Chapter 97 Multiple "Mothers" in Jin Tou
The imperial palace was not a place to stay for long, so the imperial entourage would set off to return to the palace once the summer heat subsided.
Unexpectedly, it rained continuously for the next two days, so we stayed at the imperial palace for a while longer.
It was drizzling outside, and the sky seemed to be covered with a thin veil of darkness. Ah Zhu, who usually slept soundly in this kind of weather, had been waking up very early these past few days.
"Your Majesty."
Emperor Xuanpei, who was about to get up from the couch, heard the sound, turned around and saw that Azhu, with her hair down, had already sat up.
Ah Zhu, who used to sleep soundly at night and always had a rosy complexion when she woke up, looked pale today.
The palace seemed to be chilly due to the continuous rain. Emperor Xuanpei reached out and pulled up the brocade quilt to wrap Azhu tightly.
Reaching out to touch the dark mark under A-Zhu's eye, Emperor Xuanpei sighed faintly and said, "Today, I'll have the imperial physician prescribe some calming medicine for you. Drink it and then sleep for a while."
A-Zhu shook her head and smiled at Emperor Xuanpei.
“I go to bed early at night, but I don’t feel sleepy now.”
As she spoke, she tilted her head and nuzzled Emperor Xuanpei's hand, then pulled back the brocade quilt, intending to sleep with Emperor Xuanpei.
Emperor Xuanpei reached out and pressed down on Azhu.
"Then let's have a bowl of bird's nest soup before we get up."
Upon hearing the summons, Lü Fu immediately brought soup from the small kitchen into the palace. After eating the soup with Emperor Xuan Pei, Emperor Xuan Pei and A Zhu got up together.
A small court was also set up inside the palace.
Not long after Emperor Xuanpei went to Dinghui Palace, an urgent report rushed to the temporary palace.
Upon hearing the devastating news that the Liangjiang region had been ravaged by floods and people had been displaced due to continuous torrential rains, Emperor Xuanpei urgently summoned his ministers to discuss disaster relief. The news soon reached Yuhe Garden as well.
After all, although the harem cannot interfere in politics, mercy and compassion in the face of natural disasters and man-made calamities are an exception.
In the past, whenever there was a disaster in the common people, the concubines in the palace would start to "tighten their belts" and the Empress Dowager or the Empress would lead the concubines to set an example by donating money to help the disaster victims. The noblewomen in the capital would also follow suit.
Now that Empress Dowager Shu has been away from the palace for many years and Empress Wang has also been in seclusion, this matter is entirely handled by the two imperial concubines who manage the affairs of the six palaces. Therefore, the palace servants who came to report the news spoke in great detail.
"Due to continuous torrential rains, both rivers are now flooded. From Liantang Pass to Sheshan, the towns and cities along the riverbanks are submerged..."
Upon hearing the news hurriedly reported by the palace servants, the concubines in the hall were surprised and their expressions were not very pleasant.
After all, Emperor Xuanpei had devoted himself to purifying the court, eliminating factions, and cracking down on corruption in the years since he ascended the throne.
Although it wasn't yet the unprecedented golden age of "no one picking up lost items on the road and no one locking their doors at night," it was a time of modest prosperity and peace... but then a natural disaster struck.
"Smack—"
The concubines in the hall looked in the direction of the sound and saw that it was Consort Jiang, who was seated at the head of the table, whose teacup had fallen to the ground.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you burned anywhere?"
The palace servants around her rushed forward to examine A-Zhu closely, but A-Zhu didn't feel the heat at all.
She slowly stood up, her eyes fixed on the palace servant who had come to deliver the message, her face deathly pale and her lips trembling.
"You said, you said the disaster occurred in, which part of the two rivers?"
The palace servant hurriedly replied, "In response to Consort Jiang, it refers to the area from Liantang Pass to Sheshan."
"From Liantang Pass to Sheshan..." Azhu murmured the name of the place, feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.
