“That’s right! Turn it into a candy ball and feed it to Yaya!” The little crow flapped its wings and landed on Tangtang’s shoulder, its mung-bean-sized eyes rolling around nonstop.
It had long wanted to taste the black mist that made it both terrified and ravenous; now it could finally eat its fill!
“Keep it up, Tangtang, catch more black mist!” Yaya held its little head high, chirping endlessly to cheer Tangtang on.
Tangtang grabbed the black mist with a cold, small face. Seeing it struggle relentlessly, she let out a cold snort and rolled it directly into a massive lump.
Yaya’s eyes filled with utter shock—a candy ball this huge would choke a crow to death if it couldn’t swallow it!
It poked Tangtang’s shoulder with its wing and asked cautiously, “Tangbao, the candy ball is too big, can it be a little smaller?”
Tangbao with a stern, angry face was a little bit scary…
“Of course~” Tangtang explained as she pulled out a little porcelain bottle. “It wasn’t being obedient just now, which is why I rolled it into a lump…”
Hearing this, Yaya let out a sigh of relief in its heart.
It had thought Tangbao was going to make it swallow the whole thing directly; thank goodness it was just a false alarm.
Tangtang tossed a small candy ball to Yaya. Yaya swallowed it down impatiently, and in the next instant, it flapped its wings and spun in circles right above her head.
“Delicious! Super delicious! Thank you, Tangbao!” Yaya cawed excitedly without stopping. “Yaya is rich! Rich!”
There was black mist everywhere in the house—it couldn’t finish eating it all in three lifetimes!
Seeing Yaya’s money-grubbing, greedy demeanor, Tangtang couldn’t help letting out a laugh. “Yaya is such a little glutton!”
The two little creatures played around for a bit longer before Tangtang let out a yawn, rubbing her eyes as she ran into the main hall.
“Are you sleepy?” Yun Jingshu was already neatly dressed and beckoned lovingly to her little daughter. “Hurry over, drink a bowl of milk, and Mother will coax you to sleep!”
Her precious darling had been guarding under the veranda waiting for sunrise to draw talismans before dawn had even broken. Seeing the faint dark circles beneath her eyes, Yun Jingshu felt a pang of heartache.
Tangtang threw herself into her arms, her tiny head nuzzling against her mother’s arm. “Tangtang will only sleep for a tiny bit. The talisman to remove Big Brother’s Gu hasn’t been drawn yet, Mother must remember to call Tangtang~”
Yun Jingshu agreed with a smile, and after feeding Tangtang the milk, she softly hummed a nursery rhyme while gently patting her little daughter’s back.
With a smile lingering at the corners of her mouth, Tangtang fell into a deep sleep within moments.
When she opened her eyes again, it was already past noon.
Tangtang rubbed her eyes and tumbled right up. “Mother~ Mother!”
“Little Mistress, you’re awake? Are you hungry? This servant will have meals prepared!” Cuiyu’s voice called from the doorway.
Tangtang was just about to say she wasn’t hungry, but in the next second, her little tummy let out an ungraceful, rumbling growl.
“Sister Cuiyu, my tummy says it’s hungry~ Where is my mother?” The little girl covered her belly with both hands, tilting her head to ask.
How long had she slept? Why hadn’t Mother called her!
Cuiyu forced a bitter smile, taking the dress from the side and slipping it onto Tangtang. “Someone came from the Cedar Court saying the First Imperial Grandson is feeling somewhat unwell, so the Crown Princess went over to take a look!”
Tangtang froze. Ignoring her hungry tummy, she hurriedly grabbed Cuiyu’s arm and asked anxiously, “What happened to Big Brother?”
She had already given Big Brother the peach wood sword to carry around yesterday, how could he still feel unwell?
Tangtang leaped off the bed, about to dash outside with her bare feet.
Quick on her feet, Cuiyu pulled her back. “My little ancestor, you haven’t even put on your shoes! The Crown Princess instructed that you must eat first when you wake up!”
Tangtang stomped on the floor in her anxiety, urging, “Sister Cuiyu, hurry and take me to Big Brother, my tummy says it can be hungry later!”
It was all the fault of her eyes refusing to open and insisting on sleeping—Big Brother must absolutely not have anything go wrong.
