Chapter 809 Jiang Fenghua's Doubts
Jiang Fenghua led the two men to greet him, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
Xie Shang helped Jiang Fenghua up and said to the other two, "Get up, both of you!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Song Qing and Gao Qingtong said in unison.
Xie Shang helped the Empress to sit in the main seat. "The Empress is not in good health and should rest more. Let Consort Gao and Consort Song keep an eye on the trivial matters in the palace."
"I just caught a cold, it's nothing serious," Jiang Fenghua said. "Consort Song and Consort Gao came with important business. A lot has indeed happened in the palace recently. They proposed that the wives of the court officials in the inner palace pray for the Great Zhou Kingdom together. The Emperor arrived just as they were discussing this."
Xie Shang looked at the two of them with a gratified expression. "The ministers also made this suggestion at the morning court session. Since I ascended the throne, I have been busy with state affairs. Indeed, we should hold a grand ceremony to worship Heaven and appease the gods to bless our Great Zhou Dynasty with lasting happiness. I didn't expect that the concubines in the harem would also think of this."
Song Qing smiled and said, “This is a custom in my hometown. Recently, there have been many misfortunes in the palace. The concubines have been getting into trouble one after another, and Her Majesty the Empress has been attacked by assassins. I would like to pray for Her Majesty the Empress and ask Heaven to protect Her Majesty and ensure her safety and well-being.”
Xie Shang said, "You are very kind, Consort Shu."
Song Qing added, "It is all what I should do. Only when the Empress is well can we do better."
Xie Shang then said to Gao Qingtong, "The matter of the harem leading the prayer for blessings will be handled by Consort Gao and Consort Song. The Empress is not feeling well, so she should not overexert herself. Of course, all matters must be approved by the Empress before a decision can be made. At that time, the Empress and I will lead all the officials to pray for blessings for the Great Zhou, and the concubines of the harem will also participate."
The two said in unison, "Your Majesty, we take our leave."
Xie Shang said directly, "Go and make the preparations!"
The two left again. Song Qing glanced at the Emperor with reluctance before following Gao Qingtong away.
Jiang Fenghua had a sore throat and felt unwell even after taking medicine. She didn't want to talk to Xie Shang.
Xie Shang said, "Let me help you back to your bedchamber to rest!"
"I've slept for a whole day and night, and I don't want to sleep anymore. I'd like to go and read with the children for a while!"
Xie Shang pulled her into his arms. "I have already instructed them not to disturb you. Just focus on recuperating during this time."
Before Jiang Fenghua could speak, Xie Shang picked her up again and carried her back to her bedchamber.
Upon seeing this, the palace maids and eunuchs serving nearby all averted their eyes.
Jiang Fenghua could see the smiles on their lips. She said, "This is Kunning Palace. I can walk back by myself. I don't want to sleep. I want to stretch my body."
"You're so sick, you need to rest more to recover faster." Xie Shang had been busy all morning and also wanted to rest for a while: "I haven't rested well these past few days either. I spent the whole day yesterday dealing with the pile of memorials. I'll rest with you for a while."
He put Jiang Fenghua on the bed. "Did you take your medicine?"
Jiang Fenghua noticed that his eye sockets were dark and his eyes were bloodshot. Had Xie Shang really not rested well?
She said, "I drank it."
"Your throat must be sore!" He took out a throat lozenge from his pocket. "I specially asked Physician Mei to get this for you. Take one, and it will make you feel better."
Jiang Fenghua looked at the brown pills, smelled them, and said, "They must be very bitter! I won't take them."
"I've tried it. It's not bitter, and it has a cool sensation in your throat, which is good for your voice." He pinched a pill and fed it to Jiang Fenghua's mouth. "I'm not lying to you."
Jiang Fenghua looked miserable. She kept her mouth shut and shook her head repeatedly, "I won't eat."
Xie Shang swallowed the pill, saying, "It's really not bitter. I'll eat it to show you."
Jiang Fenghua said, "You're not sick, why are you taking medicine? Spit it out! This is medicine, do you think it's candy?"
Xie Shang smiled enchantingly and, supporting Jiang Fenghua, kissed her lips.
Jiang Fenghua was stunned and quickly avoided his touch. "I will pass on my illness to you. Don't be silly."
"Seeing Ruan Ruan in pain breaks my heart." He didn't care at all whether he would get sick. "If I get sick, I will take my medicine with Ruan Ruan."
Jiang Fenghua paused, her clear eyes fixed on his handsome face. His eyes were full of sincerity, and his face was full of smiles. He seemed to really love her.
"Thank you for the gift," she said suddenly.
Xie Shang answered softly, "Mm!"
Did I used to call you by your name like that?
Xie Shang's smile vanished. She had never called him that before. She always addressed him with a respectful title, never calling him by his name affectionately.
He smiled and said, "Yes! You can not only call me by my name, but also call me husband. I haven't heard Ruan Ruan call me husband in a long time. My wife, call me husband and let me hear it."
Jiang Fenghua hooked her arm around his neck, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Husband."
Xie Shang was stunned. At this moment, her eyes were alluring, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were shy and charming. He said, "Take your medicine first and get better."
He turned around and took another pill, his eyes instantly reddening. "This medicine is indeed very effective. I feel my throat is more comfortable now. Physician Mei said that even healthy people can take one or two pills to clear their throats. You should try it."
Jiang Fenghua took the medicine and put it in her mouth. After a moment, she felt a cool sensation enveloping her throat. "Your Majesty did not lie to me. It tastes quite good."
Xie Shang coaxed him like a child, "You'll get better after taking the medicine."
"Your Majesty, please stay up with me for another night's sleep!"
"Okay." He put his arm around Jiang Fenghua's slender waist and slowly drifted off to sleep.
A smile played on her lips. She knew he was lying. Granny Wang had said that she was the most polite and sensible person and would never do anything wrong. If she called Xie Shang by his full name, Empress Dowager Cheng would seize on her mistake and use it to punish her. But she had never been punished by Empress Dowager Cheng.
She knew all too well that marrying into the royal family meant living on thin ice, and besides, Xie Shang already had someone else in his heart at that time; she wasn't the first woman he ever loved.
They all knew her secret, but she herself had forgotten it.
Finally, Jiang Fenghua coaxed Xie Shang to sleep before quietly getting out of bed.
Wuxin waited outside the door, and when she came out, he whispered, "Is the Emperor asleep?"
"He's asleep, he won't wake up anytime soon." Jiang Fenghua gave him some sleeping pills.
At this time, Hongxiu and Lianye were also coaxing the children to take a nap, so they wouldn't pay attention to her for the time being.
Actually, when she found out that everyone was hiding something from her, she went to Wuxin because Wuxin was different from them; he was absolutely loyal to her. Wuxin himself said this.
Wuxin told her how they met, and she even told Wuxin some things that they both found unbelievable.
She didn't believe she had the ability to predict the future, but Wuxin's experience told her that her words did indeed help Wuxin gain a foothold in the palace and win the appreciation of the chief eunuch.
She was only five years old at the time! Her extraordinary foresight and cunning struck her as suspicious.
She has no physical problems, nor does she remember anything from the past. Her mind is still blank. The only way she can piece together a complete memory is by having them tell her bit by bit and help her recall.
Jiang Fenghua had long sensed that something was wrong, because she seemed to have a premonition about everything they told her. From the moment she married Xie Shang, everything had gone smoothly for her.
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