Ping Zhao Lu

Shangfu Bureau

The room was filled with mountains of silk and satin, a dazzling display of colors. The silk and satin exuded a faint luster, as if telling of their noble origins and exquisite craftsmanship.

The embroiderers worked in groups of three or five, cooperating with each other and cutting and embroidering in an orderly manner.

Their slender fingers dance among the fabrics like nimble butterflies, and they pour endless effort and concentration into every stitch.

Liang Siyi, a female official from the Shangfu Bureau, was dressed in gorgeous palace attire. She walked slowly and gracefully, carefully inspecting every corner and carefully checking the progress of the embroiderers in making the clothes.

Her eyes are sharp and discerning, not missing any flaws.

Especially the dress made of brocade specially prepared for the queen attracted all her attention.

Liang Siyi slowly walked to the place where clothes were specially made for the queen. She saw the embroiderers concentrating on embroidering. The needle tip gently picked up and twisted the silk thread, and it flowed across the cloth like water.

The delicate needlework and lifelike patterns are so breathtaking.

Liang Siyi nodded with satisfaction, the corners of her mouth slightly raised. Just as she was about to say a few words of praise, a palace maid hurried in.

He bowed and said, "Sir, Eunuch Su is here."

Upon hearing this, Liang Siyi hurried out to greet him with a smile.

"Oh, thank you, Eunuch Su, for coming here in person. It must be tiring. Why don't you sit down and have some hot tea to moisten your throat?" Liang Siyi said with a smile on his face and a very enthusiastic tone.

Facing Liang Siyi's warm hospitality, Su Ming seemed somewhat indifferent. He only bowed slightly and responded expressionlessly, "Your Excellency is so kind, but I cannot stay long. I will take a look at the progress and then leave."

Seeing him like this, Liang Siyi felt a little unhappy, but it was not easy to force him to stay, so she could only smile awkwardly and said, "In that case, please come this way, Eunuch Su." As she spoke, she turned sideways and made a gesture of invitation, leading Su Ming into the house.

After entering, Su Ming looked at the dress that was still in its final form and couldn't help but frown.

Liang Siyi noticed his confusion, glanced at the progress of the embroiderers' work, and explained, "Eunuch Su, you may not be aware. The silk Your Highness sent is of the finest brocade. Its intricate craftsmanship and exquisite materials are truly incomparable to ordinary clothing. Therefore, the production process is quite time-consuming and laborious. I hope Eunuch Su can be more understanding. But don't worry, I have urged the embroiderers to speed up the process, and I believe it will be completed and delivered on time before the birthday banquet."

After saying that, Liang Siyi secretly glanced at Su Ming out of the corner of his eye, wanting to see if his explanation could satisfy the other party.

After listening to Liang Siyi's explanation, Su Ming's tense expression relaxed a little. He nodded and said in a deep voice, "Well, I hope it's as you said, and we won't miss the birthday banquet. If we can't finish it on time, I'm afraid neither you nor I can bear the consequences!"

Liang Siyi quickly apologized with a smile, "Please rest assured, Eunuch Su. I guarantee with my own life that nothing will go wrong!"

With Liang Siyi's assurance, Su Ming returned to the palace to report with peace of mind.

After everyone left, the smile on Liang Siyi's face disappeared without a trace as if blown by a gust of cold wind.

She slowly turned her head and looked at the palace maid beside her. She opened her lips slightly and asked in a voice as cold as ice, "Have you taken care of everything I asked you to do?"

Seeing this, the maid standing nearby hurried forward and replied cautiously in a low voice, "Don't worry, my lord. I have arranged this matter perfectly. No one will be able to detect any clues."

*

As soon as Chu Heyuan and Shi'an stepped into the gate of Weiyang Palace, they saw that all the palace servants looked panicked and walked hurriedly, as if they were being chased by an invisible fear.

Some of them were holding basins of water, some were holding bowls of medicine, and some were wiping the sweat from their foreheads with towels. The whole scene was in chaos.

At this moment, Zhilan, who was not far away, inadvertently caught a glimpse of the prince's figure, and hurriedly stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

Chu Heyuan raised his hand slightly to signal her to stand up, his brows slightly furrowed, and his tone revealed a hint of worry and confusion: "What on earth is going on?"

Upon hearing this, Zhilan's expression instantly grew heavy, her eyes filled with anxiety, and her voice trembled slightly as she spoke, "Your Highness, for some reason, the Empress has suddenly fallen seriously ill. The imperial physicians have come to treat her, but the results are heartbreaking. They all say... the Empress is probably beyond recovery!"

Upon hearing this sudden bad news, Chu Heyuan felt his heart suddenly tighten and his eyes widened in disbelief.

He turned his head in a daze and looked at Shi'an behind him, who also had a look of astonishment on his face.

Shi'an had never expected such a sudden change to happen. He was at a loss for a moment and stood there in a daze.

