"boom!"
"Oh no, what happened!"
"Oh my god, there's an earthquake!"
Suddenly the hall shook, and screams rang out. Baili Chen was taken aback and said, "Send some men in to protect the guests. The rest of you, come with me to take a look."
"Stop...stopped?" As soon as Baili Chen finished speaking, the shaking of the hall stopped. Everyone was still in shock and couldn't react for a moment. "It doesn't seem like an earthquake?" The shaking lasted quite a short time.
Baili Chen waved his hand and said, "Take a few people to check what's going on. Everyone, please be calm. The Prince Chen's mansion is very well built, nothing will happen."
Everyone looked worried, but didn't say much, waiting for the guards from Prince Chen's residence to return and report.
A moment later, two people came out, their expressions somewhat strange: "Your Highness, we have found a strange Jingzhi in the back garden."
"Hmm?" Baili Chen frowned, his heart tightening. "Your Highness, please go and take a look." Ouyang Yue also said from the side. There was no other way. Looking at the curious expressions of everyone in the hall, they couldn't refuse to go and see.
Baili Chen nodded: "Take me to see what this strange thing is."
One after another, the crowd poured out of the hall and followed the people from Prince Chen's mansion all the way to the back garden. Before they even reached the back garden, someone pointed to the sky and exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, look what's that?"
"It's the glow of dawn! It's the glow of dawn!"
"Why is there a glow here? It hasn't rained for the past few days. Will there be a rainbow in the sky?"
"How strange."
"It seems to be coming from the back garden. Let's go check it out."
"Run!"
The group quickened their pace and arrived at the back garden. The energy radiating from the glow seemed even greater and more dazzling, shooting a beam of light into the air. The group rushed toward the source of the beam, only to find a well. At that moment, colorful light was emanating from the well and shooting into the sky. A linear beam of light hung in the sky, displaying colors such as red, yellow, purple, and blue, which was extremely eye-catching and beautiful.
"Is this...is this a blessing from Buddha?" someone in the crowd suddenly exclaimed, kneeling down to worship.
The others were also discussing it animatedly. They believed that unusual celestial phenomena often meant good or bad fortune, and that the colorful glow of the clouds was usually an auspicious sign. They were all filled with joy.
Ah, the glow of dawn!
"Something terrible has happened! Princess Lin has fainted!" Just then, someone in the crowd screamed.
"There's a doctor in the manor, quickly call him over to take a look," Ouyang Yue hurriedly said, her brows furrowing slightly. Things had been a bit chaotic with Sun Meng'er's situation, and Bai Ying's fainting was also ill-timed. Fortunately, a doctor had been called earlier, but Sun Meng'er refused to have her pulse taken because she was too embarrassed, and the doctor hadn't had time to leave yet.
Immediately, he hurriedly helped Bai Ying to the guest room to rest.
"Cough cough..." Baili Chang covered his mouth, looking anxious, but he coughed violently in anger. He looked even worse than Bai Ying, as if he could cough himself to death at any moment.
"Fourth Prince, go and rest and have some tea to calm your nerves," Baili Chen said with concern. Baili Chang could only nod, clutching his chest; his cough had really made his chest hurt. Baili Chen was the last to leave. He glanced at the sunset glow in the sky; the colors were slowly fading. But with the sunset glow still in the sky, it was likely that more than just the group of people in the Prince Chen's residence had noticed it. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Send men to guard this place and don't allow anyone to approach. I will come back to check on it later."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The reason Bai Ying fainted surprised many people.
"Congratulations, Prince Lin! Congratulations, Prince Lin! Princess Lin is pregnant!" When the doctor said this with a smile after taking her pulse, everyone in the room was stunned. Baili Chang was so shocked that he didn't come to his senses for a long time. He only came to his senses when he had difficulty breathing and started coughing violently. He hurriedly grabbed the doctor and said, "Are you telling the truth? Are you sure you didn't misdiagnose her pulse? Is the Princess really pregnant? Are you sure?" Baili Chang's face was full of surprise and doubt, and he still looked like he couldn't believe it.
"What? Princess Lin is pregnant? Really?!" Sun Meng'er also seemed completely incredulous.
