Chapter 13 Chapter 13
The emperor's omen was correct.
Yuan Mu indeed developed a high fever at night.
Her health was still okay, but she still often got a fever after being punished.
Yuan Mu has been having nightmares recently. She doesn’t know what she dreamed about, and she suddenly woke up crying.
The emperor had just returned from outside. When she saw him, she became even more frightened and shrank back to hide at the end of the bed.
He frowned slightly, thinking that she was deliberately avoiding him, and directly lifted the half-covered curtain.
When he was half asleep and half awake, Yuan Mu was always a little bolder than usual.
When she was picked up by the emperor, she kept struggling, as if she was still immersed in a nightmare, and in panic her little hand hit the emperor's face.
Even a person with the best temper cannot stand such disobedience.
The emperor was not interested in women and did not like to have palace maids serving him nearby.
Therefore, there are not many palace maids in Ziwei Palace. They only appear when Yuan Mu comes, carefully clean her body while she is sleeping, and then change her into a comfortable nightgown.
The plain soft robe looked like a small biscuit baked by the sun, and was a very soft light golden color.
Yuan Mu's body was wrapped in a soft robe, like a flower bud about to bloom.
Her thoughts were in a mess and she kept trying to struggle.
Yuan Mu was weak, so even if he slapped the emperor in the face with all his strength, it would not have any effect.
But she did succeed in irritating him.
He spent the entire night trying to figure out her affairs, and this is how she treated him.
The emperor picked up Yuan Mu by the waist and pressed him directly on his legs. After slapping him hard several times, the anger between his brows subsided a little.
She had just been severely punished in the evening, and now she couldn't be touched at all.
The "pa pa" sound was so clear in the silent palace that it made people feel embarrassed to death.
Yuan Mu's eyes instantly turned red. She lay on the emperor's legs, her soft robe lifted up, revealing her round and swollen buttocks. She looked even more embarrassed than when she was bullied by the emperor in front of the queen.
She was very thin-skinned and burst into tears all of a sudden.
The emperor did not let Yuan Mu go. He punished her again before picking her up.
This kind of punishment was what she feared the most. Her fair face turned red with shame and her eyes were filled with tears.
Yuan Mu couldn't even sit still, sobbing and twisting his waist.
But the emperor grabbed her by the waist and forced her to sit on his lap.
He chuckled, "Can't you just be in peace for a moment?"
There is no one in the world like Yuan Mu, who dares to be so arrogant in front of him even though he has clearly made a mistake.
Yuan Mu wanted to stop crying.
But she was too tired, her mind was too confused, and the light flickered in her wet eyes.
The crying gradually subsided, but the tears were still falling.
It looks a bit pitiful.
The emperor stroked Yuan Mu's flushed face, as if to ease his expression a little.
But as soon as he touched her hot cheek, he knew she had a fever.
When Yuan Mu feels comfortable, he will endure it, bite his lips tightly, and try to bite all the hums between his lips and teeth.
She was even quieter when she was feeling unwell, and she remained silent even when she had a fever.
Yuan Mu's face was burning hot, and his forehead was even hotter.
The emperor didn't expect that she would have a fever in such a short time.
When he left Beijing three months ago, he specifically instructed the Imperial Hospital to keep a close eye on Yuan Mu.
As a result, at the end of March, Yuan Mu was in good health.
On the contrary, Yuan Mu fell ill twice within just a few days after the emperor returned to Beijing.
His face didn't look good, but he still immediately ordered the imperial physician to come over.
The emperor changed his posture and picked up Yuan Mu. She lay in his arms, her slender white fingers curled up and rested weakly on his shoulders.
The low sobbing sounded like a child who had been wronged.
"Don't cry," the emperor whispered. "The doctor will be here soon."
Yuan Mu's long eyelashes drooped, and big tears rolled down his face.
She was not conscious clearly, but when she heard the word "imperial physician", she instinctively wanted to hide.
Yuan Mu endured all the illnesses she had when she was young. Occasionally, Aunt Yu would make her some ginger tea, which she would drink while it was still hot, and then she would sleep under the quilt. By the next morning, she would be almost well.
The sorcerer said that she was destined to die young.
But it was with the help of this folk remedy that Yuan Mu grew up safely until he was fifteen years old.
Such frequent illnesses only started after entering the palace.
"I don't want to see the doctor..." Yuan Mu said in a tearful voice, "I'll be fine after a good sleep..."
How could she be allowed to do such a thing?
The emperor frowned and whispered, "Be obedient, Yuan Mu."
He was used to being in a superior position, and his soothing words sounded like orders.
The imperial physician arrived quickly.