Ah Zhu had only recently seen this road.
She even personally touched the road on the map and carefully examined it—it took two days by boat from Liantang Pass to reach Dagu Port.
In a daze, the road appeared before her eyes as if it had come to life, twisting and coiling into a rope that tightened around A-Zhu's neck, making her vision go black and her unable to breathe.
"Your Highness, Imperial Concubine."
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
A-Zhu's unusual behavior and expression attracted the attention of everyone present. Palace servants supported her on both sides, and even Consort Zhang looked at A-Zhu with a puzzled expression.
"Sister Jiang, has something happened?"
Ah Zhu's hand grasped it loosely.
She tried to say something, but couldn't utter a word, and finally her eyes rolled back and she fainted.
"A-Zhu!"
"Your Majesty!"
"Your Highness, Imperial Concubine!"
The concubines in the hall suddenly stood up.
Seeing A-Zhu lying in Lü-Fu's arms, Consort Zhang hurriedly ordered, "Quickly, go and fetch the imperial physician."
......
Lost in a nightmare, A-Zhu found herself standing in a raging, overwhelming flood. Yes, her children were here; she had to find them.
This isn't it, this isn't it either...none of them.
While frantically searching everywhere, Ah Zhu saw a series of panicked, desperate, and helpless faces.
Displaced and homeless, cries of anguish filled the land.
"Mother, Mother..." It was Jiahe's voice!
Ah Zhu started running desperately towards the sound.
She saw it; she saw her child.
Seeing Jiahe and Chen'er crying and reaching out for help, Azhu desperately reached out to grab them, but then a huge wave crashed in and they disappeared in an instant.
"ah!!!!"
A-Zhu woke up screaming in despair from a nightmare, suddenly sat up, only to be held tightly in a strong embrace.
"A-Zhu, it is I."
Emperor Xuanpei patted Azhu repeatedly and said in a deep voice, "It is I."
"Your Majesty... Chen'er and Jiahe are crying and begging me to save them. They are calling for their mother. Then a huge wave hits, and they're gone! Gone! They're all gone!"
Unable to sleep peacefully after a series of misfortunes, Ah Zhu, now somewhat devastated by the bad news, clutched Emperor Xuanpei's robe.
Still shaken, her eyes red and tears streaming down her face, she stammered incoherently, "Your Majesty, please save them! I beg you, please save them..."
Emperor Xuanpei's eyes were also a little red, but he just held Azhu's shoulders, nodded repeatedly, and said in a deep voice, "I know, Azhu, I know everything. I will personally go and bring our child back."
Seeing that Ah Zhu was about to say something after a moment of blank stare, Emperor Xuanpei shook his head solemnly at her.
"A-Zhu, I will not take you with me."
"Your health is not good. If anything happens to you, it will only distract me."
"A-Zhu, stay here peacefully. I will come back with the two children."
"......"
Natural disasters and man-made calamities are the most merciless. If something were to happen... but A-Zhu couldn't bring herself to ask anyone else to go.
A-Zhu tilted her head slightly, her hands trembling as she touched Emperor Xuanpei's face, brushing away the faint white hairs at his temples, tears suddenly rolling down her cheeks.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I am here. I will wait here obediently for Your Majesty, Chen'er, and Jiahe to return together."
Emperor Xuanpei reached out and wiped away the tears on Azhu's face.
He looked at A-Zhu carefully once, and finally kissed her on the forehead.
Ah Zhu closed her eyes, but tears still rolled down her cheeks.
"Wait for my return."
After saying this, Emperor Xuanpei turned and walked out of the palace.
"Your Majesty!"
Emperor Xuanpei stopped in his tracks.
He looked up, sighed softly, and shook his head, but still couldn't help turning his head back.
Seeing A-Zhu with tears streaming down her face, Emperor Xuanpei said, "Eat more and sleep more, get fatter. If I come back and see you've lost weight, you'll be punished."
