Chapter 31 Chapter 31 [VIP]

In July, the scorching heat is scorching, and summer is turning to autumn. The sky of Chang'an is clear and misty, and birds are playing around the branches, which makes people feel open-minded.

But when the envoy Song arrived at the Changsheng Palace, he even slowed down his steps unconsciously. He straightened his already solemn appearance and bowed before entering.

The Changsheng Palace is closer to the outer court. Emperor Yuanshuo occasionally feasted with his concubines, listened to music, took a nap, reviewed memorials, and received ministers here.

Chen Rongshou led him in, and seemed to be hesitant to speak for a moment. There were many things going on in the court, and His Majesty could not delay for the concubine's trivial matter. All the memorials could be moved to Changsheng Hall, which was far away from Qingping Hall. Although His Majesty was reviewing them, his eyes often fell on the secret memorials written by Duke Yan.

His eyes were so soft, like strands of honey, and carried a hint of melancholy that did not belong to an emperor.

The speed of reviewing memorials was much slower than usual.

Even when the prince asked for an audience in the afternoon, he asked the eunuch to give him a perfunctory reply.

——The Prince of Hengshan was suddenly abandoned. Even though the position of the Crown Prince was temporarily stable, he couldn't help but feel panic. But how could the Emperor have the energy to care about his son's little thoughts today?

The eager anticipation in the general manager's eyes was alarming. Envoy Song remembered that the last time he took the emperor's pulse, the pulse was deep and gentle, full and powerful. It was obvious that the emperor's vital energy was solid and there was no stagnation. It was obvious that the emperor was in good health and had no serious problems. They, the imperial physicians, had served the emperor very well and did not take the court's salary in vain.

But the eunuch in front of the emperor did not say who needed to see the doctor, nor did he tell him the symptoms. He only told him to come to the Changsheng Palace and walk through it, saying that His Majesty had something to ask him.

Chen Rongshou led him to the garden behind the palace. Jade buds fell all over the path. He said softly, "Your Majesty, the envoy from Court Song has arrived."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Yuan Shuo raised his head from his memorial, rubbed his slightly swollen brows, and looked gravely: "Have you taken the imperial concubine's pulse?"

Song Yuanshi carefully agreed. He noticed a copy of "Qian Jin Fang" on the stone table... He wondered when the emperor became interested in practicing medicine?

He said, "I have taken the imperial concubine's pulse three times."

He was also ordered to check the cold medicine taken by the imperial concubine.

Emperor Yuan Shuo nodded and asked, "Can you tell what illness she had?"

Court official Song understood the strange situation before the emperor today. The "root of the disease" fell on that master again. He considered, "If it's a minor illness like catching a cold or a heatstroke, I'm not sure. But major issues like pregnancy, childbirth, and damage to internal organs cannot be concealed from the doctor."

He thought that the only problem that the emperor could be concerned about with the imperial concubine was this, but the imperial concubine's weakness mostly came from her heart. She and the Marquis of Lingyang had no children, and she had never suffered from a miscarriage. Even if she had taken some harmful medicines, it would not affect her fertility.

Emperor Yuan Shuo glanced at him, and seeing that he was unconscious, he pondered for a moment and said, "Can you tell that someone has lost their memory?"

Envoy Song's expression was slightly tense, and he bowed and said, "I have never seen it, but it is mentioned in books. I should be able to tell by taking the pulse."

The late emperor died young in his prime, not yet at the age of forgetfulness. The Empress Dowager did occasionally make mistakes, but that was simply due to insufficient upper qi and excess lower qi. Qi and blood imbalance is common for people of this age, but the imperial concubine is young and healthy. He did not dare to ask more questions and explained the emperor's confusion, "The Lingshu and Suwen say that when the stomach and intestines are full and the heart and lungs are weak, the blood is concentrated below and the qi is concentrated above, resulting in disorder and forgetfulness. Blood stasis in the body can cause this disease, which is mostly suffered by the elderly."

Emperor Yuan Shuo recalled the record in Qianjin Fang and frowned, saying, "But she didn't have a dry tongue or swollen throat, and she treated the servants with a pleasant expression."

