Clouds Drunk, Moon Slightly Sleeping

Chapter 127

The old man's face grew increasingly pale, and despite the cold winter, there seemed to be sweat on his forehead. While I had Chen Shou support his leaning back, I hurriedly reached out to wipe the sweat from his brow. The Empress, though tense and worried, calmly ordered the guards to temporarily seal off the main hall, restricting entry and exit, and also restricting the flow of information. Those seated at the banquet on the east side with the Crown Prince all turned pale. When the Crown Prince, standing before our table, recovered from this sudden turn of events, Old Man Yun was already beside him.

Since the old man was already unwell, the imperial physician was actually waiting outside. As soon as I finished speaking, within seconds, the old man's personal imperial physician rushed over. Chen Shou supported the old man, while the old empress anxiously watched the imperial physician. I stepped aside and gave the imperial physician my seat. Ignoring all the rules and etiquette, the imperial physician stepped forward and immediately took his pulse and examined his complexion.

I stared at the white jade dragon-carved cup that was half-tilted on the table, and recalled what the fox had said in his letter earlier about "recent changes." Had the palace intrigue and factional struggles in the imperial palace just reached their climax, and was it just a matter of time before the curtain fell and we awaited the end?

Clouds Drunk and Moon Slightly Asleep (Revised Edition) Volume Four: A Hidden Melancholy and Resentment Arise as Dust Settles

Chapter word count: 11565 Update time: 08-12-24 13:02

The dust has settled

I met the gaze fixed on me; it was my uncle, the Crown Prince. If there was anything wrong with this cup of tea, besides him, I was the only one responsible. According to custom, he personally selected and prepared all the necessary items—tea leaves, teacups, water, and teaware. He had been the Crown Prince for decades; even if the old man was seriously ill and there was hope, no matter how much he hoped and longed for it, he wouldn't be foolish enough to tamper with his own body and commit such a grave crime in front of so many people. So, the way he looked at me now, his half-closed eyes obscuring his expression, at least revealed a hint of suspicion towards me.

I met his gaze calmly, but my heart felt like it was hanging in mid-air, unable to land, and I felt incredibly flustered. My gaze slid past him to the old man Yun standing beside him, but he didn't look at me, watching the imperial physician busy at work with a look of worry and concern.

"There can't be just one cup of tea!" The thought flashed through my mind, and I lifted my skirt and hurried to the small tea table that Chen Shou had specially ordered to be brought over for my Uncle Crown Prince's tea ceremony, located between the main banquet tables. All the tea utensils were on the table. I knelt before it, rolled up my sleeves, and at that moment, I didn't feel the cold of my exposed arms. Reaching over the three white jade dragon-carved cups lying upside down on the tea tray, I picked up the teapot. Sure enough, it still contained the tea my Uncle Crown Prince had left behind.

I caught a glimpse of my uncle, the Crown Prince, out of the corner of my eye. I quickly tilted my head back, raised the teapot high, and as the tea went down my throat, all I heard were a cacophony of exclamations. Some called out "Yue'er," some "Yatou," and some "Princess," but I couldn't tell who was who.

"Moon!" As I leaned back, someone reached out and put their arm around my waist, supporting me. A familiar voice rang in my ears, and I leaned against him with relief, whispering with a smile, "Brother, I can't let anyone have the chance to pin the crime of regicide on me, not even the slightest suspicion."

My stomach was wracked with pain, and I nearly fainted. I gripped Yunfeng's hand tightly, my long nails digging into it. The Xiuyi Hall was in complete chaos, but my consciousness was becoming increasingly blurred and difficult to focus. The sounds of the outside world were fading away, and I could only vaguely see Yunfeng's mouth opening and closing, as if he were calling for "Imperial Physician."

The old man, with his meticulous mind, or perhaps it was actually the Crown Prince's uncle who orchestrated this. Regardless of who was behind it, I doubt they could have simply tampered with the tea and left behind something easily detectable. But the old man clearly only became like this after drinking the tea. I'm just taking a gamble, a gamble on my luck, hoping that the tampering in the tea won't just produce an adverse reaction from drinking it, but will require a combination of factors to be effective. In this vast Xiuyi Hall, only I and the old man ate the same thing. Rather than letting someone else, or rather the Crown Prince's uncle, drink the remaining tea and be unharmed, thus proving half of his innocence, while I, by handing over the teacup, am half-unjustly accused, I'd rather drink it. If I reach out and drink the remaining tea from the teapot, and the result is the same as the old man's, then it proves that the tea the old man drank was already problematic when I took it, thus clearing my name.

