Hibiscus as a Painting - Chapter 213
"What should we do! At worst... at worst, we can just not have the child... but she can't! She can't..."
"Your Majesty can rest assured. Although the young lady is frail, she has taken many rare medicinal herbs before, and it seems that a master has treated her body. The child can be saved."
A hint of joy flashed in Jun Lin's phoenix eyes. He grabbed Lord Su's hand and said urgently, "Really!?"
Lord Su was flattered and nodded repeatedly: "Your Majesty, rest assured, as long as you take good care of yourself during this period, I can guarantee that both you and the child will be fine... However, the young lady must not be disturbed by any major emotional fluctuations, nor should she be overworked."
Jun Lin hurriedly released Lord Su's hand and urged repeatedly, "Go quickly! Go and write the prescription!"
After the imperial physicians left, Jun Lin quickly sat down by the bed, excitedly grasping Zi Jin's hand and kissing it gently. He felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude and joy. His thumb slid over Zi Jin's forehead, eyebrows, eyes, and cheeks, repeatedly rubbing her chapped lips, his phoenix eyes filled with tender, watery light.
Granny Lu, who had been standing to the side for a long time, stepped forward and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, let this old servant wipe the young lady's face and hands... She's only been gone a few days, how did she become like this..."
Jun Lin froze, his phoenix eyes instantly blazing with anger. He lowered his voice and said to Xiao Wu beside him, "Why is she in such a state? Even when Jun Chi was in the abandoned courtyard, she wouldn't be like this! Why won't she even be given water to cleanse herself?"
Xiao Wu glanced at Granny Lu, who suddenly lowered her head, tightly clutching the cloth in her hand. After a long while, she said in a deep voice, "When the young lady was in Su Ran Palace, this old servant tried to visit her several times, but was stopped at the gate by the guards each time... At that time, this old servant saw that the food they gave the young lady was all discolored... This old servant wanted to tell His Majesty, but His Majesty... The imperial physician said that the young lady had food poisoning, which must be because of those foods... The young lady must have known that she was pregnant, and in order to protect the child, she even ate those discolored foods. Since the young lady values this child so much... how could she not try to tell His Majesty the news?"
Jun Lin's face was clouded with gloom, and a cold glint flashed in his phoenix eyes: "I understand..."
Chapter division
As the first rays of morning light streamed into Chaofeng Palace, the air was filled with a sweet fragrance, and a faint scent of ambergris wafted through the air. Such an ordinary morning felt strangely peaceful and comforting.
When Zi Jin woke up, she felt like she had had a very long dream. The things were vivid in her mind, yet she couldn't remember anything about the dream. She sat up, ignoring the aches and pains throughout her body, and looked at the familiar surroundings. Her brows furrowed slightly. When did she return?
"The young lady is awake?... Oh, ptooey! Ptooey! Look at this old servant's mouth... I can't call her 'young lady' now..." Granny Lu picked up the soup bowl surrounded by hot water and sat down on the stool beside the bed. "Is Your Highness hungry?"
A look of doubt flashed in Zi Jin's eyes: "Your Majesty?"
Granny Lu blew on the soup in the spoon again and again before bringing it to Zi Jin's lips, and said with a smile, "His Majesty has been busy preparing for the Empress's coronation ceremony during the two days that the Empress was unconscious."
A pungent fishy smell wafted over, and Zi Jin quickly covered her mouth, gagging twice before slumping weakly to one side. Granny Lu hurriedly put down the soup bowl she was holding, took the cloth handed to her by a maid, and carefully wiped Zi Jin's mouth: "Your Highness, why is your morning sickness so severe? The fish in this soup was clearly seasoned to remove the fishy smell..."
"Symptoms?" Zi Jin asked blankly.
Granny Lu asked in confusion, "Didn't His Majesty say that Her Majesty was well-versed in medicine? Doesn't Her Majesty know that?"
Zi Jin glanced at Granny Lu, then raised her hand to feel her pulse. A moment later, surprise flashed across Zi Jin's face, as if she were pondering for a moment. Gradually, a hint of joy crept into her eyes. That night… that night with Xiao Bai…
Seeing Zi Jin's dazed expression, Granny Lu laughed and said, "Hehe... Your Highness, please stop laughing. You should eat something first. The imperial physician said that Your Highness was already in a very bad state earlier. If you don't take good care of yourself in the future, it will not be good for the baby."
Zi Jin nodded with a smile, then suddenly realized: "Jun Lin knows?"
