Chapter 313

Chapter 313 The moment the Emperor spoke, everyone in Zhaohua Palace was so frightened they dropped to their knees. Before long, word came from the corridor: "Your Majesty, a palace maid attending Lady Hua requests an audience. She says Lady Hua is at death's door and begs Your Majesty to save her!" The Emperor merely furrowed his brow. "Has the imperial physician gone?" "Reporting to Your Majesty, yes. But they say Lady Hua has been unconscious and vomiting blood—it doesn't look good." At a time like this, the messenger dared not add or omit anything. The Emperor glanced at Vice Judge Bai, who stroked his beard and said, "I heard news of Lady Hua on my way here as well." "Lady Hua never touched the venomous spider gu—she only drank the milk custard containing the poison, which damaged her stomach and intestines, causing the continuous vomiting of blood." "Physician Yue should have already neutralized the poison for Lady Hua. Once the blood she vomits turns red, she will be out of danger." With Vice Judge Bai's assurance, Lady Hua's people had no choice but to return. The Emperor stayed with Xie Run in Zhaohua Palace for a while and was about to go check on Lady Hua when another message arrived: "The Empress has vomited blood at Cining Palace." Xie Run instinctively looked up at the Emperor's expression—it was indeed as dark as a storm cloud. She asked, "What happened?!" The messenger kept his head low, trembling under the Emperor's imposing aura. "This servant does not know. I only know that while attending to the Empress Dowager's meal, the Empress suddenly vomited blood and collapsed." By the time the servant finished speaking, the Emperor had already strode out. A crowd followed noisily behind him, all heading toward Cining Palace. Xie Run performed a bow from behind: "I see off Your Majesty." After the Emperor left, Lady Lu quietly stepped forward. "Sister Xie, what is going on?" "Could someone have reached into Cining Palace? Are they trying to harm the Empress Dowager or the Empress?" Xie Run: "...Perhaps neither." As she thought about it, a hint of worry crept onto Xie Run's brow. She feared that the Empress, serving the Empress Dowager day and night, had worn herself out to the point of vomiting blood. Last time, Xie Jiang had told her that the Empress had undergone a major surgery, and the depletion of her body was irreversible. She might appear healthy on the surface, but internally, her losses were severe. These past few days, the Empress had been attending to the Empress Dowager personally. Given the Empress Dowager's temperament, she wouldn't show the slightest consideration—she might even take the opportunity to torment the Empress. With the Empress's physical condition, vomiting blood could easily trigger the latent illness within her body. Xie Run knew nothing of medicine, but her instincts told her this was not a good sign. Trouble was erupting everywhere in the palace, but since Jing Wu had taken charge of the Department of Punishments, he handled matters with even greater swiftness and decisiveness. Before sunset, word arrived. "Reporting to Your Ladyship, Lord Jing has extracted considerable information." "A new batch of porcelain recently arrived from Ganzhou, and a portion of it was sent to the Imperial Kitchen for soup preparation." Xie Run's brows shifted slightly. "Does Lord Jing mean that the venomous spider gu was placed in these porcelain pieces before they were sent into the palace?" "Yes. After the porcelain entered the palace, every step was monitored—there was absolutely no opportunity for tampering." Xie Run: "Was the venomous spider gu placed in the entire batch of porcelain, or only in the milk custards delivered to my courtyard and Lady Hua's?" Jing Wu: "Only the porcelain sent to Zhaohua Palace and Fanghua Palace was contaminated." "Wait—you said Fanghua Palace, not Chan Yun Pavilion?" "That bowl of milk custard was originally ordered by Xiurong Gong, but Lady Hua's people took it instead. When Lady Hua was poisoned, the Imperial Kitchen was already preparing a new batch of milk custard to offer as an apology to Xiurong Gong." Xie Run was stunned. The person who planted the gu was targeting her and Fang Yuan'er! She couldn't help but shiver, and a name instantly surfaced in her mind—Wan Linlang! Jing Wu continued: "The porcelain was likely marked. When it arrived at the Imperial Kitchen, the steward in charge of food preparation selected those two pieces specifically for Zhaohua Palace and Fanghua Palace." "After the incident, I sent men to find the eunuch responsible for the food preparation, only to discover he had already committed suicide by poison—he took Gut-Rending Powder." Xie Run's mind suddenly grew muddled again. If it really was Wan Linlang, after faking her death and leaving the prince's residence, how could she possibly have the means to interfere with matters in the Imperial Kitchen of the palace? This was the imperial palace! Let alone Wan Linlang not even being in the palace—even Xie Run, given her current position and her short time in the palace, couldn't place her own people in the Imperial Kitchen. Much less someone loyal enough to die for her. Xie Run: "Have you found out who ordered him to do this?!" Jing Wu: "This humble official is incompetent—I have not yet been able to uncover that." Xie Run let out a sigh. "Never mind. Lord Jing has worked hard all day today; it would be unreasonable of me to keep pressing you." Jing Wu bowed: "Thank you for your understanding, Your Ladyship. I still need to report to His Majesty, so I shall not disturb you further." Xie Run had someone send gifts to Jing Wu, then leaned back in her chair, massaging her temples. Meanwhile, Jing Wu went to report to the