Chapter 103 Self-Abandonment
“Your aunt begged me several times to intervene in Xiaobai’s marriage. I always advised her that the girl was good, and that marrying her would be a blessing for Xiaobai. After marrying Xiaobai, she would live a life of plenty and wealth. All the unpleasant things she had before would be made up for.”
The candlelight flickered without any wind, causing the flowing patterns on the brocade curtains to dim and brighten accordingly.
The King of Jin closed his eyes wearily.
"This should have been a happy occasion for everyone. If it weren't for you and her..." The Empress Dowager sighed, then continued after a long pause, "that day when I heard you were seriously wounded by the Northern Rong people, I really wanted to kill her..."
The Prince of Jin suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp.
The Empress Dowager was startled and secretly felt fortunate.
That day, when she was summoned to the palace, I did indeed intend to kill her, but the thought of Prince Jin made me hesitate. Moreover, her eyes were so open and calm, without a trace of fear, as if she already knew I intended to kill her, which made me unable to bring myself to do it.
"For your sake, I'll let her off this time. As long as she behaves herself and respects her own dignity, she can still marry Xiaobai. As for you and her... let's just leave it at that."
The Prince of Jin lowered his eyes sadly, his eyelashes trembling slightly. Under the lamplight, his cheekbones were prominent and particularly noticeable, making him look ten years older at first glance.
The Empress Dowager could not bear to look any longer and looked away.
That night, she stayed in a side hall next door. In the middle of the night, she suddenly heard a commotion. Although she couldn't make it out clearly, it carried an undisguised sense of anxiety and panic. She woke up with a start, listened carefully, and realized the voices were coming from the main hall. Her heart clenched, and she quickly called in a eunuch to ask, "What's wrong?"
"Your Majesty, I don't know either. It seems that the Prince has developed a fever."
"Fever? How come you suddenly have a fever again?" Having a fever after an injury is a serious taboo, and the Empress Dowager's expression changed. She scrambled to her feet, grabbed the clothes from the bedside table, and began to put them on. The palace maids rushed over, helping her dress, and then escorted her out of the side hall and towards the main hall.
The vermilion gates of the main hall were wide open, adorned with a row of lanterns, bright as day. Eunuchs, palace maids, the Empress Dowager, and medicine servants came and went constantly, all with panicked expressions and hurried movements. The Empress Dowager's heart clenched even tighter. Lifting the hem of her skirt, she hastily stepped across the threshold, only to see a palace maid approaching with a spittoon in her hand. The maid's face was deathly pale, and her nose was wrinkled. Upon seeing the Empress Dowager and her entourage, she paused for a moment, then moved the spittoon aside, curtsied, and prepared to leave.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a dark red stain in the spittoon, and smelled a strong odor of blood. Startled, the Empress Dowager shouted, "Stop!"
The palace maid was startled and stopped in her tracks, asking in confusion, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager..."
The Empress Dowager asked in a trembling voice, "What's in the spittoon?"
The palace maid whispered, "Your Highness, it was the blood that the Prince just vomited."
It was as if a bolt of lightning had struck her directly from the sky. The Empress Dowager's vision blurred, and she swayed. The eunuch beside her quickly steadied herself. She managed to stand, and said in a trembling voice, "Let me see it."
The palace maid said awkwardly, "Your Highness, this is such a filthy and foul-smelling thing..."
The eunuch knew that the Empress Dowager was worried about her beloved son, so he interrupted her and said, "How dare you! Just bring it here when I tell you to."
The palace maid dared not disobey, and carefully held the spittoon close to the Empress Dowager's face.
As soon as they got close, a strong smell of blood filled the air. Inside the spittoon was a large, dark clot of blood, tinged with only a hint of red. The Empress Dowager felt another wave of dizziness and gripped the eunuch's hand tightly. The eunuch gave a wink to a maid, who discreetly took the spittoon away.
"Your Majesty, don't worry. When I was a child, I studied under an old Chinese medicine doctor for a few days. The blood that the prince vomited was black, which means it was stagnant blood that had accumulated in his internal organs when he was injured. Now that it has been vomited out, it is actually a good thing," the eunuch said cautiously.
As soon as she finished speaking, several imperial physicians emerged from the bedroom, bowing respectfully to the Empress Dowager. The one at the head of the group said, "Your Majesty, this eunuch is correct. The prince did indeed vomit clotted blood, which is harmless to his health, but..."
The Empress Dowager had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard "beneficial and harmless," but then she heard him say "but," and anxiously asked, "But what?"
"But... His Highness has started having a fever again."
Why is there a fever?
"Just now, I consulted with the imperial physicians and we all believe that His Highness suffers from internal injury and fever. There are many possible causes, but they all come down to these two: first, overeating and improper diet; second, emotional fluctuations that lead to disordered Qi, imbalance of Yin and Yang, and deficiency of Qi and blood."
Another elderly physician with a white beard said, "That's right. When the official took the prince's pulse, he felt a rootless energy stagnating in the prince's chest."
The Empress Dowager's eyes flickered as she asked, "Is there a suitable remedy?"
The imperial physicians exchanged glances and said, "The medicine has already been administered, and we will see results tomorrow morning. However, a mental illness requires a mental cure, so we urge Your Majesty to comfort the Prince. Even healthy people are prone to illness when they are depressed, let alone the Prince who is now seriously injured."
The Empress Dowager nodded slightly, said no more, and went into the bedroom.
The palace maids and imperial physicians who had been surrounding Prince Jin all stepped aside when she entered.
The Empress Dowager sat down by the bedside and gazed at the Prince of Jin.
