Chapter 231 The Emperor's Heart Softened by His Daughter's Cry
The next day.
The morning light filtering through the thin winter mist in front of the Lihe Palace gate carried a hint of chill.
Emperor Zhaoheng changed into a dark blue casual robe. Although he was not wearing a dragon robe, his imperial aura still made the palace servants who came and went dare not look him in the eye.
He stood tall and straight in front of the carriage with his hands behind his back, his gaze gently falling on the narcissus and the children.
Today, Narcissus wore a sky-blue long dress embroidered with magnolias, with an apricot-colored rabbit fur cape over it, making her look even more fresh and elegant.
She held Yongning, who was wrapped up tightly, in her arms, while the wet nurses behind her carefully held Qinghe and Qingyan, who were still in swaddling clothes.
"I will only go for one day to see the Empress Dowager and then return. Xian'er, please stay in the palace and take good care of yourself and the children."
Emperor Zhaoheng released his hands from behind his back, reached out and gently pinched Yongning's cheek, his tone unusually tender.
Narcissus suppressed the inexplicable unease in her heart.
"Your Majesty, I understand. Please be careful in all matters."
Emperor Zhaoheng nodded, then looked at Yongning in her arms.
Little Yongning is already over a year old. She is exquisitely beautiful, and you can see the good genes of her parents in her eyebrows and eyes. At this moment, she is looking at her father with her big, dark eyes.
"Yongning, your father is going out for a while. You must listen to your mother while you are in the palace."
Emperor Zhaoheng softened his voice, a rare occurrence, and gently stroked Yongning's soft little face.
Unexpectedly, the usually well-behaved Yongning suddenly stretched out her little arms and tightly hugged Emperor Zhaoheng's neck.
She was quite strong, so Shui Xian had no choice but to carry her towards Emperor Zhaoheng.
Yongning was successfully carried to Emperor Zhaoheng's arms, her little face buried in the crook of his neck, her voice, sweet with milk, tinged with tears.
"Father won't leave... won't go..."
Emperor Zhaoheng was taken aback, then chuckled and gently patted his daughter's back: "Yongning, be good, Father will be back soon."
Shui Xian also coaxed softly, "Yongning, quickly let go of your father. Your father has important business to attend to."
However, Yongning seemed to be frightened by something. Instead of letting go, she hugged him tighter and tighter, her little mouth pouting, and she burst into tears without warning.
The baby's tears fell like beads from a broken string, instantly soaking Emperor Zhaoheng's clothes.
"No... Father Emperor won't go... Waaah!"
She cried her heart out, her little body trembling, her cries filled with a persistent longing, unlike her usual whining and pouting.
Seeing her daughter behaving somewhat strangely, Shui Xian couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Could it be that even a young child could vaguely sense the danger lurking in the Cining Palace?
Looking at her daughter, who was crying uncontrollably, and then at Emperor Zhaoheng, who looked helpless but not deep in thought, she felt a strong urge to speak up and stop him.
But she knew she couldn't.
Without any evidence, how could one prevent a king from visiting his sick mother based solely on memories from a past life?
Blindly obstructing will only arouse suspicion.
She could only suppress her turbulent emotions, take a deep breath, and try to make her voice sound calm as she joined in the coaxing.
"Yongning, don't cry. Father is going to see Grandmother to show his filial piety. It's a good thing..."
Emperor Zhaoheng felt a pang of tenderness when he saw his daughter crying pitifully, but the itinerary was already set and could not be changed.
He patiently coaxed and coaxed her, and finally almost forcibly untied Yongning's little arm from his neck and handed it to Shuixian next to him.
As soon as Yongning was in Shuixian's arms, she cried even more loudly, her little hands reaching out towards Emperor Zhaoheng.
Emperor Zhaoheng looked at his daughter's tearful face and saw the worry etched on Shui Xian's brow. He assumed it was because his daughter was too clingy and gently comforted her once again.
"Xian'er, don't worry, I will be careful. Take good care of the children and wait for my return."
Having said that, he did not hesitate any longer and turned to board the imperial carriage.
"Let's go!"
The eunuch's high-pitched voice rang out, and the ceremonial procession slowly began, heading towards the Cining Palace.
Shuixian stood there, watching the bright yellow procession recede into the distance, the trembling of her daughter's fear still lingering in her arms.
The early winter wind blew by, carrying a biting chill, causing her to shiver involuntarily.
After seeing Emperor Zhaoheng off, Shui Xian returned to the main hall of Lihe Palace with a troubled mind.
The unease did not dissipate; instead, it gathered and intensified like dark clouds.
She played with Yongning for a while, and finally waited until the child's emotions calmed down before he was taken away by the wet nurse because he was sleepy.
Shui Xian had just sat down and hadn't even had a sip of tea to calm herself down when Shu'er and Yin Zhu hurried in, their faces both grave.
Shu'er whispered:
“Your Majesty, I went to the Imperial Hospital to look for Mr. Pei, but I was told that... Mr. Pei has not returned home since he left the palace the day before yesterday evening, nor has he asked the Imperial Hospital for leave.”
Shui Xian's hand, which was holding the teacup, suddenly paused. She subconsciously placed the teacup back on the table.
Yinzhu then reported.
"As Your Highness instructed, I sent a message out of the palace, asking Manager Zhou Yan to investigate where Mr. Pei might have gone and who he might have been in contact with, but... there has been no news yet."
Narcissus pursed her lips, feeling somewhat uneasy.
Pei Jichuan is always cautious and thorough in his actions, and it is impossible for him to disappear without a reason, let alone without asking for leave.
This matter is definitely not simple!
