Chapter 236 She will absolutely make Narcissus wish she were dead!
Under Shui Xian's special instruction, the Empress's overt and covert suppression did not reach Emperor Zhaoheng.
Qianqing Palace, Qingxin Hall.
After recovering from his illness, Emperor Zhaoheng moved here to handle state affairs.
The beds in the original sleeping quarters needed to undergo a rigorous and careful replacement of all utensils to prevent the lesions from reigniting.
Inside the Qingxin Hall.
Emperor Zhaoheng, who usually focuses on handling state affairs, can't help but look out the window these days.
Even though he couldn't see the Lihe Palace from his position, he would often put down his pen and ponder, his deep black eyes gazing in the direction of the narcissus.
The incense burning in the palace today was not ambergris, but rather a clear pine scent wafting from the bronze censer shaped like a qilin, attempting to dispel the gloom brought on by the epidemic, but unable to dispel the worry that had settled between the emperor's brows.
On the desk, news of Yuan Chiyu's minor victory arrived from the front lines. He merely glanced at it, instructing that he be rewarded according to custom, his mind entirely elsewhere.
"Feng Shunxiang".
He had put down his vermilion brush for what seemed like the umpteenth time today. Emperor Zhaoheng, who had once been praised by his courtiers for his "diligent governance," now showed an undisguised weariness in his eyes.
Emperor Zhaoheng asked, "How is the situation at Lihe Palace today?"
Feng Shunxiang bowed and carefully repeated the words from the Empress: "Your Majesty, Her Majesty the Empress just sent someone to report that the Imperial Noble Consort's condition... is relatively stable, but she is suffering from the epidemic and needs to rest quietly, so it is inconvenient to disturb her."
"What about the Imperial Noble Consort?"
"Tinglu came to report that everything is fine."
Upon hearing the words "Tinglu," Emperor Zhaoheng's gaze softened.
He knew that Tinglu and the others were trusted by Shuixian and wouldn't speak carelessly.
However, the concerns about daffodils were not alleviated by these scattered pieces of news.
Emperor Zhaoheng whispered to Feng Shunxiang, "What I need is definite information... How much food did she eat today? How much medicine did she drink? I wonder if her cough is still severe?"
Feng Shunxiang knew that Emperor Zhaoheng cared about Shuixian, but he had asked about it before, and neither the Empress nor Shuixian had any definite information.
"Her Majesty the Empress only said that she needed to rest and recuperate, but she did not elaborate on the details."
As Feng Shunxiang spoke, he felt ashamed that he had handled the situation poorly and lowered his head in remorse.
Emperor Zhaoheng did not make things difficult for Feng Shunxiang; he simply told Feng Shunxiang to continue asking.
Immediately afterwards, Emperor Zhaoheng dismissed Feng Shunxiang and stood alone by the window.
The cold moonlight reflected his solitary figure; tonight, his longing was even stronger than the darkness.
From afar, the young eunuch responsible for presenting the green plaque craned his neck to glance at him.
Clearly, the Emperor wasn't in the mood to choose a concubine today, so he decided not to risk offending him...
The little eunuch shrank back and shook his hands, which were cold from the night.
Emperor Zhaoheng has not summoned any of his other concubines for a long time. Now, among all the concubines in the Qianqing Palace, he has the fewest things to do and is the most leisurely.
Emperor Zhaoheng was unaware that the eunuch responsible for presenting the green plaques harbored such thoughts; his heart was captivated by Narcissus.
Xian'er, what's wrong with you?
He asked himself silently.
Even though I was looking at the bright moon outside the window, a slender yet resilient figure seemed to appear before my eyes.
The narcissus had become his only attachment at this moment.
Just as Emperor Zhaoheng was feeling uneasy, a young eunuch from Cining Palace scrambled out of Qingxin Hall.
The young eunuch cried out, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! The Empress Dowager... The Empress Dowager's condition has deteriorated rapidly. She is vomiting blood incessantly, and the imperial physician says... says it's probably... it's probably not going to be good!"
Emperor Zhaoheng's expression changed drastically. He abruptly withdrew his gaze and stared intently at the eunuch who had come to report.
He deeply resented the Empress Dowager's favoritism towards Xiao Yirui, but filial piety was paramount, and as the emperor, he could not remain aloof from the matter when it came to matters of great moral principle.
Emperor Zhaoheng had no time to think further; he immediately rose and prepared to travel to Cining Palace…
...
The Cining Palace was filled with a strong medicinal smell from the inside out.
The Empress was already waiting outside the palace. Upon seeing the Emperor, she knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down her face before she could utter a word.
Her eyes were red and swollen, and she looked like a worried and exhausted daughter-in-law.
"Your Majesty! You've finally arrived!"
She choked back tears and wiped them away with a handkerchief.
"My mother... she suddenly fell ill this afternoon, vomiting blood and fainting. The imperial physicians were all helpless... Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I was terrified..."
As she sobbed, she subtly raised her eyes to observe Emperor Zhaoheng's expression.
Emperor Zhaoheng listened with a furrowed brow to the imperial physician's report.
The imperial physician said that the Empress Dowager was old and the epidemic was fierce, so it was understandable that her condition would fluctuate.
All the imperial physicians could do was try their best to save her, hoping that the Empress Dowager would be blessed by heaven and overcome this calamity.
These words were clearly not pleasant to hear.
Emperor Zhaoheng sat in a side hall with his brows furrowed, awaiting the best efforts of the imperial physicians inside.
Supported by others, the Empress slowly walked to a spot not far from Emperor Zhaoheng and sat down. She wiped away non-existent tears with a handkerchief and sighed softly:
"Your Majesty, the palace is rife with disease, and people are filled with fear. This is all because... because the source of the disease has not been eradicated."
