Abandoned Woman Busy Farming
Chapter 1324 - 1326 Suspicious Queen_1

Chapter 1324: Chapter 1326 Suspicious Queen_1

Bai Ruozhu turned her head to look at everyone, intending to share her discovery, when she suddenly noticed the queen’s gaze on her was filled with caution and loathing, which involuntarily raised her concern. Even if they disliked her as a foreigner, surely they should not harbor such immense hostility and defensiveness? Especially since the king had just declared that all was well, what was the queen’s true situation?

Quickly, she recalled that the queen seemed to be on bad terms with the Grand Princess. Considering that the Grand Princess and the king’s former favorite concubine, Qingxuan, were best friends, it was natural for the queen to dislike her.

But was it solely because of the Grand Princess that she was filled with hostility? Bai Ruozhu felt something was amiss and harbored too many suspicions about the queen, so when the words reached her lips, she took a turn and changed the content.

"Indeed, His Majesty is suffering from arrhythmia, which can be considered a form of heart disease. Fortunately, it is not severe, but he must take good care of himself, not overexert his mind, and keep his emotions from fluctuating too much," said Bai Ruozhu.

While speaking, she covertly observed the queen’s reaction and, as expected, saw the queen let out a sigh of relief and then show a hint of contempt, saying, "There’s no difference from what the Imperial Doctor said, it’s just an act."

Bai Ruozhu did not argue but gave the Grand Princess, who was about to speak up for her, a secret glance. Arguing with the queen at this moment was completely unnecessary and a waste of time.

At this moment, an attendant from outside came to report, "The great elder from the Holy Hall says they are currently offering sacrifices to the deities and cannot send anyone over for the time being."

The king snorted coldly after hearing this, "So they think they can coerce me with this excuse? They think too highly of themselves."

"Your Majesty, please do not get angry. Even if you dislike the Holy Hall, it’s not good to be too strained with them. After all, you still need their care for your health, and the people have more faith in them," the queen advised.

"If the people have more faith in the Holy Hall, then what’s the use of this royal palace?" The king burst into anger, pointing at the queen and saying, "You are the queen of this royal palace, not someone from the Holy Hall. Look at what you’re saying! Go down, return to your Qifeng Palace and reflect on this!"

"Your Majesty, you..." The queen’s face turned alternately pale and flushed, not expecting the king to so publicly disrespect her in front of so many people.

"Leave!" the king ordered, without a hint of courtesy.

The queen left the Imperial Study Room, her eyes red with anger.

The Grand Princess quickly went to soothe the king, gently reminding him, "Your Majesty, you mustn’t get angry. The Imperial Doctor and Ruozhu just mentioned it, and your anger might harm your health."

The king took a deep breath, calming himself down, then looked at Jiang Yichun and Bai Ruozhu, saying, "You of the younger generation must be finding this amusing, I am indeed unfit to be the king."

The Grand Princess’s eyes reddened, "Your Majesty, how could this be your fault?"

Even before the king’s ascension, the Western Regions had already been eroded by the Holy Hall. Jun Haoran had been tirelessly trying to change the situation. If it were anyone else, the royal family would likely have become nothing but a name by now.

Everyone in the hall felt a sense of desolation. Unless they joined the Holy Hall, life in the Western Regions was truly stifling, especially as they watched the Holy Hall deceive and harm people in the name of the deities, and they felt even more helpless to stop it.

At this moment, Bai Ruozhu wanted to tell the king about the poisoning, but she wasn’t sure if the queen’s informants were still around. Moreover, if the king showed any weakness upon learning he was poisoned, the person behind the curtains would naturally think that it was she who had foiled their plan.

Therefore, after weighing the options, Bai Ruozhu decided not to mention it for the time being, especially since she was not able to gather all the necessary antidotes just yet, and speaking out wouldn’t have much effect.

