NOVEL WEB Chapter 455
Especially since there are very few people in the palace who truly care for her.
The ones she can trust to some extent are Consort Liang and a few others.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Please wake up, Your Majesty! Don't scare me! Someone! Someone, come quickly!"
As Jiang Xinyue approached the entrance of Shunan Palace, she heard Shu Xiang's heart-wrenching cries.
"This is bad!"
Noble Consort Ye, who had been following Jiang Xinyue, rushed in with small, hurried steps: "Could something have happened to Consort Liang...?"
Inside the bedchamber of Shunan Palace, Consort Liang had collapsed on the floor. Shu Xiang was holding her, sobbing uncontrollably, while the maids and matrons in the room crowded around, their faces filled with panic and fear.
Noble Consort Ye rushed over and shouted, "The floor is cold. Quickly, carry Consort Liang to the bed!"
Shu Xiang was so frightened that her legs had gone weak, but a few strong matrons managed to lift Consort Liang and place her on the bed.
Jiang Xinyue approached the bedside and saw that Consort Liang's face had turned pale, her eyes tightly shut, her breathing shallow and labored.
Her breath was faint, her complexion ashen, as if she were on the verge of death.
Jiang Xinyue sat by the bed and checked Consort Liang's breathing. Relieved to find that she was still alive, she said, "Shuangjiang, go to the Imperial Hospital immediately and summon Yan the Imperial Physician, along with any other physicians skilled in treating poison and colds."
Shu Xiang crawled to the bedside and, choking back sobs, handed Jiang Xinyue a blood-stained handkerchief, her hands trembling. "Your Majesty, I had planned to seek an audience with you after my lady fell asleep today, but I never expected her to collapse before I could. Your Majesty, ever since the last poisoning, my lady's health has been deteriorating. She forbade me from speaking of it, but today, after coughing up blood, I could no longer bear to see her suffer like this..."
The handkerchief was stained with dried blood, a large patch that indicated the severity of the situation.
Consort Liang, that fool, had kept this hidden. Was she trying to drag herself to death?
Upon the Empress's summons, Yan the Imperial Physician and others arrived quickly. After several physicians took turns examining her pulse, the prognosis was grim.
Yan the Imperial Physician said with a grave expression, "Your Majesty, I have told you before. Consort Liang's condition is different from yours. You ingested a small amount of arsenic, which, even without an antidote, can be expelled from the body naturally.
The late Empress only wanted you to overthrow Concubine Li, not to take your life. But Consort Liang...
Consort Liang was poisoned with a rare toxin. This poison clings to the internal organs, bones, and blood, causing fatal damage.
In truth, if it weren't for Your Majesty's reluctance to let Consort Liang go, and the use of the finest medicinal herbs to prolong her life, she would have already reported to King Yama.
The days she has left are all borrowed time.
She knows this well, which is why she forbade Shu Xiang from telling anyone.
She didn't want everyone to worry and grieve over someone who was already beyond saving. It would be too embarrassing.
Jiang Xinyue sighed. "I will use the most precious herbs to sustain her. You will come daily to check her pulse and prescribe the appropriate treatments. Is there any chance of recovery?"
Yan the Imperial Physician bit his lip, hesitating, but finally spoke with difficulty. "The only option is to find a blood relative of Consort Liang. I... I could perform a blood transfusion. However, the risks are immense. The donor would also be exposed to some of the toxin, which, though not fatal, would make them extremely susceptible to cold every winter. As for whether it will succeed, I cannot guarantee. I can only do my best."
If he were to promise that he could save Consort Liang and restore her to full health, Yan the Imperial Physician would not have the confidence to do so.
It would be asking too much.
"Where are Consort Liang's father and mother now?"
They were originally from Guangdong or Guangxi, where Master Yu had served as the Governor-General. However, after the Emperor replaced him with Jiang Xinyue's uncle, Master Yu's assets were confiscated, and he was imprisoned.
It was said that Madam Yu had been brought to the capital by Consort Liang and settled there.
Not long ago, when Jiang Xinyue gave birth to twins, the Emperor was so pleased that he issued a general amnesty. Master Yu was among those pardoned.
If she remembered correctly, Consort Liang's family should now be in the capital.
Shu Xiang quickly replied, "Your Majesty, our master and mistress have been taken in by the eldest princess and are now residing in the Princess Mansion."
Master Yu was now a commoner and could no longer be addressed as "Master."
Since being investigated by the Emperor, he had been living in constant fear. Even with the jailers' care, life in prison was far from what it had been, and his health had declined significantly.
The eldest princess was pregnant. If she were to learn that Consort Liang was on the brink of death, it would likely...
Jiang Xinyue pondered for a moment, then took a deep breath. "Consort Liang may not pull through. We cannot keep this from Mingyu. She is steady and knows how to control her emotions, especially now that she is pregnant."
It was impossible not to inform the eldest princess. To deny them a final meeting would be the greatest regret of their lives.
Jiang Chuan immediately took the token and left the palace to inform the eldest princess.
Yan the Imperial Physician did not delay either. He had already prepared a prescription, and Shu Xiang and Xi Que personally brewed the medicine and forced it down Consort Liang's throat.
Fortunately, though she was unconscious, she was not completely unresponsive, and the medicine was successfully administered.
Noble Consort Ye and Consort Shu stood to the side, wiping away tears but not daring to cry aloud, fearing it would bring bad luck.
Consort Liang felt as though she had been dreaming for a long, long time. In her dream, she had just entered the palace, and Concubine Li had bullied her. It was the late Empress who had come to her aid, always supporting her.
But later, she had always sought to gain more advantages from the late Empress, who had never held it against her.
And the Emperor... the Emperor...
To meet Shen Lang was to be doomed for life...
The love they had nurtured within these deep palace walls had turned into poisonous jealousy, into sharp thorns that pierced the innocent.
But what had those people done wrong?
In the palace, whether one vied for favor or not, it was never up to oneself.
And her?
Why had she become so detestable?
No!
She had changed for the better. She had found friends.
True friends!
They played cards, drank wine, sipped tea, and admired flowers together. They sat together and complained about the Emperor being a scoundrel.
The camaraderie between women was far more reliable than the fleeting illusions of love.
She didn't want to die!
There were still so many things she wanted to do, so many words she wanted to say. She wanted to leave the palace after the Emperor's death, to dote on her grandchildren and live out her days in peace.
Would she not even outlive that old man, the Emperor?
Beneath her eyelids, Consort Liang's eyes began to dart around, a sign that she was about to wake up.
Jiang Xinyue glanced at Consort Shu and Noble Consort Ye, signaling them to stop crying.
For someone seriously ill, the will to live was paramount. Jiang Xinyue hoped that Consort Liang's will to survive would reach its peak once she learned that there was still hope.