Chapter 84: The scorching sun at noon. The setting sun at dusk…

Chapter 84 The sun blazed overhead... then sank in the west...

The worship of the Silkworm Deity was the most crucial step in the sericulture rites.

After completing all the ceremonial steps, Huo Ling rose from the ground without help from her ladies-in-waiting, stepped down from the altar, and led the court ladies to the mulberry grove to gather mulberry leaves before proceeding to the silkworm chamber, where she fed the freshly picked leaves to the silkworms.

Once the feeding was done, Huo Ling returned to the phoenix carriage, accompanied by the noblewomen, and headed back to the palace to hold a banquet to thank those who had participated in the rites.

Only after the banquet concluded did the entire sericulture rite officially come to an end.

Standing behind a privacy screen, Huo Ling allowed her maids to remove her empress's formal robes and asked, "Has His Majesty finished on his end?"

Wu Mo replied, "When our banquet ended, word came that His Majesty’s banquet had also concluded."

"Then he should be back soon."

She'd barely finished speaking when the sounds of servants bowing and greeting echoed outside the hall.

Emperor Jingyuan entered with An Er beside him.

As the sericulture rites had no male attendees, during Huo Ling’s fasting period, An Er had stayed by Emperor Jingyuan’s side.

Noticing the formal hat on An Er’s head, Huo Ling couldn’t help but smile. "Who prepared this for you?"

An Er shook his head playfully. "Mother, do I look good?"

Huo Ling: "Very good. Even better than the one your father wears."

An Er grinned even wider. "Do you have one too, Mother?"

"I do." Huo Ling pointed to the Phoenix Crown that had just been removed. "But mine is very heavy."

Wu Mo carefully placed the crown in An Er’s hands so he could feel its weight.

An Er made a face. "Heavy."

Emperor Jingyuan chuckled and answered for An Er. "The hat was prepared for him by the Imperial Household Department."

Servants came forward to remove the outermost ceremonial robes from Emperor Jingyuan and An Er. While An Er let them remove his robes easily, he automatically protected his hat when they reached for it.

Huo Ling noticed. "You've had that on all day. It's time for a bath and bed. You can wear it again tomorrow when you wake up."

Only then did An Er obediently lower his hands. He then hugged Huo Ling’s leg, his voice soft and childlike. "Mother, I haven't seen you in soooo many days."

Huo Ling asked, "How many days is 'so many'?"

An Er tried counting on his fingers. "Just... so many days."

Huo Ling gently stroked his sweat-dampened hair and softened her tone. "Alright, go bathe with your father now. Be careful not to catch a chill."

By the time Huo Ling changed into her nightclothes and emerged, Emperor Jingyuan and An Er, having bathed first, were already sitting on the bed chatting.

The boy’s eyelids were drooping with exhaustion, but he stubbornly fought off sleep.

The moment he spotted Huo Ling, An Er perked up. "Mother!"

Huo Ling climbed onto the bed, moving to the far side, and pulled An Er into her arms. "Are you sleeping with us tonight?"

An Er nodded, but he was already dozing off.

Huo Ling cradled his head and gently laid him on the pillow. "If you're tired, go ahead and sleep."

Emperor Jingyuan watched the pair with a warm smile in his eyes. "Every morning he wakes up asking where you are. Once, when he couldn't find you anywhere, he cried for quite a while."

Huo Ling pulled the covers over An Er and looked at his round little face with a soft sigh. "He's been by my side since the day he was born. Not seeing him for even a few days—well, even I felt a little lost without him."

She then asked offhand about the situation at the Altar of Agriculture.

The Emperor knew exactly what she was concerned about. "Don’t worry—An Er was perfectly behaved and didn’t disrupt a thing."

"That’s good to hear."

After some small talk, they both drifted off to sleep.

When Huo Ling woke again, Emperor Jingyuan and An Er were already out of bed.

She called for her maids to help her freshen up. As her hair was being done, the father and son returned from outside.

Huo Ling glanced at them in the mirror. "You two were up early—what mischief were you plotting?"

Emperor Jingyuan simply smiled, but An Er was terrible at keeping secrets. His hands were clasped tightly behind his back, as if trying to hide something obvious.

"Mom, are you done yet?" he asked eagerly.

At his words, the maid hurriedly finished pinning her hair with a phoenix hairpin.

Huo Ling replied, "Yes."

"Now bend down."

Unsure what they were up to, she bent down until she was level with him. "Now what?"

A newly bloomed Weeping Crabapple was tucked behind her ear.

Soft and bright, it still held tiny drops of morning dew.

Huo Ling blinked in surprise and touched the flower lightly. "Was this your father’s idea?"

An Er nodded enthusiastically. "You look pretty!"

Huo Ling’s eyes crinkled with a smile as she looked up at the Emperor.

He smiled too, and said, "Pretty."

She straightened and took An Er’s hand. "Come on, let’s go play on the swings."

With the Plowing and Silkworm Ceremonies just wrapped up, the court had no pressing matters for now. Emperor Jingyuan stayed in Fengyi Palace to rest for several days.

Besides playing with An Er, he also practiced calligraphy and admired paintings with Huo Ling.

After looking at her handwriting, the Emperor praised her: "Strong strokes, dynamic technique—smooth as drifting clouds and flowing water. Effortlessly perfect—your handwriting now has its own spirit."

Huo Ling set down her brush. "Maybe it’s all that practice. I used to overthink every stroke, but now the brush moves on its own. I write as I feel, and it turns out better than before."

She had always loved calligraphy. In her youth, she practiced mostly to discipline herself. It wasn’t until she met Emperor Jingyuan that she truly began refining her style.

