Reborn as a Sickly Child: The Emperor's Beloved

In the study, candlelight flickered, illuminating the exquisite furnishings in the room. Xiao Jingzhan sat at the desk, concentrating on discussing state affairs with several ministers. Their expressions were serious, sometimes in deep thought, and sometimes expressing their own opinions.

Eunuch Li walked into the study quietly, fearing that any noise would disturb the conversation between His Majesty and the ministers.

He stood quietly aside, his eyes respectful and focused, silently listening to the exchange between the monarch and his subjects. His figure seemed a little thin in the dim corner, but his presence was so natural, as if he had already blended into this peaceful atmosphere.

A solemn atmosphere permeated the entire study room. The discussions between Xiao Jingzhan and his ministers echoed in the air, accompanied by occasional silence and thought.

Eunuch Li was waiting quietly. He did not dare to go forward to disturb His Majesty at this time. He waited until His Majesty finished speaking before going forward to report.

"The drought in the northwest is urgent. Ministry of Revenue, allocate 10,000 taels of silver and allocate enough grain to the northwest. Make preparations immediately. Fang Jinzhong, you will be in charge of the disaster relief matters this time. Make sure that all the relief grain is transported to the northwest." Xiao Jingzhan frowned slightly, looking at the memorial presented by the northwest with worry.

The Minister of Revenue and Fang Jinzhong stepped forward to receive the order, and several people withdrew to take care of the matters.

Seeing that His Majesty paused for a while, Eunuch Li hurried forward and conveyed Concubine Yan's words to His Majesty.

Eunuch Li whispered a few words to Xiao Jingzhan, and Xiao Jingzhan's expression visibly relaxed, with even a hint of tenderness in his eyes.

But when he saw the two people entering the hall, his face darkened for a moment and his cold eyes fell on them.

Li Chenyan and Zheng Jing, who had just entered the palace, stepped forward to pay their respects. Before they stood up, they felt the emperor's cold gaze falling on them.

The two men looked up and saw His Majesty looking at them with cold eyes. They were a little puzzled. They had just arrived and it seemed that they had not caused any trouble.

"Get up," Xiao Jingzhan said coldly. How long has it been since Yanyan came to see him? And she had something urgent to do and couldn't leave. Xiao Jingzhan had nowhere to vent his anger. When he saw the two of them, his face darkened.

"Let's discuss the matter quickly," Xiao Jingzhan said, and then handed the letter in his hand to Li Chenyan.

Zheng Jing stepped forward to report the recent changes in the palace guards. When Xiao Jingzhan heard that the personnel changes were quite frequent, his eyes were filled with murderous intent.

It seems he can't wait any longer.

"Well, keep an eye on them carefully. Arrange personnel on your side to replace these people at any time and be prepared. There's no need to alert the enemy for now. Just let them go." Xiao Jingzhan said calmly.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Zheng Jing responded with a bow.

Li Chenyan finished reading the letter in his hand, his face full of seriousness. "Your Majesty, it seems that this matter is set in stone. They really have secretly sent more troops to the border."

"I have a plan for this matter. You should check it secretly and keep a close eye on the military supplies and logistics of the Ministry of War, and Liu Zheng as well. The military supplies must be ensured." Xiao Jingzhan frowned and looked at the flickering fire in the hall, his face showing meticulous seriousness.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I have found out that Sun Jizhong is involved in all matters of the Ministry of War, but he has never had any contact with Prime Minister Gao. He has never done anything secretly or openly, and has always been doing his job in the Ministry of War. So far, I have not found any evidence of his disloyalty."

Li Chenyan also found it very strange. The Gao family pushed Concubine Sun into the palace and arranged for her to sleep with him, but the Sun family had no problems at all. What did the Sun family want to do? What did Prime Minister Gao want to do?

Xiao Jingzhan thought of Concubine Sun. After many encounters, she didn't seem to have any purpose. There were only two possible outcomes: either Concubine Sun was just a trick, or she was very deep-minded and good at disguising. However, there were not many people who could disguise themselves under the Xuanmeng Powder. This required a very strong psychological quality.

"Investigate, investigate carefully in secret, to see if there is any private relationship between Sun Jizhong and Liu Zheng. Gao Xiang's chess piece can be used together with the Jiang family in Jinling, definitely not to confuse the public." Xuanmeng Powder was useless to the two people in the palace, which only showed that they were completely unaware. However, the purpose of these two chess pieces entering the palace was definitely not simple. Gao Xiang, that old fox, was really difficult to deal with.

"Yes, I will definitely find out Prime Minister Gao's purpose." Li Chenyan frowned, feeling a little worried.

Seeing Zheng Jing hesitant to speak, Xiao Jingzhan cast his eyes on him and said calmly, "Just say whatever you want to say."

Zheng Jing still asked the doubts in his heart: "Your Majesty, is my father okay?"

His father left his family and went far away, and he has been serving His Majesty in the palace. On the one hand, he is loyal to His Majesty. On the other hand, he wants to wait for the day when Gao Xiang and his party can be eliminated, and his father can return to Kyoto and reunite with his family.

He knew that His Majesty's information network was accessible throughout the world, and His Majesty must know his father's whereabouts.

Xiao Jingzhan's eyes flashed with deep meaning when he heard this. He didn't say much, but just said lightly: "He is fine, no need to worry."