Emperor with the same information, though with a few additional details. "Your Majesty, although the steward eunuch of the Imperial Kitchen is dead, I traced the process of how he was originally transferred to the kitchen and found it leads to the Prefect of Yunzhou." The Prefect of Yunzhou was none other than Noble Lady Xian's biological father. "It was on this man's recommendation that the eunuch entered the palace and was assigned to the kitchen. He was later noticed by the chief eunuch and put in charge of the soups and custards." The Imperial Kitchen managed all meals for the Six Palaces, with extremely meticulous division of labor—each person's jurisdiction was strictly defined with no room for error. The Emperor rubbed the thumb ring on his finger, his expression inscrutable. "I see." By evening, the day's events had already spread throughout the Six Palaces. Many had come to Zhaohua Palace to visit the Fifth Prince and express their regards. Xie Run sent someone to Fengyi Palace and received news that matched her expectations. The Empress had collapsed from exhaustion while attending to the Empress Dowager, which had triggered an old ailment and caused her to vomit blood. The Six Palaces did not know how the Empress Dowager had tormented the Empress within Cining Palace, but seeing that the Empress had been driven to vomiting blood, all were secretly alarmed. They could only assume the Empress Dowager was cruel enough to want the Empress dead. Xie Run glanced at the sleeping Taotao. "Nanny Xu, carry Taotao. We're going to Fengyi Palace." "If not for the Heavenly Fortune Blood Jade Bracelet gifted by the Empress today, Taotao would surely have met with disaster." "The Empress has saved his life. He should go see her and repay that kindness." Seeing Xie Run's composed and solemn expression, no one dared to object, and they quietly made preparations. Upon arriving at Fengyi Palace, Xie Run personally carried Taotao into the bedchamber. Fortunately, it was summer, so Taotao was dressed lightly. Had it been winter, Xie Run might not have been able to lift him at all. Just as she reached the doorway, Xie Run ran into the Emperor. She was somewhat surprised and was about to bow with Taotao in her arms when the Emperor stopped her. Even the attendant at the door who was about to announce their arrival was stopped by Eunuch Shian. This rather surprised Xie Run. Only after entering the main hall of Fengyi Palace did Xie Run notice there were many unfamiliar faces inside. Their first reaction upon seeing the Emperor was to bow, but all were stopped by Eunuch Shian. For a moment, the main hall was full of people, yet utterly silent—so quiet it was almost unsettling. Xie Run followed behind the Emperor, passing through the main hall toward the bedchamber. Through a curtain, a somewhat harsh and arrogant voice reached her ears. "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has specially sent this old servant to deliver a few words to Her Majesty the Empress. I only hope Her Majesty will not fault this old servant for her impertinence." The Empress's voice was faint and weak, yet still gentle: "How would I dare? If Mother has words to say, this daughter-in-law shall humbly receive them." "The Empress Dowager said: had she known Her Majesty the Empress was so precious and noble, she would never have dared to have you attend to this old woman, nor would she have harmed your honored health." "She also said she doesn't see what hardship or burden Her Majesty suffered at Cining Palace, yet suddenly you vomited blood and fainted." "Now the Six Palaces are all saying the Empress Dowager tormented Her Majesty the Empress into fainting—truly cruel and heartless. The Empress Dowager's lifelong reputation has been destroyed by Her Majesty the Empress." "Just how much resentment does Her Majesty the Empress harbor against the Empress Dowager in ordinary times, to resort to such a ruthless scheme?!" "Had she known this would happen, the Empress Dowager would rather have died of illness than dare to trouble Her Majesty the Empress for care!" "How dare you!" Someone shouted, full of anger and indignation on the Empress's behalf. At that moment, the Emperor raised his hand and lifted the curtain, casting a cold gaze at the old servant who stood by the Empress's bed, face full of smug satisfaction, about to berate whoever had just shouted. Catching a glimpse of the Emperor from the corner of her eye, her face changed instantly, and she hastily knelt to kowtow: "This servant pays respects to Your Majesty." Her reverent posture was a stark contrast to the arrogance she had displayed while lecturing the Empress moments before. The Emperor would not deign to question an old servant about why she had spoken rudely to the Empress. He only said in a flat tone: "Drag her out. Beat her to death." Were it not for concerns about his reputation, the Emperor would have had her dragged to Cining Palace to be beaten to death before everyone's eyes. Now bearing the name of filial piety, he was also bound by its constraints. After dealing with the old nanny sent by the Empress Dowager, the Emperor led Xie Run into the bedchamber. The Empress rose to bow, but the Emperor stopped her: "Stay lying down and rest well." The Empress did not force herself to get up. The Emperor said in a deep voice: "You have worked hard attending to Mother. She is advanced in years, and your daily visits to pay respects have been disturbing her rest. From now on, go once on the first and once on the fifteenth of each month." The Empress knew better than to put on a show of refusal at such a time, and smoothly replied: "This concubine obeys." The Emperor asked again: "What did the imperial physician say about your