Palace maid Shuoning

(Up)

The next day.

Jiang Shuoning vomited again.

She reacted less than an hour after being given the medicine last night. She curled up on the bed, her back arched, as if she wanted to vomit up her internal organs.

It spewed out only thin, watery liquid, mixed with unmelted ice fragments, which flowed into the copper basin that Chun Chan was holding.

Then came persistent diarrhea, and cold sweat seeped from his body, his temples were soaked and stuck to his cheeks, and his lips were as white as paper.

The copper basin for the cicadas was changed again and again.

The room was filled with a sour, rotten smell, mixed with the bitterness of dregs of medicine, making it hard to breathe.

I vomited seven times between nightfall and dawn.

Physician Qin stayed up all night, checking the pulse every now and then.

By the third episode of vomiting and diarrhea, Jiang Shuoning's almost imperceptible pulse finally began to surface slightly.

As dawn broke, he let out a long breath, stroked his beard, and said, "Finally, I've vomited it all out."

main hall.

Consort Rong was having breakfast in the palace, listening to Imperial Physician Qin report on Jiang Shuoning's pulse changes and his vomiting and diarrhea.

"You've kept watch all night; it must have been hard on you. As long as he's alright, I won't treat you unfairly."

After saying that, Consort Rong called out to Xia He.

When Xia He handed the prepared silver to Physician Qin, her cheeks tightened and her lips looked like they were weighed down by a weight.

"Please keep this safe, Physician Qin."

After speaking in a low voice, he stepped back behind Consort Rong, lowered his eyes, and picked at the seam of his cuff with his thumb.

Consort Rong glanced behind her out of the corner of her eye, then looked at Imperial Physician Qin: "I will have to trouble Imperial Physician Qin to take care of me these days."

Physician Qin nodded slightly, subtly tucking the silver into his palm.

"This old minister has left Chun Chan to take care of, and will now return to the Imperial Hospital to get some new medicine for Miss Shuoning."

Consort Rong said, "Xiahe, go and see Imperial Physician Qin off."

Xia He curtsied and led Imperial Physician Qin out of the palace gate.

Feng Chun ran in and almost bumped into Xia He, but Xia He gave her a fierce glare.

He ignored them and rushed into the hall, still catching his breath, he urgently called out, "Your Majesty!"

Consort Rong frowned slightly, and placed her chopsticks on the rim of the bowl, making a crisp sound.

"After serving me all these years, you're still so clumsy. I've told you countless times, catch your breath before you speak."

Feng Chun gave an embarrassed smile, lowered his head, and admitted his mistake: "This servant knows he was wrong."

Consort Rong picked up the bowl of porridge again, scooped up a spoonful and slowly swallowed it before speaking unhurriedly:

"Tell me. How did the interrogation go last night with the Censorate?"

Feng Chun bent over, glanced at Consort Rong, and lowered her voice slightly:

"Your Majesty, Lady Wei... died last night in the Imperial Prison."

Rongfei's hand, which was scooping porridge, paused in mid-air. She looked up at Fengchun and asked, "Gone? They didn't even explain anything, and he's just gone?"

Feng Chun said, "Last night at midnight, Eunuch Bao Zhong went to the Censorate. He forced Wei to drink a large amount of ice and saffron, both of which are cold in nature."

Unable to bear the pain, Wei claimed she would bite her tongue to commit suicide, but no one actually saw her bite it.

After hearing this, Consort Rong lowered her brows and pondered for a moment. The hall fell silent.

After a while, she put down the bowl of porridge, leaned back slightly, and slowly smiled. The smile spread, but her eyes were a little more somber than before.

"Ice." She repeated the two words, "He'll return the favor exactly as the Wei family treated Shuoning. Not a bit more, not a bit less."

After speaking, she looked up at Fengchun and asked, "What about the Emperor?"

Feng Chun bent over, her voice even lower:

"Last night, Eunuch Baozhong went to the Imperial Palace after leaving the Ministry of Justice and informed the Emperor of Lady Wei's death. The Emperor only said one sentence, 'I know.'"

Consort Rong held her teacup, waiting for him to continue.

Feng Chun thought for a moment and then added:

"Then the Emperor said something else. He said that the water in the palace should be kept clear when it needs to be, but it shouldn't be stirred up too much."

Upon hearing this, Consort Rong placed the teacup back on the table, gently tracing the rim with her fingertips, without speaking immediately.

The Emperor was telling her that he knew perfectly well what was going on. He wouldn't pursue the matter this time, but it wouldn't happen again.

Consort Rong lowered her eyes, the corners of her mouth curving slightly, her smile faint and lingering.

(under)

Imperial Household Department, duty room.

Bao Zhong knelt before the bed, while Feng Xi leaned against the headboard, his eyelids drooping and a pipe in his mouth.

Smoke slowly enveloped the dimly lit room, making one's throat feel tight.

Bao Zhong endured it for a long time, his back taut, a muffled cough rising to his throat, but he swallowed it back down.

Feng Xi slightly raised his eyelids, looked over from behind the smoke, didn't speak, and then slowly lowered his gaze again.

A short while later.

