Chapter 14 An emergency; only His Highness can make the decision now.
"Your Highness the Crown Princess, Your Highness the Crown Princess."
Just past midnight, in the pitch black and silence, Shen Yujiao struggled to get up from the bed, stepped over Jiang Chen, lifted the bed curtains, casually put on an inner garment from the rack, and walked out of the bedroom.
"What is it?" Shen Yujiao asked, still in a daze, with her eyes half-closed.
Mu Jin quickly stepped forward to adjust her inner garment, then whispered, "Your Highness, someone from the palace has come. They say that Her Majesty the Empress has suddenly fallen ill, and all the imperial physicians have gone to Kunyi Palace. Aunt Zhiyuan, who serves Her Majesty, sent word that Your Highness should come to the palace as soon as possible to attend to her."
Shen Yujiao instantly regained her senses. The Empress had fallen ill, and Zhiyuan was sending her a message so urgently, so something must have happened. She quickly turned around and went back to her bedchamber to change out of her pajamas.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Chen asked, sitting up halfway up when he heard the noise.
“You can continue sleeping,” Shen Yujiao said as she stepped out from behind the screen, tidying her hair as she replied, “Something has happened in the palace. The Empress has suddenly fallen ill, and I have to go to the palace to attend to her.”
"You..." Jiang Chen wanted to say something, but he knew that she had to go this time, so he swallowed his words, got up, put on his cloak, and stood behind her to help her with her dressing.
Because of the sudden emergency, Shen Yujiao didn't have time to draw her eyebrows and apply lipstick. She just applied a little powder to cover her complexion and asked Mu Jin to tie her hair into a bun. After quickly finishing, she turned around and saw Jiang Chen standing behind her.
"What are you doing up? Go back to sleep. At this hour, men are not allowed in the inner palace."
"I know, I'll just drop you off at the door and come right back."
Shen Yujiao didn't have time to dawdle with him either. She quickly got ready and rushed out the door. Mu Jin, on the other hand, was carrying jewelry, eyebrow pencil, and other necessities, planning to touch them up along the way, so that His Highness wouldn't lose face in front of others.
A carriage was already waiting at the gate of the East Palace. After the mistress and servants got into the carriage, it quickly drove away. Watching the carriage gradually disappear into the distance, the white mist that Jiang Chen exhaled lingered in the night for a long time. Zhu Yu saw that he was dressed so thinly and came out to see him off. She was already very worried, afraid that the Crown Prince would fall ill again. Fortunately, His Highness only stood at the gate for a while before going back.
Upon entering the outer hall of Kunyi Palace, Shen Yujiao saw a group of imperial physicians kneeling on the ground. Her heart tightened, and she quickened her pace to enter the inner hall.
"Your Highness—" The head maidservant beside the Empress was about to bow when she saw her, but Shen Yujiao quickly took a few steps and gently helped her up: "Aunt, there's no need for the bow. How is Mother?"
Mentioning the Empress, Zhiyuan's face grew even heavier. She looked toward the phoenix bed and said softly, "Your Majesty did not wake up well this morning. She was up and about before dawn and her complexion was really bad when she was halfway through doing her makeup. That's why she was exempted from paying her respects today. At first, we thought it was because Your Majesty did not sleep well yesterday, but Your Majesty has not woken up since she lay down again."
At this point, Zhiyuan turned her head, her eyes reddening, and said, "Your Highness, although Her Majesty is the Empress, in the palace... unless the situation is really serious, this servant would never dare to disturb your rest in the middle of the night. But Her Majesty has not yet woken up, and it seems that... even the people from the Imperial Hospital cannot find a cause. Under such circumstances, this servant must not make any decisions on her own."
Shen Yujiao originally wanted to ask why she didn't report it to the Emperor, but after thinking about it again, she swallowed her words.
If this were reported to the Emperor, the entire palace would likely find out that the Empress was ill. At that point, the Empress's seal and her power to manage the six palaces would probably be coveted, making things even more complicated.
How could such an illness, which could be concealed until dawn, be kept secret for no apparent reason and remain unconscious until the sun rises tomorrow? How will all the imperial physicians in the palace explain this when the sun rises again?
