"Nonsense? What's nonsense about it?" Emperor Yin Renshu complains as soon as they entered the Lotus Hall.
"Strange. Isn't she worried that the epidemic gets spread inside the imperial palace walls?" Princess Yin Xiulan also retorted.
"Don't be stressed over it, Grand Empress Dowager. I don't think our plans will be spoiled by this." Yin Renshu and Yin Xiulan look in the direction where the voice came from. Prince Yin Wenyan just came inside through the big circular window.
He continued, "That's what the empress dowager said to our beloved grandmother,"
Yin Renshu can't help but raise his eyebrows, "Do you really see her as our grandmother?" Yin Wenyan on the other hand just shrugs as a response.
"Plans? What sort of plans?" Yin Xiulan asks.
"That... I can't say just yet." Yin Wenyan answers, "We must not jump directly to conclusions but don't disregard the possibilities."
"There must be something they're plotting without our knowledge." Yin Renshu said.
"That's most likely to be the case but still, we don't have proof nor clues against them." The prince said. "We should keep an eye on them for the meantime."
"Now, think about it. Why would the grand empress dowager be worried over health-related check-ups? Is she afraid of us finding something odd in the servants or anyone who'll undergo the process?" The princess general opens her fan and gracefully fans herself.
"Whatever it is. It must be related to health." Yin Wenyan said. "But no matter how hard I think about it, I can't get the sense of it."
"Speaking of health..." The prince speaks again. "About Eunuch Xu, do you think Yueguang Hua will work on him?"
"Yueguang Hua..." Yin Xiulan and Yin Renshu look at each other.
"Well, that's..."
Yueguang Hua. A spirit herb that is very valuable especially for cultivators. A rare flower that only blooms at night when the moon is at its brightest. And it just does not grow anywhere. This plant only flourishes in high places such as the crown of a mountain where it's exposed in the moonlight the most.
Consuming it would help recover one's spiritual core as it supplies yang energy and reduces the high level of yin energy in the body, it also heals external and internal wounds as it renews the cells, and is also an effective poison nullifier.
This flower is hard to find. They're not only a few in number but also their appearance looks like an ordinary wildflower. A lot of people can't differentiate YueguangHua from other herbs. In the cultivation world, it is known as the "cure for all".
Meanwhile, at the emperor's hall, Xu Zhengming sits on the edge of his majesty's bed. His eyes were still wet from tears and his nose became red. He's staring at nothingness, his mind is a mess.
Although Yin Wenyan told him to rest, he can't bring himself to do so.
Three months... In three months, will he be able to find himself a wife? Will he be able to build a house and live a content life? Will he be able to see his child? How about his grandchild? Will he be able to grow old with the woman he'll marry? In three months, will he be able to do it all?
Of course not!
Just thinking about it makes him feel like crying all over again. He's just 23. After his first love and first heartbreak, he never had serious and sincere romantic feelings towards other women but he never wished to die single!
He got dragged back to reality when he heard a series of knocks at the door. He thought it must be the emperor.
He immediately wipes his tears and fixed himself. If his majesty would see him like this, he'd most probably laugh and make fun of him. Though he tried to look presentable, his eyes and nose are still evidently red in color.
But on the second thought, why would his majesty knock at the door of his own hall?
Xu Zhengming got curious. He gets up and headed towards the doorway. He then slightly opens the door and peeps outside. It's indeed not the emperor. He sees a slender body of a woman dressed in golden yellow.
"Eunuch Xu!" Empress Xue Chi waves her hand and smiles widely. She's alone and her maids aren't around.
Seeing the empress, Xu Zhengming quickly slides the door open.
"Your highness, my apologies but his majesty isn't around."
"I know. That's why I came here." She winks at him and made her way inside the hall.
She stops and turns around to face the eunuch. "You must feel very lonely that you cried."
Xu Zhengming felt embarrassed. Her highness noticed his eyes! "Uh... no, your highness I---" He tried to reason out but got interrupted by the empress' cheerful exclamation.
"Don't be sad now. I'm here!"
But now that Xu Zhengming had the chance to take a look at her clearly, he noticed the strange changes in Empress Xue Chi. Although she looks as beautiful as ever, there are several small differences from the last time they meet.
"Your highness, are you feeling unwell?"
Her bright eyes are now having dark circles under them. Her face looks thinner too. Her voice sounds like she's having a clogged nose. Her once fair complexion became pale. And usually, there's a bright aura around her but it's different today. She seems dull for some unexplainable reasons.
