Sui Sui stood up and was about to leave, but Huan Xuan stopped her and said, "Hey, he ...
Sui Sui turned around and said helplessly: "Your Highness, what do you want me to do?"
Huan Xuan asked, "You came to the palace to say goodbye, and only saw His Majesty?"
Sui Sui nodded and said, "The Queen is devoted to practicing Buddhism. I heard that she has not been feeling well recently, so I will not bother her anymore."
Huan Rong's staff had revealed the truth about the death of the late crown prince, and the queen must have known it. She must have been devastated to see her second son, whom she had raised, kill his brother. Moreover, Huan Rong wanted to kill Huan Ye because he failed to abdicate. In the final analysis, the incident was caused by her, and the queen probably didn't want to see her the most at this time.
Huan Xuan breathed a sigh of relief: "After you have seen His Majesty, leave the palace as soon as possible and do not stay in the palace for too long."
Sui Sui heard that he seemed to have some hidden meaning in his words, but he just nodded and said, "I know."
Seeing that she still didn't understand, Huan Xuan had no choice but to tell her directly: "Don't touch any food or drink when you enter the palace this time."
Sui Sui raised her eyebrows. She had always been cautious. The emperor and the court could not easily touch the vassal states. Now they were busy with the case of deposing the crown prince and establishing a new crown prince, so there was no reason for them to attack her.
Huan Xuan must have his reasons for being so cautious.
Huan Xuan didn't want her to know that his elder brother had to give up her because of their mother's coercion. Although he was mad with jealousy, he couldn't bear to let the most perfect and precious thing in her heart have a crack or flaw.
He just said: "Now that the crown prince has been deposed and the new heir has not been appointed, the court is in a turbulent period. Maybe I am just being paranoid. It is always better to be cautious."
The Queen's words always lingered in his mind, making him a little uneasy. He knew his mother's character better than anyone else. With her temper, she would definitely vent her anger on Sui Sui. Fortunately, she only learned the truth in the past few days, and she had no time to plan any big moves in a hurry. Even if she wanted to harm Sui Sui, she could only use some shady means, and poisoning her food was the most convenient.
Xiao Ling is not an ordinary person either. She is on high alert right now, so it won't be easy to harm her.
Huan Xuan even felt that he was worrying too much.
Sui Sui said: "Okay, I will be more careful."
He paused and said, "Your Highness, do you have any other instructions? If there is nothing else, I really have to leave."
Huan Xuan stood up and said, "I'll take you there."
Sui Sui didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Didn't you say the wound was torn?"
Huan Xuan said: "I won't come to see you if you leave the capital."
As long as he is the King of Qi, they cannot get too close to avoid any trouble.
Sui Sui raised his eyelids and said, "Your Highness, just rest and recover from your injuries. Wounds that burst and fester are no small matter."
Huan Xuan asked, "Are you so worried about me?"
Sui Sui didn't know who he learned this shameless behavior from, but after thinking about it, he thought it was probably because he had been hanging out with Huan Minggui for too long, and that only bad company could corrupt him.
She was too lazy to pay attention to him, so she turned around and left the hall, walking quickly down the stairs.
Huan Xuan watched her back melting in the misty rain, and his heart seemed to melt into the spring rain bit by bit.
…
Facts proved that Huan Xuan's worries were indeed unfounded.
He went to the palace to pay homage without encountering any accidents.
The emperor had been bedridden for many days. When he saw her, he looked haggard and weak. In less than two quarters of an hour, he could hardly hold on.
When he heard that she was about to leave Beijing, he only said a few words to persuade her to stay out of courtesy, but when he saw that she was determined to go, he gave up.
He said, "I have recently suffered from an old illness and I am afraid I cannot see you off in person. I have ordered the Ministry of Rites to arrange a banquet at Changle Inn and have ordered all officials to host a banquet for Mr. Xiao to see you off."
Sui Sui bowed and said, "Thank you very much, Your Majesty, for your kindness. I am ashamed to accept it. My colleagues are busy with government affairs, and the banquet is unnecessary."
The emperor asked him twice more politely, but Sui Sui refused. He then nodded and said, "Since Xiao Qing has refused, I will not meet with you. You can come to the court on New Year's Day next year and we will talk again."
He paused, then added: "If I am still here next year..."
Sui Sui hurriedly said: "May your majesty live a long and healthy life."
The emperor waved his hands and said with a wry smile, "Xiao Qing, there is no need to comfort me. I know exactly how my body is. I am just struggling to survive."
It can be felt that the emperor's spirit began to decline after the prince's treason case.
The emperor who once worked hard and had great ambitions has now completely become a decrepit and depressed old man.
She was silent for a moment, then stood up and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, please take care of yourself. I will take my leave first."
