Chapter 337: Doubts Multiply (2)

Even though others spoke with such certainty, she still dared not, and was unwilling to, believe that her eldest sister and younger sister were truly as they described. Therefore... she had to confirm it personally to be satisfied.

Long past the time for a shift change, Ming Ze was still waiting outside Qingfeng Hall. The more he thought about the black-clad figure he had discovered last night, the more he felt something was amiss. However, since he hadn't caught anyone and there were no irregularities inside Qingfeng Hall, he didn't want to go to the trouble of reporting it. He had waited all night just to tell her to be careful, but the longer he stood outside the hall, the more ridiculous he felt. What could he do if he kept waiting? As a guard, how could he speak privately with a consort? Better to just let it go!

Ming Ze straightened his body, just about to leave, when a familiar light-blue figure walked out quickly from inside. Ming Ze called out without even thinking: "Wait."

Fuling paused, asking with some uncertainty: "Are you calling me?"

What kind of expression was that? Was it so surprising that he called her? Ming Ze secretly grumbled to himself, but his face remained as cold as ever. "I discovered a black-clad figure lurking nearby last night. Tell her... tell Consort Qing to be extra careful."

When Fuling heard the words "black-clad figure," her heart skipped a beat. She didn't even notice the "her" that Ming Ze had inadvertently lowered his voice to say, only asking anxiously: "Did he break into Qingfeng Hall?"

"No."

To need such a secret warning, it seemed he hadn't caught the person. He probably didn't even know who the black-clad figure was or where they were going. "Understood, I will be careful." Remembering her master's instructions and fearing she would be late leaving the palace, Fuling bowed and gave him a slight smile before leaving.

Ming Ze remained where he was, his brows slightly furrowed. Fuling's smile was as gentle as a spring breeze; anyone would find it pleasant. But what he couldn't forget was that haggard yet stunning smile in the rainy night.

The child's body temperature seemed to be getting higher and higher. Qingfeng paced back and forth in the room, holding the child anxiously. At this moment, Ruyi led the two imperial physicians, Wang Zhiyang and Lin Feng, in a hurry. Upon entering, the two knelt and bowed: "Greetings, Consort Qing. May the Consort live for a thousand years..."

Qingfeng had no patience for these empty formalities, saying urgently: "Enough, no need for formalities. Quickly, diagnose the little prince. His body is so hot it feels like he's burning up."

"Yes."

Qingfeng gently placed the child on the large bed, watching the two imperial physicians take his pulse one by one. She desperately wanted to know the child's condition, yet dared not disturb the physicians. Her gaze darted back and forth between the child and the physicians. At this moment, even a single furrowed brow from a physician was enough to make her heart jump with fear.

Finally, Wang Zhiyang put away his diagnostic tools and stepped away from the bedside. Qingfeng asked hurriedly: "Physician Wang, how is the little prince?"

"Consort, please rest assured. Prince Zhi was born prematurely and his body is weak. This time, it seems he has contracted a wind-evil; the heat cannot be released, which is why the high fever came on so suddenly and fiercely. Once I decoct a few doses of medicine for Prince Zhi to take, there should be no major issues."

No major issues? Qingfeng was still uneasy, turning to ask Lin Feng, who was still taking the pulse at the bedside: "Physician Lin?"

Wang Zhiyang was the Emperor's personal physician and a direct disciple of the veteran Physician Huang; Lin Feng naturally dared not contradict his diagnosis. Besides, the little prince's pulse was strong, just suffering from a persistent high fever. If Physician Wang said there were no issues, then there were none. Lin Feng withdrew his hand and echoed: "Just as Physician Wang said, Consort need not worry too much."

Qingfeng let out a soft sigh of relief. "Ruyi, go with the physicians to collect the medicine."

"Yes."

Having received the assurances of the two physicians, the heart Qingfeng had been holding finally relaxed a little. She was able to sit down and rest, holding her son in her arms and staring blankly at his flushed little face. Qingfeng didn't want to think about anything; she just wanted to watch him quietly like this.

"Consort... Consort?"

After an unknown amount of time, a few low calls sounded in her ear. Qingfeng looked up in a daze. Shen Yao pointed outside the screen, and only then did Qingfeng notice two people standing outside. They had waited for quite a while without receiving a reply, and Fuling's gentle voice came from outside the screen: "Master, Lady Lou is here."

Qingfeng's body couldn't help but tremble. Gone was the joy and anticipation of seeing family in the past; now, she only felt her heart pounding, feeling incredibly nervous and anxious. Taking a deep, secret breath, Qingfeng replied: "Come in."

As soon as Zhuo Qing walked into the inner chamber, she felt Qingfeng was a bit strange. She sat on the bed staring straight at her, her complexion pale with a greenish tint, as if she had never seen her before. Compared to the full-month banquet yesterday, she looked distracted and much more haggard today. However, even though she looked in terrible condition, she still held the child in her arms. Zhuo Qing shook her head and advised: "Taking care of a child is very tiring; you must pay more attention to your own health."

The clear, moist voice unique to her sister rang in her ears. Qingfeng's eyes reddened, and she quickly lowered her head to hide the waves surging in her eyes due to her emotional turmoil, replying softly: "Mm, the child was fussing all night, I just didn't sleep very well."