Moreover, if—and I mean if—this tampering was indeed done by Old Man Yun, then he was simply trying to frame his uncle, the Crown Prince, to give himself a chance to "become the Crown Prince." With the Crown Prince still the Crown Prince, directly taking the old man's life isn't the best strategy. So, perhaps this tampering wouldn't be fatal. I'm saying "if," I'm saying "perhaps," all of this is just my speculation, speculation as I got up and ran towards the coffee table. Now, I no longer have the ability to think. Before falling into a coma, I suddenly thought of Xi Lan—Xi Lan in white before losing her memory, Xi Lan who roamed freely among the mountains and rivers, ethereal and otherworldly like a banished immortal.

This time, during my coma, I had no consciousness, no dreams, no darkness, and I couldn't find my way home. I didn't even have the chance to see my parents and sister from afar with my soul. When I woke up again, I was awakened by something stabbing me painfully.

"Pain..." I couldn't help but groan, hearing the sound of my own body breaking—a scene all too familiar. I struggled to open my eyes, and what I saw was also quite familiar; I was still in the Drunken Moon Palace. Thank goodness.

"You're awake." The voice was calm, yet tinged with disdain. Or perhaps it wasn't disdain, but rather dissatisfaction.

"Uh... Little brat?" The voice still sounded hoarse and weak. Good heavens, why is it Little Brat? He looked around with difficulty, but apart from Little Brat, there was no one else. Even Yao Yao was not there.

"Are you kidding me? I'm a miracle doctor, you know? I just saved your life, can't you even say something nice to express your gratitude?" He stood up angrily, pointed at me and shouted, a thin, long silver needle clearly visible in his hand.

Save my life? I stared at the silver needle and blinked a few times, then looked down at myself with difficulty and was shocked to find that I was shirtless and neck exposed in the freezing cold, with my arms and elbows covered with dense silver needles.

"Ah..." I screamed, but because I was weak and dehydrated, it didn't sound very pitiful. I reached out to grab the blanket to cover myself, but found that I couldn't move the thick blanket. I glared at the little brat and realized with resentment that I had been taken advantage of.

"What kind of look is that? I'm saving someone, understand? Don't make a sound, don't move around, and don't disturb me, or you'll misplace the needle again." The kid plopped down on the edge of the bed, holding the silver needle up and down above my chest, as if looking for a spot to insert it.

Did he prick the wrong spot again? Good heavens, what kind of quack doctor is he? I was just woken up by the pain, could it be because this brat pricked the wrong spot? Good heavens, he's practically a male version of Rong Momo, and he's Rong Momo with the "miracle doctor" halo! My vision went black, and I fainted from anger.

When I woke up again, everything was back to normal. The little brat was gone, and Yaoyao was licking my face with her tongue while her feet were on the edge of the bed. The door was open, and Wang An and Yan'er were standing outside. I suddenly realized that the little brat was just a minor character in my dream.

"Yaoyao!" I had to speak up; the sticky, wet feeling on my face was driving me crazy.

"Princess!" Accompanied by two exclamations from a man and a woman, there was also Yao Yao's deafening roar that almost shattered my ears!

"The princess is awake! The princess is awake..." The entire Drunken Moon Palace was in an uproar, and it was likely that in a few minutes, the entire palace would also be in an uproar.

"How is the Emperor?" I'm still lying in the Drunken Moon Palace, not yet awake in the Heavenly Prison. My problem should be solved by now, right? I wonder how the old man is doing? Judging from Wang An and Yan'er's clothes, the old man should still be alive, but I don't know if he's awake or not.

"Your Highness, His Majesty has just recovered and is no longer in serious condition."

Huh? That doesn't make sense. The old man woke up before me? *Crying*, could it be because I drank more of that tea?

"What day is it today?" God, I hope I don't sleep for months on end. I can't let my youth slip away like this.

"On the 22nd of the first lunar month, the princess, who had been unconscious for seven days, finally woke up, thank goodness." It was rare for Wang An's reply to still carry a personal touch; it was truly remarkable.

"What happened after that?" I was worried about the Crown Prince's current situation.

"His Highness the Crown Prince has been deposed and has now moved to the North Palace."

So quickly, the matter has already been investigated and clarified? It suddenly occurred to me that in Xiuruo, punishments and finances have always been managed by Old Man Yun. Now that the Crown Prince is suspected of "regicide," he's fallen into Old Man Yun's hands; what chance does he have of turning things around? Throughout history, emperors have always been most wary of seizing power. When their lives are threatened, and faced with overwhelming power, sometimes kinship is insignificant. And the Northern Palace is actually the Cold Palace, but unlike the traditional Cold Palace, it houses not only disgraced and immoral women of the harem, but also royal men who have committed crimes. There's only one thing: once you're in the Cold Palace, the hope of a comeback is practically zero.

