tallest building

Chapter 342 Remaining Pain

Wen Mingqian ate his meal, took a shower, and came out after getting ready.

Xiaoyue was pouring tea when she said, "Just now, Steward Yu sent someone over to say that Madam should wait until the second watch of the night before going over, and then return at dawn tomorrow. This way, Sister Chunying and the others can take turns and get some rest."

"I understand. Find some of the Empress's special incense later; there's not enough over there." Wen Mingqian sat down to drink tea, feeling a slight ache in his shoulders, so he raised his hand to rub them.

"Mother, let me give you a massage!" At this moment, Gong Chang'an came in from outside and quickly ran behind Wen Mingqian to massage her shoulders and back.

"The Fourth Young Master is so filial," Xiaoyue said. "Your wife is so lucky."

Just then, Zhang Ma arrived: "Young Master hasn't eaten my cooking for quite some time. I've prepared dinner for all the palace mistresses today. It's still early, so I'll cook it for you all as well."

"Aunt Zhang, please sit down. I'll go pour you some tea." Xiaoyue offered Aunt Zhang a seat and then quickly went to make tea.

"Little Yue, these are two freshly baked sesame cakes. Would you like to try them?" Zhang Ma said, wrapping two steaming hot sesame cakes in a handkerchief.

"Aunt Zhang, you're too kind. Everyone in the palace knows your cooking is absolutely delicious. People like us are hardly worthy of eating it. Please give me two back." Xiaoyue happily accepted them.

"That's not how it works. We've been so grateful for your care of my wife and young master. I'll cook you a nice meal when I have some free time," Zhang Ma said with a smile.

"This is best enjoyed while it's hot, go ahead and eat it! There's nothing much to do here," Wen Mingqian said to Xiaoyue with a smile.

“Since Madam has spoken, may I go out and find Sister Qiuxing? We can each have one of these two sesame cakes.” Qiuxing was a maid in Consort Yun’s palace. Although Xiaoyue was several years younger than her, they got along well.

“What’s wrong with that? Just go ahead. There’s no need to rush back.” Wen Mingqian nodded.

Xiaoyue happily went off with two sesame seed cakes. Meanwhile, Zhang Ma brought out the food for Wen Mingqian and his mother.

“You’ve been busy ever since you entered the palace. Take a break when you have some free time. You don’t have to think about us all the time,” Wen Mingqian said.

As Zhang Ma set the food on the table, she said, "This time it's much easier. We don't have to do anything for Consort Hui and the eldest princess, and the Empress eats very little each day. This saves us a lot of trouble."

“Zhang Ma, the eldest princess must hate you to death,” Gong Chang’an said. “You need to be careful.”

“Don’t worry,” Zhang Ma said nonchalantly. “As long as she’s not completely stupid, she won’t dare to cause trouble in the palace.”

"Don't take it too lightly. I think this eldest princess is all talk and no action, and doesn't consider the consequences." Wen Mingqian said while serving soup to Gong Chang'an, "In terms of scheming, she's not even as good as Consort Hui."

"Right now, it's just that the Empress is ill, and we can't take care of her. But once the Empress recovers, she certainly won't allow her to stay in the palace for long," said Zhang Ma. "Just wait and see!"

“Consort Hui is the Empress’s helper in the palace. Getting rid of her will make things much easier for us,” Wen Mingqian said in a low voice. “Fortunately, His Majesty already knows about this, which is more important than anything else.”

“Speaking of which, it was Consort Hui who helped with this matter. If she hadn’t strongly recommended me to the Empress and let me enter the palace, we wouldn’t have been able to let His Majesty know so quickly,” said Zhang Ma. “We originally thought we would have to wait a while longer.”

"Yes, among the three of us, His Majesty only recognizes you, so it's not appropriate for the other two to reveal their identities to His Majesty so rashly."

“So Consort Hui is not smart,” Zhang Ma laughed. “She only thought that she could recognize me after eating my cooking. Didn’t she think that the Emperor could also recognize me after eating my cooking?” “These past few days, I have sometimes accompanied the tutor to the Emperor’s side. When there is no one else around, the Emperor stares at me with wide eyes. It’s quite frightening,” Gong Chang’an said. “It’s not as comfortable as before.”

"You child, don't talk nonsense," Wen Mingqian gently advised. "If His Majesty finds out, he will be heartbroken."

Wen Mingqian went to the Empress's palace just before the second drumbeat to take over Yu Lu's shift.

"Steward Yu, you should go and rest. I slept well during the day and I'm full of energy right now," Wen Mingqian whispered to Yu Lu from the outer room.

"Her Majesty the Empress just took her medicine, saying her scalp is a little itchy," Yu Lu said. "I've already told them to prepare water."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of the Empress," Wen Mingqian said. "You just go ahead!"

Actually, washing one's hair at night is quite inappropriate, but the Empress was stubborn. She felt that if her scalp itched, she had to wash it, and no one could stop her.

Wen Mingqian and Chunying carefully served the Empress as she washed her hair, and it took them a long time just to comb it out.

It took about an hour to finish washing everything, and I couldn't just go to sleep; I had to dry myself off again and again.

"Your Majesty, why don't we ask Musician Fan to play a tune outside the window?" Wen Mingqian suggested cautiously.

The Empress usually enjoyed listening to Fan Wenzhao play the flute and xiao, as music could soothe her mind, which was exactly what she needed at that time.

"Call him here! Let him play 'Pear Blossom Falling'." The Empress's voice was terribly hoarse, like that of an old woman.

This incident was a huge blow to her, and she seemed to age considerably overnight.

She had already gotten used to her son's death. She had cried and suffered back then, and finally got through the most painful years.

Unexpectedly, the revisiting of the old story and the revelation of hidden secrets caused her even more pain than before.

"Back then, I only complained about the injustice of fate, for taking Tan'er away," the Empress murmured as the mournful sound of the flute rose. "Now that I know he was framed, my heart feels like it's being torn apart inch by inch. I hate Consort Hui's viciousness, I hate myself for misjudging people, and I pity Tan'er for suffering such a cruel fate at such a young age..."

These days, the Empress is either in a coma or weeping bitterly, and she is in a daze.

Wen Mingqian, Chunying, and the others naturally offered words of comfort, which finally stopped her crying.

The next day, the Emperor came to visit her after court. The Empress was quite composed in front of the Emperor, knowing that the Crown Prince was not only her son but also the Emperor's son.

"Your Majesty, please don't stay in bed all the time. Have them help you walk around in the courtyard. I ordered Zhang Ma to prepare some of your favorite dishes and set them up in the Imperial Garden. The lotus flowers are in full bloom, which will help you relax and clear your mind."

Seeing that the Emperor cared so much about her, the Empress naturally felt comforted.

Yu Lu chimed in, "His Majesty has such refined tastes, Your Majesty must not disappoint him. Zhang Ma's fish sashimi is as thin as silk, it can be blown away by the wind, it's perfect for this weather."

"Yes! The Imperial Kitchen specially prepared fresh perch, and the Empress also loves fresh fish." The Emperor personally helped the Empress up. "Tell them to prepare the imperial carriage, and we'll head over now."