The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 195 Fainting

Shoukang Palace.

Although it was still snowing outside, the Emperor Emeritus's daily health regimen could not be interrupted.

He practiced boxing in the warm and spacious room to recover from his illness, and Consort Zhen, who had not entered the small Buddhist hall since, accompanied him. Although she was much younger than the Emperor Emeritus, this illness had still taken its toll on her health, and she had more gray hair. From a distance, the two of them truly looked like a pair of wealthy and idle people.

"Wrong, wrong, the correct way to swing your shoulders is like this."

The Emperor Emeritus was very serious as he demonstrated for Consort Zhen.

During her illness, the Dowager thought she was going to die several times, and wrote several poems for him.

My husband is like the bright moon, illuminating my ailing body.

The long night is cold and the quilt is chilly; my longing for you is genuine.

I remember when we first met, the peach blossoms reflected our image.

Your heart is like the warm sun, warming my deepest dreams.

For example, "Where are the spring flowers and autumn moon now? Do you know how deep my longing is?"...etc.

Each song evoked memories of the past for him, stirring up boundless tenderness and...family affection within him.

When he was young, the empress also wrote poems for him.

They also kept in touch with each other.

But after the Empress passed away, although there were many concubines in the harem, no one wrote poems for him anymore.

Many of them can compose poems, but they mostly compete with each other.

Occasionally, she would present a poem, but it was mostly a metaphor for the scenery, and this "feeling" was not the love for her husband, but a praise of his favor, because he was the king.

Only Consort Zhen was different.

In her heart, he was not only her lord, but also her husband.

The retired emperor cherished this relationship.

Especially after the Crown Prince left, his sons seemed to remain the same, but the Emperor Emeritus always felt that something was missing.

Their filial piety and their concern were tinged with ulterior motives.

The retired emperor sometimes felt sad when he recalled the past.

If he had fewer sons, he worried that something might happen to one of them, and the dynasty would be unstable. But if he had more sons, they would fight each other like fighting cocks.

Prince...

The retired emperor was well aware that his growing suspicion of the crown prince was partly due to their instigation.

It's all in the past, it's over.

The dead must make way for the living.

When they were little, they were all so cute. He held them in his arms and comforted them, hired teachers for them, and found tutors for them.

The retired emperor felt he was a loving father and could no longer bear the pain of losing his son.

He opened one eye and closed the other.

As people get older, it's good to be a little confused.

Sometimes, being a little oblivious makes life a little easier.

The retired emperor did not want to make things difficult for himself anymore.

In fact, he has never been willing to make things difficult for himself.

He only wished to live to be a hundred years old.

Of course, in the process of living to a ripe old age, one should also enjoy wealth and prosperity.

Young concubines are fine for an occasional overnight stay, but they are also obstacles to his longevity.

The retired emperor was very restrained towards them.

He's been with too many women in his life, and now... he just treats them as toys.

Therefore, the old man cherished Consort Zhen, who had been by his side for decades, even more.

Especially after her health deteriorated.

"Yes, that's it."

Seeing Consort Zhen swing her arms with such graceful movements, the Emperor Emeritus smiled happily.

"No way."

Consort Zhen laughed, “I didn’t do a good job of shaking it as well as the Emperor Emeritus. Your Majesty, you have an upright posture, you stand like a pine tree, sit like a bell, and walk like the wind. You are just as handsome as you were back then.”

"Hahaha! You're just good at flattering me!"

"Who said that?"

Consort Zhen seemed to have been wronged. "If you don't believe me, ask Dai Quan."

"The Supreme Emperor..."

When the Emperor Emeritus looked over, Dai Quan smiled and patted his belly, which was much larger than when he was young. "Look at this old servant's belly, and then look at yours. You'll know that the Empress Dowager was right."

"Hahaha~~~"

The retired emperor laughed heartily.

Of course, there was also a hint of pride in his laughter.

