Chapter 217 Accident
Today is the first day of the Chinese New Year, and according to the custom, we must worship our ancestors.
Even if it is difficult to travel due to the heavy snow, this custom cannot be broken.
After breakfast, Yu Zheng went to the Imperial Ancestral Temple. After the emperor and the others arrived, they worshipped the royal ancestors under the leadership of the emperor.
Jiang Shu and Yu Lan accompanied Concubine Yu in Zhongling Palace. It was almost noon when Yu Zheng came back with a gloomy face.
"Why did you take so long?" Concubine Yu asked.
Yu Zheng took off his cloak and handed it to the palace maid, then sat down next to Jiang Shu and said, "There was an accident."
"What happened?" Yu Lan's face was gloomy, and Jiang Shu and Concubine Yu also looked at Yu Zheng steadily.
An accident during the ancestor worship is an ominous sign.
Yu Zheng said in a deep voice: "The incense table collapsed and burned the back of father's hand."
"Is it serious?" Concubine Yu Gui was anxious when she heard it, and she clenched her hands and fidgeted.
"How could this happen?" Yu Lan also looked worried.
Yu Zheng pursed his lips and said: "Don't worry, mother, father was only slightly burned by the burning incense, and the imperial physician has examined it. The one who was really seriously injured was my brother."
"Yu Cheng was also injured?" Yu Lan was shocked.
"Yes." Yu Zheng nodded and told the story of what happened.
The ancestor worship ceremony is the same every year, and everyone has already become familiar with it. Everything went smoothly at the beginning. When it was about to end, the emperor led everyone to kneel in front of the incense table.
As the ceremony was about to end, everyone was more relaxed, and no one expected that the incense table would suddenly collapse, and the burning incense would fall onto the back of the hand of the emperor, who was in the lead, and it burned and bled.
Yu Cheng, who was closest to the emperor, saw the incense table falling towards the emperor, and quickly stepped forward to block the emperor.
The heavy incense table hit Yu Cheng's back directly, and he fell to the ground on the spot.
In the royal family, if the incense table collapsed during ancestor worship, it was considered a warning from the ancestors. Not only could one not hide, but one had to repent devoutly in front of the ancestors.
Yu Cheng was sent back to the East Palace, and Yu Zheng and others followed the emperor to the East Palace.
After being diagnosed by the imperial physician, Yu Cheng had a large bruise on his back and slight internal injuries to his internal organs, and he needed to be recuperated for more than a month.
"Then your father..." Concubine Yu Gui's eyes were full of worry.
Yu Zheng knew that Concubine Yu Gui wanted to visit the emperor, and said in a serious voice: "After confirming that the emperor brother was fine, the emperor went to the Imperial Ancestral Temple to repent."
The Imperial Ancestral Temple was an important place for the royal family, and women were not allowed to enter .
"Well, your father probably doesn't miss anyone at this time, so let him rest." Yu Gui gave up the idea.
Yu Lan comforted her: "Don't worry, mother, your father will come to Zhongling Palace in two days."
"Yes." Concubine Yu Gui calmed her mind, but she couldn't help worrying in her heart.
Jiang Shu didn't understand the royal family's twists and turns, and Zhuang Yan was still young, so the two of them listened quietly without interrupting.
"Your Majesty, lunch is ready." The palace servant came in to report.
"Let's go, let's eat." Concubine Yu Gui stood up, and several people went to the dining room.
After such a thing happened on the first day of the New Year, everyone had no appetite.
After the meal, Yu Guifei ordered the palace maid: "Tell the kitchen that I will be a vegetarian for a month starting from dinner."
"Yes." The palace maid took the order and left.
However, Yu Guifei still felt that this was not enough, so she ordered another palace maid: "Go and clean up the Buddhist room. I will go there to chant the Buddha's name later."
As a woman in the harem, she could only do so much for the emperor.
"Father is fine, mother, don't worry too much." Yu Lan advised.
Yu Guifei patted Yu Lan's hand and said, "I know, but do something to make me feel better."
Hearing this, Yu Lan stopped advising.
"Okay, you didn't sleep well last night after staying up late and got up early today. Go back and rest early."
Concubine Yu looked at Jiang Shu and said with a forced smile, "Especially you, you should take extra care of yourself and don't worry about anything. The most important thing is your offspring."
"Yes, I'll remember that." Jiang Shu replied solemnly.
