maidservant

Chapter 70: The Duke of England dies, Huangfu You and Lin Yu discover that the spy is left

Fate always seems to play tricks on us.

As the Queen's health deteriorated and she worried about the Second Prince's condition, another piece of bad news came:

The Queen's grandfather, the highly respected Duke of England, died suddenly.

In this deep palace, news is as difficult to block as flying birds. Even if everyone tries their best to hide it from the Queen, they still cannot do it in the end.

Speaking of the Huangfu family, they have always been known for their loyal ministers, and the whole family is loyal and devoted.

The Duke of Yingguo served three dynasties and devoted himself to the court. He had already reached the highest position in the country and was highly respected.

However, although he held a high position, he always maintained a clear head and noble character, and never had the selfish intention of developing personal wings or cultivating party members.

He had many students, both inside and outside the court, but he deliberately dispersed them into different forces. He also often earnestly warned these students not to form cliques for personal gain and to serve the court wholeheartedly.

Back then, the palace was in turmoil, and the coup d'etat surrounding the deposed Crown Prince shocked both the government and the public. During that thrilling power struggle, among the Duke of Ying's students, some followed the deposed Crown Prince as his confidants, while others quickly defected to the then Prince Jing, now the Emperor.

Therefore, Duke Yingguo was not implicated by the different choices of his students, and the Huangfu family was able to survive the turmoil. This also shows Duke Yingguo's foresight and integrity.

However, the Duke of Yingguo's only son, the uncle of the current King of Dali, was very weak and had to rely on medicine to maintain his frail body all year round.

Therefore, for so many years, although he was the emperor's uncle, he could only hold some idle official positions and was unable to hold an important position and take on more responsibilities for the court.

Now, the passing of Duke Ying was undoubtedly a catastrophe for the Huangfu family. With the pillar of support gone, the entire family seemed to have lost its backbone in an instant, plunging into confusion and grief.

When the Queen Mother learned the news of her grandfather's death, she was heartbroken and tears burst out like a dam breaking.

In the midst of this grief, she suppressed her inner pain and secretly told herself that she must hold on strong because she knew that the Huangfu family still needed her support and needed her to seek opportunities for survival and development for the family in this complex palace and court.

So in the following days, the queen's health seemed to have recovered, like a dead tree coming back to life.

But this was just an illusion of over-consumption, and it became the queen's death warrant.

Yunshan has been busy for a whole month. She is like a waterwheel for spring plowing, never having a moment of rest and never having a day off.

She was only able to hurried back to Liuhua Palace twice in the evening, and the other nights she had to stay in the pharmacy.

She knew in her heart that the queen's health was deteriorating and she might not be able to hold on for much longer.

As the chief medicine officer in charge of delivering medicine to Fengyi Palace, she felt a vague worry in her heart. If something really happened, she would most likely be implicated.

To prevent any future complications, every time Yunshan left work, even when exhausted, she would force herself to record every detail of the Empress's condition that day, as well as the Second Prince's, in the medication register. Often, she would write until darkness fell, until it was time to light the lamps.

In recent days, perhaps with God's mercy, the Queen's health seems to have shown some signs of improvement.

Yunshan thus got a rare day of rest. She was worried about Concubine Lin, so she took this opportunity to rush back to Liuhua Palace to visit her.

Lin Yu has been in excellent shape recently, looking radiant and full of energy. Liuhua Palace is also thriving, with the palace maids and eunuchs each doing their job, busy and orderly. Seeing Yunshan return, Lin Yu dismissed the servants, took her hand, and said softly:

"There's something I want to discuss with you."

"Fei Ye, who is in charge of purchasing in the outer courtyard, Aunt Zhuang noticed that she had visited the Queen's Palace several times under the guise of purchasing."

Lin Yu frowned slightly, a hint of doubt and vigilance in his eyes. "Although this girl is diligent in her work, her heart is not in Liuhua Palace. I want to find an opportunity to send her away."

"Your Majesty, do you mean that Fei Ye might have been planted here by Fengyi Palace?" Yunshan lowered her voice, but with a hint of caution.

Lin Yu nodded slightly.

Yunshan then asked, "Have you noticed anything unusual about the others?"

Lin Yu shook his head and said, "Since I noticed Feiye's movements, I also asked Aunt Zhuang to secretly keep a close eye on the others, but I didn't find anyone doing anything unusual."

Yunshan nodded slightly, and after a moment's contemplation, she said, "Since that's the case, Your Majesty, why not leave this page behind?"

"Oh?" Lin Yu raised his eyebrows, a hint of curiosity in his eyes, and motioned Yunshan to continue.

Yunshan cleared her throat and said slowly:

"Your Majesty, since Fei Ye is the Queen's man, if you suddenly send her away, the Queen will definitely notice."

She paused and then said:

"Firstly, Fei Ye was likely planted here since the Eastern Palace. Initially, the power dynamics of each party were unclear, and neither was there a clear consensus on good or evil. It's understandable that the Empress, as the Crown Princess, would have been wary. Furthermore, it's possible that the concubines in each palace had spies. For the past three or four years, Your Majesty and the Empress have gotten along quite well. With Fei Ye's departure, that layer of cellophane has been shattered."

"Secondly, Fei Ye is diligent and has done no mistakes. I don't think she is a treacherous person. Besides, she has been in the outer courtyard and cannot be close to the Empress. With her staying in Liuhua Palace, she can report some trivial information to Fengyi Palace from time to time, which relieves the Empress. It is better to use her than to abandon her." Yunshan's eyes revealed a hint of cunning.

"Thirdly, if the Empress still doesn't trust us today, and Feiye leaves, I'm afraid someone else will come. By then, we may not be able to control that person's character or methods."

"And, Your Majesty, for over a month now, I've personally brewed the Second Prince's medicine. I've noticed that the Queen isn't wary of us, otherwise she wouldn't have dared to give it to me."

After listening to Yunshan's words, Lin Yu nodded slightly in agreement and said:

"That makes sense. I'll send someone to secretly investigate Feiye's parents and relatives, and get a complete picture of her. I'll use her as a precaution, or even as a decoration."

"There's one more thing—" Lin Yu looked at Yunshan gently and said slowly, "My cousin and the eldest princess have a child. The fetus is just three months old and is stable. That's why we announced the good news to the palace."

Yunshan nodded slightly. "This is truly a joyous occasion. With this blood connection, I imagine the bond between the princess and her husband will become much closer and deeper."

She paused briefly, took a deep breath, and added, "This is a good thing for everyone."

Hearing this, Lin Yu's smile deepened, and his eyes were filled with intimacy and playfulness.
"I knew you were a carefree person. But don't always worry about other people's relationships. You're already over 22, a grown woman. How about marrying into the Lin family?"

(End of this chapter)