The emperor glanced at the untouched tea on the tea table in front of her, nodded and said, "I will not keep you for dinner."
After saying this, he nodded to the eunuch.
A moment later, several eunuchs brought in several beds of gold and silver objects, several boxes of pearls and gems, and several boxes of tribute incense and medicine.
Sui Sui said: "Your Majesty has given me many rewards during this visit to the capital, but I am too ashamed to accept them."
The emperor said: "Don't refuse. This is just a small token of my appreciation."
He paused and said, "Xiao Qing is not only a meritorious general of Dayong, but also the daughter of an old friend of mine. Just think of this as a gift from your elders to add to your dowry."
A hint of surprise flashed across Sui Sui's eyes.
The emperor said, "Please accept it. It is my sincere token of my appreciation."
Sui Sui bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward."
The emperor said: "You will leave the capital soon. I believe you have many things to do. I will not keep you here."
Sui Sui left the emperor's bedroom and sat on the imperial carriage. As soon as he walked out of the palace gate, he saw the empress's phoenix carriage coming towards the Greenhouse Palace.
Sui Sui got off the sedan chair and moved to the left side of the road, bowing and saying, "I pay my respects to the Queen."
The queen ordered the eunuch to stop the sedan chair, lifted the brocade curtain, and glanced at her calmly: "General Xiao, how are you?"
Although Sui Sui had expected this, he was still shocked when he saw her haggard and aged appearance with his own eyes: "Thank you for your concern, Madam Queen. I am fine."
The queen nodded: "Then I'll rest assured."
After a pause, he said, "It's rare for General Xiao to come to the palace, so why don't you stay for dinner?"
Sui Sui said: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I still have some busy work to do, so I can only decline your kindness."
The Queen did not insist: "I wonder why General Xiao came to the palace today?"
Sui Sui replied, "Your Majesty, I will leave in two days, so I came here to say goodbye."
The Queen was surprised and asked, "So fast?"
Then he asked, "General Xiao, why don't you stay in the capital for a few more days?"
Sui Sui said: "I am honored to be appointed as an envoy, and I have border defense to guard. Please forgive me for not being able to stay for long."
The queen nodded and said, "Thank you, General Xiao."
Sui Sui said: "Your Majesty, your words are too serious."
The queen smiled faintly, her smile not reaching her eyes: "Then I wish General Xiao a safe journey and a smooth journey."
Then he bowed and thanked him.
The Queen said, "I have to go serve Your Majesty, so I will not see General Xiao off."
As he spoke, he nodded slightly to the eunuch, who lifted the sedan chair and walked towards the palace gate.
Sui Sui stood by the road for a while, waiting for the sound of the phoenix chariot's bells and jade bells to fade away, before he sat back on the chariot and headed out of the palace.
…
The emperor talked with Xiao Ling for a while and felt a little tired. He was now leaning on the imperial couch with his eyes closed to rest.
Hearing the familiar sound of wooden shoes with cloud-shaped soles hitting golden bricks, he knew that the queen had arrived. He opened his eyes and asked outside the screen, "Is the queen here?"
The queen walked around the screen and said, "It's my concubine."
The emperor looked at his wife, who was white-haired and haggard, and frowned, saying, "I told you to have a good rest in the courtyard, and you don't have to rush around to see me every day."
The Queen said, "Your Majesty, please meet me after being married for so many years."
The emperor saw that Xiao Ling had just left when the empress arrived. He thought that their carriages would meet in the palace, so he asked the empress, "Xiao Ling just came to say goodbye to me. Did you see her?"
The queen nodded: "Yes, I have seen you. Let's exchange a few words of greeting."
The emperor glanced at his wife's expression, with a hint of worry in his eyes.
The Queen laughed, "Your Majesty, what are you afraid of? She commands a large army and is in charge of a region. I am just a woman in the palace, what can I do to her?"
The emperor asked his wife to speak out, feeling a little embarrassed, and shook her hand: "I am just afraid that you will feel uncomfortable seeing her."
The Queen said, "Your Majesty, don't worry about me."
She sighed softly: "You all think I dislike her, but you are wrong. When she was a child, she entered the palace to meet the emperor. I liked her the first time I saw her. I chose her for Ye'er not only for the relationship between the court and the three towns, but also out of my mother's selfishness. At that time, I thought that only a young lady like this was worthy of my Ye'er."
She paused and said, "It's a pity that Xiao Yan died young and her uncle was useless, leaving her, a teenage daughter, to support her family. If not, she would have married to Chang'an to become the Crown Princess. We would have gotten along very well as aunt and daughter-in-law."
The emperor did not expect his wife to say such words. He saw that her expression was calm and her tone was sincere, and she did not seem to be pretending. However, he felt that something was not right, and he could not help but feel a chill.
He rubbed his forehead and said, "These are all old things. There is no point in talking about them. Don't think too much about them."
