Chapter 14 If you have heart palpitations, go see the imperial physician! Can I cure your illness if I go?
The lamps in the west wing were still lit when Emperor Zhaoheng pushed open the door and entered.
Just as he expected, Narcissus was not asleep; she was sitting alone in front of her dressing table, still shaken.
Hearing the door open, she looked up. The candlelight outlined her slightly pale profile, and her lips were so pale they were almost transparent.
Shui Xian rose to pay her respects, but Emperor Zhaoheng stepped forward to stop her.
"Don't move."
He held her slender arm and examined her face closely by the candlelight. "Why does your complexion still look so bad? Didn't the imperial physician say there was nothing wrong?"
Narcissus lowered her head slightly, a weak smile barely appearing on her lips.
"Your Majesty is too kind. I am really fine, it's just... I feel a little empty inside and can't sleep."
With her eyelashes lowered, she looked even more pitiful. "Your Majesty need not worry about me. You are tired too, you should rest early."
The more Narcissus pretended to be strong, the more her fragile vulnerability gripped Emperor Zhaoheng's heart.
Without another word, he slipped his arm under her knees and, with a slight effort, lifted her light body horizontally into his arms.
Narcissus gasped softly, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning her upper body limply against him.
Emperor Zhaoheng carried her to the bedside, carefully put her down, and sat down beside her, pulling her into his arms so she could lean against him.
His deep voice sounded above her head, soothing her: "With me here, what is there to be afraid of? The Song family incident was just an accident, it's all in the past. With me here, no one can harm you in the slightest."
Nestled in his warm embrace, Narcissus's tense body finally seemed to relax.
Emperor Zhaoheng felt her bury her face deeper into his chest, and soon, the warm, moist sensation was clearly transmitted to his skin through the fabric of his clothes.
"Your Majesty..." Her voice was choked with sobs, "A few days ago...a few days ago, Consort Song came to the west side hall entrance and pointed at me, cursing...I was angry with her, but...but I never imagined she would...would suddenly be gone like this...It's so terrifying..."
Emperor Zhaoheng tightened his arms around her, gently resting his chin on the top of her head, silently comforting her.
"Life is unpredictable, and life and death are predestined."
He sighed softly, trying to comfort her, "Unexpected events are beyond human control. Xian'er, don't think about it anymore, it will only increase your fear."
Shui Xian raised her tear-filled face, still somewhat frightened, and said, "I just felt that a few days ago, Consort Song was always running to the main hall, getting so close to Consort Yi... This evening, I even saw her rushing to the main hall to talk to Consort Yi... Who could have imagined... that in just a few hours, she would be..."
Her words sounded like a casual remark.
However, upon closer examination of its meaning... Emperor Zhaoheng couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
During this period, did Consort Song and Consort Yi get very close?
Narcissus seemed oblivious to the subtle nuance in her words. She sniffed and continued in a low voice:
"Speaking of which... a few days ago, Sister Yifei specifically suggested that we try drinking some calming soup to soothe our nerves. Sister Yifei meant well, saying that the prescription was gentle and effective..."
Her voice choked with emotion: "I thought all medicine has some toxicity, and since I was still healthy, I politely declined to drink it. Consort Song... however, listened to Consort Yi and kept drinking it... Now, thinking back..."
Narcissus seemed horrified by her own imagination, her face drained of color: "If I had also drunk it these past few days... tonight... would I also...?"
As she finished speaking, she seemed to be gripped by immense fear, and instinctively shrank into Emperor Zhaoheng's arms.
Emperor Zhaoheng's deep eyes narrowed suddenly: "The calming soup... was it Consort Yi who suggested Consort Song drink it?"
Shui Xian, being cautious, did not drink it, but Song Changzai did, and soon died from the adverse reaction between the medicine and the food.
Is this... just a coincidence?
Shui Xian seemed to realize what she had said and hurriedly shook her head: "No! Your Majesty! I...I didn't mean that! Consort Yi treated Consort Song so well, often summoning her to the main hall to meet her, how could she...how could she have a reason to murder Consort Song? It must all be a coincidence!"
