Chapter 426 It seems unlikely that there will be much longer.

Inside the Empress Dowager's bedchamber, a bronze lion-shaped incense burner burned with aloeswood incense, its smoke curling gently. The room's furnishings were dignified and warm, exuding a suitable tranquility. The Empress Dowager leaned against a soft, dark blue pillow, her face pale, her gaze unfocused, her right hand trembling slightly as it rested on the brocade quilt, her breath shallow and weak.

Prince Rui sat on the edge of the bed, holding a bowl of medicine in one hand and a spoon in the other, and gently coaxed the Empress Dowager, "Mother, you'll feel better after taking the medicine."

Hearing his voice, the Empress Dowager's unfocused gaze slowly shifted to his face, yet held a hint of unfamiliarity. Prince Rui felt a pang of pain in his heart. Seeing saliva spilling from the Empress Dowager's lips, he was about to put down the medicine bowl to wipe it away when the Emperor, standing nearby, took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away the water stain.

The Empress Dowager then turned her gaze to the Emperor, her lips trembling as she uttered two words indistinctly: "Yan... Yan-ge'er."

Upon hearing this, Prince Rui, the Emperor, and the Empress standing to one side all showed surprise and joy. Prince Rui quickly put down the medicine bowl, grasped the Empress Dowager's hand, and said in a trembling voice, "Mother, I'm here."

The Empress Dowager shifted her gaze back to his face, looked at him carefully for a moment, then looked away again, still muttering indistinctly, "Yan-ge'er, Yan-ge'er..."

Clearly, although the Empress Dowager did not recognize him, she still remembered his childhood name. Prince Rui could no longer hold back his tears, which streamed down his face. He tightly grasped the Empress Dowager's hand and choked out, "Mother, I am Yan Ge'er, I am here."

The Empress Dowager seemed not to hear, only repeatedly calling out "Yan Ge'er." Prince Rui and the Emperor looked at the attending imperial physicians, and the head of the Imperial Medical Academy hurriedly stepped forward to report: "Your Majesty and Your Highness, the Empress Dowager suffered a stroke that affected her mind, so it is normal for her not to recognize people for a while; Your Highness's childhood name is a memory deeply imprinted in your mind from your early years, and it has remained more deeply. At present, she needs to be treated slowly, and there is a possibility that her mind may gradually recover."

"When will it be restored?" the emperor pressed.

The imperial physician wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and stammered, "No... it's hard to say."

The emperor glared at him sharply, and the head of the Imperial Medical Academy immediately knelt down with a thud. The emperor was actually aware of the Empress Dowager's condition; the imperial physicians had done their best. Although he was still dissatisfied with them, he didn't say anything more.

Turning around, she saw Prince Rui gently coaxing the Empress Dowager to drink her medicine again. This time, the Empress Dowager cooperated and took a small sip, but the bitter taste of the medicine made her frown. The Empress immediately handed her a candied fruit, which the Emperor took and placed near the Empress Dowager's lips, saying gently, "Mother, eating a candied fruit will make it less bitter."

The Empress Dowager obediently swallowed the candied fruit, and Prince Rui then coaxed her to drink her medicine. It took more than half an hour for the Empress Dowager to finish the medicine. Afterwards, her spirits gradually weakened, and Prince Rui quickly helped her lie down. Seeing that she was fast asleep, he left the palace with the Emperor and Empress.

"Tell me the truth, how is the Empress Dowager's illness?" the Emperor asked the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, his face darkening.

The head of the Imperial Medical Academy knelt on the ground, trembling as he said, “Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is over seventy years old, and her health is already declining. This stroke has further damaged her internal organs and mental state. According to our diagnosis, a full recovery is extremely difficult, and she will likely spend much of her life bedridden. As for her lifespan… I dare not speak rashly, but at such an advanced age, suffering from such a serious illness, I fear… I fear she will not have much time left.”

