Chapter 235 A Cicada, and a Sparrow
When Emperor Zhaoheng's fingertips touched that unusually hot skin, his heart sank.
"Xian'er..."
His thin lips were pressed tightly together, his eyes as deep as the night. Without a word, he picked up the daffodil, who was limp from the fever, and held her tightly in his arms.
Her slender body trembled slightly in his arms, and now, even through the thin clothing, Emperor Zhaoheng could feel the abnormal heat emanating from her.
"Summon the imperial physician!"
His hoarse voice, carried through the hanging gauze curtains, resounded throughout the entire bedchamber and reached the ears of the servants outside.
Narcissus nestled in his arms, her forehead pressed against his freshly changed, dry nightgown.
The unique ambergris scent emanating from him used to linger around her nose, but now, due to Emperor Zhaoheng's illness, it was mixed with the smell of medicinal soup.
She instinctively snuggled closer to him, no longer suppressing her discomfort, and a muffled murmur escaped her lips: "Cold..."
Last night, I personally fed Emperor Zhaoheng his medicine and read him some travelogues and miscellaneous books.
After Emperor Zhaoheng fell asleep, Shui Xian felt something strange in her throat.
Until the middle of the night, in a hazy, half-awake state, she felt as if a pebble was stuck in her throat.
Narcissus, who had been infected with the plague in her previous life, immediately woke up from her dream.
She was most likely infected by Emperor Zhaoheng...
Before she arrived, Narcissus had already prepared herself for the possibility of contracting the plague.
She tiptoed up from the small couch and took out a small medicine bottle hidden in the sleeve of her outer robe.
The small porcelain medicine bottle was quite heavy, feeling substantial in the hand.
However, when Shui Xian looked at Emperor Zhaoheng's sleeping profile, she ultimately decided to put the medicine bottle away again.
Some illnesses are best treated when they are displayed in front of people who care about the patient.
...
Let's go back to the present.
Shui Xian nestled in Emperor Zhaoheng's arms, and a soft "cold" pierced the softest spot in his heart like a silver needle.
He tightened his grip on her arm, as if to transfer his life force to her.
"Don't worry, I'm here."
He lowered his head, his chin gently brushing against her hot bangs, his voice more tender than ever before.
Emperor Zhaoheng gently placed Narcissus on the dragon bed and covered her with a bright yellow quilt.
"Someone! Summon the imperial physician!"
The Qianqing Palace was once again thrown into chaos.
This time, however, the focus shifted from the emperor to the imperial concubine.
Several imperial physicians rushed over and, after examining her pulse, confirmed that Shui Xian had contracted a cold-related illness, with symptoms similar to those of Emperor Zhao Heng at the beginning. However, because her constitution was not as strong as Emperor Zhao Heng's, the illness was more dangerous.
Despite his recent recovery from illness and his weakened state, Emperor Zhaoheng insisted on placing Shui Xian in his bedchamber in the Qianqing Palace and personally guarding her by his side.
He refused any palace servants to do it for him, just as Narcissus had done for him.
How did she accompany and protect him?
He would then treat her in a certain way!
When given the medicine, Narcissus resisted the bitter medicine in her sleep, clenching her teeth, and the medicine slid down the corner of her mouth.
Emperor Zhaoheng showed no impatience. He held the medicine in his mouth, then leaned down and transferred it to his lips.
The bitter taste of medicine spread between their lips and teeth. He carefully pried open her pearly teeth and fed her the medicine little by little.
In her dazed state, Narcissus seemed to sense a familiar presence, her throat bobbing slightly as she finally swallowed the medicine.
Seeing her lips chapped from the high fever, Emperor Zhaoheng used a warm, damp cloth dipped in water to gently moisten her lips, bit by bit.
Shui Xian's illness this time was much more severe than Emperor Zhao Heng's.
At night, Narcissus's high fever worsened, and she even began to talk nonsense, sometimes sobbing, sometimes curling up in fear.
Emperor Zhaoheng strained his ears to listen, but could not hear any babbling. He could only sense the deep-seated fear in Shui Xian's heart, a fear that haunted her even in her dreams!
