Seeing that Consort Rong showed no signs of waking up, Hanzhu steeled her heart and decided that punishment was better than the consort offending the new emperor.
Thinking of this, Hanzhu felt a surge of courage and nudged Consort Rong with her hand, but saw that she still showed no sign of waking up.
Hanzhu gritted her teeth and pushed him once, twice, three times, but he still didn't wake up.
Hanzhu then realized something was wrong. The Empress usually didn't sleep so soundly and would wake up after being called once or twice. Why was she so strange this time, unable to wake up no matter what she did?
Hanzhu: "Could it be—that something has happened to Her Majesty!"
Hanzhu couldn't care less about the people from the palace at this moment. After all, the Empress was pregnant with the Emperor's child, which was their hope for the rest of their lives. If anything happened to the Empress and the child in her womb, they, the palace servants, would be the first to be held accountable.
Hanzhu rushed outside, disregarding all etiquette, shouting as she ran, "Help! Something's happened to Her Highness!"
The movement of holding the pearl successfully attracted everyone's attention, and a dark figure slipped into Bai Lingxi's palace not far away.
This person was none other than An Yi, who was skilled in poisons. He took advantage of the moment to go and call for help while he stayed behind to take the Empress's pulse. He found that the Empress's pulse was stable and there was no problem at all. He tried to press the Empress's pain points, but there was no reaction!
A look of seriousness flashed across An's eyes.
Just then, he heard footsteps outside the door and quickly leaped up to hide on the roof beam.
Hanzhu: "Judge Zhang, please take a look at our Empress."
Hanzhu's voice revealed her anxiety. After all, it concerned the safety of her mistress. If she dared to be careless, she would be the one to lose her head.
Judge Zhang: "Miss Hanzhu, we've arrived. This old man will be leaving now."
Judge Zhang's old bones were about to melt from all the jostling. This girl with pearl in her mouth looked weak and didn't seem very strong, but he didn't expect her to be so strong that she was practically flying.
Hanzhu: "Judge Zhang, my lady's life is in your hands. You must revive her."
With tears welling up in her eyes, Physician Zhang was afraid that something might have really happened to Consort Rong. This wouldn't do; he was about to retire, and he couldn't let this lead to a judgment of poor medical skills or even execution.
Judge Zhang said, "Miss Hanzhu, please lead the way. I will do my utmost to help."
Hanzhu felt much relieved after hearing what Physician Zhang had said. This was the imperial physician personally chosen for the Empress when the late Emperor was still alive. His medical skills were superb, and he would definitely be able to cure the Empress.
Hanzhu led Zhang Yuanpan into the inner room and immediately saw the Empress lying there like a porcelain doll. Unlike usual, she would not be chatting and laughing with them. Hanzhu could not help but tear up.
Judge Zhang naturally witnessed this scene as well. He sighed inwardly, wondering how there could be such a perfect woman in the world. No wonder the Emperor favored her.
He calmed down and carefully took the pulse. The pulse was steady and strong, and the blood and qi were flowing smoothly. There was nothing wrong with it.
Fearing that his skills were not up to par and that Hanzhu wouldn't dare to joke with him, Judge Zhang pondered for a moment, then switched hands to take the pulse.
Hanzhu watched anxiously from the side. Could it be that the Empress had been poisoned? But she had been so careful, how could she have been poisoned?
Dr. Zhang examined the pulse twice but couldn't find anything wrong. What could be the reason for this?
Seeing that Imperial Physician Zhang was silent and deep in thought, Hanzhu's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Her Majesty was really... dying? Unable to bear the suffocating atmosphere, she spoke first and asked.
Hanzhu: "Judge Zhang, what's wrong with Her Majesty? Please say something!"
Hanzhu's tone was a bit sharp. Zhang Yuanpan knew that she was just trying to protect her mistress, so he didn't blame her. However, he couldn't say it out loud, since Consort Rong didn't seem to be sick at all.
Judge Zhang then reached out and pried open Consort Rong's eyelids to see if she could perceive the outside world. Unfortunately, he still couldn't find the cause of her illness.
Imperial Physician Zhang withdrew his hand, stroked his beard, and after a moment of silence, finally spoke: "Consort Rong should not have been poisoned. Her pulse is steady and strong; she shouldn't be unconscious."
Judge Zhang said, "However, I once read in an ancient book that great shock, joy, or sorrow in ancient times could cause one's mind to break and one to fall into a deep sleep. Consort Rong may have been overwhelmed with grief upon hearing of the Emperor's recent death, which is why she was unwilling to wake up."
Hanzhu: "Won't Her Majesty wake up? What will happen to the little prince?"
Judge Zhang did not answer. After all, this was the first time he had seen such a situation. Whether Consort Rong could wake up was still uncertain, and the child was probably—hardly going to survive.
Just then, a young palace maid ran over and grabbed Hanzhu's hand: "Aunt Hanzhu, the people in the palace are starting to urge us on. Sister Xinyue said she can't stop them any longer."
Hanzhu had no choice but to look at Imperial Physician Zhang: "Imperial Physician Zhang, how long will Her Majesty remain unconscious? The new Emperor wants to take Her Majesty back to the palace, and she's waiting outside. We really have no other option."
Imperial Physician Zhang sighed and said helplessly, "Miss Hanzhu, I understand what you mean, but this matter cannot be kept secret. We should tell the new emperor. If he is merciful and willing to invite the best doctors in the land to treat the Empress, perhaps there will still be a glimmer of hope."
After hearing what Judge Zhang said, Hanzhu completely gave up her idea of deceiving everyone. She stood there for a while, thinking, and then looked at Judge Zhang.
Hanzhu: "I request that Imperial Physician Zhang and I together explain the situation to the palace."
Imperial Physician Zhang nodded. He was already involved in this matter, as he was the imperial physician who took care of Consort Rong. Since Consort Rong was in trouble, he naturally could not escape the blame.
Zhang Yuanpan sighed inwardly: I never thought that even with my old bones, I still couldn't retire and return to my hometown smoothly, and would have to go through this ordeal.
Judge Zhang said, "Let's go, Miss Hanzhu. I will explain the situation to the people in the palace myself."
After they left, the room returned to calm.
An Yi leaped down from the roof beam. If it wasn't poison, could it be a Gu poison? Thinking this, An Yi took a drop of blood from her fingertip and dripped it into the small porcelain bottle for testing Gu poison.
He waited quietly for a while and found no unusual activity. Could it be that he was wrong? Could it be that he was really overwhelmed with worry and his mind was breaking?
——————
The Imperial Palace.
Taiji Hall.
Zhou Changling was troubled by the state treasury. His father’s funeral had cost a lot of money, and he used this opportunity to investigate the state treasury, only to find that it was not full.
What method should we use to replenish the national treasury? Zhou Changling felt a little better when he thought of Bai Lingxi's stunningly beautiful face.
Just then, a report came that Bai Lingxi had fallen seriously ill because of her father!
Zhou Changling was filled with mixed feelings. He hadn't expected Bai Lingxi to be so deeply in love with his father. The fact that the woman he loved had someone else in her heart always made him feel a pang of sadness and a tingling, numbing pain in his heart.
Zhou Changling: "What? Is there any way to wake her up?"
Regardless, Zhou Changling did not want anything to happen to her. He did this because of his father's last wish, not wanting his father to pass away in unease. He comforted himself with this thought.
"Your Highness, Imperial Physician Zhang says that Her Majesty may never wake up."
Zhou Changling has not yet ascended the throne. Although everyone knows he is the new emperor, they still cannot say it casually.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com