Lanting

Capítulo 61

I turned my head in a daze, and the cold, stern eyes behind the little eunuch made me burst into tears.

He paused for a moment, dismissed the eunuch beside him, stepped forward, and gripped my shoulder tightly with one hand, his fingers digging deep into my bone, yet I felt no pain.

He wasn't staring at me, but at the dazzling, unusual color on my finger. He knew the significance of that ring, he knew its status.

His panic and helplessness were deeply etched in my heart. I wanted to force a smile and greet him loudly as if nothing was wrong, "Fourth Master..." but the words caught in my throat.

“…You…” He suddenly raised his head, staring intently into my eyes, trying to read something from them, “Who exactly are you?”

I swallowed my tears, took off the ring, and placed it in his hand. "I stole it."

He held the still-warm ring in one hand, a slight panic creeping into his eyes. He looked at me, seemingly pondering the cause and effect of the situation. In that moment, he found the reason, the reason why I was suddenly brought to the emperor's side by Lu Xiu, and he understood why I risked my life to plead for Lu Xiu. He understood the composure behind my calm statement, "The Rong family is innocent."

"I'm telling you to tell the truth." Fourth Master's angry voice suddenly rang out.

"Master." The extremely gentle voice made him freeze in shock. "I am a thief."

Quietly leaving your world, then sneaking back. Carefully concealing myself, all to steal more—perhaps the empire, perhaps something else entirely.

I am a complete thief.

The pain in his eyes was intense. "Don't lie to me. I'll believe whatever you say, as long as you say it. So, please tell me, who are you?"

I remained silent.

He gave a bitter smile, pointed to the portrait on the wall, and trembled slightly, "Tell me... are you her, are you?"

The bitterness in his eyes touched my heart, and I finally understood why I was in so much pain: everything I was going to do in the future would cause me even more pain than I was now.

It was so cold, chilling me from head to toe. I swallowed my tears. "Fourth Master... do you want to watch me die? I told you, I'll fall in front of you again. Would you want to see that?"

He opened his mouth as if to speak, but seemed unable to utter a sound.

"You can arrest me, this thief, if you want. If not, I'm leaving now," I said coldly.

I took a difficult step and walked over his shoulder, but one of my arms was gripped tightly by a strong hand.

He tucked the ring into my hand, his voice hoarse, "Stealing my heart, you are indeed a thief."

After returning from the main hall, he fell ill and could not get out of bed.

Headaches day after day, nightmares waking me up every night.

I just felt like I couldn't take it anymore.

Every day feels like I'm carrying a heavy burden, struggling on the edge of life and death. A single word, a glance, a subtle gesture—all these trigger my sensitivity and send chills down my spine. I feel like I'm falling into an abyss, sinking deeper and deeper.

He was unable to attend to the emperor for several days due to illness, and he also did not go with him to the sacrificial ceremony.

Xiaoyu took care of me all the way back to the palace. My symptoms improved, and the nightmares stopped. In fact, I stared at the ceiling for several days without feeling tired. Xiaoyu said I was possessed and needed someone to exorcise the demon. I just laughed. Can you really drive away a demon in your heart?

When I woke up again, it was already late in life.

She rolled out of bed and saw Lu Li sitting at the table outside the screen, looking at something.

"Your Highness?" I called softly. He put down the book in his hand, and I realized that he had just been reading the Mongolian-written tale of chivalry that I had casually placed on the table during the day. I couldn't help but feel a little flustered. Xiaoyu usually wouldn't come at this hour, so I hadn't paid attention to it and just put it aside while reading during the day.

“A few days ago, it seems that you left some books you wanted to borrow in the South Study. Since I happened to be here today to report to the Emperor, I brought them with me. I didn’t mean to disturb your quiet study.” He stood up and made way for her.

"Your Highness is so considerate of me. Just send me a servant."

"When I came here, I heard that Eunuch Chang had reported your illness to the Emperor, so I thought I would also like to come and see if it is serious."

"It's just a minor illness, yet Your Majesty has taken it to heart. I am truly guilty."

Lu Li's gaze fell on the book on the table. "Can the young lady read Mongolian?"

"When I was young, I traveled with my father and learned some Mongolian at the border. What? Is Your Highness also interested in Mongolian?"

“When I was young, my second brother and I were taught Mongolian by a master, but that was a long time ago.” Lu Li nodded, then suddenly remembered something and said, “The imperial physician came by earlier. Since you were still unconscious, I arranged for him to come to you. This is the prescription he left. Please read it carefully and keep it safe.”

Lu Li spoke these words with remarkable calmness and ease; if this ease were taken too far, it would be mere feigned composure.

"Thank you, Your Highness." I curtsied and accepted the prescription, but a sudden unease crept into my heart. What secrets lay within it?

I sat in the seat Lu Li had sat in, staring at the dozen or so herbs, completely bewildered. I tried to tell myself not to worry, but I just couldn't calm down. Then Xiaoyu came in with the medicine. "Here," she said, "I got the herbs from the Imperial Hospital according to the prescription and brewed them myself. It took me several hours."

