The Empress Dowager looked much better than she had a few days ago and was able to get out of bed. The makeup on her face concealed her age, and she wore a cheongsam embroidered with longevity characters in red and gold, exuding elegance and nobility. A silver hairpin was tied around her neck with a jade and tourmaline flower pendant. She still looked at Yan Ning with a bright smile, her brown, almost transparent eyes like a bottomless lake.
Wu Chun stared at Yan Ning in astonishment, her hands still held in front of her chest as if holding a jade bowl.
Gazing at the shattered jade bowl on the ground, Yan Ning rose angrily, the pearl hairpins in her hair clattering against each other. She looked at Wu Chun with jealousy, a medicine bowl hanging from the embroidered cheongsam supported by her protruding belly. Wu Chun's eyes immediately welled with tears, hidden beneath her long, curved eyelashes, making her even more pitiful.
Yan Ning said angrily, "Back in the manor, you always acted weak and submissive to please the general. Now that you're in the Empress Dowager's palace, you still act so rudely. Did the Fucha family not teach you any manners?"
Granny Zhuang stood behind Yan Ning, her eyes meeting the Empress Dowager's, a smile spreading across her face. It was nothing more than a petty squabble between women in the household, yet they'd gone so far as to bring it into the palace.
The Empress Dowager's smile softened. "I know you and Kang'er are deeply in love, which is why I kept Wuchun in the palace. Firstly, so she can rest and prepare for childbirth, and secondly, so that you can give Kang'er a son soon!"
The sandalwood incense in the hall was very strong, and Yan Ning felt nauseous, her face turning pale. The Empress Dowager, however, simply thought she was ashamed of her earlier rudeness.
Seeing the deep contempt hidden on the Empress Dowager's face, Yan Ning broke out in a fine layer of cold sweat on her back. Her clothes clung tightly to her smooth, jade-like skin, and the chill seeped into her very being.
The following day, the imperial procession departed.
Under the cold moonlight, even the towers and high walls of the Forbidden City are indistinct. Only the gilded glazed tiles on the Nine-Ridge Hall, undeterred by the cold moonlight, gleam with golden light.
The emperor and his concubines' entourage and ceremonial procession were hidden in the dim light of lanterns, with the occasional voices of eunuchs and palace maids and the sound of hurried footsteps.
Yan Ning, Wu Chun, and the accompanying concubines arrived before the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, and waited for them in their respective carriages.
Lifting the curtain, Yan Ning looked up and saw bright yellow in her eyes. The long procession of attendants was already more than ten miles away.
Fukang'an rode through the ranks, directing various affairs, while Heshen also governed a region. Even when they happened to meet walking side by side, they acted as if they had never met before.
On the red sun emblem of the official robes, there is a qilin and a crane. One is a bird, the other a beast; they are certainly not to be taken lightly.
Following Yan Ning's gaze, Wu Chun saw Fu Kang'an's figure hidden in a bright yellow light. Her hand unconsciously went to her protruding belly, her eyes filled with a mixture of tenderness and reluctance.
When the Emperor and Empress Dowager's palanquins arrived, the sky was already bright and clear.
The imperial procession, stretching for ten miles, was a magnificent spectacle of bright yellow banners and ceremonial guards. The various umbrellas and fans alone lined up several yards behind the imperial carriage. Along with the accompanying eunuchs, palace maids, and guards, the procession occupied most of the streets in the capital.
However, military officers from the capital had already cleared the streets of civilians, and not a single commoner could be seen wandering about; everyone was kneeling with their heads bowed. The shouts of "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!" could still be heard several miles away from the capital.
Upon arriving at the Yuanmingyuan, Wuchun and Yanning followed the Empress Dowager directly to the Changchun Immortal Hall. The Empress Dowager resided in the East Courtyard, and Yanning and Wuchun were also fortunate enough to reside there. To ensure the Empress Dowager's comfort, the west bank housed the Imperial Kitchen, Imperial Tea Room, Imperial Pharmacy, and other facilities.
Surrounded by mountains and water on all sides, it resembles an island in the middle of a lake.