He lay flat on his back, eyes tightly closed, brows furrowed into a deep frown, cheekbones flushed as if painted with rouge, and a row of fine beads of sweat dotting his forehead. His head occasionally twitched, revealing a look of pain. The Empress Dowager's eyes welled up, and tears fell drop by drop onto the quilt. She pulled out a handkerchief, wiped her eyes, and muttered, "You foolish child, how could you be so stupid! What is it about her that has made you so bewitched?"
Whether the Prince of Jin heard it or not, his head shook even more frequently, beads of sweat gathering on his forehead and streaming down. The Empress Dowager hurriedly used a handkerchief to wipe away his sweat, but when her fingers touched his forehead, it felt like it was burning hot, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes again. She cursed bitterly, "What kind of sins have you committed!"
Half an hour later, perhaps the medicine had taken effect, the fever subsided slightly, and Prince Jin was able to sleep soundly.
The Empress Dowager was finally relieved. She was exhausted from working late into the night and returned to her side hall to rest, but she could not fall asleep again. The old story slowly unfolded in her mind.
The affair between Ruan Lan and the First Prince was orchestrated by her. The First Prince was handsome and kind, but somewhat lecherous and amorous. After seeing Ruan Lan once at the Shen Prime Minister's residence, he couldn't forget her and even wrote a poem praising her as a rare orchid in a secluded valley, a sight that made one forget worldly concerns.
Upon learning this, she bribed those around Ruan Lan and made numerous arrangements to make the eldest prince believe that Ruan Lan also admired him. She then falsely arranged a meeting with him at the Jade Void Temple, which was then discovered by Old Madam Shen. Old Madam Shen was already dissatisfied with Ruan Lan's lack of children for three years, and was naturally furious. To preserve the reputation of both the Shen and Ruan families and the imperial clan, the Shen family did not tell the Ruan family the truth, but instead used the excuse of three years without children to force Shen Yun and Ruan Lan to divorce.
The Shen family had originally supported the eldest prince, but naturally switched sides because of this incident. The Shen family was a century-old family of upright officials, with students and friends all over the country. With this defection, the eldest prince lost most of his support among civil and military officials. Afterwards, she used various means to win over the Shen family, which goes without saying.
...
More than ten years have passed, but whenever she thinks back, she is still proud of her flawless plan. The only unexpected thing was that Ruan Lan became pregnant. The matter was brought to the attention of Emperor Xuanzong, but because the eldest prince was known for his lustful nature, and there were poems he wrote to Ruan Lan as evidence, the adultery was a done deal.
Later, Ruan Lan gave birth to Ruan Bi, and Duke Wenxiao passed away. The Ruan family declined and was no longer able to compete with the thriving Shen family, so the matter was dropped. She completely forgot about Ruan Lan and her daughter for a time. When Ruan Lan came into her life again, she had become a disciple of Master Ziying.
She didn't dislike Ruan Bi; in fact, she admired her somewhat and felt a little guilty, wanting to make amends. Therefore, when Gu Xiaobai's mother repeatedly begged her to intervene in Princess Huiwen's betrothal of Ruan Bi to Gu Xiaobai, she gently dissuaded her. Little did she expect that her own son would also fall for her, even becoming infatuated with her.
What should we do?
That night, the Empress Dowager suffered from insomnia and only fell asleep close to dawn.
When she awoke again, it was broad daylight. She hurried to the main hall to see Prince Jin. He was fast asleep, breathing evenly, his cheeks slightly flushed. Although he still had a fever, it wasn't as frightening as the night before. She felt somewhat relieved. After all, she was the Empress Dowager and couldn't stay outside the palace for long. So she left a trusted eunuch named An behind, instructing him to send a message back to the palace every hour, and then led her entourage back to the palace.
Back in the palace, her heart remained with the Prince of Jin's residence, anxiously awaiting news every hour. However, the messages that came back only increased her fear. He was vomiting blood again; he had a fever again; he had smashed his medicine bowl… In short, the Prince of Jin refused to eat or drink his medicine, repeatedly throwing tantrums, smashing his medicine bowl, and refusing to see anyone, including Old Madam Shen, Princess Rouzhen, Princess Huiwen, and even his beloved Gu Xiaobai. The imperial physicians declared that if the Prince of Jin refused to cooperate with medical treatment, his road to recovery would be long and uncertain.
A day later, the Empress Dowager had no choice but to visit the Prince of Jin's residence again.
The Prince of Jin looked even more ashen than the day before, with stubble on his beard, a sinister look in his eyes, and an aura of death about him.
The Empress Dowager waved her hand, dismissing all the eunuchs and maids who were attending her. She sat down on the edge of the bed, looked at him for a while, and asked, "Are you trying to force your mother?"
The Prince of Jin didn't look at her, but shook his head and said, "Mother, I didn't force anyone. I will be fine, you don't need to worry."
The Empress Dowager grabbed a bronze mirror from the side and pointed it at him angrily, saying, "Look at yourself! And you still tell me not to worry? How far are you going to push me?"
The Prince of Jin glanced at his reflection in the mirror, then indifferently looked away.
"The daughter of Prime Minister Shen is virtuous and elegant, with first-rate talent, character, and appearance; she is the best candidate for Princess Consort of Jin. Although she is also good, she has a strong personality and a complicated background, making her unsuitable for you. Moreover, she and her mother have a past connection with us..."
The Prince of Jin remained silent, his eyes filled with sadness as he gazed at the lavishly decorated bed curtains.
"Even ordinary people adhere to the principle of 'Wei Sheng clinging to the pillar,' so a king must never renege on his word. This matter has already been announced throughout the land and is known to the whole country. Do you expect me to go back on my word and be gossiped about behind my back by the people? Xi'er, I am your mother, I gave birth to you and raised you. As a woman, do you want to put me in the public eye? As a woman, do you want to destroy the dignity of the royal family?"
The King of Jin closed his eyes wearily.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
