Chapter 127 (No further information)
Emperor Yuanming felt his vision blur and his breathing become labored. Waves of immense panic washed over him like a tidal wave, leaving him nowhere to hide or escape.
Those faces, some familiar, some blurred, of the departed, laughed and shouted at him as the waves surged, reaching out to grab his throat.
"Ah!" Emperor Yuanming grabbed his collar and yanked wildly, pushing and waving it around, his face flushed red and his whole body trembling as he screamed in terror.
Seeing Emperor Yuanming's eyes wide open, kicking wildly on the bed and making short, gurgling sounds, Jiang Ling quickly said to Huang Liang, who was carrying in a calming soup, "Summon the imperial physician!"
Huang Liang quickly put down the medicine and ran to summon the imperial physician. Because Emperor Yuanming was unwell, Wu Shishan often stayed in the palace on duty. He was also there today, and soon followed Huang Liang into the room.
Seeing Emperor Yuanming's symptoms on the dragon bed, Wu Shishan could not hide his nervousness. He quickly glanced at Jiang Ling standing to the side and said anxiously in a low voice, "Your Majesty, judging from the Emperor's symptoms, I'm afraid he has suffered a hysterical attack."
Although Jiang Ling was not a doctor, she actually had a general idea of what was going on.
Emperor Yuanming grew up in the royal family, living a life of luxury, yet he never received genuine care. His extreme selfishness and cold-heartedness stemmed from the fact that he could not understand or give what he had never received.
Emperors have always coveted immortality; Qin Shi Huang sought elixirs of eternal life, and wealthy people in later generations have also pursued eternal youth and longevity. Technology advances, but human nature remains ever-evolving.
Emperor Yuanming longed for longevity and to remain the supreme ruler forever. He was bedridden for a long time, and his concubines and children suffered misfortunes one after another. Although he did not show it at the time, it eventually accumulated in his heart.
The death of Consort Liu finally triggered his attack. Coupled with his high blood pressure and the fact that he had been taking calming tonics regularly, he suffered irreversible nerve damage.
Unless there is an elixir of immortality, or he comes to the future.
Emperor Yuanming's life was nearing its end.
Jiang Ling was silent for a moment, then said, "Whether it's acupuncture or a new prescription, let the Emperor calm down and rest properly."
Wu Shishan received the imperial decree and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. However, Emperor Yuanming kept moving around, and Wu Shishan, holding the silver needles, didn't know where to start. He hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty must not move. I will administer the acupuncture to Your Majesty."
Emperor Yuanming seemed to ignore her, his hands flailing wildly in the air. Jiang Ling took a deep breath, stepped forward and took his hand, saying gently, "Your Majesty, don't be afraid. Physician Wu is giving you acupuncture. After the acupuncture, Your Majesty will feel better."
Holding the object in his hand, Emperor Yuanming finally fell silent for a moment. Wu Shishan reacted quickly and thrust his hand down.
Emperor Yuanming felt a slight ache and stinging pain. He couldn't help but turn his eyes to look at Jiang Ling sitting to one side. The people who had passed away, the waves that had surged, gradually receded, and before him appeared a familiar face, a face that he trusted and felt at ease with.
"It's you, it's you!" Emperor Yuanming relaxed and shouted with great joy.
Jiang Ling didn't understand what he meant, but echoed his words, saying "It's me." Wu Shishan took the opportunity to quickly insert the needles one by one.
Fearing that Emperor Yuanming might move again and break the silver needle inside her body, Jiang Ling could only endure the pain from Emperor Yuanming's tight grip on her hand and sit to the side to comfort her.
Fortunately, Emperor Yuanming did not move around again, and slowly fell asleep while muttering incoherently.
Jiang Ling carefully pried open Emperor Yuanming's hand. Wu Shishan, who was putting away the silver needles, noticed that her hand had turned blue and hurriedly asked, "Is Your Majesty's hand injured?"
"It's alright, no bones or tendons are injured." Jiang Ling deliberately used her left hand to gently rub the wound, and told Huang Liang to turn off the lamp. "Leave two more lamps on, and don't lower the bed curtains, so the bedroom will be brighter."