Song Yuanshi was slightly shocked. The imperial concubine's forgetfulness might be more serious than he had guessed. Even the emperor couldn't help but feel worried.

"I would like to ask, Your Majesty, how long have you been experiencing this symptom?"

The Duke of Yan was also unsure of the date, and Emperor Yuan Shuo said, "About a few years."

Envoy Song was too stunned to be surprised. He immediately knelt on the ground. The imperial concubine had been ill for a long time, and he was suspected of negligence. "My medical skills are not good enough. I didn't even notice it. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to feel your pulse again so that I can atone for my sin."

He had always been conceited, but he served high-ranking officials and dignitaries, so this disease was rare. He asked in a low voice, "I wonder if there was a doctor who treated the imperial concubine in the past? How did you know about this disease?"

This was very strange. In the past, people could tell that the imperial concubine was ill, but when it came to him, he couldn't see a single clue. He could only tell that Madam Wei needed good care.

Emperor Yuan Shuo waved his hand and said softly, "Your Majesty's illness was previously attended to by someone, who prescribed warming and nourishing medicines like Guipi Decoction. She had been improving, but she has only recently shown some strange symptoms. This may not be a relapse. I have summoned you here simply to ask, if you continue to take the same medicine, how long will it take for it to be effective?"

Court Envoy Song pondered for a moment. "There's no set cure for a doctor. I need to know why my wife's condition relapsed and what her current condition is. Is it due to her emotional fluctuations, or was she given acupuncture, poison, or a poison? Perhaps I need to adjust the prescription and supplement it with acupuncture and medicinal baths. If it's really just blood stasis, it will eventually be cured with treatment, but I dare not make any promises..."

Even the imperial physicians in the Imperial Medical Bureau had differences in the dosage they selected for the same patient, and they often could not reach a consensus. There was a case of madness, and I don't know how many imperial physicians had treated it, but only half of them were sober.

Although the doctor can cure the first attack, the root cause of the disease remains, and the next attack will only become more difficult.

”

The Song court envoy didn't dare to look up to peek at the emperor's expression. Emperor Yuanshuo's jaw tightened, vaguely thinking that this matter concerned the reputation of the royal family..."

The Song court envoy understood the elegant meaning from the sound of the strings, and fell to the ground with a cold sweat that soaked through his clothes!

…

When Emperor Yuan Shuo returned to Qingping Palace, Shen Youyi was still waiting for him in the bedroom, which was really surprising.

She was not so patient most of the time. He asked her to serve him with writing materials, and although he did not ask her to do much, she would become impatient when her hands were sore and would want to escape out of curiosity, but she had to ask him to do so.

She would lean over the desk and stare at him eagerly, trying to melt his heart. If he turned a blind eye, she would quietly reach out a hand and poke him, asking him to pay attention to her.

A fox spirit rubbing against people is a practice that the emperor can tolerate and even enjoy.

But as soon as she opened her mouth, she either wanted to sit with the Queen Mother, or to work with the palace maids to make a swing that could teach her to fly, or to hold a market in the palace and invite the concubines to visit.

Emperor Yuan Shuo didn't like this feeling, but fortunately the imperial concubine was not so ignorant. He could win her heart back by teaching her to read a book, play the piano for a while, or even bring her some snacks.

When the wind blew, the shark silk gauze curtain looked like ripples in the moonlight, hidden under the elegant and light plain palace gauze, hazy and soft, blurring the figure behind the curtain.

Emperor Yuan Shuo's mind was slightly shaken, as if it was an illusion. As the curtain opened and closed, a woman's joking voice heard "Yi Niang" in his ears.

The beauty in the palace was teasing the white parrot that Lin Dong had presented as a tribute.

She grabbed a handful of corn and stingily fed it only one grain, then happily talked to a parrot for a while before continuing to feed it the next grain.

Emperor Yuan Shuo looked at the parrot with a smile as it bent its head to preen its feathers, seemingly impatient. The parrot probably felt that it was very pitiful and no one in Qingping Palace would ever bother it.

Chen Rongshou apologized and said, "Tomorrow I will personally go find a few eloquent parrots and send them to my lady."