The queen lowered her eyes slightly: "Your Majesty is right."
At this moment, a palace servant said from outside the screen: "Your Majesty, Madam, the medicine is ready."
The Queen said, "Send it in."
Soon, a palace servant brought in a bowl of medicine on a tray.
The queen picked up the medicine bowl and jade spoon and said to the palace maid, "You can leave now."
The palace maids and eunuchs knew that the emperor and empress had something to say, so they all retreated to the palace.
The tip of the empress's thumb touched the medicine soup, but she seemed unaware of it. She used a jade spoon to stir the soup, scooped out a spoonful to taste it, and said to the emperor: "It's not hot anymore. I will serve your majesty the medicine."
The emperor said: "Let the servants do these things."
The Queen said, "I have been married to Your Majesty for many years, but I have never served Your Majesty well, especially in the past few years... Fortunately, Your Majesty has been lenient and forgiving."
The emperor recalled the days when he was in the palace, and his eyes softened for a moment: "Husband and wife are one, it doesn't matter whether you serve me or not."
The queen scooped a spoonful of medicine and brought it to the emperor's mouth: "Your Majesty, drink it quickly while it's still warm. If you let it cool down, it will hurt your spleen and stomach."
The emperor drank only half a bowl of medicine from her hand.
The Queen asked, "Your Majesty, has your headache been better these past two days?"
The emperor pressed his temples hard and shook his head, saying, "I've been given bowl after bowl of medicine, but my illness hasn't gotten better. Instead, it's gotten worse."
He shook his head and said, "There's always pain for half the first day. Those quack doctors in Shang Pharmacy are not making progress, just sitting there doing nothing and eating for free. They are really becoming more and more useless."
The Queen asked calmly, "What did the doctor say when he took my pulse today?"
The emperor said, "As usual, the pulse is a little floating and tight, probably because of the cold I caught the day before yesterday."
The Queen's eyes moved slightly: "Maybe a prescription is not as effective as the old one, Your Majesty, don't worry."
The emperor said, "Take it for a few more days. If it still doesn't help, I'll ask them to change the prescription."
The Queen continued, "Your Majesty has been weak lately, so you should be careful. It's also because the servants were careless in adding and removing clothes and bedding."
The emperor said indifferently: "My health has been getting worse and worse in recent years. Every year at this time of year, I always catch a cold."
The Queen said, "Don't think too much, Your Majesty. The weather in early spring is hot and cold, and it's easy to catch a cold."
The emperor agreed, "Indeed, Xiao Ling came to pay her respects just now, and I heard that her voice was a little strange. You have been upset recently, and your voice sounded a little muffled. I hope you don't make me too sick."
The two of them fed the patient medicine as they talked, and soon the bowl of medicine was empty.
The queen placed the medicine bowl on the small table beside the couch, tucked the emperor's mouth with a silk handkerchief, and placed a hidden bag behind his back: "Your Majesty, after you are done with this busy period, I will accompany you to the hot spring palace to rest for a while."
The emperor smiled bitterly and said, "Who will take on this responsibility once I am gone? Qilang is still young and has no experience. I will have to guide him personally for two years."
The Queen frowned slightly: "Your Majesty has made up your mind?"
The emperor said: "Sixth son has a weak character and mediocre talent. The remaining children are too young. Only Seventh son is suitable."
He shook his wife's hand and said, "No matter who is made the crown prince, he must respect and love you as his biological mother."
The queen resisted the urge to pull her hand away, lowered her eyes and said, "I won't bother."
The emperor sighed heavily: "I have thought a lot these days. Since Sanlang has no intention of becoming the heir, let him be."
He paused and said, "I sometimes wonder if my brother had not given up the throne to me, would our family be more comfortable?"
As he spoke, he felt drowsy and his eyelids gradually drooped.
The queen slowly pulled her hand away, helped him lie down, and tucked the corner of the quilt for him; "Your Majesty, sleep peacefully."
…
As soon as Sui Sui returned to the inn, Huan Xuan sent his guards to inquire about her. He was relieved to learn that she was safe and sound.
Two days later, Sui Sui set out to leave Beijing. There was no movement in the palace. The emperor only sent officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War to see her off. As the carriage drove out of Tonghua Gate, Huan Xuan was completely relieved. As long as she was out of Tongguan, with the army's protection, even if there was a change in the court, it would not affect her safety.
However, he was too quick to reassure.
Three days later, he was lying on the couch, thinking about how to fake his death and escape after recovering from his injuries, when a eunuch suddenly reported, "Your Highness, General Xiao's personal guard wants to see you. He said he has something urgent to report to Your Highness in person."
Huan Xuan's heart trembled. He ignored his wounds and suddenly stood up from the bed: "Please ask him to come in immediately."