Chapter 22 Battlefield in the Harem


    Yu Wenhao was back in his residence. He felt something was wrong the more he thought about it.


    He witnessed her pricking his grandfather with a needle, but he didn''t know what was injected into his


    grandfather. He wasn’t sure if it was poison or something else.


    Although his grandfather was getting better, since the venom had put him down, it might also carry


    other effects on people. For example, it probably could control people’s minds.


    Yuan Qingling had no ess to these resources. He wondered who was behind all this.


    Maybe it was her father, Yuan Balong.


    But Yuan Balong was just a timid snob who fawned upon the rich and powerful.


    Yu Wenhao thought of the more serious consequences. Yuan Qingling was his wife. If what she did to


    the Retired Emperor was exposed, he would definitely be taken for the mastermind behind the scenes,


    and no one would believe he was innocent.


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    Thinking of that, he grew more and more anxious. Without dy, he ordered Tang Yang to call Lu Ya


    and Nurse Qi over.


    They served Yuan Qingling closely. If Yuan Qingling had done anything abnormal, Nurse Qi should be


    able to feel it.


    Lu Ya went to the imperial pce together with them, but she was told that Yuan Qingling would stay


    alone in the Universe Pce to take care of the Retired Emperor when they left. She shared the news


    with Nurse Qi after she came back, and Nurse Qi was shocked, too.


    They went to see Prince Wenhao in a hurry as soon as they were summoned.


    “Your Highness.” In the study, the two bowed to greet him.


    Yu Wenhao nced at Nurse Qi and thought about her grandson’s injury. “How’s Huo now?” He asked.


    “Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. He’s fine now.”


    Yu Wenhao was slightly surprised. “Well, Doctor Li has done a great job.”


    “Y-Yes!” Nurse Qi replied after hesitating for a while.


    Yu Wenhao saw her through and calmly nced at her. “Nurse Qi, is there anything you’d like to tell


    me?”


    Nurse Qi was startled and hurriedly answered, “No, no, there isn’t!”


    “You’ve stayed in my residence ever since I was little, and you’ve been loyal. You would never keep


    any secret from me, right?” Yu Wenhao looked and sounded cold.


    Nurse Qi was scared and knelt at once. “I’m sorry. But I didn’t mean to keep it a secret from Your


    Highness.”


    Yu Wenhao raised his eyes. Cold lights shed in them and he gave her the order, “Tell me!”


    Nurse Qi had to be honest. “Your Highness, It wasn’t Doctor Li who cured Huo. It’s Her Grace. But she


    didn’t allow me to tell anyone else.”


    Tang Yang was standing on the side and he was amazed. “Her Grace? When did Her Grace learn the


    medicine? She once cut Huo with a knife and His Highness had her flogged thirteen times.


    ”


    Nurse Qi then told them everything about what Huo had said that night and what had happened after


    Huo’s condition got worse, then she said in guilt, “It’s my fault that I misunderstood Her Grace.”


    Yu Wenhao exchanged a nce with Tang Yang. Both of them were stunned.


    "Have you ever seen her with a box? That box..." Yu Wenhao stopped all of a sudden. When they


    entered the Retired Emperor’s room, she didn’t carry the box, but it appeared from nowhere after they


    walked inside. When he saw her in the side hall afterward, the box was missing again.


    "There was a box!" Lu Ya said hastily, "It is filled with medicines that I’ve never seen before. I don’t


    even remember we had that box here."


    Yu Wenhao asked again, “Did anyonee to see her recently? Or did she go out to see anyone?”


    Nurse Qi shook her head. “Ever since Her Grace got married, few people havee to visit; nor has


    she gone back to her parents’ ce for the recent few months.”


    Tang Yang added, "Right, the concierge has records of Her Grace’sing and going. I learned that it


    has been three months since Her Grace returned to her parents’ cest time. She was there for half


    a day, and she came back angrily."


    Nurse Qi felt that she had betrayed Yuan Qingling, and she felt guilty. She was very worried when she


    thought of Yuan Qingling’s condition, so she said, "After Her Grace was flogged, she stayed in the


    room all the time. We obeyed your order and left her alone, so she dealt with her injuries by herself.


