SFS Chapter 158 The Five Powers of Imperial Concubine* (5)
Chapter 158 The Five Powers of Imperial Concubine* (5)
In an elegant bedroom deep in the Jiangxue Palace, a woman as pale as paper was lying on the bed.
Qiao Yue almost fell on the bed, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
"My lady, please wake up. I have summoned Doctor Li."
Hearing this, Song Yuesheng's long eyelashes moved slightly. He opened his eyes with difficulty and stretched his right hand out from under the quilt.
She moved her lips, her voice so weak that it was almost inaudible: "Thank you, Doctor Li."
"Your Highness, you are too kind."
As Li Shaoqin spoke, he took out a pulse pillow from the medicine box and placed it under Song Yuesheng's wrist.
He took the patient's pulse carefully.
Suddenly, he frowned and stared at Song Yuesheng with suspicion.
Why is the pulse the same as the last diagnosis?
It is faintly responsive, slow and weak, yet as regular and orderly as a normal person.
The last time, His Majesty sent him away, talked to the imperial concubine for a while, and then told her that he had cured her.
She certainly didn't look sick when she came out.
Did he take the same poison this time?
"Cough cough."
Song Yuesheng coughed twice, with a hint of worry in her eyes, and asked weakly: "Doctor Li, what's wrong with me?"
Li Shaoqin was concerned about Concubine Song Yuesheng's face, so he made an excuse: "Miss Qiaoyue, I forgot my needle in the Imperial Hospital. Could you please go to the Imperial Hospital to get it? I have to go to the kitchen to make the medicine myself."
"It's no trouble, no trouble. Thank you for your hard work, Doctor Li." Qiao Yue responded quickly.
She wiped away her tears and ran away without hesitation, thinking only of getting the silver needle back as soon as possible to help Doctor Li treat the empress.
With Qiao Yue's departure, the bedroom fell into a brief silence.
Outside the window, the cold wind blew in gently, bringing a hint of coolness.
Li Shaoqin walked to the window and said in an unclear tone: “The imperial concubine is really in a good mood. She is sick and doesn’t even close the window.”
Seeing that he was about to close the half-open window, Song Yuesheng said softly: "Doctor Li, there is no need to close the window. If the window is closed and the charcoal basin is burning in the hall, it will make it more difficult for my sick body to breathe, and the coughing will become more frequent."
As he spoke, Song Yuesheng coughed a few times, and his voice revealed a hint of weakness.
Seeing this, Li Shaoqin pursed his lips, as if thinking about something.
After a moment, he walked back to Song Yuesheng.
He cupped his hands, looked at the lifeless Song Yuesheng, and said sincerely: "I know that Your Majesty is unwilling to attend the banquet tonight, but life is more important. Please tell me the name of the poison you took, whether there is any residue, and whether there is an antidote, so that I can study it."
"I swear I will never tell anyone and will definitely help Your Majesty get through the night safely."
Song Yuesheng knew he couldn't hide it.
She curled her lips and smiled, with a hint of majesty in her voice: "This is a top secret to save my life. Doctor Li, are you allowed to listen?"
The blue sparrow was so frightened that it jumped three feet high and quickly spoke out to stop it.
"Sister Yue, Li Shaoqin is also the hero. Impulse is the devil, you must hold it back! Beating him half to death is better than having the thought of killing him!"
"Sure, Sparrow Spirit, you guessed that I was going to beat Li Shaoqin. Finally, I am not as rigid as before, and I only follow the rules of your headquarters."
Song Yuesheng was very pleased.
Blue Sparrow: ...
It shouldn't talk too much.
Then, it saw on the big screen of Xinghai that Song Yuesheng jumped up from the bed swiftly, shocking Li Shaoqin so much that he couldn't move.
Then, Song Yuesheng clenched his fist and hit Li Shaoqin's stomach accurately.
A muffled groan echoed in the hall, and Li Shaoqin fell to the ground as if all his strength had been drained from his body.
He raised his head, trying to persuade her to understand the pros and cons of the current situation.
"My Lady, the life of the imperial physician is much more important than that of the concubines in the harem. The General's Mansion today is not as powerful as it was when the late emperor was alive. If you kill me, the General's Mansion may not be able to save your Lady."
