Chapter 39: Your Fortune Is Yet to Come
At Ying Guifei’s Yixia Palace.
Xin Yingshu felt the room was stifling, and the headache she had often suffered from flared up again. She went out to get some fresh air, only to see her personal maid, Qingheng, sitting beneath the begonia tree, her eyes red from crying.
“Qingheng, why are you crying?” Xin Yingshu asked.
Qingheng held back her tears and replied, “Your Majesty, I went to ask Doctor Duan for medicine, but he refused to give me any, insisting he wouldn’t even touch the prescription. He pushed me out, afraid of being associated with us here in Yixia Palace.”
Xin Yingshu rubbed her head wearily and sighed, “Since this illness can’t be cured, there’s no point in treating it.”
Five years ago, Emperor Qingning went on a hunting trip with his concubines and was ambushed by assassins.
Coming from a military family, she spared no effort to protect the Empress Dowager and the Emperor, suffering serious injuries in the process. She lost the child in her womb and was left with chronic migraines and a persistent cough triggered by the wind. She had been relying on Doctor Duan’s prescriptions just to survive.
Now that Doctor Duan refused to intervene, it seemed that death was near.
Qingheng was outraged. “After all the favors you’ve shown Doctor Duan over the years, now he won’t even give you a single dose of medicine!”
“Your Majesty, Eunuch Zhou has arrived!” A eunuch named Xiao Dezhi hurriedly ran over.
Eunuch Zhou Jushan entered Yixia Palace to deliver the imperial edict. Xin Yingshu, her maid, and the eunuch all kneeled to receive it.
“By the Emperor’s command: Ying Guifei’s words and actions have been inappropriate and have violated the dignity of the imperial family. Therefore, she is to be sent to the Cold Palace for punishment. The order is hereby given.”
Looking at the pale-faced Ying Guifei, Zhou Jushan couldn’t help but feel that, compared to the Emperor Qingning, he was nothing more than a sea king scumbag.
Upon hearing the imperial edict, Xin Yingshu nearly collapsed.
Her tears had long since dried up; she could no longer cry. Over the past two months, from heaven to hell, she had wept countless times.
Xin Yingshu had spent the first half of her life like a flower in a honey pot. Her older brother, the formidable Marquis of Zhaoping, her father, the General who guarded the nation, and her close relationship with the late Emperor, had all made her life one of privilege and protection.
She had grown up under the Empress’s care, enjoying the same luxuries as a royal princess. She and the then Crown Prince, Chu Zongrui (Emperor Qingning), had been childhood playmates, their bond deep and innocent.
At the age of three, she would sit on the Crown Prince’s shoulders to catch butterflies. Whenever she grew upset, Chu Zongrui would coax her gently, a privilege no one else in the world could claim.
When Chu Zongrui ascended the throne at twenty, the night before his grand coronation, he secretly snuck out of the palace and planted a begonia tree in her courtyard, promising, “When the begonia grows, so will you. I will come to take you then.”
At fifteen, Xin Yingshu entered the palace for her coming-of-age ceremony. By this time, Chu Zongrui had been Emperor for three years, and with the support of the formidable General and the Marquis of Zhaoping, his position was secure. Upon entering the palace, she was showered with favor, becoming the Emperor’s most cherished concubine, but also a thorn in the side of many others.
“This servant accepts the imperial edict.”
Memories flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern. Xin Yingshu closed her eyes and, with a defeated expression, allowed Xiao Dezhi to take the imperial edict sending her to the Cold Palace.
She gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Eunuch Zhou, do you think I’ve used up all my fortune in the first half of my life?”
At that moment, Zhou Jushan wanted to shake her awake and remind her that the Marquis of Zhaoping’s family was still alive and strong, that she had a powerful team supporting her from behind! Her good fortune was still ahead of her! But with so many people around and his position as the Emperor’s personal eunuch, he couldn’t say such things aloud.
“Your Majesty, it may not be so. You are still very young.”
Xin Yingshu shook her head. “You know this illness of mine can never be cured. Now that I have fallen out of favor, without a doctor to care for me, it will only get worse.”
Zhou Jushan said, “Your Majesty, you must take care of yourself. If the Marquis of Zhaoping knew you were not eating or drinking, he would be heartbroken.”
