Chapter 224
Chapter 222: Deep Feelings Hard to Speak
The air in the Inner Court felt heavy. There was no morning court, but the government yamen in Shengjing city still did their work as usual. Yet rumors could not be stopped.
Luo Ning stayed at Shoucheng Palace for a few days. The next day at noon, while she and the Empress Dowager were copying Buddhist sutras together to pray for the Emperor, Eunuch Wei came in.
He lowered his voice and told the Empress Dowager: “My lady, some rumors have already spread among the court officials.”
The Emperor had taken alchemical pills. He had gone into spasms, lost control of his body, and fallen into a coma. The imperial physicians were trying to save his life, but word of it had still leaked out.
The Empress Dowager said: “What new things have happened in the city lately that the court officials can talk about?”
Eunuch Wei glanced at Luo Ning.
Luo Ning took the chance to speak: “Imperial Mother, the Censorate has not yet scolded much about the matter of four Secondary Consorts entering Prince Yong’s manor.”
The Empress Dowager did not look at Luo Ning. Without the slightest delay or hesitation, she said to Eunuch Wei: “Use that matter. Let them wag their tongues over it.”
Eunuch Wei answered yes.
That afternoon, some people in Shengjing took the lead in stirring things up, and the talk about Prince Yong challenging the great clans grew louder and louder.
“Is Prince Yong not afraid of being condemned by everyone? He is actually this bold.”
“A precious daughter of a noble family going in as a concubine in Prince Yong’s manor, how amusing. These great clans are so fake and so snobbish.”
Prince Yong was harshly cursed again.
The great clans were also mocked without mercy.
That evening, the Empress came again to Shoucheng Palace and sat by the Empress Dowager’s side.
She did not say much, but Luo Ning could feel that she was faintly uneasy.
“Imperial Mother…” She wanted to speak but stopped.
The Empress Dowager waved her hand and said: “Whatever you have to say, wait a few days to speak of it. I am tired today.”
The Empress agreed.
She and Luo Ning stayed to have dinner with the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager did not go to the Emperor. The imperial physicians were caring for him there. She only worshipped and prayed together with Luo Ning.
After the Empress left, the Empress Dowager brought Luo Ning to the Little Buddha Hall. The two of them, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, knelt there devoutly.
“A’Ning, do you know what your Imperial Sister-in-law wants to say?” the Empress Dowager suddenly asked.
Maybe she was testing her.
Maybe she was just upset and simply wanted to talk with Luo Ning.
Luo Ning trusted the Empress Dowager completely.
She was willing to turn her back to the Empress Dowager, so she spoke frankly: “Imperial Mother, does Imperial Sister-in-law want to persuade you to take this chance and set the Eldest Prince as Crown Prince?”
A trace of surprise appeared in the Empress Dowager’s eyes, along with a bit of helplessness.
“Even if one is not the head of a great clan, as long as one is smart, one can see her intention,” the Empress Dowager said.
The Empress Dowager had thought that Luo Ning did not have much political sense. After all, Luo Ning’s family background was what it was.
But the Empress Dowager knew that Luo Ning was not stupid.
If even Luo Ning could see it, the Empress really was too anxious. The Empress Dowager sighed softly: “Why can’t she calm down?”
Luo Ning instead felt that she knew the reason.
It was not only because the Emperor had fainted, but also because Prince Yong had just gotten married.
The feelings between Xiao Huai Feng and Empress Zheng were too hidden. Outsiders could not see them, and even the Empress herself was probably uneasy.
Prince Yong was cold and proud. Getting him to lower his voice and say one soft word was extremely hard. It was probably always the Empress who had to lower herself to coax him, even though in his heart he very likely loved her deeply.
This kind of feeling gives a woman no sense of security. It always feels like it is hanging in the air, not steady at all.
Now he had married again, and four Secondary Consorts had entered his manor. The Empress was very afraid of being replaced.
“…Imperial Mother, you do not agree to set a Crown Prince?” Luo Ning asked.
The Eldest Prince, Xiao Yu, was the Emperor’s only son. The Emperor’s health was so poor, and it was hard for him to have children. It was unlikely that he could have another child.
So whether they named an heir or not did not seem to matter much.
“Choosing an heir concerns the whole country. Pull one hair and the whole body moves. We can set an heir, but not now, at least not while the Emperor is still in a coma,” the Empress Dowager said.
