Pfft~ Chapters 11 and 12 were posted in one chapter, Seven Nights made a mistake~
☆、013 Continue to feign illness
After five consecutive days of indulgence, coupled with her already weak constitution, Ye Xiaowei, the sickly girl, once again had the honor of being 'sick'. Of course, this time, she wasn't really sick; it was just a cover-up.
Firstly, Emperor Mingde will be returning soon, and if we continue to indulge in such revelry every night, it will inevitably anger Emperor Mingde and we will only fall into Li Changxi's trap.
However, she didn't want Li Changxi to suspect anything, so she had no choice but to resort to this method of faking illness.
Anyway, she had been frail and sickly since childhood, so it was normal for her to get sick often. She wasn't worried that Li Changxi would suspect her about that.
When Ye Xiaowei's health deteriorated, the entire palace was in an uproar. Emperor Mingde had just returned from Yunshan and, without even having time to rest, went straight to the East Palace, demonstrating just how much he doted on Ye Xiaowei.
At this moment, a group of worried-looking imperial physicians stood in Ye Xiaowei's palace, all of them looking helpless.
With the announcement of the Emperor's arrival, Emperor Mingde, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, walked in from outside the door, looking travel-worn.
Emperor Mingde was in his thirties, with regular features, bright eyes and white teeth, fair skin, and an aura of kingship emanating from his very bones.
As soon as Emperor Mingde stepped through the threshold, all the imperial physicians in the room knelt down.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Li Changxi also stepped forward and bowed to Emperor Mingde:
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects!" Li Changxi looked haggard, which, combined with his already thin frame, made him appear especially pitiful.
Moreover, he was not in his own palace at the moment, but appeared at the Crown Princess's sickbed, looking extremely haggard. It was clear that he had been by Ye Xiaowei's side without rest, which was why he looked like this.
Emperor Mingde quickly reached out to help Li Changxi up. When her fingers grasped Li Changxi's skin-and-bones wrist, her heart tightened, and she couldn't help but whisper:
"Li Guijun, you've worked hard, get up quickly!"
Li Changxi lowered his eyes slightly, adopting a submissive posture, and simply shook his head: "This is what a subject should do..."
As he spoke, everything suddenly went black, and he was about to fall straight backward. Fortunately, Emperor Mingde reacted quickly and caught him, pulling him into his arms so that he could lean against him and avoid falling.
The imperial physician standing nearby gasped in shock at the sight, and Emperor Mingde angrily shouted:
"What are you all standing there for? Quickly help Li Guijun to rest, and while you're at it, give him a check-up!"
Immediately, a maidservant came forward and tremblingly took Li Guijun from Emperor Mingde's arms, helping him to rest to the side.
Emperor Mingde glanced at the kneeling imperial physicians.
Pointing to one of the imperial physicians, he said, "You...go and take a look at Consort Li!"
Upon hearing this, the imperial physician immediately replied, "Your subject obeys the decree!" With that, he scrambled to his feet, as if afraid that if he was a step too slow, he would be beheaded by Emperor Mingde, and rushed out as fast as he could.
The other imperial physicians kneeling in the room were trembling with fear, their faces as white as paper.
"Ahem... Your Majesty, I pay my respects... It was my fault for not being able to greet you in time, and I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"
Supported by her personal maid Dongmei, Ye Xiaowei slowly walked out of the inner room. Her face was pale, her eyes were sunken, and she looked sickly, which did not seem like she was faking it at all.
Of course, this isn't an act; it's just that several sleepless nights have resulted in this state.
When it comes to acting, one must strive for realism to the point where it's hard to distinguish between truth and fiction!
Emperor Mingde was immediately distressed by Ye Xiaowei's haggard appearance. He took a few steps forward, held Ye Xiaowei's wrist, and helped her up.
"Since my son is unwell, he should rest in his room. Why did he have to come out?" When she held Ye Xiaowei's hand and found that her hand was ice cold, she frowned with heartache.
Then she roared at the group of imperial physicians who were still kneeling on the ground:
"You bunch of good-for-nothings! You're always so arrogant and high-and-mighty, thinking yourselves to be superior doctors. My son has only caught a cold, and since I left the palace, none of you have been able to cure him. Tell me, what use are you bunch of useless quacks to me!"
The imperial physicians, who were already pale with fright, broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this.
"Your Majesty, I have some things to say, but I'm unsure whether I should..."