Although it was winter, the water in the lake flowed slowly, perhaps too slowly, as if it were still.
Tired of the deep courtyards of the Fucha Mansion and the high walls of the Imperial Palace, Yan Ning and Wu Chun both thought they had stumbled upon the immortal cultivation place of some fairy when they first entered this place.
Yan Ning had never been to Penglai Immortal Island, but she guessed that it was probably similar.
However, the Empress Dowager was old and plagued by illness, and felt that it didn't matter where she lived, she would be bedridden.
As soon as she stepped out of the sedan chair, the Empress Dowager gasped for breath and began to cough. The palace servants accompanying her from Cining Palace were all on tenterhooks, attending to her with their lives at risk. As soon as the Empress Dowager felt unwell, they immediately went to summon the imperial physician.
Granny Zhuang helped the Empress Dowager lie down and took a bowl of Job's tears and pear syrup from the palace maids for her to drink.
The Empress Dowager's face was flushed with illness from coughing, and the wrinkles on her face were quite noticeable. She did not drink the Job's tears and pear syrup from the jade porcelain spoon in Granny Man's hand, but instead raised her eyes to look at Yan Ning standing to one side.
Wu Chun was pregnant, and the Empress Dowager, fearing that the long journey would harm the fetus, ordered her to rest in a side hall. Yan Ning, being in good health, was always by the Empress Dowager's side, and seeing the Empress Dowager's signal for her to step forward, she tucked the handkerchief in her hand into the embroidered button at her waist, walked to Granny Zhuang's side, and took the jade porcelain bowl from her hand.
The Empress Dowager's expression had calmed considerably. She took the soup from Yan Ning's jade porcelain spoon and drank it. "Fortunately, I have no children to worry about. I'd like to keep you by my side for a few more years!"
Yan Ning was startled; the Empress Dowager must have noticed something was wrong with her.
When the palace maid went to fetch the imperial physician, she alarmed the emperor. He came with his three consorts to pay his respects and relieved Yan Ning's predicament. The Empress Dowager then turned her attention to the imperial concubine who was walking towards her.
Yan Ning, holding the jade bowl, moved aside to make way for the bed.
When the Emperor saw Yan Ning, a hint of helplessness flashed across his face, but it was only a hint before it turned into the chill in the warm palace.
The Emperor sat down on a round wooden chair next to the Empress Dowager's bed, with Consort Shu and Consort Dun sitting behind him.
Consort Rong stepped forward and took the jade bowl from Yan Ning's hand, still wearing that familiar smile when she saw Yan Ning. She walked to the Empress Dowager's place, and the Empress Dowager pulled her to sit beside her, even closer than the Emperor.
Just as the Emperor and his concubines were seated, Eunuch Lin entered and bowed, "Your Majesty and Empress Dowager, General Fucha has come to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager!"
The Emperor, noticing the Empress Dowager's slightly bowed face, spoke in a deep voice, "Summon her!"
Fukang'an strode into the main hall, stood outside the curtain, flicked open the horse-hoof sleeves on his wrists, and knelt to pay his respects. "Your subject, Fucha Fukang'an, greets the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and all the empresses!"
The Emperor said gently, "Get up!"
Fukang'an stood up, but remained standing in the same spot with his head bowed and silent.
The light lotus-gray curtains were very thin, but they obscured Yan Ning's expression, making it impossible for her to discern Fukang'an's true feelings. However, they must have been one that evoked immense pity.
The Emperor's gaze shifted from Fukang'an to the Empress Dowager. "I heard that Your Majesty is not feeling well. Could it be that the long journey has aggravated your illness?"
The Empress Dowager gave a weak smile, her lips not curving upwards, her expression tinged with helplessness. "As a dying woman, it is common for me to be bedridden. Your Majesty need not worry about me! Your Majesty's good health is the greatest blessing for all people, in accordance with Heaven's will, and bringing prosperity!"
This last sentence was said to Fukang'an.
The Emperor was stunned, glancing at Fukang'an standing behind the curtain. "Your son knows! The will of Heaven cannot be defied!"
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