In the Guanghan Palace, when Qingzhu returned to her palace, the two children started pestering her.
She had no choice but to hold the two children in turn and comfort them.
The two children grabbed the bright yellow clothes on her body and cried piteously. Big teardrops rolled out of their beautiful eyes.
It melted Qingzhu's heart.
"Alright, your father will be back in a few days. Look at the two of you crying." Qingzhu took out a handkerchief and wiped the children's tears.
In the past few days, the two children couldn't see their father and often cried aggrievedly. Qingzhu felt a bit worn - out.
"Your Ladyship, the fish soup for the two little masters is ready." Zhuyao walked over with two small jade bowls.
The fish soup was thick and exuded a rich aroma. The two crying toddlers smelled the fragrance, and their cries gradually stopped. They nudged each other and craned their necks to look at Zhuyao.
"It seems that your missing your father is only temporary. As soon as there's something to eat, you forget everything." Qingzhu lovingly scraped the two children's fair noses.
She took the soup bowls and said, "Give them to me. I'll feed them."
She fed one spoonful to each child in turn, showing no favoritism.
The two little fellows' faces turned rosy after drinking the soup. Their delicate skin almost glistened.
After they had drunk three or four spoonfuls, Qingzhu took out a handkerchief and wiped the children's mouths. "That's enough for today."
The two children still wanted more and stared straight at the bowls. Dizhao stretched out her little hand to grab the bowl, but Qingzhu gently pressed against her little head.
"Alright, three or four spoonfuls a day is enough. If you drink too much, you'll feel uncomfortable."
Qingzhu handed the bowls to Zhuyao, who took them with a smile and put them back in the small tea - room.
Dizhao looked aggrieved, while Diyin tilted his head and looked at his mother, or rather, at his mother's belly.
He crawled over and sat in his mother's lap, then reached out his little hand to rub his mother's belly.
Qingzhu was a bit surprised and reached out to touch his thick hair.
Dizhao also crawled over and touched it.
Qingzhu couldn't help but laugh. She held the two children and looked out of the window.
At this moment, the mother and her two children were all thinking about the same person thousands of miles away.
"Your Ladyship..." Shihua lifted the beaded curtain and walked in.
Qingzhu had the two children carried away, then looked at Shihua and asked, "How is it?"
"Just as you expected, the Empress really sent someone to Concubine Zhu's palace."
Qingzhu smiled and propped her chin with her hand, reaching out to catch the warm sunlight.
"The Empress sure is devious. She has really put in some effort to get rid of me."
"Let's just wait and see what the Empress will do..."
She looked up at Shihua and said, "Go to the Fengyi Palace tomorrow to ask for leave. Say that I'm not feeling well. It seems I've caught a cold and can't get out of bed."
"Also, everyone in the Guanghan Palace must say that I'm ill. Exaggerate my illness a bit tomorrow."
Shihua nodded. "Don't worry, Your Ladyship. I'll go to ask for leave when we go to pay our respects tomorrow."
Qingzhu nodded. "When it's midnight tonight, go and invite the imperial doctor. Make a big fuss."
The Empress wanted to get rid of her, so she would give her this chance. As for the result, she would have the final say.
Qingzhu got up and walked to the corridor. She looked up at the square - shaped sky. There were often a few clouds floating from the north to the south in the sky.
Qingzhu's yearning also floated southward with the clouds.
She wondered how Liulang was doing in Huizhou. She hoped the location she told him about would be helpful to him.
—
Soon, it got dark.
Qingzhu deliberately went out for a stroll in the evening and then returned to the Guanghan Palace.
After dinner, she lay on the couch and started reading. The two children lay in her quilt, looking at their mother. From time to time, they would lean over and give her a kiss, then lie contentedly on the back of her hand and smile at her.
Qingzhu sat up and hugged the two children while reading. After a while, the two children got sleepy. The wet - nurse came in and carried the children back to the side - hall.
Qingzhu gave the two children some sleep - inducing pills so that they wouldn't be woken up by the noise later and could sleep soundly.
Half an hour before midnight, Zhuyao and Shihua deliberately made some noise in the Guanghan Palace.