Her eyelashes trembled a little but she quickly got her composure back.
"Well, somehow." The empress shows him a weak smile. "But don't worry, this isn't contagious so you won't get it."
Though she's feeling sick, she doesn't want to look lousy in front of her 'friend'. She pouts her lips just like a kid throwing a fit. "My maids aren't allowing me to go out of my room. I've been isolated for a few days now." She then beams a wide mischievous smile at Xu Zhengming, "So I snuck out."
"Aiyah, your highness, you should get some rest to recover quickly." Xu Zhengming said. This woman is sick and supposed to be resting in her room and being taken care of by her maids. If anyone sees her here with him, he'll most probably be in trouble.
The empress crosses her arms on her chest. "I won't. It took me so much effort to sneak out of my room." She complains, "Also, you're not in the place to say that. Aren't you sick as well?"
"That's..." Xu Zhengming doesn't know where to start explaining everything he learned just this morning. Even he, himself, couldn't believe that he's dying.
And so, he decided to change the topic. "Ah, by the way, your highness, about his majesty's preference---"
However, he got interrupted halfway. "I didn't come here for that. I came here to find out how you've been doing."
For a second, Xu Zhengming thought she looked at him with sad eyes. Or maybe he's just imagining things.
She continues, "You must have been suffering."
Xu Zhengming didn't say anything in response and just looks down. He's being reminded of his deadline in this world again.
Realizing she won't be receiving any response, she stamps her foot like a kid throwing a fit."Aiyah, I'm asking about your well-being."
This left Xu Zhengming with no choice. He responded, "I'm fine. It's just a sore throat, your highness. Thank you so much for your concern but I don't deserve it."
After saying those two sentences, deep inside, he thought, "No, no, no. There's no way I'd be fine at all! I'm dying! This beau is dying! I'm dying without even experiencing true love!"
Now that he thinks about it again, he can't help but pity himself. If he knew he'll be dead at such a young age, he could have flirted with different women a lot more than he has done already!
Empress Xue Chi, "Look at you, acting all formal. Aren't we friends?" For some unknown reason, she looks somehow anxious, "Anything else? Cough? Headaches? Chest pains?"
Xu Zhengming finds her somehow strange. Is she expecting him to have all of those she mentioned? Does she know what is this illness he's suffering from?
"None so far, your highness. Does the empress perhaps knows my condition?" He asks casually. Maybe the Empress has heard a new disease where a mere sore throat can cause death.
"Ah?" Her face shows that she didn't expect this question to be thrown at her. She immediately denied, "No, I'm afraid I do not know and cannot help you to find out. What do I know? I am just a woman in the palace? Hehe."
Even though this eunuch is dumb sometimes, he's observant. After hearing her response, he finds it odd. He can only recall that what he told her highness is that he has a sore throat, nothing more. But it seems she has an idea how serious Xu Zhengming's condition is. And he just asked if she happens to know this sickness. Why is she strongly denying that she knows about it, and declining a favor that's yet to be said? It's like she's guilty over something.
And then Xu Zhengming remembered what Yin Renshu told him. He said he doesn't trust her much. He can't help but raise his guard and subconsciously interrogated her. "Your highness knows that I do not know what I am suffering from?"
"Eunuch Xu..." She looks at him with disbelief. "Do you see me as a suspicious person?"
By then did Eunuch Xu realized that he just crossed the line. He said in a low voice, "I dare not, your highness."
Empress Xue Chi, "If I am not the empress, would you dare?"
"..."
Xu Zhengming didn't know what to say and he dares not to be tactless again. In the end, he remained silent.
"Xu Zhengming, please... please don't look at me like that."
Xu Zhengming himself didn't know what kind of face he has to the point that the empress herself begged not to look at her like that. He bows his head to avoid her gaze and said, "I didn't know that her highness knows this lowly one's name."
"..." The empress is speechless for a while.
"Am... Am I not allowed to know? You... you're my husband's only eunuch who serves under him directly after all!" She stutters as she tried her best to sound tough. "And besides... the rumors about you and his majesty..."
"Ah! I've wronged, her highness! I deserve punishment." He immediately interrupted her. What she said is enough for Xu Zhengming to change his mood. He feels uncomfortable whenever he hears the gossip about himself and his majesty.
He added, "But still please spare me, your highness!"
"Forget it." Empress Xue Chi then shifted her eyes to him with hopeful ones. She asks, "Did you keep my gift with you? The pouch..."
