Chapter 20
Chapter Summary: Transition.
She didn't really understand why Qi Jin had that look in his eyes, but it was only for a moment. Yu Jing didn't dwell on it and was quickly overwhelmed by other emotions.
"Your Majesty." Yu Jing stood up, his legs a little weak from sitting for so long. As soon as he stood up, he reached out to hold onto the table. A Yu was quick-witted and reached out to support Yu Jing.
He asked in a low voice, "Is Your Majesty alright?"
Yu Jing gently shook her head and whispered, "Go and summon the imperial physician."
"Yes," Ayu replied, giving a wink to a palace maid behind her. The maid curtsied and turned to leave.
The imperial physician entered as ordered. Upon entering, he first paid his respects to the masters in the inner palace. Seeing that Qi Jin had woken up, he quickly knelt before the dragon bed.
"Your Majesty has awakened," Mei Xing, the leader, called softly. "Please allow me to take Your Majesty's pulse."
Qi Jin had just woken up. Although he felt much better than before, he felt as if all his strength had been drained from his body and couldn't muster any energy. He could only nod. Mei Xing understood and reached out to touch Qi Jin's wrist.
After a while, Mei Xing pondered for a moment, then seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and said, "Your Majesty's pulse has stabilized a lot now. Although there is still some stagnation of evil energy, after taking a few doses of medicine and resting well, you will be fine."
Although Qi Jin had just woken up, Yu Jing was still worried. Now that she heard Mei Xing say this, she finally felt relieved. "It's good that you're alright."
Her voice was very soft, but the hall was quiet. When Qi Jin heard it, he was a little surprised and turned his head to look at Sheng Hua.
"Your Majesty has been waiting here for a long time, and must be tired. His Majesty has also woken up now, and with me and the imperial physician here to take care of him, Your Majesty, why don't you go back and rest first?" Zhang Qingcen said to Yu Jing with a smile. She was naturally happier than anyone else that Qi Jin was alright.
"Alright." Yu Jing glanced at Qi Jin, then turned to Mei Xing and said, "Physician Mei, thank you for your trouble."
Seeing Yu Jing's reaction, Mei Xing was filled with fear and quickly bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, what are you saying? It is my duty to treat His Majesty."
"Your Majesty, please take good care of your injuries. I'll head back now." After speaking to Mei Xing, Yu Jing then gave a briefing to Qi Jin.
"Your subject respectfully sees off Your Majesty." Qi Jin said, about to get up, but Zhang Qingcen quickly reached out to help him.
"Let's skip these formalities; your health is the most important thing."
"Thank you, Mother." Qi Jin responded and lay back down on the dragon bed.
Yu Jing finally breathed a huge sigh of relief; it was so good that Qi Jin was alright. If he had really died, things would have spiraled out of control, and Yu Jing probably wouldn't have been able to handle it alone. Stepping out of the palace gates, she realized it was already getting light. Exhausted from the night, Yu Jing couldn't help but yawn. Ayu, standing beside her, said considerately, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager must be tired. This servant will go and fetch the carriage."
"Okay." Yu Jing replied, thinking that once she returned to Cining Palace, she wouldn't care about anything else and would just go to bed and get a good night's sleep.
The wind and snow were heavy last night, but they stopped this morning, leaving a thick layer of snow in the courtyard. A little while later, Ayu returned.
"Your Majesty, the carriage is ready."
"Mmm." Yu Jing responded, placing her hand in A Yu's palm, and A Yu helped her walk slowly.
"Xie Yi!" Xie Xuan didn't see him when he got up, so he called out as he dressed.
"Does the young master have any instructions?" came the maid's voice from outside the door.
"Where did Xie Yi go?" Xie Xuan then asked.
"He just went to the main hall. If you have any instructions, young master, please feel free to tell us to do them," the maidservant continued.
"Nothing," Xie Xuan replied, muttering to himself, "What's he doing in the main hall so early in the morning?"
After Xie Xuan finished dressing, he walked to the door and opened it, only to see Xie Yi running towards him from the corridor.
"Young Master!" Xie Yi called out when he saw Xie Xuan come out.
"Where have you been so early in the morning?" Xie Xuan asked, somewhat displeased.
Xie Yi glanced around and said, "You may all step back."
"Yes." The people waiting at the door all withdrew.
Xie Xuan glanced at it, then asked suspiciously, "What's going on?"
"Young master, the general just summoned me and said something happened last night."
"What happened again?" Xie Xuan asked, his heart tightening as he heard Xie Yi's words.
"His Majesty was unwell a few days ago. Last night, something happened and the Empress summoned all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital to Chengming Hall, which also alarmed the Empress Dowager."
"After the Empress Dowager went to Chengming Hall, not long after, Lord Zhang Ming, along with Lord Su and several other officials, also entered the palace, but the Empress Dowager asked them to leave the palace on the grounds that it was no problem."
Xie Xuan listened as he walked, feeling his heart pounding and something choking him, rendering him speechless. After a moment, he finally managed to ask, "Is Your Majesty alright?"
"The news that just came from the palace is that the Empress Dowager has already left Chengming Hall and returned to the palace, and the imperial physicians have also returned to the Imperial Hospital. It seems that there should be no major problems."
Hearing this, Xie Xuan's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, slowly calmed down. Qi Jin was about the same age as him, and he had been Qi Jin's study companion since childhood. Although he had been away from the capital for a long time, and Xie Xuan was now the emperor, their statuses were incomparable. But in Xie Xuan's heart, Qi Jin still carried some of the image of his younger self from his memories.
