Chapter 26: Prince Zhonghuo Learns of the Princess’s Illness (A Memorable Scene)…

Chapter 26: Prince Zhonghuo Learns of the Princess's Illness (A Memorable Scene)...

Mei Heting's world turned red as he caught the fainting figure, staring down in shock.

The woman's snow-white face resembled a lifeless porcelain doll, with only the mole between her brows and her vermilion lips standing out like glaring cracks on the glaze.

"Your Highness, Mingzhu..."

The blood seeped into Mei Heting's eyes, blotching his vision. The face before him seemed about to fade away; he blinked hard several times, softly calling out and gently nudging her, but she remained unresponsive.

"What's wrong with her..." Mei Heting's trembling fingers felt for her pulse, finally detecting a faint beat. His own heart nearly stopped, and he looked up at Ying Xiao, "What's wrong with her!"

Ying Xiao did not respond, pinching his palm to summon Shi Shi to drive the carriage while ordering the accompanying guards to quickly summon the imperial physician to the princess's residence. He then tried to take the princess from Mei Heting's arms.

"Stop!" Mei Heting shouted, clutching the unconscious Xuan Mingzhu tightly as he boarded the carriage. Ying Xiao leaped onto the carriage, watching the man who had been so imposing moments ago now cradling the princess like a child with a precious treasure. He ordered the driver to hurry.

"What's wrong with her!" The blood on his face was half-dried, casting a terrifying shadow, "Why have you all kept this from me?"

"Isn't Lord Mei known for his keen observations? Didn't you claim that every detail holds a clue?"

Ying Xiao, fearing for the princess's life, could no longer bear the relentless questioning. He could not even manage a sneer, his face cold as he shouted:

"Lord Mei, you were always close to the princess. How could you be so blind? Even if you don't care about the princess, surely you know why Empress Dowager Roujia passed away years ago!"

Mei Heting's heart turned to ice, his soul numb. He had no idea how they returned, but when he regained consciousness, he stood in Minggao Garden, his arms empty.

Cui Mama's wailing, Cheng'er's sobs, and the chief secretary's arrangements for doctors played out like a revolving door before his eyes. Mei Heting stood woodenly on the long wooden corridor, feeling detached from his body.

He listened to one person say, "Quickly bring the Qingming Powder that Prince Yan brought back from Southern Xinjiang and try it!"

Another voice added, "Send a secret guard to inform Eunuch Huang in the palace; the emperor will surely inquire..."

Mei Heting listened, his heart repeatedly torn by a single truth.

Xuan Mingzhu had contracted Blood Wasting Syndrome.

An incurable disease with no known remedy.

This was known to Cheng'er, Hong'er, Ying Xiao, Song Tai, Cui Mama, Chief Secretary Bi, the emperor, the imperial physicians, and even Yan Huai.

Everyone knew, except for himself, her husband of seven years.

Just moments ago, he had boasted in front of everyone about his unwavering loyalty to her, claiming the heavens would attest to it.

How ironic, indeed.

Piercing pain awakened in every bone, intertwining into an impenetrable steel net that constricted him. He suddenly clutched his chest, breaking out in a cold sweat and coughing hoarsely before heading towards the inner chambers. Hong'er, emerging from behind the curtain, blocked his path.

In her haste, a piece of the curtain brushed against his cheek, leaving a thin cut on his blood-stained face. Hong'er recoiled at the sight, fearing he might mistake himself for Guan Yu if given a mirror.

"Lord Mei, please stay."

Princess Imperial had fainted from spitting blood, and Hong'er was one of the few who could remain calm. She did not have time to question who let him in, speaking urgently, "As you can see, the residence is in chaos. Even if you consider the princess's past kindness, please do not add to the confusion. You should know who she least wants to see right now."

She then called out, "Has the imperial physician arrived yet!"

The imperial physician arrived, his sandalwood medicine box nearly shaking apart his spine.

Mei Yu stumbled behind, having just heard about his mother's condition. Seeing Hong'er, he asked a few quick questions and bowed deeply to the imperial physician, "Everything depends on you, sir!"

Mei Heting stared at his eldest son as if seeing him for the first time, his eyes filled with endless despair.

"Even you knew?"

Servants bustled about, some holding handkerchiefs, others carrying ginseng soup, entering and exiting through the curtains. After examining the princess's pulse, the imperial physician requested to see her face.

