funbook-pk Chapter 572: It’s Him? It’s Him!
Chapter 572: It’s Him? It’s Him!
"Really? You didn't lie to me?"
As soon as Concubine Shu moved her mouth, she could clearly feel warm blood flowing out from her cracked lips.
Prince Guo smiled bitterly, "Mother, you have endured so much suffering for me, how could I have the heart to deceive you."
"You haven't eaten for nearly three days. Please have some porridge."
Concubine Shu barely swallowed half a bowl and then urged anxiously.
"Yun...li, hurry...quickly...go..."
"Mother, please don't be impatient. Wait until I have served you dinner before you leave."
Seeing that her son was disobedient, Concubine Shu simply started to act like a spoiled brat and stopped talking.
Prince Guo had no choice but to hand the bowl to Jiyun.
"Mother, I will leave now. Please cooperate with Aunt Jiyun in having dinner."
Concubine Shu snorted coldly, which was considered as her agreement.
After Prince Guo left the meditation room, Concubine Shu hummed twice again, and Jiyun nodded cautiously where she could see him.
"This servant will go and see the prince off right away."
When the concubine was the only one left in the Zen room, her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.
She suddenly remembered what Wen Shichu said, that if she didn't use silver needles to prick the acupuncture points as soon as possible, there would be a risk of aphasia.
Concubine Shu was so anxious that her eyes widened, but there was no one in the room at that time.
When Jiyun returned to the room, Concubine Shu, whose mouth and eyes could not move, was unable to express her inner fear at all.
A Jin, who was leading the horse on the other side, couldn't help but ask.
"Master, do you really want to listen to the Dowager Concubine and go into the palace to see Concubine Hui?"
"Ah Jin, my mother can't accept the fact that she will be bedridden for the rest of her life. She was especially emotional when she saw me. Since something happened in the palace, it would be a good idea for us to go there."
Prince Guo was tortured day and night by his mother and could no longer bear it.
The ancients often said, "There will be no filial son if the patient is ill for a long time." He scoffed at it at the time, but he didn't expect that when it came to his mother's turn, he would realize the hardships involved.
Wen Shichu said that some people's temperament will change drastically after a serious illness.
He felt that his mother's temperament had not changed drastically, but rather she seemed like a different person.
Ah Jin, who was two steps behind, sensed the depressed aura emanating from his master and spoke tentatively.
"Master, you've been serving the Concubine Dowager day and night, and it's been extremely tiring. Why don't you return home and rest for a while?"
Prince Guo refused directly.
"No, I will enter the palace to meet my brother in this state."
How could he enter the palace in high spirits while he was tending to his mother's illness?
Sure enough, when the emperor saw Prince Guo, he was frightened by his bloodshot eyes and sunken cheeks.
"Old Seventeen, why are you like this?"
"Royal brother, after my mother suffered a stroke, I realized how unfilial I was in the past. If I had stayed by her side all the time, she wouldn't have..."
Prince Guo thought of his mother's former gentleness and kindness, and couldn't help but feel sad, and his eyes turned red in front of the emperor.
"Your Majesty, I have failed to behave properly in front of you. I beg your Majesty to punish me."
"Old Seventeen, you have such deep admiration for Concubine Shu, how can this be considered disrespectful?"
The emperor put down the memorial in his hand and walked aside.
"I heard from Wen Shichu that the Concubine Dowager is seriously ill. Why are you returning to the palace at this time?"
"Brother Emperor, I heard that you have a new son, and I came to congratulate you."
Prince Guo explained the purpose of his visit.
The emperor's smile faded. "Xiaojiu is a miserable child. She lost her mother the day after she was born. Concubine He was so pregnant that she still insisted on going to the Imperial Garden for a stroll. Xiaojiu..."
"Old Seventeen, what do you think I should do with this child?"
"I have only one child, Hongming, and he is taken care of by Madam Ye, so I have little to worry about. My Royal Highness, it would be better for you to ask my other brothers about this matter than to ask me."
Prince Guo did have some thoughts about the Ninth Prince, but he couldn't say them out loud.
The emperor is a man of his own ideas, and Prince Guo couldn't tell whether he was testing him again.
Shen Meizhuang and Bai Caiwei will be giving birth soon, so he can't reveal any flaws at this time.
"I really shouldn't be asking you this. I'm planning to go to the Yanxi Palace to see Xiaojiu. Would you like to come with me, Seventeenth Brother?"
The emperor patted his shoulder and invited him.
"As an uncle, since I have entered the palace, it is natural for me to meet my nephew."
"My Royal Brother, please go first."
Prince Guo stepped aside, walked out of the hall, and took a small brocade box from A Jin.
The emperor caught a glimpse of the small box in his hand and joked with a smile.
"Seventeenth brother, you're here, so why did you bring a gift?"
"Brother Emperor, this is the first time that your Seventeenth Uncle has met Xiao Jiu. I must show some appreciation."
Then he added with a smile.
"Ye brought Hongming to Anqi Temple to tend to his illness. When I saw him wearing a longevity lock, I was moved. That's why I ordered a batch of longevity locks to be made. No matter how many nephews and nieces are born in the palace, there will always be a lot of longevity locks for Seventeenth Uncle."
The emperor walked and joked with a smile.
"Seventeenth Old Man, you're being disrespectful. I remember that Hongzhan, Hongyao, and Zhaohua didn't have any. You only gave them to Xiaojiu and his younger brothers and sisters. Aren't you simply trying to cause conflict between the children?"
