Ming Dynasty: I am truly not the Emperor of Longevity

"Provost Xu."

Lu Chen shifted his gaze to Xu Kun.

"My brother has been in a coma for too long, and his body and mind both need a long time to recover."

When his mind will recover is beyond our control, but my brother's weakened body, which has been depleted for the past two months, needs to be recuperated and restored.

What needs to be done each day is naturally up to you to arrange.

"Your Majesty, I will obey your command."

Xu Kun quickly replied.

"Consort Chen Jing".

Seeing that Lu Chen had instructed Xu Kun to take charge of the Jiajing Emperor's rehabilitation plan, Empress Fang also spoke up.

"Since His Majesty will need a long time to recover, you will continue to be in charge of taking care of His Majesty's daily life at Renshou Palace."

Now that you are no longer a palace maid, but His Majesty's Consort Jing, and are pregnant with His Majesty's child, you should devote yourself even more diligently to taking care of His Majesty.

"Your Majesty, I will obey your decree."

Dressed in the attire of a concubine, Chen Furong immediately bowed to Empress Fang.

At this moment, Chen Furong could feel that everyone's eyes were focused on her.

She had only been granted the title of Consort Jing and the title of "bring good fortune" to the emperor for a few days when the emperor actually woke up.

Not long ago, when I heard the urgent report from the night watch eunuch while I was living in the side room of Renshou Palace, I was actually a little flustered.

I've told quite a few lies during this period.

For example, she was summoned by the emperor to his bedchamber on the eve of a palace coup.

The emperor did indeed do that, but not that night, and the person was not himself.

Who knows what the emperor will remember after he wakes up?

She asked Wei Mama to have her serve Empress Fang at the imperial bedside.

On the one hand, she wanted to gain some merit so that Empress Fang would have a reason to ask the emperor to make her a concubine in the future.

On the other hand, it was also to arrive as soon as the emperor woke up and try to ask him how much he could remember about the events before and after the palace coup.

Having firsthand information allows one to quickly devise a countermeasure before those powerful figures with the power of life and death arrive.

To my utter surprise, the situation was much better than I had anticipated.

Although the emperor had woken up, his eyes were vacant, his speech was incoherent, and a few incomprehensible words occasionally popped out of his hoarse throat.

Apart from some obviously meaningless sounds, he and the few eunuchs around him could understand the words they could hear, but only single words. If several words were put together, no one could understand what they meant.

This feeling is very similar to the mentally challenged person I met in a village when I was a child wandering around.

Sure enough, Xu Kun, who arrived second, also came to a similar conclusion after examining the emperor.

The emperor awoke, but... he was stunned.

Although his body is very weak due to being in a coma and bedridden for too long, he is now able to move and eat normally. With proper care and exercise for a period of time, he will be able to recover.

Before the others arrived, he had already privately asked Xu Kun when the emperor would regain his senses.

Even a miracle doctor like Xu Kun can't help with someone's mental impairment. When they can recover, or whether they can recover at all, depends entirely on luck and has nothing to do with the doctor.

The news that the emperor had finally woken up quickly reached the ears of the important figures in the palace.

In less than an hour, Empress Fang, Prince Ying, and the chief eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial and the Imperial Horse Administration all arrived at the imperial bedchamber.

The high-ranking officials in the outer court may have also received the news, but it was inconvenient for them to enter the palace in the middle of the night.

It was only natural that the Prince of Ying would order Xu Kun to be responsible for restoring the emperor's health.

Empress Fang's order for her to remain in Renshou Palace to take care of the emperor was something she had expected.

The emperor has gone mad; who knows when he will regain his senses, or perhaps he will never recover.

However, there is another meaning behind this: it could be restored at any time!

Empress Fang wouldn't feel at ease unless she had one of her own people by the emperor's side every day.

And I am the best candidate.

. . .

After daybreak, the three Grand Secretaries, the Ministers of the Six Ministries, and other important officials, along with several dukes and nobles in the capital, Lu Bing, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and others, all rushed to Renshou Palace to visit the emperor who had just awakened.

The emperor's vacant stare and incoherent speech sent a chill down everyone's spine.

Everyone looked solemn and thoughtful.

Everyone knew in their hearts that things were about to really change.

As night was about to fall, the important figures who had gathered at Renshou Palace to visit the emperor all left.

After repeatedly confirming that the emperor was in good health, merely weak and powerless, and posed no danger, Xu Kun finally left the West Garden.

Since the palace coup, Xu Kun had been stationed at Renshou Palace, living in a side room next door.

This was the first time in nearly two months that he had left the palace to return to his residence in the capital.

The emperor's recovery would require at least six months, or even a year, of rehabilitation. Xu Kun only needed to come once a day, so there was no need for him to stay at Renshou Palace day and night.

Lu Chen, who had been living in the east side hall of Renshou Palace for the past two months, has also moved back to Chonghua Palace in the South Inner Palace.

When the palace gates were locked, only Chen Furong, who had just become Consort Jing, a few eunuchs, and a dozen palace maids remained in Renshou Palace.

Chen Furong had a chair brought over and sat under the eaves at the entrance of the front hall, looking at the courtyard not far away.

There, a head maid, recently dispatched by the Shanggong Bureau, was directing the maids as they busied themselves.

Two months ago, one evening, I was the one directing the palace maids to do their work there.

The one sitting here watching is Consort Cao.

Now, Consort Cao, Consort Wang, and the sixteen palace maids under her command have all been decapitated, their bodies dismembered and thrown into some desolate wilderness.

All the palace maids here have been replaced with new ones, and I have become their new mistress.

Chen Furong stood up and touched her stomach, which she felt nothing at all.

Having lived in the palace for so many years, Chen Furong had long heard that it was generally impossible to tell if a woman was pregnant in the first three months.

It would take four or five months for others to notice.

In about a month, I should be able to see changes in my belly, right?

Unfortunately, Prince Yan would never have the chance to see his children become princes or princesses of the Ming Dynasty.

Rumble!

Just then, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a clap of thunder.

Then, large raindrops began to fall from the sky, and within minutes, it turned into a downpour.

"Your Highness, the rain is too heavy."

The newly arrived head palace maid, Pan Shuhui, ran up to Chen Furong.

"Let this servant help Your Highness back to the palace to take shelter from the rain."

. . .

In the rear hall of Renshou Palace, on the imperial couch.

Before leaving, Xu Kun fed Emperor Jiajing a bowl of calming medicinal soup.

At this moment, Emperor Jiajing was already fast asleep on his imperial bed.

According to Xu Kun, the Jiajing Emperor would sleep until dawn.

However, just as lightning flashed and thunder roared, the Jiajing Emperor, who had been sleeping soundly, slowly opened his eyes.

There was no longer any trace of vacant expression in his eyes!