The hall fell into a deathly silence. Several imperial physicians knelt on the ground, their foreheads covered in cold sweat. The emperor and empress dowager shared a deep bond, and they feared that in his rage, he might take it out on them, these "useless" doctors.

The emperor's face turned ashen, his knuckles clenched so tightly they turned blue, and after a long while he finally spoke in a hoarse voice, "No matter how difficult it is, I will do everything in my power to treat him!"

"Yes!" The imperial physicians secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the current emperor was not a bloodthirsty person. The emperor waved for them to leave, and seeing that the emperor seemed to have something to say to Prince Rui, the empress returned to her bedchamber, leaving only the two brothers inside.

Prince Rui walked to the emperor's side and helped him sit down. The emperor sighed, "You sit down too."

Prince Rui sat down in the chair opposite him. The two were silent for a while before the Emperor spoke: "These are truly troubled times. We already need to keep an eye on the Prince of Lingnan, and he's about to come to the capital. On top of that, the Empress Dowager has suddenly fallen ill. I have a mountain of affairs to attend to and can't get away from her. From now on, I'll have to trouble you to take good care of the Empress Dowager. If there's any news, please let me know immediately."

Prince Rui's eyes were dark and swollen, clearly from a sleepless night, and his voice was still hoarse when he spoke: "This is what I should do, Your Majesty. You should focus on handling state affairs."

The Emperor stood up, patted Prince Rui on the shoulder, and then strode away. Prince Rui turned and went into the bedchamber, sat down on the chair beside the Empress Dowager's bed, and then lowered his head in silence.

"He'an, you haven't rested all night. I'll stay here with the Empress Dowager. Go and rest for a while in the side hall," the Empress said, looking at him.

Prince Rui shook his head: "Your Majesty's sister-in-law has also been keeping watch here all night. You should go back and rest. I'll stay here with the Empress Dowager."

Seeing his insistence, the Empress stopped trying to persuade him. After checking on the Empress Dowager's condition, she left Cining Palace and returned to her own palace.

The nanny beside her helped her wash her hands while advising, "His Highness Prince Rui is a filial son. With him by the Empress Dowager's side, you don't need to worry too much. Get a good night's sleep, and it won't be too late to go to the Empress Dowager's place later."

The Empress took the handkerchief and wiped her hands, saying softly, "Although the Empress Dowager can no longer recognize people, she still murmurs his childhood name, which shows that she still cares about him."

The nanny sighed inwardly and continued to serve the Empress her meal. The Empress hadn't slept all night and had a poor appetite. She only ate a few bites before putting down her chopsticks, getting up and walking towards her bedchamber. On the way, she instructed the nanny, "Wake me up in an hour. I'm going to relieve Prince Rui."

The old woman wanted to advise the Empress to rest a little longer, but considering the Empress's temperament, she swallowed her words. Since marrying into the royal family, the Empress had always been cautious and dutiful, never allowing herself to make the slightest mistake.

Although the Empress harbored resentment towards the Emperor and a degree of anger towards the Empress Dowager due to the matter of the former Crown Prince, she always maintained a composed demeanor and never made a mistake. Now that the Empress Dowager was seriously ill, it was the Empress's duty to serve her. However, the old nanny, who had served the Empress since childhood, couldn't help but feel sorry for her seeing her trying so hard to be strong.

...

The emperor returned to his study and first issued an imperial edict appointing Marquis Ningyuan as the acting Minister of Personnel. He then summoned Jiang Yu, Prince An, and Marquis Chengen to the palace to continue discussing the matter of the Prince of Lingnan's arrival in the capital.

Upon receiving the news at the government office, Jiang Yu immediately set off for the palace. She already had a general idea of ​​how to keep the Prince of Lingnan from leaving when he came to the capital, so that he would be overwhelmed with worries and unable to attend to the affairs of Lingnan, and how to take over Lingnan while he was in the capital. However, she still needed to carefully consider the details.