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墨書 Inktalez
Mo Xier didn't know when she had fallen asleep at the edge of the bed, not even noticing when Night Star had awakened.
She had a fateful dream. In the dream, she walked through a grassland surrounded by rows of low farmhouse buildings. She lay on her grandmother's rocking chair, enjoying the cool breeze, while a pair of warm, calloused hands gently stroked her forehead and brushed her hair.
In that moment, a warm and familiar feeling washed over her. For some reason, she cried, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
That heart-wrenching sensation, that feeling of grievance and helplessness, surged forth as if she were acting like a spoiled child towards someone.
When she finally opened her eyes, the scene returned to her own bed, with light blue curtains, a wooden bed frame adorned with floral carvings, and an antique candle holder casting a dim yellow light. The spot where her head had rested was damp, and she lifted her head to wipe away the tear stains at the corners of her eyes.
Suddenly feeling utterly exhausted, the days and nights without sleep had left her senses somewhat numb. It was then that she noticed a large hand tightly gripping her wrist, continuously caressing her damp cheek marked with tears.
Mo Xier froze in place, sitting rigidly as if still trapped in a dream, momentarily believing she hadn't truly woken up.
"You’re really foolish," he said softly, tenderly stroking every inch of her skin. His rough hand finally rested on the dark circles under her eyes.
"You’re awake?" She was stunned; the surprise came too suddenly, causing her tear ducts to activate once more, warm salty liquid spilling forth.
The person on the bed nodded gently, his gaze filled with warmth as he looked at her. He reached out his hand and carefully pulled her closer to him before softly placing a kiss on her forehead.
Like a dragonfly touching water, it was gentle and sweet.
"I can hardly believe it." Mo Xier did not rise but instead leaned against his gradually warming body, her voice trembling with excitement. "I never expected that after such serious injuries, I could still bring you back. Night Star, you really..."
Tears streamed down her face, and her voice began to choke. After a moment, she pouted playfully and scolded, "You jerk. You're really such a jerk, making me worry about you like this."
She lightly tapped his chest with her small fist.
After calming down for a moment, she carefully stood up and called for Xinrong to bring a basin of warm water. Gently, she dipped a towel into it and began to wipe his chest, slowly unwrapping the bandages and applying medicine.
"Where is this?" Night Star asked, looking around in confusion.
"The palace," Mo Xier replied lightly.
At that moment, the man's brows furrowed into a tight knot. "Why am I here? The emperor..."
A sudden bad feeling surged within Night Star. He frowned, unsure how to express himself; they were in the palace, and he had to be cautious with every word, fearing that there might be ears listening through the walls.
"Don't worry, I am now the Empress Dowager's Adopted Daughter, Princess Fuyuan. The emperor won't do anything to me anymore."
Mo Xier said with a smile, sweetly looking at the man lying on the bed. He was handsome, cold, and carefree; all warmth and tenderness blossomed just for her. Now she wanted to take good care of him too.
"Adopted Daughter?" His expression showed surprise as he looked at her in disbelief.
Mo Xier gently wiped his chest and began to recount everything that had happened in recent days. Xinrong watched the sweet interaction between them and quietly stepped out, closing the door behind her.
Seeing her master display such happiness filled Xinrong's heart with joy as well.
She stood at the door, and although it was late at night and her mistress had allowed her to go to sleep, her mistress had always treated her well.
She would never leave her mistress alone to take care of the general while she went off to rest. Out of loyalty to her master, she felt it was important to always be by her mistress's side; deep down, her mistress was more important to her than herself.
Xinrong quietly stood outside the door, occasionally hearing laughter and chatter from within, feeling a mix of envy and comfort in her heart.
Suddenly, a woman in a long blue dress swayed toward her from a distance. From afar, she looked like a delicate willow, with brows like distant mountains and eyes holding a hint of ink.
As she approached with a lantern in hand, Xinrong recognized her as Green Wisteria, the best friend of her mistress.
"Miss, why are you still awake?" she called out cheerfully from afar.
Green Wisteria approached with a tense expression, her face strange as beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, indicating that she was troubled. Before Xinrong could speak, she anxiously asked, "Miss, what happened? Why is it so late?"
"The Empress Dowager... the Empress Dowager has suddenly fallen ill. Your mistress needs to go see her quickly." Seeing Green Wisteria so anxious and out of breath made Xinrong feel worried as well. She quickly said, "Wait here; I will go call for my mistress right away."
In the Empress Dowager's palace, fragrant mist swirled around, and the sound of purple sandalwood prayer beads echoed continuously. Two elderly nuns knelt quietly in front of the hall, softly reciting sutras.
The rhythmic knocking of the wooden fish made it seem like a place where only someone far removed from the mundane world would reside; at this moment, it housed the most esteemed woman in the palace.
When Mo Xier arrived, the Empress Dowager was lying in bed, unwilling to get up due to discomfort. She had slight spasms in her chest, making even breathing difficult.
"What happened to the Empress Dowager?" Mo Xier asked urgently and seriously.
A small palace maid beside her immediately knelt down and said, "Replying to Princess Fuyuan, the Empress Dowager was fine before sleeping, but suddenly something happened in the middle of the night. We don't know what is going on."
She rushed to the Empress Dowager's bedside and found that the Empress Dowager's complexion was purple, with red spots appearing on her cheeks.
