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At night, Eunuch Wei lit the new nerve-calming incense sent by Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing for the Emperor. The scent wasn’t much different from the previous nerve-calming incense, except it was more intense.
The Emperor quickly fell asleep.
Eunuch Wei thought that he could finally get some rest as well.
But no one expected that the Emperor would have another nightmare shortly after falling asleep.
This time, he didn't dream of being unable to move on the bed while waiting for others to kill him, but dreamt of himself falling off a cliff and barely grabbing a vine on the cliff's edge at the critical moment.
With a bottomless abyss beneath his feet, if the vine broke, he would fall to his death.
He desperately shouted for help, "Save me, save me!"
Finally, someone came.
It was Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing!
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing knelt down beside him.
The Emperor was so moved that he almost cried. His imperial concubine mother was truly the person who loved him the most in the world.
However, Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing did not pull him up. Instead, she took out a dagger and cut the vine.
"Ahhhh!"
The feeling of weightlessness from falling into the bottomless abyss suddenly woke the Emperor up from his dream. He sat up, panting heavily!
Eunuch Wei heard the noise and rushed over with a lamp, exclaiming, "Your Majesty!"
He saw the Emperor's pale face and cold sweat all over his body, and couldn't help but be shocked, "Your Majesty is having a nightmare again?"
"Zhen… Zhen..." The Emperor covered his chest and his body trembled uncontrollably.
The nightmare just now was too scary, and the feeling of falling into the bottomless abyss was even more dreadful than being stabbed with a knife ten thousand times.
As a ruler of a country, how could he be scared like this by just a nightmare?
He looked down on himself.
"Your Majesty, have a cup of tea." After putting down the lamp, Eunuch Wei poured a cup of cold tea to calm him down.
The Emperor finished drinking with a gurgling sound, but he didn't feel much better.
"Zhen can't sleep. Bring me some memorandums to read."
Eunuch Wei couldn't dissuade him, so he had to bring the memorandums from the study to him. However, the Emperor couldn't concentrate at all. The fear from his nightmare lingered in his body and couldn't be shaken off.
Annoyed, the Emperor put down the document in his hand and said, "Zhen is going out for a walk. No need for others to follow."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Eunuch Wei replied. He carried a lantern and he alone followed the Emperor out of Huaqing Palace.
The Emperor wandered aimlessly and before he knew it, he found himself in Kunning Palace.
Eunuch Wei asked softly, "Your Majesty, do you want to visit the Empress? Let this servant inform her."
Looking at the tightly closed palace doors, the Emperor said indifferently, "No need. It's late at night. Don't wake up imperial mother."
Eunuch Wei was stunned.
Imperial mother?
Wasn’t it Empress Xiao who lived here now?
Empress Dowager Zhuang had moved to Renshou Palace long ago after the previous Emperor's death.
Confused, Eunuch Wei looked at the Emperor.
The Emperor suddenly snapped out of his daze and gave him a doubtful look, "What did Zhen just say?"
"Ah, nothing, Your Majesty. You said it's late at night, so we shouldn't wake up the Empress." Eunuch Wei replied, feeling bewildered.
Maybe he misheard it. The Emperor said "Empress," not "imperial mother." [T/N: ‘huanghou’ and ‘muhou’ respectively]
"The Empress..." The Emperor looked in a trance for a moment, and then he suddenly frowned. "Why did Zhen come here? Why didn't you remind me? It's late at night. If we alarm the harem, it'll be chaotic!"
"Erm, it's this servant’s fault." Eunuch Wei said, feeling extremely wronged.
You rushed here from Huaqing Palace as if you were determined to come, who could stop you?
"Let's go back." The Emperor said, annoyed.
The Emperor didn't sleep much this night. After the hour of Yinshi(3-5 am), he changed his clothes and went to court on time.
He was not feeling well and almost fell asleep on the dragon throne.
Empress Dowager Zhuang said in a domineering tone, "Speak up if you have anything to report, otherwise, adjourn the court!"
This impatient tone clearly meant that anyone who caused trouble would be dealt with.
The civil and military officials all stated that they had nothing to report.
At the top of his voice, Eunuch Wei announced, "Court adjourned!"
After leaving the imperial audience hall, Empress Dowager Zhuang got on her phoenix palanquin. She glanced at the Emperor, who was putting on a show and pretending to see her off, and sneered, "Don't exhaust yourself to death before we catch the culprit!"
The Emperor responded coldly, "Imperial mother need not worry, Zhen is perfectly fine!"
"Someone is here!" Eunuch Wei reminded them.
The Emperor and Empress Dowager Zhuang immediately put on a smiling face.
After returning to Huaqing Palace, Eunuch Wei was invited to Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's Qiuhua Hall by Grannie Cai.
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing was copying Buddhist scriptures. When she saw Eunuch Wei, she smiled and asked in a gentle voice, "Did His Majesty sleep well last night? Did he have any nightmares?"