Because of his poor health, he has always paid great attention to maintaining his health.

At the age of twenty-nine, he fell seriously ill and was about to entrust his son to someone else. However, the teenage prince took over everything and stayed by his bedside every day, handling state affairs with trepidation. He also posted notices among the people to seek out famous doctors, and finally, he recovered.

Then year after year, I would get sick several times each year.

Long illness makes one a doctor...

The retired emperor tried hard not to think about how busy his crown prince had been for him all those years.

"Your Majesty," sensing that the Emperor's laughter was getting a little off, Consort Zhen quickly brought over a cup of tea. "Have some jujube tea. In a little while, I'll accompany you for a walk around the palace."

"Good good!"

The retired emperor suppressed his wandering thoughts and enjoyed his warm jujube tea.

However, he had only taken a sip when hurried footsteps came from outside the hall, but when they reached the door, they only knocked lightly.

"What's the matter?"

Dai Quan glanced at the retired emperor, quickly walked a few steps to the door, and asked softly outside.

If it's a minor matter, he's prepared to simply dismiss it.

Now that Consort Zhen is here, everything else... is basically a minor matter.

"Father-in-law, something terrible has happened! The Dowager Lady Shi of the Rongguo Mansion requests an audience with the Emperor Emeritus, she..."

"What's up with her?"

The eunuch's voice outside was not low, and Consort Zhen could tell that the other party couldn't be stopped; he was determined to see the Emperor Emeritus.

Before the Emperor Emeritus could speak, she pretended to be very concerned and asked.

"Old Madam Shi's tears flowed freely, and she insisted on meeting the Emperor Emeritus."

"Please!"

The retired emperor's voice was authoritative.

It's snowing outside; it's nothing serious, the old lady won't come looking for him.

"Yes!"

The eunuch outside breathed a sigh of relief and hurried off to announce it.

"The Supreme Emperor..."

Consort Zhen seemed considerate and said, "Why don't we invite the Emperor as well? In this snowy weather, it would be quite a big deal for Sister Shi to come over."

The words were normal.

However, she knew that the retired emperor was very wary of the emperor because of those who had returned victorious.

The Jia family were old officials, and those close to her were subtly telling him that if he also called the Emperor, the retired Emperor would worry that everyone would think he was old and wanted to side with the Emperor.

ho~
Consort Zhen knew that although the Jia family was still nominally the Emperor Emeritus's people, they had long since sided with the Emperor because of the Shen family of Ningguo Mansion.

It's just a shame that the retired emperor was still being deceived by them.

That old woman, Shi, tacitly approved of her family members doing that, and now that something's wrong, she has to run to the Emperor Emeritus...

Consort Zhen felt that she had to make the Emperor Emeritus see clearly whose people the Jia family truly belonged to.

Based on her understanding of the Emperor, she knew he would definitely pay attention to whatever happened to the Jia family.

"……allow!"

The retired emperor had no idea how many schemes his beloved concubine had devised in such a short time.

Anyway, he's feeling very uncomfortable right now.

Dai Quan sensed this and quickly gave his trusted eunuch a meaningful look.

"Yes!"

The young eunuch bent over and backed to the door before carefully opening it to summon the emperor.

The retired emperor was somewhat satisfied.

He can't give the emperor too much face right now.

If Dai Quan goes, it would be giving him too much credit.

But in reality, the emperor at this time didn't care about saving face at all.

He had long ago decided that he didn't need to show any face in front of his father, the emperor.

In fact, many years ago, he was the most shameless person in the palace.

He only cares about that family in Ningguo Mansion now.

"Tell our men to leave the city immediately and find it for me."

The emperor was so anxious he wanted to pace back and forth, saying, "We must save the lives of Lady Shen and Jia Zhen no matter what."

When the old lady of Rongguo Mansion entered the palace at this time, although she did not come to see him, she came in crying and complaining all the way, and she did not hide it from him, the master of the palace.

