nashuaworldcup Chapter 268 Sickness
Chapter 268 Sickness
When the Empress Dowager heard the news, she came to the Yangxin Palace early in the morning.
Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong quickly saluted: "May the Empress Dowager be well."
The Empress Dowager glanced at the two of them calmly, then shifted her gaze to Yongzheng on the bed: "Everyone, get up! Is the Emperor showing any signs of waking up?"
Shen Meizhuang replied respectfully, "Not yet."
"What happened? Why did the emperor suddenly fall ill?"
"Reporting to the Queen Mother, the Imperial Physician..."
Shen Meizhuang was about to answer, but was interrupted by the Queen Mother:
"I didn't ask you!"
An Lingrong, hiding in the background pretending to be a quail, had no choice but to step forward and say, "Reporting to the Queen Mother, the Emperor was resting last night when he suddenly developed a high fever. The imperial physician said it was due to depression in his heart and the cold entering his body."
The Empress Dowager's face darkened. She looked at An Lingrong with a flicker of dissatisfaction in her eyes as she rebuked, "A cold? The Emperor fell ill in your palace. I'm sure it's because you didn't serve him well enough."
How can this be linked to me?
Upon hearing this, An Lingrong could only kneel on the ground and say, "Please forgive me, Queen Mother."
Looking at An Lingrong kneeling on the ground, the empress dowager's eyes moved. After listening to the Queen's account of the incident at Ganlu Temple last time, she had already developed some dissatisfaction with An Lingrong in her heart, so she was ready to take the opportunity to give her a warning.
"The Emperor summoned you to his bedchamber as a gift to you, and you should serve him wholeheartedly. However, you have caused the Emperor's illness, which is truly a failure of the duties and responsibilities of a concubine."
But An Lingrong was unwilling to bear the blame for nothing. Her eyes moved rapidly, and after a moment's thought, she defended herself, "Empress Dowager, the weather has been so unpredictable recently that the Emperor has caught a cold. Please understand, Your Majesty. This matter has nothing to do with me!"
"Nothing to do with it? How can it be unrelated to you if the Emperor falls ill in your palace?" The Queen Mother frowned slightly and said in a cold tone, "I punish you by making you kneel in your own palace for two hours and reflect on your mistakes!"
Upon hearing that the Empress Dowager intended to severely punish An Lingrong, Shen Meizhuang's heart tightened. Without a second thought, she quickly walked over to An Lingrong and knelt down. She raised her head, looked at the Empress Dowager with a determined gaze, and said in a steady voice, "Your Majesty, this incident occurred in Yonghe Palace. As the head of the Yonghe Palace, I am in charge of all palace affairs, and naturally, I bear the responsibility. I beg the Empress Dowager to show mercy and forgive Concubine Wen. I am willing to bear all the punishment."
The Queen Mother was slightly startled, then frowned, a hint of displeasure flashed in her eyes, and she said in a more serious tone: "Concubine Hui, are you going to openly protect her?"
Shen Meizhuang lowered her head and responded respectfully but not servilely, "I dare not, but she is a member of my palace. Any mistakes she makes are due to my poor teaching. I am willing to accept the punishment."
The Queen Mother was so angry that she was speechless for a moment, and could only utter: "You..."
She thought to herself that Shen Meizhuang usually looked docile and well-behaved, but she didn't expect that she would contradict her like this today for An Lingrong. She was really infuriating and hateful.
Su Peisheng carefully carried the medicine into the palace and reported: "Empress Dowager, it's time for the Emperor to drink his medicine!"
The empress dowager's expression was grim. She no longer paid attention to Shen Meiyu and An Lingrong who were still kneeling on the ground, and directly took the bowl of medicine from the tray held by Su Peisheng beside her.
Seeing this, Shen Meizhuang immediately stood up, sat on the edge of the bed, and held up Yongzheng's head with both hands.
The dowager held the medicine bowl, staring intently at Yongzheng's slightly pale face. She gently scooped up a spoonful of medicine with the silver spoon in her hand, put it to her lips and blew gently. When the temperature was right, she slowly brought it to Yongzheng's mouth, one spoonful after another, patiently and carefully.
After feeding the medicine, Shen Meizhuang put down the head in her hand and continued to kneel on the ground.
Following this series of movements, the unconscious Yongzheng gradually showed signs of waking up. His eyes trembled slightly, then slowly opened, a trace of the confusion and fatigue of waking still lingering in them.
Seeing him wake up, the Queen Mother's tense expression instantly relaxed, and her voice was filled with uncontrollable joy: "Emperor, you are awake?"
Looking at the empress dowager's concerned face, Yongzheng felt a warm current flowing through his heart, and called out affectionately, "Mother."
The Empress Dowager leaned forward slightly and gently held Yongzheng's hand, her eyes full of loving reproach: "Emperor, how can you be so careless about your body? The harem and the court are still counting on you."
"Thank you, my dear mother, for your concern. It's my son's fault!"
Yongzheng's gaze slowly shifted to Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong, who were kneeling on the ground. His brows furrowed slightly, his eyes filled with confusion and inquiry. He asked slowly, "What's wrong? Why are they kneeling here?"
Shen Meizhuang raised her head slightly, looked directly at Yongzheng with respect and calmness, and said softly, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty is ill in Yonghe Palace. This is my fault. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."
After listening to Shen Meizhuang's words, Yongzheng pondered for a moment, and a general understanding dawned on him. He turned to look at the Empress Dowager and spoke softly, "Mother, it's my son who's unhappy. This has nothing to do with Concubine Hui and Concubine Wen. Concubine Wen takes good care of my son, and he feels very comfortable with her!"
Seeing Yongzheng's partiality, the Empress Dowager, though still dissatisfied, sighed helplessly: "Since you say so, I will forgive her this time. Get up!
"Thank you, Queen Mother." Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong thanked her in unison, then supported themselves with their hands and slowly stood up. An Lingrong's legs were numb and sore from kneeling for so long that she struggled to get up.
The Queen Mother then suggested, "Since you are ill, let the princes of the royal family come to the palace to tend to you, and the concubines should also take turns to serve you."
Yongzheng's gaze lingered on Shen Meizhuang and An Lingrong. "Just let them stay in the Yangxin Palace."
"it is good."
After the Empress Dowager returned, Yongzheng looked at An Lingrong, who had been keeping her head down, and said, "Don't blame yourself. This matter has nothing to do with you!"
An Lingrong raised her head with a look of gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your comfort."
On the surface, she lowered her head and looked submissive and repentant, but her heart was in turmoil and she was secretly complaining, "I'm not blaming myself, I'm angry!"
The situation in the harem was volatile and unpredictable. The Empress's power in the harem had been gradually weakened, existing in name only. Her only remaining support was the Empress Dowager's support and the uncertain future of the Third Prince.
How could the Empress Dowager not realize that the control of the harem had long since slipped away from the Ulanara clan's grasp? The conflict between them and the Empress Dowager was bound to erupt sooner or later; it was only a matter of time.
Fortunately, the Queen Mother was old and her energy was limited, and her former wisdom and strength had been worn away by time. There was a major event waiting for her ahead, enough to take half her life, so they could hold off. The Queen Mother's enemy was time.