Emperor Jingyuan stood with his hands behind his back at the entrance of the sleeping quarters, watching Zheng He's hurried figure slowly disappear into the darkness. He then turned back to look at the brightly lit inner palace, his eyes filled with curiosity, before turning and leaving.
In the front courtyard, most of the concubines fainted when they received the news of the emperor's pardon. The remaining ones were delirious and had already lost all feeling in their bodies. They thought they were going to die there.
Zheng San directed the palace servants to carry each concubine back to her respective palace and invited all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital to treat her.
Mu Wanyu is quite resilient; after all that turmoil and being soaked in such a heavy snowfall, she is still alive and well.
Zheng San personally escorted her to the Cold Palace. The imperial physician examined her and found nothing seriously wrong; all she needed to do was keep warm. Zheng San breathed a sigh of relief, noticing that the Cold Palace didn't even have a decent quilt. He worried she might actually freeze to death.
So, after consulting with his master, he sent her a quilt that was neither too thin nor too thick, leaving the rest to Mu's own fate.
The Cold Palace was called Hanyuan Hall. The courtyard was overgrown with weeds and covered with heavy snow, which was covered with messy footprints left by people.
This place is rarely visited by people. The deposed concubines of past dynasties have long since disappeared. Mu Wanyu is the first deposed concubine in all the years since Emperor Jingcheng ascended the throne.
In the middle of the night, Mu Wanyu huddled on the narrow, hard wooden bed, with a tattered and moldy cotton quilt underneath her and a new quilt that Zheng Sanming had sent over her, which did provide some protection against the cold.
Mu Wanyu's (transmigrated) consciousness remained intact. She clearly experienced the entire process of being frozen and in pain, and she remembered Prince Yuan who saved her life, the imperial physician who treated her injuries, and Zheng San who brought her a blanket...
She felt very unwell. After drinking ginger soup, she felt a little warmer. After taking some medicine, she lay down on the old wooden bed to rest, and slowly, it seemed that the medicine was working. Her body felt less uncomfortable, and she fell asleep.
The cold wind relentlessly battered the dilapidated windows, making a series of buzzing sounds, and occasionally the sounds of things colliding could be heard, unpleasant and noisy.
Mu Wanyu developed a high fever in the middle of the night, but by then she had lost consciousness.
From a distance, she looked like a corpse lying there. Upon closer inspection, one could see that her body was still trembling, her face was flushed beyond belief, and her lips were cracked and extremely pale.
In the dimly lit space of consciousness, Mu Wanyu (transmigrated) lay on the cold ground, while Mu Wanyu (ancient) gently pushed her body from the side: "Hey, wake up, wake up quickly!"
"Hey, wake up! Are you alright?"
Mu Wanyu (time travel) felt her head was incredibly heavy. She sensed someone calling her, but her heavy eyelids seemed impossible to open, and her head was throbbing terribly.
Mu Wanyu (ancient) called out for a long time, her face filled with fear and worry. Although she hated the person in front of her for making her so miserable, at least the two of them were now in the same boat. If she died, she didn't know if it would affect her. Besides... she would be very scared to be alone in this space.
"Hey, wake up! Hey!"
Mu Wanyu (ancient time) called out for a long time, but the person on the ground still did not respond. She was about to despair. As she called out, tears streamed down her face. She reached out and pushed the girl on the ground with all her might.
Mu Wanyu (the transmigrator) still hadn't woken up; her body lay motionless on the cold floor.
Mu Wanyu (ancient) collapsed to the ground, looking at the dark and gloomy space. She felt like she was going crazy. When would she be able to fully control her body? Was she really going to be trapped here alone forever? Despair filled her beautiful face.
No one in the palace cares about the life or death of a forgotten concubine. Most people are sycophantic creatures, especially in the feudal imperial palace where imperial power is supreme, they tend to fawn over the weak and worship the strong.
The next morning, Emperor Jingcheng got up to attend the morning court session. After the palace servants helped him tidy his court robes, he turned his head and looked at the snow outside his bedchamber, which was still falling heavily and showed no signs of stopping.
Zheng He'er respectfully said, "Your Majesty, it's getting late, it's time to go to court."
Emperor Jingcheng looked out from behind the ornate curtains and said in a low voice, "Wait at the door." After saying that, he strode inside and disappeared behind the curtains.
Zheng He pursed his lips. Even though it was already much late, he knew that the emperor's order could not be disobeyed. He could only lead the palace servants to wait at the door in the wind and snow for the emperor inside.
Emperor Jingcheng sat on the edge of the dragon bed, leaned down and carefully pulled the blanket up for the sleeping little girl, gently placing her little hand, which was sticking out, into the warm quilt.
After he tidied her up, only her rosy, beautiful face was visible outside the blanket, which was made even more delicate and lively by her long, black hair that resembled seaweed. Her usually bright eyes were now tightly closed, her long eyelashes were motionless, and her small, rosy mouth was also gently closed, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised.
Di Jingcheng stared at her for a long time, feeling his heart overflowing. Looking at the little girl sleeping so sweetly in front of him, he couldn't help but think of all the misfortunes he had brought her in his past life. He was constantly repenting in his heart and secretly vowed to let her enjoy a lifetime of happiness.
Zheng He was getting impatient waiting outside, like an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth and constantly looking inside.
Just when he thought there was no hope for the morning court session, the noble and indifferent true dragon emperor finally appeared before him.
Emperor Jingcheng strode out of the bedchamber and headed outside. Zheng He'er breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly followed with his men, saying, "Hurry up and catch up, don't dawdle."
In the Western Capital Imperial Court, the ministers had been waiting for a long time. An hour had passed since the morning court session began, but the emperor had not yet appeared, nor had anyone come to deliver his decree. The ministers were abuzz with discussion, some expressing dissatisfaction, some doubt, and some anger…
As everyone eagerly awaited the announcement, Zheng He's son announced in a high-pitched voice, "The Emperor has arrived!"
The dignified emperor strode in and went straight to the golden, wide dragon throne, a symbol of supreme imperial power, with a dragon holding a pearl. Every gesture he made exuded extraordinary bearing and nobility, showcasing the grandeur of royalty.
The crowd immediately stopped their discussion, straightened their clothes, and bowed in unison: "Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
Emperor Jingcheng waved his hand, his indifference revealing his majesty: "All of you, rise."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The ceremony between the emperor and his ministers had just ended when a minister stepped forward to present his memorial. Zheng He took a closer look and saw that the first one to step forward was none other than Mu Fuyi, the Grand Secretary and father of the deposed Empress Mu.
His face was full of indignation: "Your Majesty, this old minister believes that Your Majesty should not treat the concubines of the harem so harshly for a woman of unknown origin. Even if the concubines of the harem have a thousand faults, they do not deserve to kneel in the snow for an entire afternoon."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the court was startled. Even if the Grand Secretary wanted to plead for his daughter's innocence, he couldn't possibly imply that the Emperor was blinded by beauty.
Upon hearing this, Di Jingcheng gave him a sharp look, then swept his gaze across the crowd below: "Is this what all my ministers think?"
His sharp gaze undoubtedly frightened many officials, but some still dared to stand up.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
