Sun Miaoqing hadn't expected the plot to change so much. The drama between Sun Da Ying and that madman still unfolded, only the people who witnessed it were different.
After examining the child, several imperial physicians concluded that the chubby orange had been so enraged that its body could no longer withstand the strain. Even with ginseng and turtle soup to keep it afloat, it only had a short time left.
Sun Miaoqing stayed by Da Pangju's side every day to take care of him. She stayed by his side all day before he finally woke up weakly.
"Your Majesty, you're awake! I was truly terrified this time."
Seeing Sun Miaoqing crying her eyes out, Big Fatty Orange felt that all his efforts over the years had finally paid off.
At least this time she was genuinely crying for him, instead of dressing up and waiting to act like a saintly empress dowager.
Just two days ago, Consort Sun came to the Hall of Mental Cultivation to request an audience, bringing gifts and saying how much she missed him. Is this how this wretched woman misses him?
The fat orange cat said fiercely, "I'm not dead yet, and she's already so impatient."
"Where is that bitch?!"
Sun Miaoqing said, "Su Peisheng had him detained and imprisoned. Consort Hua sent people to interrogate him. I have been guarding this place and do not know the result yet."
Big Fat Orange said, "Kill them, tear them apart by five horses!"
Sun Miaoqing said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. The imperial physician said that you must not get angry anymore."
Big Orange felt as if a huge rock was pressing on his chest, making it impossible for him to lift his body. Even his arms were weak and sore, making it difficult to move even slightly.
I know I shouldn't get angry anymore, but this kind of thing is not something you can just endure.
The chubby orange said, "Summon Consort Hua here. I have some instructions."
Sun Miaoqing shook her head, crying, and held his hand, refusing to agree.
"You're so sick, and you still called her over to say these things. If she doesn't catch her breath, I'll be a widow."
What if those ministers think we, a widow and her children, are easy to bully and actually force us to our deaths?
The last bit of energy that Da Pang Ju had managed to muster vanished instantly. He tried with all his might to pull his hand away, but Sun Miaoqing was holding on too tightly, and he couldn't budge it.
Sigh, his expectations were too high; he actually still had hope for this fairy.
"Your crying is giving me a headache, and Hongzhou needs someone to take care of him. You should go back now and let Su Peisheng in."
Sun Miaoqing nodded, feigning difficulty, explaining that she was exhausted after guarding the place for so long.
The concubines knelt on the floor of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, their eyes red, not daring to utter a sound. Seeing Sun Miaoqing emerge, Nian Shilan rose and asked,
"What's the situation inside?"
Sun Miaoqing shook her head. "She doesn't look well. She just woke up and she's already thinking about Consort Sun. She hasn't taken a word of what the imperial physician said to heart."
Nian Shilan raised the corners of her lips, but quickly regained her composure. Now was not the time to be smug; once she returned to Yikun Palace, she would laugh however she pleased.
“Sun has served the Emperor for more than three years, but has only served him three times. After such an incident, doesn’t the Emperor bear any responsibility?”
Nian Shilan spoke softly, and Sun Miaoqing, who was standing closest to her, could barely hear her.
"Sister Shilan, this is not the place to talk."
Nian Shilan pouted and didn't say anything more.
Xia Zi came from the sleeping quarters, bowed, and said, "This servant greets Your Highnesses. His Majesty has ordered that Consort Hua be invited in."
"I understand. I also have something to report to His Majesty."
As soon as Nian Shilan entered the bedchamber, she saw the emperor's face, which was ashen with a flushed red tinge, and his lips were bluish-gray and bloodless.
Even someone without medical knowledge would know that this is a serious illness.
He glanced at Su Peisheng, who was guarding the side, and the latter consciously stepped back to guard the outside.
Nian Shilan swayed her waist as she picked up the herbal soup beside her, her expression as sincere and earnest as ever.
"Your Majesty, it's time to take your medicine."
Big Fat Orange opened his eyes and tasted the bitterness in his mouth. Now, he couldn't even drink the medicine in one gulp.
"I was just feeling a bit dazed, and it seemed like I saw you when you first entered the palace. You were only seventeen years old, and you were so radiant and beautiful."
Nian Shilan felt a lump in her throat. She had entered the mansion with great joy, thinking she had married a good man, but in reality, she had entrusted herself to the wrong person.
"Am I not beautiful now?"
Consort Hua's voice choked with emotion, and Big Orange thought she was grieving for him. He tried to reach out and wipe away the tears from Shilan's eyes, but ultimately failed.
"You're still radiant now, and your temper is much better than it was before."
Nian Shilan smiled as she wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and whispered, "That's because I love you..."
Before the chubby orange could speak, Nian Shilan continued, "I have already investigated the matter of Consort Sun. The reason she was so impatient is because His Majesty's health is not suitable for being with women."
“Her family was unreliable, and her social status was low, so she was never valued. Therefore, she wanted to have a child through surrogacy so that she could have someone to rely on.”
“I never expected that His Majesty would see her like this. I have already had the imperial physician examine her pulse, and she is not pregnant.”
"Although Eunuch Su managed to detain the man in time that night, His Majesty was so angry that he fainted on the spot. Even though Consort Jing, Consort Hui, and I tried our best to cover it up, word still got out."
"Nowadays, people in the palace are just repeating what they've heard. For the sake of Your Majesty's reputation, I dare to beg Your Majesty to spare the two of them."
"Just assume it's a case of a eunuch and a palace maid having an affair, and kick them out of the palace."
Big Fat Orange's eyes widened. The matter between the Empress Dowager and Longkodo had caused him to harbor resentment for many years.
Now that a mere concubine has dared to do such a thing, it's already merciful that he didn't exterminate them and their entire families.
It was already wrong for the matter to get out, and now they're actually asking him to let the two go?
The way Big Fat Orange looked at Nian Shilan was icy colder than ever before, and filled with disbelief.
"Such a humiliating disgrace, and you actually expect me to pretend nothing happened, banish the two of them from the palace so they can elope?"
"Consort Hua, is it I who am ill, or is it you...?"
Nian Shilan sensed the murderous intent hidden in these words, but she was not afraid.
"Your Majesty is angry. I want to grind them to dust even more than Your Majesty does. But this matter has spread far and wide, and it is easier to dam a river than to dam the people's mouths."
"As the old saying goes, it's better to guide than to suppress. If His Majesty really punishes the two of them severely, wouldn't that be telling everyone that this matter is true?"
"At that time, a hundred people will have a hundred different stories, and who knows what will be spread? People will fabricate all sorts of things in unofficial histories, and what will become of the emperor's reputation?"
"Rather than let things get out of control, it's better to endure the humiliation for now and let the two leave the palace. That way, everyone will think it's just a rumor and will praise the Emperor's benevolence."
"Once the storm has passed, His Majesty can do whatever he wants with it. Wouldn't that be better?"
Big Fat Orange felt an itch in its throat, followed by a surge of bloody stench.
It was truly unsatisfying to let them go like that. But as Nian Shilan said, if such a thing were to remain, he would die just a few days later...
I eradicated the scourge of smallpox, reformed medical practices and taxes, and bred superior seeds that saved countless lives; who would not praise me?
Descendants: You were so angry you died from being cuckolded...
I have pacified the Mongols, developed maritime trade, expanded our territory, and my civil and military achievements will be remembered for eternity.
Descendants: Admit it, the grasslands above your head are greener than Mongolia...
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