Longing for Family Bonds

As soon as Xiao Jiangzi finished speaking, Emperor Jing'an took two steps forward, his eyes instantly turning red. "Why was the Empress Dowager attacked? Where were the guards at Chaohuang Palace?" Without waiting for Xiao Jiangzi to answer, he continued, "How is the Empress Dowager? Have the imperial physicians been summoned?"

Seeing how anxious and flustered Emperor Jing'an was, even Consort Qi dared not go forward and speak, for fear of becoming the target of his anger.

Just as Emperor Jing'an was about to set off for Chaohuang Palace, Hua Meng stepped forward to his side, though no one knew when she had moved.

"Your Majesty, allow me to come with you." When Emperor Jing'an turned to her with a displeased expression, Hua Meng did not shrink back in the least. "I imagine Her Majesty the Empress Dowager will only be able to put her mind at ease once she has seen with her own eyes that we are all well."

That was what Hua Meng said, but everyone present understood that they needed to see with their own eyes that the Empress Dowager was all right before they could rest easy. If something really had happened to her and they had not been there, they would probably all be blamed afterward.

The Empress Dowager, however, only needed to see that the emperor and Consort Jing were unharmed to set her mind at ease.

Because Hua Meng had spoken up, the consorts who had not dared to speak felt a little grateful to her. But that gratitude lasted only until Emperor Jing'an reached out and took Hua Meng's hand.

"Stay by my side. If there really are more assassins, you will always be safest with me."

Emperor Jing'an's blunt truth wounded the hearts of many consorts. Probably only Consort Wan and Consort Ying, who held no love for him, could ignore the sight of him taking Hua Meng by the hand and seating her beside him on his imperial carriage.

As for the other consorts, those who had carriages could barely keep up, though theirs were slower than Emperor Jing'an's. The noble ladies, first attendants, and second attendants whose ranks were too low for carriages could only endure their aching legs and follow on foot.

Only after they had left the imperial garden did Hua Meng learn that the Empress Dowager was not at Chaohuang Palace.

The Empress Dowager had left Chaohuang Palace because she had heard that both Emperor Jing'an and Hua Meng had been attacked.

One was her own son, and the other carried her own grandson. They were the ones she cared about most, so how could she bear not to come out and see for herself?

But the Empress Dowager had not expected to run into an old eunuch with a panicked expression head-on, not far from Chaohuang Palace.

The moment the old eunuch saw her, he rushed straight at her and took her hostage without a second thought.

The Empress Dowager had left in such a hurry that she had not waited for her phoenix carriage to be prepared, bringing only Nanny Ming and one other nanny with her.

Though both nannies had done their best to protect her, the old eunuch's blade had still wounded her in the end.

Fortunately, the eunuchs carrying the phoenix carriage had arrived quickly, allowing them to subdue the old eunuch.

The palace nearest to Chaohuang Palace was White Egret Palace, where Consort Ru lived. The Empress Dowager had now been carried inside to await treatment from the imperial physicians.

As soon as Emperor Jing'an and the others arrived, Consort Ru stepped forward of her own accord and led them into White Egret Palace.

In truth, Consort Ru had been in a bad mood all day. By rights, she held the same rank as Consort Qi. Although she had always deferred to Consort Qi because she had entered the palace later, she considered her own rank higher than Consort Wan's and Consort Ying's. When Consort Qi left the imperial garden earlier, she ought to have left matters in Consort Ru's hands.

But Consort Ru had an icy beauty and rarely spoke, giving the impression of a cold beauty who looked down on others because of her talents and cared nothing for worldly affairs. As a result, no one knew what was on her mind.

Only now did Consort Ru feel that Emperor Jing'an had noticed her.

As soon as she entered White Egret Palace, Consort Ru ordered the palace maids to serve everyone tea. Only then did she turn to the other senior palace maid who had stayed behind at the palace. "Who is attending the Empress Dowager?"

As she spoke, Consort Ru also gestured for Emperor Jing'an to enter the hall first.

Emperor Jing'an led Hua Meng straight into the hall by the hand. Behind them, Consort Ru's senior palace maid answered, "Nanny Ming and Nanny Qing, who attend the Empress Dowager."

Hearing that Nanny Ming and Nanny Qing were with the Empress Dowager, Emperor Jing'an was relieved. He turned and asked, "What about the imperial physicians?"

"Your Majesty, apart from Head Cen, who is off duty today, the imperial physicians have all gone inside to treat the Empress Dowager."

The imperial physicians of the current dynasty had always taken turns having days off, and it happened to be Cen Yongning's turn today.

On hearing that Cen Yongning was off duty, Emperor Jing'an gave a barely perceptible cold laugh before saying, "Consort Jing, come in with me to see Imperial Mother. The imperial physicians can examine you as well."

When Emperor Jing'an first said he would take Hua Meng in to see the Empress Dowager, most of the consorts felt he was indulging her too much. But once he said he would also have the imperial physicians examine Hua Meng, they could hardly remain displeased.

Presumably, the Empress Dowager needed to hear the imperial physicians say with her own ears that Hua Meng was well before she could rest easy.