Zheng Jing's eyes turned red when he heard this. His father was killed by a treacherous prime minister and had to flee far away. Now that His Majesty says he is fine, he feels relieved.

Looking at the two people in the hall, Xiao Jingzhan was a little anxious: "Is there anything else?"

The two of them looked at His Majesty's anxious expression and shook their heads.

Seeing that the matter had been dealt with, Xiao Jingzhan walked out of the hall without waiting for the two to leave.

Looking at the somewhat anxious Majesty, the two cast doubtful looks at Eunuch Li.

Eunuch Li smiled mysteriously, "Empress Yan is here, waiting for Your Majesty to have dinner." After saying that, he hurriedly followed His Majesty's footsteps.

The two of them understood and looked at the sky outside. His Majesty was worried that the Queen and others were hungry.

As two single people, they were fed a handful of dog food for no reason.

Shen Yanyan waited for a long time and felt a little hungry. Xiao Jingzhan still didn't come back, so she covered her face with the book and prepared to take a nap. She felt a little sleepy as she read.

Xiao Jingzhan hurried back to the bedroom and learned that Shen Yanyan was in the inner room and had not gone out. He hurried and went straight to the inner room.

Pushing the door open and entering the side hall, his eyes fell directly on the couch. Shen Yanyan lay there quietly, with a book covering her face, and her shallow breathing surrounded Xiao Jingzhan's ears.

Xiao Jingzhan walked quietly to the couch, sat on it, gently put the book away, and stared at Shen Yanyan's sleeping face.

Her breathing was steady and delicate, as if she was not disturbed by the outside world. He reached out and gently touched her cheek, feeling the warmth of her skin, and the anxiety in his heart gradually subsided.

At this moment, time seemed to stand still. Xiao Jingzhan forgot all his worries and fatigue, and just wanted to accompany her quietly.

He sat beside the couch, silently guarding Shen Yanyan, allowing her to continue sleeping in this peaceful atmosphere. The inner room was filled with a quiet and warm atmosphere, as if surrounding the two of them in a small, isolated world.

After a while, Eunuch Li tiptoed into the room, afraid to make any noise.

He came to the side of His Majesty and said softly, "Your Majesty, dinner is ready." Xiao Jingzhan nodded to indicate that he understood.

Xiao Jingzhan looked at Shen Yanyan on the couch, stretched out his hand, and gently pinched her nose. Shen Yanyan felt a slight pain and difficulty breathing in her sleep, and slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes were still a little blurry, but after seeing Xiao Jingzhan, she suddenly woke up.

"You're back." Shen Yanyan sat on the couch, her voice soft and tender as if she was half asleep and half awake.

The four words "You're back" obviously pleased Xiao Jingzhan. His face was full of tenderness as he tidied up her messy hair.

"Well, I'm back." Xiao Jingzhan's voice was unspeakably gentle, with a hint of hoarseness.

Shen Yanyan looked at him in a daze, with a blush on her face. With such a beautiful face, such a hoarse and charming voice, and such a gentle smile, Shen Yanyan felt her heart beating a little faster.

Xiao Jingzhan watched Shen Yanyan look at him confusedly with her wet eyes. At this moment, she could only see his own figure and her slightly red little face in her eyes. He felt his heart beating very fast in his chest.

She didn’t know if it was Shen Yanyan’s illusion, but she felt the temperature around them was a little high, as if there was an ambiguous atmosphere surrounding them.

A gurgling sound broke the ambiguity between the two. Shen Yanyan lowered her head and said awkwardly, "I'm hungry."

Xiao Jingzhan smiled, took her hand naturally and walked into the main hall.

"You don't have to wait for me next time. Just eat if you're hungry." Xiao Jingzhan thought that his discussion would take a long time, and he didn't want her to wait for him with an empty stomach.

"Yeah, okay." Shen Yanyan nodded. She was not hungry. She had been staying in Yaohua Palace the whole day, either eating or drinking. She had been eating almost the whole day.

Shen Yanyan was led outside by Xiao Jingzhan, yawning as she walked.

"Are you very sleepy?" Xiao Jingzhan looked at Shen Yanyan who was yawning and regretted that he had taken so long to come back.

"Yeah, a little." Shen Yanyan nodded. Mainly because she had been waiting for a while and she had fallen asleep. Now she suddenly woke up and still felt a little sleepy.

"Sorry, I won't keep you waiting so long next time." Xiao Jingzhan also felt that he had neglected her a little. She had been in the palace for so long, but he had only been to her palace a few times. Most of the time, she came to see him, and he was so busy that he didn't have much time to see her.

"No, national affairs are important. I didn't wait long, just a moment, ha..." Shen Yanyan yawned as she spoke, her eyes full of tears.

Seeing that she was very sleepy, Xiao Jingzhan went to the main hall with her to have dinner, then took Shen Yanyan back to the bedroom and asked her to have a nap first and they could talk about anything tomorrow.

Shen Yanyan felt something was wrong. She had been feeling drowsy when she was eating just now, and she felt even more sleepy now that she had returned to the bedroom.

"Your Majesty, what kind of incense do you use in your palace? Why does it make me feel sleepy... ha..." Shen Yanyan frowned and looked at the smoke slowly rising from the incense burner.

That shouldn't be the case. No matter how sleepy she is, she shouldn't keep yawning.

Xiao Jingzhan smelled the same fragrance as before and frowned.

Eunuch Li on the side quickly put out the incense with tea and immediately sent someone to invite the imperial physician.