Chapter 145 - 125: Attending the Sick
The Empress Dowager issued an edict to seal the palace, throwing the harem into a state of panic.
The next day, news spread from Changle Palace: the Emperor was suffering from a persistent high fever. The Empress Dowager intended to select two Concubines to enter Weiyang Palace and personally attend to him. Of course, the Emperor did not lack for attendants. The Concubines would not have to perform any menial labor; their role would be to supervise and direct the palace maids and eunuchs as their mistresses.
Regardless of how the Emperor had contracted this illness, a master’s sickness was considered a servant’s failing. With the thought of being buried alive with their master on their minds, the Palace Attendants naturally had no heart for their work, which would only hinder his recovery. A high-ranking concubine—a main position lady—had to be sent in to give them a leader and compel them to work together through this crisis.
The candidates for attending the sick had to be of high status, capable of commanding the palace maids and eunuchs of Weiyang Palace, and bold enough to make decisions. To put it bluntly, successfully attending the sick was a great merit. But if the Emperor were to pass away, the one who attended him would have to follow him to the grave. It was not a desirable task.
But the Emperor’s illness was contagious.
Who would be willing to risk their life to attend him?
The late Emperor had abolished the vile custom of the "Heavenly Facing Woman," so concubines no longer had to be buried with a deceased emperor. Since there was a path to survival—be it remaining in the palace as an imperial concubine, living a monastic life in a temple, or guarding the Imperial Mausoleum—it was far better than contracting a disease that caused full-body rashes and a miserable, festering death. While sacrificing oneself for honor would certainly bring glory to one’s family, not everyone possessed such conviction.
What’s more, all the Imperial Physicians were occupied with consulting on the Emperor’s case.
If a concubine became infected while attending the sick, she would receive little, if any, medical attention.
This wasn’t just a strain on medical resources; it was a medical monopoly.
Jiang Xian asked, "Two Concubines? Isn’t the Empress going?"
A worried expression appeared on her face.
’Of course, I don’t wish any harm upon the Empress, and I know her health isn’t the best. But as the Emperor’s first wife, it seems she has no choice but to go.’
"The Empress..."
Noble Princess Consort Rong closed her eyes, her emotions complex. "Her constitution is weak. She always falls ill during the cold arrival of spring. She volunteered to attend the sick, but the Empress Dowager refused. The harem needs the Empress to preside over it to prevent chaos."
"Then, by order of rank, you’re next."
The look on Noble Princess Consort Rong’s face grew even more bitter. "No. The Empress Dowager won’t let me go attend him."
The implication was that she was more than willing to enter and face life or death with the Emperor.
After a moment’s thought, Jiang Xian understood. The Rong Family held military power. Even with their generals stationed far from the capital, if the Emperor were to die, she could potentially conspire with her father and brothers. It wasn’t unforeseeable that the realm could fall under new leadership. The Empress Dowager would not only keep her away from the critically ill Emperor but would also place her under confinement, forbidding her from taking a single step out of Zhaoyang Palace or sending any messages to the outside world.
Rain fell outside the window, steeping the Imperial City in a cold, damp mist, shrouding it in a gloom that could not be dispelled.
Noble Princess Consort Rong’s eyes were also misty, filled with unshed tears. She had cried many times, and tears would fall even when she was just sitting quietly. Her eyes were swollen.
System: [Host, are you not sad?]
Jiang Xian: [Let me think.]
Jiang Xian: [The current situation is like this: I just got a promotion, the corporation assigned me a villa, and everything was finally stable and looking up. Now, it seems the corporation is about to go bankrupt. Once it does, they’ll repossess my villa, and I’ll have to go back to sleeping in a communal dorm...]
"Why are your eyes red?" Noble Princess Consort Rong took a handkerchief from a nearby palace maid and roughly wiped away Jiang Xian’s tears, leaving the skin around her eyes raw and red. "You have the heart of a child. You can’t handle any hardship."
Jiang Xian wiped her eyes. "I was doing so well here. Why am I about to be laid off?"