As soon as Yuan Mu saw their unique clothing, he started to struggle: "I don't want to see the medical officer, Li Conglu——"
She has always been very obedient, but for some reason, she acted very disobediently tonight.
The emperor grabbed Yuan Mu's waist, tied her wrists with a silk ribbon, then held her in his arms, raised his chin slightly, and asked the imperial physician to start taking her pulse.
The imperial physician on duty tonight is relatively young and is Zhang Yuanzheng's apprentice.
He was very careful and even though Yuan Mu kept struggling, he was able to successfully diagnose his pulse.
"Your Majesty, Concubine Zhaoyi has caught a cold and is a bit frightened," the imperial physician said respectfully. "She will just need some medicine and then acupuncture."
They were diagnosing illnesses and had all the necessary medical equipment with them.
The emperor often accompanied Yuan Mu to take her pulse and understood her body much better than her father Yuan Wei.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he heard it was a cold.
The emperor stroked Yuan Mu's black hair and said calmly, "Then let's start now."
Her wrists were tied and her slender waist was tightly grasped by the emperor, making her unable to move.
Even though he was extremely reluctant, he had no choice but to take off his outer robe, revealing his thin back.
Yuan Mu's thoughts were in a mess. She was almost fainting from the fever, but she still remembered that she was afraid of being diagnosed by the imperial physician.
All the sad things in my life seemed to come flooding back at this moment.
Yuan Mu kept crying and her body was shaking. When the silver needle pierced her snow-white skin, her nails almost scratched the back of the emperor's hand.
But before long, it drooped weakly again.
It hurts so much.
The body seemed to be tossing back and forth between ice and fire.
Yuan Mu tried hard to suppress the nausea in his mind, but he couldn't stop crying.
After the acupuncture was completed, her back was soaked with cold sweat and her face was covered with tears. She lay in the emperor's arms, completely without any dignity.
There was nothing unusual about the emperor's expression.
While the acupuncture was being performed, the medicine was almost ready.
Yuan Mu doesn't like taking medicine. Except for contraceptive soup, I have never seen her take any medicine on her own initiative.
The emperor did not try any unnecessary tricks.
He had someone put the medicine into a porcelain bowl, picked it up and drank it, then covered Yuan Mu's lips and forced the medicine into her mouth.
Bitterness flowed between their lips and teeth.
After drinking it several times, the whole bowl of medicine was finally finished.
"All right, all right," the emperor coaxed softly, "you won't feel any worse after you drink the medicine."
He fed the candied fruit into Yuan Mu's mouth, then gently kissed the corner of her lips.
There was chaos all night.
Only after the imperial physician left did the Ziwei Palace return to peace.
Yuan Mu was tired of crying, and after receiving acupuncture and taking medicine, he gradually became more rational.
Her body curled up, nestled in the emperor's arms like a little animal, her watery eyes red, and her lips swollen from biting.
As harsh as the emperor was when he punished Yuan Mu, his heart softened when he saw her sobbing softly.
She sobbed and said, "It hurts..."
I should have kept some of it just now.
In the silent night, he touched her forehead lovingly and said softly, "Apply the medicine again and it will stop hurting."
As Yuan Mu was speaking, the new nightgown he had just put on was stripped off by the emperor.
She was naked and her face was flushed red. When he held her in his arms and applied medicine to her, her cheeks were so red that they seemed to be bleeding.
Her soft knees trembled and she wanted to close them several times.
The emperor moved very gently. He kissed Yuan Mu's lips to distract her attention, then leaned over and lowered his eyes to carefully apply medicine to every inch of her snow-white skin.
She was very resistant at first, but then her tone of voice gradually changed and her attitude became gentler.
When the emperor first fed Yuan Mu the medicine, his lips tasted bitter, but after kissing him for a long time, the bitterness seemed to turn into a strange sweetness, diluting the bitterness.
The custom of keeping concubines was prevalent in the previous dynasty.
The current social atmosphere is much more upright, but there are still powerful people who secretly keep countless concubines.
The emperor had never kept a favorite, and if Empress Yuan had not sent Yuan Mu to him, it might have taken him many years to break his vow.
At the beginning, just keep it.
To him, there is no difference between Yuan Mu and birds.
It's just that she can give birth to children for him.
But he didn't know when it started, but he spent too much time and energy on her.
The emperor had no idea what kind of feeling that was.
Just watching Yuan Mu fall asleep in his arms, his heart suddenly softened for a moment.
It's as if something is slowly collapsing.
This emotion is extremely dangerous, yet also as addictive as a drug.
The emperor took Yuan Mu into his arms, lowered his head and took a deep breath at the side of her neck, then without hesitation bit the dark red kiss mark deeper in the most conspicuous place.
