Lanpin seemed startled by the emperor's words and said in surprise: "What does your majesty mean by this? I just arrived and haven't had time to ask the imperial physician yet. How can I know about my sister's condition? My sister..."
"Enough!" Gu Qilan interrupted her harshly, "Don't think I don't know what you've done. If anything happens to Concubine Jing, I will not let you go!"
Upon hearing this, Concubine Lan instantly forgot her fear and said excitedly, "What has her misfortune got to do with me? Just because I don't get along with her, are you blaming me for this? How can I believe what Your Majesty said?"
Gu Qilan was too lazy to waste words with her: "You know the truth of this matter very well. I am just informing you. You'd better pray that Concubine Jing is safe and sound!"
Gu Qilan stopped looking at her and was about to get up and go to the inner hall to visit Concubine Jing. Just then, the imperial physician hurried out, looking panicked and said, "Your Majesty, Concubine Jing... has passed away."
Gu Qilan felt his mind was blank, as if a violent gunpowder exploded in his brain, making him dizzy and blurry.
A noisy sound came, as if it was close to my ear, yet as if it was far away in the sky.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty has fainted!"
"Your Majesty... please wake up..."
"Imperial Physician, Imperial Physician..."
The sudden change shocked Concubine Lan and she was at a loss. By the time she reacted, the emperor had been helped to the side hall and the imperial physician had rushed to treat her.
Soon the Queen Mother and the Empress arrived.
Looking at the unconscious emperor lying on the bed, the Queen Mother's face instantly lost all color. The Queen quickly stepped forward to support him and said, "Mother, how are you?"
The Queen Mother used her strength to ask, "How is the Emperor?"
The Empress arrived before the Empress Dowager and was still unaware of the Emperor's condition. "Don't worry, Mother. The Imperial Physicians are treating him. The Emperor is in his prime and in good health. He will be fine. You should take good care of yourself."
The Queen Mother was not much relieved after hearing this, but she knew that nothing could happen to her at this critical moment, so she nodded and sat down with the help of the Queen and Aunt Yu.
The Queen glanced at Concubine Lan, who was waiting beside her, and said, "Why is Concubine Lan here too? Didn't the Emperor put you under house arrest?"
Lanpin hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, I was worried about Concubine Jing's illness, and it just so happened that the Emperor summoned me just now."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Queen Mother suddenly asked, "You were there at the time. What exactly happened? Why did the Emperor faint for no reason?"
Lanpin said cautiously, "Replying to the Queen Mother, the Emperor fainted because he was overwhelmed with grief after hearing about Concubine Jing's death."
Only then did the Empress Dowager know that Concubine Jing had passed away. The palace maid had just hurried to report, saying only that the Emperor had suddenly fainted. She had rushed over after hearing that and didn't care about anything else.
After hearing this, she was shocked. She naturally knew the emperor's friendship with Concubine Jing: "How could such a good person be gone?"
Concubine Jing had an attack this morning. The palace maids went to the Imperial Hospital to ask for the imperial physician. The Queen knew about this, but after her condition stabilized, the Queen did not report it to the Queen Mother to save her from worrying. Therefore, the Queen Mother still did not know that Concubine Jing was poisoned.
Until this afternoon, Concubine Jing's illness relapsed. Longxiu went to Shuqing Palace to invite the emperor. When the queen saw that the emperor had gone, she tactfully did not go. She did not expect things to develop like this.
The Queen apologized hurriedly, "This morning, a palace maid came to report that Concubine Jing had suddenly fainted. We called the imperial physician and found out that she had been poisoned. However, the condition was later brought under control.
I didn't tell my mother because I was afraid she would worry. Who would have thought that Concubine Jing would... Alas, this is all my fault. If I had paid more attention, Concubine Jing wouldn't have ended up like this."
The Queen Mother sighed, "It's not your fault, but who is so bold as to poison the Imperial Concubine?"
As soon as the words fell, there was silence all around, and Lanpin in the corner felt a slight tremor in her heart.
The queen looked at Lanpin calmly, and looked at Lanpin with her head lowered lower.
"Please forgive me, mother. This matter has not yet been fully investigated."
Lanpin's tense expression hadn't yet relaxed when the imperial physician came out to report, "Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, the Emperor has awakened."
The Queen Mother and the Empress were overjoyed and hurried into the inner hall to see the Emperor.
Only Concubine Lan was left standing outside the palace, feeling uneasy.
Inside the palace, the Empress Dowager sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the Emperor and crying with joy: "It's good that you're awake, it's good that you're awake. Emperor, you made me worry so much."
The Queen's eyes also turned red: "Your Majesty, you scared me to death."
Then he looked at the imperial physician waiting beside him and said, "What on earth is going on? Why did the emperor suddenly faint?"
The imperial physician hurried forward, thinking of the emperor's warning, and said, "Your Majesty, the emperor has been overly worried lately, and with the sudden news, his blood flow has stopped, leading to his coma. As long as he relaxes and takes good care of himself, he'll be fine."
Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother felt slightly relieved, but she couldn't help but remind him, "The dead cannot be resurrected. Your Majesty must take care of yourself. If anything happens to you, what will happen to the country? What will happen to the people of this world?"
The Empress Dowager knew that the emperor valued the country and the people above all else, so this was the only way to persuade the emperor.
As expected, the emperor forced himself to pull the corner of his mouth and said, "My mother is right. I will take good care of myself."
The Queen Mother nodded and said, "In that case, you should rest well. Let the Queen handle Concubine Jing's affairs. You should worry less and take care of your health. That's the most important thing."
The emperor neither agreed nor objected, but only said, "Don't worry, mother. I know."
Her own son knew it well, so the Queen Mother didn't ask for too much at this time. She turned to the Queen and said, "Take good care of the Emperor and pay more attention to Concubine Jing's affairs."
The Queen naturally responded: "Yes, Mother."
After the Empress Dowager left, the Emperor was about to get up. The Empress was startled and hurried forward to persuade him, "Your Majesty, what are you doing? The Imperial Physician said you need to rest now."
The emperor couldn't help coughing, and despite his heavy body, he stood up: "I... will go see Concubine Jing."
The queen wanted to persuade him again, but she turned away and said, "I will help you."
Having been married to the emperor for more than ten years, she naturally knew the emperor's feelings for Concubine Jing, and she knew what to do at this time.
The distance from the side hall to the main hall was only a few dozen steps, but the emperor took twice as long as usual to walk there. He really couldn't believe that Concubine Jing had already gone there.
When they reached the door, Gu Qilan stopped and waved his hand to tell the queen not to follow.
It was not until a long time after the Queen left that Gu Qilan finally stepped into the hall. At this moment, Concubine Jing was lying quietly on the bed with a layer of white cloth covering her face.
He raised his hand tremblingly and lifted the white cloth. Seeing the lifeless person underneath, two crystal tears fell silently.
His eyes, which had not cried for a long time, felt the tears burning their eyes. He slowly raised his hand and stroked her cheek. The cold and stiff touch reminded him that they were separated forever and she would never come back.
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