Chu Tianxing Wanted to Save the Emperor? Elder Shen Flew into a Rage: What If Your Needles Did Him Harm?
Gu Mochen slowly exhaled and tucked the blanket around the princess.
"Fine."
"Just take good care of yourself and don't worry about anything."
The princess watched his departing figure, her fingers slowly clenching the brocade quilt.
Gu Mochen left the inner courtyard, his smile completely gone.
Zhou Huaili was waiting under the corridor, and went to greet him when he came out.
"Your Highness, should we immediately send news of the Princess Consort's happy event to the capital?"
Gu Mochen stopped on the steps. Snow water dripped from the eaves, leaving a wet ring on the stone slab.
"Deliver."
"Deliver it to the Imperial Clan Court and my father-in-law as quickly as possible."
After he finished speaking, he added another sentence.
"Have the imperial physician take your pulse again, and have someone else examine you."
Zhou Huaili looked up at him.
Gu Mochen offered no explanation, simply tucking his hands into his sleeves and walking towards the study.
The inner courtyard behind them was warmly lit, and the nannies were busy brewing medicine to help with pregnancy, their laughter occasionally seeping through the cracks in the windows.
He walked in the wind, with only one thought in his mind.
This child must be his.
Even after the palace gates were locked, the lights in Palace of Compassion and Tranquility remained on.
The Empress Dowager sat on the couch, twirling a string of Buddhist prayer beads in her hand. The beads slipped through her fingers one by one, falling so softly that they were almost inaudible.
Noble Consort Chen sat at the lower end of the table, with a cup of hot tea in front of her.
Outside the palace, wind and snow weighed down the palace walls.
The Hall of Supreme Ultimate remained tightly sealed off, and news of the emperor's stroke and coma had not yet spread, but the people in the palace were not blind.
There are too many Imperial Guard.
The imperial physicians came and went even more frequently.
The color in Gao Fu's face was fading day by day.
The Empress Dowager looked out the window and spoke first.
" Moran has obtained military power in Jiannan Circuit."
Noble Consort Chen lowered her eyes.
"It's just temporary control."
"The imperial edict limited the territory and time, and also left a copy for the Ministry of War. Those people in the court won't let him truly control Jiannan Circuit."
The Empress Dowager gave a soft hum.
"Everyone in the court is afraid of him."
"I'm afraid that if he really manages to hold onto Jiannan Circuit, the throne in the capital will have a new owner."
Noble Consort Chen did not respond.
She knew better than anyone that Gu Moran, though seemingly riding high, was actually standing in the most dangerous place.
The crown prince murdered his brother, the emperor fell seriously ill, Prince An kept watch in Anyang, and the Tubo were also lurking at the border.
Whoever stands out at this time will become the target of everyone's criticism.
They all hoped that Gu Moran would inherit the throne.
We can't let everyone find out.
Even more importantly, the emperor must not be allowed to wake up and discover that his mother and concubines had helped their son seize the throne while he was unconscious.
The Empress Dowager stopped holding the prayer beads.
If the emperor were to awaken, what would he hate most?
Noble Consort Chen raised her head.
He hates it most when others make decisions for him.
"Then we cannot ask for anything on Moran's behalf."
The Empress Dowager looked at her, her eyes devoid of any of her usual kindness.
The necessary care and attention should be given through other means.
Noble Consort Chen remained silent for a moment, then slowly understood what she meant.
"Does the Empress Dowager mean...?"
" The Imperial Medical Bureau sending medicine, the Imperial Treasury allocating supplies, and the Imperial Clan Court Affairs adding new categories to the sacrificial rites for the imperial clan—none of these were related to the struggle for the throne."
The Empress Dowager placed the Buddhist prayer beads on the small table.
" With Yi Prefecture on the verge of war and the prince guarding the border, the palace has bestowed upon him winter clothes, medicine, wound dressings, and charcoal. Who dares to say that this is against the rules?"
Noble Consort Chen's brows remained furrowed.
"But if we give too much, Prince An will become suspicious."
"Then send one to him too."
The Empress Dowager said calmly.
"One share for Anyang, one share for Yi Prefecture, let no one be left out."
"For Yi Prefecture's shipment, just add a few more cartloads of medicinal herbs, fine linen, strong liquor, needles and thread, and dry rations. Write it as 'old items from the palace' on the register, but don't make it too conspicuous."
Noble Consort Chen finally picked up the cup of cold tea and took a sip.
The tea had cooled completely and tasted astringent.
"I understand."
The Empress Dowager then said, "There is one more thing."
Noble Consort Chen looked at her.
"That girl Moli, is too conspicuous in the palace."
