CH 94

The horizon showed the marble white color of the dawn sky. The streets of the capital were gradually bustling with noise. A loud sound of horses’ hooves came as passers-by gave way one after another. The carriage staggered over the bluestone paved road and went in the direction of the palace gate.

Inside the carriage, Li Yuanmin leaned on the side and closed his eyes to recuperate.

Ni Ying on the side had a worried look between her eyebrows, her gaze never left him. She thought, he was fine yesterday, why did he get up this morning just to look like this? His originally red lips only had a faint touch, and his eyes were also glowing with a hint of blue, as if he was sick. She had asked Uncle Qian, but was told that he didn’t sleep well, and he already boiled up some calming medicine for him early in the morning.

Ni Ying couldn’t help but look at his lower abdomen, which still had nothing visible, and sighed almost inaudibly. She pulled the cloak of the person in front of him a little tighter.

In her heart, she couldn’t help but secretly pray that they would return to Lingnan as soon as possible. She really didn’t want to stay in this ghost place of the capital at all.

***

The ritual palace was filled with incense candles, the sound of wooden fish, and the sound of chanting one after another, wave after wave, retreating, and showering down. 

Li Yuanmin knelt there, his face was as pale as paper, he felt that he needed to take a breath. This hall surrounded by smoke was about to make him breathless, there was a dull pain in his lower abdomen, he was afraid in his heart as he touched and soothed himself.

Today, the crown prince Li Yuanqian had some free time and he also came to the ritual, following the master and chanting reverently. Everyone held back their frowns and their breath, not daring to slack.

Li Yuanmin opened his mouth and took a breath as he changed his posture slightly. He felt that the close-fitting soft silk clothes were soaked in cold sweat.

He quietly searched in the cuff, felt out a pill given to him by Uncle Qian, chewed it and swallowed. The pill was a little cool, having moistened all the way down the throat, it finally eased some of the annoyance in his chest.

The corner of his eyes looked at the sun outside, it was almost noon. His pale without a trace of blood lips moved. Dizzy thinking, he just has to hold on for a while before he can rest. 

But at such times, time is always incomparably long. Li Yuanmin seemed to have returned to his childhood, kneeling in the corner of the wall, chewing bitterness, and counting the time little by little.

It’s quite difficult.

He supported the futon slightly with his palm, let his knees loosen slightly as he panted weakly, when suddenly a voice appeared as thin as a mosquito: “Yuanmin, is your body unwell?”

A round face glowing with oil approached him, his eyebrows were concerned, slightly squinted.

This person was Li Shengde, King Xian, he was more than forty years old, if according to the generation, Li Yuanmin still had to call him an uncle, but this so-called “uncle” obviously does not have the appearance of half an uncle. He had been looking for all kinds of ways to talk to him since yesterday. Li Yuanmin had seen more than enough of this kind of dirty eyes. No matter how well he hid it, how could Li Yuanmin not know his thoughts, his heart was very disgusted, but his face was not showing any of it outside, he only shook his head: “I’m fine.”

Li Shengde saw that although his complexion was weak, but for no reason, he exuded a sense of pity, just like a sick beauty. He looked very much like his female entertainer biological mother who did not let himself have her, but Li Yuanmin had a more special temperament, he couldn’t put it in words, but it was like a hundred claws scratching his heart. 

The corner of his eyes looked into the distance, the crown prince was no longer on the futon at the moment. He was getting up and going in the direction of the main hall, he saw that the timing was right, so he boldly grabbed the snow-white wrist: “What are you treating me so distantly for?”

The slightly cold wrist entered his hand, but he felt it was slippery, as if it was boneless. A slight cold fragrance struck, which aroused his heart on the spot.

The rumors were true!

The wrist in his hand suddenly broke free, Li Shengde’s face was slightly sluggish, floating with some dissatisfaction. He was waiting to be accused indiscriminately, when he met a pair of cold eyes, Li Shengde gasped, there was no expression on the snow-white face, the bloodless lips were tightly pursed, the cold ice suddenly froze, cold to the bottom of people’s hearts.

Li Shengde swallowed a mouthful of saliva in shock, his heart jumped heavily, how did this cowardly son of a lowly prostitute change to become a different person.

He looked at him in amazement, before he could say anything to save his face, the person in front of him shook his body and fell to the ground.

***

Ronghua Palace.

The golden carbon in the copper furnace of the beast’s head made a slight sound, the incense burner wafted white smoke, warm and pleasant. Although the huge palace was not too luxurious, it was elegant everywhere. One can see the good taste of the palace owner.

Empress Sima supported her forehead, leaning on the backrest with her eyes half-closed. There was a person kneeling below her, he was carefully taking her pulse.

He Yunyi finally withdrew his hand and smiled warmly: “Niangniang’s noble body is healthy.”

The palace maid on the side was overjoyed, but soon froze, she peeked at the empress’s look, quietly licked her lips, and asked softly for her master: “But why hasn’t Niangniang for two months…”

She had a thin face and stopped here.

He Yunyi was keen, he immediately understood the second half of her sentence. He pondered in his heart, and finally replied in a low voice: “Niangniang this is… Menstrual closure(menopause). ”

The palace maid’s face turned pale, she hurriedly looked at Empress Sima. The empress looked as if she hadn’t heard that,  and the palace maid didn’t know what to do. She only drooped her head in panic. 

He Yunyi even held his frown and his breath.

After a while, Empress Sima opened her eyes, and the corners of her mouth tugged, revealing a faint smile: “The prescription for beauty that Imperial Doctor He gave last time was good, i’m not sure if you can prescribe some more.”