She spoke as if it were a serious matter, and Emperor Zhaoheng turned to look at her, his gaze somewhat indifferent.
Empress: "Your Majesty, I have been working tirelessly day and night on epidemic prevention, and I am so worried that I cannot spare the time. I am afraid of neglecting Your Majesty and even more afraid of neglecting the Imperial Noble Consort..."
Seeing that the Empress was about to steer the conversation toward Narcissus again, Emperor Zhaoheng frowned even more deeply.
He loathed this far-fetched connection, but in this situation, looking at the grieving empress and thinking of the empress dowager in the palace who was on the verge of death, Emperor Zhaoheng didn't say much, let alone make any unwarranted accusations.
Emperor Zhaoheng simply said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty has worked hard. Please take good care of the Empress Dowager here."
"I still have official business to attend to, so I will proceed ahead."
He did not want to stay here any longer. The emperor and empress, who had once treated each other with the utmost respect, could no longer even spend a peaceful and long period of time together in one room.
The Empress remained silent for a long time, sitting in her original seat and gazing in the direction of the Empress Dowager, her face full of worry. She seemed to be an extremely filial daughter-in-law, but she could not hide her concern for the Empress Dowager's illness.
However.
Her tightly clenched hands, hidden in her sleeves, betrayed her true thoughts.
Narcissus...
She couldn't eat or sleep in peace until the problem was resolved!
In the days that followed, at the Empress's behest, the medicinal herbs supplied to the Lihe Palace not only had no useful medicinal effect.
Moreover, she bribed a physician in the Imperial Medical Academy who was in charge of dispensing medicine, and secretly mixed a colorless and odorless "heartbreak powder" that could slowly erode the heart and lungs into the medicine sent to Lihe Palace.
The Empress was very thorough in her work; she even had someone remind the physician every day not to administer the medicine every day, but rather every few days.
Inside the Palace of Rites.
Yinzhu was the one who got the medicine every day, and she was quite familiar with the physician, as they were from the same hometown.
The physician would bring medicine every day and would chat with Yinzhu, sometimes mentioning his homesickness, and sometimes bringing her snacks from her hometown.
Yinzhu's attention was diverted by her. Although she checked the medicinal herbs every day, she was still distracted.
Several times, just when the physician thought they were about to be exposed, Yinzhu carefully collected the medicinal herbs, then poured them all into a medicine pot and began to boil them.
The Empress soon learned from her informants that the medicine was brought into Narcissus's bedchamber every day, and later it was brought out in an empty bowl.
She kept a close eye on Pei Jichuan. These days, Pei Jichuan was taking good care of the injuries he had suffered from being abused at Lu Baohua's residence. He occasionally had contact with Lihe Palace, but Shui Xian always reassured him with the reason that he should "rest and recover without worrying about me."
Narcissus, you're really too confident.
She probably felt that after holding the Phoenix Seal for a period of time, she would have a better understanding of the people in the harem.
A cold smile played on the Empress's lips as she held the phoenix seal in her hand, finding Narcissus's naivety laughable.
The emperor has been on the throne for four years. Although she had previously feigned illness and appeared to be neglecting the management of the harem, she had infiltrated her people and network into every part of the harem.
The Empress touched the phoenix seal in her hand, summoned her confidante, and inquired about the condition of the narcissus in the palace.
Upon learning that Narcissus had been lying listlessly in bed all day without exhibiting any vomiting of blood or other serious symptoms, the Queen couldn't help but murmur to herself,
"What happened?"
The Empress frowned, a sense of unease rising in her heart.
"Could it be that the dosage is insufficient?"
She couldn't wait any longer; things could get complicated if she waited too long. She had to get rid of this major threat as soon as possible!
However, Lihe Palace is one of the main palaces in the inner palace, and no matter how remote it is, it is still in an important position. It is ultimately inconvenient to take action in Lihe Palace.
She summoned her trusted eunuch and lowered her voice.
"Go, have someone secretly spread the word in the six palaces that the Imperial Noble Consort's illness is severe and has disturbed the peace of the palace, causing a plague to spread, and even the Empress Dowager's health has been greatly affected. In order to ensure the safety of the six palaces, we need to invite a high monk from Huguo Temple to perform a ritual to exorcise the evil spirits."
She paused, her tone growing even colder: "If necessary... perhaps those with severe illnesses should be moved to an empty hall in the West Garden for 'quiet recuperation' and centralized management to prevent them from harming others."
The West Garden is remote and desolate, and the palaces and buildings have been in disrepair for many years. Once the narcissus is moved there, there will be more room for maneuver. It will be much easier to make her "accidentally" catch a cold and worsen her condition, or "accidentally" cough up blood and die.
The Empress was calculating her schemes meticulously, unaware that her supposedly secret and treacherous plot had already fallen into the hands of Narcissus in the Lihe Palace.
Narcissus waited quietly for the moment when the Queen would truly take the bait.
She even had time to write a letter of reassurance for Emperor Zhaoheng.
Narcissus leaned back on the tatami mat, picked up her pen, and wrote on the scented letter paper, reading softly as her hand moved with remarkable skill.
"Your Majesty, may you be well... Your Majesty is well. I only hope that Your Majesty will take care of your health and not worry about me. You are busy with state affairs, so please do not overwork yourself. Written by Xian'er."
The letter was first delivered to Kunning Palace.
Looking at the sweet nothings in the letter, a murderous glint flashed in the Empress's eyes.
She gritted her teeth and still had someone deliver the letter to Emperor Zhaoheng.
Just bear with it a little longer... Before long, the narcissus will surely fall into her grasp!
At that time, she will definitely make Narcissus wish she were dead!
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