Read Novel Full Chapter 118.2: Family Meeting (2)
“Xia Yuan, let me tell you, it’s very important how you treat your master, do you understand?” Du Xiaoli put down her chopsticks and looked at Xia Yuan. “Look at me—when have I ever mistreated any of you? Now look at Leng Yi and the others; the moment they upset their master, they’re sent off to suppress bandits, and they’re given just one day to do it. Compared to that, aren’t I being very kind?”
“Miss, you don’t need to compare—you’re always kind,” Xia Yuan said with a smile.
Han Mingyi was stumped by Du Xiaoli’s words. He wanted to retort that it was precisely because she had blabbed about that matter that they’d been punished, but when he saw the teasing look in her eyes, he decided against it and simply buried his head in his food.
After finishing dinner, Du Xiaoli and Han Mingyi left Liuli Palace together. Han Mingyi went to find Han Mingze, while she went to check on the Empress’s injuries.
When Du Xiaoli arrived at the Cold Palace, apart from the Empress’s room, which was lit, the other rooms seemed to be unoccupied. She pushed open the door and saw several maids bustling about inside.
“Greetings, Princess Consort.”
“Be at ease.” Du Xiaoli stepped behind the screen and saw the Empress still lying there lifelessly. She asked, “Has the Empress woken up today?”
“Your Highness, the Empress has not woken up at all today,” said the medical attendant in charge of the Empress.
“She hasn’t woken up at all?” Du Xiaoli looked somewhat surprised. She sat down on the stool by the bed and took the Empress’s hand to check her pulse.
“Mistress, how is the Empress’ condition?” Xia Yuan asked, noticing the grave expression on Du Xiaoli’s face after she finished taking the pulse.
“It’s looking a bit grim. In theory, she should have woken up by now, but she seems to be resisting—unwilling to wake up,” Du Xiaoli said.
“How could this happen?” Xia Yuan asked in surprise.
Du Xiaoli sighed and said, “Perhaps the Empress is afraid to wake up and face what she’s done.”
“What should we do then?”
“I’ll perform acupuncture on the Empress once more, but after that, it’s up to her. Additionally, providing her with some external stimulation might help her wake up,” Du Xiaoli said. “Xia Yuan, get ready.”
“Yes.”
An hour later, Du Xiaoli emerged from the Cold Palace. As soon as she stepped out, she saw Eunuch Sha waiting outside.
Upon seeing her, Eunuch Sha bowed deeply and said, “Princess Consort, the Emperor requests your presence.”
Du Xiaoli knew that Han Mingze likely hadn’t been able to make time to even sleep these past two nights, but she hadn’t expected him to want to see her. It must be because of the Empress.
“Let’s go.”
“Princess Consort, first.”
Upon reaching the outer chamber of the Imperial Study, Eunuch Sha went in to announce her arrival, then came out to lead her inside.
“Greetings to His Majesty.” Du Xiaoli saw Han Mingze sitting on the dragon throne, rubbing his temples, and curtsied in greeting.
“Rise.” Han Mingze looked up and said, “How is the Empress doing?”
“She hasn’t woken up yet,” Du Xiaoli answered.
“She hasn’t woken up? Didn’t you say she’d wake up today?” Han Mingze asked.
“I examined the Empress. Her physical condition has improved significantly, and theoretically, she should have woken up today. However, she is subconsciously resisting it—she doesn’t want to wake up. So this coma is caused by her own will, not by her injuries.”
“She’s unwilling to wake up? Why?” Han Mingze didn’t understand.
“Your Majesty, the Empress has been going through a great deal of inner turmoil lately. She’s done many things she didn’t want to do—perhaps she feels she’s hurt you in some way, or that she’s let the kingdom of Feng Ming down. I’m not entirely sure. But as her husband of so many years, you should understand her better than I do. She doesn’t want to face this version of herself, so she’s refusing to wake up.”
Han Mingze sighed and asked, “How can we get her to wake up? ”
“I’ve already prescribed a different formula for her, though it’s largely similar to the previous one. In this situation, we still need external stimulation,” said Du Xiaoli.
“External stimulation?”
“Yes. For example, having someone speak to her, or having the Crown Prince call out to her. Even though she hasn’t woken up, she can still hear sounds from the outside world. If we stimulate her, she might just wake up.”
“Might? So you’re saying external stimulation doesn’t guarantee she’ll wake up.”
Du Xiaoli nodded and said, “However, the chances of her waking up are quite high. Especially if it’s someone close to her—the effect will be even better.”
“I understand.” Han Mingze grasped Du Xiaoli’s meaning and said, “You should stay in the palace until the Empress is safe.”
“This humble servant obeys.” Du Xiaoli replied.
After all, the Empress had ended up in this state because of her. Since she hadn’t regained consciousness, Du Xiaoli couldn’t just walk away—neither as a doctor nor as someone personally involved.
“I’ve heard that you were the one who revived Ji Lun. You played an indispensable role in this matter, and I shall reward you accordingly,” Han Mingze said.
“Forget the reward, Your Majesty. You could give my younger sister a little extra silver instead,” Du Xiaoli said with a smile.
“Just as they say—you really are obsessed with money,” Han Mingze said, looking at Du Xiaoli with amusement. “I see. You’ve worked hard these past few days. Go back and rest.”
“This humble servant takes her leave.” Du Xiaoli curtsied and withdrew, then returned home with Xia Yuan.
Han Mingze pondered for a moment in the Imperial Study before saying, “Someone come.”
“Your Majesty.”
“Go find Prince Ding and tell him he need not return tonight. We will discuss the matter he was tasked with tomorrow. Also… take me to the Cold Palace.”
“Yes, Your Majesty…”
After returning, Du Xiaoli sent Xia Yuan and Ying Ge to rest, while she spent most of the night cultivating her inner energy. Realizing that her inner energy had actually helped the Empress—who possessed no martial arts skills—recover from her injuries, she opened her eyes in puzzlement.
“How strange.” Du Xiaoli stared at her hands in confusion. She had never heard of inner energy being able to alleviate someone else’s injuries. Could it be that her martial arts were unusual?
“Sigh, if only I had a master to ask.”
She now realized that being self-taught wasn’t all it cracked up to be; at the very least, there was no one to turn to when she had questions.
After wrestling with her thoughts for a while, Du Xiaoli decided to set her doubts aside and focus on her training again. She felt she was getting closer and closer to the threshold of the sixth level, so she practiced a little longer, not falling asleep until well past midnight.
The next morning at breakfast, Xia Yuan told her that the Empress had woken up. She explained that the Emperor had spent the night in the Cold Palace, and the Empress had awakened that morning.
“It seems the Emperor still cares deeply for the Empress,” Du Xiaoli said, taking a bite of her steamed bun. “Let’s go take a look after breakfast.”
“Yes.”
“By the way, where’s Ying Ge?”
“Miss, Leng Er and the others returned last night. This morning, Leng San came looking for Ying Ge and told me to ask for a day off for you. He took Ying Ge with him. It seems Leng Er suffered a rather serious injury, and so she was asked to tend to him.”
“Leng Er is injured? Is it serious?” Du Xiaoli recalled the roujiamo she’d eaten in her previous life. She tore the steamed bun open, placed the meat and vegetables inside, and only after assembling it did she look at Xia Yuan and ask.
References
1. — a classic Shaanxi street food; typically a sandwich of finely chopped, long-simmered pork tucked into a crispy, chewy flatbreadMoonWhisperer, skyrise's Thoughts
tl note: hihi the raws seem to skip a chapter and i have scoured the internet but been unable to find the missing chapter... hopefully this one is still interpretable and enjoyable!!
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