While feeling distressed, she asked the System: [What happens if my palace-scheming rival suddenly disappears?]
System: [After Emperor Taizong of Tang died, Wu Zetian got together with Li Zhi. Anything is possible. Xie Che has no Prince. If he dies, we can only wait and see who the next Emperor will be.]
In short, if Xie Che died, the difficulty of palace scheming would increase dramatically.
"Laid off? The Heavenly Facing Woman custom was abolished long ago; no one will ask you to kill yourself. Don’t worry. A dangerous task like attending the sick won’t fall to you. There’s a whole line of people ahead of you," the Noble Consort reassured her.
The higher one’s rank, the more imperial favor one had received, and thus, the more one was expected to step up in a crisis.
Jiang Xian fell into thought and began scrolling through the medicines in her System.
She had basic medicines, but she didn’t know which one would be the right treatment. After all, in her past life, she had been in excellent health. She rarely got sick, and if she did, she’d feel unwell in the morning, take a pill, get some sleep, and wake up full of energy.
The "Courses" category contained medical texts, but it was too late to start studying now.
Scrolling down the System Mall list, she found one trump card.
[Name]: Child-Rearing Medical Pack
[Type]: Single-Use Consumable
[Function]: A panacea, but can only be used on the host’s children (including but not limited to biological, officially registered, and adopted children).
[Note]: Especially suitable for certain hosts who have a knack for killing everything they try to raise.
’If I go to attend him, and I trick the feverishly delirious Emperor into calling me Mother Empress... if I get caught, how many of my family’s clans would be executed?’
※
Jiang Xian had a mind to go attend the sick, but she feared the opportunity wouldn’t fall to her.
After all, in her eyes, attending the sick was a matter of seeking fortune in the face of danger.
And she was daring. Give her glory, or give her death.
But the truth was that the high-ranking concubines from prominent families were all afraid of death. No one wanted to be the one to stick her neck out. If one of them went to attend the sick, caught the disease, and died, it would be her family and the other Concubines who benefited. And if the Emperor died, their own powerful and wealthy families would ensure they had other prospects. Of course, no one openly refused, but no one went to Changle Palace to volunteer, either.
Rumor had it the Empress Dowager was inclined to choose Lu Ronghua.
The next day, another voice rose from the court—Gu Pin was highly favored, so she should be the one to step up, repay the Emperor’s grace, and attend the sick!
Someone from Changle Palace arrived at Zhaoyang Palace, saying the Empress Dowager had summoned Jiang Xian.
A nanny was waiting in the front hall of Zhaoyang Palace. Noble Princess Consort Rong turned and stared at Jiang Xian. "I could break your legs, and then you wouldn’t have to go. They don’t care about your life." If she did that, she would have to be prepared to gain a reputation for cruelty and face the Empress Dowager’s wrath.
But, at least Gu Pin would be safe.
Jiang Xian subconsciously touched her perfectly intact legs and said with a smile, "I have received much of the Emperor’s grace, so it is only right that I go. Besides, aren’t you worried about the Emperor, my Lady? With me there, it will be as if you are there too."
Noble Princess Consort Rong froze, a hesitant look indeed crossing her face.
While her brain was overloading, Jiang Xian performed a deep bow of farewell and left with the nanny for Changle Palace.
Before she left, Qiu Yun pressed a Jade Pendant into her hand and whispered, "Your rank as a concubine might not be enough to command those servants. Many of the original Palace Attendants in Weiyang Palace have fallen ill. The people sent from the Imperial Household all recognize our Lady. If necessary, Her Ladyship says you can... you can..."
Qiu Yun looked hesitant, stammering.
After three seconds, she finally got the words out: "...throw Her Ladyship’s weight around."
Jiang Xian was speechless.
’No wonder the palace maid had hesitated and stammered.’
"Alright. I appreciate Her Ladyship’s kind intentions."
Jiang Xian took the Jade Pendant and fastened it to her waist.