Chapter 447 Curse
Mingzhu's face, which had been flushed the whole way, finally cooled down before they reached Weiyang Palace.
She was sitting on a small stool next to the cradle, resting her chin on her hand, looking at the two little ones lying side by side inside, and felt her heart melt.
Huo Yue was unusually energetic, her big, dark eyes darting around curiously as she looked at her surroundings.
She noticed the pearl hairpin that swayed gently with her movements beside Mingzhu's hair bun. Its lustrous sheen instantly caught her attention, and she immediately reached out her little hand, babbling as she tried to grab it in that direction.
"Oh dear, does our Yue'er like this sparkly hair ornament?"
Mingzhu smiled, her eyes crinkling with delight.
She took the hairpin off, held it between her fingers, and gently dangled it not far from Huo Yue's eyes.
Huo Yue was immediately drawn to the attention, waving her little hands vigorously, making excited "ah" sounds, and kicking her little legs with great energy.
"Here you go, when you grow up, I'll make you an even prettier one, with the biggest and brightest gemstones!"
Mingzhu was so amused that she couldn't help but lean down and gently kiss Huo Yue's cheek.
She then looked at Huo Chen beside her. The little guy was unusually not sleeping; he was slowly munching on his little fist, his phoenix eyes beginning to take shape, clear and bright, much like Huo Lin's.
He watched Mingzhu and her sister interact quietly, occasionally blinking his eyes. His long eyelashes were like small fans, and he appeared calm and composed.
"Does Chen'er also think his little sister is naughty?" Mingzhu couldn't help but reach out and tap Huo Chen's little nose.
Huo Chen stopped gnawing on his fist, lifted his eyelids to look at Mingzhu. There seemed to be no particular emotion in her beautiful eyes, but after a while, he suddenly opened his toothless little mouth slightly and revealed a faint smile.
Although it was fleeting, it made Mingzhu gasp in surprise.
"Oh my god, Your Majesty, look! Didn't Chen'er just smile at me?"
Mingzhu was so excited she almost jumped up from the stool, pointing at Huo Chen with sparkling eyes.
Jiang Huan sat on the soft couch by the window, watching Mingzhu interact with the children, and felt happy.
"Yes, it seems our Chen'er really likes you as his aunt." Jiang Huan smiled and couldn't help but tease, "If you like children so much, why don't you have one yourself and take care of it? Then you can kiss him however you want and dress him up however you want."
Mingzhu was taking off a delicate bell bracelet from her wrist, intending to tease Huo Yue, when she heard this, her hand trembled, and the bracelet fell with a tinkling sound onto the soft blanket beside the cradle.
Her cheeks flushed instantly, the color spreading all the way to her ears, like a ripe shrimp.
Her mind was filled with Shen Yi's image again, and she shook her head violently.
"Your Majesty, what...what nonsense are you talking about!"
Seeing her embarrassed and annoyed expression, Jiang Huan couldn't help but laugh. Knowing she couldn't tease her anymore, she changed the subject and gently stretched her stiff shoulders and back from sitting for so long.
"Sigh, after lying in bed for so many days, my bones are almost giving way."
Mingzhu then snapped out of her embarrassment and quickly said, "The imperial physician said that Your Highness needs to rest for a while longer. We can't be careless. Or... shall I help Your Highness walk around the palace slowly?"
Jiang Huan nodded, and with Mingzhu's help, slowly got up and paced around the hall.
Although it's just a small space, it's still more comfortable than lying down all the time.
Meanwhile, the Cining Palace was shrouded in gloom.
The Empress Dowager dismissed all irrelevant people, leaving only her trusted old nanny.
The inner hall's doors and windows were tightly shut, the curtains were heavy, and only a few dim oil lamps were lit, casting distorted and warped shadows.
A gaunt old woman dressed in a black robe and with her face painted with oil paint was dancing around a small cauldron burning with green flames, chanting incantations.
Inside the cauldron, eerie green flames licked at two small, indistinct rag dolls. On the dolls were writings in dark red liquid, which, upon closer inspection, vaguely resembled birth dates and times.
The Empress Dowager stood a few steps away, her voice low, her eyes flashing with malice and urgency.
"Master, how is it? Is it possible to succeed?"
The old witch paused, opened her cloudy eyes, and hissed, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will use my essence and blood as a guide to make those wicked children's souls restless, plagued by illness, until their souls are scattered and beyond saving."
The Empress Dowager's facial muscles twitched, revealing a satisfied, sinister smile: "Good, I will reward you handsomely after this is done."
That night, just past midnight.
Huo Chen and Huo Yue, who were sleeping soundly, suddenly started crying almost simultaneously without warning, their little faces turning red and their bodies burning hot.
"What's going on?" The wet nurse and palace maid on night duty were terrified and rushed forward to check.
When I touched my forehead, it was frighteningly hot.
"Quickly report to the Emperor and Empress that the young prince and princess have a high fever."
Jiang Huan had just fallen asleep when she was startled awake by the noise. Without even putting on her shoes, she rushed barefoot to the warm pavilion where the children were staying.
When she saw the children's flushed faces, her heart clenched instantly, and her face turned deathly pale.
"Chen'er, Yue'er, don't be afraid, Mother is here!" She reached out to touch the child's forehead, the burning heat making her heart tremble.
Huo Lin was reviewing the last few memorials in the imperial study when he heard the news and rushed over.
Upon seeing the scene before him, his pupils constricted sharply, and his aura of malevolence surged.
"Summon the imperial physicians! Bring all the imperial physicians to me now!"
All the imperial physicians on duty at the Imperial Medical Academy were urgently summoned to Weiyang Palace, where they knelt on the floor.
The court judge personally examined the patient's pulse, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
"How is it?" Huo Lin's voice was so cold it could freeze someone to death.
The court judge, drenched in cold sweat, kowtowed and said, “Your Majesty, the prince and princess’s pulses are rapid and urgent, indicating internal heat that is coming on suddenly and aggressively, like a sign of sudden infantile convulsions. But there is something strange about it; the fever started too suddenly and without any warning.”
Huo Lin's face darkened instantly, and he ordered sternly, "I don't care about any omens, treat me."
He looked at the child, whose crying had weakened and whose little body was trembling, his eyes red, and felt an overwhelming pang of heartache.
What happened? He was fine during the day, how could he suddenly get sick?
The imperial physicians frantically administered acupuncture, prescribed medicine, and decocted the herbs, but the medicine they were given was quickly vomited up.
Wiping the body with diluted liquor in an attempt to physically cool it down temporarily lowered the temperature slightly, but it quickly rose again, even hotter than before.
The two children's faces were flushed red, their breathing was rapid, and they were somewhat disoriented.
Jiang Huan gripped Huo Lin's hand tightly, her nails almost digging into his flesh, tears streaming down her face.
She wanted to calm down, but as a new mother, the tension was hard to overcome.
"Huo Lin, what should we do..."
Huo Lin hugged her tightly, his voice hoarse: "Don't be afraid, they'll be alright."
He turned and roared at the kneeling imperial physicians, "If you keep thinking and can't come up with a solution, then you're all useless to me!"
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