He Yunyi hurriedly responded as he lightly packed up the medicine box.

An enuch hurriedly came in from outside, and he bowed: “Niangniang, someone in the ritual hall fainted.”

He Yunyi’s hand paused before it moved again.

The empress rubbed the corners of her forehead in annoyance: “Go find a imperial doctor.”

The crown prince wanted to show filial piety, so he made such an annoying big scale of attending the ritual. There were many old people among the vessal state kings. To finally have an old man unable to endure these past two days, the empress was not surprised at all. She waved her hand to let the eunuch retreat.

The eunuch responded and withdrew.

He Yunyi packed up, his face was the same as he bowed his head: “Niangniang, then I will retreat now.”  

“ Go ahead. ”

He Yunyi retreated.

The empress sat up, the palace maid poured her brewed fragrant tea.

The empress took it and took a sip, her gaze stayed on the carved copper mirror opposite, the person in the mirror had a plain and beautiful face, it looked like she was not more than forty years old. The corners of her lips tugged, she stretched her fingers and stroked her sideburns, nevertheless her eyes suddenly widened, she snapped and sat up.

“Shi Mo, bring the mirror here!”

Seeing her anxious expression, the palace maid was worried, and hurriedly handed her a hand mirror: “Niangniang…”

The empress snatched it and looked closer, and for a while, her fingertips were slightly forced. She actually pulled a white hair from her black hair.

Her fingers trembled slightly, as if she had just heard that menstrual closure was difficult for her to accept.

As long as the first root appears, there is a second, a third… Soon the fine black hair turned into white hair. No matter how beautiful her face was, she could not withstand such a baptism – the most beautiful daughter of the Sima family, who had never waited for someone to appreciate her had begun to wither away.

She, Sima Ying, was the empress of a country. It’s like she got everything, but she didn’t get anything. First, it was He Guiren, then Wang Chaoluan, and that prostitute from the Western Regions… She removed them one by one, but in the end, she still didn’t get anything. The empress’s gentle eyes gradually showed resentment, she seemed to be extremely hateful as she tightly tugged at the white hair.

The palace maid had never seen her like this, she was afraid in her heart. She knelt down with a thud: “Niangniang…”

The empress slowly closed her eyes, her face fell into a dead silence. In her mind, a deep voice sounded in her ears: “Ah Er, he will not pity you in his life, why do you bother to pity him!” 

After a long time, she laughed lightly and said, “Shimo, you go and tell brother and let him act according to the plan.”

The palace maid hurriedly wiped her tears, answered, and hurriedly walked out.

The wind blew through the spring plum in the corner of the wall, falling a rotten petal. The empress’s gaze gradually retracted from the dark red, and a cold sneer pulled up at the corner of her mouth.

***

He Yunyi walked out of Ronghua Palace unhurriedly, when he turned a corner, his face changed, and his feet suddenly became energetic—although it was ridiculous, he had a strange feeling of unease in his heart. He only felt that something was going to happen.

Having fastened the medical box, he quickly went to the Temple of Heaven.

Before reaching the front hall, he saw an imperial doctor rushing inside.

When he saw He Yunyi, he hurriedly stopped and bowed to him: “Yuanpan Daren.”

Note: Yuanpan here is his official title of his second rank position 

He Yunyi tried his best to calm down his heavy breathing due to running, and threw the medical kit to him, “I’ll go too.”

When He Yunyi entered the ritual hall, there was still a peaceful chanting sound inside, his gaze swept around before it landed in a corner of the hall, where there were several people, he saw the pale and unconscious person in the middle. At the same time he also saw those who looked like they’re concerned, but it was just a cheap trick to not look disrespectful to the royal family descendant. 

He Yunyi’s heart jumped heavily that he almost roared out.

He immediately stepped forward and fished out the person in King Xian’s arms. At the same time, he  pulled his hand out of the palm of another middle-aged vessal state king. The monstrous anger in his heart was trying to keep calm: “I have to trouble every lords here to please make space.”

Everyone looked at each other, and then they retreated.

He Yunyi swallowed heavily in his throat and panted a few times before putting his finger on his vein.

On the ground, his hand shook, and he almost lost his voice, he didn’t know how much determination it took to maintain his calmness. He gritted his teeth, and took the pulse again, his breathing was chaotic.

How could this be?

At that moment, many pictures suddenly rushed into his mind.

The man smiled like a spring flower, tightly hiding his hand under the table, refusing to let him take his pulse, he frowned and pushed back childishly: “I’m afraid you will make me take medicine…”

He also smiled along and laughed at his childishness, it turned out … to be like this.

The early spring was cold, but a fine layer of sweat appeared on He Yunyi’s forehead.

There was a noise outside, with the sound of kneeling, crown prince Li Yuanqian finally came in from outside. He looked around, his face gradually becoming gloomy.

“What’s going on? ”

Immediately, someone actively greeted him and briefly explained the whole situation.

The crown prince was even more displeased, he walked to He Yunyi in a deep step, and looked at the unconscious person on the ground: “How is he?”

He Yunyi returned to his senses, carefully let go of his hand, knelt on the ground and clasped his palms: “Replying to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, King Guang’an… has a weak body, coupled with poor blood flow, so he fainted for a while, he will be fine after some rest.” 

The sound buzzing in his ears, the crown prince turned his head in annoyance, when the noise was quiet for a moment. He turned and walked around before he finally took care of some face, pointed to the person on the ground, and ordered with a dark face: “Send this useless thing back.”

He Yunyi’s heart relaxed, his back was already soaked with a layer of sweat.