Cheer up
Inside the Cui residence, Madam Wang was staring blankly out the window, unconsciously twisting a handkerchief in her hand.
The personal maidservant tiptoed in and, in a low voice, said to her, "Madam, the Prime Minister... has sent a message."
Madam Wang suddenly snapped back to reality, her heart skipping a beat for no apparent reason: "What did you say?"
"Something happened at the Prince Duan's residence." The old woman choked up. "The Princess Consort... the Princess Consort went into premature labor, only seven months... the little prince... couldn't be saved."
The handkerchief fell to the ground.
Madam Wang felt a sudden darkness before her eyes and her body swayed, but fortunately, the nanny caught her quickly.
"My Shu'er..." Her lips trembled, and tears welled up instantly. "How could this be... She was perfectly fine before..."
The old woman, her eyes red, advised, "Madam, please take good care of yourself. The Prime Minister has instructed you to select some of the finest tonics and personally visit the Princess Consort at the Prince Duan's residence."
Madam Wang seemed not to hear, only gripping the nanny's hand, her nails digging painfully into her, her voice trembling uncontrollably: "Is she...is it because of that medicine..." Before she could finish speaking, she shivered, swallowing the rest of her words back, leaving only suppressed, broken sobs.
She was just a woman confined to her home. She vaguely knew what her husband did, but she never dared to ask, much less stop him. He was her own flesh and blood! Before Yan Shu got married, when those bowls of so-called "tonics" were sent into Shu Yun Garden, she wasn't without suspicion, but what could she do? Make a scene? Question him? In this mansion, she couldn't even protect her own daughter.
Now... now it really is...
Madam Wang felt as if a piece of her heart had been ripped out, leaving an empty, bleeding void. She wiped her face haphazardly and forced herself to stand up: "Quick, quick, go to the storeroom and find that old ginseng and that box of bird's nest... I need to go see Shu'er."
When the carriage arrived at the Prince Duan's residence, the gatekeeper, seeing that it was Lady Cui, dared not be negligent and immediately led her inside.
Ling Yuan received the message and came out of Lingxiao Pavilion to greet him in the corridor. He looked terrible, with dark circles under his eyes, and he looked like a taut bowstring that might snap at any moment.
"Mother-in-law." His voice was hoarse as he managed a weak bow.
Lady Wang, disregarding formalities, hastily returned the greeting, her voice trembling with tears: "Your Highness, Shu'er..."
"She's inside." Ling Yuan stepped aside. "Mother-in-law, please go check on her."
Madam Wang nodded and almost ran into the inner room.
Upon entering, a strong smell of medicine mixed with the lingering stench of blood assaulted her senses. Her Shu'er lay on the large bed, her face as white as paper, her eyes staring blankly at the ceiling. Hearing a sound, her eyes slowly turned, and upon seeing her, her lips moved but no sound came out.
"My Shu'er—" Madam Wang rushed to the bedside, grasped her daughter's cold hand, and tears streamed down her face. "How...how did you become like this..." She stroked Yan Shu's thin face, her heart aching beyond measure. "It's my fault...it's my fault for not being able to protect you..."
She spoke from the heart. There were things she saw, things that weighed on her mind, causing her endless torment, yet she dared not utter a single word.
Seeing her mother weeping so bitterly, Yan Shu's own resentment and bitterness suddenly subsided. She knew that in this era, her mother had her own helplessness. Her mother couldn't defy her father's decision. She could feel that her mother's heartache for her was genuine.
She grasped Madam Wang's hand in return, gently shook her head, and said weakly, "Mother, it's not your fault... it's just that I'm not blessed..."
"Nonsense! My Shu'er is the most blessed!" Madam Wang hurriedly interrupted her, wiping away her tears with a handkerchief. "You are still young, take good care of yourself, you will get better... There are still many days ahead..." She spoke urgently, as if she were persuading her daughter, or as if she were persuading herself.
Yan Shu forced a smile: "Yes, I know. Mother, don't be too sad, take care of yourself."
The mother and daughter chatted for a while longer, with Madam Wang giving instructions on how to take care of herself, while Yan Shu listened quietly. But the unspoken truths stood between them like an invisible wall.
Madam Wang dared not linger, fearing she would lose control of her emotions. After speaking for a while longer, she rose and took her leave with reddened eyes.
After seeing her mother off, Yan Shu lay alone on the couch, feeling as if all her strength had been drained away.
Her child… the child she had been so careful with, the child she had longed for, was still gone in the end. She knew perfectly well where the root of the problem lay. That bowl of “tonifying medicine” she had been drinking for so long had long since eroded her very foundation. History was like a giant whirlpool; she desperately tried to swim out, but was always pulled back.
