Chapter 335 The Crown Prince Falls Ill
After Li Ganxu left, the Yanying Hall instantly fell silent.
Li Yuanzhao leaned back wearily on the soft cushion of the dragon throne and reached out to press his forehead.
Sometimes, she even felt that raising children was more tiring than ruling an empire...
After a moment of silence, she suddenly spoke, "Where is the Crown Prince? How is he now?"
Li Qianyuan's trip to the southwest was not easy either.
In six months, she not only had to quell the rebellion, but also appease the people and deal with the remnants of the Tibetan forces, which took a tremendous amount of effort.
At the last moment, he was stabbed in the shoulder by a child, resulting in external injury.
On the way back to the capital, she insisted on eating and sleeping with the soldiers. As they endured the elements, her wounds worsened.
So as soon as he returned to Beijing, he fell ill.
The eunuch standing to the side quickly bowed and reported, "Your Majesty, the head of the Imperial Medical Academy just came to report that His Highness the Crown Prince has regained consciousness this morning, taken his medicine, and his high fever has subsided. However, he is still very weak and needs to rest."
Li Yuanzhao grunted in agreement and stood up: "I'll go see her."
They then moved to Xihe Palace.
When the palace maids guarding outside the palace saw His Majesty arrive, they were about to bow when Li Yuanzhao raised his hand to stop them.
As soon as she entered the inner hall, she smelled a strong medicinal fragrance.
Li Qianyuan, dressed in a plain white undergarment, sat on a bed with soft pillows.
His face was still pale, his lips were also pale, and there was a hint of weariness in his eyes.
Ru Bai sat on an embroidered stool by the bed, holding a bowl of thin porridge in her hand. She scooped it up with a small spoon, blew on it to cool it down, and then handed it to Li Qianyuan's lips.
Li Qianyuan smiled and obediently opened his mouth and swallowed.
Su Chen sat on a chair on the other side of the room, resting his chin on his hand, his eyes darting back and forth between the two of them, his face filled with undisguised excitement, not even noticing Li Yuanzhao entering the room.
When Li Yuanzhao approached, Su Chen suddenly came to her senses, startled, and quickly stood up and knelt on the ground, her voice trembling slightly: "Your subject Su Chen greets Your Majesty!"
Su Chen's shout startled Ru Bai, causing her hand to tremble slightly and almost spill the porridge in her bowl.
He quickly put down his bowl of porridge, stood up, and bowed: "Your subject Rubai greets Your Majesty."
Immediately, he rushed to help Li Qianyuan up.
"No need for formalities," Li Yuanzhao waved his hand, his gaze falling on his daughter. "You lie down, there's no need for formalities."
Upon hearing this, Ru Bai immediately and obediently stepped aside, making room for him on the bedside table.
Li Yuanzhao walked over and naturally sat in the spot where Ru Bai had just been sitting, carefully examining his daughter's complexion: "How are you feeling? Are you still uncomfortable?"
Li Qianyuan smiled and said, "Your Majesty need not worry. It's really just a minor injury, and the journey has been tiring. The imperial physician said that with proper rest for a while, I'll be fine. Your Majesty is busy with court affairs, so you don't need to trouble yourself with your son."
Seeing this, Su Chen quietly tugged at Ru Bai's sleeve and mouthed the word "go".
Ru Bai understood, and the two quietly withdrew from the inner hall.
Looking at her pale face, Li Yuanzhao reached out to tuck the blanket around her and said with some heartache, "You've had a hard time on this trip to the Southwest."
Li Qianyuan shook his head slightly, his voice weak but steady as always: "As the Crown Prince, it is my duty to share the burdens of the Empress and help the country. It is my fault for failing to quell the chaos sooner and causing the Empress to suffer in the capital."
"It's good that you're back." Li Yuanzhao patted the back of her hand. "Don't worry about the rest. Take good care of your health. That's the most important thing."
"Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty," Li Qianyuan replied, his tone hesitant. "However, I have heard that Gan Xu..."
Li Yuanzhao interrupted her, "You don't need to worry about court affairs for now. Gan Xu has a fiery temper and should go out and gain some experience to temper his rough edges."
Li Qianyuan lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "What the Empress Dowager says is true. I hope that Ganxu can understand your good intentions and make progress in the future."
Li Yuanzhao did not respond, but simply looked at her quietly with a deep and unfathomable gaze.
The smile on Li Qianyuan's face gradually froze, and a sense of unease rose in his heart. He asked somewhat nervously, "Mother Empress, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Li Yuanzhao finally spoke, with an air of knowing everything: "Isn't this exactly what you wanted to see, Qian Yuan, after I punished Gan Xu and he's fallen into this predicament?"
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