In the grand hall, the Longshun Emperor was originally sitting at the head of the banquet table in a carefree manner, his fingers tapping the chair back idly to the rhythm of the musicians. His cloudy eyes were glued to the graceful figures of the dancing girls.
Various scenes kept flashing through his mind.
Suddenly, everything was interrupted by Yan Wu's startled cry.
How annoying!
The Longshun Emperor's eyes swept towards Yan Wu with displeasure, then fell upon Li Shuchen.
Oh, it turns out his adopted son was coughing up blood.
Having grown accustomed to seeing food tasters occasionally spit out similar black blood, the Longshun Emperor quickly concluded — Li Shuchen had been poisoned.
The Longshun Emperor nearly burst out laughing.
Then, remembering that Li Shuchen still had his uses, he forced back his amusement and squeezed out an expression of grief and anger.
"Summon the imperial physician!"
A short while later.
The imperial physician gave the same diagnosis: "Your Majesty, Prince An has indeed been poisoned. Fortunately, His Highness is blessed by heaven. He didn't eat much of the venison, and after inducing vomiting and taking a few doses of detoxifying medicine, he should recover in a few days."
Hearing the physician say the problem was with the venison, the Longshun Emperor was suddenly alarmed.
If he hadn't cleverly awarded the venison to Li Shuchen, it might have been Yu'er who was poisoned now!
The Longshun Emperor flew into a rage, his face tightening as he spat out a vicious word through clenched teeth: "Investigate!"
"The Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate shall jointly oversee this matter. You must get to the bottom of this!"
He was determined to root out the mastermind behind this and have them torn to pieces!
He only had one true son, Yu'er, and despite his diligent efforts in recent years, he had yet to produce another heir.
Therefore, he viewed the Second Prince, Li Shuyu, as his life's hope.
For Yu'er's sake, he had spared Li Shuchen's life and even made him Prince An, all because his most trusted Eunuch Feng said: Li Shuchen could serve as a shield for Yu'er.
He had originally thought that with Li Shuchen standing in front, Yu'er would be much safer.
Who would have thought that this plate of venison was actually meant for Yu'er?
It must be that his acting wasn't good enough. The venomous snake hiding in the shadows must have seen through his facade and realized that Yu'er was his most beloved.
Thankfully, he had awarded the venison to Li Shuchen.
The Longshun Emperor breathed a sigh of relief and secretly resolved to improve his acting skills.
First, he had to show how much he cared for Li Shuchen!
The Longshun Emperor darkened his expression and had all the palace servants who had handled the venison thrown into prison.
The emperor's wrath sent shivers through his officials.
The great hall fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.
At this point, the Longshun Emperor turned to show great concern for Li Shuchen, sparing no effort to elevate him to the position of "the emperor's most beloved prince."
The imperial physician quickly brought medicine to induce vomiting. After drinking it, Li Shuchen "accidentally" vomited all over the Longshun Emperor.
In an instant, a vein bulged on the Longshun Emperor's temple.
Li Shuchen said weakly, "Your son has behaved disgracefully. Please punish me, Father Emperor."
"......"
After all, this was his "most beloved" son, so of course he had to forgive him.
The Longshun Emperor stiffly patted his shoulder: "It's nothing. I was standing too close to you. You'll stay in the palace tonight to recuperate properly."
A dark light flashed in Li Shuchen's eyes as he feigned trepidation: "Thank you for your love, Father Emperor, but this isn't proper......"
Seeing that he still had the strength to speak, the Longshun Emperor thought to himself: What a strong constitution.
The more he looked, the more irritated he became!
So, pretending to reluctantly agree to his request, he said: "Since you feel more at ease returning to your manor, we'll do as you wish."
At the Longshun Emperor's signal, Li Shuchen was moved onto a sedan chair, with the imperial physician accompanying him back to the Duke of An Manor.
The Longshun Emperor showered him with words of concern, but when it came to precious medicines like century-old ginseng, he couldn't bear to part with even a single root.
