The Hidden Beauty

Chapter 18 The Imperial Concubine Arrives
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..." Lin Nianyi came to the audience in a hurry, but was stopped outside the palace.

The eunuch bowed his head and said, "The Left Commander is inside. Please ask the Imperial Concubine to return to the palace first."

Lin Nianyi clenched her hands and hid her worried look: "I will wait here."

We waited until dark.

"Mr. Governor, please come this way." The chief eunuch was very pleased with this important official of the court. "The Governor has returned victoriously. The Empress has rewarded him with some snacks. The servants sent to accompany him should have arrived at the Governor's Mansion by now."

Meng Tingzhou said expressionlessly: "Thank the Queen on my behalf."

As I walked out of the palace, there was a loud thunder.

Lin Nianyi was frightened and pale, and saw that he wanted to say something but stopped talking.

Meng Tingzhou nodded indifferently and walked past her.

Lin Nianyi could not help but rush in: "Your Majesty, please save my brother."

Because Meng Tingzhou had won another victory, the emperor seemed to be in a good mood. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "My lord concubine, please stand up and speak. What happened?"

Lin Nianyi's eyes were slightly red. "My elder brother has had a high fever for several days, and the doctors are helpless. I beg Your Majesty... I beg Your Majesty to have mercy on my uncle, elder brother."

She was kneeling on the ground, and I felt sorry for her.

The emperor helped her up and said, "I will send the imperial physician to the Lin residence. You don't have to worry."

Lin Nianshen had a high fever and was in and out of consciousness. When Lin Zhaozhong saw that the Imperial Hospital had sent someone, he felt like he had found a lifeline: "Doctor Zhang, how is he?"

Doctor Zhang asked about the situation, then looked at Lin Nianshen's condition and stepped back a few steps: "May I ask where Master Lin has been?"

Mother Lin's face changed slightly.

Lin Zhaozhong was furious: "Why don't you tell Doctor Zhang right away?"

"Shen'er just came back from Zuiyue Tower a few days ago."

"How dare you!" Father Lin's face turned pale and blue. "He is an official appointed by the imperial court, and he dares to do such a thing."

Thinking that he had some friendship with Doctor Zhang, he wanted to ask him to cover it up: "Doctor Zhang, you see..."

Doctor Zhang bowed and said, "Lord Lin, in my humble opinion, Master Lin has been infected with malaria. We need to immediately seal off the entire mansion and the Zuiyue Tower."

Lin Nian-shen's infection with malaria shocked the government and the public.

The emperor was furious and reprimanded Lin Zhaozhong for his lax discipline in the court. He demoted Lin Zhaozhong's position as the Minister of Public Administration two levels, fined him half a year's salary, confined him to house arrest for two months, and suspended court for three days. He ordered court officials to stay in the palace and report to the Imperial Hospital immediately if they felt unwell.

A group of people from the Governor's Mansion sat in the courtyard drinking tea and chatting.

After lying down for two months, Jiang Shiwan was finally able to sit up.

But the seat she sat on was also very spacious and soft. In comparison, the seat next to her, Meng Tingzhou's, seemed a bit simple.

"I heard that the Imperial Concubine knelt outside the Jiade Hall for a whole night, and the Emperor refused to see her." Yu Feng felt very happy. "That Lin Nianshen relied on his connections in the palace to live a life of debauchery and shamelessness outside. This time, he finally suffered a big setback."

Doctor Mei checked the cakes sent by the award winner one by one before saying, "Miss Jiang, they have all been checked and are safe to eat."

Meng Tingzhou looked at the cakes on the table and said to Jiang Shiwan, "If you are worried, just throw them away."

Jiang Shiwan took a sip and said, "If the Queen asks, I have to give a good answer."

She was a thoughtful person as she could think of the possibility of meeting the Queen in the future.

"Then just taste a bite of each." Meng Tingzhou caught her slightly frowning expression and told Xueying, "Bring some preserved fruits." He took the fruit plate that Xueying brought, picked up a sour plum and handed it to her mouth: "Here."

Jiang Shiwan felt that several people around him lowered their heads when they saw this scene.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, indicating that people were watching him.

Meng Tingzhou glanced at the people around him and said, "Look up and learn how to take care of others in the future, otherwise there will be no one to play with my children."

Pei Qing, Yu Feng and others were so embarrassed that they didn't know where to look.

Jiang Shiwan was afraid that he would do something weird again, so he opened his mouth and took the sour plum in his mouth: "Don't you have anything else to do?"

Meng Tingzhou also picked a sour plum and put it in his mouth, then frowned with sourness: "Doctor Mei asked me to find time to accompany you more, saying that children tend to be naughty when their father is not around. Do you think your morning sickness has improved a little after I accompanied you for the past two days?"

Doctor Mei glanced at Meng Tingzhou and pursed his lips helplessly.

During this period of time, he discovered that the governor was like two completely different people when he was outside and when he was at home.

A guard came in and whispered something in Pei Qing's ear. Pei Qing looked at Meng Tingzhou and Jiang Shiwan and bowed his head: "Commander-in-chief, Miss Jiang, someone is coming from the palace."

"Who?"

"It seems to be the Imperial Concubine."

The two looked at each other.

Jiang Shiwan then leaned back and said, "Then he must be looking for your governor."

Meng Tingzhou leaned in and whispered in her ear: "I told you I have something and I won't hide it from you. How could I meet someone else without telling you?"

Ever since the child tied her down, Meng Tingzhou has become more and more fearless.

Jiang Shiwan threw out two words: "It's up to you."

The guards at the door did not dare to stop Lin Nianyi. She walked straight in with a veil on her head.

"Commander-in-chief, the imperial concubine insisted on coming in..."

Lin Nianyi looked at them like a couple of gods in this peaceful courtyard, and her heart ached.

This was the first time she saw Jiang Shiwan. No matter how reluctant she was to admit it, she was indeed one of the most beautiful women, especially her eyes as clear as autumn water. She was not surprised to hear that she was here.

Meng Tingzhou stood up and nodded: "My wife is pregnant, so it is inconvenient to perform the ceremony. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

"You..." Seeing that Jiang Shiwan was sitting there normally and nothing had happened to him, Lin Nianyi was even more certain that his elder brother's affairs had something to do with him.

Lin Nianyi gnashed his teeth in hatred: "Did you do this?"

Jiang Shiwan said calmly: "What does the Imperial Concubine want to say? This servant does not understand."

"It was you who placed items used by people with malaria in the courtesan's room at Zuiyue Tower, causing my elder brother to be infected with malaria? I have searched the entire capital but couldn't find any quinine that can treat malaria. You clearly want to kill my elder brother!" Lin Nianyi pointed at her in shock, "You have such a vicious heart!"

Meng Tingzhou reached out and grasped her wrist, then slowly let it go: "This pregnancy of mine and my wife was not easy to come by. The doctor said that my wife cannot be stimulated. Please be careful with your words, Your Majesty."

"Meng Tingzhou!" Lin Nianyi shouted, "My elder brother is lying in bed unconscious. As long as you give me quinine, I will leave immediately!"

Jiang Shiwan said "Oh" and asked, "Why did the Imperial Concubine say that there was quinine in the Governor's Mansion?"

She looked around and asked, "Do you know?"

Lin Nianyi's face turned pale. She knew that if she told them, she would be telling them that the poison in the oranges was put there by her eldest brother. But saving lives was the most important thing at the moment, so she could only bite the bullet and say, "Where are the oranges? I don't believe you would really eat those oranges. Those oranges contain quinine, which can cure malaria."