    She had a high fever before taking the herbal tea. Now the medical effect should be gone. I wonder


    whether she’s fine in the imperial pce."


    Yu Wenhao remembered that when she was feeding his grandfather with the congee, she seemed to


    be managing to fight back the pain and was trembling all over. At that time, the effect of the herbal tea


    should have already been gone.


    He didn’t care about Yuan Qingling, but he was afraid he and his mother might be affected if she lost


    manners before Grandfather.


    Tang Yang pondered and said, “Your Highness, flogging her by 30 times was too harsh.”


    Even a normal male servant would have to lie down for a few days to recover from the punishment.


    If it was a weak maid, she could have died.


    That only proved how he hated her guts.


    Yu Wenhao said coldly, “Given what she has done, she could have lost her life, but I spared his life.”


    Weren’t it for the sake of Mother and royal reputation, he would have banished Yuan Qingling a long


    time ago.


    Nurse Qi summoned up her courage and said, "Your Highness, I feel Her Grace seems to have


    be apletely different person."


    Looking at Nurse Qi, Yu Wenhao got a little nervous. “Tell me more.”


    Nurse Qi replied, "Her Grace was always domineering even if she was at a disadvantage. But that day,


    her attitude and her tone changed when she treated Huo. She even apologized to me, which I wouldn’t


    dare to dream of back to the old days!"


    Nurse Qi’s words helped Yu Wenhao confirm conjecture.


    He remembered that she had hit him with her head before their trip to the imperial pce. She gritted


    her teeth and yelled, "Why don’t you just kill me now?"


    She never had said something like that before, because she knew it was a forced marriage. In the


    Phoenix Mansion, she only dared to yell at the domestic servants, not him.


    However, it seemed she was quite aggrieved when she shouted at him today.


    Besides, she also had fought against him in the side hall.


    He pictured her resolutely cold face in his mind and recalled what she said in the side hall.


    He must figure out what had happened.


    In Moon Pce, the Queen’s residence.


    Prince Wenqing came for the regr greeting. He then went to see his eighth brother, Yu Wenchang,


    leaving Chu Mingcui chatting with the Queen.


    Chu Mingcui was the Queen''s niece. As soon as Prince Wenqing left, Chu Mingcui dismissed all the


    servants in the hall.


    Seeing that, the Queen knew something was wrong, so she straightened her back and asked, “What’s


    wrong?”


    “Aunt, do you know Yuan Qingling was kept by the Retired Emperor to take care of him in Universe


    Pce?”


    The Queen returned earlier than them just now, so she didn''t know about it. When Chu Mingcui told her


    that, she was slightly surprised. "Princess Qingling? The Retired Emperor wants her to take care of


    him?"


    The next second, she waved her hand. "It’s not a bad thing. I don’t need to travel back and forth any


    longer. I’m really exhausted these days."


    Chu Mingcui disagreed. “Aunt, don’t be so negligent. Think it twice.”


    The Queenughed, “I know what you’re afraid of. But you don’t need to worry. No matter how hard


    Wenhao tries, it’s meaningless. The emperor hates him now.”


    Chu Mingcui slowly shook her head. "Aunt, the Retired Emperor just woke up, that changed


    everything."


    The Queen paused and she gradually looked serious.


    It was true that the emperor cared a lot about the Retired Emperor’s opinions on choosing the crowned


    prince.


    And the Retired Emperor was always biased. He was in favor of Wenhao. If Yuan Qingling seized this


    chance and put in a good word for him, Wenhao still stood a chance to win the position.


    But...


    The Queen raised her eyes. “I thought Wenhao loathes Yuan Qingling.”


    Chu Mingcui grinned a smile slowly, "No matter how disgusting one is, others can always put up with


    him or her as long as there’s an advantage."


    The Queen''s suddenly felt nervous. She immediately said, "The Queen Mother had been worn out


    when the Retired Emperor was sick. She has fainted several times today. Princess Mingcui, you should


    go and take care of the Queen Mother. Show your filial piety."


    Chu Mingcui stood up and bowed. “My honor, Your Majesty.”