Silent Lover (The Silent Concubine) - Chap 99
Inside the Huajiao Fang Palace, a strong medicinal smell wafted, piercing Shen Ruofei’s nose and making her tongue bitter. She covered her nose with her hand, frowning as she walked in…
Several medicine jars were simmering over a low flame in the main hall, their lids clanging as they bubbled. Several palace maids were busy, even Empress Jiang herself was holding a medical book, pondering over some prescriptions…
“I pay my respects to Your Majesty, the Empress.”
Empress Jiang grabbed a handful of medicine and placed it on the scale, her brows furrowed with worry, and the heat from the stoves causing sweat to bead on her forehead…
“Didn’t I tell you that you don’t need to pay respects these days?”
Shen Ruofei lowered her head and whispered, “I’m worried about the Third Prince. Just thinking about him suffering from illness, I can’t eat or sleep well. I couldn’t help but come to visit. I’ll be careful not to disturb the Third Prince.”
“Mmm, thank you.”
After hearing a few heartfelt words, Empress Jiang’s originally anxious and irritable mood eased slightly. She wasn’t close to Shen Ruofei, but at least they maintained superficial harmony. Otherwise, outsiders would say that the Empress was harsh…
“Has the Third Prince recovered?”
Shen Ruofei inquired cautiously.
“The imperial physician changed three prescriptions for him, but Yuer’s fever hasn’t gone down. Instead, his cough has become worse. He even coughed up blood last night…”
As Empress Jiang spoke, she turned her head and wiped away her tears… Shen Ruofei hurriedly comforted her, “Your Majesty, don’t worry too much. Perhaps those palace maids neglected their duties. The Third Prince has his fate.”
“I’m afraid they neglected him, so I brought Yuer to the Huajiao Fang Palace to personally take care of him. Sigh…”
Empress Jiang massaged her forehead. She looked tired, with dark circles under her eyes. She hadn’t had a good rest in two nights…
Shen Ruofei then asked, “When did the Third Prince start showing symptoms of a cold?”
“It’s been fifteen days, exactly half a month,” Empress Jiang replied casually…
“Fifteen days… Ah!”
Shen Ruofei seemed to realize something and exclaimed in horror…
“The Third Prince just fell asleep, and you want to wake him up with your constant surprises?!” Empress Jiang scolded in a low voice.
“No… I mean, I… I…” Shen Ruofei stuttered, her expression filled with uncertainty…
“Just say it!” Empress Jiang was impatient…
Shen Ruofei approached and said, “I just remembered… the person living in the Qilin Pavilion happened to enter the palace fifteen days ago.”
Empress Jiang frowned, displeased. “What do you mean? Are you suggesting that he’s the reason the Third Prince fell ill right after entering the palace?”
“Yes… yes…”
Shen Ruofei hesitated, unable to speak…
“What are you trying to say?” Empress Jiang pressed on…
Shen Ruofei bit her lip and said, “Your Majesty, I shouldn’t gossip about this, but I dare not hide it from you…
“What is it?”
“Over a decade ago, a Taoist priest came to our mansion and claimed to have seen an evil aura and dark clouds descending upon the Shen mansion. He asked if there was a newborn baby, coincidentally, a midwife was giving birth to a child at that moment, and it was the mute servant. After seeing him, the Taoist priest was shocked and said that the child was the reincarnation of a bewitching spirit. He advised us to eliminate him before he grew up, otherwise, he would bring disaster to the country and the people, causing chaos in the world…”
Empress Jiang raised an eyebrow. “Such nonsense… I’m afraid it’s just a load of rubbish…”
Shen Ruofei felt secretly delighted. Although Empress Jiang said she didn’t believe it, she seemed curious inside…
“Even my parents said so. That servant’s child is still a human being. My parents couldn’t bear to kill them, so they drove away that Taoist… Unexpectedly, before the sun set, my mother suddenly felt palpitations and died unexpectedly. She was healthy, and the cause of her death couldn’t be found. It was truly eerie…”
“Such a thing happened?”
Empress Jiang’s expression was indeed terrified, as if lost in thought…
“Yes, my father was kind-hearted. After this incident, he didn’t really kill that servant’s child. He said it might be a coincidence. But he also feared that what the Taoist said would come true. So, he locked up that servant’s child and his mother in the backyard shed, forbidding them from causing trouble.”
Empress Jiang eagerly asked, “And then? Did anything else happen in your mansion?”
“That Taoist said that as long as the reincarnated bewitching spirit doesn’t see people, it won’t harm anyone. So, they were kept in the backyard, and there was peace in the mansion. But as he grew older, he had a natural mute disability. He grew up looking… truly like a demon from a painting. Although I have some beauty, I’m not even one-tenth as beautiful as him. Your Majesty, do you think a man can really grow up to be so beautiful?”
Empress Jiang pondered, “I’ve been busy taking care of Yuer and haven’t met him yet. But just from the mute disability and appearance… it seems a bit far-fetched.”
“When Your Majesty has some free time, you can go see for yourself,” Shen Ruofei added. “Also, although this mute servant was locked in the shed, he still had to interact with the servants in the backyard. As a result, those servants actually fought fiercely for him. Isn’t this a case of ‘a woman’s beauty causing calamity’?!”
Empress Jiang couldn’t contain her anger and sat up abruptly. “Are you saying… the Emperor brought him back because he was enchanted by his beauty? Impossible, the Emperor doesn’t like men…”
“Yes, the Emperor doesn’t have such preferences, but why would he be so infatuated with him?” Shen Ruofei added fuel to the fire. “Your Majesty, you didn’t see it, but the Emperor was holding his hand just now, his face full of love…”
“Nonsense!”
Empress Jiang was furious, and Shen Ruofei was frightened and quickly knelt down.
“Your Majesty, forgive me, I shouldn’t have said these things… But this mute servant is ultimately from my mansion. If he is indeed an ominous person, seducing the Emperor and causing chaos in the court, and even making the Third Prince suffer from an ordinary cold for so long, then I would be greatly at fault…”
Speaking of the Third Prince hit Empress Jiang’s sore spot…
“No, I have to personally meet this Shen Yu and see if he’s really as you said!”
Empress Jiang was eager to act, wanting to go to the Qilin Pavilion immediately, but Shen Ruofei hurriedly stopped her…
“Your Majesty, please wait!” Shen Ruofei pleaded tearfully. “I’ve only heard my father say these things, and whether they’re true or not is still uncertain. The Emperor is still in the Qilin Pavilion now. If Your Majesty goes to question him like this, it might not make Shen Yu back down, but instead anger the Emperor…”
Empress Jiang stopped, calmed down for a moment, and said, “What you said makes sense, but Yuer is getting worse by the day. I can’t wait a moment longer!”
“Your Majesty, these supernatural matters have no evidence. Why don’t you ask the Qintian Observatory? Perhaps I’ve wronged Shen Yu. If not, we can find a way to cure the Third Prince…”
“You’re right, I forgot about the Qintian Observatory. Guards, go and invite the head of the Qintian Observatory to the palace.”
Empress Jiang thought for a moment and still couldn’t rest assured. Even if Shen Yu wasn’t a reincarnated bewitching spirit, she couldn’t let the Emperor develop such a bad habit!
