The Legend of the Concubine in the Harem

"My lady, you really frightened me."

Seeing the queen waking up, Xie Yuzhen hurried forward and said.

Seeing this, Imperial Physician Lin stepped aside with great tact. He had already removed the silver needle from the empress's body and was wiping it with a clean white cloth. "Please don't get too excited, Your Majesty. I'll go outside and write a prescription first."

The Queen's illness was caused by physical deficiency, but more importantly, her personal emotions and thoughts. If she could hold on for a while, there would be a chance to recover slowly in the future. If she couldn't hold on for a while, and her vitality was completely dissipated, then even if Hua Tuo were alive, he would be powerless to save her.

Imperial Physician Lin was used to walking around in the palace, so he naturally knew what to say and when, and to whom to say it. The Queen's emotions could not be stimulated any more, so he chose to remain silent for the time being, and wait until the other Empress was free, or the Emperor came over, and then he would explain the pros and cons to these two "family members".

"Thank you, Lord Lin." Xie Yuzhen thanked him and no longer paid attention to his next move. Imperial Physician Lin was the emperor's man. Although the emperor was not a very good husband, he was not as cruel to his wife as the man surnamed Zhou.

At most, he would just sit back and watch the situation develop, knowing that there would be a successor like Xie Yuzhen in the future. Anyway, for him, whether it was the empress or the successor, what he could gain from these two women would never be lost.

Seeing that the queen seemed to want to get up, Yun Rong reached out and helped her up. He immediately took a soft pillow and placed it on the head of the bed so that the queen could lean on it without any effort.

After the queen sat up, she took a short rest and then asked all the female officials to leave.

I have something private to say to Xie Ruizhen.

But Xie Yu was really reluctant to listen, fearing that the Queen wanted to make arrangements for her funeral arrangements.

"You also heard the argument between His Majesty and I in the palace earlier." The Queen opened her mouth and said what Xie Yuzhen wanted to know the most, but was also the most unwilling to know.

If the Queen still had the energy to protect Concubine Ning, given her way of dealing with the world, she would definitely not let Xie Yuzhen wade into this muddy water. She was willing to frankly entrust him with the task, only because she herself felt that she would not live long...

"It's too far away, I'm afraid I couldn't hear you clearly." Xie Yuzhen said angrily.

The queen smiled faintly and said, "You will inevitably have to face these things in the future. In a position like this, it is better to know more than just half of it."

"Your Highness has a bond with Concubine Ning and is willing to protect her, but I am only a nodding friend to Concubine Ning. If Your Highness wants to hand her over to me to take care of her, I am unwilling to do so."

Concubine Ning did not sleep with the emperor or compete for favor. She had a position and a daughter, so she did not have to go for daily greetings. The Empress, the Emperor, and even Empress Dowager Hu, to a certain extent, the several big bosses in the harem, indulged her and doted on her. Fortunately, Concubine Ning had a good temper, never bullied others, and did not like to go out. She spent most of her time having fun in her own palace, otherwise her way of life would have attracted so much attention.

After hearing Xie Yuzhen's straightforward words, the queen was silent for a while: "...Yes, it was my selfishness that was at work."

After she said that, Xie Yuzhen was unwilling again: "Most people in this world only care about protecting themselves. Your Majesty is willing to help others. It is clear that you have a broad mind of justice... Please don't make it too hard on yourself."

"There's nothing difficult about doing what you want to do. I was mistaken. I shouldn't have involved you and made things difficult for you." The queen's voice became softer.

However, Xie Yuzhen could not tell that she had any intention of surviving. At her request, the dream system in his brain reported the queen's condition every few moments - her consciousness was still slowly dissipating, and there was no sign of improvement.

"I can't let her go, but I... I'm so tired." The queen raised her hand slightly, then let it fall down weakly.

She murmured in confusion, "Why am I so tired?"

Xie Wei really wanted to put down the burden on his shoulders and have a good rest when he was tired, but he was afraid that the queen would fall into a deep sleep after he said that.

Just as the two of them were silent, there was a sudden noisy sound outside.

Xie Yuzhen suddenly became nervous again, but Yunrong was a reliable person. After the palace people made a fuss for a while, the outside returned to peace.

The queen became curious: "What happened outside?"

Xie Yuzhen smiled at her soothingly: "I will go out and ask."

She stood up and walked to the outer room. Yun Rong also came in at the right time. Seeing Xie Yuzhen, she stepped forward and whispered, "As expected, Concubine Wang came. I said that the Queen was not in a position to receive her, but she actually tried to break in and even shouted, "How is Concubine Ning?" Fortunately, we were quick and restrained her. Concubine Gui, is the Queen okay now?"

"She's better now, but she still can't stand the stimulation. You continue to guard outside and don't let those blind people bump into her." Although Xie Yuzhen had made up her mind to go back again, even if there was no good result this time, she was still unwilling to watch the queen being frightened and dying in front of her again.

Back to the inner room.

Xie Yuzhen noticed that the queen was becoming increasingly tired, so she walked over and sat down again. "It's just that a few palace ladies were not determined, so they kept whining for a while. Don't worry, Your Majesty."

The Queen looked at her and asked, "I seemed to hear Yunrong talking about Concubine Ning?"

Xie Yuzhen was stunned. Yunrong had deliberately suppressed her voice, so how could she still hear it? Thinking of this, he gradually became terrified and became more and more afraid that the queen was having a last burst of energy. Only then did his five senses become sharper: "Your Majesty..."

"Even if I don't tell you about Concubine Ning now, the Emperor will tell you." The Queen suddenly grabbed Xie Yuzhen's hand, stopping her from talking, and said, "No matter what His Majesty thinks in his heart, at least he treats you sincerely. When a man is willing to treat you sincerely, he will not only regard you as his pillow, wife or woman, but also as a comrade-in-arms and a close friend. That attitude can easily confuse people."

"I won't let him be deceived easily."

"Yes, I know." The Queen smiled and continued, "The death of the late emperor was indeed caused by Concubine Ning, and even I... did have a hand in it."

"The family that Princess Rong Huan, the mother of Concubine Ning, married into was the Yi family. The head of the Yi family was once the late emperor's companion in study. After the late emperor ascended the throne, he became the Minister of Personnel. Minister Yi and the princess got pregnant twice after their marriage, but they failed to keep the baby. After that, they had no children. He was the consort of the emperor, but the princess did not want him to take a concubine. The two of them had constant conflicts. The princess even whipped Minister Yi. After that, he became resentful and had evil thoughts. He secretly kept a concubine."

"After the concubine became pregnant, the eldest princess also happened to be pregnant, and they both gave birth to baby girls in the same month."

Xie Yuzhen couldn't help but widen his eyes as he listened: "Could it be that Concubine Ning actually..."