At midnight, the Guanghan Palace was brightly lit, filled with panicked cries.
The main gate of the Guanghan Palace was thrown wide open. The cold wind carried all the panic and helplessness of the Guanghan Palace outside.
Zhuyao and Tanxiang carried lanterns and ran to the Imperial Hospital. Their messy footsteps and cries woke up many concubines.
Many palace gates opened, and people were sent to inquire.
As soon as they heard that Zhuyao from the Guanghan Palace had gone to invite the imperial doctor, several concubines instantly lost their sleep.
She was fine during the day. Why did she fall ill at night and so seriously?
Several concubines didn't sleep anymore. They wrapped their clothes around themselves and stood at the palace gates to watch. When they saw Zhuyao rushing by with the imperial doctor, they were sure that something had happened in the Guanghan Palace.
They had never seen Zhuyao look so panicked...
From midnight on, the Guanghan Palace remained brightly lit until the imperial doctor left at the third watch.
Early the next morning, the concubines went in groups to pay their respects.
"Did you hear the noise last night? The commotion in the Guanghan Palace was so great last night. I hardly slept. I specially sent someone to watch. The imperial doctor didn't leave until the third watch."
"This... Concubine Shu was fine yesterday. Why did she fall ill at night?"
"Maybe it's not Concubine Shu. Didn't Concubine Shu say that the two children were not feeling well? Maybe it's the children who are ill."
"His Majesty attaches so much importance to the Guanghan Palace and the two children. How could Concubine Shu still fall ill? She really wasted a good hand of cards."
Several concubines sighed and discussed.
As they looked up, they saw Lady Tang walking over after making a detour.
"Oh, isn't this Lady Tang? Do you know what happened in the Guanghan Palace?" Among the concubines, Lady Chen said with a smile.
Lady Tang nodded. "I know."
"After we pay our respects later, you should go to the Guanghan Palace with some medicinal materials to visit. It would be a pity to miss such a good opportunity." Lady Chen covered her mouth and giggled.
The other concubines also laughed in unison.
They could see clearly that Lady Tang was just imitating Tang Yinmian's tricks.
Lady Tang didn't say a word. She just said, "Your Ladyship is a blessed person and will surely recover soon."
After saying that, she bowed and left first.
"Look at her. She's just a sycophant. She really thinks she can rise to power by currying favor with Concubine Shu."
"Don't bother with her. Let her do as she pleases. We don't need to get involved in this mess."
The concubines walked towards the Fengyi Palace.
Soon they arrived at the Fengyi Palace. The Empress had already finished dressing and was sitting in the main seat.
When Shihua arrived, the concubines had already paid their respects.
"Your humble servant pays respects to the Empress. May the Empress be in good health. Concubine Shu suddenly had a high fever last night and is bedridden. So she sent me to ask for leave from the Empress." Shihua knelt down and kowtowed three times before speaking respectfully.
"Why did she suddenly fall ill? What did the imperial doctor say?" The Empress asked with concern.
Tears welled up in Shihua's eyes. She wiped them away. "In reply to the Empress, the imperial doctor said that Her Ladyship was exposed to the wind and caught a cold, which caused the fever. The imperial doctor has prescribed the medicine, and Her Ladyship's fever has subsided, but she is still weak and can't get out of bed."
"How pitiful. It's so sudden. I have a lot of medicinal materials bestowed by His Majesty here. You can take them back later to treat Concubine Shu."
"By the way, how are the two children? Since Concubine Shu is ill now, why not have the children brought to me to take care of..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Shihua quickly said,
"In reply to the Empress, Her Ladyship was afraid that the little masters would be infected. The two little masters have already been taken to the Qianyuan Palace by Eunuch Li to be taken care of. The wet - nurse has also gone with them."
She didn't give the Empress any chance.
The Empress's face stiffened. She had planned to take the two children under her care for a few days, but she didn't expect that Nalan would have thought of this.
Was she guarding against her?!
The Empress forced a smile and said, "Concubine Shu is really thoughtful. Concubine Shu should take good care of herself these days."
Shihua respectfully replied and stood behind Concubine Shu's seat to listen to the Empress's instructions so that she could tell her mistress when she returned to the palace.