Earlier, Hua Meng had worried that Emperor Jing'an would not take her inside. Though she had not entered the imperial palace by this point in her previous life, she knew there had been no assassination attempt.

But this time, because she was a variable, there had been an assassination attempt.

Hua Meng understood that the attempt must have happened because of her, so when she heard that the Empress Dowager had been attacked, she worried that something really had happened to her.

She had already made up her mind: once she saw the Empress Dowager, she would feed her a life-saving drop of Spirit Spring, whether or not it aroused suspicion.

The Empress Dowager was in very poor condition.

Because of the late emperor's inaction and her efforts to keep Emperor Jing'an safe, the Empress Dowager had suffered greatly, oppressed by the Noble Consort and her daughter for years.

A few days ago, the Elder Princess had angered her again. Although she had recovered somewhat over the past few days, she was getting on in years, and her body was slow to mend.

Today, she had insisted on coming out despite attempts to stop her, and had been slashed across the waist and abdomen. Though the wound was not deep because Nanny Ming had knocked into the old eunuch, she had still lost a great deal of blood.

The imperial physicians had no time to worry about propriety. Led by Jiang Xin, whose star had been rising of late, they were either tending to the Empress Dowager's wound or discussing how to prescribe her medicine.

When they saw Emperor Jing'an lead Hua Meng in, the anxious Nanny Ming and Nanny Qing exchanged a glance. Nanny Ming, who was closer to the Empress Dowager, stepped forward and whispered in her ear, "Empress Dowager, His Majesty and Her Highness Consort Jing are both here. They are both perfectly well."

The Empress Dowager was already feeling dizzy from the loss of blood, but on hearing Nanny Ming's words, she still insisted on opening her eyes and looking at Emperor Jing'an and Hua Meng.

Seeing the Empress Dowager look over, Hua Meng tugged Emperor Jing'an forward two steps and said, "Empress Dowager, I feel no discomfort at all."

Hearing this, the Empress Dowager's lips curved slightly, and she looked at Emperor Jing'an.

Emperor Jing'an understood what she meant. He looked at the few imperial physicians who were relatively free at the moment and said, "All of you, come and examine Consort Jing."

The physicians had just finished settling on the Empress Dowager's prescription. After two of them were sent with Nanny Qing to prepare her medicine, the remaining physicians who were free came over and took turns feeling Hua Meng's pulse.

After each of the physicians had taken Hua Meng's pulse, they exchanged knowing glances almost at the same time. The same words seemed to appear in all their eyes.

Her Highness Consort Jing really is in excellent health.

After confirming that Hua Meng was truly unharmed and the child in her womb was very healthy, the Empress Dowager finally put her mind at ease.

Seeing that the Empress Dowager was reassured, Emperor Jing'an looked at Hua Meng. "Shall I have someone take you back to rest first?"

Hua Meng knew that Emperor Jing'an was asking her to leave not because she was in the way, but because he truly wanted her to rest.

But she had yet to see with her own eyes that the Empress Dowager was safe, and she had not yet fed her the Spirit Spring, so she could not simply leave.

"I don't want to go back." Hua Meng spoke directly, without holding back. Before Emperor Jing'an could speak again, she continued, "I am safer at Your Majesty's side, after all. Besides, I must see with my own eyes that the Empress Dowager is safe, or I would not be worthy of her concern."

Hua Meng's words sounded somewhat disrespectful. After all, Emperor Jing'an had told her to go back, and an ordinary person ought to have obeyed and returned to rest.

But on closer thought, Hua Meng's actions were only natural.

Leaving aside whether the inner palace was truly safe at this moment, the Empress Dowager was so concerned for her that, even if it was the child in her womb she was worried about, Hua Meng could hardly leave just like that.

After all, she was not feeling unwell in any way.

Nanny Ming understood the Empress Dowager better than anyone. Hearing Hua Meng's words and seeing that Emperor Jing'an still seemed ready to speak, she hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, why not let Her Highness rest in a side hall?"

Hearing Nanny Ming's suggestion, Hua Meng knew when to stop and nodded along.

When Emperor Jing'an saw that Nanny Ming had spoken up as well, he knew his imperial mother was probably uneasy about letting Hua Meng leave.

"In that case, I will have Consort Ru make arrangements for you."

Emperor Jing'an naturally meant that he would stay here and keep watch.

Hua Meng did not insist. She nodded obediently before saying, "I will rest for a while, then come back to see the Empress Dowager." After speaking, she thought for a moment, then looked at Nanny Ming. "Sorry to trouble you, Nanny Ming, but when the Empress Dowager wakes, please be sure to send someone to tell me."

If Hua Meng had said those words to a narrow-minded emperor, he would probably have thought she was overstepping.

But Emperor Jing'an was different. His bond with the Empress Dowager had always been extraordinary, and from childhood he had envied the family affection of ordinary households.

Besides, he had long known that Hua Meng was direct by nature.

Presumably, his earlier offer to have someone take her back had made her unhappy.

Only after Hua Meng had left did Nanny Ming look at Emperor Jing'an with a joyful expression and say, "This old servant congratulates Your Majesty."

No third person present understood Nanny Ming's words, but they noticed that after Emperor Jing'an heard them, his face bore a noticeably broader smile.