But he quickly came to his senses and tried to comfort Chu Heyuan, "Maybe... maybe it was just a misdiagnosis by the imperial physician. Maybe the situation isn't that bad..."

However, Chu Heyuan had no intention of listening to the rest of his words. At this moment, there was only one thought in his mind - to see his mother immediately.

So, he didn't care about anything else, and ran towards Xie Yushu's bedroom.

In the palace

Xie Yushu lay quietly on the bed, her face as white as a flawless piece of rice paper, without a trace of blood, as if the breath of life was slowly fading from her delicate body.

A group of imperial doctors gathered around the bed, all of them with frowns and anxious faces, but they seemed helpless in the face of the illness in front of them. They could only look at each other helplessly and sigh.

At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps broke the silence of the bedroom.

Chu Heyuan ran in with big strides. His face turned red with anxiety and his forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat.

When he saw Xie Yushu's haggard appearance, his heart suddenly sank. He rushed to her and tightly grasped her pale and cold hands. His voice was filled with panic: "Mother, what happened to you? Why did you suddenly become like this?"

When Xie Yushu heard the familiar and concerned voice, he opened his eyes with great effort. When he saw the face in front of him that he had not seen for a long time and was full of worry, he forced a faint smile on his originally pale and weak face.

She raised a trembling hand and gently stroked Chu Heyuan's cheek, her eyes revealing endless love and attachment: "Ayuan is back, it's great, I didn't expect that I could see you one last time."

Chu Heyuan's heart was instantly filled with fear and pain. He shook his head desperately, tears welling up in his eyes. "No, Mother will be fine! Absolutely fine! I will never allow you to leave me!"

Xie Yushu sighed slightly, with a bitter smile on her lips. After a long silence, she said in a very weak voice, "Don't call me mother anymore, Ayuan. We are not mother and son..."

"No!" Chu Heyuan seemed to be greatly stimulated. He shook his head repeatedly with emotion, and tears could no longer be controlled and flowed out of his eyes. "In my heart, you will always be my most beloved mother! No matter what, you can't leave me alone! The imperial doctors will definitely find a way to cure you!"

As he spoke, he turned to look at the imperial doctors standing by, his eyes filled with pleading and commanding, "You can definitely save my mother, right?"

The imperial doctors looked at each other with bitter expressions, and then shook their heads to indicate that they were powerless.

Chu Heyuan's heart seemed to fall into a bottomless abyss in an instant, sinking straight down. He became dazed as if his soul had been taken away, and muttered, "Where are my father and the others..." His voice was as weak as a candle in the wind, which could go out at any time.

The palace attendant beside him watched this heartbreaking scene, his heart aching. He suppressed his grief and replied, "Your Highness, someone has been sent to inform His Majesty and the Queen. They must be on their way here in a hurry."

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard the call of the Emperor and Empress coming from outside the door.

Upon hearing this, Chu Heyuan used all his strength to support his body and staggered towards the door to prepare to greet him.

At this time, Xie Yushu, who was lying on the bed, had a breath that was getting weaker and weaker.

When Chu Yunxiao and Xu Zhouye hurried over, Xie Yushu was already hanging on to his last breath.

She used up her last bit of strength, raised her hand with difficulty, and gently signaled the others to step back.

No one dared to disobey and respectfully left the room, leaving only Chu Yunxiao, Xu Zhouye and Crown Prince Chu Heyuan in the room.

Xu Zhouye looked at Xie Yushu's pale face lying on the hospital bed, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

The once bright, charming and graceful woman has now lost all her color and looks extremely haggard.

This scene made him involuntarily recall the scene when he was bedridden in his previous life. The pain and helplessness at this moment were so similar that he couldn't help but feel a sense of sympathy.

Chu Heyuan stood beside the bed, holding Xie Yushu's hands tightly with both hands, sobbing silently, tears rolling down his face and dripping onto the white bedding, staining the bed with sad tears.

Xu Zhouye looked at Chu Heyuan's sad face, and his heart also began to feel sour.

He secretly said that things in the world are unpredictable.

Just like in his previous life, Xie Yushu suddenly fell ill without any warning, his condition deteriorated rapidly, and he eventually died.

He was unable to see her for the last time.

And now, the same scene was happening again. He witnessed with his own eyes Xie Yushu lying on the bed with a haggard face and dying.

Thinking of this, Xu Zhouye felt more and more sad, and his eyes gradually became moist.

Just as a hot tear rolled down her cheek.

Xie Yushu, whose life was hanging by a thread, lifted the quilt and slowly sat up without making a sound.

She raised her hand to wipe away the two lines of tears from the corners of her eyes, and a faint smile appeared on her face. She looked at the people in front of her with gentle and firm eyes.

He looked sick and like he would die at any moment, but now he disappeared without a trace.

This sudden change really shocked Xu Zhouye and Chu Heyuan.

Only Chu Yunxiao stood calmly with his hands behind his back. There was no trace of surprise on Zhang Yonghua's face, and he remained as steady and composed as ever.