"How...how do you have the prescription?" I was confused. Lu Li had just given me the prescription, and now medicine was being served.

Xiaoyu was only focused on serving me the medicine and didn't seem to care. She said, "The prescription was given to me by the Emperor. He told me to prepare your medicine carefully. You see how much the Emperor cares about you. He was afraid of delaying your treatment, so he personally reviewed the prescription returned by the imperial physician and asked him to remove two ingredients, saying that the dosage of those two ingredients was too high. Your constitution is weak, and you can't withstand such strong supplementation. It turns out that the Emperor is also an expert in medicine."

I took the medicine, held my breath, and drank it down. It was so bitter that I frowned.

"This medicine...why does it taste so bitter?" I shook my head. "The imperial physician didn't say what my illness is?"

Xiaoyu laughed at me, "What medicine isn't bitter? I told you, it's just a cold."

After saying that, she placed the prescription on the table. "This is the prescription. I've left it here. If I'm not here, I'll have Xiaohuzi and the others go get the medicine for you. I still have to work. Take good care of yourself, and I'll come to see you again tomorrow."

I nodded and watched her leave.

I reached out and took the list Xiaoyu had left behind. It was completely different from the prescription Lu Li had given me; none of the dozen or so ingredients were the same. Yet, judging by the handwriting, it was from the same imperial physician.

Why did the same imperial physician write two prescriptions, one by the emperor and the other by Lu Li?

The prescription presented to the Emperor was for treating a cold, so what illness was the prescription given to Lu Li for?

Is my illness a cold, or something else?

Without thinking too much, I quickly wrote a letter to Qiu Ming, asking him to find out what secret the prescription held.

Chapter Sixteen: Death Anniversary

For several days in a row, every morning, Xiaoyu would bring me a bowl of hot milk, saying it was a gift from the Emperor.

I didn't think much of it; she delivered it to me every day, so I drank it every day.

The milk offered was indeed good for health; after just a few days, I felt much better.

I was allowed to resume my duties, but the Emperor only assigned me to morning duty, and someone else replaced me for night duty.

Early in the morning, when we arrived at the back room, the water was still boiling, and we heard Eunuch Chang come to instruct us to take good care of him.

I agreed, though I already had a pretty good idea of what was going on. Every year around this time, the Emperor's chronic illness would flare up again.

Before long, she carried hot water toward the East Hall. The Emperor had not returned to his palace for several nights, and had worked diligently through the night last night. After dawn, he could only sleep for a short while in the East Warm Room, and less than an hour later she had to serve him to get up and go to the front hall for the morning court.

After passing through the second gate and the main hall of Chaoyang, I had just stepped into the East Hall when I saw the Emperor, dressed in his finest clothes, emerge from the warm pavilion, looking exhausted. I quickly stepped forward, put down the basin, and half-begged, half-forced him to sit at the table. I applied a hot towel to his eyes and placed a soft cushion behind him so he could lean against it.

"Your Majesty, just close your eyes and rest for a while. That way you'll be able to hold on until the morning court session."

He slightly curled the corners of his mouth, "You're more considerate than my daughter and daughter-in-law."

I placed the perfectly warm tea beside him and asked softly, "Your Majesty doesn't look well today."

He seemed not to hear her. He simply asked abruptly, "Is today the 28th of the twelfth lunar month?"

I was taken aback. Before I could answer, he asked again, "Is it the 28th of the twelfth lunar month?"

"yes."

The 20th day of the twelfth lunar month. The anniversary of Rong Zhaozhi's death.

I took the towel from the Emperor's head. A look of sorrow flashed in his eyes. "It seems that the Seventh Prince won't be attending court today. If that girl were alive, she would be about your age."

"What does Your Majesty mean?" I asked casually.

He shook his head. "You entered the palace late, so you don't know that person."

I fell silent, and just as I was about to take the water out, I heard the Emperor seemingly talking to himself, "In the early years after Yue Ran married me, she would always return to Huainan every spring. Twenty years ago, on a morning just like this, Yue Ran and I had just stepped into the Huainan Prefecture when we heard that cry. I had never heard such a loud cry from a newborn baby. It was the very first cry of a newborn into the world. Yue Ran and I stood in the courtyard, stunned, for a long time. On the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), the fortune teller said that the birth chart revealed an extremely noble destiny, with the blessings of being an empress, but it was also an extremely yin sign, fearing that there would be strange changes in the heavens, leading to continuous wars among mankind. However, this beautifully crafted baby has drawn praise from many old gentlemen. I really don't know whether it's a blessing or a curse. But it seems that I have defied the will of heaven, forcibly severing her auspicious destiny. It seems that the feng shui master was also a liar; even the most precious destiny can turn into a handful of dust..."