Seeing that the king was unwell, the others did not wish to burden him with too many issues. They only brought up the matter of Jiang Yichun being cursed by Honglian, to which the king pondered and said, "Now that I think about it, I remember Xiaobai was also watching Honglian attentively at that time."

Xiaobai...

Bai Ruozhu’s mouth twitched at the corners. The sovereign had already intimately called Jiang Yichun "Xiaobai"; this nickname was too embarrassing.

However, looking at Jiang Yichun, he didn’t seem the least bit uncomfortable. In fact, he even tossed her a mischievously lifted corner of his mouth.

Well, she suddenly thought, after all, his last name wasn’t Bai; he was using her surname. It seemed "Xiaobai" should have referred to her...

"Father, I can’t make heads or tails of it either. Perhaps it would be better to send a message to Master Hao Feng," said Princess Yingtong, drawing Bai Ruozhu’s full attention with her words.

For some reason, the sovereign appeared somewhat hesitant and didn’t immediately agree.

Jiang Yichun suddenly spoke up, "Your Majesty, when I was in Danliang Country, I befriended a scion of the royal house. Before I set out, he mentioned an envoy trip to Western Regions Country years ago, and the marriage of the prince who wed the holy maiden Fen Wan, Tang Gui. He said he had heard that this royal uncle had descendants too, and I wonder when I might meet this cousin. Master Hao Feng was Fen Wan’s mentor, wasn’t he? Do you happen to know the whereabouts of Tang Gui’s descendants?"

Bai Ruozhu’s heart raced to her throat. Jiang Yichun was indeed taking a bold move.

The sovereign wore a look of astonishment, "Doesn’t your friend from the Danliang royal family know that over a decade ago, the Tang family suffered a great tragedy? Everyone but the former holy maiden Fen Wan perished in a fire. Fen Wan herself fell ill and passed away within a few years."

Jiang Yichun feigned surprise, "How could this happen? We only heard that Tang Gui had died of illness, but had no idea there was a fire. So his descendants are no longer in this world either... When I return, I shall have to tell my friend the truth."

The sovereign’s eyes flickered, pondering something, and after a long moment, he sighed, "I shall send word to Master Hao Feng. If she is willing to come and examine you, that would be for the best. If she is not, you’ll have to think of some other solution."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Jiang Yichun said respectfully as he bowed. Bai Ruozhu followed suit and expressed her thanks with a bow as well.

Since the sovereign needed to recuperate, he was quickly sent back to the palace to rest. Bai Ruozhu and the others left the royal palace with the Grand Princess.

Princess Yingtong, who had accompanied them out of the palace, sat in the Grand Princess’s horse carriage, and for once, she reined in her arrogance. She spoke to the Grand Princess with visible nervousness, and even a bit of caution.

Bai Ruozhu became even more convinced that Princess Yingtong was fond of Ao Qi. However, seeing how the Grand Princess and the Queen were irreconcilable, she feared that Yingtong and Ao Qi’s affair would be difficult to manage.

"Aunt, I just heard from Lin Zhu that she found a woman who had lost a leg..." Princess Yingtong tentatively began speaking to the Grand Princess about Zhanna’s situation, while Bai Ruozhu listened intently.

The Grand Princess’s face turned pale upon hearing this. "This, this is nothing short of witchcraft. It seems there is much we do not know about what happens within the Holy Hall."

She turned to Bai Ruozhu and said, "We must save that poor miss. If it’s not safe to leave her outside, then send her to the Ao Residence."

"Her condition doesn’t look optimistic at the moment, making it difficult to move her. If there’s any improvement, I’ll discuss it with the Grand Princess," Bai Ruozhu replied after some thought. She felt, more than anything, that due to the many eyes and ears in the Ao Residence, safety could not be guaranteed.

Probably, Diao Mo and Jin Jing, mother and daughter, didn’t even know that Zhanna was alive. Otherwise, they would certainly have silenced her permanently. Zhanna was a crucial witness against them.