Little Yi Hao looked astonished.
He had thought his full name would be known to Father Luo.
"Nangong Yi Hao?"
Luo Mu Chen's eyes widened.
"Also Nangong?"
Luo Mu Chen was stunned.
Seeing that Luo Mu Chen was no longer clutching his head, Little Yi Hao asked, "Father Luo, does your head not hurt anymore?"
Luo Mu Chen remained seated, not responding to Little Yi Hao's question.
Little Yi Hao climbed back onto the stool, his small face close to Luo Mu Chen's. He stared with wide eyes, "Father Luo, why are you spacing out? What's wrong?"
Luo Mu Chen remained silent.
At the same time.
In another private room within the wine house.
An elder, dressed in white, stood by the window, which was open.
He kept looking towards the opposite private room.
The little immortal boy following behind him glanced in the same direction twice.
"Heavenly Venerate, it seems Lord Lian Di has remembered his name. Should we seal his memories again?"
The elder looked troubled. "Forget it, let him be. Their love runs deep, how can we stop it? This might be fate."
The elder turned around and sighed, "It's a pity, this boy's reincarnation trial is not yet over. Their outcome this time will likely be... Alas, forget it. Let's return first and guard his true form well, hoping this brat can hold on until the reincarnation trial ends."
"Yes, Heavenly Venerate."
The wind blew, and a white light flashed.
The elder and the immortal boy in the private room instantly vanished.
Their disappearance went unnoticed by anyone in the wine house.
At the same moment.
Gu Qian Ying entered the palace under the guise of "Duan Xi Feng."
"The Empress Dowager has been unwell these past few days. The Prince has ordered you to go to Fushou Palace to see the Empress Dowager."
A young eunuch by Nangong Cong's side stood before Gu Qian Ying, delivering the decree and instructing a palace maid to prepare a set of women's clothing for Gu Qian Ying.
Gu Qian Ying, wearing a human skin mask, had specifically changed into men's robes before entering the palace for convenience.
"Yes."
Gu Qian Ying cupped her hands in a salute and, led by a tall and thin palace maid, followed him to Fushou Hall.
Before entering the hall, a eunuch attendant had been following behind her.
While following, he was actually monitoring her.
"Although the Empress Dowager is unwell, she has some old ailments that are difficult to cure. These old ailments are always troublesome, and the Empress Dowager is also an elderly person, so it is common for her to be indisposed. Therefore... do you understand what you need to do?"
The eunuch following Gu Qian Ying was subtly advising her.
His words implied that Gu Qian Ying should not cure Empress Dowager Meng's illness.
What was called an illness was actually a poison.
"Thank you, Head Eunuch, for your guidance. I know what to do. Elderly people's bodies naturally have minor ailments. These minor ailments cannot be cured, but they can be appropriately managed."
Gu Qian Ying followed the eunuch's words, also expressing her intention.
She would only appropriately manage Empress Dowager Meng's health and would not allow the "illness" on Empress Dowager Meng to change in any way.
"Mm, good, you are a smart person. Go in, I will wait outside."
The eunuch, along with several guards, waited outside the hall.
Gu Qian Ying, accompanied by a palace maid, changed into women's attire and then entered Fushou Hall with the palace maid.
Upon entering the hall, she heard abusive voices from within.
"How unlucky, shameless!"
"This Empress Dowager, truly, if she's going to steal a man, she should at least steal cleanly. Now that she has this shameful illness, she's so dirty!"
"Could this illness be from the Prince... him...?"
"Shut up! Our Prince is very clean, how could he get such an illness? Don't talk nonsense, or you'll lose your head!"
As she spoke, the palace maid looked shy.
Another palace maid, seeing her like this, pinched her cheek twice. "Good, you little vixen, you've already... with the Prince..."
The latter part of her sentence was not spoken, but the palace maid opposite understood her meaning.
She became even more shy, lowering her head and biting her lip. "The Prince is very mighty."
"Pah... you little vixen are too fortunate! If only the Prince would notice me."
"There will be a day, don't lose hope."
"Mm!"
"Who knows which disgusting man the old Empress Dowager has been involved with to contract such a dirty illness!"
"Who knows! It doesn't matter who she's with! What's important is that when we go in, we try not to touch her, lest we get infected!"
"I won't touch her! She's too dirty! When I delivered her food earlier, I kicked it over with my foot. The dead Empress Dowager disliked it and didn't eat it, but the little Emperor in front of her crawled over and ate it happily, hahaha."
"Haha, still calling him little Emperor! In front of our Prince, he's just a well-behaved little dog."
"Ha, yes, yes, Emperor dog!"
The two palace maids stood in the outer hall, hurling insults at each other.
Hearing their insults, Gu Qian Ying's gaze suddenly turned cold.
She walked over, and the two palace maids' insults quieted down considerably.
Another palace maid, seeing Gu Qian Ying approach, raised her chin and looked down on her. "Are you the female physician who came to take the Empress Dowager's pulse?"