Taking care of an infant was indeed no easy task. Zhuo Qing assumed Qingfeng was truly too tired, leading to her poor spirits. She didn't delve deeper into her strange appearance today.

When she looked up again, Qingfeng was much calmer, saying to Fuling and Shen Yao beside her: "You may all withdraw."

"Yes."

The two withdrew as instructed. Zhuo Qing looked at the baby in Qingfeng's arms. The child's eyes were closed, but his tiny brows were still furrowed, his two little hands clenched into fists, moving occasionally. Zhuo Qing smiled: "This child actually has a bit of Yan Hongtian's shadow."

Qingfeng didn't take up her words, remaining silent for a moment before suddenly saying: "Let you hold him."

"Alright." Zhuo Qing didn't think much of it and took the child into her arms. In her view, small children were a combination of angels and devils; they looked very cute, but were exhausting when they started fussing. Just after taking the child, Zhuo Qing only felt he was soft and limp, but soon she discovered something wrong with the child. Through the thick clothing, she could still feel a wave of heat. Zhuo Qing looked at the little fellow in her arms; she had just assumed the child's skin was pink and tender, but looking closely now, the child's cheeks and forehead were abnormally red. Zhuo Qing reached out and gently touched the child's forehead, then said: "He has a fever."

A fever? Qingfeng guessed she was talking about the child's heat, replying blandly: "Mm."

"Have you summoned the imperial physicians to see him?"

"The imperial physicians said it is common for infants to have a fever, no major issues."

Qingfeng's tone, which seemed not to take it seriously, made Zhuo Qing furrow her brows. "Although infant fevers are very common, they are also very dangerous. If his body temperature rises rapidly in a short time, it can easily lead to temporary convulsions. He is a premature baby, and his resistance is already weak; you cannot take this lightly."

Zhuo Qing laid the child flat on the bed and gently loosened the tightly wrapped collar. The area around the child's neck was even redder than his face, with some slight swelling. Without needing to use her mouth, his nose could breathe normally. Zhuo Qing leaned down and pressed against the child's chest to listen for a while; there were no excessive rales in his lungs. It didn't look like a fever caused by a common cold, but rather one caused by inflammation.

"Then what should I do?" Qingfeng asked while carefully observing her. Every movement, every expression, Qingfeng didn't let any of it pass.

From her preliminary examination, Zhuo Qing felt it might be tonsillitis causing the high fever. Thinking there were so many imperial physicians in the palace taking care of him, the child should be fine, so she casually mentioned some common sense for emergency care of high fevers in children: "Remove the fire basins in the room, don't keep the windows closed so tightly, give him more water. When a child has a fever, even if it goes down in the afternoon, the body temperature can easily rise again at night. You all should work harder and pay more attention to him. If the body temperature is really too high at night, use warm water to wipe his head, neck, armpits, palms, and soles. Remember not to use water that is too cold."

After Zhuo Qing finished speaking, her examination was also about done. While fastening the child's clothes, she asked: "Did you remember?"

For a long while, Qingfeng didn't answer her. Zhuo Qing looked up in surprise; Qingfeng was still staring at her, her gaze even more focused than when she had entered the door, as if she wanted to see right through her. Zhuo Qing didn't speak either, letting her look, but those bright, shining eyes gradually became moist. Zhuo Qing was startled, asking with concern: "What is wrong with you?"

They had grown up together, sharing everything, intimate and inseparable. Perhaps others needed to verify the characters on her chest to prove if she was Qing Ling, but Qingfeng didn't need that at all. Tattoos could be exquisite, and a mother could do it, and surely others could too, but many things could not be forged. Every small mole on her eldest sister's face, every laugh line, even the arc of her fingernails, the lines on her palms—she knew them all clearly. Qingfeng was incomparably certain that the person standing in front of her now was her sister! It was just that she would no longer smile as gently as before, with a hint of warmth always lingering between her brows. Now, this person spoke and acted cleanly and briskly, her expression cold. It felt as if... as if this body contained another person. The voice ringing in her ears was still the familiar one, and Qingfeng felt the person before her seemed to overlap with the eldest sister in her memory, but that clear, cold gaze made them impossible to merge. As if asking herself, and as if asking the person before her, Qingfeng murmured: "Why, do you have to be different from before?"

Zhuo Qing's brows rose slightly; she seemed to know the reason for Qingfeng's strange behavior today. After thinking for a moment, Zhuo Qing replied calmly: "I really don't know what the former Qing Ling was like. I am sorry for causing you doubt and disappointment."

Doesn't remember? Is it just amnesia? How could her various changes be explained by a single word like amnesia? But if it wasn't amnesia, how could this person face her so calmly and composedly? Qingfeng didn't want to think about it anymore, didn't want to analyze it anymore. Looking straight at this woman who was both strange and familiar, Qingfeng asked in a deep voice: "I just want to know, are you... my sister..."

Those eyes were anxious and panicked, yet also clear and bright. Zhuo Qing knew that at this moment, Qingfeng refused all deception. In fact, she had never wanted to deceive Qingfeng; it was just that before, she didn't know where to start or how to start. Since she already felt it now, was today a good opportunity to speak the truth?

Qingfeng held her breath, waiting. "I..." Zhuo Qing had just said one word when a chaotic shouting sound rose from afar: "Fire! Fire!"

(End of Chapter)