Just then, among the kneeling imperial physicians, a small old man in his forties crawled out a little from the crowd, but remained kneeling with his head bowed low.
As soon as he said this, everyone turned their attention to him. At this moment, if he spoke well, he might be fine; if he spoke poorly, he might lose his life at any moment. All the imperial physicians secretly felt a cold sweat for him.
Ye Xiaowei looked at the imperial physician who had knelt down a little. She recognized him. This imperial physician was a frequent visitor to her Eastern Palace, and also a spy sent by Li Changxi—Wang Zhong.
A smile appeared in Ye Xiaowei's eyes, but it vanished in an instant.
It seems some people are finally reaching their breaking point, so the real show is about to begin...
Emperor Mingde followed Ye Xiaowei to a chair and sat down. His cold, sharp gaze, like a laser beam, shot towards Wang Zhong.
"What did you say?"
Emperor Mingde was clearly displeased. If Wang Zhong continued to hesitate and stammer, wanting to speak but not wanting to, it would undoubtedly be unwise.
Since he was willing to work for Li Changxi, Wang Zhong would at least be able to read people's expressions. Besides, he was working for Li Guijun, not courting death.
Wang Zhong's Adam's apple bobbed, and he slowly raised his head, stealing a glance at Ye Xiaowei. It was this glance that made Wang Zhong's heart tighten inexplicably, and an ominous premonition suddenly arose.
He saw a half-smile appear on Ye Xiaowei's face, her deep eyes staring at him with unfathomable depths. They seemed harmless and indeed very clear, yet like a deep pool, their bottom could not be seen at a glance.
Cold sweat suddenly broke out on his back. He clenched his fists, feeling an intense stickiness in his palms. The more nervous he became, the more afraid he felt.
But now he's in a bind. Talking might offer a glimmer of hope, but if he doesn't, given the current situation, he's certain to die!
Ye Xiaowei's eyes were indeed a bit scary, but she was just a young girl under fifteen years old, so she couldn't be that powerful.
Thinking this way, his courage grew considerably. After taking a deep breath, Wang Zhong lowered his head again and said quite calmly:
"A few days ago, Her Highness the Crown Princess was already unwell, yet she indulged in nightly revelry with handsome men. Perhaps it was due to her excessive indulgence, lack of self-control, and insufficient rest that her condition worsened... In my humble opinion, to cure her completely, Her Highness must thoroughly abstain from all desires and recuperate peacefully in the Eastern Palace. Ideally... ideally, she should refrain from sexual relations with men for the foreseeable future..."
☆, 014 Lure the snake out of its hole (1)
Emperor Mingde turned his head abruptly, his face full of disbelief, and of course, his dark eyes also revealed disappointment and anger.
Ye Xiaowei's lavish lifestyle of favoring handsome men in the Eastern Palace, indulging in wine, women, and nightly revelry, is no secret and has spread far and wide among the common people. Even if one didn't want to know, it would be difficult to find out.
Emperor Mingde had watched Ye Xiaowei grow up since she was a child, and knew that she was gentle and had a weak constitution. She didn't pay much attention to the two men he had bestowed upon her, so why would she go and provoke men outside the palace?
In addition, Ye Xiaowei was frequently unwell, which made her even less interested in men.
At first, Emperor Mingde turned a blind eye to the rumors circulating among the people and the private discussions among his officials, simply assuming that they were bored and needed to find topics to amuse themselves, and did not take them too seriously.
But now Wang Zhong has actually brought this matter up to her directly, which shows that this is not just a rumor. After all, even if Wang Zhong had a lot of guts, he wouldn't dare to lie openly in front of the emperor!
What made Emperor Mingde even more certain that this was true was that Ye Xiaowei actually stood up at this moment, with her head down and an expression of having done something wrong, which made her even angrier.
It's normal for royal children to mature earlier than children from ordinary families. She had thought about this before, so she bestowed two servants upon her long ago.
Although princesses and princes cannot be too extravagant before their wedding and take many husbands or concubines, one or two is still acceptable.
In an ordinary family, if parents saw their children being so disrespectful and having such a strong attraction to men at such a young age, they would definitely scold and beat them on the spot.
However, Emperor Mingde was not an ordinary patriarch. She was not only Ye Xiaowei's mother, but also the ruler of Fengyu. Every move of the ruler of a country affects the hearts of millions of people, and the slightest carelessness could bring shame to Fengyu.
