CHAPTER 65: CHAPTER 60: FEIGNING ILLNESS TO WIN FAVOR

Xie Zhixing initially intended to show Yun Jiao how impressive he was, but since he remained silent during dinner, and she found no one to talk to, she busied herself with eating. The imperial cuisine was so delicious that she accidentally overate. Standing or sitting was fine, but as soon as she lay down and engaged in any vigorous activity, her stomach immediately felt unwell, and she had to cover her mouth to avoid vomiting.

How much does the Emperor love cleanliness?

Normally, if someone felt like vomiting, they had to swallow it back down and avoid the Emperor, and let the palace maid take care of it. However, when Yun Jiao covered her mouth with a pained expression, the Emperor’s eyebrows furrowed high, yet he didn’t step back. Instead, he flipped her over like a pancake and gently patted her back, suggesting that she shouldn’t choke herself if she had to vomit.

At this time, Ying Lu brought over a spittoon and asked Consort Xi to step aside.

The spittoon was there in case Consort Xi really couldn’t hold it in and vomited everywhere. If she could manage, it was better not to vomit in front of the Emperor and find a well-ventilated place outside.

Ying Lu: "Little Mistress, can you hold it in?"

"I can!"

Yun Jiao didn’t want to vomit in the room either, fearing the smell would linger and disturb her sleep later that night.

Seeing Consort Xi’s confidence, Ying Lu felt reassured.

Xie Zhixing observed everything backtrack and knew that she couldn’t hold it in at all.

"No need to go outside," Xie Zhixing grabbed Yun Jiao by the back of the neck and took the spittoon from Ying Lu’s hands, handing it to her, "Just vomit here."

The mysterious thing about the urge to vomit is that the previously manageable impulse becomes uncontrollable the moment you see a toilet, plastic bag, or spittoon.

Seeing her vomit with a "wah," Ying Lu’s heart skipped a beat.

He glanced at the Emperor’s expression, saw the Emperor frowning more deeply, seemingly at the limit of tolerance, yet the hand gently patting Consort Xi’s back slowed: "Take your time, vomit as much as you need to feel comfortable, no rush." He didn’t want to see the waste being rewound.

Xie Zhixing controlled his strength well, the churning stomach seemed to calm down with his actions. Her delicate figure, clad in nothing but a thin dress, should have been an enticing sight, yet he only wanted to sigh.

Yun Jiao vomited until she saw stars, and felt much better afterward.

A palace maid led her away to wash up and rinse her mouth, brushing her teeth with fragrant willow twigs and then holding a scented pellet to ensure there was no trace of a foul smell, and she changed clothes before being allowed to return.

"Consort Xi, please follow me." As Yun Jiao stepped out the door, Ying Lu was waiting outside, but not to bring her back inside, "The Emperor is already seated in the Imperial Chariot, please board the sedan."

Yun Jiao was taken aback, "Where to?"

"The Little Mistress’s room needs to be aired out overnight; the Emperor cannot stay here any longer, so he has granted a sedan for you to accompany him," Ying Lu gently urged, "Don’t keep the Emperor waiting, please follow me, Little Mistress."

She quickly stepped up, and indeed, the Emperor was waiting for her in the Imperial Chariot.

When he saw her coming, he gestured, "No need for formalities, follow me back to Weiyang Palace."

This was Yun Jiao’s first time riding in a sedan, carried by several men, and it was very stable.

While sitting in the sedan, one must maintain decorum, but in the middle of the night as they passed through the Imperial Palace, no one else was watching. She thought about how normally a Consort wouldn’t get to ride a sedan and wanted to take the opportunity to fully experience it.

Thus, when Xie Zhixing turned back to glance at her, he saw Consort Xi peering around, looking about curiously in the sedan.

She resembled a cat meme, looking right and left.

The eunuchs carrying the sedan were required to be of uniform height, so the ride would be stable without swaying, and sitting above, her legs dangled, and Yun Jiao couldn’t resist swinging them gently. The night was as cool as water, and the breeze brushing her shins brought a cheerful mood.

Xie Zhixing couldn’t help but chuckle.

In all his years, he had never seen such a silly girl.

He watched for three seconds as Yun Jiao happened to lift her head.

Meeting his gaze, she was in such good spirits that she puckered her lips and blew him a distant kiss.

Xie Zhixing was momentarily stunned, barely processing the gesture’s intention before time rewinded, and there was no trace of an audacious admirer; Consort Xi sat properly, hands neatly crossed on her lap. As the Emperor turned to look, she only offered a gentle, reserved smile, identical to the one frequently seen on the faces of noblewomen in the city.

He quietly averted his gaze, turning back ahead, no longer looking at her.

From Xianfu Palace to Weiyang Palace, the route passed through a grove where the cold plum blossoms were extraordinarily beautiful, usually capturing Xie Zhixing’s attention. But today, he didn’t spare them a glance, his mind occupied by recalling the meaning of Yun Jiao’s earlier gesture.

The puckered lips, along with the exaggerated "mua~" sound, what did they signify?

Xie Zhixing pondered along the way.

When they arrived at Weiyang Palace, he finally settled on the most unlikely of possibilities—she actually blew him a kiss from a distance! Does she like him that much? Eager to kiss him in the harem corridors, in front of palace maids and eunuchs?

Though the night wind was bitterly cold, the Emperor felt that belated kiss remained burning on his face.

"Your Majesty, we’ve arrived."

Ying Lu stepped forward to assist, but Xie Zhixing waved him off.

He walked to Yun Jiao’s side, seeing her looking up at him with the moon reflected in her eyes, like an affectionate puppy, he couldn’t help but pinch her cheek affectionately: "What are you thinking? Stay in Weiyang Palace tonight, return to Xianfu Palace after morning greetings tomorrow."

"Your Majesty, this concubine is hungry."

Xie Zhixing: "..."

Forget it, not even ivory can come from a dog’s mouth.

"Having snacks before bed leads to indigestion, especially after you’ve just vomited."

"Then no snacks for this concubine, give me some hearty dishes."

Xie Zhixing began to doubt whether she could read, but understood human speech.

Of course, Yun Jiao could understand but she only listened to what she liked, choosing to ignore the rest selectively.

For disobedient children, Xie Zhixing had another method; he simply ignored her, turning to instruct, "Change Consort Xi’s meals for this week to light, easily digestible dishes, no snacks or extra meals."

The next second, a thunderstruck Yun Jiao was tugging at his sleeve, pleading:

"Your Majesty, this concubine was wrong."

Seeing that the Emperor was impervious to her pleas, she dared not say more for fear of angering him, so she reverted to retry different scenarios.

Eventually, she found herself facing a scene where the Emperor instructed Ying Lu: "Summon the on-duty Imperial Physician to examine Consort Xi."

When the Imperial Physicians were summoned to treat a concubine, even without illness, they had to prescribe some tonic soup.

Medicinal soups can never taste good.

Yun Jiao had been curious for years about whether concubines were annoyed by the bitter medicinal soups they drank, but found out they actually believed in the saying "good medicine tastes bitter," and the longer the prescription, the more precious the ingredients, the happier and more reassured they felt drinking it.

The Imperial Physician arrived, diagnosed Consort Xi with indigestion, prescribed a safe tonic soup, and listed dietary restrictions.

The next day, all Six Palaces knew Consort Xi was taken to Weiyang Palace in the middle of the night and even had the Imperial Physician called to diagnose her with no real ailment.

From the moment she heard the news in the morning, the Empress wore a grim expression.

"That Consort Xi, pretending to be ill to win favor, clinging to the Emperor!"