There was a layer of sweat on her forehead, and her body trembled continuously. She grasped the Empress Dowager's wrist and checked her pulse. "What other symptoms does the Empress Dowager have besides these?"
The kneeling maid stammered, "The Empress Dowager just vomited continuously and has abdominal pain. The imperial physician said it was due to bad food and has already prepared a medicinal soup. However, after the Empress Dowager drank it, she vomited it all out and felt even worse."
"What?" Hearing this, she carefully lifted the Empress Dowager's eyelids and noticed that her pupils were dilated. Unable to contain her anger, she scolded, "Nonsense, this is simply ridiculous! Where is that imperial physician? Tell him to prepare for losing his head!"
After saying this, she took out a roll of cloth from a box, spread it on the bed to reveal various silver needles of different lengths, and then took out a brush and ink to write down several medicinal ingredients.
Rong Mama, who was beside the Empress Dowager, checked the list of medicines. There were exactly four ingredients, which made her look down on Mo Xier.
Taking the prescription, she immediately called someone to brew the medicine. Mo Xier returned to the bedside and quietly pulled up the Empress Dowager's clothes to expose her navel and several points on her abdomen. She pinched a silver needle and inserted it into several acupoints: Zhongji, Guanyuan, Tianshu, and Jianli.
Then she heated another long silver needle over the candle flame for a moment before inserting it into the Empress Dowager's head. Before long, the Empress Dowager's complexion changed from purple to red, and her labored breathing became much lighter.
After putting away the silver needles, she checked the Empress Dowager's pulse again and instructed someone to carefully bring up the freshly brewed medicine to feed to the Empress Dowager.
"Will this work?" Rong Mama asked from the side.
Mo Xier remained silent, unable to figure out what could have caused such a severe condition for the Empress Dowager. She reviewed the prescription given earlier and found that several of the ingredients clashed with the Empress Dowager's constitution; naturally, she would turn purple if she couldn't tolerate them.
"What did the Empress Dowager eat tonight?" she asked Rong Mama beside her, waving her hand to signal the princess who had been kneeling on the ground to stand up.
"The Empress Dowager has had a poor appetite these past few days, and since she was upset with the Emperor today, she didn't eat dinner," Rong Mama replied dismissively.
"Oh." She responded lightly, lowering her head to continue pondering, finding it quite strange! How could the Empress Dowager have an allergy if she hadn't eaten anything?
Raising her head, she scanned the surroundings but couldn't find anything else unusual, so she asked, "Is the incense in this room newly replaced today?" Her voice was calm, carrying a hint of wisdom.
"The calming incense was just changed. Usually, the Empress Dowager uses ordinary Buddhist incense, but today I noticed that the Empress Dowager was unwell, so I specifically switched to calming incense to help alleviate her pain. There shouldn't be any problems."
Rong Mama answered, her tone carrying an air of undeniable authority.
She secretly shot a sideways glance at Rong Mama, thinking to herself, "What is there to be so proud of? You're just a servant."
With that thought, she dismissed the idea that the incense was problematic. Based on the Empress Dowager's symptoms, it was clear that she had consumed something that upset her stomach and caused an allergic reaction.
In modern times, she often saw people allergic to pollen displaying similar symptoms; however, modern medicine was advanced enough to treat such conditions without severe symptoms like those of the Empress Dowager.
She hadn't expected ancient medicine to be so underdeveloped that a minor ailment could threaten someone's life!
"What exactly is wrong with the Empress Dowager?" Rong Mama asked cautiously. Although she looked down on Princess Fuyuan, she still needed to show some respect outwardly.
"An allergy," Mo Xier replied. Then she added softly, "Think about it: did the Empress Dowager consume any spoiled food or medication or skincare products tonight?"
Her voice was soft, and in the thick darkness of the night, under the glow of the orange-yellow candlelight, it seemed exceptionally eerie.
For some reason, Rong Mama felt a chill run down her spine. She struggled to think, when suddenly the palace maid who had just knelt on the ground and dared not speak said timidly, "Mama, could it be that there is something wrong with the coriander seed powder that the Empress Dowager consumed tonight?"
"Go on!" Her brow furrowed as she glanced at the maid, signaling her to continue.
The maid looked at Rong Mama before daring to speak again, "The Empress Dowager has always had a weak stomach. Today, she heard from another princess that coriander seeds not only nourish people but also strengthen the stomach. If consumed for a long time, stomach ailments can be cured.
That princess was cured this way. So the Empress Dowager specifically ordered me to fetch some of this powder for her to eat; today is the first time she has tried it."
"Indeed." Mo Xier suddenly felt a clarity in her mind and instructed the maid to bring out the coriander seed powder. She lightly dipped her finger into it, and the strong scent of coriander was quite pungent.
She gently held it in front of the Empress Dowager's nose, and sure enough, the Empress Dowager immediately began to cough uncontrollably, her reaction almost exceeding what would be considered normal.
This is it! Mo Xier silently confirmed in her heart.
She then commanded, "Throw this away and remember never to give the Empress Dowager any food containing coriander again. The Empress Dowager is allergic to this, do you understand?"
"Yes!" The maid replied cautiously and turned to leave.
After a while, the Empress Dowager slowly opened her eyes, her gaze somewhat dazed. The enlarged pupils gradually returned to normal size. She tightly grasped Mo Xier's hand and sighed, "You are a good girl; I shall arrange a marriage for you."
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