Chapter 0152: Illness

Chapter 0152: Illness

She looked into the distance but spoke to Yunli, "The struggle in the Eastern Palace was also fierce, yet no one was as... surprising as you. You outshine your sister by far."

Yunli also looked into the distance, "Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty."

Consort Ye said no more, her real thought being, I'm not really praising you. It just feels... looking at you all, I seem to have grown old.

But have I really aged? I'm not that old.

On the field, the Yuanzheng people will not hold back against you.

So, even though the Emperor gave it his all, he wasn't the strongest, but he thoroughly enjoyed the effort.

He was in a great mood.

That night, there was another bonfire party, where everyone drank merrily.

With his spirits still high, the Emperor promoted Lady Jing to the rank of Beauty on the spot.

Yunli chuckled, she knew He Jinli wouldn't neglect Lady Jing indefinitely, especially with the Hua family in the picture.

He just needed a reason, and today presented a perfect one.

Everyone could reasonably interpret the Emperor's decision as a spur-of-the-moment.

After all, Lady Jing truly stood out with her performance today.

Her sudden promotion naturally meant she would serve the Emperor that night.

The envy of others went without saying.

Over time, Yunli's horse riding skills improved significantly. However, she still wasn't fond of the sensation of galloping on sandy terrain.

Later, when riding, she took to wearing a face veil. Though her vision was less clear, it didn't matter—the horse could see just fine.

The horse itself would navigate any obstacles, not that there were any on the grasslands.

At most, there might be a rabbit burrow below, which could cause a horse to sprain its foot. But in such a case, the rider wouldn't see it coming anyway.

So, it's all good.

Yunli herself got a bit tanned, but since she's naturally fair, she doesn't tan easily.

After using a face veil, she found it even harder to get tanned.

Thus, she kept using it.

Enjoying her rare moments of relaxation, Yunli didn't concern herself with whom the Emperor favored; she had fun every day.

The Grand Consort often invited her over, and lately, they've spent more time together, improving the Grand Consort's Da Jin language significantly. She can now speak long sentences.

After all, she used to understand but struggled to speak well.

Yunli also listened to the Grand Consort's stories about how she married into Han Wu.

Originally, the Grand Consort was the illegitimate daughter of another tribe's chief. Yes, her mother was married.

But such situations are... not uncommon in Yuanzheng.

During a horse race event within Yuanzheng, she and a young Han Wu competed fiercely for the first place.

The always competitive Han Wu, for the first time, yielded first place. But the beautiful girl, far from being pleased, whipped him with her riding crop, saying she would have fought for the first place and didn't need any concessions, accusing him of underestimating women.

Han Wu, though whipped, wasn't angry; he liked her even more.

He sought her out every now and then. A year later, the two finally came together.

They even came together under the open sky and on the bare earth, and before any formal engagement, she was pregnant.

Of course, in Yuanzheng, this wasn't a big deal.

The old Khan wasn't angry; once he found out, he sent a dowry and had his son officially marry her.

Given she was just the illegitimate daughter of a tribal chief, some suggested she should be a lesser consort. But the decision of the old Khan and the crown prince made her the Grand Consort.

Over the years, they had four children together.

Yunli was quite surprised; she hadn't expected their relationship to be like this.

The Grand Consort asked, "Is it... unusual?"

"Not unusual, but unexpected. And wonderful," Yunli smiled.

"My mother used to say, being his Grand Consort would mean no more freedom. And when he becomes Khan, I'd have even less. But I don’t feel that way; I want my freedom, to ride horses if I like, to dance if I like. I take care of my duties as Grand Consort, so no one should control the rest."

This lengthy speech was translated by her maid.

Yunli laughed, "Yes, first you are you, and then you are the Grand Consort."

After the maid translated this, the Grand Consort was delighted, her eyes shining, "You are truly kind!"

Yunli finally understood why she admired the Grand Consort.

It was the appreciation of her liberty. After all, in this era, women with independent thoughts were too rare.

Time quietly passed, and soon it was the Mid-Autumn Festival.

The Mid-Autumn Festival on the grasslands was also very lively, and although there were no mooncakes, everyone sang and danced, holding the last horse racing event of the season.

Perhaps the grassland people truly have an unbreakable bond with horses, hosting countless races throughout the year, yet they remain passionate and fond of it.

Yun Li drank too much again on Mid-Autumn night, and the Grand Consort was reluctant to part with her.

Because after Mid-Autumn, the people of Yuan Zheng would be leaving.

Once they leave, who knows when they will meet again.

Yun Li only mentioned that they could still write letters.

When the people of Yuan Zheng departed, it was the morning of the 17th; Yun Li did not go to see them off, as she wouldn't be able to see the person she wanted to bid farewell to.

They will meet again someday; it's alright if they don't for now.

Admiration doesn't necessarily require seeing each other every day.

But unexpectedly, Yun Li fell ill.

And the illness came on fiercely.

At first, she thought it was just a severe hangover, but by the third day with no improvement, something was clearly wrong.

Vomiting, weakness, fever—clearly, she had caught a cold.

In this era, a cold could easily claim lives.

Yun Li herself wasn't very scared, just a bit frustrated, especially since they were about to return home...

Could the Emperor be thinking of leaving her here to recover?

She suddenly wondered if being left behind to recover might give her a chance to fake her death and leave.

Then she thought it would be too difficult; without an identity, survival outside would be impossible.

However, the Emperor wasn't so heartless; he took Yunli and her entourage back to the temporary palace.

Yunli was drowsy every day, lacking the energy for much.

Recovering in the temporary palace was indeed better than in a tent.

The royal physician, following the Emperor's orders, took great care of her.

Zhu Ding and others watched over her relentlessly, meticulously checking all medicines and foods before they were given to her.

Yunli knew the nature of her illness; her constitution wasn't weak, but exposure to the wind and a bout of drinking had triggered this sickness.

Proper medication and rest for a few days would see her well.

Emperor He Jinli actually came to visit her, which was unusual since emperors typically kept their distance from ill consorts.

He Jinli sat beside her sickbed with a complicated expression, "If I didn't know the Grand Consort was a woman, I might have grown suspicious. To fall ill so suddenly after parting with her."

Yunli weakly smiled, "Where is Your Majesty's mind wandering? I've simply played too hard recently. You should scold me for being imprudent instead."

And, Your Majesty, do you know there's a flower called the lily?

"Has my beloved learned her lesson from this recklessness?" He Jinli raised an eyebrow.

"Your Majesty's concern for me, I'll remember. Are we delaying the return journey?" Yunli asked.

He Jinli chuckled, "I wouldn't go as far as to leave you behind. We've set the return for the twenty-sixth of August. If you're not better by then, I'll have to depart."

"I'll get better." Yunli smiled, holding his hand, "Not for anything else, but with Your Majesty treating me this way, I'm sure to recover. Getting sick was not bad, at least now I know Your Majesty's kindness towards me."