Eunuch Wei looked hesitant.
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's smile gradually disappeared. "What's wrong? Is His Majesty still unable to sleep?"
"His Majesty did sleep, but..." Eunuch Wei sighed helplessly, "He had another nightmare and was quite frightened."
The writing brush in Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's hand fell onto the table with a clatter, and then rolled from the table to the ground, smudging the newly copied page of scripture.
"How could this happen?" She muttered in disbelief.
Eunuch Wei looked at Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing strangely.
Grannie Cai quickly knelt down, picked up the writing brush, and wiped the ink off the floor with a cloth. She said, "It’s normal for parents to worry about their children, with His Majesty’s dragon body unwell, it is inevitable for Your Highness to be concerned. This servant understands how Your Highness feels, but you also need to take care of yourself. The imperial physician said that your injuries haven’t healed yet and you should avoid worrying too much!"
Eunuch Wei looked at Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing.
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's face was full of disbelief. She clenched the Buddhist scriptures on the table so tightly that she crumpled them into a ball.
Eunuch Wei looked shocked.
Grannie Cai grabbed Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's wrist and looked at her firmly. "Your Highness, you must hold on! His Majesty has already been laboring for the state affairs, you wouldn’t want to add to His Majesty’s concerns by making yourself sick with worry, would you?"
Was it because she was too worried about His Majesty? Eunuch Wei sighed inwardly and said, "This servant will have the imperial physician come over here later to check on imperial concubine dowager."
Grannie Cai expressed her gratitude. "Thank you, Eunuch Wei!"
Eunuch Wei replied politely, "It’s my duty to do what I can."
Grannie Cai said with a smile, "Let me see you out."
Eunuch Wei declined, "There's no need. Grannie Cai, you should take good care of imperial concubine dowager."
Grannie Cai insisted on escorting him to the door. After seeing him disappear down the corridor, she put on a serious expression and returned to the Qiuhua Hall.
She looked anxiously at Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing and said, "Your Highness!"
Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing lightly gathered her wide sleeves and said, "It's okay, I'm fine."
An imperial physician went to the imperial study to take the Emperor's pulse. He diagnosed that the Emperor was suffering from excessive worry and overwork, as well as the flare up of liver fire. The physician prescribed a recipe for invigorating the qi and calming the mind.
The Emperor sneered, "It's always this same recipe. Zhen has taken it how many times, when has it ever been effective?"
Eunuch Wei's eyes rolled around and he said, "Why don't we... go find the little miracle physician?"
The Emperor snorted, "Didn't you hear her say that she won't come to the Huaqing Palace to treat anyone anymore?"
Eunuch Wei said with a smile, "If she won't come to us, we can go to her! This can't go on like this forever. Even imperial concubine dowager is frightened by Your Majesty’s condition!"
The Emperor furrowed his brows, but was eventually persuaded. He and Eunuch Wei changed into their outdoor clothes and took a carriage to the Miraculous Hands Hall.
However, they were told that Gu Jiao was not there.
Physician Song had met Eunuch Wei before and knew that his master was Qin Chuyu's father, an official of the imperial court. He bowed politely and said, "Young Miss Gu is out on a house visit."
"How long will she be gone?" Eunuch Wei asked.
Physician Song replied, "She didn't say, but I don’t think she will return to the medical hall today. She has to pick up Jing Kong from school in a little while. You should know where her house is, right? Why don't you go directly to her house and look for her there?"
The pair of master and servant then went to Bishui Alley.
Gu Jiao hadn't come back yet, so Yao Shi invited the two in.
Today, Aunt Zhou's two daughters-in-law, as well as Aunt Liu and her younger sister came over here to consult Yao Shi about needlework. The main room was full of women, and Aunt Liu’s eyes were always on the Emperor.
The Emperor’s scalp felt numb!
Yao Shi smiled and invited the Emperor to Grandaunt's room. "Your Majesty, why don't you sit in the room for a while? JiaoJiao will be back soon."
"Thank you, Madame Gu." The Emperor politely thanked her.
Aunt Liu sneaked over.
The Emperor was so scared that he bolted the door!
He sat in the narrow and cramped room. With the door and windows all closed, the lighting was a bit dim, but the dimmer it was, the more it magnified his other senses.
He smelled a faint, warm scent.
It once existed in a distant memory of his.
After Gu Jiao picked up Little Jing Kong from school and arrived home, she listened to Eunuch Wei talk about the Emperor's sleepless nights. She went to knock on Grandaunt's door, but no one answered.
Eunuch Wei was frightened, "Could something have happened to His Majesty?"
Gu Jiao pulled out a dagger and pried open the bolt.
Eunuch Wei rushed in, "Your Majesty! Your Ma..."
He was dumbfounded.
The Emperor, who was unable to sleep, was lying on the bed on his back, drooling and snoring loudly. He was very much sound asleep.
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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