He didn't know what happened to Narcissus in her dream, so he pulled her into his arms along with the quilt, gently patting her back as if to soothe a frightened child.
He whispered in her ear, repeating over and over, "Xian'er, get well soon..."
Through the gauze curtain, Feng Shunxiang tried to dissuade him.
But hearing the concern in Emperor Zhaoheng's voice, he finally sighed and swallowed his words of advice.
The flickering candlelight in the hall reflected the emperor's deep eyes, revealing an unyielding heartache and an almost obsessive determination.
He had never realized so clearly that the woman in his arms was no longer a dispensable concubine, but a deeply embedded and indispensable part of his life.
Emperor Zhaoheng held Shuixian's hand tightly, wanting to fight the disease with her.
Now that Emperor Zhaoheng is gradually recovering, he has finally realized that something is wrong with his illness.
The Empress Dowager had been ill for a long time and Emperor Zhaoheng contracted the disease while attending to her. Shui Xian also contracted the disease while attending to Emperor Zhaoheng.
It should be noted that serving the sick in the palace is an ancestral rule, and there are already ways to deal with it over the years.
The physician was already skilled at handling such cases with caution.
Moreover, most of the time, serving the sick meant simply keeping them company, and they would not allow the masters in the palace to serve others.
Emperor Zhaoheng harbored doubts and ordered the Imperial Medical Academy to investigate, while he himself stayed by Shui Xian's side without leaving her side.
However, an emperor is still an emperor.
Some things simply don't go as he wished.
Military reports from the front lines arrived like snowflakes. Although the border war had achieved a small victory due to Yuan Chiyu's surprise attack after the onset of winter, the subsequent allocation of food supplies and manpower was a complex and multifaceted task.
In addition, the epidemic was spreading outside the palace, putting immense pressure on the government.
The court officials jointly submitted a memorial, their words earnest yet tinged with concern: "Your Majesty has just recovered from illness; your health is of paramount importance and concerns the fate of the nation. How can you allow yourself to remain by your sickbed for so long?"
"The epidemic is alarming. For the sake of the country, we earnestly request Your Majesty to temporarily leave the affected area and move to Qingxin Hall to handle state affairs, so as to reassure the hearts of the people."
The Empress also appeared at the opportune moment.
Now, the Imperial Noble Consort Dai Zhangfeng has fallen ill.
The Empress then seized an opportunity, with the Emperor's tacit approval, to lift the confinement.
The six palaces could not be without a leader for even a day. After the Empress was released from confinement, she took the initiative to go to the Qianqing Palace to comfort Emperor Zhaoheng.
"Your Majesty, I know you care for the Imperial Noble Consort, but you are the ruler of the country, and the safety of the nation rests on your shoulders... If anything were to happen to you again, I... I would never be able to atone for my sins! I implore Your Majesty to consider the greater good and temporarily evacuate the capital."
In the freezing cold, the Empress knelt outside the Qianqing Palace, dressed in plain clothes.
"As for the Imperial Noble Consort, I would swear on my life that I will do my utmost to take care of her. I have an inescapable duty to handle the affairs of the six palaces and the prevention of epidemics. I will make proper arrangements and report the Imperial Noble Consort's condition to His Majesty in detail every day. I will not dare to be negligent in the slightest! Please give me a chance to make amends... a chance to share His Majesty's burdens."
The doors of the Qianqing Palace were opened for her.
With her forehead pressed against the gold brick, the Empress could catch a glimpse of a bright yellow figure entering through the palace gate out of the corner of her eye.
Throughout the entire ordeal, the Empress never raised her head, appearing extremely sincere, as if she had truly come to her senses and started anew.
After all, they were husband and wife. After not seeing each other for several months, Emperor Zhaoheng saw that the Empress had become thinner and his disgust for her had lessened considerably.
With heavy court affairs and urgent military situations at the front, he really couldn't stay here indefinitely.
As the Empress, she was the head of the central palace, and it was perfectly legitimate for her to take charge of the six palaces and coordinate the imperial physicians.