Baili Zhi was strong and healthy, and he didn't even have many concubines in his household. Baili Chang, on the other hand, coughed constantly and was practically dying. He only had Princess Bai Ying in his household, yet Bai Ying had become pregnant first. She had always suspected that with Baili Chang's health, he might not even be able to leave any heirs before he died. How could anyone accept that he was pregnant first? Even Ning Xishan and Leng Caidie looked grim. They had both married strong and healthy princes; they hadn't, but Baili Chang, this sickly man, was pregnant first.
Putting aside the women's jealousy and disbelief, even Baili Zhi and Baili Mao looked displeased, much better than Baili Chang and the others. To be beaten to it like this, putting aside other issues, their male pride couldn't bear it; it was truly a slap in the face.
"Yes, Your Highness, it's true. Princess Lin's pulse is very stable. As long as she takes good care of herself, she will definitely give birth to the child safely." The doctor said with a smile. In fact, doctors love to examine the pulse of a pregnant woman. Doctors deal with patients all the time, and they really enjoy sharing in such joyful events. Not only does it make them feel good, but it also brings them more rewards.
"Really, this...this is for you, Erzi, quickly give the doctor a red envelope." Sure enough, the next moment Baili Chang excitedly said to his subordinates, directly stuffing a jade pendant that he always wore into the doctor's hand, and also had his attendant give the doctor a very heavy purse. The doctor smiled and took the reward money and left.
Because Sun Meng'er had embarrassed herself before, in order to save some face for her, the imperial physician was not invited. This doctor rarely had the opportunity to enter the palace to examine the pulses of various nobles. He left satisfied with all the treatments he had given.
"Congratulations, Prince Lin, you are truly blessed."
"Today is truly a day of double joy! The Crown Prince of Chen is celebrating his first birthday with a traditional Chinese divination ceremony, and Princess Lin has also been diagnosed with a pulse. It is truly a day of celebration!"
"This is a good omen..."
Another round of congratulations filled the room. The expressions of those from the Prince Zhi's and Prince Sheng's residences were not good. Baili Zhi was alright, able to control his expression. He only changed his expression briefly before calmly offering his congratulations. Baili Mao, however, was full of jealousy, and his tone was somewhat harsh. But Baili Chang was in a good mood and didn't bother with him. It probably wouldn't be like that. Baili Chang wouldn't bother with him either. He had always been an invisible person among the princes, dispensable, and the least likely to offend anyone.
"Hmm, that glow outside just now, I wonder if it was because of the Crown Prince of Chen, or because of the baby in Princess Lin's belly..."
"Yes, Princess Lin fainted suddenly when she saw that scene. Could it be related to this?"
"Could it be that Princess Lin is carrying a child who will receive great blessings and good fortune?"
"Then he must be a young prince."
"How lucky she is to have a boy as her first child..."
"That's right, that's right..."
Baili Chang's expression changed upon hearing this, and he quickly said, "The doctor can't even determine whether it's a boy or a girl yet, how can he be so sure? Please stop joking."
"Hehehe, King Lin is too modest. What just happened was too coincidental. Perhaps it was a blessing from heaven."
"The child that Princess Lin is carrying is bound to be extraordinary."
Sun Meng'er listened from the side and couldn't help but sneer. Her anger and jealousy from when she first heard the news had subsided. It was timely for Bai Ying's pregnancy to be exposed. Although she didn't know what the rosy light was all about, it was probably related to the Chen Prince's Mansion. Today was Baili Su's first birthday celebration, and the rosy light came at just the right moment. If word got out, people would say that Baili Su was blessed by heaven. Just for this blessing, Baili Su would probably be guaranteed the position of Crown Prince. Emperor Mingxian already liked Baili Chen very much, and with this, it would be icing on the cake. The Chen Prince's Mansion would have an even greater chance of winning the throne in the end. Now that Bai Ying's pregnancy has been revealed at this time, it will be difficult for the Chen Prince's Mansion to gain a good reputation from this. What a coincidence! Bai Ying fainted there and was found to be pregnant at the Chen Prince's Mansion. It seems that Baili Chang's child is more likely to be blessed. Besides, Baili Chang is of low birth and has poor health, so he is unlikely to compete for the throne. But the child in Bai Ying's belly is. It seems that the Chen Prince's Mansion and the Lin Prince are bound to fight. She can sit back and reap the benefits. However, the Lin Prince's Mansion is currently weak and alone. If it really fights with the Chen Prince's Mansion, it will definitely lose. It seems that she still needs to use the method she used to deal with Baili Su. She should help the Lin Prince's Mansion.
