The Empress Arrives: Rebirth of Concubine Hua

Chapter 170: Comforting the Queen Mother
Zhuxi shook her hand and quietly asked the palace maid who heard the noise and came to pick up the broken porcelain pieces to retreat. She squatted on the ground and collected the broken porcelain pieces one by one in her hands.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. If this matter gets to that person's ears, it may be bad for you."

Queen Mother De naturally knew who "that person" Zhu Xi was talking about, and she snorted coldly.

"Am I afraid of her? When the late emperor was alive, she was able to suppress me. Now that the emperor is my biological son, can she still suppress me?"

Zhuxi stood up, placed the broken porcelain pieces on a tray, and tried to calm Empress Dowager De.

"The Queen Mother has misunderstood my intention. For the sake of the Emperor, the Queen Mother has to control her temper. Even if we take a step back, the Fourteenth Master still has to rely on the Emperor, his brother. Shouldn't the Queen Mother also make plans for the Fourteenth Master?"

Zhuxi grew up with Empress Dowager De. She knew her temperament very well and dared to speak frankly to her.

Sure enough, Empress Dowager De didn't say anything. She thought for a while and then sighed.

"You are right. Fourteen is still young, and I love him the most. It's a pity that he has lost the protection of his father at such a young age. Although the emperor is my biological son, you see, he has been closer to the dead Tong Jia than to me since he was a child! If I hadn't stopped him a few days ago, he would have wanted to posthumously confer a title on Tong Jia! When Tong Jia was alive, she was already an imperial concubine, with a title as noble as that of a vice empress. If the emperor wants to posthumously confer a title on her, she must be the empress of the previous emperor. I am still alive, and I have never been an empress. Why should a dead person like her enjoy the honor of an empress?"

Zhuxi stepped forward and gently patted Empress Dowager De's back to calm her down. Recently, Empress Dowager De always complained of chest tightness and shortness of breath.

The imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau took turns to see Empress Dowager De, but none of them could diagnose what was wrong with her. They just prescribed some gas-relieving pills for her to take and suggested that she relax.

Bamboo breath road.

"Your Highness, calm down. Why are you fussing over a dead person? Your dignity and respect are for the living. Your Highness just needs to take good care of your body. You don't have to participate in government affairs anyway. Why are you still worrying so much? I see that the Emperor still respects you very much. Look at our Yonghe Palace. There is nothing you want. The Fourteenth Master is still young. You have to think about his future."

Queen Mother De turned around and patted the back of Zhuxi's hand, smiling.

"Luckily you are by my side, accompanying me for so many years. Go with me later to see if the soup for Fourteen is ready. According to the date, he should come to pay his respects to me today. I don't know how the child is doing in the prince's residence these days. After all, he is too young to leave the palace and set up his own residence. In the future, I will ask the emperor to give him the honorable title of prince, so that he can be a rich and noble prince."

Zhuxi also laughed.

"You are right, Empress Dowager. Parents who love their children will always plan for the long term. The Fourteenth Master will surely live a peaceful and smooth life as long as you, his dear mother, care about him."

It was already evening when Nian Shilan came out of the Cining Palace. It was still drizzling. Xiao Linzi had already been waiting at the gate of the Cining Palace with a sedan chair. He saw Nian Shilan come out and hurried forward to support her.

"Master, be careful. The road is slippery in the rain. I will support you."

Nian Shilan glanced at the sedan chair and said to Xiao Linzi.

"In the future, when I come to pay my respects to the Emperor at the Cining Palace, you must not wait in a sedan chair. I am here to show my filial piety to the Emperor, so there is no reason to make such a grand ceremony. For a junior to walk a few steps in front of an elder is nothing."

Xiao Linzi nodded and bowed hurriedly.

"Yes, it was my negligence. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me. What should we do now? The sedan chair has been waiting here for a long time. It has rained, and the palace road is somewhat slippery. Your Majesty, why don't you get on the sedan chair first? I will pay attention to it in the future."

Nian Shilan waved and walked slowly forward.

"No, let the bearers go back. I will go back on foot."

Xiao Linzi had no choice but to tell the sedan bearer to go back, while he supported Nian Shilan and slowly walked back to Yiku Palace. Songzhi stood by, holding an umbrella for Nian Shilan.

When they returned to Yiku Palace, Lidong stepped forward and bowed to Nian Shilan.

"Master, dinner is ready. Should we serve it now or wait a little longer?"

Nian Shilan patted her sleeves casually and found that they were somewhat damp due to the drizzle.

"I'd better change into dry clothes before eating." Lidong and Songzhi helped Nian Shilan change into casual clothes, and then sent the clothes to the laundry for cleaning.

But at night, Nian Shilan developed a fever. Songzhi hurriedly sent someone to invite Doctor Wen and report to the emperor.

Yinzhen stayed alone in the Yangxin Palace tonight. Su Peisheng had just helped him lie down when he heard a servant outside quietly asking to see Su Peisheng.

"Please be lenient, Eunuch Su. Concubine Hua has suddenly developed a fever. Someone has been sent to invite Imperial Physician Wen. I am here to report this to the Emperor."

When Su Peisheng heard this, he hurriedly turned around and went into Yinzhen's bedroom. Fortunately, Yinzhen was still asleep.

"Your Majesty, someone from the Yikun Palace just came and said that Concubine Hua suddenly had a fever. Would Your Majesty like to go and take a look?"

Su Peisheng spoke softly, afraid to disturb the emperor. Yinzhen sat up and began to put on his shoes, and Su Peisheng hurriedly changed his clothes.

"When did the fever start? What was the cause?"

Su Peisheng said as he helped Yinzhen tie his clothes.

"Your Majesty, please don't worry. I heard from the eunuch that Concubine Hua suddenly developed a fever at night. As for the cause, we have to wait for Doctor Wen to diagnose her pulse before we can know."

When Yinzhen arrived at Yikun Palace, Wen Xianqing had already arrived and was taking Nian Shilan's pulse.

When Wen Xianqing heard "The Emperor has arrived", he stood up and greeted Yinzhen. Yinzhen waved his hand for him to stand up and continued to take Nian Shilan's pulse.

Yinzhen leaned over to look at Nian Shilan, and sure enough, her face was abnormally red and she looked listless.

Nian Shilan looked up and saw Yinzhen, and struggled to get up and pay her respects, but was stopped by Yinzhen.

"Just lie down. I saw you were fine at lunch, how come you are like this now?"

Nian Shilan lay back on the pillow and smiled weakly.

"I have nothing to do. It is troublesome for the Emperor to come to see me so late at night."

A thought suddenly popped up in Yinzhen's mind. Nian Shilan had a delicate face and charming manners. With a fever, her face was flushed and she looked even more beautiful. But this was during the illness, so Yinzhen suppressed his thoughts and asked Wen Xianqing.

"What did Imperial Doctor Wen find out? What happened to Concubine Hua?"

Wen Xianqing hurriedly knelt down and replied with a serious expression.

"Reporting to the emperor, I took the pulse of the queen and initially diagnosed that she had a cold. I asked the palace maids and they said that the queen had walked outside today and was likely to have been hit by the wind. In addition, the weather has turned cooler and it has been raining continuously, which can easily cause people to catch a cold and have a fever. But."

Yinzhen said impatiently.

"Why but? It doesn't matter if you say it!"

Wen Xianqing kowtowed and sighed.

"But I found that there are signs of medication in your body. I am not sure what the medication is, but your pulse and symptoms show that this medication has the effect of sterilizing people."

Yinzhen's face suddenly turned gloomy.

(End of this chapter)