Emperor Yuan Shuo signaled the palace servants to pass on the message, but waved him off: "Tell Lin Dongguo to find a way to replace it with an identical one."

There were many talkative parrots in the palace, and she wanted to tease the white parrot just because she liked it. However, the young lady's enthusiasm came and went quickly, and the parrot never spoke, so she should be unhappy.

Shen Youyi taught it very seriously. This parrot was very smart. It was not that it could not speak. It had been tamed for a long time when it was presented to the emperor. However, when it came to the monarch of a superior state, it could not even say a single auspicious word. It could only cry out "cold". Emperor Yuan Shuo intended to order the envoy of Lindong to take it back, but this was very much to her liking, and she was a little reluctant to return it.

She was kind of expecting it to suddenly speak one day and scare Emperor Yuan Shuo.

Even she knew that the emperor would not be surprised that a parrot learned to speak.

However, when people forget themselves for a moment, they will do something wrong. She asked the palace servants to release the golden chain that locked the parrot. The snow-white parrot followed her all the way to the inner bedroom. It ate corn greedily, and its body looked rounder. It absorbed the warmth from her arm, but did not say a word.

It was not until the palace maids came to pay their respects outside the curtain that Shen Youyi realized that disaster was imminent and poured all the rice back into his pocket guiltily.

Tan Rui said that if there was an urgent matter, it was possible that Emperor Yuan Shuo would not come to visit her for a day or two.

But Emperor Yuan Shuo didn't like her bringing cats, dogs, birds, and rabbits into the inner chamber to play with them, even if she liked them very much.

But she was a living person, not an obedient object. At most, every time the emperor came to Zhaoyang Palace, the palace servants would change the bedding in advance and carefully fumigate every place with incense.

But now he was outside the curtain, and it was definitely too late.

The auspicious beast incense began to rise slowly. The beauty who lit it concealed her guilty conscience and happily threw herself into the emperor's arms, saying affectionately, "Your Majesty, how could you be so busy? I thought I could wait until you had dinner."

Emperor Yuan Shuo had indeed not eaten, but he had no desire to eat at the moment. He took her into his arms, patted her, and said gently, "You don't have to wait next time."

His tone was too gentle, and the breath of a mature man sprayed on Shen Youyi's ears, making her spine feel numb. She felt guilty: "I shouldn't have played with the parrot."

She had never experienced this before and didn't quite understand this strange feeling that made people feel uncomfortable and comfortable at the same time, but now she understood it.

It was a tacit understanding nurtured by the man. As long as she got close to Shang Xu, even if Emperor Yuan Shuo just said a word or two to her and put his arm around her waist, she couldn't help but feel weak and didn't want to use any strength at all. As long as he held her, she would feel comfortable and satisfied, like a warm and thick quilt in winter, heavy and sweet. She would smell his scent and guess how many people he had met and what he had done that day.

After she recovered from the pain, she even secretly hoped that Emperor Yuan Shuo could have sex with her one or two more times.

Of course, considering the emperor's age, she still hoped that he could live longer. She was even more afraid that he would be unable to do his job one day and hurt the emperor's self-esteem.

Seeing that she was gentle and charming, Emperor Yuan Shuo talked to her about the ministers he had met today and the interesting things in the memorials. Shen Youyi listened carefully for a while and couldn't help feeling something was strange.

Even though she did something wrong, Emperor Yuan Shuo didn't reprimand her or even say "nonsense". Instead, he spoke to her patiently and carefully.

This is easy to understand when it comes to the prince. A saint does not allow for sexual indulgence in broad daylight, and it is unknown how much concessions a man can make for that matter at night. But the emperor and Concubine Wei are already an old married couple, and the emperor treats her very calmly on the bed. Will he give up something he originally thought was necessary for her?

"Your Majesty just said that Scholar Shen's paintings resemble those of the Zhang family. Which Scholar Shen is this? He is good at painting Buddhist temple murals?"

Shen Youyi lowered her eyes and asked casually, "Have I seen him?"

