Your Highness's Beloved Medical-skilled Princess

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 access 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.

Thinking of that, he grew more and more anxious. Without delay, 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 palace together with them, but she was told that Yuan Qingling would stay

alone in the Universe Palace 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 glanced 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 glanced 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 flashed 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 glance 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 anyone come 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 have come to visit; nor has

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

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

has been three months since Her Grace returned to her parents’ place last 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 palace."

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

become a completely different person."

Looking at Nurse Qi, Yu Wenhao got a little nervous. “Tell me more.” Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

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 palace. 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 Palace, the Queen’s residence.

Prince Wenqing came for the regular 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

Palace?”

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 Queen laughed, “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.”