Emperor Zhaoheng struggled internally for a long time before finally being persuaded.
He gave the order in a deep voice, finally relenting.
"Empress, remember your promise. If anything happens to Xian'er, I will hold you responsible! Every day, every detail of her condition must be reported to me immediately!"
"Your Majesty, I obey!"
The Empress bowed her head to accept the order, but a cold glint, colder than winter, flashed deep in her eyes.
Once she had the authority to handle the matter, and with her father distracting Emperor Zhaoheng, the Empress immediately began to "take care" of Shui Xian.
At her behest, the Imperial Medical Academy officially declared the disease an epidemic and stressed the need for strict prevention.
Under the pretext of "strictly preventing the spread of the epidemic and protecting the safety of the palace masters," the Empress dispatched a large number of guards to surround the Lihe Palace, where Shuixian was located, like an iron barrel.
It was called protection, but in reality it was like house arrest. Not only was anyone forbidden from coming and going at will, but even the daily food supply had to go through her.
With the Empress Dowager ill, the Empress naturally issued an order that all resources of the Imperial Medical Academy should be prioritized for the Cining Palace, while the Lihe Palace, which was already infected, should be deliberately withheld from receiving truly effective medicines under the pretext that "the symptoms are still unclear and medication should be used with caution."
The Empress knew that Pei Jichuan was a skilled physician and loyal to Shui Xian. Although Pei Jichuan was still recuperating from his previous injuries, she sent her trusted confidants to closely monitor his residence and cut off his contact with the outside world.
At the same time, she noticed that the sorceress Ana from the southern border seemed to have some peculiar abilities, so she "invited" her to the Imperial Hospital to be kept under guard under the pretext of "asking her to develop a prescription for the epidemic".
In reality, it was to prevent her from possibly helping Narcissus.
Inside Kunning Palace.
Gazing towards the heavily guarded Lihe Palace, the Empress's lips curled into a smug smile.
"Narcissus, oh Narcissus, no matter how skilled you are at seduction, even the heavens will perish for you this time! The plague is merciless; you will perish alone in that cold palace!"
The Empress infected the Empress Dowager with the plague, intending to infect Narcissus and her few bastard children!
Although Yongning and the twins are now under tight guard, the Empress still couldn't hide her joy at the thought of the seriously ill Narcissus.
She gave a cold laugh and whispered in a voice only she could hear:
"Once you die, the Emperor will be sad for a while, but this harem will ultimately belong to me!"
However, the Empress was unaware that things within the Lihe Palace were not as she had expected.
During a brief moment of lucidity, Narcissus summoned her absolutely loyal servants, Silver Pearl and Listening Dew.
"Your Majesty, the medicine the Empress sent is completely useless! And this food..."
Yinzhu looked at her master's pale and thin face, and her eyes reddened with heartache.
The worry on her face was genuine, not feigned.
Narcissus sat leaning against the headboard. Although her face was flushed from the fever, her eyes were unusually clear and calm, even carrying a knowing and mocking look.
She coughed lightly a few times and said in a low voice, "It's alright, I expected her to do this."
Yinzhu and Tinglu both looked surprised, clearly not expecting that Shuixian's scheme had gone unnoticed even by them.
Narcissus then pulled a porcelain bottle out of her sleeve.
They opened the wax seal and poured out a few pills.
Those were the very first few pills that Pei Jichuan refined at the Imperial Hospital before he was abducted by Lu Baohua.
This medicine was the only effective medicine he could find after searching the entire Imperial Medical Academy's warehouse, including those two rare and precious medicinal herbs.
Before leaving the palace that day, Pei Jichuan handed the medicine bottle to Ana.
Since Ana entered the Imperial Hospital, Pei Jichuan has come to understand and trust her more and more.
A few days later, even when Pei Jichuan's whereabouts were unknown, Ana secretly gave the medicine bottle to Shui Xian.
Narcissus gripped the medicine bottle, a cold smile playing on her lips.
"Very good... Listen up, from now on, cooperate with me in putting on a show."
Did the Empress want her to die of illness?
Little did she know, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; she had been waiting for the empress for a long time!
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