Huang Liang quickly agreed and went to extinguish the beeswax on the bronze cup. Jiang Ling left the bedroom and went to the outer room. Wu Shishan put away his medicine box and came out as well, saying worriedly, "Your Majesty, I have seen a patient with the same illness as the Emperor. He often suffers from headaches, irritability, and unpredictable mood swings. He suffers from phlegm, dampness, blood stasis, and numbness in his body, and eventually suffers a stroke."
"Is there any medicine that can cure this?" Jiang Ling asked.
Wu Shishan said with a somber expression, "Your Majesty, I am incompetent. The wind-evil has entered my body, and there is no cure."
Jiang Ling said, "Alright, since that's the case, we can only try to make the Emperor's life a little easier, focusing on treating his pain."
Having truly run out of options, Wu Shishan said, "Your subject obeys the decree; from now on, acupuncture will be the primary treatment."
Wu Shishan took his leave, and Huang Liang tiptoed out, saying, "Your Majesty, please rest. The Emperor will need Your Majesty's presence when he wakes up."
There were still two large boxes of memorials that needed to be reviewed urgently. Jiang Ling was also really tired. She compromised and said, "Wenjuan, bring me the memorials that you selected earlier. I'll deal with them first."
Wen Juan brought the box over, and after Jiang Ling wrote his imperial approval in vermilion ink, he stamped it with Emperor Yuanming's imperial seal, put it back in the box, and returned it to the Hall of State Affairs.
After finishing his work, it was almost midnight. Jiang Ling quickly washed up and lay down to rest.
Emperor Yuanming woke up at the hour of Yin (3-5 AM). He was listless and his head still ached slightly, but he was still relatively conscious.
Huang Liang and the eunuchs served Emperor Yuanming as he went to the toilet, changed clothes, and washed up. Jiang Ling was woken up by the noise and had no choice but to get up as well.
At this time, the sky was just beginning to lighten.
After washing up, Jiang Ling was still sleepy. She yawned and said to Emperor Yuanming, who was lying on the bed again, "Your Majesty, it's cool in the morning. Why don't you go for a walk outside?"
"I'm very tired," Emperor Yuanming muttered. He glanced at Jiang Ling, but still agreed and told Huang Liang to come forward and help him put on his shoes.
Emperor Yuanming's steps were unsteady; he walked very slowly and never stopped.
The dark blue sky gradually turned into a light gray, and the cool breeze, carrying a touch of early autumn dampness, seemed to seep into the heart.
"It has been a long time since I have done this." Emperor Yuanming stopped, leaning against a pillar and panting, gazing longingly at the changing colors of the distant sky.
Jiang Ling said, "Your Majesty is tired. Please go back to your room for breakfast. You can come out and move around more often in the future."
Emperor Yuanming took a breath, nodded in agreement, and then looked down at Jiang Ling's bruised left hand. He paused for a moment, then asked softly, "Does your hand hurt?"
"It's nothing," Jiang Ling replied, turning to walk back. "Your Majesty, please take your time."
The events of last night were still vivid in his mind; Emperor Yuanming had not forgotten them. He gazed intently at her weary face, his heart filled with tenderness.
After having breakfast together, Emperor Yuanming felt a bit stronger and walked around a few steps to aid digestion. However, he still felt palpitations and shortness of breath, so he went back to his room and lay down.
Jiang Ling said, "Your Majesty, Consort Lin has arrived, waiting to discuss Consort Liu's funeral arrangements with me. Does Your Majesty have any instructions?"
Emperor Yuanming's eyes darkened, and he said, "Bury her according to the regulations for Consort Xian. The weather is hot, so move the coffin to the Imperial Temple as soon as possible."
Jiang Ling agreed and took the memorial to the study. Emperor Yuanming lay down for a while, then ordered a eunuch to summon the officials from the Ministry of Rites and other court officials to the Hall of State Affairs for an audience.
Consort Lin arrived early in the morning. Upon learning that Jiang Ling was serving Emperor Yuanming, she sat down in the study to wait.
Upon seeing Jiang Ling enter the room, Consort Lin rose to greet her. Seeing the dark circles under her eyes and the bloodshot eyes, she paused and asked, "Did Consort Hui not get any rest again last night?"
"I've rested for a while." Jiang Ling rubbed her temples, not wanting to say more, and said, "Your Majesty, please sit down."
