GTB Chapter 102

Chapter 102: I’m So Uncomfortable

Taijiao Hall, the banquet was about to begin, and everyone was taking their seats.

Ji Shutíng gazed towards the entrance of the hall, wondering why Jiang Jiuchu hadn’t arrived yet, even though the banquet was starting.

Not far from the hall, the little palace maid who led the way had been waiting in the shadows. Seeing that the banquet had begun and Noble Consort Yao had arrived, she quickly put on a flustered appearance and ran towards the hall.

However, before she could enter the hall, several eunuchs and guards rushed over from the side and stopped the palace maid right outside the hall.

Anxious, the palace maid quickly asked, “Why are you arresting me, Eunuch? I have something important to report to Noble Consort Yao.”

Governess Li hurried forward, examining the little palace maid with a scrutinizing gaze. “Something important, is it? That’s perfect. Save it to report to the Empress Dowager!”

The little palace maid’s face turned pale with shock. Confused about the situation, she was dragged away from the entrance of Taijiao Hall by two young eunuchs.

The people inside the hall watched the scene outside with puzzled expressions, not understanding what was happening. Seeing this, Noble Consort Yao quickly got up and walked towards the entrance of the hall.

Before she could step out of the hall, several guards entered the hall ahead of her and took away all the palace maids serving tea and water at the banquet.

The crowd looked at the scene before them in shock and confusion, not understanding what had happened.

Only Noble Consort Shu and Fan Yuwan exchanged a knowing glance, their eyes filled with unexpected shock.

They didn’t understand why, even though their plan had succeeded and the little palace maid was about to report, she was suddenly taken away. How could they be discovered at such a critical moment?

“Governess Li, what is this…?” Noble Consort Yao knew that Governess Li was a favorite of the Empress Dowager. Seeing this, she didn’t dare to say anything, but asked in a gentle, puzzled tone.

“Reporting to Noble Consort Yao, by order of the Empress Dowager, two guards who were plotting against the court have been caught, and they are colluding with the palace maids at today’s banquet.”

Governess Li had been instructed not to mention the aphrodisiac, nor did she want to explain further.

Noble Consort Yao was confused and didn’t understand what kind of subversive things the two guards could do, and how they were related to the palace maids at her banquet.

But having been in the harem for many years, she instantly smelled something unusual and felt that all of this was likely directed at her.

Her sharp eyes instantly swept over everyone she suspected in the room.

Unable to discern anything, she had no choice but to suppress her thoughts and instructed the governess beside her, “Governess Xiu, go and bring some more palace maids to serve tea.”

At this moment, Ji Shutíng, Shí Qingya, and Jiang Jiuche all felt inexplicably uneasy.

Jiang Jiuche and Shí Qingya exchanged a glance and understood each other’s intentions. The two immediately got up, and Shí Qingya said to Noble Consort Yao:

“Noble Consort Yao, I’m a little worried about the Imperial Grandmother. I’ll go and take a look with the Prince of the Concubine.”

Noble Consort Yao nodded. “If anything happens, send someone to notify me.”

“Okay.” Shí Qingya responded, and left the banquet hall with Jiang Jiuche.

“Ah Che, slow down.” Although Shí Qingya was holding Jiang Jiuche’s hand, she couldn’t quite keep up with his pace.

Seeing this, Jiang Jiuche picked Shí Qingya up in his arms, his pace even faster than before.

“Ah! What are you doing! Put me down quickly, this is the palace, it won’t be good if others see us.” Shí Qingya said, shyly looking around.

“My wife is pregnant and can’t walk, can’t I carry her? Who dares to say anything?”

Jiang Jiuche said, never stopping, but his arms holding Shí Qingya were very steady, without a trace of shaking.

He wasn’t just panicking, but when Ji Shutíng asked him about his sister, he felt uneasy.

Until the banquet began and he saw the Empress Dowager’s people come to arrest people, the uneasiness in his heart tightened, making it difficult for him to breathe, just like the state of mind when his sister was taken away nine years ago.