I carried the basin and hurried outside, afraid that I might inadvertently give away something. Just then, I heard the Emperor summon Eunuch Chang behind me and instruct him, "After court, go directly to Consort Ding's place to see Zhi'er. I miss that child."

I walked faster. That name—I kept trying to stop myself from thinking about it, from mentioning it, but no matter how I tried to hide it, my heart still trembled at those two words: Lu Zhi… my daughter with whom I had such a shallow fate…

After the Emperor finished his morning court session, he was going to Consort Ding's place. Naturally, I had to wait there to serve him. I figured it was about time, so I headed towards Yongning Palace. When I arrived at the palace, I saw my fourth sister-in-law there, so I stepped back and stood outside the palace, wondering whether I should go in.

"How has the fourth prince been lately?" Consort Ding asked with a gentle smile as she sat on the throne.

Fourth Sister-in-law nodded, "Yes, it means leaving early and returning late."

"It's really strange. Not long ago, he came to me asking for a woman. This is the first time since he was born. He said that she is a maid who is very popular with the Emperor."

Fourth Sister-in-law hurriedly said, "It's Yan Zheng, who was originally recommended by Eighth Master to go to the Emperor."

I was startled. The Fourth Master had actually asked me for help. How come I hadn't been informed at all?

Consort Ding nodded. “Hearing you say that, I vaguely remember her. Is she that Yan girl who was punished by kneeling and being flogged for offending the Emperor with the Eighth Prince? I’ve seen her in front of the Emperor. She’s eloquent and clever.”

"Another version of the story is that she asked to serve the eighth prince herself."

"So it was the Eighth Prince..." Consort Ding nodded. "If the Eighth Prince hadn't angered the Emperor this time, the Emperor might have actually given that girl to him. But that girl seems to be quite favored by the Fourth Prince as well?"

Fourth Sister-in-law nodded slightly, "I see that the child is steady and proper, and is a person worthy of pity. It is only natural that Master likes him."

"Wanqing, I'm not trying to criticize you, but you're just as foolish as Zhao'er used to be. As the principal wife, it's good that you're magnanimous, but don't be so muddle-headed. Even if you can't win someone's heart, you should at least keep them by your side, right? When the fourth prince asked me for a woman, I just said that she was a woman in his father's palace, and I couldn't ask him about her. Firstly, I really didn't know if your father would be willing to part with that girl, and secondly, it was for your sake. You have to be strong, don't you?"

“What Mother Consort said is true…” Fourth Sister-in-law lowered her head, “but Wanqing dares not hope for it.”

"You should think more about Jing Qing after all."

Someone came out of the inner room. Consort Ding stopped talking to her fourth sister-in-law and smiled at the newcomer. "Seventh brother, I haven't shortchanged you on your precious daughter, have I?"

Lu Li smiled and sat down to the side. "It is Zhi'er's blessing to be able to stay by Mother's side. However, Lan'er's illness has been fully cured, and she is always thinking about the child, asking me when I can take her back?"

"I can't bear to let go of Zhi'er again. You should try your best to get Lanruo to have a baby on her own." Consort Ding looked at him with a smile.

Lu Li smiled faintly and said nothing. Lan Ruo could no longer bear children. If she were an ordinary noblewoman, she certainly would not be allowed to stay in the Prince's mansion. Presumably, the concubines were unaware of this.

"Didn't your father say he was coming to see the children? Why haven't they arrived yet after all this time?"

"It seems we were stopped by a messenger after leaving the front hall. The messenger said we had to wait a while," Lu Li replied.

“We were just talking about how your fourth brother seems to have feelings for the girl who serves your father. As his brother, you should try to persuade him, lest he be confused and gossip spreads.”

Lu Li was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses and responded hesitantly.

"However, what do you think of that girl?" The Empress Dowager looked over with a smile. "She and the Eighth Prince seem to have a deep friendship. If she's a good girl, why not just introduce her to the Eighth Prince?"

Lu Li raised an eyebrow slightly. "How can I judge the women my brothers like?"

Fourth Sister-in-law glanced awkwardly at the Empress Dowager, "Mother, why would Seventh Brother care about these things?"

Lu Li slowly wiped away his smile, calm and composed, "That woman is naturally no match for Fourth Sister-in-law's graceful beauty. She may not be striking at first glance, but upon closer inspection, one can sense her charm... She is indeed a quiet and elegant woman. Fourth Brother has his reasons for liking her."

“Our prince is definitely not interested in a woman who is only pretty.” Fourth Sister-in-law smiled bitterly. “That woman, I also admire her quite a bit. She is not the most beautiful, but the elegant charm in her every move is indescribably attractive. Sometimes, I think that if our prince could have such a daughter, it would be a great blessing.”

The Empress Dowager sighed and said reproachfully, "Seventh Prince, I'm not nagging, but your fourth brother has finally found a maid he likes. It's you, on the other hand, who really worries me... I've also provided you with quite a few concubines, but not one that you like?"