During these past few days, Noble Consort Wei had remained in Zichen Palace without leaving for a single moment, caring for the Emperor.

When the Crown Prince and Crown Grandson entered, Noble Consort Wei was sitting at the bedside, carefully and gently wiping the Emperor’s face with a damp cloth that had been wrung out.

The Emperor could not yet speak, and lay stiffly on the bed, though his expression was relatively serene and calm.

All of this was owing to Noble Consort Wei’s devoted care.

In this moment, not only the Crown Prince but even Crown Grandson felt a measure of gratitude toward Noble Consort Wei.

Seeing the Crown Prince and Crown Grandson enter, Noble Consort Wei rose promptly to yield her place.

The Crown Prince sat down at the bedside, took the Emperor’s stiff hand in his, and put on a smile: “Imperial Father has finally awakened. Lying unconscious for five days and five nights — you had us all terrified.”

Crown Grandson stood beside the Crown Prince, also wearing an expression of glad relief: “Now that Imperial Grandfather has awakened, there is nothing seriously wrong. Your grandson and father can set our hearts at ease. Please, Imperial Grandfather, rest well and take care of your health. As for the affairs of the court, with father and your grandson here, Imperial Grandfather need not worry.”

The Emperor’s whole body was stiff, and the muscles of his face were abnormally rigid as well — even moving his mouth required a great expenditure of effort. He was completely unable to produce words.

The Emperor tried several times, and finally gave up in weary defeat.

The Crown Prince evidently knew what was on the Emperor’s mind, and said quietly: “Imperial Father, Prince An and Prince Yan are still being held in the Court of the Imperial Clan. Your son will absolutely not act on private grudges out of vengeance. Everything will wait until Imperial Father’s health has recovered, and then a determination will be made.”

A hint of relief flickered through the Emperor’s eyes.

Prince Yan and Prince An deserved to die for what they had done — yet they were still his own flesh and blood. Even a tiger will not devour its own cubs! No matter how furious or enraged he was, he could not harden his heart to that extent.

He only feared that the Crown Prince might not be able to swallow this affront, and might strike while he lay unable to move — killing them while he could. If they were killed, they were killed. Could he still punish the Crown Prince for it?

Fortunately, the Crown Prince was kind-hearted, and had not done anything so ruthless as to wipe them out entirely.

He had misplaced his trust in his youngest son Prince Yan, but at least he had not misplaced it in his eldest son.

With the Crown Prince’s assurance, the Emperor finally set his mind at ease, and slowly closed his eyes. Before long, he drifted into a deep slumber.

The Crown Prince sat at the bedside, silently regarding the Emperor’s aged and haggard face. After a long while, the corner of his lip gave a slight pull, and a flash of cool contempt appeared in his eyes.

Imperial Father is truly biased to the extreme. Even at a time like this, he still wants to protect Prince Yan’s life. So be it. There are more than enough ways to make a person’s life a living death.

Now that Prince Yan had fallen into his hands, there was no possibility of ever turning things around again.

The Crown Prince rose to his feet and addressed Noble Consort Wei: “From now on, we will have to trouble Noble Consort Milady to take great care in looking after Imperial Father.”

The Emperor’s side could not be without people to care for and attend to him. The gentle and attentive Noble Consort Wei was naturally the best choice.

Noble Consort Wei quickly replied: “This is my duty. Your Highness the Crown Prince need not stand on ceremony.”

The Crown Prince gave Noble Consort Wei a nod, then turned and departed.

Crown Grandson left with the Crown Prince. As he passed by Ling Jingshu’s side, his footsteps paused for a moment, and he quickly murmured in a low voice: “As for the Lu family — wait for good news.”

Before Ling Jingshu could even react, Crown Grandson had swept away.

Ling Jingshu turned the words over carefully in her mind, and the more she thought about them, the harder she found it to contain her agitation.

Crown Grandson had never forgotten the promise he made to her! He was going to use Prince Yan’s downfall to deal with Lu An and Lu Ping!