"My dear brother, I was once alone and had never thought about these things. I have made all the necessary preparations for entering the palace. The longevity locks belonging to my nephews and nieces will be delivered to them shortly."
......
The two brothers walked and chatted, one in front and one behind, and soon they entered the harem.
This was the first time in recent years that the emperor passed by Jingren Palace in broad daylight. He glanced at it with the corner of his eye and then turned his attention to the Yanx Palace on the other side.
After the earth dragon turned over, the emperor learned that there were no casualties in Jingren Palace, and he never paid attention to that place again.
"The Emperor has arrived!"
Su Peisheng's singing chorus sounded, and Shen Meizhuang reluctantly handed the child in her arms to the wet nurse.
"Ninth Prince is still young and cannot be exposed to the wind. Don't carry the child out. I will go out to greet the emperor."
After Shen Meizhuang gave her careful instructions, she walked out with Qingju's support, and the two groups met in the yard.
Shen Meizhuang was the first to salute.
"Your Highness, I pay my respects to you, Your Highness."
"Princess Hui, why are you here?"
The emperor stepped forward and helped the man up, but his face did not look very good.
Concubine He's insistence on visiting the Imperial Garden led to her premature birth. Could it be that Concubine Hui...
The emperor's eyes swept across her bulging belly and he silently made a decision. He would place the child in the care of the prince.
When Shuhe was born, she was taken away from her biological mother, but she grew up to be a gentle and virtuous girl.
The emperor did not have high expectations for the ninth prince born to Huanbi, he just hoped that the child could grow up safely.
Shen Meizhuang was stunned. She heard the dissatisfaction in the emperor's words.
Prince Guo, who was two steps behind, took over the conversation with a smile.
"Royal brother, Concubine Hui is about to give birth. I'm sure she'll feel a little more compassion for the Nineth Prince, who lost his mother. It's a blessing for Little Nine to have such a caring concubine in your harem."
The emperor nodded, stepped over the threshold, and walked straight towards the wet nurse who was holding the ninth prince.
Shen Meizhuang deliberately fell two steps behind. She nodded slightly to thank Prince Guo for his help.
When she stopped, the two of them walked side by side.
A familiar smell came, and Shen Meizhuang's heart began to beat inexplicably.
The hands on her waist couldn't stop shaking.
With the emperor in front of her, Shen Meizhuang had to suppress her panic and force herself to calm down.
She had never had any contact with Prince Guo, so why did she lose her composure like this?
Shen Meizhuang didn't believe it and thought the discomfort she just felt was an illusion.
While the emperor's attention was on the Ninth Prince, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that the person behind her walked forward and quietly occupied the space between the wet nurse and the emperor.
Prince Guo's eyes were always on the Ninth Prince and he didn't notice Shen Meizhuang's little movements.
When he stood in front of the wet nurse, he realized that he was so close to Concubine Hui that he could even faintly smell the faint fragrance on her body.
When he tasted it carefully, he realized that Shen Meizhuang had changed her fragrance according to the season.
"Old Seventeen, why don't you take out the gift you prepared?"
The emperor's urging interrupted Prince Guo's excitement.
He said with a smile as he opened the brocade box.
"Xiaojiu, this is the safety lock that Uncle Seventeen prepared for you. Do you like it?"
"Your Highness is so thoughtful. The Ninth Prince just needs a longevity lock."
Shen Meizhuang fumbled under the Ninth Prince's blanket for a while and took out an exquisite sachet, which contained a gold and jade peace amulet.
"The Ninth Prince is still young, and the Prince's safety lock is quite heavy. I will put it in the sachet and let Fubao take care of it."
The emperor gently shook the ninth prince's tender and soft fingers.
"Seventeenth brother, Huipin is right. Xiaojiu can't wear a safety lock for the time being, and it will be the same if he puts it where he sleeps."
When Shen Meizhuang took the safety lock handed over by Prince Guo, she accidentally touched his fingers.
A chill came from the other person's hand. Shen Meizhuang gritted her teeth and managed to keep herself from making any sound.
From then on, no matter what the emperor and Prince Guo said, Shen Meizhuang just acted as a qualified listener.
About a quarter of an hour later, the emperor took Prince Guo away.
As soon as the two of them left, Shen Meizhuang hurriedly gave instructions to Qingju.
"I am not feeling well. Please send someone to fetch Doctor Chen."
After that night in the garden, Shen Meizhuang developed a rash and it was Chen Pi who treated her.
At that time, Shen Meizhuang was too frightened and did not hear clearly what Chen Pi said.
Not long after she returned to Yonghe Palace, Chenpi rushed over.
Mrs. Shen thought her daughter had been bumped into in the Yanxi Palace, and she stared at Chen Pi who was taking her daughter's pulse with great concern.
"Doctor Chen, is the dragon fetus okay?"
"Replying to Madam Hui, the dragon fetus is fine. However, I noticed a small rash on your hand. If left untreated, it will become painful and itchy."
Chenpi took out a box of ointment from the medicine box.
"The Empress also had a similar rash during the Lantern Festival in the garden. Just apply this ointment on it."
"Your pulse also indicates that your Majesty is weak. You should take more nourishing foods to nourish your body."
After hearing what Chen Pi said, Shen Meizhuang was shocked.
How could it be him?
It turned out to be him!