Chapter 313 You asked me to hold a talent show... are you really sincere?
Inside the imperial study, Emperor Zhaoheng faced a table laden with delicacies, but had no appetite whatsoever.
Feng Shunxiang carefully served the dishes, but he only picked up two pieces with his chopsticks before putting them down.
"At the Qianqing Palace," Emperor Zhaoheng suddenly spoke, "have they had lunch yet?"
Feng Shunxiang hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, someone just reported that the Empress consumed most of a dish of glutinous rice lotus root, a bowl of white fungus soup, and half a bowl of rice. This is more than the previous two days..."
Emperor Zhaoheng's taut jawline relaxed almost imperceptibly.
He picked up his chopsticks again, took a slice of sea bass, and put it in his mouth.
After chewing for a moment, he suddenly said, "Make glutinous rice lotus root again tomorrow. Make more if she likes it."
Feng Shunxiang bowed and replied, "Yes."
Emperor Zhaoheng lowered his head and ate his meal, his movements slow and steady.
However, the furrowed brow finally relaxed a little.
——
Midnight had passed, and the Qianqing Palace was completely silent.
Narcissus had taken a sedative during the day and had already fallen asleep, but was awakened by a very slight noise outside the window.
She opened her eyes and, in the darkness, could hear her own rapid breathing.
"Silver Pearl," she called softly.
Yinzhu, who was guarding outside, immediately lifted the curtain and came in: "Your Majesty?"
What's that noise outside?
Yinzhu's expression was somewhat solemn, and she lowered her voice: "Just now, Xiaolizi captured a little eunuch who was sneaking around outside the palace walls."
"The man has been detained, and this was found on his person..."
She presented an object with both hands.
Narcissus sat up and looked out the window in the moonlight.
It was a white jade pendant.
The jade pendant is small, carved with a pattern of twin lotus blossoms. The jade is warm and smooth, and it gleams softly in the moonlight.
This is a jade pendant that Emperor Zhaoheng personally carved when she was first made empress.
He said, "Like twin lotus blossoms, they never part."
She always wore it close to her body.
Until three days ago, she ordered someone to put the jade pendant into the storeroom.
At that moment, the jade pendant reappeared before their eyes.
Narcissus took the jade pendant, her fingertips touching the warm, smooth jade.
The jade is warm, as if it has been held in someone's palm for a long time.
“The little eunuch confessed,” Yinzhu lowered her voice even further, “that he was ordered by the Emperor to come to the Qianqing Palace storeroom to verify something.”
"His Majesty seems... seems to be afraid..."
She paused, her voice tightening, "I'm afraid Her Majesty will throw it away."
Narcissus gripped the jade pendant tightly.
The warmth of the jade gradually warmed her body, and the patterns of the twin lotus blossoms pressed against her palm, bringing a clear tactile sensation.
She looked out the window.
The night was deep, and the lights in the Imperial Study in the distance were still on, burning alone in the darkness.
It's past midnight.
He's still awake.
The narcissus gazed quietly at that point of light for a long time.
After a while, Yinzhu became somewhat uneasy and softly called out, "Your Majesty?"
Narcissus slowly withdrew her gaze and looked down at the jade pendant in her hand.
Under the moonlight, the outline of the twin lotus flowers is clear, with petals intertwined and stems and leaves entwined.
"Put it back."
She finally spoke, her voice very soft, "Put it back in its original place in the warehouse, and don't make a fuss."
Yinzhu was taken aback: "Your Majesty, this jade pendant..."
"Put it back." Narcissus repeated, handing the jade pendant back to her. "Just pretend... nothing happened."
Yinzhu accepted the jade pendant, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately said nothing more and bowed as she withdrew.
The curtains fell again.
Narcissus lay down again, but could no longer fall asleep.
She opened her eyes, looking at the intricate embroidery on the top of the tent, and listening to the faint chirping of insects outside the window on this summer night.
The warm, smooth feel of the jade pendant still lingered in my palm.
That was his body temperature.
