Zhu Qingyu initially thought that Shen Xu's mention of a shift change meant his time serving in the Qianqing Palace had ended and he was back to rest.
But then Gu Zhao said to Zhu Qingyu:
“Alright, you go with Chongshen. I need to head to the Grand Secretariat. I’ll find you at lunch.”
Zhu Qingyu finally understood—so Shen Xu’s so-called shift change was actually to escort her to the Qianqing Palace.
Although the Eastern Palace was right next to the Qianqing Palace, not far away, and inside the heavily guarded palace, both Gu Zhao and Shen Xu seemed especially concerned for her safety.
On the way, Zhu Qingyu initially walked a few steps behind Shen Xu. Shen Xu even stopped deliberately and said to her:
“Lady Zhu, walk beside me. Don’t stray from my sight.”
Zhu Qingyu moved to his side and replied:
“Thank you, Master Shen.”
Shen Xu glanced at her:
“It’s my duty. Your safety is tied to the Emperor’s. There was a time, when Noble Consort Gao was still alive, that Shouming and I stayed by the Emperor’s side twenty-four hours a day, and we faced several assassination attempts. The palace is no ordinary place—more dangerous than you imagine. At all times, either stay with me or with Shouming. Don’t wander around the palace alone.”
It was as if, because they had been friends for years, they thought alike—or perhaps they had coordinated beforehand—since his words were almost identical to Gu Zhao’s.
Given how seriously they took her safety, Zhu Qingyu answered solemnly:
“Alright, I understand. I’ll either stick with you or with Shouming. Everyone else, I’ll treat as suspect.”
Hearing this, Shen Xu cast her another look, one with a hint of inquiry.
Zhu Qingyu thought he might want to ask about her coming out of Gu Zhao’s room earlier, but Shen Xu didn’t bring it up proactively, and Zhu Qingyu didn’t volunteer anything. So they walked the rest of the way in silence.
From one end of the palace corridor to the other, as they were about to enter the Qianqing Palace, Shen Xu suddenly asked:
“You call him ‘Shouming’?”
Zhu Qingyu was startled:
“No, I call him Master Gu.”
She occasionally used Gu Zhao’s courtesy name, but only when she was humoring him or calming him down. In front of outsiders, she always addressed him as Master Gu.
Then she caught on:
“Oh, did I just slip up? Maybe I followed your lead and said it by mistake.”
Shen Xu stopped walking and said:
“The Gu family has been a ducal household since the founding of the dynasty by our first Emperor. The matriarchs have all been noblewomen from well-matched families. His marriage is not his to decide. Even if he makes you promises, he cannot fulfill them. Lady Zhu, you—”
Shen Xu paused, as if choosing his words carefully.
Zhu Qingyu smiled:
“Master Shen, thank you for the reminder. I understand the situation you describe. I haven’t lost my head, and I have no intention of entering the Gu household as its matriarch.”
The ambiguous atmosphere in that dark room, where they had been alone together, was merely the result of a momentary lapse under extraordinary circumstances.
Once out of that dark space and into the light of day, those forbidden feelings between a man and a woman naturally dissipated.
Without Shen Xu’s warning, Zhu Qingyu herself was already soberly aware: this world was difficult enough as it was. To walk a path so filled with thorns for the temptation of a little beauty was unnecessary and not worth it.
Relieved to hear this, Shen Xu finally said:
“Let’s go. Things won’t be peaceful today. When you reach the Emperor’s bedchamber, be extra cautious.”
With all the arrangements the Dowager Empress had set in motion last night and someone in the palace still trying to take the Emperor’s life, peace was hardly to be expected.
But none of this had much to do with Zhu Qingyu. Others would handle those matters. Her responsibility was simply to watch over the Emperor’s health.
When Zhu Qingyu arrived, the Dowager Empress had not yet come. The imperial consorts sent by the Dowager Empress’s decree to attend the Emperor were all gathered in the side hall’s Buddhist shrine. The only one by the Emperor’s side was Eunuch Qiu.
Eunuch Qiu saw her and briefed her on the Emperor’s condition:
“In the past few days, His Majesty would wake up several times during the day, complaining of chills and abdominal pain. After drinking the medicine this morning, he seems to be sleeping more peacefully.”
