That night, the Qin Prince's mansion was brightly lit, and footsteps came and went in a hurry.
Xuanyuan Han returned to his residence. Not long after Consort Chun left, he suddenly developed a persistent high fever and fell into a deep sleep, occasionally uttering only intermittent murmurs about Yi Shangyun.
"Yun'er, come back, come back to my side..."
"I don't believe it..."
"What you're saying isn't true, it's not..."
"One lifetime, one love, one couple..."
"Come back, come back..."
"I cannot live without you, I cannot live without you..."
"Yun'er, Yun'er..."
...
When Consort Chun entered the palace, Zhang Mama, Imperial Physician Yue, and Cheng Liang stayed by her side at all times in her bedchamber, taking meticulous care of her.
It wasn't until midnight that I sweated a lot and finally the fever subsided.
They changed her into a dry set of clothes, and seeing that she was finally sleeping peacefully, the three of them extinguished the extra lights in the hall. Just as they were about to leave, Consort Chun returned.
"Your Highness the Imperial Concubine..." Imperial Physician Yue turned around and, upon seeing the person who had arrived, bowed to him with utmost respect.
Following closely behind, Granny Zhang and Cheng Liang also bowed in greeting.
When Consort Chun caught a glimpse of Xuan Yuanhan's peaceful sleeping face on the couch from afar, she quickly interrupted him with a shushing sound and thanked him in a low voice, "Thank you all for your concern. How is the prince doing now?"
Imperial Physician Yue stepped forward with clasped hands and reported, "Thanks to the late Emperor's protection, His Highness's body has not suffered any harm, but, but..."
Seeing his hesitation, Consort Chun became anxious and urged, "What's wrong with my son?"
Physician Yue thought for a moment, then hurriedly said, "Your Highness's injury is not actually on the surface, but rather it seems that some unresolved emotional knot has accumulated inside your body. Over time, this has led to your sudden coma and the recent high fever..."
Before she could finish speaking, Consort Chun exclaimed anxiously, "What did you say? A sudden high fever?"
As she spoke, she hurried towards the bedside. Imperial Physician Yue quickly said, "Your Highness, please rest assured, His Highness's high fever has subsided, but this worry..."
Upon hearing this, Consort Chun, who had already approached, turned back and looked at Cheng Liang's face, questioning him: "Cheng Liang, you have been by His Highness's side since childhood. What is wrong with His Highness? Where does this knot in his heart come from?"
Cheng Liang lowered his head, then suddenly became hesitant, saying, "Your Highness, His Highness, he, he..."
Consort Chun took a deep breath, suppressing her anger, and said earnestly, "Speak freely. What exactly happened to His Highness? Tell me the whole story in detail, word for word, clearly and plainly."
"yes!"
Before Consort Chun, Cheng Liang had no choice but to obey. He then recounted in detail how Xuan Yuanhan and Yi Shangyun met in Western Qin, how he fought against the whole world for her sake, and how their relationship ended ruthlessly in Dongning.
Upon hearing Cheng Liang's words, Consort Chun was clearly stunned.
She stared blankly at Xuan Yuanhan's face, seemingly unable to react for a long time, her mind racing with thoughts: "I never imagined there could be such a woman in the world. As the most noble princess of a nation, she was willing to sacrifice her own reputation to protect the one she loved."
Hidden with unparalleled depth and subtlety, Yi Shangyun's meticulous thoughts were beyond the comprehension of Xuan Yuanhan and the others. However, for the experienced Consort Chun, who was also a woman, Yi Shangyun's painstaking efforts were crystal clear.
After a long silence, she suddenly came to her senses, scanned the three people in front of her one by one, and asked in a deep voice, "All three of you know about all of this, don't you?"
The three of them nodded silently.
Even now, Cheng Liang still feels deeply indignant for his master, angrily saying, "The saying 'a woman's heart is like a needle at the bottom of the sea' is absolutely true! She's truly become a phoenix after rising to prominence, turning her back on everyone. The most poisonous thing in this world is indeed a woman's heart. Look at what my prince has become now! Everything his prince did for her was truly not worth it!"
Granny Zhang had always felt confused and disbelieving, so she slowly spoke up, saying with doubt, "This girl, I've seen her a few times in the manor. She's kind-hearted, obedient, and sensible; she doesn't seem like such a heartless person!"
Physician Yue stroked his beard and nodded silently, seemingly agreeing with Granny Zhang's opinion, but he didn't say anything.
Unexpectedly, Consort Chun suddenly laughed upon hearing this, and then continued, "I never imagined that the princesses of Dongning Kingdom would be so extraordinary! One leaves, and another arrives. It seems that my son, and my Prince Qin's mansion, are so destined to be connected with the wealthy and powerful Dongning?"
Upon hearing this, Granny Zhang asked, puzzled, "I wonder what Her Highness means by these words..."
Consort Chun seemed quite interested as she said, "I really look down on Princess Yongle, who is clearly only interested in pleasure. However, I am quite interested in Princess Yongning, who grew up in my Western Qin. As the saying goes, 'One region's water and soil nurture its people,' so why is there such a great difference between people? I wonder if I will have the chance to meet her in my lifetime?"
Upon hearing this, the three of them immediately looked at Consort Chun's face, clearly stunned. Cheng Liang said in disbelief, "Your Highness, Consort Chun..."