Seeing her looking so frightened, as if she were afraid of wrongly accusing Consort Yi.
Emperor Zhaoheng gently patted her back, his fingertips unconsciously caressing it.
His voice deepened, carrying a world-weary wisdom: "Xian'er, you are still too naive. In this world... people's hearts are unpredictable."
Unlike simple daffodils.
He thought about much more... Was there some unknown entanglement between the families represented by Consort Yi and Consort Song? Did the Yi family gain anything from the downfall of the Song family? Was Consort Song's death an accident, or... a meticulously planned cover-up?
Once the seed of doubt is planted, even if it does not sprout immediately, it remains in the suspicious mind of an emperor and is difficult to erase.
The two embraced, and the hall fell silent for a moment, with only the crackling of the burning candlelight.
"Knock knock knock!"
There was a knock on the palace door, and Xue Mei, who was beside Consort Yi, came forward and pleaded, "Your Majesty! Please go and see Consort Yi! She was so frightened by what happened last night that her heart palpitations have flared up again! This time it's even worse; she's convulsing, drenched in cold sweat, and keeps calling out for Your Majesty..."
Emperor Zhaoheng felt as if he had just come out of the main hall and stayed with Shuixian for a while when Consort Yi sent someone to summon him!
"Enough!" Emperor Zhaoheng suddenly looked up and shouted towards the palace gate, "If you have palpitations, go find the imperial physician! Can I cure you if I go?! If you dare to make a sound and disturb Consort Shuixian's recuperation again, you'll be in for a beating!"
Silence fell instantly outside the door.
Xuemei clearly dared not persuade her any further, and even the sound of her footsteps as she left was quiet.
Narcissus, nestled in Emperor Zhaoheng's arms, felt his chest rise and fall slightly with anger.
She raised her head at the opportune moment, her face still wet with tears, but she forced a kind smile: "Your Majesty... please don't be angry. Xue Mei is just worried about her mistress. Consort Yi must be feeling extremely unwell right now. Why don't you go and see her? I... I'm really much better now."
Her voice was soft, and her eyes were clear, as if she didn't care at all about the disturbance caused by Consort Yi's palace servants.
Looking at her pale face, which was forced into a smile, and recalling Consort Yi's earlier act of sending people to compete for his favor, Emperor Zhaoheng's heart was already tipped in his favor.
He lowered his head and placed a comforting kiss on her forehead: "You rest well, I'll go take a look."
They said they were going to take a look, but there wasn't much worry in their tone; it sounded more like an obligation they had to fulfill.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I respectfully see you off."
Narcissus nodded obediently and got up to see him off.
The opening and closing of the palace doors brought in a chill, which was quickly shut out again.
The fragility on Narcissus's face vanished instantly, leaving only a calmness as intense as the snow falling outside the window.
She walked to the window and watched as Emperor Zhaoheng's bright yellow figure, illuminated by palace lanterns, hurried through the snow-covered courtyard and headed towards the brightly lit main hall of Changxin Palace.
Narcissus slightly curved her lips into a satisfied smile.
The seeds of suspicion had already been sown deep in the emperor's heart.
What good is it to cherish past feelings?
Once doubt takes root, it will grow quietly.
Yi Guichun, how long can you keep up that mask of gentleness and magnanimity?
......
The next morning, the snow cleared.
Using the excuse of being frightened the previous night, Narcissus took Silver Pearl and walked along the cleaned palace path toward the inner pharmacy.
The Imperial Pharmacy was located in a secluded corner of the palace, consisting of several low-lying tile-roofed houses.
This is the place where palace maids and eunuchs come when they have a headache or fever but are not qualified to disturb the imperial physicians. Apprentices sent by the Imperial Hospital take turns to diagnose and treat patients, while the eunuchs who prepare medicine and do odd jobs are mostly junior eunuchs with some knowledge of pharmacology.
Narcissus, dressed in an elegant long dress and a cloak trimmed with silver fox fur, seemed out of place as she stepped into the room filled with the strong smell of medicine.