She held her breath, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Has Mother been taking any medicine lately?"
"No." Zhiyuan shook her head.
"Then... is there anything wrong with the items used?"
"We've checked everything, and there's nothing there."
"Then, did you eat something you shouldn't have?"
Shen Yujiao asked this question with extreme caution. If the Empress had been poisoned, it would be a grave crime, and no one in the palace would dare to do such a thing, even if they had a hundred or eighty heads. But Zhiyuan did not shy away from the question:
"The imperial physicians have also examined him and said it doesn't seem like poisoning."
None of those? Shen Yujiao frowned. She hadn't taken any medicine, hadn't touched anything, and wasn't even poisoned. How could a living person suddenly fall into a deep sleep for no reason?
Shen Yujiao's gaze followed the elongated shadow. The Empress's eyes were tightly closed, her face pale, even her lips purplish, devoid of color. Her brows furrowed even more tightly as she rapidly considered the possibilities. In the flickering light and shadow, an absurd idea slowly formed in her mind—
Could it be some supernatural or superstitious belief?
However, she quickly dismissed the thought. Although she and Jiang Chen's current situation was inexplicable, witchcraft was strictly forbidden in this dynasty, and being caught doing so would be a capital offense that would lead to the execution of the entire family. This was even more impossible.
"This is impossible, that is impossible," Shen Yujiao suddenly felt a little irritated. Since Zhiyuan had invited her, everyone in Kunyi Palace was counting on her. She couldn't afford to lose her composure now. Thinking of this, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and start giving orders.
Seeing that it was already late at night, Shen Yujiao first considered that these people might not have the energy to last a long battle, so she had the imperial physicians take turns to brew medicine, rest, and discuss prescriptions. She also had the servants take turns guarding Kunyi Palace, and finally sent a message to the Crown Prince that he must come to Kunyi Palace after court.
After everything was arranged, she sat down by the bed. The empress was pale, her brows were furrowed, and she was trembling all over because of her discomfort. Even though there was a charcoal fire burning in the room and she was covered with two quilts, she was still sweating profusely.
Shen Yujiao released the Empress's damp palm and gently patted her. There was no one else around, yet she dared not even show her pain. Shen Yujiao couldn't imagine what kind of place this palace was, that it could make the Empress live such a tense life.
"Your Highness," Mu Jin handed over a bowl of warm milk and gently advised, "Please drink the milk and rest. It's almost dawn, and I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it."
Shen Yujiao took the milk, her eyes vacant, and shook her head. She dared not sleep, nor could she sleep. Her life was tied to the Empress's tonight. If she closed her eyes, she feared trouble would ensue. It was almost dawn, and she would have to go to court. She had to wait for Jiang Chen to arrive.
Her thoughts returned, and she sighed softly. She drank the milk in the bowl in one gulp. After the warmth in her throat, her mouth was filled with the aroma of milk. She was really hungry after a busy night. She handed the bowl back to Mu Jin, but her hand paused the moment she handed it over.
Yes, how could she have overlooked this possibility? No poison or witchcraft was needed; a little attention to the food was all it took. Why didn't she consider food poisoning from the beginning?
Her gaze shifted to the Empress's phoenix bed, her eyes narrowing slightly. If she wasn't mistaken, the Empress must have eaten incompatible foods.
As for Jiang Chen, he was already worried about Shen Yujiao and hadn't slept all night. In addition, he had made a name for himself yesterday, so he was absent-minded throughout the morning court session and only thought about when it would end soon.
However, the emperor wanted to train him, so he frequently asked questions during the audience. Seeing that he mostly just agreed without speaking, the emperor then kept him in the imperial study after the court session and asked him if he had any good suggestions on taxation.
Jiang Chen was anxious, but dared not show it on his face. He only wanted to finish as soon as possible so he could go to Kunyi Palace. So, he didn't bother to hide it anymore. After a moment's thought, he told her the answers that Shen Yujiao had prepared for him in advance.
The Two-Tax Law.
