Chapter 3
Qi Junmu's head felt heavy and muddled. His eyes were tightly shut, his consciousness bobbing between waking and sleeping. He couldn't open his eyes, and his whole body was weak, yet he was clearly aware of what was happening around him.
He knew that the Empress Dowager had asked Bai Feng about his current condition. He also heard her sternly scolding the palace maids and eunuchs attending him, saying they had been negligent in their duties, letting the Emperor fall this ill without even noticing. She also said that if anything happened to the Emperor, she would have them all buried with him.
The mournful pleas of the palace maids and eunuchs could not mask the worry in the Empress Dowager's voice. In the past, Qi Junmu would have been pleased by this.
But now, with his body burning hot and his head swimming, he couldn't help but wonder—was his mother truly worried about his health, or was she afraid that if he, the Emperor, suddenly died, her position as Empress Dowager would become unstable?
In his previous life, Qi Junmu's feelings toward the Empress Dowager had always been complicated. Before becoming Emperor, he had craved his mother's affection. After ascending the throne, he deliberately tried to forget that longing, devoting himself wholeheartedly to being a wise and virtuous ruler.
But conflicts still arose between them. To be a wise ruler who considered everything required being ruthless for the greater good. For that reason, he had overruled the Empress Dowager more than once and even told her that the women of the rear palace must not meddle in state affairs.
He remembered the look in the Empress Dowager's eyes at that time—hurt, sorrowful, but above all, filled with an indescribable, complicated anger. Yet he had refused to yield, and the rift between mother and son had grown wider and wider.
His uncle, Lin Xiao, had once said that his mother had been spirited and willful in her youth. But after entering the palace and living under Emperor Jing's shadow, her personality had become extremely low-key, and she had grown quite restrained.
After becoming Empress Dowager, with no one above her at last, she had wanted to live a little more freely.
At the time, he had retorted to Lin Xiao: "If the Empress Dowager wants more freedom, must I be the one to yield? As her son, I can step back for my mother, but I am also the Emperor. I cannot yield on every matter just because she is my mother. Uncle, you have always taught me how to be a wise ruler—a wise ruler appoints people by talent, not by kinship."
Lin Xiao had fallen silent.
The Empress Dowager had held extremely high expectations for Qi Junmu. Before he became Emperor, she had schemed and planned for him, eager to see him take the throne. Once he truly became Emperor and she became Empress Dowager, she gained power and enjoyed the respect of the sovereign and the flattery of everyone in the inner court. She had tasted the joy of having the final say, just as his father had during his reign, and she had grown greedy, wanting him to obey her.
But in the end, half of his blood came from Emperor Jing. He could never be an obedient puppet.
Now, at least, things were different. Walking the same path again, his attitude toward the Empress Dowager had become cold and indifferent. In fact, he had grown indifferent to everyone and everything. He only wanted to make himself happy.
Wise ruler, tyrant, incompetent fool—he didn't care about any of it.
The young Emperor lay on the bed, his eyes tightly shut. People are always fragile and helpless when ill—the Emperor was no exception.
The Empress Dowager felt sorry for him. Showing a rare moment of warmth, she fed him the medicine herself. When dense beads of sweat covered Qi Junmu's forehead, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The Empress Dowager withdrew the affection from her eyes and instructed the palace attendants to look after the ailing Emperor. Supported by the palace maid Ruyan, she left the side hall, with Bai Feng following behind her.
After the Empress Dowager sat down in the main hall, Bai Feng stood respectfully at her side and said, "The Empress Dowager need not worry. The Emperor has broken into a sweat. I will prescribe a few more doses of medicine, and he will be fine after taking them."
Bai Feng spoke with certainty about matters he was confident in.
The Empress Dowager nodded. Though her brows still showed some concern, her panic had subsided.
She looked at Bai Feng and said coldly, "Physician Bai, keep the Emperor's illness a secret for now."
Qi Junmu had just ascended the throne, and his position was still unstable. If word got out that he had fallen ill, it would surely stir up waves at court. Some people wished Qi Junmu well, but there were also those who wished him dead.
Bai Feng bowed in acknowledgment, though a hint of hesitation showed on his face.
The Empress Dowager raised her slender brows. "What? Do you have something to say?"
Bai Feng pressed his lips together, hesitated for a moment, and said softly, "Empress Dowager, this humble subject only feels that since the Emperor fell ill out of longing for the late Emperor, there is no need to hide it."
