Chapter 289 Emperor Jingping is ill
Perhaps due to the shock, Emperor Jingping was weak all over. Ignoring the advice of Xue Quan and others, he came to the bedside of Consort Yu and broke out in a cold sweat.
"My beloved concubine—" Emperor Jingping stepped forward, his hand trembling as he reached out and lifted the quilt covering Consort Yu, revealing a bluish-purple face.
"Ah!" Emperor Jingping exclaimed in surprise, and the quilt fell back onto Consort Yu's face as he loosened his grip.
"Is Your Majesty alright?" Xue Quan asked worriedly when he saw that Emperor Jingping's face was pale.
"I'm fine."
Emperor Jingping clutched his chest, feeling as if his heart was pounding wildly and about to leap out of his chest.
Bang bang, bang bang bang—
"Xue Quan, why does the Imperial Concubine look like that?"
"Your Majesty, the crossbow bolt that struck the Imperial Concubine's neck was coated with deadly poison."
"He's utterly wicked and lawless!" Emperor Jingping cursed as he left the side hall, summoning the heads of the relevant government offices for a dressing-down and ordering them to dig three feet into the ground to find the murderer who killed Consort Yu.
As it turns out, even a monarch cannot have everything he desires. Days passed, the investigation into the assassination of Consort Yu yielded no progress, and Emperor Jingping fell ill.
It is said that His Majesty misses the Imperial Concubine too much and has fallen ill.
"His Majesty is truly devoted to the Imperial Concubine," a young palace maid whispered to her companion, her voice filled with envy.
The older companion, much more composed, said, "Shh, if the headmistress hears us talking about this, we'll be in big trouble."
Emperor Jingping lay on his bed, unaware of these discussions about the deep affection between emperors, but he did know that his illness was more due to shock.
The moment he closed his eyes, all he saw was Consort Yu's bruised and grotesque face.
How could that be? A stunningly beautiful woman, with feet as white and tender as jade carvings, who made him unable to resist kissing her, yet her death was so terrifying.
He was heartbroken, but in addition to heartbreak, the thought of his favorite concubine also brought him fear.
In addition to that, there was an indescribable sense of bewilderment and emptiness.
They had enjoyed singing and dancing together on the Lantern Festival, and just moments before they were gazing at the fireworks in the sky, they were separated forever.
That was on the Imperial Street, atop the Lehua Tower, heavily guarded by imperial guards. If that assassin could kill the Imperial Concubine, couldn't he kill him too?
The thought of this filled Emperor Jingping with dread.
He was the emperor, yet even emperors could die so easily. Perhaps it was the annual Lantern Festival, or perhaps it was just any ordinary day.
The fear that arises from this belated realization is far more intense and prolonged than the sudden change that occurred at Lehua Tower on the Lantern Festival.
Emperor Jingping remained bedridden and did not recover for a long time.
February 15th arrived in the blink of an eye, a month after Consort Yu's death.
No matter how shocking the attack and death of Consort Yu was, and no matter how hard the Dali Temple, the Ministry of Justice, the Jingtian Prefecture, the Palace Guard, and the Imperial City Guard worked to find the murderer, when the investigation stalled after a month, everything finally slowed down.
The death of the Imperial Concubine is important, but there are many other important matters. Investigating the case is important, but no one is made of iron and cannot work day and night indefinitely.
On Qinglian Lake, a small boat drifts with the waves, startling water birds that were searching for food.
"You haven't been so busy lately?" Qiu Heng handed the snacks she brought to Xue Han.
"I'm busy, but not like in the beginning."
"Then why don't you rest properly and instead ask me to go boating?"
"Today is the fifteenth." Xue Han looked at Qiu Heng, and the heartache in his eyes finally had the right to be openly revealed.
"It's the fifteenth again, time flies." Qiu Heng sighed helplessly, then changed the subject, "I heard the Emperor has been ill, is he getting better?"