The head eunuch, who had been dozing behind the counter, jolted awake. Upon seeing who it was, he nearly fell off his chair in fright. He scrambled forward, bowing and scraping, his voice trembling:
"Oh dear! My lord! How dare you condescend to such a place? This...this place is humble, please don't be offended! If you are unwell, I will go and fetch the imperial physician for you right away!"
Narcissus raised her hand to stop his flattery, her voice gentle: "There's no need to disturb the imperial physician. I was just a little frightened last night, and the imperial physician examined me and said there's nothing serious."
She smiled and said, "I just felt uneasy. I thought the Imperial Pharmacy also keeps some commonly used calming herbs on hand, so I came here to get two doses myself, just to put my mind at ease and save the imperial physician from having to make another trip."
Everyone knows that this recently favored concubine, Narcissus, was originally a palace maid, so it's not uncommon for her to have visited the Imperial Pharmacy.
Shui Xian's words were reasonable, and although the head eunuch felt it was inappropriate, he dared not forcefully object because of Shui Xian's current favor with the emperor, and could only smile apologetically and say:
"I see. Well... then please have a seat here. I'll have my apprentice write a prescription and get the medicine for you right away."
He led Shui Xian to a relatively clean chair and sat down, then turned and shouted into the inner room, "Xiao Anzi! Hurry up! Come out and write a prescription for Shui Xian's calming medicine! Use the best herbs! Be quick!"
A young eunuch dressed in a robe with an apron stained with herbs draped over it quickly came out in response and bowed respectfully to Narcissus.
Narcissus nodded slightly, but her gaze seemed to casually pass over the little eunuch's shoulder and land on the half-open curtain leading to the backyard.
The backyard is not large, but it has dozens of herb racks with various medicinal herbs laid out to dry.
Several young eunuchs dressed in drab gray robes were bending over and carefully turning over the medicinal herbs.
One of the figures, a particularly thin eunuch who looked as if a gust of wind could blow him over, caught Narcissus's attention.
He was wearing a faded, ill-fitting eunuch's robe, his exposed wrists were as thin as sticks, and his face was sallow, looking like someone who had suffered from long-term malnutrition.
Unlike the other eunuchs who worked numbly, he was extremely focused when he picked up a medicinal herb. His withered fingers carefully brushed over the leaves or roots, and his lips moved silently, as if he were reciting something.
Sunlight fell on his overly thin profile, illuminating his exceptionally bright eyes, which held an almost obsessive gaze.
Shui Xian confirmed with Yin Zhu's eyes that the person was Xiao Chuanzi, whom she was looking for!
I only knew his name in my past life, but I never expected him to look like this...
Who could have imagined that this emaciated young man would one day achieve such astonishing success?
Xiao Anzi, who was getting medicine, noticed that Shui Xian's gaze was directed towards the noisy backyard, fearing that these uncouth servants might offend the important person.
He subtly took a step and lowered the curtain, which conveniently blocked Narcissus's view.
At the same time, he deftly opened the medicine cabinet drawer, grabbing the medicine while asking with a smile, "Young master, how about the quantity of these medicinal herbs? Are there any special requirements?"
Shui Xian withdrew her gaze and, with a composed expression, recited several common calming herbs and their dosages. The apprentice quickly and respectfully handed over the two wrapped doses of medicine.
"Thank you for your trouble." Shui Xian took the medicine packet, thanked him gently, and then left the Imperial Pharmacy with Yin Zhu, escorted by the head eunuch.
Outside the inner pharmacy area, there were few pedestrians on the palace road.
Yinzhu took the medicine packet from Shuixian and couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "My lady, now that you've found Xiaochuanzi, why didn't you just summon him for questioning?"
Shui Xian did not stop walking, her gaze calmly fixed on the snow-covered palace ahead: "The helper I am looking for, no matter what his talent is, must be cautious enough, resilient enough, and most importantly... he must have a pure and kind heart, worthy of my trust."
"Whether or not to select him requires further observation."
Although Xiao Chuanzi achieved remarkable success in his previous life, if he is a cunning person, it's better to get rid of him!
Yinzhu pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke, "If Your Highness wishes to observe this personally... this servant has a way..."
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