The Empress Dowager sighed.
"She's too clever for her own good, and too protective of her third brother. Before the Crown Prince's incident, she might have played a significant role in the Fifth Prince's scheme."
Noble Consort Chen's fingers pressed against the rim of the cup.
How could her mother not see through Gu Moli's thoughts?
The child had long been unwilling to be confined within the palace walls.
She was planning for Gu Moran, and also for herself.
However, some moves were too risky, so risky that even Noble Consort Chen feared at night that she might one day find herself trapped in them.
"I will teach her to restrain herself."
"Insufficient convergence."
The Empress Dowager looked at her.
"Send her to the Buddhist hall to copy scriptures, and keep her secluded for seven days, saying to the outside world that she is praying for the emperor's well-being."
Noble Consort Chen nodded.
"Good."
The Palace of Compassion and Tranquility fell silent.
The Empress Dowager gazed at the candlelight and slowly said, " Moran is a capable child, but he has suffered too many losses over the years. To get to where he is today, he needs someone to watch over him at every step of the way."
Noble Consort Chen's eyes welled up with tears, but she didn't show it at all.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured."
"In Yi Prefecture, there are his wives, Si Renyou and Zhen Daijin, and also old members of the Liu Clan."
He won't be alone.
The Empress Dowager nodded slowly.
"That's precisely why it's even more crucial to prevent the capital from knowing that so many people are standing behind him."
The Noble Consort Chen leave.
"It's all my fault."
" Ran'er is the one with true royal blood..."
Imperial Medicine Pavilion.
Chu Tianxing held several Chinese herbs, peering around curiously.
" Elder Shen, I have a prescription. How about I give the emperor a set of Yang-Restoring Acupuncture?"
I'm about 70% sure I can fix it! Hehe!
No sooner had he finished speaking than Elder Shen slapped him on the head.
"You dare to puncture if you're 70% sure?"
That's a dragon's body! Are you tired of living? Have you eaten too much? What if you accidentally hurt someone?
"Huh? It doesn't even work after I tried?"
Another slap.
"Is the Dragon Body something you can test? If you're not absolutely certain, you'd better shut your mouth, or I'll slap you to death."
"Good, good, good, you old man are really steady."
The following morning, palace eunuchs left the Vermilion Bird Gate with dozens of carts of sealed supplies.
On the surface, it was because the Empress Dowager pitied the princes in various regions for the difficulty of keeping vigil on New Year's Eve and specially bestowed New Year's supplies upon them.
Anyang received silk, wine, meat, and two cartloads of charcoal.
Yi Prefecture's convoy didn't look particularly impressive. The carriages were covered with red silk and New Year's gifts, but underneath were stuffed high-quality wound medicine, strong liquor, fine linen, sewing kits, dried ginger slices, long-lasting dried meat, and a batch of hemostatic powder prepared by the Imperial Medical Bureau.
In the last car, there was a small paint box.
There was only one unsigned letter in the box.
The letter contained only one sentence.
"The winds are fierce at the border, take good care of yourself."
After Noble Consort Chen finished writing, she put down her pen and did not add a single word.
She was afraid that if she wrote too much, Gu Moran would realize how worried she was in the capital.
The wind on the riverbank is harsher than in the city.
Xue Huan led his men to patrol along the isolation rope, the snow under their feet turning black from being trampled. Sand buckets, waterwheels, and bundles of soaked burlap were piled up on the riverbank.
Zhen Daijin stood beside the fireworks stand, personally inspecting the wooden wedges securing the bamboo tubes.
He pulled out a cracked bamboo tube, broke it open, and saw that the medicinal ingredients inside were somewhat damp. His face immediately darkened.
"Remove this one."
The craftsman quickly took it.
Zhen Daijin then pointed to the back row.
"Add another horizontal brace to the wooden frame over there. Tonight the wind is blowing south. If the bamboo tubes tilt and fall into the crowd, no one can afford to pay for them."
Yun Shuyue, wrapped in a snowman-shaped cloak, was squatting by the cordon tying knots.
Her hands were red from the cold, and the pom-poms on her snowman hat swayed wildly in the wind. Behind her followed a dozen or so messengers, each carrying a bamboo whistle and a short stick.
When Gu Moran walked over, Yun Shuyue was facing two children who wanted to crawl through the rope with a stern face.
"You can't go in here."
"Go to the lantern market area to watch the fireworks; you'll see a better view from there."
The child looked up at her and asked, "Will fireworks turn into tigers?"
Yun Shuyue scratched her head.
Behind him, Gu Moran smiled.
"I'll make you a tiger head."