After receiving medicine at Yikun Palace and being acupunctured more than a dozen times, Da Pang Ju felt slightly better after lying down for an hour. He then had himself carried back to Yangxin Hall, feeling dizzy.
Nian Shilan and Sun Miaoqing escorted them to the palace gate, and only returned to the hall after watching them walk away.
"His Majesty's health is not only not improving, but it seems to be worse than before. There are some things we should start preparing for."
Nian Shilan laughed radiantly, as bright as the rising sun, just like Sun Miaoqing had seen her when she first entered the palace.
[Hua Pangpang is so handsome! His smile is like a blooming peony. I wish I looked like him.]
Sun Miaoqing was stunned for a moment. It had been too long since she had seen her like this. This was the Hua Fei she remembered.
Nian Shilan winked triumphantly, her eyes gentle and affectionate. She raised her rounded chin, her smile both arrogant and endearing.
Even if she doesn't dress up for someone she likes, she still has to dress up beautifully and outshine everyone else.
Otherwise, the hair ornaments would be made of silk flowers, and the clothes would be made of ordinary silk.
To save on silk thread and labor, every effort is made to cut corners on the embroidery. What fun is there in that for a woman to do it?
“I am well aware that the Emperor is wary of me and my brother. Over the years, I have handed over almost all of my family’s power, and he doesn’t care about what’s left.”
"But as the saying goes, even a broken boat has three pounds of nails. I still have connections behind the scenes, which can come in handy at crucial moments."
Sun Miaoqing said, "Sister Shilan, you've worked hard for us over the years. Your two cookbooks, along with Consort Yun's, are a perfect match."
"However, the closer we get to the end, the less we can afford to be careless. It's too early to be happy now."
Nian Shilan never expected that Sun Miaoqing knew about her schemes. She had never revealed the matter of eating at both homes to anyone.
But if she knows, she knows; she doesn't ask why. Cats have their ways, dogs have theirs, and who doesn't have a few spies around?
As long as one is favored and has money to spend, plenty of palace maids and eunuchs will come to one's door seeking favor. A casual chatter here and there might lead to some clever person discovering something extraordinary.
Since Sun Miaoqing dared to tell her these things, even if there were any loose ends left, she must have cleaned them up, so there's no need to worry about it.
Nian Shilan said, "I understand, but the Emperor's health is getting worse. The news that you were reading memorials in the Hall of Mental Cultivation and writing imperial comments for the Emperor has spread like wildfire."
"Many ministers are very dissatisfied with this, so we should be careful."
Sun Miaoqing said, "I know, this was originally something the Emperor asked me to do, it wasn't something I volunteered for."
"Those people want to shift all the blame onto me, but it won't be that easy. Don't worry, Sister Shilan."
The chubby orange tree was exhausted, sick, and weak, and without help, it was unable to handle state affairs as before.
If not her, who else can we turn to?
Looking for eunuchs? The Ming Dynasty was dominated by powerful officials, and the country has only been gone for a short time. The History of Ming has not yet been compiled.
Find his brothers? If you ask them to take care of one more important matter, Big Fat Orange will probably be so worried he won't be able to sleep.
And those ministers in the court—just look at the treatment Nian Gengyao and Longkodo received; it's no wonder that the fat orange king (referring to a powerful official) would give such great power to others.
Asking Sun Miaoqing to do this was a decision he made after careful consideration.
I used to just talk to Sun Miaoqing a few more times, and later I would ask her to read some less important things.
Now I feel uncomfortable even picking up a pen, so I have her write all the unimportant documents for me.
No matter how dissatisfied others are, it won't matter as long as Big Fat Orange isn't fully recovered.
Unlike the Song Dynasty, the Qing court was not like that of the Song Dynasty, where ministers could grab the emperor's clothes and spit on his face, demanding that the emperor heed their advice.
*
Hall of Mental Cultivation
Big Fat Orange, dressed in his nightgown, sat on the bed, listening to Sun Miaoqing read the memorial as usual.
These days he has no interest in visiting the inner palace anymore. When he is not dealing with state affairs, only Zhen Huan and a few others are by his side.
Sun Miaoqing frowned deeply as she looked at the memorial in her hand.
The chubby orange cat asked, "What's troubling you that makes you so unhappy? Read it to me."
Sun Miaoqing said, "Some ministers disapproved of me writing on behalf of the Emperor, calling me a hen crowing at dawn."
"They're holding me so tightly, I have no way to defend myself. Why don't we assign numbers to all the sisters in the harem, and have each of them take turns serving me at the Hall of Mental Cultivation? That way, they won't keep targeting me alone."
Big Fat Orange closed his eyes, reached out and took the folded document, and thought to himself as he read it.
He couldn't hear what others were thinking, and besides, even reading memorials aloud and writing imperial comments on their behalf wasn't something just anyone could do.
Zhen Huan, Shen Meizhuang, and An Lingrong are still somewhat useful, but if it were Consort Qi and the others, who knows what kind of trouble they would cause.
"Nonsense, this is a confidential matter, how could just anyone know?"
"You will serve here. If anything written in the memorial is leaked, I will question you."
"If the entire palace knows, what secret is there left?"
Sun Miaoqing said, "Even if it were leaked, it wouldn't necessarily be me."
"There are nearly a hundred palace maids and eunuchs serving in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and the ministers who submit memorials are not alone."
"Besides, who knows how many people handled it along the way? It's even possible that you were talking in your sleep at night and someone overheard you!"
The chubby orange cat squinted, his face puffy, but his skin actually looked shiny. He asked suspiciously, "Did I talk in my sleep last night?"
Sun Miaoqing nodded. "What, does Your Majesty not want to admit it?"
The chubby orange was puzzled as to why Su Peisheng had never told him about this habit, nor had the other concubines mentioned it to him.
"You're deceiving me again. I've never had a penchant for speaking in my dreams."
Sun Miaoqing said, "Believe it or not, I heard it anyway."
"You always talk about Heaven, the land, and factional strife. With my beloved concubine in your arms, how can Your Majesty still dream of other things? Am I not trying hard enough?"
Big Fat Orange thought about those things, but with his current body, he didn't have the mind to think about them anymore.
He pushed away Sun Miaoqing's fingers that were circling his chest, showing absolutely no regard for his feelings.
"Keep reading, ignore the rumors. I'm not senile yet, I know what to do."
*
The imperial physician came every day, but Da Pang Ju's health showed no improvement. Each time, the amount of medicine used was more than three times the initial dose.
After taking the Emperor's pulse, Su Peisheng quickly asked, "Imperial Physician Lu, how is His Majesty's health?"
Big Fat Orange waited for his reply with a sullen face.
Physician Lu was very distressed. The emperor was now so thin that he was skin and bones, and his head was swollen. So he could still look presentable on the surface.
The poison from the Golden Elixir and Elephant Valley had long since seeped into his bones and could not be eradicated. His whole body was like a funnel, and no matter how much he tried to replenish it, he could not make up for the deficiency in his body, and he could not withstand the slightest setback.
If I stop taking the medication, the withdrawal symptoms will kick in and I won't last more than two days. If I don't stop taking the medication, I'll just be barely clinging to life.
With proper care and a bit of luck, one could live for over a year; but if luck isn't on their side...
If you're unlucky, it'll only be three months...
But would he dare to tell the truth?
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