It is a great taboo to spy on the emperor's illness, but fortunately Qiu Heng does not need to worry about Xue Han, the imperial envoy, arresting her and throwing her into prison.
Xue Han naturally wouldn't hide anything from Qiu Heng: "There's no improvement, but it hasn't gotten worse either. He's been sleeping longer each day, and yesterday an imperial edict was issued appointing the Crown Prince to oversee the state..."
The crown prince oversees the state.
A strange feeling arose in Qiu Heng's heart.
This is quite different from what has been recorded in history.
Speaking of which, Emperor Jingping fell ill, and Xue Quan offered medicine this year, but not now.
Because of Consort Yu's death, Emperor Jingping fell ill. Would Xue Quan's offering of medicine be premature?
The exact amount of *Qiuheng* cannot be determined.
Since her return, many things have changed, and the history books I had read can only serve as advisors now.
Thinking this, Qiu Heng secretly glanced at the man eating red bean cake, and felt a little apologetic.
She had no intention of stopping Xue Quan from offering the medicine.
"Aheng, is something on your mind?" Noticing that Qiuheng was lost in thought, Xue Han felt uneasy for some reason.
"Something on your mind?" Qiu Heng shook her head. "Nothing on my mind... I was just thinking, His Highness the Crown Prince is probably better than the Emperor, isn't he?"
Xue Han paused for a moment, then smiled: "Yes, it will certainly be better than the current emperor."
Such bold remarks would be considered outrageous even if they were overheard, let alone spoken aloud. Yet, Ah Heng would say them to him.
The inexplicable unease dissipated, and Xue Han finally spoke the words he had wanted to say since boarding the small boat.
"Aheng, do you remember what you said two years ago?"
Qiu Heng was taken aback.
Xue Han reached out and grasped her hand: "You said you'd give me two years... This year is the twenty-eighth year of Jingping."
Qiu Heng watched quietly as the man's ears turned red, and the fingertips he held in his palm twitched.
Xue Han gripped the girl tightly, holding his breath as he gazed at her, waiting for an answer.
"Those words were spoken in the twelfth month of the twenty-sixth year of Jingping, and now it's only the second month of the twenty-eighth year of Jingping, have you forgotten?"
"I remember." Xue Han rested his head on Qiu Heng's shoulder and said in a muffled voice, "I'm just a little... impatient."
Qiu Heng was silent for a moment, then reached out and wrapped her arms around Xue Han's waist.
A familiar burning pain came.
Xue Han immediately noticed the unusual behavior of the person in his arms: "Aheng?"
"It's nothing, just my old problem acting up again." Qiu Heng pushed Xue Han away and jumped into the lake.
Soon, water splashed everywhere, and Xue Han jumped in as well.
Why did you jump down too?
Xue Han pulled the person into his arms again: "Together with you."
He couldn't bear her pain for her, but at least he could be there for her when she was in pain.
"Xue Han, let's go boating together in a while."
"Okay. When?"
"Let's wait a little longer. The Imperial City Guard is still investigating the assassin of Consort Yu. As the Imperial City Guard, it's inappropriate for you to be openly indulging in pleasure."
Qiu Heng planned to set the date for the boat trip on the first day of the fourth lunar month, the day Xue Quan presented the medicine as recorded in the book.
"Ah! Someone has committed suicide!" A scream came from the lakeside.
Qiu Heng and Xue Han exchanged a glance, their pupils widening in shock. In unison, they sank into the water and swam towards the dense aquatic plants.
People who rushed to the scene found nothing, except for the young couple who had insisted that they had seen two heads on the lake.
"Oh dear, could it be a water ghost looking for a substitute, deliberately revealing itself in front of lovers like you..."
"You two are really bold, coming to Qinglian Lake for a secret rendezvous."
Two days later, Fangzhou returned from buying ingredients and said to Qiuheng in a mysterious tone, "Miss, have you heard? Qinglian Lake is haunted again."
Qiu Heng: "..."
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