CHAPTER 650: CHAPTER 650 COMA

A host of palace maids turned Qingya Residence upside down, but they found nothing.

During dinner, Xia Ruqing yawned several times in a row. She had no appetite and didn’t even glance at the chrysanthemum-filled mooncakes she had wanted to eat since morning. After drinking two sips of soup, she fell asleep.

When Zhao Junyao arrived, the inner chamber had already been curtained for the night. In the great hall, only the Wetnurse Nanny was playing with Little Bun.

Sensing something was wrong with his mother, Little Bun would stop playing to look into the inner chamber. Seeing his father arrive, he hurriedly waddled forward.

"Greetings to Father Emperor!"

His little body performed the salutation quite properly.

Zhao Junyao smiled and held him in his embrace. "Where is your Mother Consort?"

"Mother Consort is tired, sleeping..." The toddler’s soft, childish voice was tender.

Despite feeling somewhat repelled by the little dark child in his arms, Zhao Junyao had to keep telling himself The darker, the healthier to suppress his aversion.

Zhao Junyao frowned. "Sleeping? What Shi Chen is it for her to be sleeping already? Something isn’t right!"

Zhao Junyao, carrying his son, walked toward the inner chamber.

Upon lighting the lamp and lifting the bed curtains, Zhao Junyao’s face suddenly stiffened as he looked at Xia Ruqing, who was fast asleep in utter disarray. He quickly checked her pulse and tested her temperature.

Afterward, Zhao Junyao’s face darkened. "Summon the Imperial Physician!"

Zi Yue was so frightened that her face turned pale, but it was Zi Su who knelt, kowtowed, and then dashed out.

Half a stick of incense later, the Imperial Physician hurried over.

After placing a fragrant handkerchief over her wrist and carefully taking her pulse for several minutes, Imperial Doctor Zhang finally stood up and replied, "Emperor, Consort Xian Pin is already in a semi-comatose state. If she is not treated in time, I fear..."

Zhao Junyao’s face immediately turned black. "Comatose?!"

He glanced at the Wetnurse Nanny and ordered Little Bun to be taken away.

The inner chamber fell into silence. From a distance, they could hear Little Bun’s high-pitched, childish voice asking, "Sister, what does ’comatose’ mean?"

Sister Huang did not dare to answer; she simply soothed him by saying, "Comatose means sleeping; our Consort Xian Pin is sleeping!"

Little Bun vaguely acknowledged with an "Oh."

Afterward, when they entered the western chamber, no more sounds could be heard.

Coming back to his senses, Zhao Junyao gazed at the comatose Xia Ruqing, his fists clenched tightly, knuckles turning white.

"Investigate!"

Li Shengan was nearly frightened out of his wits. "Emperor, this servant has just interrogated Xiao Xizi and the others. They all say they’ve turned Qingya Residence upside down but couldn’t find anything!"

Zhao Junyao’s eyes narrowed coldly as he surveyed the bedroom. Finally, his gaze settled on a rose candle, and he asked, "How long has Consort Xian Pin shown symptoms? Can you tell?"

Imperial Doctor Zhang stroked his gray beard and, after thinking for a moment, answered, "It looks like it’s been two or three days. Consort Xian Pin seems to have been poisoned with something from the Western Regions. As for what it is, we need more clues to identify it specifically."

The poisons of the Western Regions were notorious; even dedicating a lifetime to studying them did not guarantee full understanding. Moreover, Imperial Doctor Zhang had only read a few books and possessed merely superficial knowledge.

Zhao Junyao squinted. "The Western Regions?"

Imperial Doctor Zhang nodded. "Yes, Emperor. Poisons from the Western Regions all share a characteristic: they are not potent initially but can stealthily claim a person’s life over time. Their formulas are ever-changing, and their effects are extremely difficult to counter. Once poisoned, it is almost..."

Zhao Junyao became furious. "Presumptuous!"

Imperial Doctor Zhang dared not continue.

Zhao Junyao’s eyes glinted with an icy chill, his voice hard. "I order you to cure Consort Xian Pin of this poison, no matter what! Otherwise, bring me your head!"

Imperial Doctor Zhang inhaled sharply but ultimately dared not disobey. He simply responded, "Yes!"