Emperor Mingde gripped the armrests of his chair, his long fingernails digging tightly into the red lacquered wood. He struggled to maintain his composure.
She spoke in a tone that seemed calm on the surface, but which was actually threatening to unleash a storm:
"Your Highness, what do you say?"
Even though he already knew the result, Emperor Mingde still asked this question because he wanted to get confirmation from Ye Xiaowei herself.
Of course, if Ye Xiaowei were to vehemently deny the matter at this time and offer some excuse, she would be the ruler of a country, and her word would be law. If she said it was a rumor, who would dare to say a word against it?
However, Ye Xiaowei did not deny it, but admitted it.
"Your subject knows that he has committed grave sins and failed to live up to the Empress's love. Your subject deserves to die!"
Emperor Mingde gasped, trying to suppress his breath until his fingernails dug into the wooden chair. Everyone lowered their heads, holding their breath; a chill hung in the air.
Everyone sensed the impending storm and, already quite frightened, dared not even breathe.
Ye Xiaowei stood there with her head bowed, seemingly resigned to her fate. Time seemed to stretch on forever before Emperor Mingde's slightly weary voice, filled with deep disappointment, finally broke the silence.
"Your Highness, you have disappointed me greatly!"
Ye Xiaowei immediately knelt down in a panic, her beautiful eyes instantly filled with tears, which, combined with her already haggard, pale and thin face, made her even more pitiful.
But Emperor Mingde is currently furious, and Ye Xiaowei has indeed made a mistake. If she is not punished, people will say that she is showing favoritism, and how will she win over the public in the future?
Emperor Mingde felt a pang of heartache for Ye Xiaowei and almost spoke up to tell her not to kneel. However, with so many imperial physicians and servants watching, if he asked Ye Xiaowei to get up, even if they didn't say anything to her face, they would definitely gossip about it behind her back.
Ye Xiaowei looked flustered, helpless, and regretful, with tears welling up in her eyes. She looked so pitiful that it was truly heartbreaking.
"Your Majesty, it is all my fault, no matter how many faults I have. Please do not be angry, lest you harm your health. The imperial physicians have been studying my illness and have frequently come to treat me, especially Physician Wang, who has been extremely kind to me, often developing new medicines for me. A few days ago, after taking Physician Wang's new medicine, I immediately felt my meridians flowing smoothly, my body regaining strength, and I felt much better. Thinking of how I was unable to accompany Your Majesty on your hunting trip to Yunshan due to my weakness and illness, as the Crown Princess, I could not be by Your Majesty's side to share your burdens. This is truly my filial impiety. Your Majesty…"
"Now that you have recovered, you should be taking good care of state affairs during my absence from the palace. Why, however… sigh!"
In the end, even Emperor Mingde found it difficult to say the words.
Ye Xiaowei looked nervous, pretending not to know what to do, and her eyes glanced casually at Wang Zhong, who was still kneeling there.
Wang Zhong breathed a sigh of relief, looking on with a smug expression, as if he was waiting to see a good show. Although he didn't show it too obviously, his eyes and brows revealed a hint of joy, which made Ye Xiaowei secretly annoyed.
But it doesn't matter, let him laugh to his heart's content now, because he won't be able to laugh later!
Ye Xiaowei lowered her eyes, trying her best to look like she was full of regret after doing something wrong, and also a little scared.
"There are rumors circulating among the people that I have been frail and sickly since childhood, and that I never seek the company of men, so I must have no interest in them. I... I was so angry that I acted impulsively. Seeing that my health had improved, I wanted to prove to everyone that I was a normal person, and I also didn't want to return to Mother Empress still looking sickly. I didn't realize that this action would only make me a laughingstock and bring shame to Mother Empress. I deserve to die!"
These words were spoken with heartfelt sincerity, and coupled with her frail and delicate appearance, even if Emperor Mingde had harbored some resentment at first, his anger had already subsided.
Ye Xiaowei continued to take all the blame upon herself:
"All the blame stems from my momentary greed and has nothing to do with the imperial physicians. I should not have been so clever. I should have recognized my own condition and listened to the advice of Imperial Physician Wang. I should not have been so indulgent before I had fully recovered!"
After hearing these words, Emperor Mingde's expression softened slightly.
"Wang Zhong, have you been taking care of the Crown Princess all this time?"