Male superiority and female superiority: forced love

The five-day appointment was over in a flash. Ruan Chuyin obediently followed Ji Zhiya back to the cabin on the mountaintop.

There were many new furnishings there, the biggest change being that the simple single wooden bed had been replaced with a sturdy double bed. A bathroom had also been added to the east side of the house, which made her wonder how he had bathed without a bathroom.

Ji Zhiya's answer was very concise. He said that what this place lacked the most were rivers and streams, which made Ruan Chuyin silent for a long time.

Living here, Xu Qingfeng would buy delicious food every day and wait for Ji Zhiya to come pick it up at the foot of the mountain. At first, it seemed a bit novel, but after a few meals, she felt that life down there was more comfortable. At least she could go wherever she wanted, unlike now, where she was surrounded by cliffs and couldn't get down the mountain without Ji Zhiya's help. After only two days, she dragged him to the Linhuai Palace.

The atmosphere when they met for the first time was not harmonious, but it was polite and decent. After all, his mother's illness still needed the help of this "brother".

The imperial palace is not like the common people. Every person entering and leaving must be registered in detail, not to mention entering and leaving the emperor and empress's bedroom - Penglai Palace.

Originally, Jiang Xuanzhou had intended for Ji Zhiya to sneak into the palace with the Imperial Physician for a consultation, but Ruan Chuyin felt that this wasn't appropriate. Perhaps because she'd watched too many palace dramas, she felt the emperor needed to be informed of this matter. So, Jiang Xuanzhou had no choice but to bring them into the palace to meet with his father and ask for his approval. As luck would have it, the Crown Prince was also there.

The three husbands gathered together, and the scene became awkward for a while.

Jiang Wenzhou's unfathomable gaze would occasionally glance back and forth between Ji Zhiya and the Crown Princess, the curve of his lips remaining the same throughout, making everyone unsure of what he was thinking.

Emperor Dayong was worried about the empress's illness, and now the famous Fufeng Sword Immortal suddenly appeared and said he would cure his wife's illness, which made him very happy. He looked at his daughter-in-law with more loving eyes, and even put aside the matter of the two paintings that he wanted to ask about.

Ruan Chuyin had deliberately observed Emperor Dayong and felt that the concern he showed for the queen did not seem fake and was not as serious as Jiang Xuanzhou said.

When Ji Zhiya went to Penglai Palace, Emperor Dayong went with them.

When Ruan Chuyin saw Li Chanjuan, the beautiful woman who was once graceful and elegant had now become skinny and withered, her face was haggard and lifeless, and her eyes were staring blankly into the distance like a puppet.

Thinking back to when I saw her last year, I felt that the past was like smoke, with only a faint trace lingering in my heart.

Li Chanjuan didn't respond to anyone or anything around her. No matter who called her, her eyes remained calm, as if she were a living dead person.

Ji Zhiya spent half an hour diagnosing her and prescribed a prescription to replenish her energy and refresh her spirits.

Emperor Dayong repeatedly confirmed with him the possibility of recovery, causing Jiang Xuanzhou, who was standing beside him, to frown deeply.

Ji Zhiya received Ruan Chuyin's glance and said, "Your Majesty, as long as the Empress takes her medicine on time, there is still great hope for recovery."

Jiang Chenfeng's expression was a little subtle, and he did not show the joy he had before. He just nodded lightly, took the queen's hand, said a few words of concern, and left.

After leaving the inner hall, Ji Zhiya finally told the three of them the truth: "There's no other way for the Empress to recover from her illness except to save herself. Her will to live is getting weaker and weaker. If she doesn't cheer up, she probably won't make it more than a month."

"Are you serious?" Jiang Xuanzhou became instantly agitated. The immense pain consumed his soul, and he staggered backwards.

Jiang Wenzhou grabbed his arm and straightened him up again.

"Zhiya, is the prescription you prescribed useful for the Queen? Or is there any elixir that can prolong her life?" Ruan Chuyin quickly took Jiang Xuanzhou's other arm and turned to look at Ji Zhiya for help.

"Yes, it is, but it's only a temporary solution. It can only temporarily calm her down. Heart disease requires heart medicine. The most urgent thing is to quickly find out what is causing the Queen's depression."

Jiang Xuanzhou agreed with Ji Zhiya's point of view, but it wasn't that easy. If he could have gotten the answer, his mother wouldn't be so terminally ill, like she is now, neither human nor ghost.

"How about we go back and think of a way and try again?" Ruan Chuyin hugged Jiang Xuanzhou tightly and comforted him softly, coaxing him out step by step.

Jiang Wenzhou followed at the end, but suddenly turned back halfway.

A deathly silence fell in Penglai Palace. He quietly gazed at the "serpent" that had tried to kill him countless times, pondering as he slowly approached.

"Mother, I hope you are well." He greeted her in a resounding voice. Seeing that she still did not respond, he sat down beside her.

The jade ring on the thumb emitted a faint glow and rotated inch by inch, waiting slowly for the hourglass beside it to run out.

"I believe that my mother has already seen the new beauty that my father has married. No, she should be called Imperial Concubine Sun now." Jiang Wenzhou stared deeply at Li Chanjuan, observing her calm and lifeless expression.

But he was not in a hurry at all. He turned the hourglass on the table upside down and let it flow slowly again.

"Royal Consort Sun is already pregnant with the heir to the throne. Even if this baby isn't a prince, there will be countless opportunities in the future."

The surroundings were still quiet. Li Chanjuan's breath had not changed at all. She leaned on the Arhat bed, staring at the hibiscus outside the window in a trance, as if everything around her had nothing to do with her.

"I remember that before Xuan Zhou was born, my mother took great care of me and my sister. We even had a bowl of longevity noodles that you personally prepared. Imperial Concubine Sun is only eighteen years old this year. She wouldn't personally cook a bowl of longevity noodles for Xuan Zhou."

"My father has ordered the Construction Department to build a Mu Ning Palace for Imperial Concubine Sun, because she finds the Yong He Palace she currently lives in too small. This is an unprecedented honor in the imperial harem throughout the dynasties, which shows how much favor Imperial Concubine Sun enjoys."

"My mother is now bedridden and has been staying in Penglai Palace for a long time. I'm sure that Imperial Noble Concubine Sun will have to trouble herself with all the palace banquets in the future."

"Queen Mother, rest assured and recuperate. When the little prince is born, I will come to congratulate you as soon as possible."

After saying this, seeing that it was getting late, he raised the corners of his lips slightly, drew a graceful arc, took one last look at Li Chanjuan, and left in a leisurely manner.

The temperature in Penglai Palace seemed to be lower than before.

Li Chanjuan was still staring blankly at the large patch of her favorite hibiscus. She raised her wrist slightly, and her five fingers slowly sank into her palm to form a fist.

She had spent most of her life cultivating bitter hatred, only to lose her love and her freedom, only to end up serving someone else. If it had been Jiang Wenzhou, it would have been fine, but if it was Sun Wanning, was she worthy?

A faint cold light flashed in her eyes. At this moment, she suddenly felt the motivation to live again.