condition?" Nanny Li stepped forward, her voice still hoarse: "The physician said Her Majesty collapsed from overexertion, which triggered an old ailment, causing her to vomit blood and faint." The Emperor nodded slightly. "Is this illness serious?" Hearing this, Nanny Li's eyes reddened instantly. "The physician said that Her Majesty's previous miscarriage had already damaged her body and shortened her Life-span. Now that the old ailment has recurred, she may not live long." For the imperial physician to dare say such a thing meant the impact on the Empress's health was by no means insignificant. The Emperor's expression darkened. He asked the Empress two more questions before taking his leave. Nanny Li, seeing that the Emperor had asked so much yet said nothing about the Empress Dowager's fault, could not help but feel disappointed. After the Emperor left, Nanny Li sank into self-pity, her heart aching for the Empress. Xie Run carried Taotao to the Empress's bedside and slowly recounted the day's events. "If not for the Heavenly Fortune Blood Jade Bracelet bestowed by Her Majesty the Empress, Taotao might well have been in the same dire straits as Lady Hua—his life hanging in the balance!" Xie Run crouched in a salute to the Empress: "Your Majesty the Empress saved Taotao and this concubine's life. This concubine has brought Taotao here specifically to thank Your Majesty!" Xie Run's gaze was calm and steady. "A thousand gratitudes are hard to put into words. I only ask that Your Majesty accept a bow from me and Taotao." The Empress's eyes showed a trace of emotion, and she said to Nanny Li and Tinghe, "Quickly help Bright and Pure Consort up!" Tinghe and Nanny Li hurried forward to support Xie Run as she rose. Someone also placed a stool behind Xie Run and helped her sit down. The Empress said, "If you hadn't had Divine Physician Xie save my life, how would I have gifted you the blood jade bracelet? And now that bracelet has protected the Fifth Prince... All of this can only be said to be karma cycling, with its own reasoning." "To speak of thanks now—would that not be too courteous? If we trace it back further, I fear I should be the one thanking you instead." The Empress was habitually reserved and composed, and even now her emotions did not fluctuate much, though her attitude had grown considerably warmer. "You are a person blessed with good fortune. Raise the Fifth Prince well, enjoy your blessings, and do not end up like me..." As the Empress spoke, her eyes suddenly reddened slightly. But she was stubborn by nature and disliked revealing her emotions before others, so she merely turned her face aside. Xie Run said, "Your Majesty is also the Fifth Prince's mother. Having received Your Majesty's kindness, he will naturally be filial to Your Majesty." "This concubine seeks only a stable and healthy life in this world, and I also wish that Your Majesty, like Taotao, enjoys good health and everything goes as you wish." The Empress said, "I know your heart." Her peripheral gaze fell on the plump, fair Taotao, and thinking of the child she had lost, she reflected that she was fated to have no children of her own in this life. Now, with the Fifth Prince, she had formed this bond of goodwill. She only hoped that in the future, he would treat Duanjing well in consideration of this bond. Xie Run exchanged a few more pleasantries before leaving with Taotao. As they departed, the Empress had Tinghe see them off. Xie Run handed Taotao to Zihu, then took Tinghe's hand and asked in detail, "How is Her Majesty's health really these days? Tell me the truth." Xie Run was not afraid of Tinghe overthinking things, and lowered her voice to say, "In the past, no matter how great the pain or suffering, I never saw Her Majesty furrow her brow. Yet now her eyes reddened. Don't fob me off by saying nothing is wrong." Tinghe could no longer hold herself together, tears welling in her eyes. "Her Majesty's health is a small matter, but... some days ago, a letter arrived from the Xia Dynasty." Tinghe gave a bitter smile. "It's something that would be known sooner or later anyway, so there's no need to hide it from Your Ladyship Bright and Pure Consort." "The letter from the Xia Dynasty said that Her Majesty's health is poor and she has been unable to bear the Emperor a child. For the sake of harmony between the two nations, they have specially selected two more women of the imperial clan from Xia to send to the Emperor, saying they hope the Empress will look after them well and that they may soon bear a prince with Xia blood..." Tinghe said with a sob, "Her Majesty was heartbroken, and with days of accumulated exhaustion, she suddenly vomited blood." So that was it. For a moment, Xie Run's expression was complicated, and she did not know what words of comfort to offer. She patted Tinghe's hand. "Counsel Her Majesty well. As long as Her Majesty trusts the Emperor, nothing is a problem." Tinghe was briefly stunned, and though she did not quite agree, she still said, "This servant will surely relay Your Ladyship's words to Her Majesty." Back at Zhaohua Palace, Xie Run had nightmares all night. When she woke, dawn was just breaking. She did not even take the time to put on clothes, but walked barefoot to the adjoining side room, looking at Taotao in her sleep. Xie Run could not help herself—she reached out and gently placed her hand beneath Taotao's nose to check. Thank goodness, she was still breathing. Thank goodness, it was only a dream. Xie Run let out a long sigh of relief, and only then did her taut nerves ease slightly. After finishing breakfast, Chunjuan returned with news and reported to Xie Run: "Your Ladyship, the Emperor is having breakfast at the Empress Dowager's palace today."