Over the years, she had studied hundreds, perhaps thousands, of masterpieces. With her sharp eye and the Emperor’s pointers along the way, her skills had finally matured.

The Emperor clapped softly. "‘The brush moves on its own’—well said. Clearly, you've taken everything I taught and made it your own."

Huo Ling had originally intended to appear modest, but hearing such praise from Emperor Jingyuan, she couldn’t help but laugh. "Hearing such praise from Your Majesty is truly rare."

Emperor Jingyuan raised an eyebrow. "Was I really so strict when teaching you calligraphy?"

He had always been a patient man, even more so with his wife—who was also his student.

Teaching Huo Ling calligraphy or chess often helped him unwind after court duties.

Huo Ling pointed out the difference: "Back then, your praise came only because my handwriting had improved—not because it was actually good."

"But now, you’re praising me because my calligraphy has truly impressed you."

Emperor Jingyuan laughed, conceding she was right.

They chatted about calligraphy and paintings before the conversation naturally drifted to their birthdays.

Emperor Jingyuan’s birthday fell at the end of May, Huo Ling’s in mid-June, and An Er’s on the eleventh of July—the three dates neither too close nor too far apart.

For the last three years—between Huo Ling’s pregnancy and An Er being so young—they’d stayed in the palace.

Now that An Er was almost two, they couldn’t go far, but short trips were doable.

"How about we move to the summer retreat in May and stay until August before coming back?" Emperor Jingyuan asked. "What do you think?"

Huo Ling smiled and said it sounded perfect.

She'd assumed Emperor Jingyuan would be with her for decades to come.

She’d even feared that as her influence grew, they might drift apart, losing their early trust and openness.

But she never imagined that just after An Er turned two—with no sign of illness—he’d collapse out of nowhere.

In September of Jingyuan’s 26th year, during a grand court assembly, in full view of all the ministers, Emperor Jingyuan suddenly coughed up blood and collapsed from the throne, unconscious.

At that time, Huo Ling was preparing a full-month gift for Xu Shidu’s newborn daughter, with An Er playing with building blocks beside her. Suddenly, a familiar eunuch burst in, falling to his knees and gasping, "Your Majesty, the Emperor—something’s happened! Physician Hu begs you and the Crown Prince to come to the Hall of Supreme Harmony—now!"

Huo Ling sprang up. "What did you say?"

Wu Mo, Cui Hongyi, and the other attendants nearby were equally stunned.

Her knuckles whitened on the armrest. "Wu Mo, hold An Er. Explain as we go."

The Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Emperor’s quarters, lay just behind the Hall of Diligent Governance where the assembly was held. So after vomiting blood and fainting, he had been rushed there immediately.

The eunuch delivering the news was from the Hall of Supreme Harmony. He barely knew details—just that near the assembly’s end, Emperor Jingyuan had collapsed from the throne. After checking his pulse, Physician Hu demanded the Empress and Crown Prince be summoned.

Li Man stayed behind to watch the hall and sent this swift-footed eunuch to relay the message.

Huo Ling’s thoughts raced, grief clawing at her throat, stealing her voice.

Her fingers tightened around the handkerchief in her sleeve.

An Er, held by Wu Mo, glanced around, bewildered, then whispered, "Mama, is Father okay?"

The dull pain of her fingernails digging into her palms brought Huoling some clarity. She reached out to Wu Mo, "Hand me An Er."

Holding the child tightly in her arms, Huoling whispered, "No matter what you see or hear later, don’t be afraid. Mommy's here."

An Er instinctively clutched Huoling’s collar, his lips quivered as he nodded and buried his little face against her neck.

His warm breath tickled her skin, carrying a faint milky scent.

Huoling nuzzled An Er’s cheek, fighting back tears.

Whether for the Emperor’s sake, or for herself and An Er, she could not afford to lose composure now.

The Phoenix Palace and the Hall of Supreme Harmony lay along the same central axis, only a short distance apart. Within a quarter of an hour, Huoling spotted the hall.

She lifted her head, gazing at the blazing sun overhead.

It was noon, yet the sun's rays held no warmth.

Despite the scorching sun above, it felt like dusk was falling.

Civil and military officials knelt outside the hall in their court robes, while all the imperial physicians waited anxiously. Li Man paced back and forth.

Suddenly, Li Man’s face brightened. He rushed to Huoling in a few quick strides. "Your Majesty, thank goodness you're here."

He started to speak, but a glance at the kneeling ministers around them made him swallow his words. Silently, he led the way.

An Er raised his head from Huoling’s embrace.

Children could be surprisingly perceptive.

Apart from the Phoenix Palace, the Hall of Supreme Harmony was the place An Er was most familiar with. Every time he had come here before, the hall had been lively and bustling. But now, despite the crowd, the palace was deathly quiet. His grip on Huoling’s clothes tightened.

But Huoling had no attention left for him.

Moving past sixteen screens embroidered with landscapes, Huoling stepped into the hall and saw Emperor Jingyuan lying deathly still on the bed.

His eyes were shut, his face ashen, his lips tinged with a sickly purple. His breathing was so faint she could barely see his chest rise and fall.

Imperial Physician Hu was administering acupuncture, his forehead glistening with sweat.

Huoling did not disturb him, standing quietly to the side and pressing a finger to An Er’s lips.

An Er understood. His round eyes reddened instantly, tears streaming silently as he bit back his sobs.

After a long while, Imperial Physician Hu finished the treatment, wiping his sweat with a handkerchief. Only when Li Man alerted him did he notice Huoling’s presence.

"Your Majesty."

Imperial Physician Hu hurried to her.

Huoling fixed her gaze on him. "Tell me truthfully—will the Emperor wake up?"