Yi Qing knew that the thirty thousand taels of silver wasn't for free. The dog emperor would surely find a way to get something back.
"It's just a visit to the palace. You can also have a chat with the queen. The Xie family has taken the biggest hit this time. Lady Xie has cried in the palace several times. The queen has ordered her to stay at home to recuperate. Otherwise, God knows what kind of mess it would be," Xiao Jinghan wanted Yi Qing to understand the gravity of the situation.
Only then did Yi Qing look down at Xiao Jinghan. "Then why did no one come to visit Duke Xie after I stopped them from coming in?"
"Um..." Xiao Jinghan didn't know how to explain.
"Ruo Hong," Yi Qing called out.
Ruo Hong came in and bowed. "Madam."
"How did those who came to visit Duke Xie leave?" Yi Qing asked directly.
Ruo Hong glanced at his general. It seemed the general hadn't told the madam yet. "The general sealed off the entire street in front of the general's mansion and ordered that anyone who came to visit Duke Xie was suspected of having ulterior motives and would be sent directly to the Supreme Court."
Yi Qing looked at Xiao Jinghan in disbelief. She was just curious why her words had been so effective this time. Once she said no one was allowed to visit Duke Xie, no one came.
"Aren't you annoyed by those people? So I got rid of them," Xiao Jinghan said calmly.
Yi Qing looked at Xiao Jinghan. This was his idea of "getting rid of them"?
"Isn't this a bit too high - profile?" Yi Qing leaned on Xiao Jinghan's arm and whispered.
"I've had the same thought. So I'd like to discuss it with you. How about buying all the mansions on this street? That way, it won't affect others."
Yi Qing thought Xiao Jinghan might have a misunderstanding about what "high - profile" meant. "Forget it. We'll go to the palace tomorrow. Duke Xie's condition is probably not going to improve much. Just let the Xie family take him away, and everything will be fine."
"Do you mean Duke Xie won't be the same as before?"
"Yes," Yi Qing nodded. "He's old, and all kinds of diseases will show up. It's not easy to save his life."
Xiao Jinghan looked solemn.
"What's wrong?" Yi Qing looked at Xiao Jinghan's expression.
"The Xie family wants more than just Duke Xie to be alive," Xiao Jinghan thought this matter was getting troublesome.
"Life, old age, sickness, and death are normal. Everyone has to go through them."
"I know," Xiao Jinghan saw that Yi Qing was getting anxious and comforted her. "You don't have to worry. Just be more careful when you talk to the queen tomorrow. After all, it's the queen's family."
Yi Qing nodded.
Yi Qing was living a leisurely life in the general's mansion and didn't know that Xiao Jinghan had caused such a stir outside. Xiao Jinghan was worried that someone might harm Yi Qing.
Chen Feiyan was only allowed to pass after her identity was checked. She got off the carriage and went there alone. Xiao Jinghan was worried that Yi Qing would be bored if there was absolutely nothing for her to do, so he let one or two people through.
The queen didn't seem to be involved in this matter on the surface, but she still looked a bit exhausted. When Yi Qing arrived at Jiaolan Palace, the queen was sitting in a daze beside the crown prince's small bed.
Mu Yu was about to report their arrival as she led Yi Qing in, but Yi Qing stopped her and motioned for Mu Yu to go out first.
"Your Majesty the Queen?" Yi Qing called out tentatively.
"Oh," the queen came back to her senses. "You're here. Sit down."
Yi Qing sat on a brocade stool beside. "I thought Your Majesty the Queen would be vigorously dealing with the matters of the Xie family now."
The queen gave a self - deprecating smile. "I have to know my place. One has to be in a proper position and have a justifiable name before they can handle other things well. Otherwise, if one has so many problems of their own, how can they deal with other matters?"
Yi Qing nodded. The queen was really clear - headed about this. If the queen still wanted to help the Xie family at this time, she would be going against the emperor, and her position as the queen might even be threatened.
The queen now had the crown prince. As long as her position was stable and she was respected by the emperor, no matter how bad the Xie family became, they would still be relatives of the royal family.
"How is my grandfather now?" The queen was most concerned about this.
"Um..." Yi Qing remembered Xiao Jinghan's reminder. "You should prepare yourself mentally."
The queen immediately looked nervous. "Does that mean... his life is in danger?"
"No," Yi Qing said hurriedly. "Duke Xie has woken up. It's just that he was in a coma for quite a while. After waking up, there might be some effects on his body, and he won't be as healthy as before."
The queen let out a sigh of relief. "That's okay. Old people always have trouble with their legs and feet."
"What I mean is... it may be inconvenient for him to take care of himself and speak."
The queen was stunned for a moment and then let out a soft sigh. "At least he's still alive."
On the other side, the emperor also knew about this. Although Duke Xie was alive, he wouldn't be able to do anything in the future. He would need someone to take care of his daily life, and there would surely be people causing trouble.
"You should lift the blockade on the street immediately," the emperor said to Xiao Jinghan crossly. "What a ridiculous reason you came up with, saying that someone wanted to steal the secrets from Duke Xie. I think you're just afraid that someone will abduct Yi Qing."
Xiao Jinghan wasn't angry. "As long as Your Majesty orders the Xie family to take Duke Xie away, I'll lift the blockade right away."
The emperor was a bit distressed. This matter couldn't be kept hidden forever. "Fine. I'll send the imperial physicians to take a look. As long as Duke Xie is in good health, I'll let the Xie family take him back."
Xiao Jinghan and Yi Qing left the palace after lunch. When they left, Yi Qing was accompanied by four imperial physicians. The four imperial physicians were trembling with fear, worried that the slightest mistake would cost them their lives.
As soon as they left the palace gate, they saw Lady Xie waiting outside. Her face was gloomy, and it was obvious that she had been waiting for Yi Qing on purpose.
"It's really not easy to meet Lady Xiao," Lady Xie said as she looked at Yi Qing.
She had tried to go to the general's mansion several times but was blocked. When she complained to the queen, the queen actually told her to stay at home and recuperate. How could she swallow this humiliation?
"If I remember correctly, Her Majesty the Queen ordered Lady Xie to stay at home and recuperate," Yi Qing said as she held Xiao Jinghan's arm. "It seems Lady Xie has recuperated well. I'll be going now."
"How long are you going to keep Duke Xie in your mansion?" Lady Xie demanded.
Xiao Jinghan's face was as cold as ice. "His Majesty has issued an order for the four imperial physicians to examine Duke Xie's body. If there are no other problems, Duke Xie can go back."
Lady Xie looked at the four imperial physicians behind Xiao Jinghan.
"We are here by His Majesty's order to feel Duke Xie's pulse," an imperial physician said respectfully as he bowed.
When Physician Niu left the Embroidered Uniform Guards that day, all the imperial physicians in the Imperial Medical Bureau asked him what had happened to Duke Xie. Physician Niu didn't say a word. But these imperial physicians were all smart. Since Physician Niu had come out unscathed, it proved that it was Duke Xie's own problem.
"Really? That's just right. I'll go and take Duke Xie back," Lady Xie was aggressive.
"Sure," Yi Qing really didn't want Duke Xie to stay in their mansion any longer.
The group went to the general's mansion together. Just then, they saw a servant of the general's mansion helping Duke Xie back from the lavatory. Duke Xie was almost carried with his feet barely touching the ground.
"Is this what you call getting better?" Lady Xie saw Duke Xie's appearance. She wanted to go and support him at first, but when she saw the drool on Duke Xie's face, she withdrew her hand. "I'm telling you, if you don't make Duke Xie as healthy as before, this is not over."