His Majesty And I ✔️

After The Loss

Chapter 68

Princess Yang Liu
Dragon Palace Wellness Chamber

The wind wailed and cried on behalf of the nation. Though it felt like a year had passed, not a full moon had filled up since the palace floors were last flooded with gore.

During the attack, half of the harem bled to death, leaving another half silenced with fear. Who would get the courage to speak when the future was uncertain?

The already quiet palace was a replica of a grave-land of the dead. In some manner of form, everyone had lost someone that mattered to them.

On the night of the massacre, Yang Liu was with her grandmother alongside the other concubines. The Grand Dowager's palace could not afford to accommodate the whole of the harem for entertaining purposes, then, so every week there was a shift in which half the harem visited the Rose Flower palace.

The women who were supposed to attend to the Grand Dowager in that week, thus managed to survive as Gurio only targeted Hougong and the Dragon Palace.

"How is he, Grand Physician?" The Grand Dowager, seated next to Yang Liu, asked for feedback after they checked the pulse of His Majesty.

"Answering to Her Highness. The emperor's cold disease isn't as severe as we are used to."

"That's good. But if it isn't, why does he look that awful?"

When the emperor got sick, it was the Grand Consort Shu who looked after him, usually, but in this circumstance, the emperor's mother had been sent to YiYuan, rendering her unable to care for her son. After she kept fainting in almost every two hours, the physicians recommended sending her away. Grand Consort was too stricken by the news of Li Lian, while to make matters worse for her, the apple of her eye deteriorated in health  every day.

In YiYuan, they were going to help her recuperate and benefit from leisure and recreation.

She obviously protested bitterly, wishing to be by her son, but when the Grand Dowager decreed her to go, she could not refuse and challenge the bind by law.

"Your Highness, the cold disease is not serious, just as I said. However, the emperor is in distress, and that has  stopped his qi from flowing properly." He cast his eyes on the floor, then added, "Forgive this servant, all we can do is to provide medication, but it is His Majesty's duty to decide that he wants to get better."

The Grand Dowager Empress observed her grandson who lay flushed on the floored mattress. Everyone wore fur coats since it was winter and freezing outside, yet he was a furnace himself, needing no blanket. His normally tanned skin was reddish and simmering.

"Grand Physician, I am not blind. Shen Hong looks deathly sick, have you done the right testing?"

"With all due respect, we are sure of our diagnosis, Your Highness. His Majesty is suffering from a minor cold disease."

"If it is minor, why have they reported to me that the emperor is suffering from breathing difficulties, stiffness of the body and problems concerning the pulse?" She clenched her teeth, irritated. "If he dies, your whole clan will be history."

"Your Highness... we have discussed his condition all night long, amongst ourselves, as those who study medicine. His Majesty has a minor cold disease, while as for the other things, it is..." The Grand Physician hesitated.

"It is, what?"

"Our apologies to say this, but it is suspected His Majesty is suffering from mental sickness."

"Shénme?" (what)

The Grand Physician kowtowed. "Forgive us! But it is the only reason we could come up with to explain his health condition. His Majesty is deeply grieved, thus he has wished death upon himself, in other words, he does not wish to live."

"You are indeed stupid. Is grieving a mental illness?"

"No, Your Highness, but our minds have more power than we think. Due to the emperor's extensive desires, his brain has begun fooling his body to act in the like-manner of a dead person. For that reason, he fails to breathe and his body stiffens to imitate a person who has died."

"Shameless! Your words don't make sense. Leave now!"

"Forgive us, Your Highness. We will continue to do our best, although there is nothing we can do against the will of a determined man." The physician bowed one last time and exited the chamber.

Seeming defeated, the Grand Dowager rose from her zabuton and crawled to the emperor.

"Hong'er... have you decided to die?" Her voice wobbled on emotion. "When I wanted you to die, you wouldn't, but now that I need you to take care of me instead, in my old age, you chose to die?" She shook him for response.

Elder Brother was as still as a cadaver, his opened eyes lifeless and rid of emotion, and from once in a while they would see tears trickle uncontrollably.

Per every visit, Yang Liu always found him staring at the roof, not speaking, not replying, and not taking part in the things of life. The only evidence that he was still alive was him breathing.

"Grandmother knows, I know it. Our relationship hasn't been progressive since your inauguration because I have always thirsted for power, than to love the people in my life, Grandmother knows." Grand Dowager wiped off her tears using the back of her hand. "It has been a fortnight since Imperial Concubine Wei left us, won't you rise up now and attend to your people? They need your leadership," she begged. "We are left vulnerable as a nation if you don't rise."

Li Lian was not someone that was hard to miss. Yang Liu missed their tea parties in the quarters of the Grand Consort, her carefree laugh, her strength that was infectious and most of all the good effect she had on her elder brother.

On cue, crying broke from outside.

The Wellness chamber was on a beautiful courtyard at the back of the Dragon Palace, a little hidden away by the leafy vegetation around it, but that did not stop Cai Wenjin from finding it.  She kept sneaking from her entourage and running to the Dragon Palace.

Although there was intense security, those who were not her Court Lady-in-charge could not tell Wen'er what to do―forbidding her entrance into the Dragon Palace―because of her status. This is why she kept coming back once she managed sneaking away.

"Fuhuang! Fuhuang!" she cried heartily from outside, distressed and pitiful.

Yang Liu got up and exited the spacious wellness chamber.

"Princess Cai Wenjin, did we not agree that you will not come here until I come to get you?"

Tears dribbled on her face, her little body crouched on her legs, arms folded as her lips quivered. Her white mourning garments were not as clean as if she had been swimming in the mud. Heaven knows what she had been doing to get that dirty.

"I do not want to be an orphan!" she shouted.

"You will not be an orphan. Who said that?"

"They are saying, Fuhuang will die!"

Gossip in the palace was not affected by any sorrowful thing. They had the nerve to still gossip during this time.

"He is alive and well, those who spread lies will be punished."

"Liar!" she cried. "I want to see him myself or I won't believe you!"

"Wen'er, a princess shall not speak carelessly."

"I want to see Fuhuang!"

Yang Liu proceeded down the few stairs and picked her from the ground. "Hush, now, Princess. I promise that I will take you inside once he is ready for you. Don't you trust me?"

Cai Wenjin coughed and snorted before responding quietly. "I do."

"Then let me take you back, we can play a game in the meanwhile."

The poor child was still grieving for her mother and now she was anxious over her father too.

"Princess Yang Liu, may I... please ask you a question?"

"You can ask me anything, dear."

Wen'er nervously rubbed her ear. "Is it true that my mother was a witch... and that is why the snakes killed her?"

S.V