Then he leaned in, loosely encircling her as his hands worked the silk ties at her back. His warm breath slipped through the gaps between fabric and skin.
It was like a spring breeze weaving past mountain peaks. The echoes of his earlier kneading and nipping, still damp, sprouted anew like wild vines bursting into verdant life.
Fortunately, Helian Jin finished dressing her quickly.
Yun Jichu, before her cheeks could flush, hurried to clamber off the bed.
As she moved, something hard nudged her foot.
She reached toward it through the thin quilt, and the moment her fingers brushed the square object, Helian Jin seized her wrist.
“Don’t touch it.” His expression turned grave, his voice deepening.
Yun Jichu assumed it was some personal item of his. She wasn’t overwhelmingly curious and had no intention of prying.
“Oh.” She slid off the bed.
Helian Jin moved to follow, but Yun Jichu pressed him back down.
“Take off your clothes and lie still.” With that, she began unfastening his robes.
Helian Jin caught her hand, but she silenced him with a firm “Don’t move.”
Yun Jichu watched as he stripped down to his undergarments and lay back on the bed. Only then did she feel relieved enough to walk out of the hall.
Cui Cheng looked as if he had seen a ghost. Yun Jichu saw his hair standing on end and couldn’t help but laugh.
“M-M… Majesty? Majesty! M-M…”
Yun Jichu curved her lips and deliberately made her voice tremble in an eerie tone. “Cui… Cheng…”
“Ah—” Cui Cheng jumped to his feet and dropped to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably. “Mercy, Majesty! Don’t take this slave’s life!”
Having had her fun, Yun Jichu squatted down and said, “Get up. Don’t be afraid.”
She had finally gotten revenge for the cold treatment Cui Cheng had given her years ago! And that bribe of over a thousand taels of silver!
Cui Cheng peeked up cautiously and saw Yun Jichu right in front of him. His face paled again. “Y-You… Majesty…”
“Get up, fetch the medicine. His Majesty’s cough is severe; don’t delay it.”
“Is it really… the Majesty?”
Yun Jichu replied patiently, “It’s me. Go on.”
Cui Cheng forgot how he made it to the front of the Grand Hall or how he brought the medicine.
In any case, even when His Majesty tilted his head back to drain the bowl and handed it to him, he remained dazed and forgot to take it.
However, His Majesty was in high spirits tonight and did not reprimand him. He set the bowl on the small table and said coldly, “Did you go to Penglai Hall today?”
Cui Cheng snapped back to his senses and sneaked another glance at Yun Jichu.
He saw her sitting at the edge of His Majesty’s bed, with His Majesty holding her hand.
Unless all three of them were dead and turned into ghosts, this could only mean… the Empress had returned!
“Speak,” Yun Jichu prompted when he failed to answer. Helian Jin seemed to be losing patience.
“I went—this slave went,” Cui Cheng replied. “When this slave arrived, the Princess was haggard and gaunt, lying on the bed. The Crown Prince kept watch at her side and fed her two doses of medicine, but she showed no sign of improvement.”
“What?!” Yun Jichu shot to her feet. “How could that be?”
When she had been pregnant, she had consumed so many heavenly treasures for this child—all to ensure the baby was born safely and grew up strong, healthy, wise, and extraordinary.
How could she have fallen this ill?
Cui Cheng replied, “After His Majesty fell sick, the Princess was consumed by grief and suddenly took ill herself. Last night, she dragged her weakened body to visit His Majesty…”
He sneaked a glance at Helian Jin and whispered, “And… it ended unhappily. The Princess is so young; it’s only natural she’d wear herself out with worry.”
“Ah?” Yun Jichu glanced at Helian Jin. “Ended unhappily?”
Helian Jin lowered his gaze, rose from the bed, and said, “Zhen will go see her.”
Along the way, Helian Jin remained silent, one arm wrapped around Yun Jichu’s waist. He seemed lost in thought.
After they had walked a short distance, Yun Jichu suddenly recalled Cui Cheng’s earlier words—that Helian Jin was ill.
If it had frightened Ah Huan into sickness, was Helian Jin’s condition grave?
She sneaked a glance at the man walking beside her.
He was very tall; Yun Jichu barely reached his chin. Unless she craned her neck deliberately, she could not see his expression.
His legs were long, his normal strides wide, yet now he walked slowly, matching her pace exactly.
He did not look like a man suffering from a serious illness.
“You…” She had barely spoken when she felt the hand at her waist tighten slightly.
“Are you ill too? What kind of illness? Is it serious?”
The hand relaxed a little, and Helian Jin replied indifferently, “Just a cough. Rest will cure it.”
“Oh…”
When they arrived at Penglai Hall, Lady Yu reacted much like Cui Cheng—as if she had seen a ghost. But seeing Cui Cheng composed and His Majesty’s expression stern, she clamped down hard on her shock, striving to remain polite.
Yun Jichu could clearly see, however, that Lady Yu was walking with her arms and legs moving in awkward unison.
The bed curtains were drawn; the Princess appeared to be asleep.
Yun Jichu stepped forward and reached to lift the curtain when a voice emerged from within.
“Ah Huan is fine now. Imperial Father, please go back.” The words were muffled, as if spoken through a tear-choked nose.