-
Yuan Mu didn't wake up until the next afternoon.
It was almost dawn when her high fever finally subsided.
When he woke up at noon, Yuan Mu looked up at the dome. It took him a long time to remember that this was the Ziwei Palace.
The memories of last night flooded back like a tide, causing the blood vessels on the side of her forehead to throb with pain.
Yuan Mu supported himself with his arms and sat up, feeling severe pain all over his body.
He had changed his pajamas several times, and there was probably not a single piece of good flesh left under the soft robe.
Yuan Mu looked into the mirror and saw the deep red mark on the snow-white neck. She pulled up the collar and looked down. She took a quick glance and didn't dare to look any more.
It's really confusing.
Yuan Mu really didn't expect that the emperor would be so angry this time.
Thinking of the two girls from the Cui family, she couldn't help but feel fear.
Will the emperor execute them?
Yuan Mu's heart was in turmoil until the door of the inner hall was pushed open from the outside, and then she regained her composure.
Yesterday was the Queen's 1000th birthday, and the whole country celebrated.
Government offices were also closed for three days.
There were not many court affairs recently. The emperor finished a brief court meeting at noon and returned to the palace, estimating the time Yuan Mu would wake up.
He changed into a dark blue uniform.
His jade-like face and tall, straight figure, set against the backdrop of his dark blue robe, make him look even more elegant and carefree.
Yuan Mu was stunned for a moment, then subconsciously endured the pain, got off the bed, and bowed to the emperor: "Your Majesty..."
Her voice was soft and slightly hoarse.
The emperor carried Yuan Mu back to the bed, casually parted her lips, and probed towards her throat: "Does your throat still hurt?"
The posture was frivolous and casual, but his movements were so natural.
March is still too long of a separation.
In the past, Yuan Mu could tolerate anything.
She suppressed the discomfort and whispered, "It doesn't hurt anymore, Your Majesty."
After the emperor withdrew his knuckles, he wiped the saliva from her lips with his fingertips and said softly, "Drink more water."
When he got angry yesterday, he scared Yuan Mu.
She had never had the courage to be around him, and after what happened yesterday, she wanted to avoid him even more.
Yuan Mu really has no time to think about going against the emperor or struggling against fate anymore.
It is a blessing to be able to stay overnight in Ziwei Palace.
But she just wanted to return to Qingning Palace.
But the emperor had no intention of letting Yuan Mu go for the time being.
He asked the imperial physician to come over, examined her carefully again, and then placed the bowl of boiled medicine in front of her.
Yuan Mu is already well, and she doesn't want to take medicine anymore.
But the emperor kept staring at her, so she had no choice but to pick up the bowl of medicine and drink it.
After drinking, Yuan Mu immediately ate the candied fruit handed to him by the emperor.
The sweetness and bitterness counteracted each other and quickly dispelled the nausea-like discomfort.
After having all the things taken away, the emperor also sent his servants away.
Yuan Mu stood in front of the emperor, not knowing what to do, and felt as helpless as a child who was punished to stand.
He flipped through the documents, and after a moment he looked up at her: "In order to leave the palace to see my aunt, I have to accept Yuan Ying's disobedient behavior."
The emperor said casually, "Should I say that you have grown too independent, or should I praise you for your filial piety and purity?"
Yuan Mu's high fever had just subsided and he felt weak.
Her ankles began to ache after she stood for a while, and her expression changed instantly after hearing the emperor's words.
This was something she and Empress Yuan discussed privately when no one was around.
How could the emperor know so clearly?
Yuan Mu's face was pale, her long eyelashes drooped, her lips were tightly pursed, and she did not dare to respond to the emperor's words.
He had a strong aura, and when he looked at her, there was a strong sense of oppression.
"Speak." The emperor ordered in a low voice.
Yuan Mu pursed her lips again and again, and finally a word came out of her throat: "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. Things are not what you think, Your Majesty..."
Her explanation was dry and lacked any credibility.
But the emperor stared into Yuan Mu's eyes and listened to all her words.
However, in the end, the expected punishment did not come. The emperor simply asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"
Yuan Mu raised his eyes in confusion and was stunned for a moment.
When the emperor picked her up by the waist, she was still dazed.
"If you want to see me, then go ahead," he said indifferently, "or do you think I'm a monarch who doesn't know right from wrong and is arbitrary and dictatorial?"
The emperor put a peacock tail feather cloak on Yuan Mu, personally tied the tassel for her, and took her hand as he walked out of the inner hall.
When she saw Aunt Yu and her concubine sister Yuan Yin in the center of the hall, she felt as if she were in another world.