"The pouch?" Eunuch Xu lifts his head to meet her highness' gaze. "Yes, your highness. Do you want it back?"
She shakes her head, "No, no, no. I'm just asking. I'm not taking it back. Just keep it close to you all the time."
Xu Zhengming doesn't have any idea why did the empress gives him this pouch, and keep it always with him at top of that. Although Xu Zhengming could be a jerk and silly at times, he still values superiority and the authority that every member of the royal family possesses. He's not only keeping this 'gift' as a token of friendship but also as a compliance of the empress' wishes.
He answers, "Yes, your highness."
Actually, Xu Zhengming once opened the pouch out of curiosity only to see dark gray-colored ashes, small... well, very small fragments of red-colored gemstones, and some dried herbs. It doesn't give off any fragrance nor he thinks it is used for medical purposes. Also, it can't be possibly use for cooking! He can't find any sense of it at all. The empress doesn't seem to tell him what this is used for either. She just wants him to keep it without even knowing what that thing is in the first place. Of course, Xu Zhengming finds this odd but he just can't throw it away just like that, right?
And a thought pops out of his mind. What if the empress suffers from a mental illness? Is it even normal to give people ashes for no reason? Or is it a tradition that a woman should offer ashes to someone they like? He hasn't heard of such tradition before though.
But most importantly, what is this ash made of anyway?!
Mingming shakes his head. He can't worry about other people's well-being now. He has to worry about himself. Knowing your death is near, of course, you'll feel restless, right?
But now that he thinks about it, the emperor told him that he won't let him die. Although this eunuch's vision was blurry at that time, he's sure that the emperor looks sincere and serious about it. That he's willing to cross the deepest ocean and climb the top of the highest mountain just to save him from death's grip. But how will his majesty help him? Should he feel assured because he said those big words?
Then all of a sudden, the empress doesn't wear a cheerful face nor a child-like expression anymore. Seriousness filled her entire face while looking straight at Xu Zhengming's eyes. The stare is so intense that Mingming felt uncomfortable looking back at her.
She then asks, "Did the emperor knew about the thing I gave you?"
"No, your highness. I kept it from his majesty." He said in a calm tone but deep inside, he's somehow convinced that maybe her highness has indeed a mental defect.
How can she have multiple moods and shifts her attitude in just a mere split second? Or maybe she's also temperamental just like her husband? But she's way more unpredictable than his majesty! Look at this couple. Whoever is their matchmaker, this person is so good in this field. This matchmaker matched two temperamental individuals!
"Okay, okay. That's great." And now she's beaming a smile at Xu Zhengming again.
For some reason, Eunuch Xu felt uneasiness with just the present. And for the first time, he wishes for his majesty to come back at the emperor's hall soon and deal with this woman.
It was as if the heavens heard the offhand wish of this silly eunuch. The door of the hall slides open and the emperor enters. Yin Renshu actually arrived right after Xu Zhengming hoped for it! Behind him are Court Lady Han and the rest of the emperor's maids.
The moment Court Lady Han sees Eunuch Xu, she snorted and looks away.
Yes, it's been almost two weeks after that fateful day when she thought her good cabbage got eaten by a pig but still, she's bitter about the matter.
Although the maids comforted her that time, the old woman didn't tell anyone about it. All the maids know is that 'her cabbage in the imperial farm got eaten by a wild pig'.
"Eunuch Xu!" Emperor Yin Renshu yells in his usual loud and stern tone. He walks in his direction. "So, you're still alive and kicking. That's good. Now, don't you dare stop breathing, or else I'll kill you myself."
"Your majesty..."
He turns around to face the direction where the soft and demure voice of a lady came from. Only then did Yin Renshu noticed the presence of the empress. All of a sudden, the emperor's tone shifts into a formal one. "Your highness, what are you doing here?"
Only then did the empress confirmed that there's a big difference between how the emperor talks to her and how he speaks to Eunuch Xu. She swallows and presses her lips together. Her concealed right hand clenches into a fist for a second.
He did not even notice her obvious physical changes unlike Xu Zhengming did just earlier.
Without showing what she feels inside, she smiles sweetly. "Your majesty, I apologize for coming in here without notice. I only came to see my friend, Eunuch Xu. Now that his majesty is here, I dare not to cause disturbance any further."
"..."
When she realizes that she won't be receiving any response, the empress bows to him and took her to leave.