Is it really impossible to change this? Are she and Lingyuan destined to face that predetermined, tragic end?
A deep sense of powerlessness gripped her.
After an unknown amount of time, a faint noise came from outside, and Chun Tao's cautious voice rang out: "Your Highness, Consort Lin has arrived."
Then, the curtain was gently lifted, and Consort Lin entered. Today, she was dressed in simple palace attire, without any makeup, and her expression showed worry.
Yan Shu struggled to sit up and bow, but Consort Lin quickly stepped forward and pressed her down.
"Lie down quickly and don't move." Consort Lin sat down on the embroidered stool by the bed, carefully examined her face, and sighed softly, "His Majesty heard about your situation and was concerned about it, so he granted me permission to leave the palace to see you."
She had already seen Ling Yuan in the outer room. The usually strong Prince Duan now had eyes filled with pain, which made her feel a little sorry for him.
Consort Lin held her cold hand, her voice gentle yet powerful: "I know you're suffering both physically and emotionally right now. Keeping things bottled up inside will only make things worse for you."
Yan Shu felt a lump in her throat and looked away.
Consort Lin paused for a moment and then said, "Let me tell you a story from the past. It's about Yuan'er's mother."
Yan Shu's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously looked at Consort Lin.
"At that time, the prince was only eight years old." Consort Lin's voice was very low. "It was also at night, and the palace was in chaos. A tiny little boy stood motionless in the courtyard. Inside... his mother's screams were coming one after another. Palace maids and eunuchs carried in hot water, and what they brought out... was all blood..."
Yan Shu unconsciously clenched the blanket.
“He just stood there, neither crying nor making a fuss, his eyes fixed on that door.” Consort Lin’s voice was a little choked. “Later, the sound stopped, the imperial physician came out and shook his head… His mother passed away right in front of him.”
Yan Shu closed his eyes, as if he could see that small, lonely figure standing in the cold courtyard, being swallowed up by despair little by little. After that, he began to live under the roof of others. Although the late empress treated him well and his father showed him much pity, who could replace his own mother? Moreover, she passed away in such a tragic way before his eyes.
But she knew exactly what a sordid truth lay behind that "accident"!
This secret was like a red-hot iron, searing her insides with pain. She couldn't tell, she never could. Once revealed, a blood feud would immediately ensue between her and Ling Yuan, leaving no room for reconciliation. She couldn't imagine how Ling Yuan would look at her if he knew the truth.
Is history truly unshakeable? Are they destined to repeat this tragic cycle?
"Shu'er," Consort Lin's voice pulled her back from her icy thoughts, "I'm telling you this not to make you more upset. I want to tell you that the Prince... lost his mother when he was young. He looks strong, but he suffers more than anyone else. Now, he truly cherishes you. The loss of the child hurts him no less than your pain."
She squeezed Yan Shu's hand tightly: "So, you have to pull yourself together. Take your medicine and get better. You only have each other now. Only when you're both well and standing firm will those who are hiding in the shadows watching the show and trying to trip you up dare not make any more moves! No matter how difficult this process is, you must grit your teeth and keep going!"
Yan Shu stared blankly at Consort Lin, at the unwavering determination and concern in her eyes.
Yes... she can't fall down.
If she were to succumb to this illness and never recover, wouldn't that be exactly what the historical records say: "Due to her weakened state after the miscarriage, coupled with her incurable heart disease, she ultimately 'died'?"
She comes from a thousand years in the future and knows the ending. Does that mean she can only watch it happen?
No!
The child is gone, and she is heartbroken. But she and Lingyuan are still alive.
History may be stubborn, but it is not monolithic. She changed the strategy offered at the palace banquet, she changed the method of building the dam, so why couldn't she try again to change their ultimate fate?
Consort Lin is right, she must get better. Only by living, only by living consciously and strongly, can she protect those she wants to protect, expose those lurking in the shadows, and... turn the tide!
The chill of despair was gradually dispelled by a faint but indomitable warmth. On the desolate ruins of my heart, something seemed to be struggling to break through the soil.
Consort Lin sat for a while longer, carefully instructing Chun Tao on some matters of care, before getting up and leaving.
The room fell silent again.
As Yan Shu gazed at the intricate patterns on the tent ceiling, her eyes gradually became clear and resolute.
She took a deep breath, as if pressing the smell of medicine and the lingering sadness into her lungs, and then slowly exhaled.
After a moment, she spoke, her voice still weak, but carrying a long-lost strength, clearly reaching the doorway:
"Chuntao, bring in the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician."
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