According to Shen Yujiao's deduction, the Great Xia Dynasty currently adopts the equal-field system in agriculture, and the tax under the equal-field system should be the two-tax system. However, judging from the current tax revenue of the court, the two-tax system has not been implemented. Therefore, the first big question that Shen Yujiao gave Jiang Chen was the two-tax system.
Following the prepared answer, Jiang Chen quickly gave a rough outline. The emperor was indeed delighted and urged him to say more. But Jiang Chen, eager to leave immediately, couldn't bear to continue explaining the Two-Tax System. So, he gritted his teeth and said:
"Your Majesty, I have not yet fully devised a plan. Please allow me to return today and consider it carefully. I will then give Your Majesty a more appropriate answer tomorrow."
The emperor, upon hearing his words, found them reasonable, as they concerned a major issue of people's livelihood. He then waved his hand and dismissed him.
After Jiang Chen left the Imperial Study, someone led him to the inner palace. They walked briskly along the path and met the person in less than a quarter of an hour.
"What's wrong with you?" Shen Yujiao was quite surprised to see that he seemed to have run all the way here.
"You're still criticizing me? Look at your dark circles." Jiang Chen was surprised that she had looked so haggard after just one night.
In the past, the two would have been arguing by now, but Shen Yujiao didn't care about that now. She quickly stuffed a booklet into his hands. Jiang Chen unfolded it and saw that it was the Empress's recent meal plan.
"The imperial physicians examined her all night but couldn't find the cause of the problem. I suspect it's food poisoning, but after looking at her all night, I still can't figure out what caused it. Please take a look."
As Jiang Chen listened, he skimmed through the text, asking, "Besides these, what else have you eaten?"
"It's nothing more than fruits and snacks. I've been here during the New Year holidays, eating with the Empress every day. There's nothing different about it."
What fruit did you eat?
"Let me think," Shen Yujiao closed her eyes and pondered, "It's just apples, tangerines, dates, pomelos, cherries, and the like, nothing strange, right?"
Jiang Chen's gaze fixed on one spot. He put down the list, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Do you have persimmons?"
"Persimmon—" Shen Yujiao was about to shake her head, but then she stopped. There were persimmons, but she didn't eat them.
Seeing her like this, Jiang Chen understood: "I remember you don't eat this, but if the Empress eats it, she will probably find out the reason."
Shen Yujiao lowered her gaze and stared at the dish Jiang Chen was pointing to for a long time before slowly sitting down, leaning on the table. The two looked at each other in silence, both feeling a great shock.
What a clever idea.
Meanwhile, in the Imperial Study, after Jiang Chen left, the Emperor met with several ministers. Because the Lantern Festival was mentioned, he wanted to discuss the palace banquet for that day with the Empress. However, he was surprised to hear that the Empress was seriously ill. He was so angry that he questioned why no one had come to report it.
The little eunuch who delivered the message dared not say anything more about the Empress's health, and only said: "Because it was a sudden illness in the middle of the night, Your Majesty was not disturbed. The Crown Princess entered the palace last night and is currently attending to the Empress in Kunyi Palace."
But the emperor had no patience to listen to him. He walked straight past the man and headed out. Eunuch Feng, who was following behind, immediately gave a wink to the little eunuch. The little eunuch saw this and ran off from the back hall to call for a sedan chair to be arranged.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
The curtain was lifted from the inside, and as soon as the emperor stepped into Kunyi Palace, he saw the Crown Princess leading a group of palace maids bowing and paying their respects. Seeing that the order in the hall was in place, he calmed down slightly: "How is the Empress now?"
Shen Yujiao nodded respectfully and said, "Mother Empress has recovered now, Father Emperor can rest assured."
Hearing her say this, the emperor's anger subsided considerably. Shen Yujiao followed him into the inner room, accompanied him to see the empress, and sat for a while before returning to the outer hall. During this time, all the palace maids and eunuchs serving in the outer hall withdrew.
The emperor was somewhat surprised. He turned his head and saw that the Crown Princess had already curtsied and knelt down: "Father, this concerns the Empress Dowager's health. Please allow me to report."
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