Just then, Xuanyuan Han suddenly murmured again, "Mother, Mother..."
Upon hearing this, all four of them hurried toward the bed.
Consort Chun sat down beside the couch, holding Xuan Yuanhan's hand tightly, and asked anxiously, "My son, your mother is here. Are you feeling unwell?"
Seeing this, Physician Yue was about to step forward to check when he saw Xuan Yuanhan slowly open his eyes.
In a hazy state, he first saw the familiar string of Buddhist prayer beads on the wrist of Consort Chun, and finally remembered them.
The old woman he had seen in the south of the city exclaimed in astonishment, "So you really are... really my mother!"
With tears glistening in her eyes, Consort Chun nodded heavily, holding Xuan Yuanhan's hand in one hand and reaching out with the other to stroke that long-lost silhouette. She said with deep affection and excitement, "It's Mother Consort, Mother Consort has returned, Mother Consort has returned. All these years, my son has suffered alone!"
Then, Xuanyuan Han slowly sat up. In the dim light, the mother and son, who depended on each other for survival, hugged each other tightly and wept with joy.
Spring thus unabashedly displays the boundless energy that had been brewing throughout the long and cold winter.
In the blink of an eye, several days have passed.
Under the meticulous care of Consort Chun, Xuanyuan Han has fully recovered.
At midday, the weather was fine and the sun shone brightly, as if even the surrounding air was filled with happiness and contentment. It gave one the illusion that all the darkness had vanished.
At this moment, Consort Chun and her son, Xuan Yuanhan, were chatting in the palace.
Consort Chun said disappointedly, "The guardian of Western Qin, Mother Consort had originally been waiting for her, but unfortunately, she was lost again!"
Upon hearing this topic, Xuan Yuanhan paused for a moment and said, "The guardians of Western Qin?!"
Seeing a strange feeling in his eyes, Consort Chun guessed, "What? My son, could it be that you... have already met this guardian of Western Qin?"
Xuanyuan Han suddenly came to his senses and quickly denied it, saying, "No, Your Highness has never seen the Guardian in person, but has only heard people talk about him occasionally."
"No one knows a son better than his mother." Consort Chun suddenly felt that her son was acting strangely, as if he was deliberately hiding something from her about his guardian.
As the two were talking, Cheng Liang hurried in. Seeing the mother and son catching up, he swallowed back the words that were already on the tip of his tongue.
Just as he was about to quietly slip away, Xuan Yuanhan caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of his eye and called out to him, "What happened?"
Cheng Liang thought for a moment, then steeled himself and went inside, reporting, "Your Highness, news has just arrived that an unprecedented plague is spreading in a place called 'Dragon Tiger City' in the Eastern Ning Kingdom, located on our eastern border. In Your Highness's opinion, should our country also take precautions against this epidemic?"
"What? Plague?"
"Dongning Kingdom?"
Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Han immediately stood up, extremely surprised.
Suddenly, he met the surprised gaze of the Consort Chun, then slowly sat down again and said in a deep voice, "Give the order that the area near Longhu City be strictly guarded and that the movement of people be reduced."
Cheng Liang seemed to still have some reservations. Xuan Yuanhan noticed this and asked while drinking his tea, "Is there anything else?"
The news he had just received clearly surprised him. Fortunately, Cheng Liang couldn't help but say, "I heard that Princess Yongning of Dongning Kingdom set off to personally inspect the epidemic area a few days ago."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan stopped what he was doing and looked at Cheng Liang's face. At the same time, he slammed the teacup in his hand heavily on the tea table next to him and said in astonishment, "Why is it that no matter where she goes, she can never get rid of her habit of meddling in other people's business!"
As Xuanyuan Han spoke, recalling the events, he added indignantly, "Didn't the previous news say that she was the one the late King of Dongning had chosen as the next ruler? If that's the case, why didn't she stay in the palace and instead went to the plague-stricken area?"
Cheng Liang explained, "I heard that on the day Princess Yongning ascended the throne, the Empress Dowager and the Second Prince made a scene in the main hall vying for the throne. However, Princess Yongning said something to them, and they gained nothing, leaving the hall in a huff. In the end, Princess Yongning actually abdicated the throne to the Third Prince, Mei Zhixuan, in front of all the officials. With that, Princess Yue can rest easy in Dongning from now on!"
As if thinking of something else, Xuan Yuanhan suddenly smiled and then said sarcastically, "I never thought that she would be willing to give up the position of the king in order to become the Crown Princess of Nan'an! It seems that she is really quite fond of that Crown Prince of Nan'an."
Cheng Liang was silent for a while, then said, "It seems that Princess Yongning has no intention of marrying into the Nan'an Kingdom at all."
Seeing the questioning look his master gave him after hearing his words, Cheng Liang lowered his head and dared not look at him again. He said, "I heard that when the civil and military officials in front of the Dongning Kingdom were struggling with whether Princess Yongning should go to marry into the Kingdom to ease the relationship between Dongning and Nan'an or become the ruler of Dongning, Yi San Shao declared in the hall that he was willing to marry into the Dongning Kingdom to help Princess Yongning become the ruler and marry the crown prince of Nan'an. However, Princess Yongning refused on the spot."
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