Hong'er lifted the curtain, watching the physician nervously.

Xuan Mingzhu lay quietly amidst brocade, her bloodstained robe replaced with a white satin gown. The color of the vermilion dot between her brows had faded, her thick lashes casting a faint blue shadow beneath her lids, her face pale as gold paper.

Without the aura of royalty, the soft white gown revealed her frailty.

The imperial physician pondered and sighed, inquiring about the princess's medication. Upon hearing that she had taken two doses of medicine that morning, he jumped in alarm.

"That is a formula to boost blood circulation! I emphasized the need for precise timing and dosage—taking double the dose inevitably leads to spitting blood!"

Hong'er asked anxiously, "Is there any serious harm?"

After his initial shock, the physician sighed, reassuring her, "There is no serious harm, just alarming to look at. I will prescribe a medicine to regulate her blood flow. Once she drinks it, she should wake up. Please ensure she follows the instructions strictly in the future."

Only then did Hong'er's eyes well up with relief. She tucked the curtains around the princess, wiped her tears, and gestured for the physician to write the prescription outside.

As servants prepared the medicine, the physician finished his task and stepped out, only to be stopped by a blood-stained hand.

"Has she woken up?"

"Huh!" The physician's legs trembled, taking a moment to recognize Mei Heting's bloodied face.

"Lord Mei, you're still here. Rest assured, the princess's pulse is not dire. With the medicine, she should stabilize. Perhaps you should wash your face first?"

Mei Heting, hearing this, released his grip, dejected.

In a hoarse voice, he asked again, "Was it the eighth day of the fourth month?"

Physician Zhou sighed inwardly. Since Mei Heting already knew, there was no point in hiding it. He nodded and said, "The Imperial Princess's condition was indeed confirmed on that day."

After saying this, he saw a mix of tears and smiles on Mei Heting’s face. Physician Zhou couldn’t understand why, even though they had left the capital, Mei Heting still seemed to have feelings for the Imperial Princess. Unwilling to watch any longer, he bowed and waited in the hall.

With his departure, it seemed as if all the bones in Mei Heting’s body had been extracted, leaving him leaning against the lotus brick wall.

His legs bent and straightened, like a drunkard with no place to go, his hands tightly gripping his kneecaps as he closed his eyes and murmured, "The eighth day of the fourth month, the eighth day of the fourth month."

That day was her birthday. She had returned to the courtyard midway, looking somewhat unusual.

But he had stubbornly listened to her angry words and stormed off.

If only he had been more patient then.

Would he have noticed her illness?

If only he had stayed to comfort her. Even if the disease was terrifying, with him by her side, supporting her and telling her not to be afraid—

Would she at least not have been so heartbroken?

But what did he say?

—“Has Your Highness had enough of this?”

Leaving her alone, facing the fear of illness and death, her heart turned to ashes, utterly disappointed.

Mei Heting’s eyes were bloodshot, his heart constricting painfully, suffocating but not dying, enduring the unbearable agony of wanting to live but unable to.

The person drinking by the Qiongying Pool that night—did they feel this way?

Her decisiveness and her decision to divorce him stemmed from this. At that time, he shamelessly wondered why she no longer sent food to the office, planning to win her back with a few flowers...

Mei Heting’s head felt like it was splitting open. Turning his head, he gazed through a gap in the wind-blown curtain, greedily watching the flickering shadows behind the jadeite screen.

Servant girls came and went, but she was nowhere to be seen.

He desperately wanted to see her, but Hong'er was right; if she were awake, the last person she would want to see was him.

He could no longer treat her this way.

Mei Heting’s vision blurred. Lowering his head, he fished out a small vermilion box with mottled colors from his sleeve, cradling it in his palm as if it were his heart.

That day, after Xuan Mingzhu left the purification room, he impulsively jumped into the hot spring, diving several times to retrieve the box containing their marital hair lock.

At first, he thought it was lost and found, but when he opened the wet box, he discovered only a clump of wet ash inside.

It turned out that when she gave it to him, she had already burned their hair lock to ashes.

He had never dared to open it before, so he never knew.

—Water drenched fire, smoke dissipated; her resolve was absolute.

"Master!"

Jiang Jin rushed in, almost unrecognizing the dispirited figure under the beauty pavilion.

