inspire-indiana Chapter 294 The Emperor is Seriously Ill
Chapter 294 The Emperor is Seriously Ill
"Your Majesty, someone from the palace has arrived." Li Quan limped into the drying yard, his face showing anxiety, and said to Su Nuannuan.
Su Nuannuan was watching the maids turn over the dried vegetables when she heard Li Quan's words. She slowly turned her head, her gaze falling on Li Quan, and asked softly, "Who is here?"
Li Quan took a breath to calm himself down, and then replied, "It's Eunuch Xiao Yuanzi from the Emperor's side. I just chatted with him for a bit and subtly inquired about the situation. He said that the Emperor has suddenly fallen seriously ill, and the condition seems very serious, which is why he urgently sent him to deliver an imperial decree, ordering you to immediately bring the young prince and Princess Jianping back to the palace."
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan's heart tightened. Her eyes widened, and she asked with a face full of suspicion, "Is the Emperor ill?"
Li Quan hesitated for a moment, then nodded and answered uncertainly, "It seems so."
In Su Nuannuan's memory, the Emperor had always been a strong and energetic figure, like an indestructible mountain. She had never imagined that the Emperor would fall ill, let alone suddenly become seriously ill.
However, she quickly realized that her thinking was somewhat naive. After all, the emperor was also human, not an indestructible body of steel. Even machines can malfunction!
Su Nuannuan took a deep breath, composed herself, and said to Li Quan, "Let's go! Let's go see Grandpa Xiaoyuanzi and see what's going on."
After saying this, she straightened her clothes and walked towards the front hall. Li Quan quickly followed behind her, going to the front hall together.
As soon as Su Nuannuan reached the entrance of the front hall, she saw Eunuch Xiao Yuanzi. Upon seeing Su Nuannuan, Xiao Yuanzi immediately bowed and said loudly, "This servant greets Consort Zhuang."
"No need for formalities. Little Yuanzi, does His Majesty have any decree?" Su Nuannuan asked with a serious expression.
Xiao Yuanzi glanced at Li Quan standing to the side before bowing to Su Nuannuan and saying, "Your Highness, His Majesty suddenly fell into a coma last night and has not yet awakened. This servant is acting on the Empress's orders to request Your Highness to return to the palace."
Su Nuannuan's heart tightened; she hadn't expected the Emperor to suddenly faint. However, when she heard that it was the Empress's decree, a hint of doubt arose in her heart. Worried that there might be a trap, she asked with a serious expression, "How can you prove that you were sent by the Empress?"
Xiao Yuanzi quickly replied, "Your Highness, before I left, the Empress gave me a token, saying that Your Highness would understand once you saw it." As he spoke, he carefully took out a token from his bosom and respectfully presented it with both hands.
Seeing this, Li Quan hurriedly stepped forward, took the token, and handed it to Su Nuannuan. Su Nuannuan took the token and examined it carefully. She discovered that this token was the same one that the Empress had given her before, and most of her doubts immediately dissipated.
Su Nuannuan put the token away and continued to ask, "Did the imperial physician say what caused His Majesty to fall into a coma?"
"Before I arrived, the Imperial Medical Academy had not yet given a specific result," Xiao Yuanzi replied softly, her head bowed, her tone revealing a hint of anxiety and helplessness.
Su Nuannuan frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then said, "I will be setting off back to the palace tomorrow. Will you return today to report, or will you travel with me tomorrow?"
Xiao Yuanzi quickly bowed and replied, "Your Highness, I will set off for the palace immediately. I should be able to get back before the city gates close."
Su Nuannuan nodded in agreement, then instructed Li Quan, who was standing beside her, "Li Quan, escort Grandpa Xiaoyuanzi out of the manor."
"Yes," Li Quan replied, then led Xiao Yuanzi toward the entrance of the manor.
Upon arriving at the gate of the manor, Li Quan stopped, took out an exquisite purse from his pocket, handed it to Xiao Yuanzi, and said with a smile, "This is for you to have tea, Your Highness."
Upon seeing this, Xiao Yuanzi quickly bowed and expressed her gratitude, accepting the purse with both hands and respectfully saying, "This servant thanks Your Majesty for the reward."
Xiao Yuanzi straightened up, looked at Li Quan gratefully, and then said, "Eunuch Li, please tell the Imperial Concubine that we will be setting off back to the palace tomorrow. Please be careful on the road."
Li Quan smiled and nodded, replying, "I understand. You take care too."
Xiao Yuanzi bowed again, then turned and mounted the horse, tightened the reins, squeezed the horse's flanks, and the horse galloped away like an arrow, quickly disappearing at the end of the road in front of the manor.
"Jinse, tell everyone to pack their things. We'll set off for the palace tomorrow," Su Nuannuan instructed Jinse.
Jinse quickly bowed and said with a troubled expression, "But Your Highness, there are some things that we really don't have time to pack properly."
Su Nuannuan frowned slightly, thought for a moment and then said, "First pack up the daily necessities, and leave a few people to pack the rest. We need to go back to the palace first. Her Majesty the Empress sent someone to summon me back, so she must have something important that requires my assistance."
Jinse nodded helplessly and replied, "That's all we can do." With that, she sighed softly, turned around, and went out to arrange for everyone to pack their belongings.
Upon hearing that they were to return to the palace ahead of schedule, everyone dared not delay and busied themselves, making the entire estate both noisy and orderly.
Just then, Granny Song entered. She bowed respectfully to Su Nuannuan and said, "Your Highness, this old servant wishes to leave the tidied items behind. After everything is properly packed, I will return to the palace with the tidied items."
Upon hearing this, Su Nuannuan's face lit up with joy. She smiled and said, "I was just wondering who should stay here to tidy up so that I could feel at ease? Since the old lady is willing to stay, I am naturally relieved."
Granny Song quickly thanked her, saying, "This old servant thanks Your Highness for your trust."
And so, Granny Song stayed behind, while the others continued to busy themselves packing.
Before dawn the next day, the entire estate was shrouded in tranquility, and Su Nuannuan and her entourage set off early to return to the palace.
After returning to the palace this time, she probably won't have the chance to come back again. After all, once she returns to the palace, she can only wait until the new emperor ascends the throne. Only then might she have the opportunity to go to her son's residence to enjoy her later years.
The carriage moved slowly forward, the sound of its wheels particularly clear in the quiet morning. Inside the carriage, Canglan Jingcheng and Canglan Jingyao were not idle either. The account books that had not been finished yesterday lay quietly in front of them.
It turned out that before they set off, Granny Song had specially sent someone to deliver these account books to the carriage. So, the brother and sister took advantage of the long journey home to continue working on the accounts.