With that, he bowed deeply. "This servant needs to consult some books, so... I will take my leave now."

Zhao Junyao was somewhat impatient. "Go, go, go! Take all these candles with you!"

Imperial Doctor Zhang was a bit stunned. Candles? Why does the Emperor want me to take the candles?! Although puzzled, he never voiced his confusion. He followed the instructions, took the candles, and hurried away.

***

Meanwhile, Zhao Junyao, illuminated by the moonlight, watched Xia Ruqing sleeping within the bed curtains, drenched in sweat. His heart felt extremely heavy.

"Qingqing, it is I who have harmed you!"

If anything truly happens to Qingqing this time, I... A sharp pain struck his heart, so intense he couldn’t breathe. Zhao Junyao dared not let himself think further. He was too distressed, unable to bear watching any longer. After gently smoothing Xia Ruqing’s hair, he strode away.

Back in Zhaochen Palace, Zhao Junyao lay in bed, enduring the piercing pain in his heart, tossing and turning all night. Finally, at dawn, he fell into a light sleep.

He had barely drifted off when it was time to attend court. "Your Majesty, it is time to rise!" Eunuch Li reminded from outside.

Zhao Junyao abruptly sat up. He splashed water on his face to hide his fatigue and, with the help of the Palace Attendants, dressed and left for court.

***

In the Harem, when the time came for the consorts to pay their respects at Jiaofang Hall, Consort Xian Pin was nowhere to be seen.

Soon after, one of Consort Xian Pin’s Palace Maids hurried over, reporting that Consort Xian Pin was ill and could not come.

The Empress felt a wave of inner satisfaction, yet on the surface, she feigned concern. She asked a flurry of questions and even bestowed some medicinal herbs as a token of her care.

Finally, she meticulously instructed, "Tell Consort Xian Pin to take good care of herself; there’s no need for her to rush to pay respects."

Zi Su knelt and said respectfully, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty the Empress. Once my mistress recovers, she will surely come to express her gratitude in person."

After speaking, she kowtowed three times before departing.

The Empress watched Zi Su’s retreating figure, the corners of her mouth curling into an enigmatic smile.

「Qingya Residence.」

Xia Ruqing had fallen into a coma. She had eaten very little the previous night, and this morning, she had become completely unconscious.

Zi Ning’s eyes were swollen from crying, and Zi Su was beside herself with indignation. She kept ranting about whoever had harmed their mistress, vowing that the culprit would be struck by lightning.

Ultimately, it was Zi Yue who remained composed. Although her eyes were also red from crying, she never uttered a disrespectful word from beginning to end.

Seeing the other two, Zi Yue advised, "We’re already in this situation; let’s not cause any more trouble for our mistress. Otherwise, wouldn’t it sadden her when she wakes up?"

Zi Yue looked at Xia Ruqing’s face, which appeared as peaceful as if in a deep sleep, her expression a mixture of sorrow and determination.

Zi Su and Zi Ning fell silent.

「Outside, under the corridor eaves.」

Xiao Xizi and Xiao Zhu Zi were secretly wiping away tears.

"She was fine just yesterday! How could the mistress be like this in only two days?!"

Xiao Xizi was also on the verge of breaking down. He wanted to cry but didn’t dare, his face a mask of grief. "Who knows? We’ve searched everywhere, top to bottom, and found nothing suspicious, yet our mistress has still been harmed!"

They said it was poisoning, yet it clearly seemed like an illness. If the mistress doesn’t recover and the culprit isn’t found, won’t all her suffering have been in vain... Alas!

"Enough of this talk," Xiao Xizi said, trying to sound more hopeful. "Our mistress is blessed with great fortune; she’ll surely be well!"

Xiao Zhu Zi, wiping her tears, chimed in, "Exactly! Our mistress is a good person; she’s destined to live a long life!"

Qiu Ye had also heard about her mistress’s condition and was greatly distressed. As a menial servant, she couldn’t be of much direct help.

She could only go to the small kitchen when she had free time to see if there was anything she could do. Fetching water, chopping firewood, tending the fire, cleaning the stove – she could handle any such task.

While she busied herself, she kept praying in her heart for her mistress to recover soon. Such a good mistress is truly rare!