"When did I ever say I wanted to kill you? Doctor Li, after tonight, I will tell you the whereabouts of the medicine. Now please faint for a while."
Li Shaoqin frowned slightly.
Before he could understand the meaning of the words, he was suddenly slapped on the neck.
His body shook a few times, and finally he fell to the ground weakly and fell into a coma.
"Squeak-"
The sound of the door opening made Song Yuesheng instantly alert. She hurriedly lay down on the bed and returned to her previous unconscious state.
The person who came in was Qiao Xin.
She was frightened by Li Shaoqin lying on the ground and screamed.
Then Song Yuesheng heard the sound of dragging something.
After a while, Qiao Xin returned to the bedroom and said that she did not invite Xiao Guixi.
She said that Xiao Guixi was in a bad mood after dealing with the matter of Concubine Li, and his temper was so bad that she could hear it outside the imperial study.
But Song Yuesheng didn't think so.
In order to consolidate the imperial power and weaken the power of the prime minister, he even planned to kill Wen Man. How could he be so sad about the death of a concubine?
However, Xiao Guixi's absence provided her with convenience.
Before she pretended to faint, she told Qiao Xin and Qiao Yue not to tell anyone, because if they didn't tell anyone, no one else would know.
The people in the Imperial Study are all Xiao Guixi's confidants, so Song Yuesheng is not worried that they will gossip.
**
The Lantern Festival banquet was held in the easternmost palace in the palace.
The palace was filled with the faint scent of sandalwood and the sound of stringed instruments, melodious and pleasant.
Officials from various departments chatted and laughed, and spoke flattering words to each other.
"The Emperor has arrived, and the Imperial Concubine has arrived."
The ministers returned to their seats one after another, kowtowed, and said the same words that had remained unchanged for thousands of years in feudal society.
"Long live my emperor! Long live!"
"Long live the Imperial Concubine!"
"Flat body."
Following the emperor's order, all the ministers slowly raised their heads.
Wen Man was seen wearing gorgeous palace clothes, with pearls and jade on her head. She slowly sat down next to Xiao Guixi, reflecting the light in the palace.
Wen Man looked down at the people below with a genuine smile on her face.
This is where she should be.
The ministers thought that based on General Song’s military achievements and status, she must be Concubine Song.
But he never expected that the person accompanying him was the newly appointed Concubine Wen.
Could it be that the rumors in the palace are true, and the emperor wants to use Concubine Song to play music in public to eliminate the general's mansion?
No wonder General Song was not invited today.
I heard that Concubine Wen has no power in Linjing, so it must be easy to make friends with her.
Each of the ministers had his own little thoughts of wanting to curry favor.
Except for two people.
One is Prime Minister Wen.
He felt sorry for his dead daughter and couldn't stand Wen Man no matter how hard he tried.
The other is the Sixth Prince Xiao Dingyuan.
He and Song Yuesheng are cousins.
The success of other women would mean the loss of power for Song Yuesheng, which he naturally would not be happy to see.
Xiao Guixi looked at the empty seat on the other side with a frown.
He asked Manager Wu to inform Song Yuesheng to come earlier, and she actually agreed.
She can't even distinguish the gong, shang, jue, zhi and yu notes of the guqin, so what music is she playing?
Make everyone laugh?
Now she is still late. She has ruined the reputation of the General's Mansion.
The banquet had not started yet, so Wen Man reminded him, "Your Majesty, Sister Song is a little late. Why don't we start the banquet first? I'll send someone to invite her."
"She doesn't have the nerve to let me... and the other ministers wait." Xiao Guixi retracted his gaze and seemed to speak loudly on purpose, "My ministers, don't be so reserved. Let's start the banquet."
After several rounds of drinks, Song Yuesheng still didn't come.
A look of doubt flashed across Wen Man's face. After a while, she stood up from her seat, walked to the hall, and slowly knelt down towards Xiao Guixi.
"Your Majesty ordered Sister Song to perform "Yangchun" to entertain the Lantern Festival, but Sister Song has not yet arrived. I beg Your Majesty to send someone to invite her, so as to avoid giving people a reason to accuse Sister Song of disobeying the order."
The corners of her lips slowly curved up.
Even if Song Yuesheng deliberately delayed coming, she would force her to come.