The emperor simply hadn't expected that those people would be so audacious in broad daylight.

"What are you waiting for? Go now."

"Yes!"

The head of the secret guards waved his hand and quickly left with his brothers.

But the emperor still couldn't feel at ease.

A few days ago, when people from Shuntian Prefecture and Prince Jin's Mansion were wandering around the capital, he felt something was amiss.

He specifically ordered his secret guards to investigate.

He originally intended to watch Dong Xiaoquan and Prince Jin compete in magic, have some fun on the sidelines, and perhaps even lend a hand, but he discovered that the source of the problem was actually in Ningguo Prefecture.

The emperor waits, wondering what good thing might happen next.

Throughout the year, any encounters with the Ningguo Mansion were advantageous to him.

Dong Xiaoquan's failure to report it means the investigation is still ongoing.

Anything he takes seriously is a big deal.

The emperor eagerly awaited the day he would submit his report.

But Dong Xiaoquan hasn't made any moves yet, and Shen's fate is unknown.

The emperor was so angry he wanted to smash things.

Pick up a pen?
I can't bear to part with the ink-black jade penholder.

Pick up the cup...

It's from the official kiln.

Although a single cup may not seem like much, if he breaks one, the entire set will be destroyed.

This set costs several dozen taels of silver, enough for an average family to live on for two years.

The emperor was reluctant to part with it. His bestowals upon people relied entirely on the prestige afforded by the imperial kilns.

Finally, he took the approved memorial and slammed it twice on the jade table.

"Your Majesty, it's the late Empress Dowager Xuan Shi."

Eunuch Liu hesitated, but there were some things that couldn't be hidden: "At this time, Consort Zhen should be with the Emperor Emeritus."

emperor:"……"

Thump thump~~
He pounded the folded paper a few more times.

The Prince of Jin returned in such a sorry state that he thought the Empress Dowager Zhen would be more obedient given her intelligence.

But unexpectedly, her father's attitude towards him changed, and she started to hold him back from behind.

OK OK...

The emperor was so angry that he immediately summoned the memorials from Jiangnan.

There are several memorials from Jiangnan impeaching the Zhen family.

However, out of consideration for the relationship between the retired emperor and Consort Zhen, he only kept the middle position.

But now, he doesn't want to stay in China anymore.

Let's show it to the old man.

Hmph, if he wants to stay, then the old man can do it himself!

The emperor was furious.

But no matter how angry he was, it was not as good as when Grandmother Jia called Consort Zhen "elder sister" and acted so affectionately.

That venomous woman...

Grandmother Jia was so angry that she almost choked.

"The Supreme Emperor..."

The old woman clutched her chest and knelt on the ground, her body trembling. Tears that she had been holding back for so long finally streamed down her face. "Please, Your Majesty, save me!"

The way she looked at Consort Zhen, a mixture of hatred, helplessness, heartache, and despair, deeply moved the Emperor Emeritus.

The preferential treatment given to Consort Zhen was largely due to the Shi sisters who married into the Jia family.

He and Daihua and Daishan got along well as ruler and minister; the brothers both married sisters from the Shi family, and his concubine Zhen called them "elder sister"...

"Tell me slowly, what happened? I will definitely take care of it for you."

"Your Majesty, I beg you to send someone out of the city immediately to save my poor niece-in-law, Shen!"

The old lady was crying, but that didn't stop her from speaking clearly.

Unlike ordinary women, she didn't become incoherent when she got excited or cried.

"Ever since she was assassinated along with Prince Jin on the fifteenth of August, Lady Shen has been uneasy and dares not go anywhere. This time, my nephew Shi Ding was highly valued by the Emperor and was granted the title of Marquis Zhongjing for his meritorious service in the border city. Because he was hosting a banquet for relatives and friends in the Plum Garden, I went to persuade her to join him."

The assassination attempt on August 15th is shrouded in mystery.

