Upon learning that the Empress Dowager and Fuhua had arrived, Qi Junmu had Ruan Jiqing help him sit up and lean against the headboard.
The Empress Dowager looked at the Emperor, her eyes carrying some worry, but even more sternness.
Fuhua had already sensed some tension between the Empress Dowager and Qi Junmu last time. Now that the Emperor was ill, it was the perfect time for mother and son to mend their relationship, so she said, "Your Majesty, are you feeling better now?"
Then she pulled a safety knot from her sleeve and said, "Your Majesty, this was made by Yueqing herself. She said it's for protection and peace. She's also unwell and couldn't come to see you in person, so she asked me to bring it."
In truth, it wasn't that she couldn't come—Fuhua was the Emperor's own elder sister, and the two were twins, sharing a bond unlike any other. Yueqing understood her place and didn't want to push herself forward, lest she displease the Empress Dowager.
Qi Junmu glanced at Ruan Jiqing, signaling him to take the safety knot.
The Empress Dowager then let out a sigh and asked, "Are you feeling any better?"
Qi Junmu offered a faint smile—perhaps because he was truly ill, the smile seemed especially strained: "Thank you for your concern, Imperial Mother. I am already out of danger."
"If there's nothing serious, then good," the Empress Dowager said with a hint of impatience. "You're a grown man now—how can you still act so recklessly like a child? Even if something was troubling you, you shouldn't take it out on your own body."
The smile on Qi Junmu's face faded slightly. He said, "Imperial Mother is right. This son knows his mistake."
Indeed, he had been wrong—and in the end, it was his own body that paid the price.
What the Empress Dowager disliked most was seeing that expression on the Emperor's face, as if he were walling himself off from everyone else, letting no one into his world—not even his own mother.
Recalling Lin Xiao's words, she didn't want the rift between mother and son to become too ugly, so she swallowed her displeasure and said, "Your Majesty, was all this fuss last night because of the Empress?"
"What does Imperial Mother mean by that?" Qi Junmu asked with a forced smile.
In her eyes, my illness is nothing more than a "fuss"?
"Your Majesty has a most loyal servant. When Your Majesty went missing, he dared to hide it and keep it secret, never once thinking how his grand commotion in the middle of the night alarmed so many people," the Empress Dowager said, her anger flaring at the thought. The Emperor had left alone last night, and Ruan Jiqing should at least have sent word to her.
But instead, Ruan Jiqing had kept his mouth shut the entire time—and even now, he still hadn't shown his face at Renshou Palace. Ruan Jiqing felt his scalp tingle under the Empress Dowager's stare; he had a feeling that one day, she would have him flayed alive.
Qi Junmu nodded and said, "Ruan Jiqing is indeed obedient. It was by my order that he not disturb Imperial Mother."
Just as the Empress Dowager was about to say more, he continued, "I did not leave last night because of the Empress. After leaving Weiyang Palace, I ran into Marquis Zhenbei. With nothing pressing to do, we lingered in the Imperial Garden for a few extra words."
"Marquis Zhenbei?" The Empress Dowager furrowed her brow. "Why is he everywhere?"
"He is on duty in the palace, so naturally his presence is everywhere," Qi Junmu said unhurriedly.
The Empress Dowager studied his face carefully, her own expression impossible to read. But deep down, she was convinced the Emperor was only saying this to protect Wen Wan.
Still, she was also displeased with Shen Nian. Knowing full well how delicate the Emperor's health was, he had no sense of discretion.
Qi Junmu had intentionally let the Empress Dowager misunderstand. He no longer had any feelings for Wen Wan. But toward the Wen and Lin families, he couldn't change his attitude all at once. For now, they—and Wen Wan—only needed to believe that his feelings for her remained unchanged. Any occasional discord was simply because Wen Wan kept him at arm's length.
He needed to see clearly in this lifetime who exactly had been bold enough to collude with Wen Wan and set him up like this.
Seeing that the Emperor had used Shen Nian as an excuse, the Empress Dowager did not pursue the matter further.
She said a few more words of concern, subtly hinting that as Emperor, he should put state affairs first and not act so willfully in the future.
Qi Junmu agreed to it all.
Seeing him so compliant, the Empress Dowager felt a mix of emotions. She thought to herself: he still holds me in high regard.
His previous attitude, as Lin Xiao had said, was probably due to the unease of newly ascending the throne—on edge with outsiders, and inevitably taking out small frustrations on family.
With that reasoning, the Empress Dowager felt a quiet sense of triumph.
Fuhua, however, didn't think so deeply. She just felt she couldn't quite figure out Qi Junmu anymore. Though the mother-son atmosphere seemed harmonious, something about it felt off to her.
---
The Emperor's illness came on swiftly and left just as quickly. After a day of rest, he had fully recovered.
Once he was well, he refused to drink the bitter medicine Bai Feng had prescribed. None of the attendants in Qianhua Hall, including Ruan Jiqing, dared to defy him.
As for the Emperor's illness, rumors once again spread through the palace. Some said that under the moonlight, the Emperor had encountered Marquis Zhenbei patrolling with the imperial guards, and the Marquis had invited the Emperor for a chat in the Imperial Garden. The two found each other's company so agreeable that they lost track of time, which led to the Emperor falling ill.
But the Emperor, being magnanimous, had not blamed Marquis Zhenbei.
And Marquis Zhenbei, emboldened by favor, had been arrogant enough not to visit the Emperor at all.
The rumors traveled from the palace to the outside world, and by the time they reached Shen Nian at North Mountain, the story had grown even more fantastical—turning into a tale of an immortal in disguise, wearing the face of Marquis Zhenbei, confessing his love to the Emperor under the moonlight.
Shen Nian found it utterly absurd. He truly could not fathom what went on inside some people's minds.
When the rumors reached Wen Wan, however, she secretly let out a breath of relief.
Rumors only spread with the Emperor's tacit permission. Though they later spiraled out of control, at least this meant the Emperor still had her in his heart.
That night, he had left simply because he was angry at having to lower himself for the Wen family's sake.
Amidst all the gossip, Qi Junmu paid it no heed. These days, he had been focused entirely on matters in the western frontier.
The Western Di would inevitably attack Da Qi in the future. The western border defenses had to be reinforced, and this time there could be no carelessness.
Moreover, he needed to have Chang Sheng thoroughly investigated—to see if there was truly anything amiss.
The western border defenses were too vital. He refused to believe that when the Western Di attacked, they could capture the Grand General of the Western Front and slaughter tens of thousands of western soldiers. There had to be something wrong.
As for who to send to oversee the border fortifications and who to secretly investigate Chang Sheng—both decisions would need to be weighed very carefully.
Chang Sheng's standing among the western troops was like that of the Shen Yi–Shen Nian father-son duo in the northern army.
If handled poorly, the soldiers would harbor resentment toward the Emperor.
He was not afraid of being resented, but he did not want that resentment to make some soldiers susceptible to manipulation, leading them to act against Da Qi.
Just as Qi Junmu was drafting a detailed plan for the western frontier, Ruan Jiqing hurried in, reporting that the Empress Dowager had thrown a great fury in Renshou Palace, summoning the Empress for a reprimand.
Consort Dowager Xian was also there with the Empress Dowager.
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