Chapter 145 Finding Peace in the Buddhist Hall
"Your Majesty, I have urgent news to report!"
Before Su Peisheng could finish his report, the chief guard rushed to the emperor, his face showing extreme anxiety.
"Speak." Yinzhen was holding Hongzhao's hand and guiding him in practicing calligraphy. He didn't even look up when someone came in, and continued writing steadily.
"Just now, the palace maids from Suiyu Pavilion tried to break out of the palace gate. The guards were loyal to their duties, and in the ensuing struggle, one of the maids was injured." The guard commander's words clearly pointed to Consort Zhen in Suiyu Pavilion, and Yinzhen could not possibly fail to understand.
His hand supporting Hongzhao froze. A perfectly good piece of calligraphy was ruined because of this one stroke. He let go, straightened up, patted the back of Hongzhao's head and told him to write it properly himself. He looked at the guard commander and asked incredulously, "How dare they be so bold as to force their way into the palace? If I remember correctly, Consort Zhen only had a maid and a eunuch by her side. How could she have such ability?"
Seeing that the Emperor was asking for details, the head of the guards finally recounted the whole story—"According to the guards, Consort Zhen fainted, and the palace maids and eunuchs wanted to go out to fetch the imperial physician, even shouting that they wanted to see the Emperor... The guards, strictly obeying the imperial decree, dared not let them pass, so..."
"How dare you!" Yinzhen turned around and roared angrily. His voice was like a thunderclap, startling Hongzhao, who was grinding ink.
Yinzhen caught a glimpse of his son out of the corner of his eye and quickly reached out to ruffle his bald head twice to soothe him. His voice unconsciously lowered as he said, “I only ordered him to stay at home and not to seek medical treatment. Even the Department of Punishments must allow him to receive treatment. What do you take Suiyuxuan for? Let the guard on duty go and receive his punishment.”
His chest heaved twice, and with a frown and irritation, he said to Su Peisheng beside him, "Go and tell the imperial physician to go to Suiyuxuan to take a look. Tell her I will visit her later."
Yinzhen believed that since Zhen Huan was so insistent on seeing him, she must have figured things out and was willing to back down. Considering their past relationship, he wasn't incapable of giving her a chance.
only...
Hongzhao kept his head down and secretly pursed his lips. He didn't even need to look up to know what his father was thinking. It seemed he was going to be disappointed. Judging from the appearance of the guard captain just now, it seemed that Liuzhu's life couldn't be saved after all. If it weren't for the fact that someone had died, she probably would never have reached the Emperor's presence.
The once bustling Suiyu Pavilion is now a desolate and completely different scene. Because there are few servants, the courtyard has been neglected for a long time. Coupled with the long-abandoned stage, it looks like an abandoned courtyard.
Zhou Qi lowered his eyes and carefully bandaged the wound of Consort Zhen, who had once been a glorious figure, just one step away from becoming a concubine. Now, only a small eunuch was serving her by her side.
"Your Highness, the cut on your palm was quite deep, and you haven't been able to treat it properly with medicine. This has led to an infection and a persistent high fever. You will need to change the dressing every day. You must not get the wound wet until it is completely healed. I will prescribe another prescription and get the medicine ready. Take it three times a day, and you will recover in no time."
Xiao Yunzi's brows were full of sorrow as he bowed and carefully noted down the imperial physician's words. In the past, he would have been obliged to reward the imperial physician, as it would have been impossible to move an inch in the palace without money. However, given his current situation, he simply did not have the means to do so. Fortunately, Zhou Qi was a rare and kind person who could see his predicament. He left the prescription and hurriedly departed.
Although he was old, he could tell that some people were seriously injured, but their incredibly strong will to live allowed them to pull through. Others, however, only had minor illnesses. But he had no hope left, and no one could say what the future held.
Zhen Huan lay on the bed with her eyes tightly closed. Although she was delirious with a high fever, she was not in a coma. She was just too sick to get out of bed, but her mind was still clear. This led to her hearing Liu Zhu and Xiao Yunzi discussing finding a royal physician for her, which caused a dispute with the soldiers outside, with sounds of pushing, shoving, and cursing.
Then, after a long while, all she could hear was Xiao Yunzi wailing and calling for Liuzhu and the imperial physician.
She could hear everything, but she couldn't do anything about it.
Tears streamed down her face like a burst dam. Her hand, which had just been bandaged, was now clenched into a fist, and blood slowly seeped through the pure white gauze, staining her skin. Her jaw was clenched so tightly that there was hardly any unbroken flesh in her mouth. A sense of utter collapse swept over her body in an instant.
Just then, Yinzhen arrived, accompanied by the Empress.
With such a thing happening in the harem, Lü Jiaying naturally couldn't sit idly by and rushed over.
Yinzhen had been frowning ever since he entered the Suiyuxuan courtyard. Seeing Zhen Huan like this when he stepped into the hall only strengthened his resolve.
"Since you sent someone to invite me here, it seems you've thought things through and are no longer acting impulsively." He sat familiarly on the couch, turning to look at Zhen Huan, whose eyes were tightly closed and whose face was streaked with tears, his tone filled with conviction.
Zhen Huan clenched her teeth even tighter to barely suppress the slightest hint of hatred in her voice—"What does Your Majesty want me to understand?"
Lu Jiaying raised an eyebrow as she stood to the side, thinking that the Emperor was likely to be disappointed by Zhen Huan's appearance.
In fact, in Yinzhen's eyes, Zhen Huan's current behavior was no different from the butterfly wishing in the Yimei Garden a few days ago. It was just a ploy to get her. After all, she was willing to put her heart into him, and he was willing to give her a way out. However, he never expected that the two of them had completely misunderstood.
He even had a hint of a smile in his voice—"I have decided that no matter what happens to the Zhen family, I will not hold a grudge against you, nor will I blame you for your disrespectful behavior in front of the Emperor. I will also strip you of your rank as a concubine."
However, he did not receive the response he wanted after he finished speaking, and the room remained silent. Only Zhen Huan suppressed a slight gasp, her chest heaving a few times, and she spoke in a sharp tone—"This concubine has lost her virtue and dares not occupy such a high position."
Lu Jiaying could clearly see the look in her eyes when she looked at the Emperor—disgust and resentment! If she could see it, the Emperor would see it even more clearly.
Yinzhen's barely perceptible smile instantly froze on his face. He simply couldn't understand why she had gone to such lengths, even sending people to storm the palace to invite him. Was it all just to have a few words exchanged?
He believed that as an emperor, he had already given her enough leeway. Seeing her like this, he couldn't help but feel angry. He frowned and rebuked her, "Indeed, I have been too lenient with you. With your temperament, you are really not suitable to stay in the palace. Go to the Buddhist hall to calm your mind."
After saying that, she turned her back, her face dark and silent. Lu Jiaying's face was full of worry, but she thought to herself that the Emperor probably hadn't given up yet and was just waiting for Zhen Huan to beg him.
However, just as Hongzhao had predicted, he would likely return empty-handed.
Normally, Zhen Huan would be an extremely considerate person. Even in such a predicament, she would always leave herself a way out. However, the Emperor and Empress arrived far too quickly. Liu Zhu had just died tragically just a wall away from her, her companion for nearly twenty years. No matter what, she couldn't calm her emotions in such a short time.
All that could be heard was Zhen Huan raising her voice in a defiant tone, "This concubine thanks Your Majesty for your grace!"
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