Wei Yan had been standing a distance away, and could only see that Crown Grandson had murmured something to Ling Jingshu — but had not caught what Crown Grandson said. In truth, aside from Wei Yan, not a single person had even noticed the brief moment Crown Grandson had paused.

What had Crown Grandson said exactly? Why was Ling Jingshu showing such obvious agitation and delight on her face?

His reason told him that Ling Jingshu harbored no romantic feelings for Crown Grandson, and given Crown Grandson’s character and nature, he would never say anything that transgressed the boundaries of propriety.

Yet thinking of the unusual way Ling Jingshu had behaved, Wei Yan could not help the sharp pang of jealousy that surged up unbidden within him.

If there was ever an opportunity to be alone together, he absolutely must tactfully probe at the matter… no — he would ask her directly.

Wei Yan thought this with perfect conviction and righteous indignation.

She and he had long since made a vow to grow old together, openly sharing their hearts and minds with each other, lacking nothing but a proper ceremony to make their union official. In his heart, she was already his wife.

Her every matter was something he naturally had both the confidence and the right to concern himself with.

For the days that followed, Noble Consort Wei continued to remain in Zichen Palace.

To make caring for the Emperor more convenient, a small and simple bed had been placed in the Emperor’s bedchamber. At night she slept on that bed, and at even the slightest sound she would wake and rise to attend to him.

The Emperor could not move half his body. He required someone to feed him his meals; even relieving himself needed someone in attendance. Sometimes he would lose control entirely in his bed.

Noble Consort Wei refused to delegate any of this to others — she attended to everything personally. She also frequently spoke words of comfort and encouragement to him.

With Noble Consort Wei’s attentive care and gentle soothing, as well as the careful medical attention of Wei Yan and all the other imperial physicians, the Emperor’s condition gradually began to show some improvement.

However, this improvement was also extremely limited.

The Emperor still could not move, and at most could slightly raise his head or lift a hand. He could now manage to speak with effort, though after only a few sentences he would be exhausted and unable to continue.

Both the Crown Prince and Crown Grandson also came each day to Zichen Palace to visit. Seeing that the Emperor’s condition had begun to improve, the Crown Prince felt considerable relief, and rewarded all the imperial physicians generously — Wei Yan especially.

As for Noble Consort Wei, the Crown Prince found it harder to say much directly.

Noble Consort Wei was now the foremost figure in the inner palace, her rank second only to that of the Empress. The position of Empress was currently sitting empty. To reward Noble Consort Wei, gold and jewels and such things were all inappropriate — the only fitting course was to elevate her by one step further.

Before the Crown Prince could open his mouth, the Emperor voluntarily raised the matter himself: “These past days, it is thanks to Noble Consort Wei’s careful and devoted care that I have been recovering day by day. This inner palace cannot be without a mistress for even a single day. Noble Consort Wei is virtuous in character and conduct, and worthy to be a model for the inner palace. I wish to issue an edict proclaiming her Empress.”

After speaking this long passage, the Emperor was gasping for breath for a moment.

Noble Consort Wei hurried forward and gently patted the Emperor’s back. She said in a soft voice: “Your Majesty’s kindness to your servant, your servant holds in her heart. Your Majesty’s health has yet to fully recover — it would be best to worry over fewer matters. This matter — let it be spoken of another day.”

But the Emperor insisted: “I do not know on which day my body might fully recover. Could we let the position of Empress remain vacant indefinitely? Enough — say no more. My mind is made up. Today I will issue the edict and announce it to the entire palace.”

He had been lying in bed for nearly a month now and still could not move his body.

The Emperor was no fool, and had already vaguely surmised what his condition truly was.

The affairs of the court were in the hands of the Crown Prince and Crown Grandson — nothing there troubled him. Noble Consort Wei had tended to him without taking off her clothes to rest, caring for him with a whole and sincere heart.

This Emperor had been rendered helpless by his ailment, and could give her little else.

This position of Empress was the only thing he still had left to give her.

Noble Consort Wei was profoundly moved, her eyes already growing moist. She called out in a choked voice: “Your Majesty.”

The Emperor looked toward the Crown Prince: “Crown Prince, what are your thoughts?”