Pan Hai busied himself wiping the filth off Emperor Jingming, feeling immense sympathy for his sovereign.
His Emperor truly had it tough—
Meanwhile, the Virtuous Consort, unable to accept both the cruel reality of her son’s exposed schemes and the horrifying fact that she had spat blood on the Emperor’s face, rolled her eyes back and fainted.
Pan Hai pursed his lips.
Fainting was good—when unconscious, one didn’t have to face anything.
Emperor Jingming allowed Pan Hai to clean his face, glanced at the Virtuous Consort being supported by palace maids, and said sternly, “Summon the Imperial Physician to treat the Virtuous Consort.”
Though he wasn’t angry at the Virtuous Consort’s loss of composure, he didn’t stay either. He hastily left Yuquan Palace for the Hall of Mental Cultivation, only feeling better after bathing and changing clothes.
He had no desire to return to Yuquan Palace.
“Your Majesty, lunch is ready—”
Emperor Jingming glanced at Pan Hai coldly, “I have no appetite.”
Who could have an appetite after being spat on with blood?
Pan Hai understood and didn’t insist.
Emperor Jingming, hungry, watched Jixiang eat dried fish, his mood worsening.
Back in Yuquan Palace, the Virtuous Consort had awakened, her first words being, “Where is the Emperor?”
After a moment of silence, a trusted palace maid replied, “The Emperor has left. The Imperial Physician is preparing medicine for you.”
The Virtuous Consort pressed her lips together, tasting the sweetness of blood. This made her stomach churn again, and she turned her head to vomit.
Seeing the red in the spittoon, everyone in Yuquan Palace turned pale.
The situation didn’t look good for Her Highness—
A trusted palace maid knelt, crying, “Your Highness, let me go request the Emperor’s presence again.”
The Virtuous Consort wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and asked weakly, “When did the Emperor leave?”
No one answered immediately.
“Speak!”
The trusted maid said softly, “After you fainted, the Emperor ordered for the Imperial Physician and then left.”
“So the Emperor left before the Imperial Physician even arrived?” the Virtuous Consort asked, her face pale.
The trusted maid nodded difficultly, tears streaming down her face.
The Virtuous Consort closed her eyes and laughed bitterly, “Then there’s no need to request the Emperor’s presence.”
If the Emperor didn’t even have the patience to wait for the Imperial Physician to examine her condition, what was the point in asking him to come again?
At this moment, the Virtuous Consort realized that Emperor Jingming had completely grown tired of Prince Qi and her as well.
This realization left her disheartened and desperate as if her vitality had been instantly drained, making her look years older.
The news of the Virtuous Consort coughing blood and fainting spread quickly throughout the palace.
Soon, the Empress sent someone to visit.
“Your Highness, someone from Kunning Palace is here to see you.”
The Virtuous Consort initially wanted to indulge in refusing, thinking ‘out of sight, out of mind,’ but her desperation couldn’t overcome her concern for her son.
It wasn’t yet the end for Zhang’er, so she had to hold on.
“Let them in.”
Shortly after, a palace maid entered. It was Aping, the head maid from the Empress’s side.
“This servant was sent by the Empress to check on Your Highness. Are you feeling better?” Aping asked with concern, discreetly observing the Virtuous Consort.
The Virtuous Consort smiled, “I’m fine. Please thank the Empress for me.”
“The Empress will be relieved to hear you’re well. Please rest, and I won’t disturb you further.”
Returning to Kunning Palace, Aping reported the Virtuous Consort’s condition to the Empress: “This servant observed that the Virtuous Consort looked extremely unwell, without a hint of color in her face…”
After listening, the Empress remained silent for a while before instructing, “Tell Chief Eunuch Tao not to neglect the food, clothing, and daily necessities for Yuquan Palace. Without my orders, people from Kunning Palace should not go there, and there must be no kicking someone when they’re down.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As the room quieted, the Empress glanced at the hourglass in the corner and smiled slightly.
This wasn’t the first or second time the Virtuous Consort had coughed up blood. It seemed her life might not last much longer.
The Empress suddenly felt somewhat emotional.
For so many years, the Virtuous Consort had been an undeniable force in the harem. Who would have thought her downfall would come so easily?
It seemed everything had become smoother since Prince Yan was registered under her name.
Thinking of this, the Empress felt more certain that she had chosen the right son.
If she had chosen Prince Xiang, who had killed Cui Mingyue— The Empress shook her head, not wanting to entertain such a hypothesis.
Following Kunning Palace’s visit to the Virtuous Consort, Yuquan Palace experienced a brief period of activity.