How long did he hold it before it absorbed that warmth?
She didn't know.
All she knew was that the lights in the imperial study stayed on until dawn that night.
As she lay on her couch in the Qianqing Palace, she listened to the water clock dripping away, watching the sky outside the window gradually change from deep black to a bluish-blue.
As the morning light streamed in, she finally closed her eyes.
Gently place your palms on your lower abdomen.
Their children live there.
But something inside her was quietly beginning to stir.
The next day.
The morning light comes exceptionally early to the Qianqing Palace.
Narcissus was awakened by a wave of nausea churning in her stomach.
She sat up abruptly, and before she could call for help, she began to retch violently by the bedside.
"Your Majesty!"
Hearing the noise, Tinglu, who was on night watch outside, rushed in and her expression changed drastically upon seeing the scene.
The narcissus couldn't spit out anything.
She only ate half a bowl of congee last night, and now her stomach is empty, with only waves of acid reflux rising up.
After vomiting for a while, even bile came out, and a bitter smell filled the air.
She leaned against the bed, completely exhausted, her temples soaked with cold sweat and clinging to her pale cheeks.
Pregnancy made her already slender body appear even more fragile. She lay there panting softly, her shoulder blades trembling slightly beneath her thin nightgown, looking as delicate as a precious butterfly.
"Quickly summon the imperial physician!"
Hearing Lu urgently instruct the palace maid, she knelt beside the bed and gently wiped Shui Xian's lips with a damp handkerchief. "Your Highness, please bear with it, Imperial Physician Pei will be here soon..."
Narcissus had her eyes closed, and her forehead was covered in cold sweat.
She reached out, her icy fingertips grasping Yinzhu's wrist, her strength weak yet stubborn: "Don't...don't alert too many people..."
"But Your Majesty!"
“Especially…” Narcissus gasped, her voice barely a whisper, “Don’t let the Imperial Study find out…”
Before the words were finished, the sharp, urgent voice of a eunuch outside the palace gates shattered the morning tranquility of the Qianqing Palace:
"His Majesty has arrived!"
The voice was loud and urgent, carrying an unusual panic. It was clear that the emperor, who hadn't visited the Qianqing Palace for several days, had suddenly arrived so early.
Narcissus froze.
Tinglu was also taken aback, but immediately reacted. She hurriedly helped Shuixian lean against the wall, then pulled a thin blanket over her, while she quickly retreated to the side and knelt down to greet her.
Footsteps approached hurriedly from outside the palace gate.
Emperor Zhaoheng barged in directly.
He didn't even wait for the eunuch to finish announcing his arrival before striding into the inner palace.
He was still wearing a bright yellow court robe, the hem of which was covered in morning dew.
Clearly, he came directly from the morning court session after hearing the news.
All the palace servants knelt on the ground, their heads pressed against the earth, not daring to breathe.
Emperor Zhaoheng didn't even glance at it, and went straight to the bedside.
Narcissus was leaning against the headboard, her face as pale as paper, her lips bloodless. Only her eyes remained somewhat lucid, and she was looking at him with undisguised astonishment and a hint of... embarrassment in them.
She didn't want him to see her like this.
Disheveled, weak, and vulnerable.
Emperor Zhaoheng stopped beside the bed.
He looked down at her, his gaze moving from her sweat-dampened temples to her pale face, and then to her slightly protruding belly.
He suddenly squatted down.
This action made all the palace servants hold their breath.
How can an emperor so easily kneel down?
Emperor Zhaoheng squatted down beside the couch, looking directly at her as she leaned against it.
He reached out, as if to touch her face, but his fingertips froze in mid-air, finally hanging there, trembling slightly.
Emperor Zhaoheng looked at her, his Adam's apple bobbing, his voice hoarse:
"...Does it hurt?"
Narcissus looked at him.
She suddenly felt her eyes getting hot.
But she simply lowered her eyelashes and gently shook her head: "It doesn't hurt. It's just... a little uncomfortable."
Emperor Zhaoheng's hand finally fell, but instead of touching her face, it gently covered the back of her hand, which was resting on the thin blanket.