Perhaps the reason why the Crown Prince was deposed so quickly, or why this matter came to a conclusion so quickly, was not only because of the Lantern Festival family banquet. Since I returned, Xiu Ruo had a vague feeling that the old man's serious illness had another reason. There were signs before, and then they were repeated. No one could tolerate that, and the person who plotted this was unforgivable and unforgivable.

I had Yan'er serve me some water to moisten my mouth, and then some congee to fill my stomach. Just as Yan'er put down the bowl and helped me lie down, someone announced from afar, "The Emperor has arrived! The Empress has arrived!" I gestured for Yan'er to help me sit up halfway, and then I reassured Yao Yao. I saw the old man and the old Empress enter the room one after the other, followed by Old Man Yun and Yun Feng.

With the Crown Prince deposed, although Old Man Yun couldn't immediately "reinstate" him, in everyone's eyes, it all seemed like a foregone conclusion. As for Yun Feng, Wang An mentioned him while I was drinking water, saying that the old man had issued an edict appointing him as Imperial Censor. All the preparations for the Imperial Censor's duties had been arranged, and he was just waiting to take office at the beginning of next month.

By the way, the old man resumed morning court sessions a couple of days ago. He hadn't attended court for a long time, and the first thing he did upon returning was to depose the crown prince and appoint Yunfeng as the Imperial Censor. Starting from the beginning of February, Yunfeng will also be attending court every day, as the first-rank Imperial Censor.

"Grandpa, Grandma, Father, Brother..." After seven days of unconsciousness, my energy was severely depleted, so I couldn't even manage the proper greetings. I was already doing well just managing to weakly call out to people, barely clinging to life. Of course, the actual situation wasn't that bad; I was just being lazy whenever I could. I've noticed that although my body often faces serious dangers, nearly giving up several times, and frequently falls into unconsciousness, it seems to automatically replenish its energy once I wake up; I'm only slightly weak.

"Girl, you've finally woken up." The old empress walked a few steps to the old man, sat down on the edge of my bed, and reached out to touch my face. Perhaps because of what happened with the crown prince, there was still a faint trace of grief between my brows, but her face had a kind and gentle smile. She said softly, "You've been sleeping for so long, don't keep yourself up like this, lie down quickly."

"Is Grandfather alright?" I forced a smile at the Empress, then looked at the old man. Sigh, the old man was clearly ill and poisoned, so how come he not only woke up earlier than me, but is now able to attend court and run around like this? Is it really because I drank a few extra sips of tea, or is he taking advantage of me being a woman?

"Well, girl, don't be so impulsive next time." The old man stood by the bed, carefully examining me. He seemed to be relieved when he made sure I was really alright. Although his expression was gentle when he said this, he had lost his usual smiling face. After this incident, he probably aged not only a few years in body but also in heart.

Thinking back to my first day at Xiuruo Palace, I pretended to be well-behaved and tried to establish kinship with the old man. Before I had officially recognized my ancestors, I was glad that I thought I only had two close relatives left in the world. I never expected that there was a whole family waiting for me at Xiuruo Palace. At that time, the old man looked at me meaningfully and said, "Nothing here lasts forever." I never thought that more than half a year later, his words would come true.

"Grandpa, Grandma, Father, Brother, Yue'er survived a great calamity. Each of you should give Yue'er a red envelope to bring good luck and calm your nerves." I shook my head inwardly, trying not to think about these tiring and troublesome things. I tried to smile and speak as pleasingly as possible. Then I pulled a hand out from under the covers and waved it forward.

The four of them were startled, then slightly embarrassed. He had finally woken up; for the four of them, this was a significant sacrifice. And they had all come empty-handed—how inconsiderate and lacking in social skills! I glanced at the four of them again, and after confirming with absolute certainty that they had nothing in their hands, my face fell, I withdrew my hand, and muttered to myself.

"Ahem, I'll have someone send it over shortly. Girl, get some rest. I'll head back now." The old man was the first to speak, and then the old empress also took the opportunity to get up. Before leaving, she also said that she would send someone over as quickly as possible to bring the gifts to bring good luck and calm the nerves.

I couldn't get up to see them off, so after Old Man Yun and Yun Feng bowed and saw the two old men out, only Old Man Yun turned back a moment later. I peeked behind him, but didn't see Yun Feng, so I looked up at Old Man Yun with a questioning look in my eyes.

"You're feeling better?" A cold, deep voice asked. Sigh, he can't seem to change his personality or mannerisms; he's practically a carbon copy of the Azure King.