Although Prince Jin appeared to be unlucky enough to be assassinated, the old lady believed that the Emperor Emeritus, with his wisdom, must have had some idea of ​​the truth.

On that day, Lady Shen was acting on the Emperor's orders to find an opportunity for the Crown Prince's daughter to marry into the Jia family.

Grandmother Jia knew that the Emperor Emeritus was old, and no matter how incompetent Prince Jin was, he was still his son.

In the imperial court, he still had to rely on the Prince of Jin to keep the emperor in check.

She had done things like borrowing one son to pressure the other.

But Grandmother Jia also knew that not all sons were the same.

Her two sons were both good-for-nothings, but the Emperor Emeritus's sons were different, especially the Crown Prince.

After the Crown Prince died so decisively, taking his entire family with him, the Emperor Emeritus became paranoid and began to suspect all his sons.

That's why the throne fell into the hands of the current emperor.

The older the Emperor Emeritus got, the more he regretted it; otherwise, he wouldn't have married Qin Shi off to the Jia family.

By using the Mid-Autumn Festival as a pretext, Grandmother Jia was subtly implying that Prince Jin was inextricably linked to the events of the day, and also referring to the Crown Prince's daughter.

The old lady believed that the Emperor Emeritus knew how good the Jia family had been to Qin Shi because of Shen Shi.

If the Shen family is gone, the debt of gratitude for saving my life will be gone.

The Crown Prince's daughter lost her support in the Jia family.

"To prevent any unforeseen circumstances..."

Grandmother Jia glanced at Consort Zhen, whose heart pounded and face paled. "We brought most of the guards, but on the way back to the city, someone said that Jia Jing from Taixuan Temple had been running a high fever for several days. Jia Zhen found a doctor and took eight people to see his father, but before he had gone far, someone ambushed him on the road, intercepted the caravan, and used fire and crossbows. Shen's carriage was forced onto a side road, and now her fate is unknown!"

The Emperor Emeritus: "..."

His face had turned ashen.

Although it's said that it's rare to be confused, even he knew that this matter was inextricably linked to the Prince of Jin.

Moreover, the Jia family also guarded against the Prince of Jin.

They made concessions time and again, but the Prince of Jin kept pushing his luck.

good good!
"Somebody come!"

When he called for help, he clapped his hands twice.

A gray-clad eunuch appeared silently from nowhere. "Your Majesty!" he bowed, as if awaiting orders. "This servant is here."

"Go, find Shen Shi, protect Jia Zhen, and rescue Jia Jing!"

"Yes!"

Before he could finish speaking, Dai Quan's vision blurred and he could no longer see the person. He only heard a slight knocking sound from the back hall door.

hiss~
gone?

Dai Quan was sweating and quickly lowered his head.

"Don't worry, sister-in-law, I will give you an explanation regarding this matter!"

Such a hopeless case, unable to distinguish between inside and outside, what use is it?

The retired emperor was so angry with Prince Jin that he felt dizzy.

He knew very well what the final result would be if he used such a son to suppress the emperor.

His loyal old ministers would all be driven to the emperor's side by that fool.

This was something the retired emperor could not tolerate.

Shi Ding is his man.

The first thing he did upon entering the palace was to pay his respects at Shou Kang Palace.

The guests of the Prince of Jin, who moved the bronze tripod...

The Jia family and the Shi family each produced two dukes and two marquises, respectively.

He erected it for the world to see.

He was telling the world that he was still alive and caring for his old ministers.

Prince Jin...you have quite the nerve.

“Dai Quan passed the throne to the emperor, then to Dong Xiaoquan, and finally to Zhu Si.”

The retired emperor huffed, "Dong Xiaoquan is in charge of Shuntian Prefecture, and Zhu Si is in charge of the Five Cities Military Command. What are they good for?"

"Father!"