Granny Lu brought the soup to Zi Jin's lips again and said, "His Majesty knew about it the night he brought the Empress back to the palace. The Empress's appearance almost broke His Majesty's heart. His Majesty looked at the Empress all night, and the next day he began to prepare for the Empress's investiture ceremony."
Zi Jin frowned, suppressing the urge to vomit, and drank the soup: "The Empress Conferment Ceremony?"
Granny Lu continued feeding the concubine, her hands still busy: "Yes, the Emperor Emeritus has just passed away. If His Majesty wishes to appoint an Empress or take concubines, he must do so within a month, otherwise he will have to wait three years. His Majesty does not want to wrong the Empress, so he has issued an edict appointing her as Empress. The investiture ceremony will be held in twelve days."
Zi Jin stroked her lower abdomen thoughtfully, forced herself to drink the entire bowl of soup while suppressing her nausea, and lay down again.
With a happy expression, Granny Lu tidied Zi Jin's silk quilt and quietly withdrew.
Jun Lin, still in his dragon robe after a busy morning, hurriedly entered Chaofeng Palace. Seeing the person still fast asleep, he couldn't hide his disappointment and turned to ask the person next to him, "Didn't they say Her Majesty was awake?"
Granny Lu smiled and said, "He woke up, ate something, and then went back to sleep."
Jun Lin's phoenix eyes were filled with tenderness and satisfaction as he looked at Zi Jin's sleeping face with a smile. As if he had thought of something, he quickly asked in a low voice, "Does Your Highness know that you are pregnant?"
Granny Lu said, "I know, I know. Her Highness was having severe morning sickness. She clearly didn't want to drink that soup, but she gritted her teeth and drank it all. Her hand was on her lower abdomen the whole time."
Jun Lin's eyes lit up with even more joy. He quietly sat on the bed, took Zi Jin's hand, and silently gazed at her sleeping face. Zi Jin, pretending to be asleep, subtly withdrew her hand.
Jun Lin chuckled softly and coaxed gently, "Stop pretending. I know you're awake."
Zi Jin opened her eyes with slight reluctance, pulled away Jun Lin's hand, and turned her face to the side.
Jun Lin leaned closer and smiled gently: "Is Jin'er still angry?"
Zi Jin frowned and leaned closer to the inside: "I'm tired."
Jun Lin leaned down and gently kissed Zi Jin's cheek, but Zi Jin dodged away. Jun Lin chuckled dismissively, his hand slipping under the silk quilt to stroke Zi Jin's lower abdomen: "Don't be temperamental, it's not good for the baby."
Zi Jin had nowhere left to retreat, and although she wanted to push the person in front of her away, she couldn't muster any strength. She looked coldly at Jun Lin: "Let go!"
Jun Lin laughed cheekily, "I won't let go. Can't I even touch my own child?"
Zi Jin sneered: "This child isn't yours."
Jun Lin suddenly sat up, a hint of anger flashing in his phoenix eyes, which were originally full of water: "No matter how angry you are with me, you are not allowed to say that!"
Zi Jin said coldly, "If you say it's not true, then it's not true!"
Gazing at Zi Jin's pale profile, Jun Lin felt a pang of regret and bitterness in his heart. He said softly, "I know that no matter how angry I am, I shouldn't have sent you to Su Ran Palace. But I had no idea that those scoundrels would treat you like this. Don't be angry. I'll do whatever you want, but you can't say such hurtful things. How can you deny that this child is mine?"
Zi Jin looked at Jun Lin with a serious expression: "If it's not true, then it's not true. I don't want to lie..."
"I've already humbled myself enough! What more do you want?! From childhood to adulthood, who else has ever treated me like this but you! Why do you always have to make me angry! Do you know how much I want to treat you well! Haven't I been good enough to you? Do you know how painful it is for me to hear you say such things!" Jun Lin interrupted Zi Jin, shouting angrily.
Granny Lu quickly stepped forward and said urgently, "Your Majesty, please reconsider. The imperial physician said that Your Highness must not get angry."
A flicker of realization and annoyance crossed Jun Lin's eyes. He glanced at Zi Jin, who remained silent with a cold expression, and then angrily turned and walked out of Chaofeng Palace.
Watching Jun Lin's indignant departure, Zi Jin felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction. Suddenly, she heard Qiu Baifeng's words from that day and quickly sat up, looking at the clothes that had already been changed: "Granny, where are my old robes?"
Granny Lu watched Jun Lin walk away with regret, then turned to Zi Jin and asked, "Why did Your Highness look for that?"
Zi Jin hurriedly said, "I have a piece of Mind-Calming Incense about the thickness of a thumb on me. Have you seen it? It's an extremely precious medicinal herb."