Chapter 49 "I will bestow upon her an imperial title and grant her lands of treasure..."
The news exploded in his mind, and before anyone else could say anything, he saw Ji Jinghe rushing towards the carriage.
The carriage couldn't enter the inner palace, and it wasn't until they reached the palace gate that Ji Jinghe saw Yu An's appearance.
Empress Dowager: "You've come at the right time. Quickly take her to Shou Kang Palace. The rest of you, go and summon the imperial physicians. Call all the best ones."
His eyes were blinded by the sight of Yu'an covered in blood. Monk Ji Jing disregarded etiquette, picked up Yu'an, and followed the eunuch's lead, running towards Shou Kang Palace.
"Yu Niang, Yu Niang..."
I don't know how many times I called out, but the person in my arms didn't react at all.
Her face was deathly pale, devoid of any color, and her clothes were stained with blood, making it impossible to discern their original color. He remembered that she had changed into a new jade-white dress this morning, but now it was a completely different world.
He placed the person on the bed, and in no time, three or four imperial physicians rushed forward to begin treating Yu'an.
"Lord Ji, you may leave now. One of your personal maids can stay here," the imperial physician said.
"How badly are she injured? Is there any hope for her...?"
The imperial physician bowed and said, "We will do our best to treat him, so please rest assured, Lord Ji."
The few words he spoke didn't resonate with Ji Jinghe, but he had no choice but to obediently leave.
The Empress Dowager arrived breathlessly, knowing she couldn't go in or out freely at this moment, so she only glanced into the room.
Ji Jinghe raised his hand in a salute, his voice extremely deep: "I don't know how my wife got injured."
His tone was filled with anger and resentment, but the Empress Dowager, seeing the blood on his hands, could understand his feelings.
She answered truthfully, "She did it to save me, and I will never forget her loyalty."
"You too, the emperor will not forget your loyalty, and I will not forget your courage and fortitude."
The Empress Dowager breathed a sigh of relief. "She will stay by my side during this time until she is fully recovered. I will bestow upon her an imperial title and grant her precious treasures and land. I will never fail to live up to her expectations."
Ji Jinghe bowed deeply, "Your humble servant thanks Your Majesty the Empress Dowager for your grace on behalf of my wife."
He was asking for favors on behalf of Yu'an, and he got a real promise in return.
Those capable of plotting to assassinate the Empress Dowager must be none other than subordinates of the King of Chu.
They wanted the lives of the Empress Dowager and the Empress; the lives of others were worthless to them.
Yu'an saved the Empress Dowager from disaster, and she should receive everything she deserves.
Half an hour later, the door was finally opened.
The Empress Dowager stood up from her chair. "How is the situation?"
The court ruled: "Madam's injury is on her shoulder blade. Although it did not hit any vital organs, the wound is too deep. In addition, the treatment was not timely, which led to excessive blood loss and unconsciousness. We have stitched up the wound. After the effects of the anesthetic wear off, Madam will likely experience unbearable pain and a persistent fever. Someone must stay by her side at all times."
"That's easy, is there anything else?" the Empress Dowager pressed.
The judge lowered his head and said, "You have lost too much blood and your qi and blood are severely depleted. You need to take good care of yourself in the future, otherwise you may suffer from sequelae."
Empress Dowager: "Prescribe as many nourishing medicines as you like. Shou Kang Palace will take care of them, understand?"
The judge repeatedly said "yes," understanding the weight of these words.
After everyone had left, Ji Jinghe followed behind the Empress Dowager and saw Yu An clearly. He was eager to see her, but because of the difference between the emperor and his subject, he could not get close due to etiquette.
Looking from afar, her tired little face was half-covered by the blanket, and she was sleeping peacefully.
The lingering fishy smell in the room was enough to tell you what had just happened.
It was not appropriate for court officials to linger in the inner palace. He had to leave after only half a quarter of an hour. He could only settle Baozhu and take good care of her. He would come back to see her tomorrow.
Baozhu, her eyes red, agreed and sat on the footbed to watch over Yu'an.
Yu An was unconscious for two days, and Ji Jinghe came for two days in a row. Every day, as soon as he finished his work, he would come without fail.
After her fever subsided, Yu'an gradually woke up, and the time she spent awake each day gradually increased, which put the Empress Dowager at ease.
Ji Shu was worried about the Ji family, so she specially took Ji's mother's nameplate and obtained an imperial edict to visit the palace. She brought a lot of things with her when she came to visit.
When I got there, I found that Yu'an's house was already piled up with things.
"They were all gifts from the concubines in the palace; I can't refuse them."
It took Yu'an a while to finally be helped to lean against the headboard. She gritted her teeth and smiled, "You can pick out some of your favorites to take back later."
"I don't want it!" Ji Shu muttered. "The things sent from the palace are just a few things. You risked your life for them, I don't want them."
The girl sounded somewhat resentful, and Yu'an knew it was because she felt sorry for her.
For her, it was suffering, but she won the gamble.
Is it not worth it to gain the Empress Dowager's trust by taking a knife?
Ji Shu looked at her swollen shoulder blades, raised her hand to touch them, but withdrew it before she could touch them.
"It looks painful, I really don't know what you're trying to prove."
"That day, my brother came home with his hands covered in blood, which really startled my grandmother and me. Even my mother sent people to ask my brother about it several times."
Yu An was slightly taken aback. Only then did Bao Zhu recount how Ji Jinghe had carried her back to Shou Kang Palace that day.
“You are currently a favorite of the Empress Dowager. Even though those officials’ wives and young ladies know you are not at home, they still keep sending you things. When you return, your half-acre courtyard will be completely filled.”