At the same time, the Chengxiang Hall and Anle Hall were shrouded in gloom. The Empress Dowager sat on the throne, frowning as she listened: "What exactly happened? Why have all the flowers and plants outside withered?"
"Your Majesty, I don't know, she was fine this morning, and suddenly... she withered."
At this moment, Granny Zhan walked in, carrying a pot of original peony flowers. The flower branches, which had just sprouted buds and had green leaves, had now bent over like an old woman in her twilight years. They looked listless and on the verge of death, which made the Empress Dowager's face darken.
It turned out that in the two hours prior, the flowers and plants in Chengxiang Palace had suddenly begun to wither one by one. Initially, it was thought to be due to poor service from the palace maids, but when questioned, they all denied it, saying they had done everything as usual and had no idea why the flowers had withered. Thinking about it, this made sense. These maids were specifically responsible for the flowers and plants in Chengxiang Palace; if anything happened to them, they would be the first people to be consulted. Furthermore, although the Empress Dowager was gentle, she was extremely strict about rules. Anyone who dared to be disrespectful would be punished, as she wasn't as benevolent as a bodhisattva. No one in Chengxiang Palace dared to be so lazy, so the possibility of human intervention was indeed quite low.
The Empress Dowager then ordered an investigation to find the cause, but after a long time, they had no clue whatsoever. It was as if the plants had suddenly been stimulated and withered, which was very strange. Meanwhile, news came from the Empress's Anle Palace and Consort Sun's residence that the flowers and plants in the palace had withered. The other palaces were fine, which made the incident even stranger. The more one thought about it, the more creepy it became. This did not seem like a good omen.
The Empress Dowager said with a stern face, "Have someone replant another batch. What important event is happening today?"
Granny Zhan handed the flowerpot to someone, then waved her hand, and the palace servants went to replant it. This displeased the Empress Dowager, and today all the flowers and plants had to be replaced. No one dared to delay.
Then Granny Zhan said, "Your Majesty, if we're talking about the most important event today, it's only the first birthday celebration for the heir of Prince Chen's mansion."
The Empress Dowager raised an eyebrow slightly: "Go and investigate what happened."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Over there, the first birthday celebration for Baili Su at Prince Chen's residence had ended, and it was time for the banquet. The atmosphere was joyful. Before long, Granny Zhan came to report: "Your Majesty, I heard that today at Prince Chen's residence... just as everyone was watching the sunset, Princess Lin fainted, and then it was discovered that she was pregnant."
The Empress Dowager pondered, "Is that so? The rosy clouds, appearing so coincidentally at Prince Chen's residence, and Princess Lin coincidentally being diagnosed with pregnancy. People were then sent to examine Princess Lin to see if it was indeed pregnancy." But then, as if talking to herself, the Empress Dowager added, "But is this anomaly for Prince Chen's residence or Prince Lin's?"
Granny Zhan remained silent, but the Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes and said, "Do you believe such nonsense?"
Granny Zhan opened her mouth, but didn't know how to answer. Although it felt strange and impossible, so many people saw the glow of the sunset, and the matter was indeed so strange that it was impossible not to believe it. Most importantly, while the sky was full of glow over there, the flowers and plants in the palaces of the Empress Dowager, the Empress, and Consort Sun were withered. Could this mean that this person who was supposed to have great fortune was actually bringing great disaster to the Empress Dowager and the others? Or was it that the young princes of the Lin Prince's Mansion and the Chen Prince's Mansion were a blessing and a curse respectively? But who was the blessing and who was the curse? Now that these events had occurred so closely together, no one could say for sure.
But clearly, this will cause a huge uproar...
In the imperial study, Emperor Mingxian, who was writing calligraphy, listened to Fushun's report. Suddenly, his hand wobbled, the brush paused, and a large patch of black ink stained the paper. A small wisp of the finely crafted brush had fallen off. For the emperor's belongings, such a damaged item should have been discarded. Emperor Mingxian looked at the brush and paper and his brows slowly furrowed: "Oh, this is strange indeed, quite interesting."
