Chapter 285

Linlang lowered her head, pondering the rabbit's strange behavior that day.

The moment the rabbit went in, she frankly told them, "I can't wake her up."

However, there was still snow on his body, so he must have been outside for a while.

What did he do in that brief moment?

Linlang couldn't understand it.

Yuehui and Lingluo also didn't know how to awaken Suisui, since their cultivation was all within the Empress's body and they had never transformed into another version of themselves.

In the end, they had no choice but to believe what the rabbit said and let him contact Sui Sui afterward.

Actually, they didn't need to actively let the rabbit and Sui Sui come into contact.

Given Sui Sui's personality, she would definitely want to bring the rabbit home to raise after discovering it, and the Empress, who dotes on Sui Sui, would surely agree.

In this way, once the rabbit smells the scent of the Empress on Sui Sui's body, it will surely regard Sui Sui as its savior.

In this way, if another opportunity arises, the rabbit can return to Sui Sui's body.

But the Empress suddenly changed her mind. Despite being afraid of rabbits, she took the rabbit away from Sui Sui and even touched it herself.

The rabbit noticed the aura emanating from the empress, which was why she was the first to be detected by the rabbit, causing him to waver.

Fortunately, the Empress did not have much contact with him again. All that is needed now is to prevent the Empress from meeting the rabbit.

Thinking of this, Linlang's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

The next day, Lingwu still hadn't woken up, and Linlang realized that her mistress was ill.

When the Empress Dowager fell ill, Shi Sheng, her son, had no choice but to come.

However, they were not blood relatives, and the two were not much different in age. Shi Sheng could only vaguely see Ling Wu's figure and hear her cough through the curtain.

"Mother Empress," Shi Sheng called out.

The person behind the curtain seemed to only then notice his arrival. His cough was suppressed by his master, and he said to him, "Your Majesty need not come in person, lest you pass on your illness."

Lingwu's voice came through the curtain, and it was a little hoarse because she had caught a cold.

While suppressing the itch in her throat, she tried to guess what Shi Sheng was thinking at that moment.

He came in person this time, probably to see if he was really sick.

If she is truly ill, then let's show some maternal love and filial piety.

If he was faking illness, it would also overturn the fact that she had been concerned about whether he had eaten on time and whether he had truly reformed.

Shi Sheng could only vaguely make out Ling Wu's figure, but the image of her watching him eat a few days ago lingered in his mind.

So even though he can't see now, he can imagine the love and tenderness in her eyes when she looks at him through the curtain.

While he resisted, he also trusted the concern in her words.

Apart from Zhang Cheng, no one else really cared about him.

In doing so, he softened his usual cold tone and said gently, "Mother's health is the most important thing."

As soon as he said it, Zhang Cheng's brow twitched, and he glanced at Shi Sheng, who was dressed in a black dragon robe, out of the corner of his eye.

This glance revealed a hint of worry on His Majesty's face, a face that was usually cold and aloof.

Regardless of the reason for his worries, Zhang Cheng repeatedly emphasized the Empress Dowager's status in his mind.

Moreover, he always had a premonition that things would probably not end there.

"Your Majesty's concern is enough," Ling Wu replied, then, remembering how Shi Sheng often neglected his health for the sake of state affairs, she added, "Has Your Majesty been eating on time these past few days?"

She doesn't have much time left. If he passes away early due to poor health after she leaves, the dynasty will inevitably face a struggle for the throne, leading to the displacement of the people.

For some reason, Shi Sheng seemed a little unsure of himself. After a long pause, he said, "I remember all of Mother's instructions, but I sometimes forget to eat."

Zhang Cheng's lips twitched.

Occasionally? Forgetting three out of four meals a day can be called occasional?

"Zhang Cheng, you speak." The woman's gentle voice carried an air of authority and seriousness.

The oppressive feeling caused Zhang Cheng to bend his knees and almost kneel down. "Your Majesty, His Majesty..."

Shi Sheng suppressed his probing curiosity about Ling Wu's oppressive aura, coughed lightly, and looked down at Zhang Cheng with a threatening gaze.

Zhang Cheng's old face was tightly furrowed, and he seemed about to cry but had no tears.

Now that he's come to his senses, he's not afraid of deceiving the Empress Dowager; what he fears is that in the future, when His Majesty respects the Empress Dowager, he will remember the time he deceived her...

So be it! Since it's going to be a cut anyway, let's delay it a bit.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty has been eating on time every day since the day you left."

Shi Sheng withdrew his gaze with satisfaction, stood with his hands behind his back, and remained calm and composed, though he still harbored doubts about the oppressive tone in Ling Wu's voice.

Even through the curtain, Lingwu could feel Shi Sheng's scrutiny of her. She remained silent for a long time before sighing, "Before the late Emperor passed away, he instructed me to take good care of you."

Shi Sheng concealed the complex emotions in his eyes.

Before his father passed away, he told him more than once that, apart from bringing disaster to the country, he should go along with whatever trouble his mother caused.

He replied, "From this day forward, I will certainly not forget my mother's instructions."

Seeing his straightforward answer, Lingwu also replied just as readily, "That's excellent."

After a moment of silence, Shi Sheng took the initiative to speak: "In that case, I shall take my leave."

"Um."

Upon receiving a response, Shi Sheng paused for a moment before turning around.

As soon as I stepped out of the hall, I heard a woman coughing behind me.

Then she realized that, apart from coughing when she didn't know he was coming, she hadn't coughed once during their somewhat intimate conversation.

Now that he's gone, she finally coughed, as if she'd been holding it in for too long.

If she truly had ulterior motives, then perhaps it would be more plausible that she coughed violently in front of him.

Why bother with all this?

He couldn't figure out what she meant by doing this.

Is it simply that she wants him not to worry about her?

Even after reviewing memorials all day, Shi Sheng couldn't calm down.

Seeing this, Zhang Cheng mustered up the courage to ask, "Is Your Majesty worried about the Empress Dowager's health?"

"What do you mean?" Shi Sheng's crown tassels twitched slightly, occasionally revealing his puzzled expression.

Zhang Cheng tentatively began, "Ever since His Majesty left Chonghua Palace, he has been... lost in thought."

Shi Sheng glanced at him.

"This servant dared to ask a question, Your Majesty, please just take it as my nonsense." Zhang Cheng wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Step down."

"……yes."

After Zhang Cheng withdrew, Shi Sheng was left alone to sit at the head of the table, looking down at the desolate hall.

After a long silence, he called out a name: "Shadow One".

"I am here." A figure appeared out of nowhere in the hall.

He was dressed in dark clothes, his face was covered, and he knelt on the ground with his head bowed so that his face could not be seen.

"Go to the Empress Dowager's side and report back immediately if she shows any unusual behavior..." Shi Sheng paused, then added, "If she is in danger, protect her."

"Yes," Yingyi replied, and vanished without a trace.

Shi Sheng stood up and walked to the window, looking at the swirling snow outside, and suddenly felt a sense of melancholy.

He lost his mother at a young age and had envied his older brothers and even princes when he was young.

Now that he holds power and influence, maternal love is merely an added bonus for him.

But he didn't find the feeling of being cared for annoying. If she could continue to do so, he wouldn't mind pouring more of his feelings into her.