Consort Lin sat back down, looked at Jiang Ling's hand as he opened the box, her gaze sharpening, and said, "You're injured. Did he hit someone?"
Jiang Ling paused, looked up at the thoughtful Consort Lin, and said, "Your Majesty, he is the Emperor. If I really anger him, he will only kill people."
"That's true." Consort Lin exhaled, gave a self-deprecating smile, and said, "He is the emperor; there's no need for evidence to kill him directly."
She paused, then asked without any pretense, "Consort Hui, why do you endure this?"
Jiang Ling did not answer Consort Lin's question, but asked seriously, "If Your Majesty becomes Empress, is it possible for you not to use your power to oppress others?"
Consort Lin pondered seriously and said, "I cannot guarantee it. However, if we do not use our power to suppress people, how can those decrees be implemented?"
"Your Majesty would not bully the weak at will. After all, it is not worth it for Her Majesty to bully them; it would be an unfair victory."
Jiang Ling smiled and said, "Sometimes, it's hard to define what it means to use power to oppress others. Like you and me."
Consort Lin looked dazed. She, Jiang Ling, and even Consort Liu and Consort Zhao had been vying for power in the harem, resulting in countless deaths and injuries.
It's not that they weren't good enough, but that this struggle was completely unfair.
Those who gain favor ultimately triumph. Gaining favor is a skill; beauty, intelligence, and family background are all powerful tools.
Pampering was something she had always disdained and despised.
What she wanted was power, not the elusive favor of the emperor. Unfortunately, the emperor's favor brought power. Gaining favor meant acquiring power to oppress one's rivals.
In fact, she was deceiving herself, just like Emperor Yuanming.
Consort Lin asked blankly, "Consort Hui, can you do it?"
Jiang Ling thought for a moment and said frankly, "I may not be able to do it, but I will try my best."
Consort Lin felt a lump in her throat for no reason and said, "I have never met anyone like you. To be honest, because we used to be enemies, I have always been wary of you, afraid that you were just using me and the Lin family. I was just being petty."
Jiang Ling did indeed consider using Consort Lin, mainly because of the Lin family behind her. However, she set a bottom line: control the Lin family's power and ensure they could not act with impunity.
She smiled and didn't say anything more about it, instead talking to Consort Lin about Consort Liu's funeral.
Consort Lin replied, “Consort Hui, rest assured, I have already made the arrangements. The mourning hall should already be set up by now. The coffin will be left in state for three days before being sent out of the palace. The weather is hot, so we need a lot of ice. The palace storerooms don’t have enough, so we need to get some from outside the palace. I will have to trouble Consort Hui to go to the Emperor and ask for his permission.”
Jiang Ling said, "Your Majesty can issue the order to purchase the necessary items first. I will inform the Emperor as well."
Consort Lin laughed and said, "It's so convenient to have connections in the court. I won't delay any longer, I'll get on it right away."
Jiang Ling remained in the study, continuing to review memorials. At noon, Huang Liang, beaming with joy, came forward and said, "His Majesty summons the Empress to lunch."
"Did Huang Daban encounter magpies this morning?" Jiang Ling asked Huang Liang with a smile as he tidied up his documents.
Huang Liang laughed so hard his eyes disappeared, and said, "It's because we encountered a magpie."
Jiang Ling couldn't think of any happy occasion. She went to the bedroom, where Xiao Yunzan and Xiao Yunlang were also there. The two stood there obediently, side by side.
Emperor Yuanming, dressed in full robes, sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her with a smile. "You're back?"
"His Majesty is much better." Jiang Ling was surprised and felt puzzled by Emperor Yuanming's smile.
"You were right to advise me before. I shouldn't just lie in bed all the time; I should walk around more. I walked around for a while, and I felt a little better."
Emperor Yuanming beckoned Jiang Ling forward and said to Huang Liang, "Bring it here."
Huang Liang stepped forward with the scroll in both hands, his expression solemn, and said, "Consort Huishu, receive the decree!"
Jiang Ling's heart stirred, and he knelt down to receive the imperial decree according to the rules.
Huang Liang recited a string of ornate parallel prose and effusive praises in a melodious and rhythmic manner, and finally said: "Establish Consort Hui, née Jiang, as Empress. Order the relevant departments to select a day and prepare the ceremony for the investiture. The presiding officer shall carry it out."
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