His eyes welled up with tears as he looked at his daughter on the bed. Although she hadn't woken up, he felt at ease seeing that her breathing was steady and the poison on her face had dissipated.
As long as my daughter is alright, that's all that matters.
Shi Mei walked over and said softly, "General, Young General, Miss is alright now. Why don't you two go and rest for a while? It's almost dawn. Once it's light, it will be the day of the Emperor and Miss's wedding. There are still many things to prepare."
"A grand wedding?"
Ji Cong and Ji Shaocheng looked at each other. They had forgotten about the wedding. Tomorrow was the day Ling'er was to marry the Emperor, and she hadn't woken up yet. Did they think the wedding would still have to go on? However, the wedding date was set by the Ministry of Rites and the Emperor had issued an imperial edict. It was probably impossible to change it.
"Yes, generals, please go back and rest for a while. Miss has servants here; I will take good care of her."
Thinking about what had happened before, Shi Mei felt very guilty. It was all her fault for being careless. If she had told her mistress when she suspected Yan Zhi, perhaps this would not have happened.
"No need, let's stay here and deal with tomorrow's problems tomorrow."
Ji Cong and Ji Shaocheng refused to leave, remaining in the room and resolutely protecting Hai Ling.
Only seeing that she was alright could they find peace of mind. She hadn't even opened her eyes yet; how could they leave?
However, a tall figure walked in from outside the door. Shi Mei and Shi Lan immediately curtsied and greeted him: "Your Majesty."
Ye Lingfeng came over as soon as he opened his eyes. Seeing Ji Cong and his son occupying the edge of the bed, he raised his narrow eyebrows and gave a domineering command.
"General Ji, Young General Ji, you should go and rest for a while. I will guard this place."
Ji Cong and Ji Shaocheng quickly got up, kowtowed to the Emperor, and then left as ordered. In fact, they were extremely unwilling, but when they thought of what Ye Lingfeng had done for Ling'er, and how he loved Ling'er even more than they did, they had no choice but to accept it.
After Ye Lingfeng waited until Ji Cong and his son left the room, he instructed Shi Mei, who was standing to the side, "You two can leave as well."
"Yes, Master."
Seeing that the Emperor and Empress were both well, Shi Mei was relieved that nothing serious had happened. She and Shi Lan left the room and stood guard outside the door.
Inside the room, Ye Lingfeng reached out and put his arm around Hailing, then leaned against the bed, with Hailing resting against his chest.
Seeing that she was alright, he finally felt relieved and reached out to hold Hailin's hand tightly.
Ling'er, why, why do I always feel like I've known you since a past life? That unwavering desire to do everything for your well-being, to cherish you, is so intense. Do you know how scared I was when I saw you hurt? It's a feeling you can't understand, as if the sky had collapsed and the earth had caved in, as if nothing existed anymore.
From now on, you must treat me well and not suffer even the slightest injury.
Ye Lingfeng smiled, her expression exquisite and captivating, then closed her eyes to rest for a while.
When Hailing opened her eyes, he was resting with his eyes closed. She saw him holding her tightly, one hand holding hers. His expression, as if he were afraid of losing something, warmed Hailing's heart. She stared at him without blinking. However, because she had just been poisoned, she was very weak and fell asleep again in a short while.
When she woke up again, it was already broad daylight. The Fragrant Grass Courtyard was silent, and Ye Lingfeng was nowhere to be seen.
Several enlarged faces stood guard above her head, startling her and causing her to instinctively shrink back into the bed.
What are you doing?
The people who were guarding her by the bedside immediately smiled when they saw her wake up. They were all excited. Ji Cong and Ji Shaocheng, father and son, hugged each other happily and patted each other's backs excitedly. Shen Ruoxuan breathed a sigh of relief. Shi Mei and Shi Lan held each other's hands tightly. Then Shi Mei couldn't help but hug Hai Ling's body and spoke incoherently.
"Miss, you're alright, it's good that you're alright. You know, I was so worried about you. I'm so glad you're okay now."
Hearing her words, Hai Ling felt a lump in her throat. It seemed that her poisoning had frightened many people. She had always thought that Xiao Mei was cold, but she never expected that she would have such a cute side. Thinking of this, Hai Ling said softly, "Mei'er, I didn't know you had such a cute side. I thought you were an ice pop, but I didn't expect you to be like that."
Surprisingly, she still had the energy to joke. Everyone in the room breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that the young lady was really alright.
When Ji Cong saw that Shi Mei was holding his daughter, he became jealous. He pushed his son aside, squeezed through, pulled Shi Mei over, and hugged Hai Ling: "Ling'er, you scared your father to death. You mustn't scare people like that again. Your father is old and can't take being frightened like that anymore."
Hearing Ji Cong's heartfelt words, Hai Ling felt a sweet warmth in her heart. Although she had been poisoned, she felt that the poisoning wasn't so painful because she had received so much love from so many people.
"Father, I understand. I won't do it again."
Inside the house, everyone laughed happily. Outside the door, four palace maids walked in and curtsied to remind everyone.
"General, General, today is still the day of His Majesty's and Miss Ji's wedding. Miss Ji, you should get up and start your makeup. The auspicious time is approaching, and His Majesty will probably be here soon."
Given the Emperor's favor towards Miss Ji, he will surely come to personally welcome her on her wedding day, which is why the nanny said that.
Ji Cong and Ji Shaocheng finally came to their senses and urged their daughter on.
"Ling'er, look how senile your father is! Today is your wedding day with the Emperor. Get up and see if you're feeling alright."
Shen Ruoxuan had already taken a pill and brought it over: "Master, take a pill, so that your spirit won't be so weak and poor."
Shi Mei quickly reached out and took the bright yellow pill that Shen Ruoxuan handed over, helped Hai Ling take it, and then told everyone to leave.
Only Hailing, Shimei, Shilan, Fuyue, and four palace maids remained in the room.
Seeing Ji Cong and Ji Shaocheng leave, Hai Ling thought of Yan Zhi, and her heart ached. When did Yan Zhi become involved with Ruan Jingyue, and even obey Ruan Jingyue's orders to drug her? It really made her feel terrible. Over the past few days, she had observed her carefully. Yan Zhi was neither disguised nor an imposter. There are many people in the world who can be mistaken for others, but most people can be distinguished by careful observation. However, after several days of careful observation, Hai Ling really couldn't tell that Yan Zhi was fake.
"Rouge, why did she poison me?"
When Shi Mei heard Hai Ling mention Rouge, her expression turned serious. She knew that Rouge and her mistress had a very close relationship. Although Rouge had poisoned her, she did not want Rouge to die. However, since Rouge dared to poison her mistress, how could the Emperor forgive her?
"I heard she confessed that Ruan Jingyue sent someone to find her, saying that she was originally the daughter of an official, and that her entire family was killed by the young lady, which is why she poisoned the young lady."
"She's so foolish. How could she believe just a few words from someone?"
"She didn't believe that the young lady would be kind to her for no reason, so she had doubts in her heart. Just then, Ruan Jingye sent someone to contact her, and she believed that the young lady had really become the master who harmed her whole family."
How is she now?
"Master has ordered her to be dealt with, Miss, don't worry about her anymore."
Hearing this result, Hai Ling knew that Ye Lingfeng would not let anyone who hurt her go unpunished, but this outcome still pained her, and two lines of tears slid down her cheeks.