Chapter 113 Fright
"Your Majesty, the Empress has awakened! Awakening is good news! It means the Empress is conscious, which makes things much easier from here on out—" The people kneeling below breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.
It's a good thing if a person wakes up, even if they are conscious for a moment. The worst thing is if they sleep soundly and die.
Hibiscus, standing to the side, also breathed a sigh of relief.
Everything was fine in the carriage just now, there was no disturbance, and the Empress's condition was stable, so it seems there's no problem.
But as soon as they returned to Yilan Palace, the Empress on the bed began to gasp for breath, as if she had difficulty breathing. Her brows were furrowed, her face gradually turned pale, and she even began to talk nonsense. She was unable to wake up and did not respond no matter how they called her.
The imperial physicians had already been summoned and were waiting. One by one, they said that the Empress had been frightened and was experiencing nightmares, but the calming medicines were completely ineffective.
Only then did the imperial physician nervously say that the Empress was fearing something was wrong.
When Chu Mingheng heard the imperial physician utter those words, his expression changed drastically, and he kicked the man over.
"How dare you utter such absurd words to curse Consort Zhen! Guards! Drag him away!"
"Go and summon the imperial physician again—"
After Chu Mingheng finished speaking, he gently took Lan Wu, who was struggling and fidgeting on the bed, into his arms: "Summon all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital. Anyone who disobeys will be executed without mercy."
The imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Academy rushed over under the cover of night, not daring to delay at all. However, upon arriving at the palace, they examined the pulse of this Consort Zhen and all remarked on how strange it was.
Although it is a fright-induced illness, the person is still not fully conscious, and now has developed a high fever. If we are not careful, things may not go well. The imperial physician showed his fear earlier and was not sure that the person could recover, which is why he said the worst possible outcome. But His Majesty cannot stand to hear such words.
After discussing it, the group decided on the medicine to use, but they were worried that even if the medicine was used, the patient would not show any signs of improvement.
As time ticked by, and the person inside the curtain showed no signs of improvement, just when they thought they were going to die that day, they finally saw Zhen Zhaorong regain consciousness for a moment.
Everyone was overjoyed, lamenting that they were not destined to die.
How could such a commotion in Yilan Palace in the middle of the night not spread? The fact that the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital rushed to Yilan Palace in droves showed that something serious must have happened.
But the concubines also knew that Lan Wu was under house arrest, and they just found it strange—Zhen Zhaorong was staying in her own palace, so what could be wrong with her?
Consort Shu and her entourage had guessed that Lan Wu was not confined to her palace, but upon hearing that she was in Yilan Palace again, they couldn't help but frown.
When a concubine falls seriously ill, one should, by all accounts, rush to visit her. Moreover, they are willing to join in the fun.
Since entering the palace as a concubine, Consort Zhen has had a smooth and successful life, never suffering any major hardships. Now, with such a dramatic turn of events, some people speculate that she may be seriously ill and nearing her end.
But even if they really thought that way, no one dared to show it, for fear that His Majesty would see it and punish them.
Several concubines had already arrived at the gate of Yilan Palace.
Consort Wen waited outside the palace gate without going in. Only after hearing that Consort Shu had arrived did she step forward.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
Consort Shu glanced at her, and seeing that she hadn't gone in yet, she slowly hummed in agreement and told her to get up.
There were many people around, so Consort Shu spoke softly, but her doubts remained: "Wasn't she supposed to be in Taichen Palace? How come she's suddenly in Yilan Palace?"
Consort Wen walked beside her and replied softly, "This afternoon, I saw a sedan chair carrying someone toward Chenghua Gate. I probed around and guessed that the person inside was Consort Zhen. Later, worried that I was overthinking things, I sent someone to inquire at Taichen Palace and Yilan Palace. They said that someone saw the sedan chair being carried out from the direction of Taichen Palace."
Consort Shu understood: "His Majesty took her out of the palace."
However, no one knows what happened to him when he left the palace, because he returned seriously ill.
This news surprised all the concubines, especially Consort Shu. She was still considering whether to take action against Lan Wu before she became pregnant with the imperial heir, but now she herself had fallen ill first.
I just hope that once this person falls, he won't get up again, and that his final body will leave behind a clean reputation.
As the group entered Yilan Palace, they immediately saw many imperial physicians kneeling on the ground, their mouths dry with anxiety, indicating that the people inside were indeed in dire need of treatment.
Consort Shu became even more curious, but dared not go in rashly. She only asked a palace servant in Yilan Palace about the situation.
The palace maid looked up and saw that there were many more concubines in the hall. She was startled and hurriedly replied that the imperial physician had given the empress a prescription and that the empress's condition had improved.
"What illness does Your Highness suffer from? How did it come on so suddenly?" Consort Shu asked again.
The palace maid stammered, "Your Majesty... our Lady just... just caught a cold, that's what the imperial physicians all say..."
She doesn't know much about the situation.
The hall became somewhat noisy for a moment. When there are many concubines gathered together, it's easy for them to talk a lot, especially since it was Consort Zhen who had been involved in the incident. Some people were worried, while others were gloating, and they all had to say a few words. Even if the voices were low, those inside the hall could still hear some whispers through the doors.
Chu Mingheng gently stroked Lan Wu's cheek, then turned to look outside the screen. His face was ashen, his brows furrowed, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. He asked slowly, "Who's talking outside?"
Mu Jin lowered her head and said, "Your Majesty, it was several concubines who rushed over."
"Get them all out of here. Anyone who dares to say another word will be dragged outside the hall and slapped."
Mu Jin was taken aback, silently bowed, and withdrew.
The inner palace door was opened, and Consort Shu saw the person coming out and was about to step forward when Mu Jin lowered her head and relayed Chu Mingheng's words without missing a single one.
Everyone present remained silent.
Consort Shu felt as if she had been slapped hard across the face. She now held sole power in the palace, and in front of all the other concubines, the Emperor had given her this order.
Although it wasn't just said to her alone, she was naturally the representative.
In an instant, his face turned red and then white with anger.
When he thought of saying something kind or obedient, he swallowed his words again when he saw Mu Jin's indifferent face—he couldn't say anything more.
This feeling is like being forced to kneel down and unable to get up; how suffocating and pathetic!
Consort Shu gripped her handkerchief tightly, forcing herself to maintain proper etiquette, bowed towards the inner hall, and then turned and left the main hall.
Seeing that she had left, the other concubines naturally followed suit. Their ranks were not even as high as Consort Shu's, and even Consort Shu dared not say anything. They dared not open their mouths to complain. Even the most talkative people kept their mouths shut, for they were really afraid that His Majesty would drag them out to the courtyard and slap them.
Yue Zhaorong was the last to leave, but she didn't leave. She waited in the outer courtyard for a while and saw Lian Qiao come out. She seemed to have some free time, so she went up to ask her a few questions.
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