Seeing his master’s face covered in dried blood, Jiang Jin quickly pulled out a handkerchief and handed it over, "I heard that the Imperial Princess fainted right after leaving the palace. How could this happen? How is Her Highness now?"

"How did you get in here?" Mei Heting raised his head coldly. "Get out."

His gaze unfocused, yet his imposing presence remained, wondering when an outsider like him started freely entering the inner quarters.

Then he realized, yes, wasn't it because of his own incompetence?

The man abruptly stood up, forcefully grabbing Jiang Jin’s collar and dragging him out.

Jiang Jin had never seen his master like this, his shoes scraping against the tiles as he stumbled and cried out. Mei Heting gritted his teeth and ignored him, pushing Jiang Jin away at the moon gate and heading outward.

Jiang Jin hurried to block him, seeing signs of disorientation in his master, and asked nervously, "Master, where are you going?"

"I’m going to find medicine."

Jiang Jin was even more confused. He didn’t know about the Imperial Princess’s illness, thinking his master was just shocked by her sudden fainting. Gathering his courage, he grabbed Mei Heting’s shoulders and shook him hard.

"Master, come to your senses! Something major has happened outside. I just delivered your memorial to the palace, and then His Majesty issued an edict, saying, ‘Mei Shaoqing’s impeachment of the Imperial Princess for arrogance and disrespect to the laws is very much to My liking!’"

When Jiang Jin heard this imperial decree, his heart sank.

He had watched his master write that memorial, which clearly listed the ten crimes of Si Tiantai!

Clearly, his master intended to protect the Imperial Princess.

But how did it become an impeachment in the Emperor’s mouth?

Having served Mei Heting for years, Jiang Jin had deduced that the Emperor might be staging a grand performance, using his master as a scapegoat.

His master was already disliked by the Imperial Princess; this reversal of hearts was equivalent to cutting off his master’s lifeline.

But Mei Heting seemed not to have fully heard or understood these words. His eyes blinked numbly, and he muttered, "Not unjust."

Then he continued walking out. Seeing that he couldn’t stop him, a cry suddenly came from inside the chamber, "No, Her Highness can’t take the medicine!"

Mei Heting stopped abruptly, turning around in a daze, then snatched Jiang Jin’s handkerchief and wiped his face hastily.

A thin jadeite screen separated the inside and outside worlds.

Outside, the bright light of early summer shone, while inside, heavy pearl curtains and medicinal smells mixed together, making the atmosphere even more oppressive.

The medicine was reheated several times as Xuan Mingzhu lay unconscious, her delicate brows furrowed slightly, her teeth clenched tight, as if even in her dreamless state she could not find relief from the bitter concoction.

Hong'er tried gently prying open the princess's jaw or feeding her through a reed tube, but neither worked. Frustrated, she called for Nanny Cui.

Nanny Cui had already cried earlier. In this critical moment, it was the experienced old woman who took charge, scolding the sobbing Cheng'er and stepping up to lean over the Imperial Princess's ear, her eyes red as she pleaded, "Princess, little highness, listen to Nanny. Just drink the medicine, okay?"

She stroked the princess's hair by her ear as she did when the princess was young, coaxing and administering the medicine. The woman's pale lips moved slightly, taking in two sips of the medicine. Hong'er and the others were overjoyed, but the dark brown liquid soon trickled out from the corner of the princess's mouth.

"Darling!" Nanny Cui choked back a sob. "Nanny begs you. You have little miss and two sons. For the sake of the children, Your Highness must get better quickly!"

A gust of wind suddenly blew in from the doorway, and a voice outside murmured, "May I try?"

Everyone inside paused. Hong'er reacted first, frowning and quickly stepping out, "Sir, have you forgotten my words?"

Mei Heting clenched his fists, his rough voice rasping like a knife scraping against his throat, "She is suffering. I only want to feed her the medicine, nothing more. Please, Miss, allow me."

Cheng'er suddenly rushed out, her brows furrowed as she questioned him, "Yingxiao said that at Prince Shen's residence, it was you who interrogated our highness, causing her to spit blood and fall into a coma. Is that true? If you truly cared about her suffering, she wouldn't be in this state now!"

Tears streamed down her face. Why had he come now? Was it because he saw everyone else helpless, thinking that if he alone could make the princess take the medicine, he would feel triumphant, believing that even in her unconscious state, she still favored him?

How revolting!

"Let him in," Nanny Cui suddenly ordered.