Jiang Shu was a little tired after not sleeping well last night. She left the palace and got on the carriage of the palace, leaning her head on Yu Zheng's shoulder.
"Tired?" Yu Zheng stretched out his hand to hold her.
"Yeah." Jiang Shu replied lightly with her eyes half closed.
Thinking of what happened in the palace today, Jiang Shu asked worriedly, "Is my husband injured?"
Yu Zheng was silent.
Jiang Shu sat up suddenly, looked at Yu Zheng and asked anxiously: "Where are you hurt?"
Fearing that she was too anxious and had a miscarriage, Yu Zheng hurriedly said: "It was just burned by the incense ash, it's not a big injury."
As he said that, Yu Zheng stretched out his burned left hand in front of Jiang Shu.
Jiang Shu checked carefully and indeed saw only a nail-sized burn under the back of the hand.
Just now in the palace, Yu Zheng had been clasping his hands in his sleeves, and the injury was not obvious, so they didn't notice it.
It was just a minor injury and not a big deal, but in order to avoid worrying Concubine Yu Gui, Yu Zheng concealed it.
But some things can be hidden from Concubine Yu Gui and Yu Lan, but it is difficult to hide from Jiang Shu, who sleeps and eats with him.
"Are you injured elsewhere?" Jiang Shu asked.
Yu Zheng said, "It's gone."
"Is it really gone?" Jiang Shu questioned.
Yu Zheng said helplessly, "If you don't believe me, I'll take off my clothes and let you check."
Hearing him say this, Jiang Shu's heart fell back into her stomach.
Holding Yu Zheng's hand gently and blowing on it, Jiang Shu said with concern, "It must hurt a lot."
She had been burned by incense ash when she burned incense before.
It looked like an inconspicuous wound, insignificant, but it hurt so much.
"It won't hurt after Shu'er blows on it." Yu Zheng said in a relaxed tone.
Of course it hurts, but this little pain is not worth mentioning to Yu Zheng.
Compared with this little pain, he is more afraid that she will worry.
Jiang Shu looked at the wound on the back of Yu Zheng's hand. The burned epidermis curled up to gray-black, revealing a small piece of red flesh, faintly soaked in blood.
"You still need to apply medicine and bandage it after returning home so that it can heal faster."
"Okay, I'll listen to you, Princess." Yu Zheng obeyed.
Seeing Yu Zheng being as well-behaved as a child, Jiang Shu didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
After returning home, Jiang Shu asked Fang Nanxing to bring the pain-relieving ointment for burns, and applied it to Yu Zheng himself, and then wrapped it with cotton cloth .
Staring at Jiang Shu's sleepy eyelids with dark eyes, Yu Zheng said tiredly: "I'm tired, stay with me to sleep for a while."
Jiang Shu would not refuse.
The two of them slept until it was almost dark, and when they woke up, the kitchen had just delivered dinner.
They didn't eat much for lunch, and they were both hungry, so they ate a lot for dinner.
Because of the New Year, most of the servants in the mansion were released, and only a few necessary people were left to serve.
After bathing, Jiang Shu said to Chu Yu and others: "No need to serve, go and play."
As close maids, they are on duty almost all year round and rarely rest. These few days are New Year, and it's time to let them relax.
"Thank you, my lord and princess." Chu Yu and the others bowed to express their gratitude.
Seeing Zhuiyun, Zhufeng and Lengxing in the corridor, Jiang Shu said to Yu Zheng, "Husband, let them rest too."
It was late at night, they would not go out, and there were guards on duty in the mansion, so there was no need for them to protect them every step of the way.
Yu Zheng had this idea, so he agreed immediately.
"Thank you, master, thank you, princess." Zhuiyun and the others thanked them happily.
After sending them away, the two went into the inner room, leaned on the couch to read and talk.
Tan Yu, who was free, excitedly pulled Chu Yu out of the mansion to go shopping in the market.
"Lengxing, let's go together." Tan Yu invited enthusiastically.
Leng Xing refused without a second thought: "No."
Tan Yu was stunned: "Then what do you want to do?"
Leng Xing yawned: "Sleep."
It was rare that she didn't have to do her job and could sleep well. She didn't want to waste her time on boring things like shopping and sightseeing.
Seeing that Leng Xing was about to leave, Zhu Feng said: "Would you like to go to dinner?"