Narcissus immediately gave the order:
"Shu'er, go find Tinglu immediately and tell her to find out, at any cost, whether the Imperial Hospital has been acting strangely lately, especially... pay close attention to Imperial Physician Lu!"
"Yinzhu, send more people outside the palace, and they must be absolutely reliable confidants. They should secretly investigate along the route that Imperial Physician Pei takes home from the Imperial Hospital, as well as the places he might go on a daily basis, and pay attention to any signs of fighting or any unusual situations."
Narcissus carefully instructed, "Remember, be sure to keep it a secret, and don't alert the enemy!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Shu'er and Yinzhu sensed the seriousness in Shui Xian's words and dared not delay, so they immediately accepted the order and left.
Narcissus sat alone in the hall, her fingertips gently tapping the table.
Pei Jichuan's disappearance...who is it related to? And what is the reason for it?
Thinking about the Empress Dowager's symptoms that seemed to be related to the epidemic, Shui Xian felt a headache coming on and couldn't help but raise her hand to press her throbbing temples.
In less than half an hour, a palace servant announced the news.
Consort De, Consort Wan, and several other concubines who were close to them came to pay their respects, ostensibly to keep the Imperial Noble Consort company and prevent her from worrying about the Emperor alone.
Narcissus slowly lowered her hand, a cold smile in her heart, but no expression on her face, and had someone invite them in.
After exchanging greetings, the group took their seats. Consort Wan, seemingly disregarding her recent conflict with Narcissus, spoke first.
"Your Highness, His Majesty personally went to Cining Palace to attend to you while you were ill. His filial piety is truly moving. However... Your Highness must be very worried about being alone in the palace. We have come here to keep you company and to comfort you."
Consort De's expression was serious, making it difficult to tell whether she was being sincere or not.
"Yes, His Majesty is of noble birth, yet he personally ventured into such a dangerous place... Alas, it is truly worrying. Your Majesty must take care of yourself."
Their words were all a subtle probing to see if Narcissus was flustered by the emperor's personal risk.
Shui Xian picked up the teacup that had been brought to her again, gently stirred the foam, and looked calm and composed.
"Thank you for your concern, my sisters."
She raised her eyes, her gaze calmly sweeping over the group before finally settling on Consort Wan, her tone carrying just the right amount of concern.
"Speaking of concerns, I recall hearing that my sisters also went to pay their respects outside Cining Palace yesterday. Although their filial piety is commendable, the Empress Dowager is unwell and the cause of her illness is unknown. My sisters are delicate and need to take good care of their own safety. They should not approach her lightly, lest they catch her illness."
Upon hearing this, Consort De's expression remained unchanged, but Consort Wan and the others below her froze instantly, their faces turning almost imperceptibly pale.
They went to the Cining Palace yesterday hoping to gain a good reputation and have a chance encounter with the Emperor. How could they be truly unafraid of illness?
At this moment, Narcissus's words exposed his deepest fear, and he was immediately embarrassed and didn't know how to respond.
"Your Majesty is right, we... will be careful."
Consort Wan managed to squeeze out a sentence. Seeing that Emperor Zhaoheng had gone to attend to his illness today, Shui Xian remained calm and unhurried.
She couldn't stand the joke and suddenly felt a bit bored.
After exchanging only a few words, he made up an excuse and left.
Consort De stayed a while longer, and when she left, she gave Shui Xian a deep look, the expression in her eyes unreadable to Shui Xian.
However, even when Consort De occasionally showed her kindness, Shui Xian did not let down her guard.
After all, Consort De made no attempt to hide her allegiance to the Empress.
Although she didn't know why Consort De repeatedly revealed information to her, Shui Xian wouldn't easily trust the people around the Empress.
Not long after.
Night quietly fell, enveloping the entire palace.
Yongning had been listless since the afternoon, and didn't eat much for dinner. She even cried and fussed before going to bed, and finally managed to fall asleep with tears in her eyes while Narcissus gently hummed.
Narcissus handed her over to the wet nurse to be taken to the side hall to be soothed to sleep, but she herself was wide awake.
She paced back and forth in the inner palace, her heart filled with anxieties that felt like it was being roasted over a low flame.
Emperor Zhaoheng's condition in Cining Palace is unknown, and Pei Jichuan's whereabouts are missing. It's important to remember that Pei Jichuan has yet to find a cure for the crucial epidemic; if something were to happen to him…
Whether sitting or standing, the candles shrank inch by inch, but the narcissus's tightly furrowed brows remained unchanged.
Finally, Tinglu brought some information that she had gathered not long after.
"Your Majesty," Tinglu's breathing was somewhat rapid, clearly from a hurried journey, "the Imperial Hospital is keeping a tight rein on things; it took me quite a bit of effort to find out..."
Tinglu said, "Court Judge Lu was indeed acting strangely today. He met privately with the head eunuch of Kunning Palace, and the two talked for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."
Upon hearing the name, Narcissus narrowed her eyes slightly.
“Lu Baohua…”
Lu Baohua attempted to steal credit after giving birth to Yongning, but Emperor Zhaoheng was too overjoyed at the birth of his daughter and suffered from poisoning by narcissus. The postpartum hemorrhage was not caused by Lu Baohua, so Emperor Zhaoheng did not punish her.
Unexpectedly, Lu Baohua still harbored treacherous intentions...
Tinglu continued, "Also, I learned from a young eunuch in charge of sweeping that before Physician Pei disappeared, he did not want to leave the palace, but after learning some news, he left in a hurry, seemingly... related to the Empress Dowager's illness."
Is it related to the Empress Dowager's illness?
What did Pei Jichuan discover that led to his death?
Or... were they deliberately lured there and set a trap?
Narcissus's heart continued to sink.
Empress... was this really done by the Empress?
"Keep investigating! We need to find the person, alive or dead!"
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