Countless eyes in the palace were fixed on the Emperor. The more one tried to hide something, the harder it became to conceal.
The Empress Dowager was an intelligent woman. After a moment's thought, she smiled and said, "Physician Bai speaks well. The Emperor is filial and deeply emotional. The civil and military officials will surely appreciate that."
Bai Feng breathed a sigh of relief in his heart and withdrew.
As Bai Feng left Renshou Palace, he happened to run into Princesses Fuhua and Yueqing, who had come to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager after hearing that she was unwell.
Princess Fuhua had fair skin, an ethereal and delicate beauty, and a gentle yet resilient temperament.
As Emperor Jing's first daughter, she held a noble status. Having been meticulously raised by the Empress Dowager, she was beautiful and carried herself with an air of dignity and a hint of pride. Wherever she went, all eyes were drawn to her.
In contrast, Princess Yueqing, because her mother held a low rank, was very low-key. Her face always wore a cautious expression, as if afraid of making a mistake that others might seize upon.
Even now, though she and Fuhua were both princesses, she walked a half-step behind out of respect.
When Fuhua saw Bai Feng, she asked how the Empress Dowager was feeling.
Bai Feng answered truthfully and also informed her that Qi Junmu was at the palace and had fallen ill.
Fuhua had always had a good relationship with Qi Junmu—after all, they were twins. Hearing this, she furrowed her brows and said with displeasure, "I don't know how the people around the Emperor attend to him. Such a serious matter, and they didn't even notice. They deserve to die."
Her tone matched the Empress Dowager's, but while the Empress Dowager could say such things, Fuhua could not.
Yueqing stood there, also looking worried, but she didn't say anything.
Since both the Empress Dowager and Qi Junmu were unwell, Fuhua was not in the mood for pleasantries with Bai Feng. She nodded and walked toward Renshou Palace.
When she reached the main hall, she saw the Empress Dowager pressing her forehead, looking unwell. Fuhua didn't even observe the proper etiquette but hurried forward to offer comforting words and inquire about Qi Junmu's condition. Yueqing, meanwhile, respectfully performed a full formal bow from behind.
The Empress Dowager rubbed her temples, told Yueqing to rise, and looked at Fuhua. "I am fine. The Emperor has taken his medicine and is no longer in danger."
Fuhua pressed her lips together and said, "Imperial Mother, the Emperor has a gentle nature and has always been lenient with his servants. The Empress has been ill all this time and lacks the strength to manage the rare palace. With such a major oversight, if my brother hadn't come to your palace, who knows how sick he might have become? You must discipline these outrageously bold servants."
At the mention of the Empress, the Empress Dowager's expression cooled slightly. The Empress was Qi Junmu's lawful wife, born into the Wen family, and her personal name was Wan.
The Wen family was the Empress Dowager's mother's clan. By family seniority, Wen Wan should call the Empress Dowager "aunt." The Lin family held political power, and the Wen family held military power—this was precisely why the Empress Dowager had chosen her as Qi Junmu's wife after much deliberation.
The Empress Dowager had initially looked down on Wen Wan somewhat, thinking her too thin and unlikely to bear children easily. But Qi Junmu liked her, and besides, Wen Wan was the only legitimate daughter of her generation in the Wen family.
Later, the Empress Dowager had reconciled herself to the idea. At worst, she would later select a few young women from respectable families with gentle temperaments to serve by Qi Junmu's side.
It had been just two months since Qi Junmu and Wen Wan married. What displeased the Empress Dowager was that Wen Wan had been ill on their wedding night.
The fact that they hadn't consummated the marriage was fine—Wen Wan had just turned fifteen, and waiting a couple of years was acceptable.
But just as her health began to improve, Emperor Jing passed away suddenly. Qi Junmu hastily ascended the throne, and Wen Wan became Empress.
After managing the vast rear palace, Wen Wan fell ill again from exhaustion. The Empress Dowager was displeased. Had she known Wen Wan had such a frail constitution, she would never have let Qi Junmu marry her.
If it weren't for the fact that Emperor Jing had only recently passed away and his authority still lingered, the Empress Dowager would have chosen several consorts for Qi Junmu to fill the rear palace.
Now, hearing Fuhua's words, the Empress Dowager said, "The Empress has good fortune. She is merely physically weak."
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