Feng Xi put down his pipe, looked up at him, and spoke in a nonchalant tone:

"You handled the Wei family matter quite efficiently. Whether she lives or dies is none of our concern. But you went to the Censorate in the middle of the night without even a word. What, is the title of 'godfather' no longer worth your notification?"

Bao Zhong lowered his eyes, his voice hoarse:

"Godfather, it was already midnight when I went to the Ministry of Justice. Godfather has been working hard all day, and I dare not disturb your rest with such a small matter."

Besides, the Emperor himself deposed Empress Wei. His son's trip there is simply to ensure the matter is handled cleanly and doesn't implicate his godfather.

He paused, then lowered his voice even further: "If Godfather wants to hit or punish me, I'll accept it. But in my heart, I've never thought of doing anything without Godfather's permission."

Upon hearing this, Feng Xi smacked his lips, and said in a drawn-out tone:

"The person we worked so hard to help is gone just like that. Tell me, is it our fault for misjudging people, or is it because someone is deliberately trying to sabotage us?"

Bao Zhong coughed a few times, catching his breath before speaking:

"Mrs. Wei is too hasty in her actions; she'll cause trouble for Godfather sooner or later. Last night, she almost caused a death, but thankfully Godfather wasn't there and wasn't involved in anything. That's how I managed to eliminate the potential threat for Godfather before she could even speak up."

Feng Xi glanced at him sideways, a slight smile playing on her lips:

"Bao'er, you're a smart child. But being too smart can actually make people hate you."

After saying that, Feng Xi tapped his pipe on the bedside table. "Raise your right hand. Your godfather will reward you."

Bao Zhong paused, then slowly raised his right hand, palm up, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

Without even looking, Feng Xi pressed down the red-hot cigarette holder.

With a soft hiss, a wisp of white smoke rose from Bao Zhong's palm and floated straight up.

The smell of burnt flesh spread out, thickly mixing with the smoke in the room, making people feel suffocated.

Bao Zhong tensed up suddenly, his shoulders shrugged upwards, and then he forcefully pushed himself back down.

He clenched his teeth so hard that his cheeks bulged out, and a muffled "hmm" rolled out from his throat, as if squeezed out from deep in his chest, without making a sound.

Feng Xi pressed down on the cigarette holder without letting go, slowly pressing it down a little further.

Bao Zhong's hands trembled even more violently, and the veins on the back of his hands bulged out one by one, as if they were about to burst through his skin.

Feng Xi looked at the trembling hand as if it were something interesting, and warned:

"Bao'er, we can make you a favorite of the emperor, or we can send you to do the lowest-ranking jobs in the washroom. We remember when you do things for us, but we're not happy when you make decisions for us. Tell me, how should we settle this score?"

Bao Zhong was in so much pain that fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, trickling down his temples and into the corner of his eye, stinging him and making him blink.

He gritted his teeth, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible: "Please... punish me, Godfather."

Feng Xi pressed down further, and Bao Zhong tensed up, his back arching slightly, like a bow stretched to its limit, about to break.

Feng Xi then released his grip, putting the pipe away as if nothing had happened. He smiled, narrowing his eyes, and slowly began to speak:

"Look at Xia He, who serves Consort Rong, she's been coming to our Imperial Household Department quite often..."

Bao Zhong looked up at him.

Feng Xi's smile deepened: "You protected Jiang Shuoning, and in doing so, you lost members of our family. We need to find someone to take your place. Xia He, that girl, seems like a capable one."

Bao Zhong's pupils constricted sharply. Wei Shi had previously been Feng Xi's person. She was sent to the Emperor's side to act as Feng Xi's eyes and ears in the palace.

If Xia He is also caught by Feng Xi, then Shuo Ning and Consort Rong will never be able to keep their lives clean again.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but his throat suddenly choked, and he coughed violently, his whole body arching down, his shoulders shaking, and the wound on his right palm throbbing with pain.

Feng Xi watched him cough, her face expressionless, as if she were looking at something that had nothing to do with her.

"Go back and think carefully about how to send the person here."

Bao Zhong didn't say anything more. He slowly stood up, supporting himself on the ground, clasped his hands inward, bowed, and left.

As he walked out of the duty room, he could no longer suppress his cough. He bent over and leaned against the wall, coughing so hard that his whole body trembled, as if he were trying to shake his internal organs out.

Xiao Luzi rushed over to help him up, but accidentally touched his right hand. Bao Zhong jerked back, his arm bobbing as if he'd been electrocuted.

Seeing this, the little deer looked down.

On his palm was a charred circular mark, the skin and flesh turned white, the area around the burn was bright red, and a layer of transparent oil seeped out from the edge, glistening moistly in the sunlight.

Little Deer gasped, her voice trembling, "Father-in-law—"

Bao Zhong pushed his hand away, leaned against the wall for a while to catch his breath, and said in a hoarse voice with his eyes closed, "Let's go back to the house first."

The little deer dared not touch him again, but only lightly supported her elbow, leaned close to his ear and whispered:

"Your Excellency, the mute servant from Changmen Palace has arrived. I've asked him to wait in your room."