Chapter 193
The imperial physicians came and went, administering acupuncture to reduce Yun Wan's fever. It wasn't until dawn broke outside the palace halls that her condition finally stabilized.
For the first time, Emperor Jingxuan skipped the morning assembly. From last night until daybreak, he stayed by her bedside, not going anywhere.
None of the officials raised any objections. They all already knew that Consort Zhao and the little highness had nearly met with a fatal accident on their way back to the palace yesterday evening.
Yun Wan suffered from a high fever and nightmares. Emperor Jingxuan used a damp cloth to wipe her forehead and the nape of her neck over and over again, holding her hands with both of his to comfort her.
"Stop! Stop!"
Her dreams were filled with the day's tragic events. Yun Wan slept fitfully, constantly murmuring in her sleep. In her dream, she kept stabbing the out-of-control horse beneath her with a hairpin pulled from her head, hoping to force it to stop.
However, the maddened horse remained completely unharmed. The nightmare repeated in a loop, and Yun Wan grew increasingly agitated.
Emperor Jingxuan held her hands tightly to prevent her from hurting herself, his eyes full of heartache.
He lowered his head and kissed Yun Wan's forehead, coaxing her in a low voice, "Wake up, my wife. It's all fake. The horse is already dead."
"I am here, you are very safe. No one will hurt you."
He repeated this continuously, showing no impatience or fatigue.
In her sleep, Yun Wan seemed to sense him. Her emotions gradually calmed down, and her tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed.
The imperial physicians were secretly shocked, their movements and attitudes becoming even more cautious.
Seeing His Majesty coaxing someone so patiently and treating her as a precious treasure was truly an eye-opening experience.
Silence returned to the hall. Emperor Jingxuan showed no signs of sleepiness, guarding the bedside like a personal bodyguard.
After sweating profusely, Yun Wan's sleeping face regained its tranquility. Her beautiful small face sank into the soft pillow. Her complexion was pale, and her skin, soaked in sweat, was as fine and white as jade.
Emperor Jingxuan picked up a dry, soft cloth, wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead, and carefully arranged the loose strands of hair on her forehead with his fingertips.
In just a short afternoon apart, his lively wife had become sickly. Countless dark, violent thoughts surged in his heart.
Emperor Jingxuan didn't even dare to imagine what he would do if something happened to the mother and son.
He lowered his eyes, greedily staring at Yun Wan's face, and held her hand against his own chest.
Without him realizing it, this heart had already been completely filled by a woman named 'Yun Wan'.
......
When Yun Wan woke up, it was already noon the next day. The soreness and weakness all over her body forced her consciousness to become clear.
Opening her eyes to meet several pairs of worried and caring gazes, she was slightly stunned.
"This..." As soon as she spoke, her throat felt as dry and rough as a parched riverbed.
A palace servant promptly handed over some warm tea. Emperor Jingxuan took it, supported Yun Wan's head with one hand, and carefully helped her drink.
After drinking the water, Yun Wan's throat felt much better. She tugged at her lips and couldn't help but smile and ask, "What happened to me? Why are you all staring at me?"
Sui climbed onto the bed on his hands and knees. Sitting on his heels with a tearful little face, he said, "Mother, you slept for a whole day and night! You worried us to death!"
"A day and a night?"
Yun Wan was astonished.
She could feel that she must be sick and had slept for a long time, but she didn't expect to have slept for a full day and night.
She wanted to say something else, but her throat suddenly itched, followed by a fierce bout of coughing.
Yun Wan instinctively covered her lips and pushed Sui away. "Stay away, don't let me pass my sickness to you."
She glanced at Emperor Jingxuan and said weakly, "Your Majesty as well."
"I'm not leaving! I'm not leaving!"
Hearing this, Sui shook his head and refused. He leaned over, lying on Yun Wan's chest, his forehead pressing against hers, and said loudly, "Mother, pass all your sickness to me, so you will get better faster!"