Ji Shu's eyes, which had just been wet with tears, suddenly felt much better after she started talking about these things.
Yu An exclaimed in surprise, "Does that mean I'm going to become rich?"
"They definitely won't have to worry about money."
After having a meal with Yu'an in the palace, Ji Shu returned home.
Yu'an is still unable to get out of bed. When she is awake, she can only chat with Baozhu or sit on the bed reading.
The imperial physician said that as long as she takes good care of herself, she will not suffer any lasting effects.
She didn't care about whether her blood and qi were sufficient; she was only worried that the injury to her shoulder blade might affect her ability to hold a pen and do needlework in the future.
Lately, she's felt that her hands aren't as nimble as they used to be.
Baozhu: "Don't worry, young lady. With the Empress Dowager putting pressure on us, the people in the Imperial Hospital won't dare to be negligent. If you, with your excellent skills, can no longer hold a needle and thread because of this, the Empress Dowager will be so disappointed."
Yu An lay on the bed in a daze, and casually asked, "Why was it Ji Jinghe who brought me here that day?"
Baozhu: "We ran into each other by chance. At that time, the eunuch was shouting everywhere in a hurry. I guess all the court officials at the palace gate heard it, so the son-in-law came after us."
She stirred the medicine in her hand and said softly, "The young master ran extremely fast that day carrying the young lady. I didn't carry anything and tried all my strength, but I still couldn't catch up."
"The medicine has gone cold, young lady, please take it quickly."
Despite the heat, Yu-an felt cold, even with thick strips of cloth wrapped around her shoulders.
Seeing Baozhu's slightly damp temples, he told her to put the medicine by the bedside. "You've been busy all day, and I don't need you to look after me. Go and rest first. I'll read for a while and then go to sleep."
Baozhu was worried, but she couldn't persuade Yu'an otherwise, so she left after putting down the medicine.
The door closed tightly, and Yu An slowly got up and poured the bowl of medicine into the flowerpot by the window.
Seeing that Yu'an had stayed in Shou Kang Palace for seven days, and that she was able to get out of bed a little better afterward, Yu'an asked the Empress Dowager to stay by her side every day, and they would chat for an entire afternoon.
The Empress then brought up the matter of inviting Yu An to be her teacher again.
Princess Mingjia is the Empress's eldest daughter and is still young. She will not come of age until she reaches the age of marriage in two years. She loves tea making and needlework. The palace maids are rigid and strict and are not as patient as Yu'an.
"Besides, this child really likes your embroidery and has asked the Empress Dowager for it many times. So I thought I'd ask you to be my teacher. The child will definitely be happy."
Yu An was flattered and declined, saying, "I'm afraid I'm not up to the task..."
The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "Just agree. Mingjia comes to me every time asking for it, but I'm reluctant to give it to her. Why don't you teach her so she can do it herself? Mingjia is kind and gentle, and her personality is very compatible with yours."
Since they were so reassured, what else could Yu'an say? She knew when to stop and immediately agreed.
Because Yu'an's wounds took a long time to heal, the imperial decree to confer the title of First Rank Lady was issued, and the ceremony of conferring the title was cancelled.
Her body was not suited to going back and forth, so Mingjia took the initiative to come to her door.
The little princess had rosy cheeks and red lips, and her round almond-shaped eyes were filled with water. She was extremely cute. Just as the Empress Dowager had said, she was approachable and generous in her dealings with people. She called her "teacher" at every turn, and the two became familiar with each other in less than two days.
“Princess, you’re already amazing. When I was learning, the ones I made were much uglier than this,” Yu’an encouraged.
Mingjia blushed and giggled, "Teacher is secretly praising me."
Yu An sat on the couch, holding a book in one hand, glancing at it whenever the two were silent.
I usually sit like this for an entire afternoon.
“Teacher, you actually resemble someone a lot,” Mingjia said in a low voice, “like my aunt.”
aunt?
Mingjia's smile gradually faded. "However, she died young from illness, and I only saw her portrait in the Empress Dowager's palace."
No wonder Yu'an had never heard of it before; so that's how it is.
"I heard from my mother that my grandmother was particularly fond of my aunt. When my aunt passed away, she was ill for a long time before she recovered. Now, very few people in the palace mention these things."
Mingjia leaned forward: "Teacher, you have to keep this a secret."
Yu An nodded, her heart quietly becoming uneasy again, which took her a long time to calm down.
After seeing the people off, Yu'an lay down to rest.
During this period, Ji Jinghe was busy, so he usually sent someone to visit her. The person would arrive promptly before dark each day, bringing something that she might need.
Ji Shu said that everyone in the manor was looking forward to her returning home soon, but to be honest, she had never really thought about the day she would return.
She couldn't go back because she hadn't finished her work in the palace.
She lay quietly in bed, lost in thought for a while, and then fell asleep without even realizing it, unaware that Ji Jinghe had come.
Baozhu glanced out the window and said in a low voice, "The young lady has just finished entertaining the princess and should have just gone to bed. Why don't you go back first, sir?"
Ji Jinghe followed the gaze and vaguely saw a sleeping figure behind the curtain, which reassured him somewhat. He waved his hand and said, "You can go down first. I'll just stand here for a while."
Baozhu paused for a moment, then could only reply, "Okay."
Ji Jinghe stood outside the window, observing the arrangement of things inside the room. He hadn't been there for several days, and there hadn't been much change, except for the various things piled up in the corner.
He secretly let out a long breath, intending to stay a little longer before leaving, but he kept catching a faint smell of medicine.
I reached out and touched the potted plant on the windowsill, my fingertips inevitably getting a little dry soil on them.
The smell of medicine is coming from here...
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