Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

"Don't panic, and don't go to call for help."

The Jiajing Emperor, sitting on his imperial couch, gave the order in a hoarse voice.

"Come to me, let me take a good look at you."

"Your Majesty, I obey."

Having been an undercover agent for over a decade, Chen Furong possessed excellent adaptability. In just a few breaths, she recovered from her initial shock and knelt before the imperial bed.

Clearly, the emperor on his throne is now truly awake.

She didn't know whether she had been awake during the day but had been pretending to be stupid, or whether she had only recently regained consciousness.

However, that doesn't matter!

In any case, the emperor is now very weak, his limbs are powerless, and he cannot even sit up from his bed by his own strength.

The situation was even worse than it had been two months earlier when they faced sixteen palace maids, including Yang Jinying and Zhang Jinlian.

In his presence, the emperor was utterly powerless to protect himself.

Compared to Yang Jinying and the others that night, he now has a huge advantage.

At this moment, in the rear hall of Renshou Palace, only he and the emperor were alone.

Whatever happens, no one else will know.

Many important figures have visited the emperor during the day. Everyone knows that the emperor is now mentally unstable, incoherent, and acts like a fool.

If others find the emperor still acting like a madman tomorrow morning, no one will think they did anything wrong!

Let's try to get the emperor to say something first!

If I find that the emperor poses a threat to me, then I'm sorry.

"I was already awake when the thunder first started."

By candlelight, the Jiajing Emperor stared intently at Chen Furong's face, seemingly trying hard to recognize who she was.

"Not long after, you came in with several palace maids and stayed by my side."

I pretended to be asleep, but I was actually listening to your every move.

I heard the palace maids call you Consort Jing, and I heard them say that you are carrying my imperial child.

I also heard you tell them that you worked as a palace maid for more than ten years, rising from a lowly palace maid to the head palace maid before becoming Consort Jing.

You were originally a palace maid, not someone who entered the palace through the imperial selection process. You must have become a concubine because you became pregnant with my child after serving me in bed.

Later, when I heard that you had told all the palace maids to go back to rest and that you wanted to stay by my side by yourself, I knew that you were extremely loyal to me.

"That shouldn't be. Since you are my concubine and carrying my child, how come I have absolutely no recollection of your face?"

"Your Majesty, I am Chen Furong, and I was originally the head maid of Consort Cao."

That day, after His Majesty and Consort Cao had finished their cultivation, he was still not satisfied and pulled me to the imperial bed to serve him in bed.

A few days ago, I was diagnosed as pregnant by Dr. Xu because my period had not come for two months.

His Majesty remains unconscious. The Empress wishes to hold a joyous celebration to bring him good fortune, and therefore, on His Majesty's behalf, bestows upon me the title of Consort Jing.

Chen Furong bowed to the Jiajing Emperor.

"His Majesty awoke last night and has now regained his senses; indeed, Heaven blesses the Ming Dynasty."

"Such a thing could happen?!"

The Jiajing Emperor's face showed a look of surprise.

"Yes, Consort Cao is the birth mother of the eldest princess. I love her very much. It is common for me to summon Consort Cao to my bedchamber and for her to stay overnight in Yikun Palace."

As a palace maid serving Consort Duan, it is indeed possible that you will be favored by me.

I ask you, how long exactly was I unconscious?

Why am I so weak and powerless, unable even to sit up on my own?

"His Majesty has been in a coma for two months. After waking up yesterday, Imperial Physician Xu diagnosed that His Majesty's weakness in the limbs was caused by prolonged bed rest."

Chen Furong quickly replied,

"Starting tomorrow, the Imperial Physician Xu will come to Renshou Palace every day to perform acupuncture, massage, and medicinal baths for His Majesty, and will also have someone help His Majesty walk slowly."

Imperial Physician Xu assured Her Majesty the Empress that His Majesty's limbs would definitely recover within six months to a year.

"It's good that he can recover. Xu Kun was promoted by me and he is very capable. Since he said it, I can trust him."

Upon hearing that his health would recover within a year, the Jiajing Emperor visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Next question!"

What exactly happened two months ago?

How could I have been in a coma for two months?

"ah?!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Furong was taken aback. Forgetting her manners, she stared intently at Emperor Jiajing's face, trying to discern anything unusual.

What you can see, however, is another pair of eyes that are clearly very surprised.

He forgot!

The emperor has completely forgotten the palace coup two months ago, in which Consort Wang Ning, along with sixteen palace maids including Yang Jinying and Zhang Jinlian, strangled him with ropes and stabbed him in the chest and abdomen with hairpins in Renshou Palace, attempting to kill him!

"Are you that surprised?"

Upon seeing Chen Furong's surprised expression, the Jiajing Emperor's face hardened.

"It seems that something really significant happened two months ago."

"Speak, tell me everything you know."

"Your Majesty, I obey."

Chen Furong also realized what was happening.

"Two months ago, at midnight, the day after His Majesty visited me, Consort Wang Ning, along with sixteen palace maids, attempted to assassinate His Majesty in Renshou Palace."

Consort Wang Ning falsely claimed to have issued an imperial edict, sending all the other people on duty at Renshou Palace, including myself, outside the palace.

Later, a palace maid named Zhang Jinlian came out of Renshou Palace and said that she was ordered to go to Kunning Palace to retrieve something from the Empress.

I found this woman somewhat suspicious, so I went with her to see Her Majesty the Empress.

Upon meeting the Empress, Zhang Jinlian claimed that Consort Wang Ning was leading fifteen palace maids in an assassination attempt on His Majesty at Renshou Palace.

At the time, no one, including the Empress and your concubines, dared to believe it, but since it concerned His Majesty, we preferred to believe it rather than deny it.

If that little palace maid dares to lie about such a matter, she should be severely punished afterwards.

The Empress made a quick decision and sent me to the Imperial Stables to call for help. She herself rushed to Renshou Palace shortly afterward.

Your Majesty, when I arrived with the Imperial Horse Administration, those palace maids who murdered the emperor had not yet succeeded.

In their panic, they tied the rope around his neck into a knot that couldn't be tied back. They then used hairpins to stab the Emperor in the chest and abdomen more than a dozen times, but none of the wounds were fatal.

After saying this, Chen Furong stared intently at Emperor Jiajing's face, trying to capture every subtle change in his expression.

The account of reporting the incident and rescuing the emperor that he just described is the version he has told many people, completely absolving himself of any responsibility.

However, the details of the assassination attempt—such as the palace maid trying to strangle the emperor with a rope but finding that the knot was too tight to kill him, and then stabbing him in the chest and abdomen with a hairpin—were deliberately told to the emperor.

The emperor was assassinated by a palace maid and nearly lost his life. The memory would be etched into his bones, leaving an indelible shadow in his heart for the rest of his life!

If the emperor's earlier feigned ignorance of the matter was an act, he would surely show a strange reaction upon hearing his own description.

It's not the surprise that an ordinary person would show upon hearing something unexpected and absurd, but rather a conditioned reflex unique to someone who has a psychological trauma from it.

However, Chen Furong only saw a surprised expression on Emperor Jiajing's face; nothing else.

The emperor had actually forgotten about the assassination attempt by the palace maid!