“Don’t worry, Seventh Brother doesn’t like to attend these banquets anyway. Jiuchu follows her husband, so it’s normal not to come. Maybe she’s chatting with the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace!”

Jiang Jiuche gave a soft “Hmm” and then said, “I just feel inexplicably flustered, I can only feel at ease when I see Jiuchu.”

At the Imperial Hospital, Shí Xiu grabbed the medicine as quickly as possible, so fast that the physicians next to him couldn’t remember what medicines he had grabbed.

Although Shí Xiu’s medical skills were not as good as the chief physician of the Imperial Hospital, he often made and refined medicine in Ling Shan Temple and was proficient in various medicinal properties, making him good at making medicine.

“Fifth Prince, do you want this old minister to help you decoct the medicine?” An old physician walked over and asked, he didn’t expect the Fifth Prince to understand medicine.

“No need.” Shí Xiu quickly put the medicine into the pot, added water and started a fire. But no matter how fast he was, he had to wait patiently for the steps of boiling over high heat and simmering over low heat.

At this moment, the image of the Qingfeng Taoist priest had long since disappeared. He stared at the flames at the bottom of the pot with narrowed cold eyes. His thoughts and anxiety were intertwined. Gradually, only the reflected flames remained in his eyes….

In Cining Palace, Jiang Jiuchu saw Shí Qingya coming over, stretched out her wet hands from the bathtub, and grabbed Shí Qingya’s arm resting on the edge of the bathtub.

She said in a hoarse and weak voice, “Sister-in-law, I’m so uncomfortable, I feel like I’m going to die.”

Shí Qingya patted Jiang Jiuchu’s wrist lightly with her other hand. Although she had never personally experienced the effect of the drug, she didn’t know how uncomfortable it was.

But she knew that if it wasn’t relieved, she would die from the evil fire running around.

“No, Jiuchu, bear with it, Seventh Brother will be here soon.”

As soon as Shí Qingya finished speaking, the door was pushed open, and the old nanny at the door shouted anxiously: “Consort can’t come in…”

Everyone in the house looked at Jiang Jiuche who broke in.

“Brother.” When Jiang Jiuchu saw her brother, the tears that were already overflowing from her eyes fell down at once.

“Consort, please go out! It won’t help if you come in.” The Empress Dowager looked at Jiang Jiuche who was about to step forward and immediately stopped him.

Jiang Jiuche heard the word “die” from his sister outside the door and broke in in fear.

He looked at Jiang Jiuchu sitting in the bathtub in a state of embarrassment and pity. His heart tightened, and he bowed his hands to the Empress Dowager, turned around and retreated without saying a word.

Jiang Jiuche, who had withdrawn from the door, had a cold face. The Jiang family had not made enemies and Jiuchu had rarely entered the palace. The nobles in Kyoto she knew were very few. Who was harming Jiuchu like this?

In the Seventh Prince’s mansion, in the study, Shí Yan had just opened the secret documents sent by the Lanji Pavilion about Shí Xiu’s investigation when Mu Feng’s voice suddenly came from outside the door.

“Your Highness, the hidden guards beside the Empress Dowager have been ordered to come and say they have something urgent to report.”

Shí Yan’s hand that had just unfolded the secret documents suddenly stopped, his expression changed instantly, and a bad premonition rushed into his heart.

“Come in.” He quickly put the letter in his hand into the drawer and walked out of the desk.

As soon as the black-clothed hidden guard stepped into the study, he immediately knelt on one knee, “The princess has been framed and poisoned with an aphrodisiac and is in Cining Palace. The Empress Dowager ordered…”

Before the black-clothed hidden guard could finish his words, he saw a shadow flash before his eyes. As a gust of wind swept past, Shí Yan’s figure disappeared before his eyes.

The hidden guard got up in astonishment and turned to walk out, but he still didn’t see any trace of Shí Yan’s figure.

He was amazed in his heart. He never knew that His Highness’s martial arts were so superb.