Chapter 771 Awu, do you hate me?

"He was fine, why did he suddenly fall ill? How did the people below take care of him?"

Emperor Xuande finished a busy day of government affairs and did not receive the news until dinner time. He immediately brought people to Fengyi Palace.

Chun Xing, who was in charge of taking care of the queen, didn't dare to look up and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, after lunch, the queen said she had a headache and wanted to take a nap.

The Empress usually takes a nap for no more than half an hour, but today she slept for two hours straight without waking up.

"I called out to the Madam several times but received no response. I had no choice but to ask someone to break down the door, only then did I realize that the Madam had a high fever."

Emperor Xuande said with a sullen face, "Where is Miss Yanxi?"

Chun Xing hurriedly said, "The princess just gave the empress acupuncture and is now rushing to the Imperial Hospital to get medicine.

This is a matter concerning the health of the phoenix, so the princess dare not be careless in the slightest."

Hearing this, Emperor Xuande's expression eased slightly. "What did she say about the Queen's illness?"

"I think I caught a cold last night, and then I was too worried, so I got sick."

"Too much worry?"

Emperor Xuande sighed softly as he looked at the empress lying on the bed, looking pale and very weak.

His queen has been doing her duty conscientiously ever since she received the Fengyin. Over the years, no one in the palace has ever said a bad word about her.

But correspondingly, she has not dared to relax for even a moment for more than ten years.

The long-term physical and mental exhaustion is too much for even the strongest body to bear.

For this reason, Emperor Xuande once advised the empress that she did not have to do everything herself, let alone do everything perfectly.

But the queen always just smiled and didn't take it to heart.

Even though he was the king of a country, he was more importantly her husband and could not order her around as an emperor every day.

He was busy with government affairs on weekdays and indeed neglected to care about her.

Noticing the white hair on her temples, Emperor Xuande's eyes showed more distress. He slowly reached out his hand and wanted to tidy up the hair around her ears.

It was at this moment that the queen woke up.

Seeing that it was Emperor Xuande, she smiled weakly, "Why is your majesty here?"

As she spoke, she made a gesture to stand up and salute.

Emperor Xuande hurriedly stopped her and said helplessly, "You are not in good health, so don't worry about these empty formalities."

The Queen frowned slightly, clearly wanting to say something else.

Before she could utter the words "Rituals cannot be abolished," Emperor Xuande brooked no objection and said, "This is the Emperor's order."

The Queen lowered her eyebrows and replied respectfully, "Your Majesty obeys."

Realizing that his attitude just now was too tough, Emperor Xuande sighed and said, "Empress, Yingxue is still young, you must take care of yourself."

"What about Your Majesty?" The Queen looked up at him, her usually gentle eyes now red.

She asked softly, "Is Your Majesty really so cruel as to abandon us, mother and daughter?"

Emperor Xuande's eyes showed even more helplessness.

Even as an emperor, he had things he feared.

Betrayal, loss, and death.

If he had a choice, he would even like to live as long as the sky and the earth.

But man cannot defeat nature. Even if he is the "Son of Heaven", he cannot change his own destiny.

He had already guessed the truth long before the girl told it, but no one had ever dared to reveal it to him.

Even if they didn't say it, he knew the condition of his own body clearly in his heart.

But sometimes he couldn't help but lie to himself and say that he still had time to realize the grand ambitions he had when he first founded his empire.

But it turned out that God did not favor him and did not give him this opportunity.

The remaining time in his body was not enough to see the peaceful and prosperous era that he had always desired.

However, his son, whom he had high hopes for, was unwilling to take over the heavy responsibility in his hands and continue his unfinished work.

As for the reason, he knew it better than anyone else.

Emperor Xuande raised his hand and dismissed everyone.

When only the couple were left in the room, he slowly sat down beside the bed and looked at the queen with complicated eyes.

After a long while, he finally spoke: "Sixteen years have passed, and time seems to have left no trace on you. You still look the same as when you entered the palace for selection."

The Queen curled her lips with effort, "Your Majesty, please don't make fun of me. I always look in the mirror and put on my makeup every morning when I wake up.

I am old, and have many white hairs. "

She looked at the man beside the bed, the one she had spent more than a decade with, and said sincerely, "Your Majesty, you are still as graceful as I saw you from afar in the Right Prime Minister's Mansion back then."

Emperor Xuande's eyes darkened, and he said, "If I remember correctly, you and the eldest brother are the same age?"

Hearing him suddenly mention the name that should never appear again, the queen's heart sank.

Does Your Majesty already know?

She calmed herself down and said gently, "Your Majesty has a good memory, but I am a few months older than the child."

However, this matter has always been something that cannot be mentioned in the palace. Even if she thinks of it on weekdays, she can only hide and copy the Buddhist scriptures twice.

Even when facing Xianglan, who came with the dowry, he never dared to say a word.

A queen who has no prince by her side is not only walking on thin ice in the harem, but she can't live as she pleases either.

Because she has never been a person.

She has Xue'er by her side and the entire Chu family behind her, so she can't afford to make even the slightest mistake.

Sensing the empress's nervousness, Emperor Xuande held her hand and said in a gentle voice, "Don't worry. There are no outsiders in Fengyi Palace today except you and your wife."

But the more he did this, the more uneasy the queen became.

She was about to speak when she heard Emperor Xuande ask, "Awu, do you hate me?"

The queen hadn't heard anyone call her name for a long time, and she couldn't help but feel dazed for a moment.

But she had been the empress for many years and had long since mastered the ability to remain calm in the face of adversity. She said without hesitation, "Your Majesty, I do not hate you."

Emperor Xuande narrowed his eyes, obviously not believing it.

The Queen said, "If Your Majesty does not believe me, I can swear on the honor of my family."

The Chu family has always valued the family's reputation more than their own lives.

The Queen is no exception.

The fact that she dared to say such words only proved that she had never lied and had a clear conscience.

Emperor Xuande looked at her intently, as if he was considering whether what she had just said was true or false.

Suddenly, he lowered his head and said with a bitter voice, "But Xiaowu hates me."

"How could that be?" The Queen's grip on the quilt slowly tightened, her eyes filled with surprise as she said, "Prince Jin is your Majesty's biological son. He grew up by your side and is the closest to you."

Realizing something, she tentatively asked, "Is there someone deliberately spreading rumors in front of Your Majesty?"

Thinking of something, she continued, "Although I am not much older than Prince Jin, when I entered the palace, His Royal Highness Prince Jin had not yet gone to the border town to defend against the enemy.

The father-son relationship between him and Your Majesty at that time was truly enviable."

Seeing that the Empress was truly unaware, Emperor Xuande sighed and said, "Forget it. These are all things of the past. Why should I bring them up and distress you?"

The Queen lowered her eyebrows and blamed herself, saying, "It's all my fault. My health is not good enough and I fell ill at this time.

Not only can I not help Your Majesty with your worries, but I also have to trouble Your Majesty to worry about me."

Emperor Xuande frowned and said unhappily, "What are you talking about? You and I are husband and wife, not ruler and subject.

From now on, do not say such inappropriate words in front of me."

The Queen nodded and said, "I will remember your Majesty's teachings."

His attitude was so respectful that there was nothing wrong with it, but it lacked a bit of warmth.

Just as Emperor Xuande had just said, the way she spoke to him now was not like that of a husband and wife, but more like that of a monarch and his subject.

Knowing that she might be angry about what happened last night, Emperor Xuande said in a deep voice, "I will leave behind a will. Even if something happens to me in the future, I will be able to ensure that you and your daughter are safe and sound."