With teary eyes, A-Zhu nodded, and Emperor Xuanpei smiled and nodded as well. Then he turned around and walked out of Chengji Palace without stopping.
In this dire situation, even Emperor Xuanpei and the Crown Prince had to hastily get up, let alone think about the concubines who remained in the temporary palace returning to the palace.
Fearing that something might go wrong on the way back to the palace with such a large group of people, the return to the palace was postponed, and everyone stayed at the temporary palace for the time being.
*
Yuheyuan
That's why they say man proposes, God disposes.
This sudden disaster clearly caught everyone off guard.
All plans were completely ruined.
In two more days, it will be the day the emperor returns to the palace as is customary.
Prince Qi, who had originally planned to return to the capital and immediately set off for his fiefdom, was indeed unable to leave.
It was a time of great turmoil, so Prince Qi temporarily sent Princess Qi and the young prince to the side of Consort Zhang.
"Father is getting old now, why would he personally go to the disaster area?"
Prince Qi shook his head, his eyebrows furrowed, and his face was quite gloomy.
"Not to mention the hardships of this journey, there's a high probability of a major epidemic following the floods; any mishap..."
Emperor Xuanpei was not a loving father.
But when Prince Qi wanted to fight for it, Emperor Xuanpei granted his request. Now that Prince Qi wants to withdraw completely, Emperor Xuanpei has also granted his request.
After Prince Qi lost interest in the position, he surprisingly began to rekindle his father-son relationship.
Consort Zhang, who usually wore adorned headdresses, was not wearing any hair ornaments today. Not only were most of her pearl and ring accessories gone, but her clothes were also simpler.
Because of the widespread anxiety, Consort Zhang ordered all the concubines to copy scriptures and pray for blessings. She herself was also holding a string of Buddhist prayer beads.
After glancing at Prince Qi, Consort Zhang turned the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand.
"With the Emperor residing in the court, it is only right for the Crown Prince to provide disaster relief on behalf of Heaven."
"At the very least, His Majesty should personally go to the disaster area to appease the people, and the Crown Prince should remain in the capital to oversee the country in case of unforeseen circumstances."
"But this time, not only did your father go in person, but he also brought the Crown Prince with him. Mao'er, have you ever thought about why?"
Prince Qi pursed his lips, but remained silent for a moment.
Seeing that Prince Qi remained silent, Consort Zhang simply smiled and shook her head, saying, "Heaven truly loves to play tricks on people."
"You're fighting and grabbing for something, but it just won't give it to you."
"But if you let go and turn around to leave, it gives you another chance to trip over it."
Consort Zhang looked in the direction of Chengji Palace.
“Right now, Prince Rui and Prince Ying are still in the temporary palace. Mao’er, you and Prince An should be more vigilant.”
"Mother knows very little about the affairs of the court and cannot see clearly, but she sees very clearly what happens in the inner palace."
“Your father… never mind, it’s been so many years, there’s no point in talking about anything else.”
Consort Zhang turned to look at Prince Qi, her expression solemn, and earnestly gave him her instructions.
“Mao’er, your mother knows you dislike that Lady Jiang has enjoyed your father’s favor for so many years, but unless… unless the country is in mourning and the whole world is in white, no one can lay a finger on Lady Jiang, do you understand?”
Prince Qi looked at Consort Zhang and wanted to sigh: "After all these years, Mother Consort, you still protect that Jiang family so much."
Consort Zhang glared at Prince Qi.
"Foolish thing, is Mother protecting her?"
"That was to protect you, and to protect myself!"
"Ninth Prince now... Mao'er, you must guard Chengji Palace well, no, just treat Jiang Shi as your mother."
"If anything happens to Consort Jiang, you'll have your day."
Prince Qi, who had inexplicably gained a "mother" for no reason, slunk out of Yuheyuan.
After thinking it over, he went to see Prince An again to discuss it, just in case.
......
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