Chapter 413: Chapter 411 Zhaozhao, Zhaozhao...
"His Majesty is ill?!"
In Kunning Palace, Huo Mingyan abruptly rose to her feet.
She had been learning the art of tea brewing from her instructor, but her sleeve swept across the tea table, toppling the rare tea sets. Pieces of shattered porcelain clinked onto the floor.
Unconcerned about the mess, her face turned grim as she commanded, "Prepare the carriage to the Imperial Study!"
Within the Imperial Study, two or three Imperial Physicians were gathered, discussing medical prescriptions.
Noticing Huo Mingyan herself arriving to inquire about the condition, Imperial Physician Chen respectfully reported, "Your Majesty the Empress, His Majesty is merely suffering from wind-chill entering his body and an imbalance of vital energy due to emotional distress. It is not a serious condition. A brief period of rest will be sufficient for recovery."
Huo Mingyan seated herself at the edge of the bed.
Her brows knitted tightly as she gazed at the man lying in a haze of unconsciousness.
His complexion was sickly pale; it looked like he hadn’t slept well the past couple of days, with dark circles pooling beneath his eyes.
The cousin she remembered was a decisive and mighty figure — heroic, rigid yet reserved, and dignified — the strongest man under heaven.
How could it be that he had suddenly fallen ill?
Her cold gaze darted toward Gui Quan and De Sun as she harshly questioned, "Where did His Majesty go today? Why is his vital energy in such disarray?!"
The two servants dropped to their knees, trembling, not daring to lift their heads.
Where else could His Majesty have gone but to Furong Palace in secret!
Yet, without His Majesty’s explicit permission, how could they possibly admit such a thing to the Empress?
"Audacious!" Huo Mingyan roared furiously, "Do you even consider this palace worthy of your respect?!"
"In reply to Your Majesty, this lowly servant... truly does not know where His Majesty went today!"
Huo Mingyan’s breathing grew heavier.
She was a woman from beyond the borders.
Ever since her entry into the Imperial Palace, the palace maids and eunuchs had often displayed subtle hints of contempt toward her.
They mocked her for cutting palace expenditures and reducing palace staff, calling her unbefitting of an Empress’s demeanor.
They laughed at her for being a rough warrior who wielded blades rather than embodying the refined elegance of the noblewomen of the Capital.
Now, even the eunuchs closest to her cousin were looking down on her, treating her as an outsider!
She spat coldly, "What loyal servants you are! His Majesty’s imperial body suffers a setback, and as the rightful Empress, I merely ask a few questions. Yet you so brazenly conceal the truth from me! It clearly shows your scheming hearts, treating this palace as a jest! Guards, drag them to the Punishment Room! I want to see whether their tongues are tougher than the rods of the Punishment Room!"
Gui Quan and De Sun raised their heads in disbelief.
Having served His Majesty since childhood, they were even closer to him than some of the court officials — a fact that might be considered presumptuous to say aloud.
Since His Majesty ascended the throne, their statuses had risen exponentially. Who in the palace would dare to disrespect them? Even the ministers from the former court treated them with deferential regard.
Yet the Empress intended to send them to the Punishment Room!
Even when Consort Rong was the Crown Princess Consort and was at her most unruly, she had never punished them like this!
Without the chance to protest, they were dragged down by the Imperial Guards.
Huo Mingyan dismissed Imperial Physician Chen and the others, taking it upon herself to care for Lu Ying.
She tucked Lu Ying’s quilt higher and murmured softly, "Cousin, truly, what could be so pressing in this realm that it outweighs your health? To the point where your emotional strain impacts your body, it leaves not just me but also the other sisters deeply concerned..."
She continued to mumble grievances to no one in particular until she suddenly heard Lu Ying’s faint voice.
"Cousin, what are you saying?"
She leaned in curiously to hear.
"Zhaozhao..."
"Zhaozhao..."
The man’s hoarse voice repeated.
An agonizing call, tearing at the heart.
Huo Mingyan’s expression changed drastically.
Her fingernails dug deeply into her palms, and she bit her lip fiercely.
She knew that Shen Yinning’s childhood name was "Zhaozhao."
Years ago, when Lu Ying journeyed to the border for training, his unfamiliarity with the terrain caused him to stray deep into the grasslands.
While there, he encountered a wolf pack and, though he fought his way back single-handedly, his injuries became infected, leading to a raging fever.