Cuiyu wanted to say something more, but seeing the Little Commandery Princess so anxious that the rims of her eyes turned red, she grabbed two pieces of pastry and stuffed them into her hand. “This servant will take you right now, eat these pastries on the way.”
If it were any ordinary time, Tangtang would certainly take small bites and eat slowly, but right now she only wanted to see Big Brother as fast as possible.
Tangtang swallowed the pastries in two or three bites, choking so hard her little face turned bright red.
Cuiyu hurriedly poured a cup of warm water for her. Tangtang gulped it down in one breath, grabbed Cuiyu’s hand, and ran outside.
Cedar Court
Lying on the bed, Gu Jinhuai knit his brows in extreme torment, his highly swollen belly convulsing and trembling continuously.
Two imperial physicians stood by the bed with ashen faces—the First Imperial Grandson was a male, how could they have diagnosed a pregnant pulse?
When they came last month, his pulse was entirely normal. How… what on earth was going on here?
Yun Jingshu sat by the bedside, hugging Gu Jinhuai tightly, her heart feeling as if it were being rolled over in boiling oil.
“What on earth is happening to Huai’er!” Yun Jingshu roared in a low voice with bloodshot eyes.
“May the Crown Princess appease her anger!” The two imperial physicians fell to their knees with a thud, saying in horror, “The First Imperial Grandson… has a pregnant pulse!”
Yun Jingshu’s pupils shrank violently, and she barked in rage, “Complete and utter nonsense! Huai’er is a male, how could he possibly have a pregnant pulse? How dare you have such audacity to deceive this palace!”
Yesterday, her little daughter had clearly stated that Huai’er was poisoned with Gu!
At the thought of her little daughter, Yun Jingshu froze.
Right! Her daughter would definitely have a solution!
“Hongyu, hurry and see if our precious darling is awake! If she’s awake…”
Before Yun Jingshu could finish her words, a series of hurried footsteps echoed from outside, followed closely by Tangtang’s anxious, milky voice: “Mother, Big Brother!”
Hearing the voice, Yun Jingshu’s eyes lit up as if she had spotted her savior.
“Darling, your Big Brother suddenly has unbearable abdominal pain, hurry over and take a look!”
Tangtang walked to the bedside, and seeing her Big Brother’s agonized expression, her throat choked up, nearly bursting into tears.
She sniffled, her eyes red as she laid her hand on Gu Jinhuai’s wrist.
As her little daughter’s face grew darker and darker, Yun Jingshu’s heart sank right along with it.
“Mother, help me prepare rooster blood mixed with vermilion and realgar, as well as garlic and rootless water! The faster the better, I need to remove the Gu for Big Brother!”
They couldn’t wait any longer—the Gu insects inside Big Brother’s body were rioting and trying to burst out of his body!
Yun Jingshu immediately instructed Hongyu and Cuiyu to prepare them.
The two imperial physicians looked at each other, not daring to utter a sound.
What? The First Imperial Grandson’s strange illness was caused by Gu insects?
How was this possible…
Gu insects were venomous creatures unique to the Miaojiang region, how could they appear in their Grand Yong?
Tangtang knit her brows, her eyes scanning back and forth across the items in the room.
Suddenly, her gaze paused, staring straight at the censer on the table while sniffling her nose.
“Where did this censer come from?” Tangtang asked abruptly. “It wasn’t here when I came yesterday!”
The scent emitting from this censer was extremely bizarre—sweet and fragrant, yet accompanied by a foul, stinking odor.
Enduring the severe pain, Gu Jinhuai spoke with great difficulty, “It was here when I woke up from my afternoon nap, I don’t know who placed it…”
He had thought it was something his Royal Mother had sent over to soothe his mood, so he hadn’t paid much attention to it.
“Come! Seize all the servants attending Cedar Court and interrogate them strictly!” Yun Jingshu barked sternly while pinching her palms tight. “And smash that censer to pieces and throw it out!”
Only yesterday afternoon had she replaced all the people in her three children’s courtyards, yet an incident had occurred again so quickly!
It felt as though there were a pair of eyes watching every single move of the Eastern Palace from the shadows, making Yun Jingshu shiver uncontrollably.