Lady Shuxiu presented the basin of warm water and soft towel at the bedside. Seeing His Majesty take the towel without further movement, she discreetly set down the basin, parted the bed curtains, opened the window, and finally withdrew from the chamber.
The towel was exquisitely fine. Wiping her body with the warm water felt wonderfully soothing, easing the scorching fever that gripped her.
Even in her dazed slumber, Yun Jichu let out an unconscious sigh of relief.
In her haze, she fumbled with her sash, baring large expanses of skin, and mumbled, “Lady Shuxiu… help me wipe here.”
These past days, Lady Shuxiu had cared for her with unwavering patience and meticulous attention. Subconsciously, Yun Jichu regarded her as a close and trusted elder sister.
With her there, she felt utterly secure.
The towel paused, motionless.
The blistering heat surged anew. Yun Jichu groped toward the bedside with one hand, seeking Lady Shuxiu’s to urge her on.
Suddenly, a large hand seized hers, pressing it gently beside her ear. Cool relief followed along the sides of her lower abdomen.
It felt divine. Yun Jichu lacked the energy for further thought. While the towel was rewetted, she rolled onto her stomach.
Her flushed face buried into the satin-soft pillow as her back, the crooks of her elbows, the insides of her thighs, and the soles of her feet were all thoroughly wiped.
With the fever somewhat subdued, Yun Jichu at last drifted into deep, restful sleep.
~~~
In the faint light of dawn, Li Wenzhu hurried down from her palanquin the moment it halted and hastened toward Shouning Palace.
“Auntie, you’ve pitied Zhuer for these years of bitter waiting. I’m endlessly grateful,” Li Wenzhu said, tears streaming down her cheeks.
The Empress Dowager sat wearily at the head of the hall. “Is everything well at the mansion?”
Li Wenzhu replied, “Mother has been so anxious and upset over my affairs that she’s taken ill and been bedridden for three days now.”
“You must take good care of her.” The Empress Dowager cast a sidelong glance at Li Wenzhu. “Since your Mother is ill, you ought to be at her side attending her. Why have you come to the palace?”
Li Wenzhu’s cheeks flushed as she caught the note of impatience in the Empress Dowager’s tone. Softly, she said, “Father is deeply concerned for Mother and handles all household matters. Upon hearing of palace affairs and knowing how much Mother worries about them, he sent me here.”
The Empress Dowager paused. “Out with it, then. What is it?”
“Does His Majesty truly intend to make Yun Jichu the Empress?” Li Wenzhu asked plaintively. “Isn’t this too hasty? Yun Jichu is merely the daughter of a Transport Commissioner.”
The Empress Dowager shot Li Wenzhu a glance.
Merely the daughter of a Transport Commissioner?
The Princess Consort whom Helian Jin had once favored was nothing more than an orphaned maidservant, yet she had risen to glorious heights as his consort—and now she had even been posthumously honored as Empress.
“I have never sought to sway the Emperor’s will.”
Li Wenzhu lowered her gaze. “Zhuer is simply worried for His Majesty.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Back at Chengxiang Hall, when we spent our days together, Zhuer noticed something odd about Yun Jichu. She knows little of her own family affairs. Whenever I probed indirectly, she would gloss over it vaguely. And… Auntie, Yun Jichu looks exactly like Chu Chu from those days.”
“Is that true?!” The Empress Dowager’s voice rose sharply.
Lately, whispers had circulated through the palace that Yun Jichu bore a striking resemblance to the Late Empress, which explained the Emperor’s favor.
Yu Rumei had dismissed it as idle gossip.
She knew full well her son’s lingering attachment to his departed wife. Finding a woman who resembled her to ease his sorrow was only natural.
Had she not looked similar, she likely would never have caught the Emperor’s eye.
But if Li Wenzhu was right—if she was an exact likeness with strange mannerisms to boot…
Yu Rumei composed herself. Calmly, she said, “Have you considered the consequences if these words reach the Emperor’s ears?”
Li Wenzhu replied, “What if a thief has truly infiltrated His Majesty’s side? Zhuer fears not his anger—only that I might root out the impostor and spare the Empress Dowager further worry.”
A few days earlier, Yun Jichu had come to Shouning Palace to pay respects. Upon hearing of her illness, she had turned and left. Yu Rumei had taken the woman for a stupid, shrewish sort at the time. Now, it seemed she was cunning and calculating after all.
She must have feared I would see through her and expose some flaw.