So much so that Yuan Mu ignored his father Yuan Wei who was standing in the front.
Her eyes were red, and she quickly stepped forward and threw herself into Aunt Yu's arms: "Aunt!"
Aunt Yu spent her best youth in the farm.
Yuan Mu did not have a strong desire or pursuit for her own life. What she looked forward to most during those years was to be sent out of the manor by Aunt Yu.
Unfortunately, this wish was only realized when Zhuangzi was burned to ashes.
In two whole years, they only met once, and that was a quick glance by chance.
Yuan Mu has learned etiquette very well.
Although she did not learn it since childhood, she was serious and rigorous, and her attitude was no different from that of the noble ladies from aristocratic families.
But at this moment Yuan Mu was really too excited.
She ignored etiquette, and even ignored the emperor and father beside her, and held the hands of Concubine Yu and her concubine sister Yuan Yin.
"Auntie, I miss you so much. Are you okay?" Yuan Mu asked anxiously. "Ayin, are your eyes better? Did the fire affect them?"
Yuan Yin suffered a serious illness when she was young, and her left eye became blind, and she could only see things two or three feet away.
During the previous war, a big fire broke out in the village.
Yuan Yin tried desperately to find Yuan Mu and inhaled a lot of smoke.
Her eyesight is very bad and she can't stand even strong light.
Yuan Mu no longer had anything to worry about in this world. Her aunt and half-sister were her last obsessions.
But she was in such a hurry that she didn't notice how respectably and elegantly her aunt and her step-sister were dressed. They were no longer the miserable mother and daughter in her memory.
"Ayin and I are both fine," Aunt Yu smiled softly. "After returning home, Ayin's eyes were treated by a renowned doctor, and she's much better now."
She was very young when she was exiled to Zhuangzi, and she still has her charm today.
Yuan Mu was about to cry: "That's good, that's good."
She held their hands tightly, and when tears rolled down her cheeks, she was reluctant to let go and wipe them away.
The emperor had refreshments prepared and said softly, "Talk to your aunt and sister for a while. We have something else to discuss in the side hall."
Before leaving, he leaned over and wiped Yuan Mu's tears.
Yuan Mu's eyes were red. She nodded heavily and said "hmm". She said in a tearful voice: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Her expression was so sincere, and her gratitude to the emperor came from the bottom of her heart.
The emperor chuckled and took a last look at Aunt Yu and Yuan Mu's half-sister Yuan Yin before leaving.
But Yuan Mu had his back to them and didn't see his indifferent glance at all, which made the two of them look tense instantly.
After the two left, the taciturn Yuan Mu also opened up completely.
"Auntie, are you all doing well now?" she asked anxiously, "Are you short of money?"
Aunt Yu smiled softly and said carefully, "Don't worry about A'luo. We are doing well now and have no shortage of money. A'yin is about to reach marriage age, and I've been worried about choosing a husband for her lately."
Her voice is melodious and sweet like an oriole.
Yuan Mu's memory was also pulled back to many years ago.
The old times that had faded in Zhuangzi suddenly became brilliant.
It was not until dusk that they finally parted.
Yuan Mu sent the two of them to the sedan chair, her eyes full of reluctance. She turned around and met her father's gaze in the twilight, and only then did she break free from Aunt Yu's gentle affection like a hot spring.
This is her biological father and the closest blood relative to her in this world.
Yuan Wei stood in the golden-red glow, tall and graceful.
Time has not left many traces on him, and he seems to be still as romantic and unrestrained as before.
Yuan Mu turned sideways, lowered his eyes and called out, "Father."
"Your Majesty has sent the two girls from the Cui family to a Buddhist temple," Yuan Wei said casually. "It's a blessing to have them spend the rest of their lives with the ancient Buddha and the green lamp."
Yuan Mu didn't interact with him much.
The most unforgettable thing in her life was when her grandmother died at the age of five. At the funeral, Yuan Wei, dressed in mourning clothes, looked relieved and relieved. He said to the staff around him, "Finally, we can send this evil away."
But Yuan Wei still brought good news.
The emperor's words rarely change.
After such a big incident, it was a blessing that the two of them were able to survive.
Yuan Mu's brows relaxed unconsciously.
Her eyelids were lowered, and a soft light shone in her clear, watery eyes.
But Yuan Wei quickly changed the subject.
He glanced at Yuan Mu's belly and asked calmly, "Still no news?"
Yuan Mu's face suddenly turned a little pale. She was not a perceptive person.
But her instinct as a weak person made her realize the danger in Yuan Wei's words in an instant.
"If it doesn't work," he said casually, "try another man."
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