"Heart ailment?" Gu Jiangli asked softly, "Does His Majesty suffer from heart ailment?"
When Eunuch Liu mentioned this matter, his face was filled with worry.
"His Majesty's heart ailment has lasted for many years, and no one dares to speak out about it. The imperial physicians say that this illness cannot be cured without medicine, but His Majesty is very stubborn about this matter and does not like to take medicine, which has caused the imperial physicians great distress."
Gu Jiangli recalled the emperor's annoyed expression when he drank his medicine last night and nodded in agreement.
It seems he really doesn't like taking medicine. But then again, who would like to drink that bitter stuff?
"Was the half-bowl of medicine Your Majesty drank last night for treating your heart ailment?"
Eunuch Liu sighed, "Yes, the fact that His Majesty can drink half a bowl shows that he is in a good mood. Many times he has only taken a sip or two. As for that bowl of calming medicine, he won't touch it at all, no matter how we try to persuade him."
"His Majesty has difficulty falling asleep at night, and without the aid of tranquilizers, it is impossible for him to sleep soundly."
Eunuch Liu's face was filled with worry for the emperor.
He genuinely cared about the emperor; there was no ulterior motive.
Gu Jiangli recalled the emperor's nightmares that night.
I never expected the emperor, who seemed so aloof, to be so stubborn.
If you're clearly sick but refuse to take your medicine, aren't you just asking for trouble?
Fortunately, she at least made a deal with the emperor.
"Eunuch Liu, His Majesty should finish his medicine tonight. If he hasn't, could you send a palace maid to let me know?"
Eunuch Liu looked on in surprise, "Has Her Majesty already advised His Majesty?"
Gu Jiangli nodded hesitantly, "I guess you could say I tried to persuade you."
She wasn't sure if this method would work, since the deal was obtained through her unilateral moral blackmail.
Eunuch Liu looked relieved. "If Your Majesty can persuade His Majesty, that would be wonderful."
Gu Jiangli smiled faintly, remained silent for a moment, and then asked:
"By the way, Eunuch Liu, you told me before that lamps cannot be lit in Jinghe Hall, so why can't we use luminous pearls? Luminous pearls are very bright, no less than candlelight."
Eunuch Liu paused, then explained, "Actually, we did have a luminous pearl, but His Majesty didn't like it, and we servants couldn't go against His Majesty's wishes, so we didn't use it."
"Oh, I see. Why is Your Majesty so afraid of fire? It's alright these days with the clear weather, but if it rains and the clouds obscure the moonlight, wouldn't you be unable to see anything in Jinghe Palace?"
She tried to get Liu Gonggong to reveal the reason, but as soon as the topic came up, the smile on Liu Gonggong's face immediately disappeared.
"Your Majesty... His Majesty dislikes candlelight. You just need to avoid lighting candlelight. As for the rest, this servant cannot say. No one in the entire palace dares to say it. If Your Majesty does not know, then you should never know. It is best not to ask about this matter again."
Eunuch Liu clearly didn't want to continue this topic.
Since he had already said so much, Gu Jiangli felt it was inconvenient to explore further.
He said that no one in the palace dared to talk about this, which meant that this was a very big deal.
Those who know about this dare not speak out, because doing so could very well endanger their lives...
Gu Jiangli fell silent.
Who would be afraid of fire?
People who have experienced a fire may develop post-traumatic stress disorder and subsequently develop a fear of fire.
But she had seen the emperor's body last night, and there were no burn marks on his body.
It doesn't make sense to say that a relative died in the fire.
The late emperor died of illness.
The Empress Dowager is in very good health.
His only sister, the eldest princess, has a husband and children, and her family is happy.
None of the emperor's blood relatives perished in the fire.
What has he been through that makes him so afraid of fire?
This fear even tormented him in his dreams.
She grew increasingly curious and eager to explore, wanting to see what the emperor, shrouded in this fog of suffering, was really like.
————
Cixi Palace.
The Empress Dowager ate her breakfast while listening to the news reported to her by the nanny beside her.
After listening, she put down her chopsticks.
"With both bestowing titles of imperial concubine and receiving imperial favor, this Gu Jiangli is truly cunning."
The old nanny replied, "That's right. This old servant went to inquire and found out that Consort Chen secretly went to His Majesty's painting pavilion that night to meet with him. She really has no sense of propriety and is very scheming."
"She must have bewitched His Majesty with her silver tongue, otherwise His Majesty would not have been so obsessed as to bestow upon her the title of Consort Chen."
"Your Majesty, His Majesty first conferred the title of Consort Lan, seemingly on your side, but then he conferred the title of Imperial Concubine Gu Jiangli, completely to vent his anger on her behalf. This is simply a slap in your face."
"This little girl is no simple character. With her methods, Consort Lan will probably have a hard time competing with her."
The Empress Dowager wiped her mouth with elegant movements, but her gaze was sharp as a knife. "She does have some skill to make even the usually obedient Emperor go against my wishes."
"But it's nothing serious. The emperor is just interested in her for the novelty. Over the years, have you ever seen him truly care about anyone else?"
The old nanny also showed a relieved expression, "What the Empress Dowager says is true. His Majesty is, after all, the Empress Dowager's flesh and blood, and he will certainly prioritize the Empress Dowager's words. An occasional deviation from the Empress Dowager's wishes does not prove anything."
The Empress Dowager's eyes darkened. "However, her rashness has caused the Emperor to embarrass me. She certainly needs to be given a good talking-to."
The old woman asked expectantly, "Then shall this old servant go and teach her a lesson?"
The Empress Dowager scoffed lightly, "If you were to take action, wouldn't everyone in the palace know that it was my idea, and that they would say I'm petty?"
"Yes, yes, yes, this old servant was overthinking it."
"Let Tan'er come to the palace in a couple of days. Tell her that I miss her and my grandson."
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