Yun Jichu’s heart ached. “Ah Huan…”
She lifted the bed curtain.
The little girl lying inside widened her eyes. Before Yun Jichu could even sit, she flung herself forward.
“Mother! Mother…”
She sobbed piteously.
Tears welled in Yun Jichu’s eyes too. As she stroked Ah Huan’s back, she realized just how much weight the girl had lost; the bones poked sharply against her hand.
“Don’t cry, Ah Huan. Mother is here.”
Though she still felt unaccustomed to this role, Yun Jichu did her best to soothe the child in her arms.
The Princess cried herself out and finally pulled away, still hiccuping. Her soft little hands cupped Yun Jichu’s face.
“Mother finally remembered Ah Huan.”
Yun Jichu nodded.
Seeing that the flesh on her cheeks had thinned noticeably, Yun Jichu wiped away Ah Huan’s tears and pulled her into another embrace.
Ah Huan melted back into her arms.
They held each other for a long while before Yun Jichu remembered Helian Jin was still there.
She said softly, “Your Imperial Father came to see you too.”
But Ah Huan showed no gratitude for it. Nestled in her arms, she declared, “Mother coming to see me is more than enough.”
Yun Jichu was stunned. What on earth had happened in these mere three days?
Over the years, Helian Jin had personally raised the two children, and the princess had always been especially dependent on him—she could see that much.
She turned her head to glance at him.
Helian Jin had not come any closer. He simply watched from afar, his expression impassive.
As if her words weren’t cutting enough, Ah Huan added, “Besides Mother, who else would care whether Ah Huan lives or dies?”
Yun Jichu hurriedly said, “Ah Huan, you mustn’t say such things.”
Ah Huan would never go against her, of course, but neither did she reply.
As the tension hung between them, Helian Jin stepped forward and gently wiped Yun Jichu’s tears with a handkerchief.
No matter what, Yun Jichu didn’t want any rift between Ah Huan and Helian Jin. She coaxed gently, “Your Imperial Father fell ill a few days ago. Whatever happened, Ah Huan, don’t take it to heart, all right?”
A coughing fit counted as a serious illness, she figured.
Ah Huan remained silent.
She seemed so soft and pliant on the surface, but she had a stubbornly willful streak after all.
Yun Jichu decided this would take time and stopped pressing. She soothed her daughter a while longer, then personally fed her a bowl of medicine. Only after watching Ah Huan drift off to sleep did she quietly slip away.
Helian Jin stayed by her side the whole time. He passed her the handkerchief while she administered the medicine and silently tucked in the quilt’s corners as she comforted Ah Huan.
Yun Jichu was terribly out of practice when it came to child-rearing. She even felt a touch of stage fright performing the task in front of Helian Jin.
Fortunately, Ah Huan was no longer a little one who needed constant tending. Simple companionship and a few words were enough, which eased Yun Jichu’s mind somewhat.
She had no idea how Helian Jin had managed to raise the children over the past five years—from helpless infants wailing for milk to rambunctious toddlers scampering everywhere. It was truly remarkable.
It was nearly three in the morning when they emerged from Penglai Hall.
Yun Jichu’s body hadn’t fully recovered from her high fever. Standing at the entrance to the Grand Hall, she swayed unsteadily.
The man at her side noticed at once. He swept her up into his arms and strode toward Zichen Hall.
“I haven’t even gone to see Ah Nian yet…”
“Tomorrow. Rest first.”
“Is Ah Nian ill?”
“No.”
Reassured, Yun Jichu let Helian Jin carry her back to Zichen Hall.
Cui Cheng trailed at a distance, his heart drumming anxiously as he prayed His Majesty would prove strong and valiant—and not pass out midway.
After all, in these three days, His Majesty had managed only half a bowl of fish congee.
The coughing illness that so concerned the Empress was the least of his troubles—just a bit of blood mingled in the phlegm.
His Majesty bore the scars of old wounds accumulated over many years, to say nothing of those shattering headaches that felt like the heavens themselves were cracking apart.
Heart tied in knots, Cui Cheng watched as His Majesty carried the Empress into Zichen Hall. Only then did he let out a breath of relief.
But before he could fully unwind, something occurred to him. He hurriedly summoned a night-duty eunuch named Feng Rang to prepare hot bathwater.
Unaware of what had transpired, Feng Rang simply assented and turned to hurry off.
Cui Cheng slapped his forehead as another thought struck him. He called the man back. “Add some petals—er… roses and hibiscus!”
“Ah?” Feng Rang replied. “In this season? Where am I supposed to find hibiscus flowers, Eunuch Cui? Don’t make things hard for this servant!”
Cui Cheng mumbled vaguely, “Just… make it fragrant. A bit more vibrant and alluring.”
Feng Rang agreed and started to leave, only to be yanked back again.
“Medicine! Brew up tonics to replenish qi and blood, remedies for headaches, and treatments for coughs. I’ll oversee it personally later!”
“Anything else?”
Cui Cheng spun in place, shaking his head. “No. Hurry!”
Watching Feng Rang dash away, Cui Cheng finally relaxed completely. He murmured a silent prayer in his heart.
Heaven forbid anything go wrong tonight!
~~~