At the end of the morning, Li Wei could finally leave the palace and return to the Li family.
To put it more closely, this is the first time she has returned to her parents' home since her return. To put it more distantly, this is the second time she has returned to her parents' home in the past few years since she entered the palace. The last time he went back was in the fifteenth year of Emperor Xikang's reign. It was because his mother was seriously ill. The late emperor took Li Wei's leave and allowed her to go back and visit her for half a day.
Now in the first year of Chunping, almost three years have passed and she has not been back, but for Li Wei, living in that era for more than ten years has made her memory even more distant. She sat in the sedan chair and walked for unknown lengths of time. She probably left the palace and passed a while, but there was no expected noise from the market.
Later, she finally lifted a corner of the curtain and looked outside. The people in front of her had already sounded gongs to clear the way, and there were no pedestrians in sight. The street was as quiet as midnight.
It takes an hour and a half to travel from the imperial palace to Shangshu Mansion by sedan chair, which is a fast journey.
Li Wei thought to herself that they should prepare a carriage so that they could come and go faster.
It was already noon when I got home. Although Li Wei and Changfang had a grudge because of Li Shi, the rules could not be messed with. Li Shao and others had already known about the Empress Dowager's return to the palace, so they led the men from the two rooms of the family to wait outside the ceremony gate.
By the time the Queen Mother's sedan arrived, everyone in the Li family was kneeling on the floor.
Lan Hui and Qingxiang came up and lifted the curtain for Li Wei. Lan Hui handed her arm out, and Li Wei helped Fang get out of the sedan.
"I respectfully welcome the Queen Mother..."
Li Wei glanced at her uncle who was kneeling not far away. Her eyes darkened and she said to Lan Hui, "Go ahead and all the national gifts will be waived."
She just came back to visit her seriously ill father, and didn't want to make anyone upset.
She went directly to Wutong Garden where her parents lived. As soon as she entered the Chuihua Gate, Mrs. Wen and Mrs. Fu were waiting for her. Mrs. Wen Da's face was a little gloomy. Li Wei had no time to take into account her mood and refused to let the two elders salute her. When she saw her mother, she asked worriedly: "Mom, how is father?"
Mrs. Fu naturally had a sad look on her face. She suppressed her grief and said very calmly: "Your Majesty, thank you for your hard work. Please stay in the room and rest for a while."
She came in a sedan, what's the trouble? Li Wei said to his mother, "Let's go visit father first."
The female relatives of the two families gathered around Li Wei and headed to the study where Li Yi was recuperating.
Walking in this familiar yet unfamiliar mansion, Li Wei looked up and saw that the parapets were already covered with Lingxiao, and a few clusters of orange-red flowers were blooming in the wind under the emerald green leaves. Over the years, the originally slender canes have grown into woody plants.
When she was at home, she climbed over this low courtyard wall, but she was small at that time, and such a low wall was also a tall barrier for her.
The flowers and plants are still the same, and the people are still the same, but they will never be the same again.
Before Li Wei had time to express his feelings, he had already arrived at the study where his father was recuperating.
Li Yi was lying on the bed, and there were many people waiting in front of him. Doctor Lu was also here.
"Daddy, I'm back to see you." Li Wei called him as he did when he was a child.
Li Wei sat directly on the edge of the bed and raised his eyes to look at his father lying on the bed. My father was lying there, covered with a pea-green gauze quilt, with his mouth half-opened, and saliva seemed to be overflowing from the corners of his mouth. Li Yi saw his daughter clearly and was very excited. He made some strange noises in his throat, but he couldn't make out what he said.
Doctor Lu explained in front of him: "Although Sir, he has woken up, but he is paralyzed. Now he can't even speak."
Seeing his father like this, Li Wei felt very uncomfortable. She reached out and held her father's hand, and said with tears in her eyes: "Dad, you are suffering. There is no need to say anything if you win. I know you are suffering. Now you need to recover well, follow Dr. Lu's arrangements, cooperate with his treatment, and strive for a speedy recovery." Able to recover.”
Li Yi still made some weird noises in his throat. Li Wei shook his head at him and held his father's hand tightly. Later, Li Yi actually shook his hand back, still exerting a little force.
This subtle move suddenly made Li Wei aware. She turned back to Doctor Lu and said, "Father, he is holding my hand. Is this a good sign?"
Lu Chaoxian nodded and said, "Yes, this is a sign of improvement. You can talk to him more and help him turn over, maybe a miracle will happen."
Li Wei stared at his father on the bed for a long time. After coming back, he saw his mother several times, but never his father. In her memory, her father was not that old. But the wrinkles on his face and the traces of white hair that can no longer be hidden in his hair indicate that my father is no longer young. Li Wei's nose was a little sore, but in front of the patient, she knew that these negative emotions could not be revealed easily, otherwise it would only make the patient decadent.
She sat in front of him for a while, fearing that her father's mood would change even more if she stayed too long. People who have suffered a stroke need more rest.
Li Wei tried to say a few words to his father, but Li Yi still couldn't respond to his daughter.
Later, Li Wei leaned over and said, "Dad, you will be well taken care of for the rest of your life, and you will cooperate with the imperial doctor's treatment. Don't be afraid. Although it is inconvenient for my daughter to come in and out, she will always care about your illness."
Li Wei came out, and Mrs. Fu invited Li Wei to rest in the flower hall.
Tea and fruit have been prepared here for a long time, and Mrs. Wen is also about to show her face. People of the same generation in the two houses have come to salute. They just entered the room and have not bowed down yet. Li Wei said "no, all etiquette is waived". .
It was still her old home. Sitting in this room, Li Wei seemed to be able to take her back to her distant childhood when she closed her eyes. At that time, she was the apple of her mother's eye, living freely and carefree with her sisters at home. If it hadn't happened in the eleventh year of Xi Kang's reign, she might have been able to live a happy life under the protection of her parents. But how could I have known it earlier? She can't go back to the past.
Li Wei thought of this, she held the tea bowl and said calmly: "My father suddenly fell ill, and I was restless day and night, so I had to come back and see you no matter what. It's a big thank you for everyone's trouble. Just treat her as my ordinary daughter. After getting married, you can go back to your parents’ home without any formalities or rules. There are many inconveniences in the palace, so I still want to feel more comfortable when I go home.”
That's what he said, but people today don't dare to act rashly. Mrs. Wen took two sips of tea quietly, wiped the corners of her mouth slowly, and turned to look at Li Wei.
Just then, Li Wei also looked at Mrs. Wen. She looked solemn and asked calmly: "Auntie, is there something wrong?"
"I..." Mrs. Wen thought to herself, even if you are the Queen Mother, I am also your elder, how can you still open your mouth and drive me away
(End of chapter)