After the palace banquet ended, the Longshun Emperor took his usual tonic pill and went to the Luhua Pool in high spirits to favor the dancing girls, actively trying to produce an heir.
If only he could be as prolific as the late Prince Zhong, he would be able to dispose of Li Shuchen at will.
Thinking of this, the Longshun Emperor thrust forward with renewed vigor.
At the same hour, Li Shuchen returned to the Duke of An Manor, first took an antidote pill, then bathed and changed his clothes before silently entering a secret passage, bringing Yan Wu and Yan Qinghe with him as they rushed towards Qinghuan Court.
Inside Qinghuan Court, Xu Nanny and the other maids had already been plied with alcohol by the Eldest Sister and Second Sister, and now only their own people remained awake.
However......
Eldest Sister stammered, "Your Highness, the County Princess hasn't returned yet......"
?
"The County Princess doesn't know you're coming. She's currently at Qingsong Court, celebrating the New Year's Eve with the Song family."
As she finished speaking, Eldest Sister keenly noticed that her master's aura had shifted from joyful to melancholic.
She hurriedly tried to remedy the situation: "Should I find a way to lure the County Princess back?"
"No need."
Li Shuchen spoke softly, tilting his head to gaze at the hazy moon.
It's rare for A'Huan to have relatives who care for her.
This year, let her be with the Song family.
Next year, when he marries A'Huan, won't he have plenty of opportunities to spend New Year's Eve with her?
Under the moonlight, Li Shuchen stood tall and elegant, looking off in the direction of Qingsong Court.
Guessing his thoughts, Second Sister boldly said, "Your Highness, you're looking in the wrong direction. Qingsong Court is that way......"
Suddenly, Li Shuchen felt a sharp pain in his calf again.
His brows furrowed slightly. He had left in a hurry today and hadn't brought his wheelchair.
But he didn't want to go back yet, in case A'Huan returned and he could see her.
So, he decided to wait for her in bed.
Qi Huan was completely unaware of this.
She had just come down from the mahjong table with her winnings when Old Lady Song and Elder Madam Song pressed two more purses into her hands.
"Take these. This is the New Year's money your great-grandmother owes you for seventeen years."
Old Lady Song forcefully stuffed a heavy purse into Qi Huan's arms, filled with gold nuggets.
She had pawned some jewelry to get these.
It was Huan'er's first New Year back with the family, so naturally, it had to be celebrated properly.
At the same time, the purse given by Elder Madam Song was also not light, but it contained silver ingots.
It wasn't that she thought less of Huan'er, but she had three other children to consider.
Within her means, what she had given to Qi Huan was already quite generous.
Having lived two lives, this was the first time Qi Huan had received so much New Year's money.
Knowing the Song family's stubborn nature, and that one shouldn't refuse a gift from elders, she temporarily accepted the money.
After her restaurant opens, she would find a way to repay the Song family.
As the distant bell tower rang out the midnight chimes, the 16th year of the Longshun Era faded into history.
Maids filed in, bringing plate after plate of dumplings.
Dumplings symbolize the transition from old to new, the passing of time. The word for "midnight" contains the character for "child," which sounds like "dumpling," carrying the meaning of welcoming good fortune. It embodies the Li Country people's beautiful hopes for the new year.
Before everyone started eating, Elder Madam Song reminded them, "There are copper coins wrapped inside some of the dumplings. Be careful when you eat."
"Whoever gets a coin will have abundant wealth and good luck in the coming year!"
Just as Elder Madam Song finished speaking, Qi Huan bit into a copper coin.
She was delighted, but then suddenly realized that everyone else in the Song family had also found coins.
Most absurdly, every single dumpling left in the bowl contained a coin.
It was clear how desperately Elder Madam Song wanted the whole family to become wealthy together.
Qi Huan struggled through a bowl of dumplings.
As soon as she put down her chopsticks, an attentive maid immediately offered her a cup of tea to rinse her mouth.
She had just spit out a mouthful of tea when she saw Young Madam Song cover her mouth, turn away, and start retching.
