"Momo's hands are so cold, are you cold?" Liu Lanxue's voice interrupted Ye Yao Di's memories.
He looked up.
The little dumpling nodded aggrievedly, "It's cold, the lake water is deadly cold."
"Come to bed," Liu Lanxue lifted the quilt and let her get in.
Su Yun Mo was already wearing thick clothes when she came out, and now wrapped in the quilt, she looked like a silkworm pupa.
Liu Lanxue held her small hand and blew on it to warm it.
Ye Yao Di's gaze fell on them, and he instinctively turned his head to look at Ye Jing Yu in the center of the room.
He remembered that the year Xue Er was sent to the cold palace, Yu'er was also about the same age as this child.
Ye Jing Yu's gaze happened to fall on him.
Father and son's eyes met, and then they looked away.
Ye Yao Di sighed inwardly, cast aside other thoughts in his mind, and brought the medicine again, "Alright, you've seen the person you wanted to see, it's time to take your medicine."
Liu Lanxue turned her head away, pretending not to hear.
Ye Yao Di became even more helpless.
The little dumpling's eyes flickered, "Your Highness, you can't do this. You have to take medicine when you're sick. Not taking medicine means you're not a good child. Momo doesn't play with bad children."
Liu Lanxue's body stiffened, and a conflict arose in her eyes. After a while, she took the medicine bowl from Ye Yao Di's hand, closed her eyes, frowned, and drank the medicine in one gulp.
After drinking, she even showed the empty bowl to Su Yun Mo and said nervously, "I've finished it, I wasn't naughty."
"Your Highness is amazing," the little dumpling gave her a thumbs up as encouragement.
Ye Yao Di felt much more at ease watching their interaction.
Eunuch Chang entered from outside the door and softly called out, "Your Majesty."
Seeing that it was getting late, Ye Yao Di thought of letting Liu Lanxue rest.
Su Yun Mo suddenly asked, "Your Highness, are the flowers in the Plum Garden beautiful?"
Ye Yao Di's words stopped halfway, and he frowned.
Plum Garden?
"Beautiful," Liu Lanxue nodded, gesturing with her hand, "Many flowers, beautiful."
Su Yun Mo continued to ask, "Since the plum blossoms are so beautiful, why did Your Highness go onto the ice?"
The smile on Liu Lanxue's face gradually faded, replaced by a hint of urgency and worry. She couldn't help but grip Su Yun Mo's wrist, "Because Momo was there."
Ye Yao Di frowned fiercely, his expression instantly turning cold.
Su Yun Mo asked neither subserviently nor obsequiously, and was not nervous, "Who told Your Highness I was there?"
Liu Lanxue was stunned for a moment, tilted her head, and thought carefully for a moment, recalling the servant's address, "Princess."
A murderous intent instantly surged in Ye Yao Di's eyes.
In this capital city, who else could be called Princess?
Ye Jing Yu's entire body was also filled with killing intent.
Su Yun Mo, on the other hand, was more composed.
She had guessed it was Lin Yu Ning long ago, and hearing this answer did not surprise her. What she cared about more now was how His Majesty would act.
Ye Yao Di's face was grim. He looked deeply at the person on the bed and said coldly, "Chang Hui, go and summon the Empress here. Prince Lian's consort is to be confined to the Imperial Household Department for trial first!"
In these years, he had neglected Xue Er, never stepping into the cold palace, and had not even overly rewarded Yu'er's title.
He thought the Empress would not continue to mistreat Xue Er, who was in the cold palace, due to their past rivalry for favor.
After all, no matter what, she was the mistress of the six palaces, and as the dignified Empress, she should naturally be magnanimous and know her limits. Now it seemed he had overestimated her!
Eunuch Chang saw Ye Yao Di's ashen face and knew he was truly angry this time. He quickly accepted the order and retreated.
Su Yun Mo carefully observed Ye Yao Di, seeing the veins bulging on his forehead and a complex expression flashing in his eyes.