Perhaps his heart changes with the circumstances, and Emperor Yuan Shuo did not like her unquenchable curiosity when she mentioned this young talent. However, since she had been ill before and might even have another attack, his attitude softened considerably. He said calmly, "He is an attendant in the Hanlin Academy. Naturally, you have never met him. A few years ago, I was hunting in the capital, and the Crown Prince ordered him to paint a hunting painting for me. I was impressed by his painting skills, his clear articulation, and his fluent responses, so I kept him in the Hanlin Academy."

Shen Huaian was born into a family of officials and possessed considerable talent. He was the only son of his parents and had earned the Crown Prince's favor. Emperor Yuanshuo considered recruiting him as his son-in-law, saying, "He excels in meticulously painting ladies. They say he has the style of Zhang Sengyou because he was eccentric. Although his private paintings of beauties were lifelike, he refused to add eye-catching details, always designing a veil or a veil, which became a trend for a time."

Emperor Yuan Shuo disliked this lazy and tricky attitude. The lines of the hands and body could still depict a lifelike beauty, showing the exquisite painter's skills and inspiring imagination, but the beauty's expression was often the most difficult to depict. He laughed and said, "This man prayed to the gods at a young age, saying that a blind man had felt his bones and that if he married before the age of thirty, he would definitely marry unlucky women, and his wives and concubines would die in childbirth. If Duan Yang hadn't believed this, he would have made him his son-in-law."

Shen Youyi was shocked and gently broke free from the emperor's arms: "If he doesn't marry, won't his father and mother be furious?"

She didn't have much feeling about her brother marrying the princess. They were originally supposed to be of the same generation as the emperor's daughter. Even if he married her, it would be beneficial to his career and the Shen family. There was nothing wrong with not marrying her. Her brother had a good-looking face, but his temper was old-fashioned. At such a young age, he was even stricter than her father. How could he serve the princess?

Emperor Yuan Shuo saw her clear eyes, and even though he was worried about something, he couldn't help but smile. A rebellious girl was worried about a man who was superstitious about gods and Buddhas, saying that he would have no descendants and be unfilial. When she seduced the emperor, didn't she think about the lives of the Wei family members?

"His father lives in seclusion in the countryside and doesn't want to be an official. Perhaps because of what he's experienced, he's become indifferent to it and may not be as concerned as you are."

These daughters did not live to see him turn thirty. The princesses of the royal family had so many choices, so there was no need to hang themselves on a tree. Duan Yang was at most a pity, and later she was happily married to someone else. Emperor Yuan Shuo thought that if he and the imperial concubine could have a daughter, by the time she reached the age of 15, Shen Huaian would be thirty-six or thirty-seven, and it would be too old to be a son-in-law, so he gave up the idea long ago.

He was just casually teasing her with this matter. When Emperor Yuan Shuo was about to talk about something else, he felt a slight tremor in his chest. He was so surprised that he almost froze in place. He quickly patted Shen Youyi and asked someone to call the imperial physician.

After a long time, he could still hear news about his father and brother. Shen Youyi's mind was almost blank. They were still alive!

Her lips trembled unconsciously, and it was not until she heard the sound of Emperor Yuan Shuo summoning the imperial physician that she realized how outrageous she had done.

"Your Majesty treats me like a porcelain doll. I was just frightened by the thought of a woman having a difficult childbirth."

Shen Youyi didn't want to call the imperial physician over. She calmed herself down and fell into his arms again, acting like a spoiled child. "I heard from my father that Your Majesty is amazing. He has been the emperor of peace for many years, and he can even go out of the capital to quell rebellions in person. Within two months, he brought the traitor who claimed to be emperor to justice. I've been lying in bed for a long time today and can't sleep. Can you tell me some more stories from the battlefield? I'll sleep better after listening to them."

She looked at him pitifully, not feeling that there was anything wrong with asking the emperor, who was always overwhelmed with paperwork, to coax her to sleep. But Emperor Yuan Shuo couldn't be angry with her at this moment. He murmured a response, but didn't carry her to the bed. He stroked her back and said thoughtfully, "Ah Zhen, do you remember what day July 14th is?"

Shen Youyi was suddenly questioned by him, and the smile on her face froze, but she didn't dare to fade it. She knew what day July 15th was, but what was July 14th for?