“My brother, my sister-in-law, my nephew… they are all uncertain whether they are alive or dead,” Xin Yingshu said, her voice growing more agitated. “And how could he possibly allow my family to safely reach Haizhou?”
Zhou Jushan’s expression changed, his concern evident. He feared for his own safety. “Your Majesty, please be careful with your words.”
“I might as well leave sooner. Every day I spend in this palace is torture,” Xin Yingshu replied, her face devoid of emotion.
“Eunuch Zhou, please return to fulfill your duties. The longer you stay here, the more I fear I might involve you,” she said, her tone hollow.
Zhou Jushan, who had a background in psychology, could easily see that Ying Guifei was on the verge of a breakdown—suffering from severe depression and contemplating s**cide.
In fact, many times, it wasn’t that life had reached a dead end, but that emotions had reached one.
He had to find a way to subtly reassure Ying Guifei that the Marquis of Zhaoping family was safe, and make her believe that they were still alive so she could pull herself together.
With many personal matters awaiting him from the Emperor, Zhou Jushan quickly left to fulfill his orders, brushing off his sleeves in haste.
Sigh… It truly was a waste for a skilled psychological counselor like him to serve as the Emperor’s chief eunuch in the palace!
*
Around noon, after a restful sleep, Jiang Lili woke up, freshened up, and stretched lazily before stepping out of the Ning family’s mansion.
The Ning family truly lived up to their reputation as the wealthiest family in the capital—the bed was incredibly soft, and the surroundings were elegant and refined.
As soon as Jiang Lili stepped outside, she was stunned to see a group of officials sitting at the doorstep, looking rather sickly and covered in snot bubbles.
When the officials saw Jiang Lili, their faces lit up as though they had seen a savior. They rushed over to her.
“Miss, you’re finally up!”
“Last night, we tried to find you, but didn’t expect this village to be a den of killers. We almost got sold.”
“These people are audacious, but thankfully, you have great taste. You picked a powerful husband, and he managed to subdue them.”
They had come early in the morning seeking medicine, but the cold-faced God of War, Xin Che, had refused to let them disturb Jiang Lili’s rest. Fearing she might be displeased if woken too early, they waited anxiously, hoping for her to finally come out.
After waiting for what seemed like forever, Jiang Lili had finally emerged.
Jiang Lili quickly put on the mask she had in her sleeve and took a few steps back. “Hey, hey, hey, everyone, stand in line, three inches apart!”
The officials obediently and swiftly lined up.
They understood the reason behind it—it was proper etiquette, especially with the separation of the sexes.
Wang Zifu, holding a basket, approached. He hadn’t taken Yang Yunzhao’s medicine the previous night, so Jiang Lili had given him fever-reducing medicine. After a good night’s sleep, his headache was gone, leaving only the lingering cough.
The medicine was truly miraculous! It was as if the illness had been wiped away with the medicine!
It seemed Jiang Lili had been too modest about her skills!
Wang Zifu offered the basket with both hands. “Miss Jiang, this is breakfast we’ve prepared for you.”
Although Jiang Lili was hungry, she didn’t dare eat. The officials all had coughs, and the situation didn’t seem very hygienic.
She gently declined, “You should eat. Only with full stomachs can you recover from your illnesses.”
Wang Zifu froze for a moment, then immediately felt ashamed and guilty.
They had treated the Marquis family so harshly on the road, yet Jiang Lili repaid their bitterness with kindness. Her generosity and open heart made him, a grown man, feel deeply inferior.
While Wang Zifu was still lost in deep self-reflection, Jiang Lili had already begun distributing the medicine. “This is the medicine I prepared. Take it with water. Don’t get angry, treat others with kindness, and maintain a good mood. You’ll recover faster that way.”
After giving out the cold medicine and explaining the dosage, she added, “Remember to stay away from crowds. This cold is contagious.”
“You all want to reach Haizhou quickly, don’t you?”
The officials practically treated Jiang Lili’s words as divine instruction, nodding in agreement.
When someone saw that the people from the Ning family’s mansion had come out, they immediately rushed off to spread the news, going door to door to inform the others.
**TN
Sea King / Sea Queen – a player