Zhu Qingyu leaned in to examine the Emperor and said:
“If the abdominal pain is improving, that’s a good sign. Let him take one more dose of this prescription. I’ll add an external medicine. Please have someone prepare the herbal solution and apply it to His Majesty three times daily, morning and evening. Add an extra application when his fever is high and persistent at night.”
When Zhu Qingyu returned from the Imperial Medical Institute after preparing the medicine and carried the decoction into the Emperor’s bedchamber, the Dowager Empress had already arrived. Eunuch Qiu stood to the side, head bowed, reporting something.
It seemed Eunuch Qiu was discussing official matters. Zhu Qingyu paused at the doorway, not daring to enter.
The Dowager Empress noticed her and said:
“Lady Zhu, come in. Just follow your own procedures in caring for His Majesty. Don’t mind anything else.”
Eunuch Qiu helped the Emperor sit up, and Zhu Qingyu began to feed him the medicine.
The Dowager Empress watched and asked:
“All the other consorts have come. Only Consort Tan refused to come? What excuse did she give?”
Eunuch Qiu replied:
“Consort Tan fell and broke her leg on her way to attend His Majesty. She can’t get up.”
The Dowager Empress let out a cold laugh:
“The Emperor has always doted on her, and now at this critical moment, she pulls back. Is it because her conscience is guilty and she doesn’t dare show up? Since she broke her leg, bring her here anyway!”
With the Dowager Empress as the highest authority in the palace, once she gave the order, Consort Tan was indeed carried to the Emperor’s sickbed shortly after.
Seeing the Dowager Empress, Consort Tan wept pitifully, covering her face with a handkerchief:
“Your Imperial Majesty, I was frantic with worry for His Majesty and rushed out of my chamber. I fell while descending the steps—it truly wasn’t intentional. Please, see the truth.”
Zhu Qingyu knelt by the Emperor’s bedside, and from that angle, she could only see half of Consort Tan’s face.
But even half a face was enough to reveal a fragile, heartbreaking beauty.
Such a beauty, and the granddaughter of a Grand Secretary—it was no wonder she had risen to the rank of Noble Consort.
Watching Consort Tan hide behind her handkerchief, the Dowager Empress asked:
“Why are you covering your face? Afraid of catching something? Do you know what illness His Majesty suffers from?”
Consort Tan looked up at the Dowager Empress with a pitiful air:
“What has happened to His Majesty? Though I do not know his exact ailment, if I could, I would gladly take his place.”
The Dowager Empress gave a soft laugh:
“Good. Very good. Stewardess Gui.”
Stewardess Gui entered with a tray and knelt before Consort Tan, almost thrusting the tray into her arms.
On the tray lay a man’s undergarment. The Dowager Empress looked at it and said:
“Since you have that wish, I grant it to you. This is a garment you made for His Majesty, and your family took such pains to bring the cloth from the northern frontier. Put it on.”
The moment the tray was set down and Consort Tan saw what was on it, her expression changed.
Now, when the Dowager Empress ordered her to put it on, Consort Tan resisted fiercely. One hand clutched her stomach, the other pressed into the ground. Dragging her injured leg, she kept backing away, sobbing:
"How would I dare to wear the emperor's robes, Your Majesty?"
The Dowager Empress noticed her unconsciously cradling her stomach. Her brows furrowed as something came to mind, and she ordered:
"Lady Zhu, take her pulse."
Zhu Qingyu, who had been silently watching from the sidelines, dared not utter a word. Now suddenly dragged into the matter, she still said nothing, only quietly approaching Consort Tan and bending down to feel her pulse.
Consort Tan hid her hands behind her back, her face full of fear and dread, shaking her head earnestly at Zhu Qingyu.
The Dowager Empress gave Aunt Gui a look. Aunt Gui crawled over on her knees, pinned down Consort Tan, and forcefully pulled out her hand.
Zhu Qingyu placed her fingers on Consort Tan's wrist. The Dowager Empress's voice came from behind:
"Lady Zhu, is Consort Tan pregnant?"
It was an utterly bizarre diagnostic scene. The emperor lay grievously ill in bed, no prince existed in the palace—why was Consort Tan so terrified?
Zhu Qingyu seemed to read the fear in Consort Tan's eyes, but she had neither the motive nor the ability to cover for her. She answered truthfully:
"Yes, Consort Tan is pregnant. She is three months along."