Fu Shun carefully observed Emperor Mingxian. He noticed that Emperor Mingxian's brows were slightly furrowed, but he was looking at the paper and pen. Apart from that, he could not discern any emotion from the emperor. Even Fu Shun, the chief eunuch who was by Emperor Mingxian's side, could not figure out what Emperor Mingxian was thinking at this moment. "Since there is such an interesting matter, and it is also a strange thing, you can pass on the message that in two days, the fourth prince and the seventh prince should bring the princess to the palace. I will reward them. Oh, and bring the young prince as well."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Fu Shun pondered whether this was a good reward or a punishment.
After the banquet at Prince Chen's residence ended, because of all the events that had occurred that day, no one lingered. Instead, they left in twos and threes, still discussing the matter animatedly. The events of the day had been truly astonishing to them, and they kept debating how it all unfolded. Of course, once they left Prince Chen's residence, rumors about what had happened in the palace continued to circulate.
In the back garden of Prince Chen's mansion, Leng Sha was drawing a bucket of water from the well. He then sent someone down into the well with a rope. Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue squatted down to examine the water Leng Sha had drawn. They first used silver needles and various other tools to check the water. Seeing that there was no poison, Ouyang Yue, Baili Chen, Leng Sha, and the others poured some water and tasted it. It didn't seem to have any strange taste.
At this moment, the person who went down into the well also came up. As soon as he stood up, he took out a paper package from his belt and handed it over: "Your Highness and Princess, we have found something around the well wall."
Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue's expressions changed. Sure enough, there was something strange about this well. While they were thinking, Leng Sha opened the paper package. When Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue saw the contents of the paper package, their eyes narrowed and their gazes became deep!
☆、255、Inability to get an erection!
Inside the paper packet were some powders in various colors, including red, yellow, purple, and blue. Leng Sha examined them first, and after confirming they were non-toxic, handed them to Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue. Ouyang Yue reached out, pinched some powder, and smelled it. She frowned slightly and said, "It seems to be some kind of phosphorus powder."
"Phosphorus powder?" Baili Chen asked in confusion.
"To put it simply, phosphorus powder is a flammable substance. One of the things you've always been wary of seeing will-o'-the-wisps on graves at night is actually the effect of the reaction of substances left behind after a person dies. It's a naturally formed thing. Those will-o'-the-wisps emit a ghostly blue light. Do you think the blue glow in the sky just now resembled those will-o'-the-wisps?" Actually, there could be more explanations for phosphorus powder, such as chemical reactions, but explaining something in this place would require ten or twenty times the understanding, which was too troublesome. She didn't think she would fully utilize it, so it was better to keep it brief.
"Is this what will-o'-the-wisps are caused by?" Baili Chen wasn't afraid of ghosts, but he had actually seen will-o'-the-wisps before, so when Ouyang Yue mentioned it, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes and ask, somewhat finding it hard to believe.
"Yes, if I have time, I can demonstrate it for you."
Leng Sha looked at the phosphorus powder in Ouyang Yue's hand, somewhat puzzled: "But just now there were several colors, that is to say, each of these phosphorus powders was counted as a color of radiance, and then when put together they looked strange."
Ouyang Yue nodded: "This seems difficult, but it's not absolute. It's normal for there to be extraordinary people in this world. Maybe someone will figure it out." Gunpowder, one of the Four Great Inventions of ancient China, was invented in ancient times. Ouyang Yue never dared to underestimate the wisdom of the ancients; otherwise, she would have died long ago when she transmigrated.
Baili Chen's eyes narrowed immediately: "So someone deliberately put this thing in the well in the back garden of the Prince's Mansion. The strange thing in the sky is clearly aimed at the Prince Chen's Mansion."
"It seems so." But they can't be sure who it is yet, though it's clear the other party came prepared.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, a eunuch from the palace has come to deliver the message." Chuncao walked over and said. Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue exchanged a glance, put down the phosphorus powder in their hands, and said to Leng Sha, "Keep the things safe. They might come in very useful later."