Gu Qian Ying's face was cold, and she remained silent.
"Go in, the Empress Dowager is waiting impatiently."
Gu Qian Ying remained standing before them.
"Hey! Female physician, what are you doing standing here? Hurry up and go in!"
"Yeah, are you deaf? Hurry up and go in."
One of the palace maids looked displeased, and her gaze met Gu Qian Ying's cold eyes, scaring her into not daring to urge further.
"Do you know what it feels like to have your tongue cut off?"
"What? What did you say?"
The two palace maids were stunned and looked at Gu Qian Ying in unison, not understanding the meaning of her words.
But... the next moment.
Midway through their screams, the two palace maids covered their mouths with their hands.
Blood seeped out from between their fingers.
One palace maid held her severed, bloody tongue in her hand. She looked at it, let out a muffled cry, and fainted.
The other's severed tongue fell to her feet, stained with blood.
Her "woo woo" scream attracted the eunuchs waiting outside.
The eunuch walked in. "What happened?"
The crying palace maid pointed at Gu Qian Ying, intending to complain.
Gu Qian Ying took two steps back and faced the little eunuch. "It's like this, these two were constantly slandering the Prince, saying that the Empress Dowager's illness was transmitted by the Prince. When I heard them slandering the Prince's reputation like that, I couldn't bear it and cut off their tongues."
As she spoke, Gu Qian Ying unhurriedly tucked the blood-stained hairpin back into her hair.
She even put on a show of being very angry.
The eunuch looked at her, his mind racing.
Their Prince was handsome and dashing, and he lived in the palace. Every woman in the palace wanted to be intimate with their Prince.
This female physician named "Duan Xi Feng" was likely also infatuated with their Prince.
This was a good thing for their Prince.
"Bold maids, slandering the Prince is a grave offense. Guards, drag these two palace maids out and behead them."
Two guards entered. One grabbed the crying palace maid, and the other dragged the one who had fainted from fear.
"It's not like that, Eunuch... woo woo..."
The palace maid being dragged out cried and begged for mercy. Her words were slurred because her tongue had been cut, and no one could understand what she was saying.
After the two palace maids were dragged out.
The eunuch urged Gu Qian Ying from the side. "Enough time has been wasted, hurry inside."
"Yes."
Gu Qian Ying walked into the inner hall.
What met her eyes was a thin woman lying on a bed, her face pale.
Beside the bed, a little boy sat on the floor, close to the bed, guarding the woman lying on it.
"Mother Consort, you will get better. Son will wait with you for the physician to arrive."
The little boy held the woman's hand.
The woman's exposed forearm and palm were covered in red rashes.
The little boy sitting by the bed had messy hair, two handprints on his cheeks, his cheeks slightly swollen, and his clothes were not properly worn, revealing bruises on his skin.
There was a spilled bowl of unfinished food at his feet, with flies in it.
"Mother Consort, I'm so scared. When can we leave here?"
"Mother Consort, didn't you say Godmother is very powerful? When will she come to save us?"
No matter what the little boy said, he received no response from the woman on the bed.
The woman was either asleep or unconscious.
Seeing this scene, Gu Qian Ying's eyes turned red, and mist welled up. She quickly walked over.
Suddenly, an unfamiliar woman appeared before him.
The little Emperor was startled and looked up at Gu Qian Ying. "Who are you? Are you a new palace maid to take care of me and Mother Consort?"
As he asked, the little Emperor was very vigilant. He got up from the ground and stood by the bed, his small arms spread wide, protecting the person on the bed. "We don't need your care, get out!"
The previous two palace maids had punched and kicked his mother. This woman in front of him was likely also Nangong Cong's subordinate.
He could not let these "bad people" hurt his mother anymore!
The little Emperor Mu Rong Si's eyes were filled with anger. He protected Madam Meng, preventing Gu Qian Ying from getting close.
"Si'er, I'm sorry, Godmother is late. You've suffered."
Gu Qian Ying squatted down and suddenly hugged the little Emperor, Mu Rong Si.
The little Emperor was stunned. His chin rested on Gu Qian Ying's shoulder. After a while, he found his voice. "Are you... Godmother... Gu Qian Ying?"
As he asked this, the little Emperor's voice trembled slightly.
"It's me, I am Gu Qian Ying, your Godmother."
Gu Qian Ying's voice was very soft. She raised her hand and gently patted the little Emperor's back.
"Godmother..."
The little Emperor cried out.
"Hush! Si'er, don't be so loud, don't let people outside hear."
Gu Qian Ying released the little Emperor, wiped his tears with her hand, and told him to be quiet, warning him that walls have ears.
Inside the hall, because Madam Meng had contracted an "unclean" illness, no one dared to serve her.
This also made it convenient for Gu Qian Ying.
After comforting the little Emperor, Gu Qian Ying sat by the bed and looked at Madam Meng, who was in a coma.
Looking at the person before her up close.
Thin, disheveled, with injuries all over her face.
Gu Qian Ying's gaze turned cold...