She added: “She should have been of one mind with me, but now she is the first to panic.”
“Imperial Mother, Imperial Sister-in-law is still young. She needs to go through many more years of storms before she can be as calm as you.
“At this moment, as long as you stand firm, the whole Imperial Court has someone to rely on. Let Imperial Sister-in-law panic if she wants. As long as it does not change the situation, let her vent. She will feel a bit better in her heart,” Luo Ning said.
She added: “You and Imperial Sister-in-law have both carried too much. These burdens were never meant to be yours. You at least have me to talk to about your feelings. But who is there to comfort her?”
Those who stand at the top are all lonely.
Take the Empress Dowager for example. She could listen to opinions from all sides and had hundreds of helpers, but the only one standing at the very center of the whirlpool was still herself.
The Empress Dowager smiled.
It was the first smile she had shown in days. She gently touched Luo Ning’s hair.
“With you here to keep me company, I feel much better,” the Empress Dowager said.
Even the strongest person has moments when their emotions are fragile.
This time, the Emperor did not wake up from his coma until late at night on the fourth day.
After washing up, Luo Ning lay down. When she saw the Empress Dowager go out, she got up again to listen for any sound.
The Empress Dowager was gone for two hours and did not return until almost dawn.
Luo Ning did not dare to sleep. She kept waiting.
At breakfast, the Empress Dowager told Luo Ning that the Emperor had made it through once again.
“…Imperial Mother, since there is nothing wrong in the Imperial Palace now, I will go back to the manor this afternoon,” Luo Ning said.
“Go back together with Huai Feng,” the Empress Dowager said.
Luo Ning agreed.
Late in the morning, Prince Yong came and took Luo Ning away.
On the carriage, Luo Ning’s eyelids kept drooping. At Shoucheng Palace she had not dared to sleep deeply. She had stayed alert, and she had not rested well these past few nights.
She leaned against the carriage wall, half asleep.
She felt some movement beside her. She opened her eyes a slit and saw Prince Yong move over to sit nearer to her, his shoulder close to hers.
Luo Ning said: “Prince, I am not asleep, just resting my eyes.”
Xiao Huai Feng’s face showed no expression. He asked calmly: “You did not sleep well these days at Shoucheng Palace?”
“I did not dare sleep soundly. I kept listening for every sound and was always half awake,” Luo Ning said.
She added: “Home is still better. The bed at home lets me sleep deep. Once I close my eyes, I fall into a deep dream, and even thunder cannot wake me.”
She simply opened her eyes fully and said to him: “Do you know that these days the prefectural yamen have been scolding you? It is still about the Secondary Consorts entering the manor.”
“I have heard,” Xiao Huai Feng said.
Luo Ning studied his face.
He turned his head back to look at her and asked: “What is it?”
“Do you feel wronged? Imperial Mother pushed you out to take the blame this time,” Luo Ning asked.
“I do not lose out,” Xiao Huai Feng said.
Luo Ning understood what he meant.
“Prince, the only people you truly fear are His Majesty and Imperial Mother. Once they are at ease, you have less to worry about,” Luo Ning said.
Xiao Huai Feng gave a small sound in agreement.
He wanted to praise her for being smart, but felt it was not needed. The Princess Consort he had chosen was naturally good in every way. There was no need to say it out loud.
Luo Ning looked at him again.
“Prince, a few days ago Imperial Sister-in-law went to see Imperial Mother and wanted to urge her to set an heir soon. Imperial Mother did not follow her words and even complained that Imperial Sister-in-law was too anxious,” Luo Ning said with a hint in her tone.
She very much wanted to say that he should comfort Empress Zheng and give her some support.
[He loves her so much, daring to defy the whole world to marry his widowed sister-in-law as his empress. What deep feelings. How can he not be a bit sweeter in his words?
The Emperor and the Empress Dowager are pressing down on them. If their secret feelings were exposed, it would indeed affect the bigger picture, but what a woman wants is only a sense of security, isn’t it? Could he not make an exception for her?]
“What are you trying to say?” Xiao Huai Feng asked, frowning a little.
“Prince, should I say a few words for you in front of Imperial Sister-in-law? You can trust me,” Luo Ning said.
“What are you meddling in for?” Xiao Huai Feng’s tone was not kind.
Luo Ning: “…”