Yun Wan was both touched and amused. "Silly child, then we will both be sick."
"I'm not afraid!" Sui suddenly raised his head, his eyes shining brightly.
Emperor Jingxuan nodded, his eyes mirroring the child's. "I am not afraid either."
He found an empty spot to sit down and took her hand. "Don't worry, my wife. Our bodies are strong; we won't catch a cold so easily."
Even if he really got sick, he would gladly endure it.
Yun Wan was well aware of how robust his body was. Other than the injury at the hunting grounds last year, she had never seen him catch a cold or suffer from any common illness.
So she gently pushed Sui. "Sui is still young, stay a little further away from Mother, okay?"
"No, no, I want to stick close to Mother. If I get sick, then I get sick."
Sui shook his head like a rattle-drum. In a rare display of disobedience, he clung tightly to Yun Wan.
Yun Wan felt a bit puzzled.
Emperor Jingxuan chuckled softly and explained, "Yesterday, seeing you unconscious scared this boy half to death. He even cried secretly. He insisted on staying here until you woke up, so just let him stay."
"Otherwise, I'm afraid he'll go hide somewhere and shed tears again."
"I did not! Imperial Father is talking nonsense!" Sui retorted.
Yun Wan smiled wryly. No wonder Sui was so clingy today.
Children still cared about their pride. After being exposed, Sui asked in embarrassment and anger, "Has Imperial Father caught the culprit? Who wanted to harm me and Mother?"
Emperor Jingxuan clicked his tongue, looking displeased. "How come you worry more than I do at such a young age?"
Sui: "I have to worry, and I want revenge! If it weren't for Xuan Yi that day, Mother and I might have died!"
"If we died, would Imperial Father be sad for us?" he asked, staring straight at Emperor Jingxuan.
It wouldn't just be sadness; it would cost him his life.
Emperor Jingxuan pursed his lips. This boy sure knew how to stab his old man right in the heart.
At the very least, hearing those words made his heart ache in spasms.
Yun Wan held Sui's small hand and gave it a squeeze, no longer asking him to leave. Instead, she turned her eyes to Emperor Jingxuan:
"Your Majesty, why did the carriage Sui and I were riding in suddenly lose control out of nowhere? Someone tampered with the horse, right?"
Now that Yun Wan had the energy to think back carefully, perhaps the commotion in the market was part of the mastermind's plan, aimed at blocking their way back to the palace and forcing them to turn around and take a different route.
And on the new route, the horse went mad. With fewer people on the road, it drew less attention, making it much harder for the guards to rush to their rescue.
If that person's scheme had succeeded, whether she or Sui were injured or killed, their goal would have been achieved.
Thinking it over, there were only a few people who held a grudge against her and her son.
Emperor Jingxuan: "Someone drugged the horse. The drug causes immense internal pain to the animal, making it violently irritable and driving it into a frenzy. Once the drug's effects wear off, the horse's internal organs will be completely corroded, and it will bleed from all its orifices and die."
In short, once drugged, the horse was bound to die.
He never intended to hide it from her, so he relayed the information he had received, which was roughly what Yun Wan had expected.
"Who was it?" she asked.
Emperor Jingxuan: "It has everything to do with the Li family."
Seeing the Crown Prince's influence waning while Sui's grew stronger, with their in-laws demoted and their own family falling out of imperial favor, the Li family harbored malicious intentions.
Driven to a dead end, the Li family chose to risk everything for the sake of the Empress and the Crown Prince's positions, wanting to eliminate them quickly.
But now that their plot had failed and their deeds were exposed, what awaited them was utter destruction.
Over the next few days, Emperor Jingxuan was exceptionally busy. He could only occasionally spare some time to visit, seeing Yun Wan briefly before having to leave again.
Yun Wan's condition improved, and she gradually regained her vitality. About seven or eight days later, she fully recovered.
On the same day, Emperor Jingxuan issued an imperial edict decreeing her as Empress.