The emperor, who had rushed over, heard this and, before even entering the hall, began calling out, "Father, you mustn't be angry!" As he spoke, he entered the room, saying, "Tell your son what bad things Dong Xiaoquan and Zhu Si have done, and I will go and scold them."

At this point, the emperor seemed to only then notice Grandmother Jia kneeling on the ground, "Grandmother Shi, you..."

"Sister-in-law, get up quickly."

The retired emperor only then realized that the old lady was still kneeling.

He glanced at the usually quick-witted Consort Zhen and said, "Your Majesty, please lend me a hand."

"Don't dare!"

Grandmother Jia respectfully kowtowed to the Emperor Emeritus again, saying, "Your Majesty, I thank you for upholding justice for my Jia family."

Only after saying that did she try to get up.

But Consort Zhen's demeanor clearly indicated that she felt guilty and was worried that Prince Jin would be investigated.

If she does as she wishes...

Throughout the journey, the old lady was filled with worry, fear, anger, and resentment. She was about to explain the situation to the Emperor Emeritus, but her physical discomfort was forcibly suppressed. Now, after kneeling for so long, as soon as she stood up, her vision went black.

If she were still in the palace, she would definitely have pressed it, but now...

The old lady fainted the moment the emperor reached out his hand.

Fortunately, the emperor was young and noticed that something was wrong with the old woman. He quickly helped her up and said, "Quickly, call the imperial physician!"

……

Shen Ning was unaware of the situation in the palace.

When they rushed back to the scene of the accident with Fan Daming and Wen Peilan, the fire on the road had already been extinguished. Jia She and Xing Shi were not in the carriage, but were with a group of servants, eagerly waiting.

"It's my sister-in-law, she's back."

Xing's cloak was covered in snow.

The master was worried about the family in the east mansion and refused to get into the carriage to avoid the snow. He kept sighing and stamping his feet outside, scaring himself.

Xing couldn't sit still in the car either.

She came down and joined him in stomping his feet and sighing.

It's too cold.

Stomping your feet can relieve cold feet and also soothe a restless mood.

Where will my sister-in-law's carriage fall...?

Unlike Wang, Xing felt that she had always had a good relationship with Shen Ning as her sister-in-law, so her worries were genuine.

Seeing that everyone was alright, she was overjoyed and immediately rushed over, saying, "Sister-in-law, you scared me to death!"

Overjoyed yet terrified, Xing's tears fell.

"...Sister-in-law, you've been attacked again?"

Jia She only saw the three of them, and his face turned ashen.

The other side's scheme is elaborate, with one trap after another, especially regarding the eldest brother and Zhen'er...

"Yes!"

While answering Jia She, Shen Ning also answered Xing Shi, "I'm fine, but I'm afraid something has happened to your eldest brother and Zhen'er as well..."

"I've already sent someone to inform Zhen'er."

Jia She hurriedly said, "If we're lucky, we should have caught up with them by now."

What if you're unlucky?
Shen Ning didn't dismount at all.

She didn't suffer much while following Wen Peilan.

"Whether I catch them or not, I have to go and see."

The old lady's carriage is gone; she must be calling for reinforcements.

If she waits here, what if the authorities are not fully aware of the dangers posed by Taixuan Temple and Jia Zhen's side...?

"Sister-in-law, do you have any soft cushions or leg rests in your car?"

"Huh? There is..."

Xing glanced at her maid, who quickly climbed onto the carriage and took out the sheepskin rug that Xing used to cover her legs.

"Perrin, use it as a shield, how about we continue on our way?"

"can!"

Nothing is off limits.

When Wen Peilan traveled north as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort), he encountered even colder conditions.

What are we anyway?
Wen Peilan flicked her long whip, rolled it around the sheepskin rug, and wrapped it around her. Shen Ning grabbed it from behind, rolled it up, and protected her hands. "You don't need to wait here any longer. Go back immediately. The soldiers should be here soon. Just give them directions when they arrive."