Back then, during his delirium, the name he called out was also "Zhaozhao."
Later, when he recovered, she had brought him soup and curiously asked who Zhaozhao was.
He replied that Zhaozhao was the girl he loved.
Never had Huo Mingyan seen such deep emotions in his eyes.
As if hardened steel had melted into tender silk.
But after all these years, despite experiencing Shen Yinning’s betrayals, he still could not forget her?
And what about her?
What did she, the rightful Empress, amount to in his eyes?
A surge of bitterness and humiliation welled up within her as she lowered her gaze, inhaling deeply, her mind already forming plans.
When she looked up again, her expression was once more composed and dignified. Rising, she summoned the palace maid, "How is the medicine coming along? I want to personally nurse His Majesty back to health."
Her grandmother always said she had too much pride, like an eagle soaring over the grasslands.
Yet men do not favor women who are too arrogant.
Humbling herself? Keeping a low profile?
She could do that, too.
As long as she could slowly win her cousin’s heart, she was willing to do anything.
The northern territories were growing increasingly unstable, and Cui Ji was set to leave the Capital tonight.
Shen Yinning was reluctant to keep him, so she accompanied him and Shangguan Min out of the Imperial Palace.
Early the next morning, she was still in the midst of dressing when Han Sang arrived personally.
Han Sang wore a fake smile as she said, "The Empress has invited the Commandery Princess to the Imperial Study for a conversation."
Shen Yinning slowly inserted a bejeweled hairpin into her coiffure.
Through the bronze mirror, she cast a subtle glance at Wei Yu before rising and politely smiling at Han Sang, "I’ve long wished to pay my respects to the Empress, but I feared she’d be too busy to grant me an audience. Now, with Her Majesty’s personal summons, I couldn’t ask for anything better."
Haitang accompanied Shen Yinning to the Imperial Study.
Huo Mingyan had stayed overnight to nurse, resting in a nearby chamber.
She seemed to have just woken up and was freshening herself.
The moment her peripheral vision caught Shen Yinning’s arrival, her movements paused slightly.
The palace maids attending to her quickly took the hint and parted to make way. One of them even brazenly carried the basin of rinsed water straight to Shen Yinning.
Shen Yinning’s lips curled faintly into a smile.
Was Huo Mingyan planning to make her serve?
Empress Dowager Li was one thing — an elder and an acquaintance of her grandmother, no less. Serving Empress Dowager Li to wash her face and hands was something she could accept without objection.
But what was Huo Mingyan to her?
She ignored the basin entirely, paid her respects with a bow, and gracefully took a seat. "One often hears about the Empress’s virtuous management and frugal stewardship. Not only has she recently cut expenditures for bird’s nests from the palace accounts but also dismissed many palace attendants. As the year’s end approaches, one wonders if these palace staff will have a place to stay in time for the New Year?"
The sarcasm needed no disguise.
Unfazed, Huo Mingyan continued freshening herself, coolly replying, "The Commandery Princess, born into wealth and comfort, likely does not understand the harsh poverty endured by those beyond the Capital. Cutting palace staff and trimming expenses are necessary measures for the sake of the nation’s stability. Even His Majesty praised my actions; does the Commandery Princess have critiques of His Majesty’s decisions? In matters of state, His Majesty and I are in firm agreement."
Shen Yinning smiled without answering.
Could there be a stronger agreement? Lu Ying was notoriously miserly; he truly partnered well with someone as frugal as Huo Mingyan.
In her time with him, he had often censured her for extravagance, claiming she lacked the moderation and indulgence shown to her by Lu Shiyan.
Seeing Shen Yinning’s silence, Huo Mingyan assumed she had gained the upper hand.
She pressed a warm towel over her face, speaking indifferently, "Today I summoned Zhaoning to remind you that in two days, it will be New Year’s Eve. You’ve lingered in the palace for quite some time; do you plan to spend the New Year here? As a concubine to a court official, this would be most improper."
Shen Yinning’s continued presence in the palace would undoubtedly affect her cousin.
For her to voluntarily leave, allowing her cousin to slowly forget her, would be ideal.
Before Shen Yinning could respond, the screen doors suddenly flew open.
Lu Ying stood there, pale and gaunt, his narrow eyes bloodshot, draped in a thick, dark purple fur cloak, staring at her.