Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

"You mean... His Majesty has woken up?!"

Empress Fang, who had already lain down to prepare for bed, suddenly sat up.

"Quickly, have someone prepare a sedan chair immediately!"

"Summon Granny Wei in to help me change."

A moment later...

"Your Majesty need not worry. The palace maids and Consort Wang who participated in the palace coup have all been silenced. There is no way to verify their identities, and no trace of their involvement has been left behind."

While helping Empress Fang change her clothes, Granny Wei whispered,

"Chen Furong, the only one who knew the inside story, is now the Consort Jing."

Moreover, she made two significant contributions on the surface, one of which was going to the Imperial Stables to call for help to save the emperor on the night of the palace coup.

After being diagnosed with a child of the emperor, Chen Furong took the opportunity to ask the Empress to grant her the title of concubine on behalf of the emperor, as a way to bring good fortune to the emperor. Originally, this was just a means for her to protect herself in the palace.

Unexpectedly, just a few days later, His Majesty, who had been in a coma for nearly two months, actually woke up.

Everyone would think that it was because of this 'lucky charm' that Chen Furong had once again made a great contribution.

Unexpectedly, Chen Furong was quite lucky.

Despite being of average appearance, she was summoned by His Majesty for a night of pleasure in the dark, and surprisingly, she became pregnant with his child.

If she can successfully give birth to a prince or princess in the future, needless to say, even if there is an accident during this pregnancy, her position will be very secure.

His Majesty has been practicing Taoism for many years and believes in karma. Knowing that Chen Furong saved him twice, he will surely treat her well and may even promote her to the rank of concubine.

Everything Chen Furong did from the day of the palace coup was for self-preservation.

She's a smart woman, and now that her position is secure, no one can do anything to her. Naturally, she'll keep that secret to herself and take it to her grave.

"What I'm worried about is naturally not Chen Furong."

Empress Fang sighed softly.

"Although she knows many secrets, if she were to reveal them, she could drag me down with her."

But she herself will certainly not escape death.

Now that she is safe and sound, she certainly wouldn't seek her own death.

But if His Majesty inquires about that vixen Cao, I'm afraid there will still be trouble.

"On that day, Consort Wang Ning personally testified that Lady Cao was the plotter to kill the emperor. Several eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Imperial Horse Administration were present at the scene and can testify to this."

Granny Wei comforted her softly.

"If His Majesty asks, they would not dare not answer truthfully."

When the Empress saw that His Majesty was seriously injured and unconscious, she was so enraged that she ordered the palace maid who murdered the emperor, along with Consort Wang and Lady Cao, to be beheaded and their bodies mutilated.

Although it may seem impulsive, no one can say that the Empress wronged them.

Even His Majesty cannot blame the Empress for this.

"I hope so."

Empress Fang nodded slightly.

"In any case, I'll go visit His Majesty first."

. . .

One hour later, at Renshou Palace.

"What exactly happened to Your Majesty?"

Empress Fang asked Xu Kun.

At this moment, many people were kneeling in front of the imperial bed. They were all important figures in the palace who had rushed over after receiving the news that the emperor had woken up.

Only Lu Chen and Empress Fang were sitting in the chairs.

When most people rushed to the scene after receiving the news, all they could think about was how to answer the emperor's questions, what they should say, and what they shouldn't say.

But no one expected that all these preparations would be completely unnecessary.

The emperor did wake up, but he had not truly regained his senses. His eyes were vacant, and he occasionally uttered a few syllables in a very hoarse voice.

Sometimes, it was just a series of inexplicable single words, with no connection between the first and second words, and no one could understand what the emperor was trying to say.

Sometimes, what is emitted is simply meaningless sound.

At this moment, the emperor was not lying flat on the bed, but leaning against the headboard with a soft pillow behind him.

But he didn't sit up on his own.

According to the eunuch who was on night duty by the emperor's bedside and was the first to notice the emperor's movements, when the emperor had just woken up, he tried to sit up by himself with his hands supporting him on the bed.

But after several attempts, all failed. It was the eunuchs who helped the emperor up and had him sit up against the headboard.

"Your Majesty, although His Majesty's external injuries have healed, he still faces several internal difficulties."

Xu Kun, who was taking the emperor's pulse, quickly replied.

"His Majesty has been in a coma for nearly two months. His blood and qi are stagnant, his meridians are blocked, and his limbs and muscles are showing signs of weakness."

Although I have ordered people to turn Your Majesty over, wipe your body, and massage your limbs every day, it can only delay the symptoms and cannot reverse them.

Even if His Majesty is of sound mind, it will be difficult for him to stand and walk on his own in the short term.

It requires daily acupuncture, massage, and medicated baths and fumigation, along with assistance from a specialist to help the patient walk slowly. It may take anywhere from half a year to a year for the patient to gradually regain muscle strength.

Your Majesty's speech is now incoherent and your eyes are dull, which are signs of blood stasis obstructing the meridians and phlegm clouding the mind.

This condition is more difficult to treat than physical injuries; medicine can improve blood circulation, but it cannot calm the mind.

It requires gradual treatment; it should not be rushed, and the patient should not be startled or agitated, as this could lead to a frenzy.

"What Imperial Physician Xu means is that His Majesty's weakness in his limbs is due to prolonged bed rest."

Empress Fang looked at Emperor Jiajing, who was leaning against the imperial couch.

"Now that he has woken up, he can recover within a year if he takes proper care of himself."

When will His Majesty regain his senses? Can Imperial Physician Xu provide a definite answer?

"I am foolish and dull-witted; matters of the mind and spirit cannot be cured by medicine."

Xu Kun immediately knelt down, bowing his head very low.

"Among patients who have been in a coma for a long time and have woken up, there are also many cases of them being unconscious."

Some people regain their senses quickly, while others need months or even years.

Some people even spend their entire lives in a daze.

When Your Majesty will regain your senses is beyond my ability to say.

. . .

While Empress Fang was questioning Xu Kun, Lu Chen was also using his mental power to carefully sense the condition of Emperor Jiajing's body.

The cerebral thrombosis surgery I underwent a few days ago, though not entirely successful, did at least have some effect.

According to the feedback from the telepathic power, blood is now flowing in the area where there was a noticeable lump in Emperor Jiajing's brain.

At least the blood vessels in these locations are now open.

However, it is impossible to determine how much of the blood clots, which I crushed into tiny pieces with my psychic power, have been carried away by the blood and how much has blocked even smaller blood vessels.

The tiny blood clot fragments felt almost indistinguishable from the surrounding brain tissue.

The functions of the human brain are too complex; even the modern medicine of the world Lu Chen traveled to before knew very little about brain research.

Even if some areas whose functions are clearly known are damaged, sometimes other parts can compensate and complete the function of the damaged parts.

There are cases of people who have been in a coma for many years regaining their consciousness, and there are also cases of people who have lost their memory for many years suddenly regaining it.

No one can really explain what happened.

The Jiajing Emperor's brain had recovered some function after the blood clot was shattered by his mental power, but there were definitely still some problems.

For example, if tiny blood vessels are blocked by fragments of a blood clot, some areas of brain tissue will inevitably die due to lack of nutrition during a coma.

Lu Chen wasn't a medical student before he transmigrated; he had already reached his limit by using only a little amateur medical knowledge to achieve this level.

But at least the Jiajing Emperor has woken up, can eat normally, and can undergo rehabilitation, thus averting the imminent life-or-death crisis.

As for when he will regain his senses, or even if he will regain them at all, that's up to fate.