"That's good then," Xie Xuan replied with a sigh of relief.
When Xie Xuan arrived at the main hall, they were having breakfast. Just as he was about to walk over, there was a commotion outside the door. Turning his head, he saw that someone from the palace had arrived; it was Qu An, who was with Xu Xinshu.
"This servant greets General Xie, Madam Xie, Lord Xie..." Qu An, quick to speak, called out to everyone as soon as he entered. Although he addressed them verbally, he made quite a show of himself, taking off his cloak and handing it to the eunuch following behind him as he did so.
Xie Xuan glanced at his cloak; it wasn't made of high-quality leather, but it certainly wasn't something his salary could afford. But then again, it wouldn't make sense for someone following Xu Xinshu to not have any financial gain.
"Eunuch Qu," Xie Jin greeted politely, then asked, "Have you come here now because of something at the palace?"
"Indeed." Qu An smiled and replied, "His Majesty felt unwell this morning, so he canceled the morning court session and sent us to inform him."
It was both reasonable and unexpected. After listening, Xie Jin replied, "Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch Qu."
As Xie Jin spoke, the steward took out some silver from his sleeve and handed it to him. Qu An smiled and accepted the silver, replying, "General Xie, you're too kind."
"Now that the message has been conveyed, this servant will take his leave."
"Please take care, Eunuch Qu."
After seeing Qu An off, Xie Xuan sat down to dine with them. Since they were all from his own household, Li Wei didn't hold back when she spoke.
"What's going on in the palace? The Empress Dowager has only recently recovered from her assassination attempt, and now His Majesty is ill again. I heard that the Empress Dowager went to Chengming Hall to keep watch last night, and His Majesty has skipped the morning court session again today. Since His Majesty ascended the throne, through the cold winter and hot summer, he has never skipped the morning court session before."
"Didn't they say the imperial physicians have all returned to the Imperial Hospital? I suppose there shouldn't be anything serious now," Xie Ying replied. Then, as if remembering something, she added, "Xuan'er, when the Empress Dowager goes to Wanjiang Mountain to pray for blessings in a while, will you accompany her?"
Xie Xuan was drinking his noodle soup when Xie Ying asked him this. He paused for a moment and replied, "Probably."
“That’s perfect. We can also see other states along the way, just like going on a trip. I’ve heard that the pear blossoms in Guizhou are exceptional. If we set off at the end of February, the pear blossoms should already be in bloom by the time we arrive in Guizhou. Xuan’er, go and see for your sister first. Your sister really wants to see the magnificent sight of pear blossoms covering the mountains and fields.” Xie Ying spoke eloquently about what she longed for, her eyes brightening considerably.
"Nonsense," Xie Jin interrupted. "Protecting the Empress Dowager is no small matter, it's not a game. Don't set a bad example for Xie Xuan."
“Father~” Xie Ying replied in a drawn-out voice, “Xuan’er has such a temperament, how could I possibly corrupt him with just a few words? Xuan’er, don’t you agree?”
As Xie Ying spoke, she also asked Xie Xuan a question.
“Sister is right,” Xie Xuan replied with a smile.
Xie Jin looked stern but was actually kind. Seeing Xie Ying and Xie Xuan singing in unison, she shook her head and smiled helplessly.
"Alright, that's enough. Xuan'er will be late for her duty later," Li Wei continued.
"Yes, Mother," Xie Ying replied playfully, and Li Wei smiled as well.
After finishing his breakfast, Xie Xuan got up to leave. Xie Jin, unusually, stood up to see him off. When Xie Xuan saw Xie Jin coming over, he said, "Father, there's no need to see me off."
"I have something I want to say to you," Xie Jin said directly.
Xie Xuan looked at Xie Jin and nodded somewhat nervously, then walked outside with her. The snow had been heavy last night, piling up in a thick layer. They had gotten up early this morning, and the servants hadn't had time to clear it yet. The snow crunched softly underfoot. Because of the melting snow, the courtyard was colder than in previous days. The sound of servants sweeping snow filled the air, along with the fresh scent of bamboo strips and the coolness of the snow.
He waited for Xie Jin to speak, but Xie Jin remained silent. The two walked in silence until they reached the gate of the mansion. Xie Yi was already waiting at the gate with Jueying by the hand.
The stunning reddish-brown color of the shadowy creature stood out vividly against the backdrop of pure white snow.
"Father." Xie Xuan couldn't help but call out as he reached the top of the steps.
Xie Jin looked at Xie Xuan, reached out to straighten the collar of his cloak, and whispered, "Although the Empress Dowager and His Majesty appear to be on good terms, they are ultimately not related by blood. Now that there are many changes in the palace, and you are guarding Cining Palace, you should be careful."
Xie Xuan was slightly taken aback. Xie Jin rarely mentioned matters of the court to him, and this was the first time she had given him such instructions.
"Yes, I understand." Xie Xuan nodded in response. "If Father has nothing else, I will go to the palace first."
"Alright," Xie Jin replied, watching Xie Xuan mount his horse and gallop away. Xie Jin watched Xie Xuan's retreating figure and sighed with some worry.
Although Xie Xuan was intelligent, he was kind-hearted by nature. If they were on the frontier, he only needed to focus on teaching him skills without distraction. But if they were in the capital, he would have to talk to him more and tell him to protect himself. After all, the frontier was full of visible spears, while the capital was full of invisible arrows.
It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark.
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