Yu Rumei took a sip of tea, an idea taking shape in her mind. “She’s ill, and since you’re close to her, why not pay her a visit?”
Li Wenzhu agreed.
~~~
Yun Jichu stirred awake, feeling much lighter in body and clear of mind.
The bed curtains hung parted. Helian Jin was absent; only Lady Shuxiu stood at her side.
Lady Shuxiu gathered the gauze curtains and stepped forward to administer the medicine.
Propping herself up on her elbows, Yun Jichu sat up—only to realize she was utterly bare. She snatched the thin quilt and clutched it tightly around herself.
Fresh from sweating and being wiped down repeatedly, damp strands of hair clung to her cheeks. Her face gleamed pale with rosy undertones, her lips still vividly red from the unrelenting fever, her lashes curled delicately. She resembled red jade steeped in cream, evoking tender pity.
Lady Shuxiu’s expression softened. “Consort, do you have an appetite for some fish porridge?”
The medicine in Yun Jichu’s mouth tasted more bitter than death itself. She shook her head vigorously. “I have no appetite.”
Lady Shuxiu proved unusually accommodating. “Then don’t eat just yet. His Majesty instructed the Imperial Kitchen to prepare your favorite red bean pastries. Have them once the bitterness fades from your tongue.”
Yun Jichu surprisingly found that Lady Shuxiu at this moment seemed bathed in a layer of soft, warm light, making her irresistibly want to snuggle into the woman’s embrace.
“Thank you for taking care of me,” she said. In the past, she’d always toughed out fevers and colds on her own—even hospitalizations had been solitary ordeals.
Lady Shuxiu smiled faintly. “This servant didn’t do much. It was all His Majesty tending to the Consort.”
“Then…”
Yun Jichu glanced down at herself.
Lady Shuxiu nodded.
How utterly mortifying… Yun Jichu suddenly felt her body heating up with fever all over again.
She couldn’t recall what had happened while she’d been deliriously asleep, but the state of things beneath the covers suggested it hadn’t been anything decent.
The embarrassment was so intense that even the bitterness of the medicine faded away. It seemed her fate was still the truly bitter one.
“What about him?” Yun Jichu mumbled vaguely.
The best outcome would be if he were swamped from dawn till dusk with no time to visit—giving her a chance to completely forget this whole mess.
“The Princess heard you were ill and threw a tantrum, demanding to see you,” Lady Shuxiu replied. “Once His Majesty ensured the Consort was sleeping soundly, he went to Penglai Hall to soothe her.”
“I’m feeling much better now. Help me get dressed—I’ll go check on Ah Huan.”
Lady Shuxiu hurriedly stopped her. “Consort, your health comes first. The Princess should be asleep by now, and His Majesty already tended to her last night—”
“Consort, Lady Li requests an audience,” Little Lian announced from outside.
“Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet,” Lady Shuxiu said, rising to her feet. “This servant will turn her away for you.”
If there was truly something to discuss, hiding from it wouldn’t make it go away. Better to face it head-on.
Yun Jichu stopped her. “Help me dress. I’ll see her.”
Li Wenzhu entered, pinching her nose. “Ah Chu, whatever happened for you to fall ill like this?”
Her concern overflowed in her expression.
Yun Jichu felt bone-weary. “Wenzhu, what did you come to see me about?”
“I heard you were sick, so I came to check on you. Can’t I care about you?”
“Then thank you. If there’s nothing else, please head back.”
Faced with the repeated brush-offs, Li Wenzhu could no longer hold her tongue. She snapped acidly, “Do you really think becoming Empress means you can sleep soundly without a care?”
Empress? What Empress?
Yun Jichu was still completely out of the loop.
“You don’t think I’m bluffing again, do you?” Li Wenzhu pressed on.
“Wait—Empress? What are you talking about?”
That same infuriating pretense of calm sincerity made Li Wenzhu grit her teeth. “You truly have no idea? Last night, His Majesty issued a verbal decree to install you as Empress. The official edict will likely reach you in a few days.”
Yun Jichu’s eyes widened.
This game’s difficulty had really dialed way down.
The old Helian Jin had taken her over a hundred days to win over, but this one was sealing her as Empress after just a few kisses.
“Thank you for sharing this good news.”
Becoming Empress… surely even President Jin wouldn’t casually execute an Empress. Even if he grew tired of her as a stand-in someday.