Eunuch Chang returned quickly after leaving, but Luo Yun E did not follow.
Ye Yao Di's face was extremely displeased, "The Empress is putting on quite a show now, she can't even be summoned by me? Does she want me to personally go to Fengqi Palace to invite her!"
Eunuch Chang immediately knelt on the ground, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, "Your Majesty, the palace staff at Fengqi Palace said that Her Highness is ill and has been lying in bed, unable to come."
Ye Yao Di sneered, "Weren't you still full of energy the day before yesterday? I wonder what kind of illness it is that has come so quickly."
Eunuch Chang: "The palace staff said it's not a serious illness, but rather caused by excessive worry and mental strain."
"I heard that Prince Lian's consort entered the palace today and complained to the Empress about Prince Lian wanting to marry the Southern Border County Princess. Later, she became agitated and even miscarried, and was then carried back to Prince Lian's residence."
"The Empress was also distressed by this, constantly complaining of chest tightness, and has been lying in bed unable to get up. The imperial physicians are currently attending to her at Fengqi Palace."
Su Yun Mo sneered inwardly.
Lin Yu Ning's pregnancy was truly useful, serving as a shield for any situation.
Ye Yao Di's face also turned cold, "Good, very good. They are preemptively trying to shut me up."
Prince Lian's consort's fetus was unstable and she had already returned to her residence, so it was impossible for her to lure Xue Er to the lake.
The Empress was ill and temporarily unable to attend to palace affairs, so it was understandable that she was completely unaware of what had happened on the ice lake.
This move had cleared both of them.
Eunuch Chang: "Your Majesty, both of them are unable to get out of bed. If we force them... I'm afraid it will escalate the situation and disgrace the royal family."
Eunuch Chang did not dare to mention the deeper reasons.
Although he believed Liu Lanxue's words and thought Prince Lian's consort was plotting behind the scenes, this Highness was now deaf and blind, unable to distinguish people.
If she were to be confined to the Imperial Household Department just because she uttered the word 'Princess,' it would be against palace rules if it got out.
This reason was something others could not fail to consider.
Ye Jing Yu cupped his hands and stated, "I implore Your Majesty to reconsider."
Some matters cannot be handled without concrete evidence.
A single move could affect the whole situation. Punishing Luo Yun E was a small matter, but behind her was the entire Luo family.
Ye Yao Di took a deep breath, looked at the little dumpling on the bed, paused for a moment, and said in a deep voice, "Chang Hui, issue an order stating that Su Yun Mo has committed insubordination. From today onwards, she is forbidden from entering the palace."
Eunuch Chang was stunned for a moment, somewhat surprised, not knowing why Ye Yao Di had suddenly changed his mind.
But seeing Ye Yao Di's expression, he dared not ask further and withdrew after complying.
After Eunuch Chang left, Ye Yao Di took a jade pendant from his waist and placed it in Su Yun Mo's hand.
"Little girl, while I am away from the capital these days, you can use this item to enter and exit the imperial palace freely, but remember, you must not tell anyone about this matter."
Ye Jing Yu's gaze fell on the jade pendant, his eyes deepening.
Su Yun Mo knew that Ye Yao Di was giving her an opportunity, a chance to catch a turtle in a jar.
"Okay~ Thank you, Imperial Uncle." Su Yun Mo generously accepted the jade pendant.
Liu Lanxue yawned, her eyes closing listlessly.
After talking for a while, her energy was almost depleted.
"Rest well," Ye Yao Di covered her with the quilt, got up, and walked out. As he passed Ye Jing Yu, he said in a deep voice, "You come with me."
Ye Jing Yu's eyes darkened as he got up and followed.
A moment later, Ye Jing Yu entered the room alone.
Ye Yao Di had already left.
On the bed, Liu Lanxue was already asleep. Su Yun Mo leaned against the pillow, yawning as she waited for Ye Jing Yu to return, "What authority did His Majesty give you?"