The old Prime Minister waited in the side hall of the emperor's bedroom for nearly an hour. He was suspicious and nervous at first, and then he felt sleepy and dozed off. In the end, he did not see the emperor.

When he saw the chief eunuch standing up and smiling, the old prime minister knew that he had been used as a pawn tonight.

"Prime Minister An," the chief steward handed him a hand warmer, "You really made a wasted trip. The emperor has taken medicine and has not woken up. The imperial physician said that he will probably sleep until dawn."

The old Prime Minister had nothing else to say, so he took the hand warmer and said, "It's okay. The emperor is safe and sound, which is a blessing for me. Then I'd like to trouble you to tell the emperor that I've been here. I'll come to the palace anytime the emperor wants to see me."

"sure."

The chief eunuch accompanied him all the way to the steps before turning back into the hall.

The emperor lying on the bed opened his slightly closed eyes and asked: "He's gone?"

"Your Majesty, Prime Minister An has returned."

"Did you say anything? What did you suspect?"

The chief eunuch thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, Prime Minister An said that he would come to the palace whenever you wanted to see him. He didn't say anything else. He has been in the side hall, alone, so he should not have suspected anything."

The emperor coughed twice and said, "He doesn't doubt it, but he doesn't know if others will doubt him."

The chief eunuch bent his waist even deeper and spoke in a lower voice: "Don't worry, Your Majesty. As soon as there is news, someone will report it."

The emperor sighed and closed his eyes again, looking a little tired: "How can I feel at ease?"

The old Prime Minister walked quickly in the cold wind, holding a hand warmer, and saw his son An Cizhou waiting for him from afar.

An Cizhou had always wanted to practice martial arts since his "martial soul awakened", and he would practice with his family guards when he had nothing to do.

Although I didn't learn how to fight really well, my body has become much stronger. This winter, I have no cold or fever, and I feel happy and strong.

When his father entered the palace at night, he patted his chest and promised to protect his father, and followed him without any discussion.

From a distance he could tell the approaching figure was his father, and he quickly went to meet him with his lantern in hand.

"Dad!" He had just supported the old Prime Minister and before he could say anything else, he heard someone not far away calling him Dad.

"Old Prime Minister."

When An Cizhou heard this, he thought, "Isn't this the prince?" He was about to turn around to greet him, but his shoulders sank and half of his body was pressed down by his father. He almost lost his balance.

"Dad!" An Cizhou was startled and quickly hugged him, "Dad!"

The old Prime Minister closed his eyes tightly and gently pinched the palm of his hand.

An Cizhou blinked his eyes, his mind was working rapidly, and expressions of panic, worry, and heartache appeared on his face at the right time.

After everything was adjusted, he turned around to look at the prince.

"Your Highness, why are you here? It's freezing cold..." He didn't finish his words and changed the subject, "My father was not feeling well yesterday, and he went to the palace tonight. This..."

He raised his hand and touched the old prime minister's forehead, almost jumping up: "It's so hot!"

"Someone, come quickly, help the old man onto the carriage!"

The coachman and the guards came over and helped the old prime minister into the car.

An Cizhou bowed to the prince and said, "Your Highness, it's too cold today. You are wearing thin clothes. You should go back early to avoid catching a cold. My father refuses to accept his age and insisted on practicing martial arts with the guards in thin clothes. Now he is sick and my mother will definitely scold him."

"Your Highness, I will take my leave first. I still have to go to the clinic to see a doctor on the way..."

After he said that, he quickly turned around and jumped onto the carriage. The wheels rolled and disappeared into the night.

Prince: "..."

From beginning to end, he only had time to call out "old Prime Minister" and didn't have time to say any other words.

I don't know what's going on, but ever since An Cizhou and Qi Delong solved the problem of King Yi together, An Cizhou has been like a chicken with blood pumped up every day. A civil official, he would mingle with military generals from time to time, discussing tactics and weapons.

He also spoke faster. He was a very talkative person, well-educated, quick-witted, and with his quick tongue, he was simply invincible.

The prince even doubted that even if twenty or thirty old women quarreled with him, they might not be able to win.

The eunuch in charge whispered, "Your Highness, the carriages have all left. You should return to the palace first."

The prince's face was gloomy, and his fingers were clenched. "Is he really sick, or is he hiding from me?"

The eunuch in charge said, "I will send someone to find out if the An family has invited a doctor to come to the mansion."

"Not only that, let's find a doctor tomorrow," the prince paused, "let's find Doctor Chen."

"Yes."

In the carriage, as soon as he left the palace, the old prime minister immediately opened his eyes.

"Dad, what's going on?"

"I don't know, I didn't see it," the old Prime Minister pinched a roasted date and ate it, "He said he took the medicine and fell asleep all the time, and he has to sleep until dawn."

An Cizhou narrowed his eyes slightly: "It seems that the emperor is fine."

The old Prime Minister looked at him and asked, "What do you mean?"

"You took the medicine and fell asleep all the time. If you were asleep all the time, how could they have ordered you to the palace? That means you were not asleep. If you said you were asleep when you were not, there is something wrong in itself."

The old Prime Minister sighed and said, "Yes, your father was used as a chess piece tonight. Didn't you see that the Crown Prince couldn't help but wait for me there early?"

An Cizhou was beaming with joy: "Dad, I said it was right for me to come and protect you, right?"

When the old Prime Minister saw his excited look, he became unhappy.

He cursed Qi Delong in his heart with gnashing teeth.

I don't know what happened to that guy. He took a good son and taught him to be serious and proper. But after working with Qi Delong's family, he became like this when he came back.

What a headache.

The carriage stopped and the old prime minister looked out depressed.

An Cizhou said, "Go and tell Doctor Zhou to pack up and come into the mansion immediately. He will stay here tonight."

"Yes."

If you want to act, you have to do it in full.

The old Prime Minister was in a better mood: "He is quite rigorous in his work."

An Cizhou was slightly proud: "Of course, General Qi said that all is fair in war. If you want others to believe your appearance, you have to do it in full. If you really want to do it, you have to sneak into Chencang."

The old Prime Minister’s face fell again. It was Qi Delong again—he was not in a better mood!

The news that the doctor had entered the Prime Minister's house not only spread to the Eastern Palace, but also to Prince Yong's Mansion.

The Sixth Prince, Prince Yong, chuckled and said, "I'm afraid the old Prime Minister will have to close the door and refuse visitors for the next few days."

"Your Highness, is there anything I can do for you?" asked the servant.

"No need, the Crown Prince will do it, there is no need to grab these." The Sixth Prince asked, "How is the Xiaoyao powder matter going?"

"Your Highness, I was just about to report this. For some reason, the sales of Xiaoyao Powder in the city have decreased. Several places that sold it before no longer sell it. Currently, there are only three places left."

"We originally bought the majority, and the East Palace could only buy less. Now it's even less."

The Sixth Prince flicked the candle wick and said, "Then we won't buy it for now."

"Crown Prince," the Sixth Prince said in a low voice, with murderous intent in his eyes, "We should give him a push."

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