Li Wenzhu was on the verge of exploding from Yun Jichu’s attitude. She demanded, “Now that you’re to be Empress, your father Yun Shen will soon arrive in the Capital to express gratitude. He might even get transferred back here. What are your thoughts on that?”
Yun Jichu paused, stunned.
What thoughts? Wasn’t this the classic case of one person attaining enlightenment and their whole family ascending to heaven? What else was there to think?
“Wenzhu, what are you really trying to ask me?”
Li Wenzhu’s eyes flickered. “I’m just making small talk. I heard your mother has trouble with her legs—not sure if it’ll be convenient for her to come to the Capital this time.”
Yun Jichu replied, “Father will handle everything.”
Li Wenzhu shot her a meaningful glance and smiled. “That’s good, then.”
Then, feigning worry, she added, “This draft selected only you. Who knows when the next one will be.”
There was a hint of flattery in her tone.
Yun Jichu said, “Zhang Wei, the son of the Minister of Rites, has admired you for years, Wenzhu. Why not give him another look?”
Li Wenzhu stared in shock and suspicion. How did Yun Jichu know about this?
Yun Jichu continued, “You’ve been exchanging letters with Zhang Wei for years now. Deep down, you have feelings for him, don’t you? But with the Li Family in decline, they needed a young and beautiful lady like you to enter the palace, charm His Majesty, and secure some connected positions.”
“…”
Yun Jichu gazed at her, her voice steady and calm. “Wenzhu, you really should think about yourself for once.”
“You—you…” Li Wenzhu shot to her feet, shouting, “You’re spouting utter nonsense!”
The woman was angry again.
Yun Jichu clamped her mouth shut awkwardly, eager to defuse the tension. “Forget I said anything. Pretend I didn’t.”
That attitude again!
Riling someone up and then acting like it was all an innocent slip!
Li Wenzhu scowled, her face draining of color. “Don’t think you can threaten me with this.”
“I just think it’s a shame for you and Zhang Wei.”
A few years back, Yun Jichu had even shipped the romantic storyline between Li Wenzhu and Zhang Wei.
One resolutely sacrificing love for family gain, the other patiently waiting for their beloved.
If it were turned into a novel, it’d easily span at least a hundred chapters.
“You…” Li Wenzhu couldn’t stand to remain there a second longer. “What do you even know!”
With that, she whirled around and stormed out.
Yun Jichu felt a hollow emptiness inside, knowing she had spoken carelessly once again.
Her body had yet to fully recover, so she allowed Lady Shuxiu to enter and gently remove her hairpins, helping her lean back against the soft pillows.
The red bean pastries were even tastier than last time, and Yun Jichu ate three pieces in a row.
After rinsing her mouth and settling into bed, Lady Shuxiu said softly, “Consort, why don’t you rest a little longer? His Majesty will arrive later.”
“I’m not waiting for him.”
Lady Shuxiu nodded. “This servant understands.”
You don’t seem to understand at all.
Yun Jichu said no more and closed her eyes.
Li Wenzhu had her unavoidable reasons, but what about her own situation? How was it any different?
Human relationships were already so hard to fathom, let alone the ever-shifting tides of love?
Truth and falsehood blurred together in a haze, and Yun Jichu felt as if she were stumbling through a thick fog.
In Shaoyang Hall, father and son sat facing each other, both wearing grim expressions.
“Ah Nian, do not meddle any further in the matters between Zhen and your mother consort,” Imperial Father said.
The Crown Prince replied, “Why did Lady Yun suffer nightmares for no reason? Why the sudden high fever? Father Emperor, when you chose to make her your consort, did you ever consider whether she truly wished it?”
Helian Jin fell silent for a moment before saying coldly, “Ah Nian.”
“Your son has overstepped,” the Crown Prince admitted, but he pressed on. “Even so, Your son only wants to ask one thing: Can Father Emperor truly bear to watch her confined within these palace walls, suffering for the rest of her days?”
“She and Zhen are in perfect harmony. We shall bear children and raise a family. Where is the suffering in that? Where is the confinement?”
“But Mother has forgotten everything. She has forgotten Father Emperor, and she has forgotten your son and Ah Huan as well.” The Crown Prince’s voice trembled with sorrow.
Helian Jin rose to his feet with a faint sigh and drew Ah Nian into his broad embrace.
Though the Crown Prince had reached the age of five and was diligent in his studies—remarkably steady for his years—even he now buried his face in his father’s chest and wept.
“Father Emperor, Ah Nian would rather have no Mother at all than see her come to harm again.”
Helian Jin said nothing.