flash of annoyance passed through Zhiqiu's eyes.
Shen Qianxue was only kind on the surface. If they sent someone to summon Physician Wang, Shen Qianxue would inevitably find out that Li Jin was unwell, and might deliberately prevent Wang Quande from coming.
The physicians were familiar with the favorites of the Empress. Hearing Zhiqiu's question, one physician stepped forward and asked, "Attendant Zhiqiu, may I ask who this young gentleman is?"
"The heir apparent of the Prince of Dingbei."
As soon as Zhiqiu said this, Li Jin's identity immediately caused the physicians, who had initially been eager, to lose interest.
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