Chapter 328 The Imperial Concubine is in Trouble
Zisu stood by the window, looking down in surprise.
"Girl, it's Miss Wang Si down there, she seems to be crying."
Li Nanke put down what he was holding and quickly walked to the window.
She was rather short; even on tiptoe, her head could only just reach the window, and she couldn't see what was happening below at all.
Just as she was about to tell Zisu to bring her a chair, her feet suddenly left the ground.
An arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her up.
She turned her head and met Shen Cong's somewhat pale face.
"Ninth Brother?"
Shen Cong didn't look at her, his face stern as he glanced downstairs.
"Didn't you want to look downstairs?"
"oh oh."
Li Nanke suddenly forgot what he was going to say and peeked downstairs.
A carriage was parked downstairs with its window open. Through the window, you could see Wang Tongyun lying inside the carriage, her shoulders heaving.
"Tongyun seems to be really crying. Ninth Brother, please put me down quickly, I'll go down and take a look."
She gestured for Shen Cong to put her down, preparing to go down and take a look.
Shen Cong did not let go, but instead glanced at Er Feng.
"Go down and take a look, then bring the person back up."
Erfeng responded and quickly left.
Shen Cong then put Li Nanke down on the ground and explained, "Are you going to talk to her in the street?"
Li Nanke then realized what was happening.
The Wang family was, after all, a large family. If Wang Tongyun was hiding in a carriage on the street and crying, it meant either something had happened at home or she had been wronged.
Regardless of the reason, it wouldn't be appropriate for her to ask on the street.
"But we're just friends talking, Ninth Brother, you..."
Shen Cong pursed his lips, seemingly somewhat helpless.
"I'll go next door."
Li Nanke smiled, "Thank you, Ninth Brother."
Before Shen Cong could get up, Wang Tongyun came in, and upon seeing Li Nanke, tears immediately streamed down her face.
"Ke'er, something has happened to my aunt."
Upon hearing this, Shen Cong frowned slightly and sat down again.
Li Nanke pulled Wang Tongyun down to sit, wiping away her tears as he said, "Tell me what happened slowly."
Wang Tongyun took the handkerchief, touched her face haphazardly, and her voice was still trembling when she spoke.
"This morning, news came from the palace that my aunt suddenly developed a high fever last night and it hasn't subsided."
These past two days, my grandmother has been unwell, so my mother took me to the palace to visit my aunt.
My aunt was lying in bed, burning with a high fever. She was delirious and talking incoherently.
"Are you talking nonsense? Have you caught a cold?"
Wang Tongyun shook her head.
"The palace maid who serves my aunt said that last night the Consort felt unbearably hot, so she went for a walk in the Imperial Garden, accompanied only by a trusted nanny."
About half an hour later, my aunt and nanny returned, but unexpectedly, they developed a high fever in the middle of the night.
My aunt kept shouting "Let me go!" and using words like "demon" and "ghost," but her words were mumbled and I couldn't make out what she was saying.
"What did the imperial physician say?"
"The imperial physicians have tried all sorts of methods to reduce the fever, but the high fever persists. They say if it doesn't subside by evening, I'm afraid... I'm afraid my aunt will..."
As Wang Tongyun spoke, tears streamed down her face like beans.
"His Majesty summoned all the imperial physicians and said that no matter what method was used, he must save his aunt and the imperial heir."
My mother was guarding the palace and told me to go home first, but... I was scared and worried I wouldn't be able to hide it from my grandmother, so I cried in the street."
Wang Tongyun cried very sadly.
Of all her sisters, she was closest to Consort Wang, so when she heard that her aunt might not make it, she was heartbroken.
Li Nanke also felt a little sad.
She liked Consort Wang's personality very much; she was generous, insightful, and unpretentious, and a very easy person to get along with.
In that dream, when she arrived at Shen Xu's side, Consort Wang was already gone.
She vaguely heard the old people in the palace say that Consort Wang seemed to have died from postpartum weakness, not from a high fever.
Moreover, it will be nearly two months before Consort Wang gives birth.
She held Wang Tongyun's hand and subconsciously looked at Shen Cong.
"Ninth Brother, does Mr. Gui Liu have any good ideas?"
Shen Cong pondered for a moment, then gave instructions to Erfeng.
"Go and send Gui Liu to the palace, and see if he can do anything about it."
Overjoyed, Wang Tongyun wiped away her tears with her sleeve and knelt down with a thud.
"If you can save my aunt, Your Highness will be so kind and the Wang family will never forget your kindness."
Shen Cong nodded slightly, glanced at Li Nanke, and got up to leave.
Li Nanke instructed Zisu to bring in water so that she could help Wang Tongyun wash her face and comb her hair again.
"It looks much better now. Go back quickly, don't let your grandmother notice anything amiss."
Wang Tongyun squeezed her hand tightly.
"Thank goodness I met you, Ke'er, otherwise I really wouldn't know what to do."
Li Nanke patted her on the shoulder and personally escorted her back to the Wang family before returning to the Marquis of Anping's residence.
She kept people watching for news from the palace.
In the evening, Shen Cong sent a message through Er Feng.
Consort Wang's high fever finally subsided, but because the fever had lasted for so long, she became mentally impaired.
It doesn't recognize people anymore; it just sits there blankly, laughing, and eats whatever it's given.
Overwhelmed with grief, His Majesty embraced Consort Wang and wept uncontrollably, ordering a thorough investigation into who had frightened her.
The investigation only uncovered the sordid affairs of some eunuchs and palace maids in the harem; no one knew what exactly had frightened Consort Wang that night.
In a fit of rage, His Majesty had all the maids and servants who served the Consort beaten to death.
They said they didn't serve the Imperial Concubine well and deserved to die!
Subsequently, His Majesty stayed in the Consort's palace for several days in a row, personally taking care of her without entrusting her to anyone else.
The Wang family visited the palace several times, and it is said that each time they left the palace, their eyes were red and swollen.
Wang Tongyun's grandmother, Madam Wang, could not bear this blow and fell ill. She passed away within a month.
The Wang family was busy with the funeral of Old Madam Wang and had little time to attend to Consort Wang in the palace.
After Madam Wang's burial, Wang Tongyun returned to Jingxing Academy to study. She had lost a lot of weight and looked listless and lacking energy.
She was completely different from the chattering and mischievous Wang Tongyun she had been before.
After class, Li Nanke found a quiet place to talk to Wang Tongyun.
"Tongyun, are you alright?"
Wang Tongyun leaned against a pillar under the corridor, stared at her blankly for a moment, and then tugged at the corner of her mouth.
Her eyes were red.
"Ke'er, I don't understand. It's only been a month, but it feels like many years have passed."
My aunt became mentally impaired, and my grandmother passed away; I lost two loved ones at once.
Li Nanke hugged her shoulders and gently rocked her, patting her softly with his small hands.
She knew what it felt like to lose a loved one, and any words would be pale and powerless.
"If you want to cry, then cry. It will make you feel better."
Wang Tongyun leaned on her shoulder, tears streaming down her face.
Her voice gradually subsided only after her eyes became red and swollen from crying.
Li Nanke asked softly, "The matter concerning the Imperial Concubine is truly strange. What did your grandfather say?"
Wang Tongyun suppressed her sobs, sat up straight, and whispered, "Grandfather and Father discussed this matter in secret and also secretly sent people to investigate. Grandfather suspects it's related to that person."
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