His palms were burning hot, carrying the warmth from their hurried walk, and tightly enveloped her icy fingers.
Where is Pei Jichuan?
He turned his head, his voice suddenly turning cold and sharp, "Why haven't we arrived yet?!"
"Your Majesty, the summons has been sent and they will arrive shortly!"
He listened as Lu knelt down to answer.
Emperor Zhaoheng stopped speaking, turned back, and remained squatting by the bed, holding her hand.
He just held it there, without moving.
Fortunately, Pei Jichuan arrived quickly.
After taking her pulse, he breathed a sigh of relief: "Your Majesty, this is a common symptom of nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, caused by the summer heat and dampness affecting the spleen, plus..."
He paused, then lowered his voice, "Your mind is unsettled, and your liver qi is affecting your stomach, hence the more severe reaction. I will prescribe a decoction to calm the fetus and stop vomiting. Take it for three days, and it should alleviate the symptoms."
Emperor Zhaoheng said in a deep voice, "We must use the best medicinal materials."
"yes."
The medicine was quickly decocted and delivered.
A palace servant knelt beside the bed, carrying a bowl of dark brown medicine. Emperor Zhaoheng naturally reached out and took the bowl, waving his hand: "All of you, step back."
The palace servants bowed and withdrew, and even Tinglu quietly left the inner hall, leaving only the Emperor and Empress inside.
The palace doors closed gently.
Emperor Zhaoheng sat down beside the couch.
He didn't wake Narcissus, but let her lean against him while he scooped up a spoonful of the medicinal juice and gently blew on it to cool it down.
Narcissus looked at his lowered profile and the way he was focused on blowing the medicine. She turned her head away and said softly, "I will do it myself."
"Don't move."
Emperor Zhaoheng's voice was deep, and the spoon was already firmly placed to her lips.
The daffodil can only open its mouth and hold the spoon in its mouth.
He fed them very slowly.
Take a spoonful, blow on it to cool it down, and bring it to her lips. Wait for her to swallow, then scoop out another spoonful.
His gaze remained fixed on her, as if to make sure she drank every sip, or to observe if she felt unwell.
The inner chamber was extremely quiet, with only the faint sound of a porcelain spoon touching a medicine bowl and the soft sound of her swallowing the medicine.
The candlelight flickered in the morning light, casting dappled shadows on his face.
The bowl of medicine was finally emptied.
Emperor Zhaoheng put down the medicine bowl and took the narcissus silk handkerchief from the side.
The bright yellow silk handkerchief has a small dragon and phoenix pattern embroidered on one corner.
He raised his hand and gently wiped away the remaining medicine stains from the corner of her lips.
The movements were very light and gentle.
When his fingertip brushed against her lower lip, the warm touch made both of them pause for a moment, their breathing almost imperceptibly disordered.
Narcissus lowered her eyes and did not flinch.
Emperor Zhaoheng did not immediately withdraw his hand.
He gently stroked the corner of her lips with his fingertips, his gaze so deep it seemed he wanted to draw her in.
After a long silence, he suddenly spoke, his voice low and hoarse:
"That day you mentioned the talent show..."
He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing: "Is it true?"
Narcissus's long eyelashes trembled suddenly.
She looked up and met his unfathomable gaze.
There was inquiry and pain in that gaze, which Narcissus couldn't understand for a moment, or rather, she didn't want to understand.
She paused for a moment, then softly asked, "How does Your Majesty wish me to answer?"
Emperor Zhaoheng stared at her, then suddenly smiled.
"I hope you will answer 'no'."
His voice was so low it was almost inaudible, yet every word was clear: "Even if you lie to me, it's just one lie."
Narcissus's heart clenched painfully.
She suddenly remembered the mad old concubine in the cold palace, and her frenzied screams.
Thinking of the truth that countless women in this deep palace verified with their youth and lives:
The love of an emperor is as fleeting as the morning glow.
She can't believe it...
She couldn't believe it...
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