Chapter 744: 344 Suspicion (Nine more) Chapter 744: 344 Suspicion (Nine more) The servants in the Huaqing Palace didn’t dare to let Qin Chuyu eat anything carelessly.
Empress Xiao looked at the emperor, who seemed even more perplexed than her, clearly implying he hadn’t fed Qin Chuyu either.
That just left one person.
Empress Xiao bit her lip and walked over to the bed. Without a word, she held her son, tormented by stomachache, in her arms.
The emperor massaged his temples, sighing helplessly.
By the time the emperor returned to Huaqing Palace, it was already late. Qin Chuyu had fussed half the night before falling asleep in Empress Xiao’s arms, his body still twitching even as he slept, mumbling “father-king, don’t punish your servant, I know I was wrong”.
Watching this, tears fell from Empress Xiao’s eyes.
“Watch your step, Your Majesty,” Eunuch Wei warned, holding a lantern.
The emperor paused and lifted the curtain to climb the stairs.
At the end of the corridor was a thin figure, who he recognized to be Empress Dowager Jing as he approached. He asked, “Mother Empress, why aren’t you resting at this late hour?”
Empress Dowager Jing tightly held a string of Buddha beads, her worry evident in her eyes, “I heard Xiaoqi is ill.”
The emperor nodded, “Ah, he overate last night and upset his stomach. But he is alright now.”
“My fault,” Empress Dowager Jing murmured, closing her eyes. “If I had known he ate so much tonight, I wouldn’t have given him refreshments or sour plum juice.”
The emperor sighed, “Don’t blame yourself, Mother Empress. You didn’t know what he had for dinner. This child has a sweet tooth and always craves more to eat. That’s why he’s chubby.”
Empress Dowager Jing looked at him, “I will pay more attention next time.”
Feeling the remorse in her eyes, the emperor’s initial annoyance was replaced with sympathy. He didn’t bring her back to be upset.
She was his mother, and Qin Chuyu was her grandson. What’s wrong with her feeding her grandson?
It’s not like she intentionally harmed him. Wasn’t she just too fond of him?
The emperor spoke,”Mother Empress, your wound hasn’t fully healed yet. Please, rest early. I will have Xiaoqi come to pay respects once he’s better.”
“Mmm,” Empress Dowager Jing nodded in agreement.
The emperor went to the imperial study for a while before finally resting.
Perhaps it was because he had too much on his mind, but the emperor didn’t sleep well. In a daze, he felt like someone had pushed open his door.
His eyelids felt as heavy as lead and he couldn’t open them. He tried to call out to the palace maids, but realized he couldn’t make a sound.
Attempting to sit up, he found no strength in his body, as if he were frozen.
He mustered all his strength to open a tiny slit in his eyes, and saw the person slowly coming towards him.
He felt helpless, like a fish on a chopping board. The approach of the figure made him anxious, made him sense danger.
As the person got closer, he could see the dagger they were holding.
The cold glint of the dagger stung his eyes.
He tried desperately to speak, but his throat felt paralyzed.
A wave of terror spread through his heart.
Finally, the person sat down beside his bed, raised the dagger, and aimed it straight for his heart!
At that instant, he saw the person’s face clearly.
The emperor bolted upright with a scream, jolting awake from his dream.
He was drenched in cold sweat. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, his heart pounded, his breathing ragged, his eyes filled with the terror from his nightmare.
Eunuch Wei rose from a small couch and walked towards the emperor. He lifted the yellow curtain and asked anxiously, “Your Majesty, what’s the matter?”
Seeing the emperor’s pallor terrified him.
He quickly hung the curtain, adjusted the lamp’s wick to increase the light, then returned to the emperor’s bedside to inquire: “Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell?”
The emperor sat up, taking deep breaths. He wiped the cold sweat off his forehead with his sleeve and said, “I’m fine. I just had a nightmare.”
He actually had a nightmare about Empress Dowager Jing trying to kill him. How ridiculous!
As the saying goes, your dreams are related to your thoughts. Was his dissatisfaction with Empress Dowager Jing causing doubts in his mind?
He was such a bastard.
Everybody in the world could harm him, but not his Mother Empress.
Eunuch Wei spoke gravely, “During the day, Your Majesty carries the weight of state affairs, and at night, the affairs of the harem. You must be under immense pressure. State affairs will never cease, Your Majesty, please look after your health. I don’t know how many more years I will be able to stand by your side, please take care.”