The maids were stunned, knowing that Nanny was grasping at straws. Reluctantly, they stepped aside to let him pass.

The man's robes brushed against the floor, approaching silently with trepidation, his gaze fixed on the figure lying on the bed.

His eyes instantly reddened.

Taking the bowl of medicine from Nanny Cui, the dark brown liquid rippled along the rim. He lowered his head, "Nanny, I'm sorry."

Only now did he understand why Nanny had said that all attempts at making amends were meaningless.

An inch of heart, an inch of ash.

Ash can reignite, but damp ash never will.

All he could do now was alleviate her suffering. Mei Heting silently stepped onto the stool, kneeling beside the bed, carefully gathering the woman's raven-black hair in his hand and supporting her head on his knee.

Her snow-white face was so close, yet the vermilion mark seemed so far away. His trembling fingers hovered above her brow, hesitating to touch.

"Mingzhu." His gaze was icy and dripping with sorrow as he spooned the medicine to her lips, "Drink it, and you'll feel better. Be good."

Cheng'er and Hong'er clutched each other's hands, watching the princess closely.

The unconscious woman showed no response.

Mei Heting bent down, his throat quivering as he whispered in her ear, "Cucu, Cucu."

"The peach blossoms by the Luo River are blooming. When you wake up, I'll take you to see them, okay?"

Xuan Mingzhu's brows twitched, as if she heard her mother's distant, gentle call.

She instinctively relaxed, and the warm, bitter liquid became less difficult to swallow. Spoonful by spoonful, she drank it all.

"Amitabha!" Nanny Cui clasped her hands together in prayer, and Hong'er and Cheng'er finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Only Mei Heting knew the emotions behind those two words.

—"When I was young, I loved sweet and sour flavors, like cherry meat, sweet and sour pike, and sour plum tofu. Every day, without fail. Mother gave me this simple nickname... Say it once, I want to hear my husband call me that. Oh, someone's blushing?"

Cucu, her pet name.

She had told him on their wedding night.

As a princess, one should maintain propriety. That night, even though the two sweet syllables lingered on his tongue, he restrained himself, fearing he would lose control if he spoke them aloud.

For seven years, he had never indulged her wish.

Today, he called her for the first time, but she was unaware.

Karma, indeed.

He kept his word, needing no reminder from the watchful eyes in the room. After ensuring Xuan Mingzhu had taken the medicine, he gave her one last long look before silently leaving.

Outside, he saw Bao Ya.

The little girl, her eyes brimming with tears, was being held by Mei Yu. Upon seeing her father, she ran over and hugged his leg, looking up and wailing, "I know everything!"

Mei Heting's face turned ashen, his gaze sharply turning to his eldest son, filled with a broken intensity.

He dared not imagine how Bao Ya would react to news even adults found hard to accept.

Mei Yu subtly shook his head, while Bao Ya looked at her father with red-rimmed eyes, "I know everything. Father and Mother are separated, right?"

"Forgive me, Father."

Mei Yu could not meet his father's ghostly gaze, bowing deeply. "Mother always wanted to tell little sister herself but couldn't bring herself to speak. Now... As a disciple serves the master, I will take on what troubles Mother. Please forgive me, Father."

Mei Yu certainly would not dare to tell Bao Ya about her mother's illness. How could he bear it?

It was Mei Heting who shook his head this time.

A knife seemed to pierce his chest, twisting back and forth.

Yu was not wrong; they were all good.

The one at fault was himself.

Mei Heting squatted down and held his daughter, unable to face her. "Bao Ya, I'm sorry. Father was foolish... I'm sorry to your mother."

He lifted his broken brows and looked into the eyes of this girl, who, despite being a prodigy, was only five years old. He spoke softly but solemnly:

"Even though your father and mother have separated, our love for you remains unchanged. Bao Ya, don't cry. Don't be afraid."

Mei Baoya indeed stopped crying. She tried hard to hold back her tear-stained face, wanting to look more obedient, even more obedient.

She nodded and said, "I know."

"Before, Father loved me very much, Mother loved me very much, and Father and Mother loved each other very much. Now, only Father loves me very much, and Mother loves me very much... The love on Baoya hasn't decreased at all, but..."

Large tears silently rolled down her cheeks: "But the love between Father and Mother has diminished. What can we do? Baoya wants to give some of her love to you both, but Baoya can't. Why am I so stupid, why can't I do it!"