"yes."
As Chuncao left with Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue, she couldn't help but glance back at Leng Sha. Leng Sha's usually icy face turned slightly up at Chuncao's lips. Chuncao's eyes flashed, and she turned her head away, no longer looking at him, though her steps seemed a little unsteady.
A blue-robed eunuch was sitting on the side of the hall, followed by two attendant eunuchs. When he saw Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue come out, he immediately stepped forward and bowed with a smile: "This servant greets Prince Chen and Princess Chen."
"Oh, it's Eunuch Li! Please rise. Who in the palace could possibly send a message that would trouble you so much? I'm truly sorry for the inconvenience." Although Baili Chen's face remained expressionless, he still uttered a polite remark. Eunuch Li was one of the eunuchs who delivered imperial decrees outside the palace and was also one of the top eunuchs in the palace. Although he wasn't as fortunate as Emperor Mingxian, he was still among the top five in the palace. In the palace, sometimes the most difficult person to offend was one's master. Some servants who seemed unreliable could stab you in the back at crucial moments.
"What are you saying? This servant is destined to be a busybody. Besides, this time it was an imperial edict from His Majesty himself, so this servant dared not neglect it." Eunuch Li was just an ordinary-looking person, even somewhat sinister-looking, giving people a feeling of ill intent. His voice was also a little off when he said this.
Baili Chen said "Oh": "What imperial edict did Father Emperor issue?"
"Listen carefully, Prince Chen! It is hereby decreed that you, Prince Chen, shall bring your Princess and Heir to the palace tomorrow for an audience with His Majesty. This is the imperial decree!"
"Your subject obeys!" Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue both bowed slightly as a symbolic gesture. This was not an imperial edict, so there was no need to kowtow or perform a grand ceremony. However, the content of the edict made Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue exchange a glance, both seeing a hint of worry in each other's eyes. Ouyang Yue stood up and gave Chuncao a wink. As one of Ouyang Yue's head maids, Chuncao had frequent contact with high-ranking officials and nobles and had long been trained to carry at least three or five purses with her for emergencies. These purses ranged in size and were naturally given to people of different statuses.
At this moment, Chuncao took out the largest purse, which was about the size of a palm and embroidered with a picture of fish playing among lotus flowers, symbolizing wealth and good fortune. Chuncao walked over with a smile and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Li. This is a small token of the Prince and Princess's appreciation. They asked you eunuchs to buy some wine to quench their thirst." She smiled, but her actions were somewhat involuntary as she stuffed the purse into Eunuch Li's hand, looking very eager.
Eunuch Li was an old hand who frequented both inside and outside the palace, so he understood that Chuncao was giving him face. He didn't refuse, smiling, "It's all thanks to Prince Chen and Princess Chen's consideration. This servant will respectfully comply." As he spoke, he weighed the purse; it didn't seem as heavy as he'd expected. His fingers couldn't help but slip into the purse's pocket, and after rubbing it, he felt several paper-like pieces inside. Eunuch Li's smile deepened. There was no gold or silver inside; it was probably silver notes.
“That’s only right.” Ouyang Yue smiled and casually said, “I wonder how Father and Grandmother are feeling these days. The young master just had his first birthday celebration, and the prince is planning to go to the palace to pay his respects.”
Eunuch Li was silent for a moment, but then he thought of the purse he had just received, which was no secret and would be known by the people of Prince Chen's mansion sooner or later, so he said, "His Majesty and Empress Dowager are in good health, but something strange happened in the palace today."
"What strange thing is this? Could Eunuch Li explain it to me in detail?" Ouyang Yue asked, looking quite gossipy.
Eunuch Li coughed lightly and said, "Today, all the flowers and plants that were blooming well in the palaces of the Empress Dowager and Consort Sun have withered. They withered so quickly that it was impossible to stop them, as if they had been bewitched."
Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue froze, suddenly realizing that if the glowing light was intentional, then the withered grass in the palace was definitely related to humans as well. It seemed like something supernatural, but Ouyang Yue had just explained the phosphorescent powder, so Baili Chen naturally didn't believe in any supernatural beings. Such supernatural actions could be done by anyone, so it was clear that someone was trying to frame them.